AUSTRALIA
COOKS ORDERS - CLAIMING THE EAST COAST
There are often incorrectly cited references to Captain Cook's claim to Australia for the King of England as being in breach of his orders and as invalid as Cook did not obtain the "consent of the Natives". This commentary is completely incorrect. Further Captain Cook never used the term Terra Nullius or stated that the land was uninhabited or belonged to no one.
Furthermore, having advised the admiralty of his claim and the existence of a native population of primitive peoples, the government of England would decide to create the colony of New South Wales. Cook's orders were complied with, his actions reported and the facts of his journey of discovery and exploration are now a matter of public record. They should be factually reported - not distorted to attempt to invalidate Great Britain's sovereign claim to the East Coast of Australia.
In 1769 Lieutenant Cook and crew set out on HMS Endeavour on a scientific mission and joint venture sponsored by the Royal Society and the Admiralty. His orders first took him to Tahiti to record the astrological event, the Transit of the Planet Venus in Tahiti and then his instructions were : :
You are to proceed to the Southward in order to make discovery of the Continent abovementioned until’ you arrive in the Latitude of 40°, unless you sooner fall in with it. But not having discover’d it or any Evident sign of it in that Run you are to proceed in search of it to the Westward between the Latitude beforementioned and the Latitude of 35° until’ you discover it, or fall in with the Eastern side of the Land discover’d by Tasman and now called New Zeland.........
You are also with the Consent of the Natives to take Possession of Convenient Situations in the Country in the Name of the King of Great Britain: Or: if you find the Country uninhabited take Possession for his Majesty by setting up Proper Marks and Inscriptions, as first discoverers and possessors.
Cook was traveling from Tahiti which is latitude 17 degrees south. The instructions to Cook were to search for the Great Southern land, south from Tahiti until as low as latitude 40 degrees south and if the Great Sothern land is not found, then to travel as far west between latitude 35 and 40 south until reaching the eastern side of New Zealand [over 3,000 kilometers west of Tahiti]. During the voyage if Cook finds the Great Southern land and it is inhabited by Natives, attempt to gain their consent for the King of England to take possession, or if uninhabited to claim the land for the King of England.
Captain Cook found no such lands in his voyage from Tahiti to New Zealand.
His orders then directed Cook to explore the Coast of New Zealand and then set sail for England.
During the voyage back to England on a route determined by Cook, his orders then stated “You will also observe with accuracy the Situation of such Islands as you may discover in the Course of your Voyage that have not hitherto been discover’d by any Europeans and take Possession for His Majesty”
The east coast of New Holland, which had not been discovered by any Europeans and Cook in accordance with his orders took Possession for His Majesty.
On 22 August,1770 Captain Cook claimed the Eastern seaboard of Australia in the name of the King of England at Possession Island.
Captain Cook never referred to Australia as “terra nullius”, nobody’s land or uninhabited. Captain Cook was aware from his travels of the existence of natives on the continent but saw and reported that there was no civilization..
Cook’s claim to Australia for the King of England was based on being the first discoverer of a European empire.
The text of Captain Cooks orders can be found here :
IMPERIAL POWERS CLAIMING THE WORLD
Colonisation by one of the imperial powers of the time was inevitable. It is impossible to conceive that Australia would remain isolated or separate from the advancing world as though it was some sort of special zoological experiment that would never see the advance of the modern world
Cook was the first European to discover the East Coast. The Dutch had already discovered much of the rest of the continent. The Spanish had passed through the Torres Straits over 170 years before Cook but had not mapped/claimed Australia.
The French were exploring the area at the time of Cook’s voyages and would have extensive contact with the East Coast and Tasmania between 1778 and 1830 and would actually claim the West Coast of Australia.
The Germans would become active in claiming islands in the Pacific over 100 years after Cook’s discovery.
FRENCH CLAIM TO AUSTRALIA
It is particularly relevant to consider that in 1772 Captain Alesne de Saint – Allouran, a French naval Captain landed on Dirk Hartog Island in Shark Bay and claimed it in the name of the King of France. However, the French claim over Western Australia was never secured by the French with a permanent settlement or effective occupation which is the essential aspect of creating sovereignty of lands. Only the East Coast of Australia had been claimed for Great Britain by Cook.
The West Coast first formal claim of possession for Great Britain was in 1791 and effective occupation and settlement commenced with the establishment of the Swan River colony by Governor Stirling in 1829..