Several letters were written to Mr. Walker, one or two of which relating to a later period were seen and copied by Dr. Young, but they fell into the hand of a niece, who unfortunately, not recognising their value, destroyed them shortly before her death, which occurred some years ago.  However, it is certain that he wrote one about this time and evidently received a favourable reply, for he shortly afterwards wrote again acknowledging the service done him.

Enters navy.

Having made up his mind how to proceed, Cook went to a rendezvous at Wapping and volunteered into H.M.S.  Eagle, a fourth-rate, 60-gun ship, with a complement of 400 men and 56 marines, at that time moored in Portsmouth Harbour.  On the Muster Roll, preserved in the Records Office, the following entry occurs:  “161 from London rendezvous, James Cook, A.B., entry, June 17th 1755, first appearance June 25th 1755.”  On the 24th July, that is, thirty-seven days after the date of entry into the Navy, he is rated as Master’s mate, a position he held till 30th June 1757, when he quitted H.M.S.  Eagle.

His appointment was facilitated by the difficulty experienced in obtaining men for the Service, as may be gathered from Captain Hamar’s letters, who writes applying to the Admiralty for permission to break up his London Rendezvous, as he says it has “procured very few men, and those only landsmen.”  Again, he complains of the quality of the men he has received, and says he is one hundred and forty short of his complement.  In another letter: 

“I do not believe there is a worse man’d ship in the Navy.  Yesterday I received from the Bristol twenty-five supernumeraries belonging to different ships, but not one seaman among them:  but, on the contrary, all very indifferent Landsmen.”

These complaints were endorsed by Captain Pallisser, who succeeded Hamar on the Eagle, for he wrote that some of the crew were turned over from ship to ship so often that he was quite unable to make out their original one: 

“they being such that none choose to own them.  Of forty-four said to belong to the Ramilies, she wanted only six the other day, but her boatswain could find out only those amongst them that he thought worth having.”

In the face of these deficiencies in quantity and quality of men, and remembering the good character he doubtless obtained from Mr. Walker, there can be no surprise that when Cook sailed out of an English port for the first time as a Royal Navy sailor he held the rating of Master’s mate.  It is usual to look upon him as an explorer and surveyor only, but a little enquiry shows that he played an active part in some of the most stirring events of the next few years.  The records of his personal deeds are wanting, but his ships saw service, and from his character it is certain that when duty called, James Cook would not be found wanting.  Many of the men under whom he served have left behind names that will always be associated with the construction of the present British Empire, and with most of them he was in immediate personal contact, and obtained in every case their respect, in some their close personal friendship.