Indigenous Woman & child of Adventure Bay, Bruny Island, Tasmania (Van Diemens Land) by Captain Cook
A fine original copper-plate engraved antique print of an Indigenous Woman & child of Adventure Bay, Bruny Island, Tasmania (Van Diemens Land) encountered by Captain Cook in during his 3rd & last Voyage of Discovery in 1777. From a Dutch edition of Captain Cook's voyages: 'Reize rondom de Waereld door James Cook' (Captain Cook's Travels). From 1778 on printed editions of 'Captain Cook's Travels' appeared in English, Italian, French and Dutch.
This publication is considered the foundation of modern knowledge of the Pacific and a cornerstone of the literature of travel and exploration. Captain Cook's Voyages are an iconic symbol of discovery and served not only to contribute to many diverse fields of knowledge but also to inspire many who followed after him. The knowledge accumulated during these explorations greatly expanded the awareness of the world's geography, and his writings, maps, and drawings significantly aided in future navigations, making sea travel much more certain and educating the general public.
Adventure Bay is the name of both a township and a geographical feature on the eastern side of Bruny Island, Tasmania. The first European to sight the bay was explorer Abel Tasman, who sought to anchor his vessel Heemskerck there in 1642. Instead, Heemskerck was driven back offshore by a storm, in token of which Tasman named the place Storm Bay. Captain Tobias Furneaux renamed it in March 1773, in honour of his ship HMS Adventure, which he had anchored in the bay for five days after becoming separated from Captain James Cook\'s HMS Resolution during Cook\'s second voyage to the Pacific search of Terra Australis Incognita. Furneaux\'s log made clear the bay was an excellent anchorage for resupplying vessels:....to the SW of the first watering place there is a large lagoon which I believe has plenty of fish in it for one of our Gentlemen caught upwards of 2 dozen trout, and shot a possum which was the only animal we saw. There are a great many gum trees and of a vast thickness and height, one of which measured in circumference 26 feet and the height under the branches was 20 feet. Others among Furneaux\'s crew spotted evidence of what they believed were small deer but were more likely kangaroos. Furneaux also noted signs of an Aboriginal settlement in the form of several huts or wigwams on shore, with several bags of grass in which they carry their shellfish. - but the branches of which the huts were made were split and torn and there was not the least appearance of any people. Reliably mapped and offering an abundance of water, fresh water and game, Adventure Bay quickly became a popular anchorage for European explorers. Cooks Resolution watered there in 1777, followed by William Bligh aboard HMS Bounty in 1788 and HMS Providence in 1792. Others who resupplied their vessels in the bay in this period included Bruni d Entrecasteaux aboard Recherché in 1792 and 1793, and Nicolas Baudin in the corvette Géographe in 1802. Matthew Flinders also tried to enter the bay with Norfolk in 1798.
