Jens Haven (1724–1796) and Captain James Cook (1728–1779) in Newfoundland

Abstract

abstract:Jens Haven, a former missionary to Greenland, established contact with Inuit from Labrador in 1764. Governor Palliser of Newfoundland saw in Haven's missionary efforts an opportunity to improve the hitherto hostile relations between the English and Inuit. On his exploration journey, Haven met Captain James Cook near Quirpon on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula and stayed on his ship. Governor Palliser's recommendation of Jens Haven to English naval officers in Newfoundland and Labrador provides the context for Haven's dealings with Captain James Cook. Haven sought to demonstrate throughout the journey his British loyalty. He also found confirmation for an ethnic kinship between Inuit in Labrador and Greenland. The missionary's relations with Captain Cook are explored here fully by considering all extant archival materials available for the trip, including the German records that he kept from British authorities as well as a later reflection about the trip in 1784.