Cook's first voyage was published under the direction of Dr. Hawkesworth; his second was chronicled by himself; while the third was prepared from his journal by Lieut. King. The charts and plates illustrating the last were executed at the expense of the government, and half the profits of the work were given to his family. A narrative of the third voyage was also published in Hartford, Conn., by John Ledyard, who accompanied the expedition. Distinguished honors were paid to his memory, and a medal in commemoration of him was struck by order of the Royal society. His widow received a pension of £200 per annum, and each of his children £25.
COOK, James Merrill, financier, b. in Ballston,
N. y., 19 Nov., 1807; d. in Saratoga, 12 April,
1868. His father was a lawyer and judge in Saratoga county, and offered James a liberal education.
But the son preferred the counting-room to the college, and devoted some years to a clerkship in New
York city. When he was about thirty-one years of
age he was elected to a local office in his native
town. His ardent support of whig principles
brought him followers, and he was chosen to many
town and county offices during the succeeding ten
years. He was a member of the constitutional convention in 1846, and a member of the state senate
in 1848-51, and again in 1864-'5. In 1851 he received a certificate as state treasurer, and discharged the duties of the office for about a year,
when the claims of his competitor in the election
were established, and he retired. During 1854-'5
he filled the office of state comptroller with such
marked ability that it resulted in his being offered
the superintendency of the banking department of
the state. In order to accept the office, it was
necessary for him to divest himself of all interest in
any banks in the state, and he was president of the
Ballston Spa bank, having been one of the original
corporators, and the owner of a large amount of
stock in that and other institutions. At the solicitation of capitalists throughout the state, he sold
out his stock and accepted the office. The salary
had been but $2,500, but was by act of legislature
increased to $5,000. Mr. Cook served from 30
Jan., 1856, till 16 April, 1861. Frauds were detected, worthless banks wound up, laws improved,
guards and securities multiplied. To such an extent was his policy carried out that the financial
crisis of 1857 did not affect the credit of the state.
Though specie payments in the United States were
generally suspended, the paper bills of New York
state banks continued to pass at par throughout
the country. His last report as superintendent of
the banking department of New York called out
elaborate reviews from various European journals.
In 1858 his name was prominently before the republican convention as a candidate for governor,
but at his own solicitation was withdrawn.
COOK, John, Canadian clergyman, b. in Sanquhar in 1810; d. in Quebec, 1 April, 1892. He was educated at Edinburgh university, and received his theological training under Dr. Chalmers;
was ordained by the presbytery of Dumbarton in
1835, in the year following arrived in Quebec, and
shortly afterward was appointed pastor of St. Andrew's church in that city. When the disruption
took place in 1843, he retained his connection with
the Established church of Scotland, and when
the establishment of Queen's college, Kingston,
was determined upon, he exerted himself to secure the necessary endowment, and had been a
trustee of the institution ever since. In 1857 he
assumed the presidency temporarily, and during
two sessions acted as professor of divinity. The
founding of Morin college, Quebec, was largly due
to his efforts, and after its establishment he was
the lecturer on divinity. In 1861 he proposed resolutions favoring a union between the free and the
established branches of the Presbyterian church,
and in 1875 such a union was effected, when Dr.
Cook was moderator of the first general assembly.
COOK, Joseph, author, b. in Ticonderoga, N.
Y., 26 Jan., 1838. He is the son of a farmer.
When he was nine years of age he attended an
auction of a district-school library, and purchased
every book of merit in the collection. As a reward
for good scholarship he was offered his choice be-
tween a watch and a cyclopaedia, and chose the
latter. He entered Yale in 1858, but, his health
becoming impaired, he left early in 1861. In 1863
he entered Harvard as a junior, and was graduated
in 1865, not only receiving high honors, but carry-
ing off several prizes. Mr. Cook then studied three
years at Andovei-, adding a fourth year for special
study of advanced religious and philosophical
thought. A license was granted to him, but he
declined all invitations to any settlement as pastor.
He preached in Andover during 1868-'70, and was
acting pastor in Lynn, Mass., in 1870-'l. In 1871
he went to Europe and studied at Halle, Leipsic,
Berlin, and Heidelberg, then travelled in Italy,
Egypt, Greece, Turkey, and northern Africa. Re-
turning to the United States near the close of
1873, he became a lecturer on the relations of religion, science, and current reform. His lectures in
Tremont temple, Boston, soon became widely
known as the " Boston Monday Lectures," and, although delivered at noonday, they drew audiences
to the full capacity of the hall, which seats 8,000.
The lectures were reported in many newspapers,
and were afterward issued in book-form. Philosophy, science, and politics were discussed, and so
great was their popularity that a series was pre-
pared for general delivery. The following topics
were selected, and, as occasion offered, the lectures
were delivered in ' various cities of the United
States: 1. "Does Death end AH?" 2. "Seven
Modern Wonders." 3. " Ultimate America." 4.
" Certainties in Religion." 5. " England and
America as Competitors and Allies." 6. " Political Signs of the Times.'" 7. " Alcohol and the Hu-
man Brain." 8. " Law and Labor, Property and
Poverty." 9. " God in Natural Law." 10. " Religious Signs of the Times." 11. " What saves
Men, and Why 1 " 12. " A Night on the Acropolis." During "the winter of 1878-'9 Mr. Cook con-
ducted a Boston Monday-noon lectureship and a
New York Thursday-evening lectureship, besides
filling a large number of engagements. In 1880,
in answer to invitations from abroad, he decided
to make a lecturing tour around the world. He
was everywhere received with immense audiences.
He made 135 public appearances in Great Britain,
passed several months in Germany and Italy, and
went to India by way of Greece, Palestine, and
Egypt. From India his tour extended to China,
Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the Sandwich
islands, returning home by way of San Francisco.
In Japan he gave twelve lectures — six in English
and six through an interpreter — to audiences composed chiefly of Japanese students, teachers, and
public men. Mr. Cook's popularity arises from
the fact that he attempts to show that science
is in harmony with religion and the Bible. His
published works are " Biology " (Boston, 1877) ;
" Transcendentalism " (1877) ; "'Orthodoxy " (1877) ;
"Conscience" (1878); "Heredity" (1878); "Marriage" (1878); "Labor" (1879); "Socialism"
(1880) ; " Occident " (1884) ; " Orient " (1886).
