Captain James Cook Last Will and Testament

Download a free copy of the Last Will and Testament of Captain James Cook (1728-1779).

James Cook was an English explorer, navigator and cartographer, who was the first to map Newfoundland before embarking on several voyages to the South Pacific during which he became the first European to make contact with the eastern coast of Australia and Hawaii, and the first to land on and circumnavigate New Zealand.

Cook charted many areas and recorded several islands and coastlines on European maps for the first time. His achievements are the result of a combination of fine seamanship, superior surveying and cartographic skills, courage in exploring dangerous locations (such as traveling Antarctic waters and face-to-face dealings with Maori warriors), an ability to lead men in adverse conditions, and a willingness to exceed the orders given him by the Admiralty.

Cook died in Hawaii in a fight with Hawaiians during his third exploratory voyage in the Pacific in 1779.