Shelf Discovery

Captain James Cook’s first two voyages of exploration, in 1768-71 and 1772-75, had drawn the modern map of the South Pacific Ocean and had opened the door on the discovery of Antarctica. These expeditions were the subject of Volumes I and II of Dr J.C. Beaglehole’s edition of Cook’s Journals. The third voyage, on which Cook sailed in 1776, was directed to the Northern Hemisphere. Its objective was the discovery of ’a Northern Passage by sea from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean’ - the North-west Passage, sought since the 16th century, which would have transformed the pattern of world trade. The search was to take Cook into high latitudes where, as in the Antarctic, his skill in ice navigation was tested. Sailing north from Tahiti in 1778, Cook made the first recorded discovery of the Hawaiian Islands. On March 7 he sighted the Oregon coast in 44° N. The remarkable voyage which he made northward along the Canadian and Alaskan coasts and through Bering Strait to his farthest north in 70° nearly disproved the existence of a navigable passage towards the Atlantic and produced charts of impressive accuracy. Returning to Hawaii to refit, Cook met his death in a clash with the natives as tragic as it seems unnecessary. Dr Beaglehole discusses, with sympathy and insight, the tensions which led Cook, by then a tired man, into miscalculations alien to his own nature and habits. The volume and vitality of the records, both textual and graphic, for this voyage surpass those even for Cook’s second voyage. The surgeons William Anderson and David Samwell, both admirable observers, left journals which are also here printed in full for the first time. The documentation is completed, as in the previous volumes, by appendixes of documents and correspondence and by reproductions of original drawings and paintings mainly by John Webber, the artist of the expedition. In Dr Beaglehole’s words, ’no one can study attentively the records of Cook’s third, and last, v

The South China Sea has long been regarded as one of the most complex and challenging ocean-related maritime disputes in East Asia. Recently it has become the locus of disputes that have the potential of escalating into serious international conflicts. Historical mistrust, enduring territorial disputes, and competing maritime claims have combined to weaken an at least partially successful regional security structure. Issues of concern include territorial sovereignty; disputed claims to islands, rocks, and reefs; jurisdiction over territorial waters, exclusive economic zones, and the seabed; regional and international rights to use the seas for military purposes; maritime security; rapid economic development; and environmental degradation. The fear is that increasing competition for energy and other resources will exacerbate conflicts and further fuel nationalism and sovereignty issues in the region. The SCS has an integrated ecosystem and is one of the richest seas in the world in terms of marine flora and fauna: coral reefs, mangroves, sea-grass beds, fish, and plants. National economic security can be easily affected by conflicts occurring in major international trade routes like the SCS, or how such an unclear situation might even give rise to environmental challenges in the future. The book creates an understanding as to why this region is important not only to the claimants but to global powers like the United States and India. The book examines current and potential conflicts in the South China Sea, and also evaluates how conflicts have been “managed” to date and suggests as to how they might be better managed in the future. This book concludes with recommendations for improving the situation in the region by ensuring a strong economic relationships, using high-resolution observation satellites, and undertaking joint development, and resource exploration etc.