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A H 1' 'V t < /{ I 4 i *.'.'A« l/„/-*M , ///../..-I'/. ■<"•■■' *'' f(H vl Wil rra A CHRONOLOGICAL lilSTOllV or \ VOYAGES iM o THE ARCTIC REGIONS; INUEIITAKEN CHII'II.V lUU TIIK I'lIU'OSE UF DJSCOyERINCi A NORTH-EAST, NORTU-IVEST, OR POLAR PASSAGE OBTWFEN TUB ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC: I KOM TIIK K^ni-IFST I'KIIIODS OF SCANDINAVIAN NAVIOATIOK, TO TIIK, DEPAUIURK OF THE RKCENT EX PEDITIONS, VNDKR THE ORDF.RS OF CAPTAINS ROSS AND BUCHAX. " How sIiaU I admire your liiToUkp roiiiagi', ye iiuiriiie wortliifs, Ix'yond ali namo* of woi'tliiiirts! tliHt iifytlHT dn'aii so Ions; cytlwr prt'si'nrc or idismu-i-ot the suiiiic; nor tliosti fo.Hfiy mysts, tempestuous winds, I'old Idusts, snowi's and liwyle in tlie ayrc: nor tl\o uu- i'(|iiHll sras, wliicli mi);lit amaze tlio hearer, and aiiiatc tlie licliolder, wIhtl' tlic Triton* and SeptuHt'si.vX'lc would qualtc with chillinp; trarr, to behold such monstrous icie il.inds, rcnt- ini" themselves with terrour of tlieir owne massines, and ilisdaynint; ollierwise hoth the sca'« sovercigntie, and Uic sunne's hottest vioU;nce, musterini; tlienijelves in tliose watery plaiues V'lierc they hold a continual civill warre, ami rushim; one upon unotSter, make windes and waves give backe; secmini; to rent the eares of ncher^, wliilu they re!. o D'.SCOVEIIIES OF An.SQl. banks of the llliinc, as far as IVIentz. They pe- netrated into the lieart of France, having long before ravaged the coasts : they every where found their way up tlie Somme, tlie Seine, the Loire, the Garonne, and the Rhone. Within the space of thirty years, they frequently pillaged and burnt Paris, Amiens, Orleans, Poitiers, Bour- deaux, Toulouse, Saintes, Angouleme, Nantes, and Tours. They settled themselves in Camargue, at the mouth of the Rhone, from whence they wasted Provence and Dauphiny, as far as Va- lence. In short, thev ruined France, levied im- mense tribute on its monarchs, burnt the palace of Charlemagne at Aix-la-Chapelle, and, in con- clusion, caused one of the finest provinces of the kingdom to be ceded to them." And he adds, what one would wish to be tiue, that these daring robbers, " sometimes animated by a more pacific spirit, transported colonies to unknown or unin- habited countries, as if they were willing to repair in one place the horrid destruction of human kind occasioned by their furious ravages in others."* One of these pirates, in proceeding to the Faroe islands, in the year 861, was driven, by an eas- terly gale of many days continuance, so far to the westward, that he fell in with an island utterly unknown to him, and to which, from the great quantity of snow on the mountains, he gave the * INIallet's Northern Antiquities, vol. i. p. 245. A /I. 86 j. THE SCANDINAVIANS. name of Snoxo-land. Three years after his return, a Swede, of the name of Gardar Suatfarson, was imhiced to undertake a voyage in seareh of this newly discovered island, which he was fortunate enough to find; and, having spent the winter upon it, and reached home in safety the following year, he gave so lively a description of its fair woods and fertile soil, that one Flocke, or Flokko, was induced to try his fortune on Snowland. The mariner's compass heing at that time unknown, and the foggy and clouded atmosphere of the north frequently hiding the face of the sun for days to- gether, Flokko took the precaution of providing himself with a raven, or, as some say, four ravens, which, like Noah, heing let loose in the midst of the oceai* might serve as a guide for him to follow. The first is supposed to have flown back to the land it had left ; but on the second directing his flight to the westward, he follov, ed the course taken by the bird, and found die land he was in quest of. He also passed the winter on the island, and, on his return, gave a less inviting picture of its ap- pearance than that which had been painted by Gardar. From the severity of the weather, and the vast quantities of drift ice which filled all the bays on the northern side of the island, he changed the name to that of Iceland^ which it ever after retained. Some of his companions, however, de- scribed it as a pleasant and fertile country ; but no attempts appear to have been made towards a re- ij2 BISCOVLRIES OF 874. g'ular cstal)li.slimciit upon it, till tlic year 874, wlicMi one Inii;oir, and his friend LeiK, or Iliorleif, dissatislicd with the arhitiary autliority of Harold llarfagre, kini;- of the Norwegians, determined to ahandon their country, and, as voluntary exiles, to seek an asyhun in Iceland. On approaching- the island, Ingolf, conlbrniahly with an ancient superstition of his country, threw overboard a A\ ooden door, determining to make his first land- ing (ui that part of the coast to wliicli the gods should direct this floatino- o-uide; hut the current or? ^ having carried it away fiom his sight, he landed in a fiord or gulf on the soutliern part of the island, which still bears his name.* The report of their arrival having reached Nor- wa}', a number of families, \\\\\\ their followers and connexions, taking* with them their cattle and furniture and implements of husbandry, embarked for this new colony, with a view of establishing their future residence there. It is mentioned as a fact in the Iceland annals, whose authenticity has rarely been called in question, that these early Norwegian colonists were fully persuaded that the island had been inhabited before their coming there ; as wooden crosses, bells, and even books, vv^ere found near the shore, such as were then in use in Britain and Ireland. The distance is so short from Ireland, that it is not improbable that some * Arngrim Jonas. Chrymogcca. i)S2. THE SCAXDIXAVIANS. 5 of its fislicrnicn miglit have been driven thither, and left behind tliem these lehes of Christianity ;* or, as Forstcr suj)poses, sonic of tlie Norman pirates, Avith their l)ooty, after plundering Irehmd, may have directed tiicir course to the westward, and left there these articles of tlieir booty.! Towards the close of the teutli century, a man of the name of Thorwald, beino- oblioed to Ih- on account of a murder, set sail for Iceland. His son, Eric Kauda, or Eric the Redhead, having also been guilty of murder and many .rregularitics, soon fol- lowed. The latter set out from hence on an expcv dition to the westw^ard in i}82, and fell in with that part of the east coast of Greenland called Ilerjolf's Ness, and standing to the southward, entered a large inlet, wdiich was called by him, or after him, Eric's Sound. :|: He passed the w inter on a pleasant island in this sound, explored the coast in the fol- lowing year, and in the third year returned to Ice- land ; and by a lively description and the most lavish praises of its green and pleasant meadows, and the abundance of fine fish on the coast, he induced a number of settlers to accompany him to this newly discovered country, to which, in com- parison of its appearance with Iceland, he gave the name of Greenland. Such is tlie account of this discovery, as given by the northern historian * Mallet's Northern Antiquities, t Forster's Northern Voyages. X Torfan Groen. Ant. £3 6 DISCOVEUIKS OF 1001. and Icelandic judge Snorro; but Torflcus and sonic otliers contend that this country, as well as Iceland, Mas known before tlie times above men- tioned; and the grounds for this opinion rest chiefly on the privilege granted to the church of Ham- burgh in 834 by Louis the Debonnair, and a bull of Pope (rregoiy IV., wherein permission is granted to the Archbishop Ansgarius to convert the Sueones, Danes, Sclavonians, Icelanders and Grecnlanders ; but it is now supposed that the last two names have been interpolated by the church of Hamburgh, with a view to secure to itself certain rights over these countries ; and that, the better to carry on this pious fraurl, it had falsi- fied the documents. Whether this be really the case or not, the church, it would appear, succeeded in its object, the Norwegian colonies having con- tinued to pay to the bishops and the holy see, in the way of tythe and Peter-pence, two thousand six hundred pounds, in weight, of the walrus or sea-horse teeth. The Norwegians and the Normans flocked in great numbers to Iceland, and a regular trade was established between the colonists and the mother country. About the year 1001, as one of the colonists, of tlie name of Herjolf, with his son liiorn, ^\ ere proceeding on a trading voyage, their ships v.crc .separated by a storm, and Biorn was driven to Norway, where he soon afterwards Icarut tliat his father Herjolf was gone to Green- land. On this information he set sail to tlie west- 1001. THE SCANDINAVIANS. r ward, intending to joinliim, but being* driven by a storm a great way to tlie south-west he dis- covered, by chance, a fine plain country well clothed with wood. The relation which he oave of this new discovery, on his retinn to Iceland, intlamed the ambition of Leif, the son of Erie, who had founded the colon v on the coast of Greenland. He immediately equipped a j)ro|)er vessel, and taking with him his friend Biorn, they proceeded together in quest of the newly dis- covered land. On approaching the coast they ob- served a barren and rocky island, which they there- fore named Helleland ; and to the low sandy shore beyond it, which was covered with wood, they gave the name of Markland. Two days after this they fell in with a new coast of land, to the northward of which they observed a large island. They ascended a river, the banks of which were covered with shrubs, bearing fruits of a most agreeable and delicious flavour. The temperature of the air felt soft and mild to the Greenland adventurers, the soil appeared to be fertile, and the river abounded with fish, and par- ticularly ^vith excellent salmon. On proceeding upwards they discovered that the river issued from a lake, near which they resolved to pass tlie winter. On their return, they mentioned, among other things, that, on the shortest day, the sun was visible above the horizon eight hours ; that a B 4 DISCOVERIES OF 1001. (jcrman, who was one of tlic crew, in strolling into the woods, met with wild grapes, which he informed the Scandinavian navigators were snch as, in his country, were used to make wine, upon which they gave to the island the name of \'inland. The latitude deduced from the ohservation of the length of day, supposing it to he correct, would point out some of the rivers on the eastern coast of Newfoundland as the spot on which the adven- turers wintered, several of which rivers take their rise in lakes ; or it would equally answer to the coast of C'anada, near the mouth of the river St. Lawicnce. It is now known tliat vines grow wild in various parts of Canada, some of them pleasant to the taste and agreeable to the eye, such as the vitts labrusca, vii/phia, and arhoreci;^ hut whether any species may grow on New foundland,we know so little of the interior, or even of its shores, tlipt, after ii settlement of more than two hundred years, no attempt has yet been made to collect a Flora of the island. But it is by no means necessary to sup- pose that the fruit found by the German was the grape. Jninbccr or viii-ber (wine-berry)| is the generic name, among the nations where the grape Avas not known, for the ribesia and grossularia (the various species of currants and gooseberries) ; * Forster's Northern Discoveries. '^ Dr. Percy — Translation (f Mallet's Northern Antiquities. Vi 1001. THE SCANDINAVIANS. and of the former of these, Canada, Labrador, the shores of Hudson's Bay, and Newfoundland, afford several species.* There is, tlicrcfore, no reason to call in question the veracity of the relation on ac- count of the circumstance which q-vvc the name of Vinland to the new-discovered country. Though Newfoundland has ?iow been settled more than two hundred years, it is scarcely yct> known with certainty whether, in the interior, any natives arc found with permanent habitations on the island, or wliether they arc not merely annual visitors, who come over from the continent in the summer months for the purposes of killing deer, bears, wolves, and other animals, whose skins are valuable for clothing and their flesh as food ; and for catching salmon in the rivers, and collecting fowls and eggs on the intermediate islands. Many of these Indians have occasionally been met with in their boats near the coast, but from the ill treat- ment they experienced from the European fisher- men, they withdrew themselves at an early pe- riod from their intruders, and have since studious- ly avoided all intercourse with them. It is this which makes a recent expedition into the interior of the island, under the comm;„nd of Captain * Ribes prostraftmi is a native of Newfoundland ; and R. re- cunatum, bearing a black berry resembling a grape, is found on ihe shores of Hudson's Bay. Pcrsoon, Synop. Plant, i. p. 251. 10 DISCOVERIES OF 1001. IKichati, now on the northtMn voyage of discovery, the more interesting, from whose manuscript jour- nal an abstract will be given in its proper place in the sequel. Whether we are to consider Vinland as Labrador or Newfoundland is a matter of little importance, ss the Scandinavians do not appear to have made any progress in the colonization of either country, though a recent discovery would seem to indi- cate the remains of an ancient colony, of which we shall presently have occasion to speak. These northern hordes, however, " thrust out of their exuberant hive," flourished with great rapidity on Iceland, in spite of its barren soil and rigorous climate. Religion and literature even took deep root where every luxury and frequently the com- mon necessaries of life were wanting. The ge- nius of native poetry survived amidst eternal ice and snows. The want of shady groves and verdant meadows, of purling streams and gentle zephyrs, was amply supplied by the more sublime and awful objects of nature, — storms and tempests, earthquakes and volcanos, spouts of liquid fire and of boiling water, volumes of smoke and steam and ashes darkening the air and enveloping the whole island, were the terrific visitors of this ultima Thule of the inhabitable world. '* The scalds or bards," says Pennant, " retained their fire in the inhospitable climate of Iceland, as vigorously as i 1001. TIIK SCANDINAVIANS. II when they attended on their chieftains to the mild air of Spain, or Sicily, and sung their valiant deeds."* The Greenland colonies were less fortunate. The great island (if it he not a peninsula) known hy the name of Greenland, is dividedinto two distinct parts by a central ridge of lofty mountains, stretching north and south, and covered with perpetual ice and snow. On the east and the west sides of this ridge, the ancient Scandinavians had established colonies. That on the west had progressively in- creased until it enumerated four parishes, containing one hundred villages : but being engaged in per- petual hostility with the native tribes, in possession of this territory and of the neighbouring islands, to whom they gave the name of Skrcrlings, but who have since been known by that of Eskimaux, the colony on that side would appear to have been ulti- mately destroyed by these hostile natives. The ruins of their edifices were still visible in 17^ 1 , when that pious and amiable missionary Hans Egedc went to that country, on its being re-colonized by the Greenland Company of Bergen in Norway, and have since been more circumstantially described. The fate of the eastern colony was, if possible, still more deplorable. From its first settlement by Eric Rauda in i)«3 to its most flourishing period * Intiod. to Arct. Zool. i. p. 44. DISCOVKIUES OF 1001. about tlic commencement of the fifteentli century, it liad progressively increased in population ; and, by the latest accounts, consisted of twelve j)arishcs, one hundred and ninety villages, one bisliop's see, and two convents — one of wliich is sui)posed to have been that which is described by Zeno as si- tuated near the spring of hot water. A succession of sixteen bishops is recorded in tlic Iceland an- nals ; but when the seventeenth was proceeding from Norway in 1406 to take possession of his see, a stream of ice had lixcd itself to the coast and rendered it completely inaccessible ; and from that period to the present time, no intercourse Avhatever has been had with the unfortunate colo- nists. Thormoder Torfager, however, r'^lates, in his History of Greenland, that Amand, bishop of Skalholt in Iceland, in returnino- to Norway from that island about the middle of the sixteenth cen- tury, was driven b\ a storm near to the east coast of Greenland, opposite to Herjolfsness, and got so near as to be able to distinguish the inhabitants driving their cattle in the tields ; but the wind coming fair, they made all sail back for Iceland. Hans Egede conceives tliis account of Amand worthy of credit, from which, he observes, " we learn that the eastern colony continued to flourish at least one hundred and fii'tv vears after com- nierce and navigation had ceased between it and Greenland;" and he adds, "for aught we know to 'I 1380. THF. SCANDINAVIANS. 13 the contrary, it is not yet wholly destitute of its old Norwegian iuhahitauts. "'* The several attempts that ha\c been made to approach this coast, hound in chains of " thick- ribbed ice," and to ascertain the fate of the un- happy colonists, will he noticed in tlieir proper places. Hitherto, all endeavours have been fruit- less, but the recent disruption of the ice from that coast may afford the opportunity of exa- mining into the fiitc of the wretched inhabitants, and of ascertaining, if possible, in what manner they perished, after the closing of the icy barrier upon them, and whether any and what records or ruins have been left l)ehind them. Such a rciearch is at least an object of rational curiosity, and it would be a reproach to tlie Danish government, if it neglected the only opportunity that may occur for instituting this inquiry'. NICOLO AND ANTONIO ZENO. 1380. The history of the noble family of Zeno is well known and celebrated in the records of Venice. * Hans Egede, Crantz, Torfiuus, and a host of writers, concur in the planting and destruction of these two settlements; yet in spite of these authorities, and the repeated attempts on the part of the Danish government to examine into the stale of the ancient colony on the eastern coast, a M. Kggers undertook tt) prove, in 1792, that the eastern colony never had existence, and that it was only called East Greenland from being situated on the urst side. This question will more properly be examined in the descriptive volume. 14 DISCOVERIES OF 1380. The extraordinary adventures of the two brothers NicoLo and Antonio, in the northern seas, were first published by Francesco MarcoHni, in 1558, and afterwards in Ramusio's Collection of Voyages and Travels.* They are stated to have been drawn up from the letters sent by Antonio Zeno to his eldest brother Carlo, and delivered to Marcolini for publication by a descendant of the Zeno family, who laments the imperfect state into which they had fallen, by his ignorance of their importance at a time when he was incapable of exercising a judgment on their contents, and had carelessly and thoughtlessly destroyed some of them ; that, however, in more mature years, he had collected together their scattered remains, and put them into order, with the view of preserving the me- mory of these early and interesting discoveries, made by his two noble relations. From this circumstance, it is evident that great allowances must be made for what may appear to be inaccurate or mysterious ; but the relation, as we have it in its mutilated state, contains so much curious and correct description, and so many inte- resting discoveries, that it must always maintain its ground as one of the most important in the his- tory of early navigation. From this relation, it appears that Nicolo, being desirous of seeing foreign countries, fitted out a ship at his own ex- * Dello Scoprimento del I'lsnle Frislanda. Ramubio, Navig. et V'ia^gi, vol. ii. p. 220. 1380. N. AND A. ZENO. 15 [n, it ;eing ex- pense, and passed the Strait of Gibraltar, with an intention of visiting England and the Low Coun- tries; but, in the course of his voyage, a violent storm arose, and his vessel was cast away on the coast of a large island which is called Frisland. Fortunately for him and his crew, he was savea from a savage attack made on them by the natives of the island, by the interference of a chieftain of the name of Zichmni, undei whose protection he placed himself and all his people. This prince was also lord of certain small islands to the southward, called Borland, and duke of Sorano^ lying oppo- site to Scotland. " Of these northern parts," says the narrator, " I drew out a copy of a navigation chart, which I still possess among the antiquities of our house." This Zichmni, being a great warrior by sea, and finding Nicolo a man of judgment and discretion, and well experienced in sea affairs, engaged him in an expedition to the westward. It consisted of thirteen vessels, with which they took possession of Ledovo and Ilqfe, and some other small islands, in which the Venetians obtained great renown, as well for their valour as their skill in sea affairs. On their return to Frisland, Nicolo was made captain of Zichmni's fleet, and so well pleased with the honours he received, that he wrote to his brother Antonio to join him ; who accortlingly fitted out a ship and proceeded thither, where he remained fourteen years, ten of them alone, and four in company with his brother Nicolo; the ■HI 16 DISCOVERIES OF 1380. latter of whom was again sent out on an expe- dition agai:i;it Estlaticl, which is situated between Frisland and Norway. After this he attacked and phmdercd seven other islands, whicli arc named TalaSy Broas, Iscant, Traus, Mimcnit, Damhere, and Bres, in the last of which he built a fort. In the following year, having fitted out three ships, he set sail in July towards the North, and arrived in Engronelaml, where he found a monastery of predicant friars, dedicated to Saint Thomas, and situated close to a mountain, which threw out flames like Vesuvius and iEtna. There was besides in this place a fountain of hot water, with which the church of the monastery and the chambers of the friar j w^re heated, and which was also brought into the kitchen so boiling hot, that no other fire was made use of for dressing their victuals ; and by putting their bread i^ito brass kettles without water, it became baked as well as if it had been in a heated oven. They had also little gardens, covered over during w inter, which being watered with this water, were defen- ded against the snow, and cold, which, in those parts, by reason of their situation so near the pole, is most severe ; and by these means the friars produced flowers and fruits, and herbs of various sorts, just as well as in more temperate countries ; so that tbc rude and savage people of those parts, seeing these supernatural efl^ects, considered the friars as cods, and brouclit them presents of chick- pr. ens, flesh, and other articles, and held them in the >'d ^ 1384. N. AND A. ZENO. 17 friars ' avion s iitries ; parts, mI the chick- in the greatest awe and respect. When the frosts and snows are severe, the friars lieat their houses in tliis manner, and temper the heat or cold at pleasure. Their huildings are made of the stones which are thrown out like burning cinders from the mountain, and which by throwing water on them become excellent white lime ; when cold and not dissolved with water, they shape them with iron tools and use them in their buildings. Their winter is said '.o continue for nine months their food to consist of wild fowl and fish; for the warm water runneth into a capacious haven, which, on account of its iieat, it preventeth from freezing, and in consequence of this there is such a concourse of sea-fowl and such abundance of fish, that both are easily taken in vast multitudes, and enable the friars to maintain a great number of people, whom they keep in constant employment, in construct- ing their houses, in taking sea-fowl and fish, and in a thousand other matters relating to the monastery. The trade of these friars with Norway and the neighbouring islands is then described ; and it is observed, that to this monastery of Saint Thomas resort the friars of Norway, of Sweden, and of other countries, but mostly from Iceland. The boats of the fishermen are described as being in shape like a weaver's shuttle, and made of the skins and bones of fishes. This curious account of Enejroneland or Green- land is given by Nicolo to his brother Carlo ; and VOL. I. c 18 DISCOVERIES OF 1384 to it appears that, during his residence at this monas- tery, being unused to sucli severity of weather, he tell sick, and died shortly after his return into Fris- land. This Nicolo left behind him two sons in Venice, from one of whom was descended the celebrated Cardinal Zeno. On the death of Nicolo, his brother Antonio succeeded to his property, and, ini willingly as it would seem, to all his dignities and honours, for he wished to return to his own country ; but all his entreaties with Zichmni were unavailing ; for Zichmni, " being a man of great courage and valour, had determined to make himself lord of the sea." At this time one of his lishermen re- turned to Frisland, after an absence of six and twenty years, and gave an account of his having been driven by a violent storm upon an island called Estotilandj about a thousand miles to the westward of Frisland. He related that the island was well peopled ; that a man was brought to him who had likewise been shipwrecked, and who spoke Latin ; that the island was nearly as large as Iceland, and more fertile, the people ingenious and skilled as artisans ; that the prince had Latin books, but did not understand them ; that they had gold and all manner of metals ; that they raised com, made beer, traded with Greenland, from whence they procured furs, brimstone, and pitch ; that their buildings were made of stone ; that they had extensive woods, of wliich they built ships, and ^ 14 to >nas- r, be Fiis- is in the tonio as it •s, for ut all :; for ; and 3rd of in re- X and aving sland the island ht to 1 who rge as IS and ooks, gold com, hence that y had and i3.94. X. AND A. ZENO. 19 O traded with a country to the soutliward called Drogio. Zichmni, having* heard this strange relation, which was confirmed by the crew who had come to Frisland with the fisherman, determined to ^et out with a great number of ships and men in search of these countries, and Antonio Zeno ac- companied him on this expedition of discovery. As they proceeded to the westward, the first point they fell in with was called Icaria, and beyond this they came to another country, whose temperature is said to have been inexpressibly mild and pleasant. To the haven in which they an- chored they gave the name of Ti^in. In the in- terior were great multitudes of people, half wild, hiding themselves in caverns, of , small stature, and very timid. Zichmni, finding this place to have a wholesome and pure air, a fruitful soil, and fair rivers, was so delighted with the country, that he determined to take possession of it and to build a city. But his people began to murmur and to express a desire to return, upon which he sent away Antonio to conduct back to Frisland all those who were unwilling to stay. They sailed for the space of twenty days to tlie eastward without seeing any land; then south-east five days, when they perceived the island of Neome, and, taking in fresh provisions, in three days more reached Frisland. " What followed after the letter containing c 2 £0 DISCOVKUIES OF 1384/0 this intelligence," observes the narrator, " 1 know not :" but from a piece of another letter of An- tonio, it would appear that Zichnnii built a town near the harbour on the island which he had discovered. The beginning of the letter he says is as follows : — • " Concerning those things that you desire to know of me, as of the men and their manners and customs, of the animals and neighbouring coun- tries, I have set down particularly in a book, which, by the blessing of God, I will bring with me ; wherein I have described tha country, the mon- strous fishes, the laws and customs of Frisland, Island, Estland, the kingdom of Norway, Estoti- land, Drogio, together with the life of M. Nicolo, the knight our brother, with the discovery which he made, and the state of Engroneland. I have also written the life and acts of Zichmni, a prince as worthy of immortal memory as any that ever lived, for his great valour and singular humanity ; wherein I have described the discovery of Engrone- land on both sides and the city which he built. Therefore I will speak no further hereof in this letter, hoping to be with you very shortly, and to satisfy you in sundry other things by word of mouth." The letters containing the curious and interest- ing narrative of the adventures and discoveries of the two Zenos were written by Antonio to his brother Carlo ; " and it grieveth me," says the I %4iio 1394. N. AND A. ZENO, 21 .now Ali- tor n bad I says re to s and coun- vhich, 1 me; mon- island, Estoti- "iJicolo, which I have prince ever anity ; arone- built. n this and to ord of iterest- nies of to his ys the i I narrator, " that the hook and various other writ- ings cone, rning these things should so lamentably have been destroyed ; for beinjj but a child when they fell into my possession, and not knowing of what importance they were, I tore them in pieces, as the manner of children is, which I cannot call to remembrance without the deepest grief."* The more the narrative of the two Zenos has been scrutinized, the stronger has the internal evidence appeared in favour of its general veracity. The heatina: of the monasterv, the cookina; of the friars' victuals, and watering their gardens with hot water, were considered, however, by many as things utterly incredible. But we are now " wiser than of yore," and manage these things in the same manner as the monks of St. Thomas were wont to do in the fourteenth century. The great difficulty", however, among geographers was that of assigning a proper position for the island of Frisland ; a name which occurs in the life of Christopher Columbus, and is placed by Frobisher as the southern extre- mity of Greenland. Ortelius maintained that it was a certain part of the co? st of North America. Delislet and some others supposed that Buss island, to the south of Iceland, was the remains of Friesland, which had been swallowed up by an * Dello Scoprimento del I'lsole Frisland, &c. per Fran. Marcolini. 1558. t Hemisphere Occidental, 1720. c 3 82 DISCOVERIES OF 138i to earthquake;* and otliers again cut the matter short by considering the existence of Frishmd, and even tlie whole voyage of the two Zenos, as a fiction. But M. Buathe ami M. Eggers have gone far to prove the trutli of the narrative on two different grounds ; the Ibriner having shewn that the geo- graphical position of Frisland corresponds with the cluster of the Feroe islands ;t and the latter, that the names given by Zeno correspond pretty nearly with the modern names of those islands.:}: Forster has tried the same thing, and rinds a cor- responding island for every name mentioned in the narrative of the two Zenos. He has also dis- covered that one Henry Sinclair was Earl of Orkney and possessor of the Shetland islands so far down as the year 1406; and as Sinclair or Siclair to an Italian ear might sound like Zichmni, he concludes that Sinclair is the prince mentioned by Zeno.§ The name even of the aggregate, Feroeslaiid, differs not materially from Frisland. Estotiland may be Newfoundland or Labrador. * It is got rid of in this way by the Due d'Ahiiadover, the Abbe Zurla and Amoretli ; (Voyage d, la Mer Atlantique, &c. tra- ditit par Ch. Amorctti;) and Buss island itself is gone, if it ever had any existence above water. t JMom. sur I'lle de Tiislande, dans I'Hist. de I'Acad. des Scicn. 1784. I Mem. sur I'Ancien Greenland. 1792. § History of Voyages and Discoveries made in the North, p. 20i). I I 13i)4. X. AM) A. zi:no. 23 geo- 1 I The name, says M. Maltc-Brini, appears to Ik Scaiulinavian ; " for Eat-out laud in I'.nglish wouLl signify land sti etching farthest out to the east, wiiich a"'rees witli tlie situation of Newfoundlan^l with regard to the continent of America."* The same author ohscrves, that the inhabitants of Es- totiland appear to be the descendants of the Scandinavian colonists of Vinland, whose lan- guage, in the course of three ages, might have been sufficiently altered to be unintelligible to the fishermen of Feroe. The Latin books (of which Zeno speaks) had doubtless, he thinks, been carried thither by that Greenland bishop, who, in 1121, betook himself to Vinland to preach the Christian religion in that comitry ; that Drogio, on this hypothesis, w^ould be Nova Scotia and New England; and he concludes, that by bringing together under one point of view the discoveries of the Scandinavians in the tenth and eleventh centuries, and the voyages of the two Venetians in the fourteenth, we must be persuaded that the New World has been visited by the nations of the north as far back as the year 1000; and that it may perhaps be thought that this first discovery, historically proved, after having been confirmed anew in 1 390 by Zeno, may have been known to Columbus in 1477, (1467) when he made a voyage * Precis de la Gcog. Universelle, torn. i. p. 405. c 4 S4 DISCOVERIES OK 1384 M into the northeiu seas. At aiiv rate, that the most prejudiced, on casthig a glance on the map, must be convinced tluit nature herself had designed New- foundland to be the first for receiving the visits of Europeans.* With regard to Columbus, too little remains on record, concerning his voyage to the north, even for hazarding any conjecture to what part, (beyond Iceland,) or for what purpose, it was undertaken. The discovery, however, which has just been made on Newfoundland would seem to corroborate the conjecture, that this island is the Estotiland of Zeno. A party of English settlers, in proceeding np the river which falls into Conception Bay, a little to the northward of St. John's, observed, at the distance of about six or seven miles above the bay, the appearance of stone walls, rismg just above the surface. On removing the sand and alluvial earth, thev discovered the remains of an- cient buildings, oak-beams, and mill stones sunk in oaken beds. Enclosures resembling gardens were traced out, and plants of various kinds grow- ing about the place not indigenous to the island. But the most decisive proof of these ruins being the remains of an ancient European colony was in the different kinds of coins that were found, some of ductile gold, which the inhabitants con-: { * Precis de la Geog. Univer. torn. i. -,4 ing 1,394. N. AND A. ZRNO. Q3 sidficd to be old Fleniibh coins, nud others oi' copper witlioiit inscriptions.* The coins, which are said to l)c in the hands of many of the inhabitants of St.John's, will probably decide the question, whether these newly dis- covered remains of a former colony be that founded by Zichmni, in the latter part of the fourteenth century, or some attempt at the establishment of a colony by the descendants of Eric and Hiorn from Iceland in the eleventh century. The Scandina- rians w^re in the practice of coining; money before the tenth century, stamped \\\t\\ the im- pression of a sun, a star, or simply a cross, but without any inscription ; and they also trafficked even before that period with foreign money, which they received principally from the Flemings.'!" One circumstance would seem rather to militate ac^ainst the supposition of the recently discovered ruins being the remains of a Scandinavian colony. These northern settlers on Iceland and Greenland build chiefly w^ith wood in countries where no w^ood grows. The ruins in question are of stone, and on a spot where timber grows abundantly. The probability, therefore, is in favour of their being the remains of the fort whicli Zichmni built on the banks of a fair river, if they may not be * This information is received in a letter from Captain Buchan, written at the moment of his sailing on the Northern Expedition. t Mallet's Northern Antiquities. pi i (I 6 DISCOVEUIES OF 1467. referred to a later date than either ; for some of the old inhabitants, it seems, are impressed with the idea that Lord Baltimore had once intended to erect saw-mills in the neiglibourhood of Port de Grasse, vestiges of which are said still to remain. It is an interesting subject, of which some more certain information it is to be hoped will speedily be procured. W CHllISTOPHElt COLUMBUS. 1467. The extraordinary discoveries of the Portuguezc, but that of all otheis which opened them a route to India round the Cape of Good Hope, aroused the cupidity of some of, and the curiosity of all, the nations of Europe, and excited that spirit of enter- prize in England, which, though it might sometimes languish, was never wholly extinguished; and w hich, indeed, is not likely eve ■; to be extinguished so long as any part, however obscure or remote, of this globe we inhabit remains to be discovered. The Itahans were the most skilful naviQ:ators of those daj^s; and among the foreigners who had engaged in the Portugueze service was a Genoese by birth, named Christoval Colon or Chuistopiier Columbus, who, at the early age of fourteen, had betaken himself to a sefifaring life, and had made considerable progress in geometry, cosmography and astronom3^ His first voyage, after leaving the Mediterranean, appears to have been into the 1467. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 27 northern seas, in which it is stated, in a memo- randum written by himself, that he had visited Iceland, to which a considerable trade was tlien carried on, particularly by the northern nat-ions and among others by England, principally on account of its valuable fisheries. It is even said that he proceeded beyond this island, and advanced several degrees within the polar circle, but on what service and for what purpose does not appear.* It would have been satisfactory to know whether it was a mere trading voyage, or a voyage of discovery, that led this celebrated navigator into those inhospitable regions : but there is little reason to hope that any further information will ever be obtained on this head. His subsequent grand dis- covery is too well known to be repeated, where it would be misplaced ; but a word may be said on some recent attempts to rob this celebrated navi- gator of one of the greatest and most important discoveries recorded in the annals of navigation. Doctor Robertson complains, and with a proper feeling for the honour of this great man, that some of the Spanish authors, with the meanness of national jealousy, have endeavoured to detract from the glory of his grand enterprize, b}/ insinuating that he was led to the discovery of the new world, not by his own inventive or enterprizing genius, but bv information which he had received from ♦ Life of Columbus. 2S DISCOVERIES OF 14()7. II ' some old pilot whose name or nation is not even mentioned, and that some German authors had ascribed the honour of the discovery of America to their countryman Martin Behaim, a native of Nurcmt)erg. This early geographer studied under the celebrated John Mullcr, better known by the name of Regiomontanus. lie accompanied Diego Cam in his voyage of discovery along the coast of Africa in 1483, and settled on the island of Fayal, where he established a colony of Tlemings, having obtained a grant of it from the regent of Portugal. In 1492 he returned to Nuremberg, to visit his native country and family ; and there made a map of the globe, which is still preserved in the library of that city. Of this map Dr. Robertson procured a copy, as published by Doppelmayer, from which, he observes, " the imperfection of cosmographical knowledge is manifest. Hardly one place is laid down in its true situation. Nor can I discover from it any reason to suppose that Behaim had the least knowledge of any region in America."* He states, indeed, that he delineates an island, to which he gives the name of St. Brandon; but that he sus- pects it to be a mere imaginary island which had been admitted into some ancient maps on no better authority than the legend of the Irish St. Brandon or Brendan, whose story is so childishly fabulous as to be unworthy of any notice ; and he concludes that the account of his having discovered any part * Robertson's Mist, of Ainer. vol. i. p. 36S. H67. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 29 of the new world appeared to him to be merely conjectural. Indeed it is most unlikely that such a discovery of Behaim either would or could be concealed ; the (;clat which attended that of Colum- bus is alone sufficient to disprove the pretensions set up for Behaim. Though the map of Behaim was constructed from the writings of Ptolemy, Pliny and Strabo, and from the modern travels of Benjamin of Tudela, Carpini, Rubruquis, and especially of Marco Polo, yet the discoveries of the Portugiieze had made no inconsiderable addition to the know- ledge of the globe, and a grand step in progressive geography. His countrymen, however, not satis- fied with what Behaim had sedulously collected and digested, have gone beyond the Spaniards in their attempt to rob Columbus of the honour of his discovery ; and by fabricated documents to transfer the merit of it to Behaim. According to the pretensions set up by them, he not only made the tliscovery of that part of America which is now called Brazil, but anticipated Magelhanes in that of the strait which bears his name ; nay, he even anticipated the intention of Magelhanes by naming the natives Patagonians, because the extremities of their bodies were covered with a skin which resembled the paws of a bear rather than the hands and feet of human beings ;* all of which is * " Our Captain-general, Magaglianes," says Pigafetta, " gave to these people the name oi ratagoni—hGCkimc they wore on their -«?»> 30 DISCOVEllIES OF 14()7. extracted from pretended letters of Behaim himself, written In 1485, and preserved in the archives of Nuremberg; and from these, it would further appear, that " Martin Behaim, traversing the Atlan- tic ocean for several years, examined the American islands, and discovered the strait which bears the name of Magellan, before either Christopher Colum- bus or Magellan sailed those seas; whence he mathematically delineated, on a geographical chart, for the king of Lusitania, the situation of the coast around every part of that famous and re- nowned strait, long before Magellan thought of his expedition." It would require better support, than that tliev have hitherto met with, to make such clumsy fabrications pass current in the world.* It was not at all necessarv for Columbus to receive ft/ any information from Behaim ; he was too well acquainted with the nature of the sphere not to know that India could be approached by proceed- ing to the west as well as to the east, if no other land should be found to intervene; and it is quite evident, from all his endeavours to pass to the East Indies by a western route, that the continuity of the continent of America was entirely new to, and wholly unexpected by, him. His hope had been to find a direct passage to Cathay and Zipangu, names 14 Nvli (. feet the hairy skin of the guanaco, which gave them the appear- ance of bears' feet." * Paper by Citizen Otto, in Amer. Phil. Trans, vol. ii. Nichol- son's Journals, vol. ii. and iii. Sup. to Ency. Britt. U67. 1 4(')7. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 31 imself, ives of 'urther Atlan- lerican lis the 'oliim- ice he chart, 3f the 11(1 re- : of his t, tlian 3 such * It cceive well lot to oceed- other quite e East ity of o, and eento inames appear- Nichol- whlch, since the return of Marco Polo, had become " familiar as hcjsehold words/' It is true that the cosmographers of those days had carried China much beyond its real extent to the eastward, and, as Herrcra observes, " the more it extended to the cast, the nearer it must approach to the Cape dc Verd islands." Columbus could not be ignorant of this ; and indeed so much were the discoveries made by him considered as a part of Asia, that they had the name of the " Indies" immediately be- stowed on them ; and it became necessary, on de- tecting the mistake, to distinguish the two coun- tries by the names of the East and the West Indies. And thus, as Major Rennel has justly observed, " the splendid discoveries of Columbus were prompted by a geographical error of most extra- ordinary magnitude."* The whole story of Behaim's discovery seems to have had its origin in a passage of Pigafetta's narrative, which is certainly remarkable : " The Captain General (Magelhanes) knew that he must make his passage through a strait much con- > cealed, as he had seen on a chart, in the depot of i the king of Portugal, made by that most excellent man Martin de Boemia ;" which might also receive an additional colour from the assertion of Herrera, i that Magellan was in possession of a terrestrial globe, made by Behaim, to assist him in directing his course to the south seas; and that Columbus * Geog. of Herodotus, p. 685. 32 DISCOVEUIES OF U96. was confirmed in his opinion of a western navi- gation by Martin de Bohemia, his friend. * JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOTA. 1496\ John Cabota or Cabot, a citizen of Venice, came over to England with his son Sebastian, then a boy, (besides two other sons,) and settled in Bristol. Being a skilful pilot and intrepid navigator, Henry VII., disappointed in the hope of engaging Cohim- bus, through the misfortunes of his brother Bartho- lomew, encouraged Cabota to make discoveries by granting him a patent, in virtue of which he had leave to go in search of unknown lands, and to con- quer and settle them ; the king reserving to him- self one-fifth part of the profits. The patent bears date the 5 th March, 1496, being the eleventh year of Henry's reign, and is granted to him by name, and to his three sons, Lewis, Sebastian, and Sancius. There is a sad disagreement in the date of the voyage in which Newfoundland is supposed to have been discovered; and there is no possible way of reconcil'iig the various accounts collected by Hakiuyt, and which amouut to no less a num- ber than six, but by supposing John Cabota to have made one voyage, at least, previous to the date of the patent, and some time between that and the date of the return of Columbus.f * Henera, Dec. i. See Buniey's History of Voyages and Discoveries, vol. i. p. 3. I Either in the year 15111 or 1595. 1496. navi- ^, came then a Bristol. Henry Colum- Bartho- ;ries by he had to con- to him- \t bears th year r name, sancius. of the oscd to possible ollected a num- bota to to the en that imbus.f Images and 14.94. JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOTA. S3 Neither is it quite clear that, in the voyage under- taken after the patent was signed, (whether in the same year, or the following,) the father accompanied Sebastian ; for, if there be any truth in the report made to the Pope's legate in Spain, and printed in the collection of Ramusio, it would appear that Sebastian was alone on this voyae-e of dis- covery ; as in this document Sebastian is thus made to say : — " and when my father died, in that time when news were brought that Don Christoval Colon,* the Genoese, had discovered the coasts of India, of which there was great talke in all the court of King Henrj^ VII. who then reigned ; insomuch that all men, with great admiration, affirmed it to be a thing more divine than humane to saile by the West into the East, where spices growe, by a way that was never known before : by his fame and report, there increaseth in my heart a great flame of desire to attempt some notable thing ; and understanding by reason of the sphere that if t should saile by way of north-west I should by a shorter tract come into India, I thereupon caused the king to be advertised of my devise, who immediately commanded two caravels to bee furnished with all things appertayning to the voyage, which was, as farre as I remember, in the year 149^, in tlie beginning of summer ; I ♦ This again is at variance with the patent of Henry, in which John is mentioned by name. VOL. r. D 34 DISCOVERIES OF 1497. began therefore to sail toward the north-west, not thinking to find any other land than that of Cathay, and from thence to turn toward India ; but after certaine dayes I found that the land ranne toward the north, which was to me a great displeasure. Nevertheless, sayling along by the coast to see if I could finde any gulfe that turned, I found the lande still continued to the 56 degree under our pole. And seeing that there the coast turned to the east, despairing to find the passage, I turned backe again, and sailed downc by the coast of that land toward the equinoctiall, (ever with intent to finde the saide passage to India,) and came to that part of this firme lande which is no we called Florida, where my victuals failing, I departed from thence and returned into England, where I found great tumults among the people and preparations for warres in Scotland, by reason whereof there was ro more consideration had to this voyage."* The probability therefore is, that the father and son jointly, in their first voyage, discovered New- foundland, to which they gave the name of Prima Vista, " the first seen." They describe the natives as being clothed in skins of beasts, and using, as arms, bows and arrows, clubs and pikes. They saw bears and large deer, caught plenty of seals, fine salmon, and soles above a yard in length ; but * Ramusio ; and Hakluyt's voyages. ^ 1497. c, not It of ndia ; land great y tbe nned, legree coast issage, by the (ever India,) liich is ling, I igland, people reason had to er and New- ^rima latives as They seals, i; but 1497. JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOTA. 35 ng» the fish in greatest abundance was of a kind called by tlie natives baccallaos, a name by which the country was afterwards known, and which a small island on the eastern side still bears. The Dutch and Germans have adopted the native name of the cod-fish, by changing the latter / into j and transposing the letters b and c, making the word cabaljou. From an extract made by Hakhiyt out of Fa- bian's Chronicle, it would appear that the Cabots brought home three of the natives of Newfound- land. " These savages were clothed in beasts' skins, and did eate raw flesh, and spake such speach that no man could understand them ; and in their demeanour like to bruite beastes, whom the king kept a time after." Sebastian Cabota finding, on his return from the discovery of America, that the English go\crnmcnt was not disposed to prosecute the enterprize thus happily begun, set out for Spain; or, as Peter Martyr saith, " he was called out of England by the command of His Catholic Majesty of Castile, where he was made one of the council ibr the affairs of the New Ividies ;" and he adds, *' Cabot is my very good friend, whom I treat with famili- arity, and delight to have frequently to keep me company at my own house." Sebastian made several voyages in the service of Spain, and among others discovered the Rio d2 36 DISCOVl-RIES OF 14i^7. I dc la Plata, or River of Silver, on the coast of Brazil. After this he returned to England, pro- bably on the invitation of Mr. Robert Thornc, an English merchant of Bristol, but resident at Seville, with whom he was intimately acquainted, and who had contributed la; ; jly to one of his expedi- tions.* Mr. Thorne was a native, and once had served the office of mayor, of the city of Bristol, where Cabota's father had lived. His return to England was in the year 1548, when Henry VIII. was on the throne. On the succession of Edward VI. the Duke of Somerset introduced him to the young king, who was so delighted with his conver- sation that he created him, by patent, pilot major, and settled on him a pension for life of 500 marks (1661. \3s. 4d.) a year, " in consideration of the good and acceptable services done, and to be done."'!" Never was a reward, great as it was in those days, more deservedly bestowed. Placed at the head of the " Society of Merchant Adventurers," by his knowledge and experience, his zeal and penetration, he not only was the means of extend- ing the foreign commerce of England, but of keeping alive that spirit of enterprize, which, even in his life time, was crowned with success, and which ultimately led to the most happy results for the nation that had so wisely and honourably * Lives of the Admirals, vol.i. p. 381. f Hakluyt's Voyages. Ryiner's foedera, vol. xv. p. 181. an e( a roi west\ Amei Th CORT schoo name was J the 1: who, explo] Alfon Bacca Newf Thi does 1 , ascertt their r lor Tei Tercel 1497. >ast of tl, pro- rnc, an Seville, d, and ixpcdi- cc had Bristol, turn to yYlU. Edward 1 to the conver- t major, 3 marks of the to be was in accd at turers," eal and extend- but of h, even ess, and results lourably 1500. JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOTA. 37 enrolled this deserving foreigner in the list of her citizens. THE CORTEREALS. 1500. The Portugueze, not content with having dis- covered a route to India by sailing round the tem- pestuous extremity of Africa, soon after engaged in an equally dangerous enterprizc ; — that of finding a route to India and the Spice islands, by sailing- westward round the northern extremity of America. This bold undertaking was reserved for the CoRTEREALs, the enlightened disciples of the school of Sagres. The lirst navigator of the name of Cortereal, who engaged in this enterprize, was John Vaz Costa Cortereal, a gentleman of the household of the Infanta Don Fernando — who, accompanied by Alvaro Martens Hornen, explored the northern seas, by order of King- Alfonso the Fifth, and discovered the Terra de Baccalhaos (the land of cod lish) afterwards called Newfoundland. This voyage is mentioned by Cordeiro,* but he does not state the exact date, which however is ascertained to have been in 14()3 or 1464; for, on their return from the discoverv of Newfoundland, or Terra Nova, they touched at the island of Terceira, the captaincy of which island having * Historia Insulana, Cordeiro, 1 vol. fol. D 3 38 DiSCOVLRIF.S or 1300. become vacant by the death of Jacome Bruges, they soUcitctl the appointment, and in reward for their services the request was granted, their patent conmiission being dated in Evora, 2d April, 1464. Notwithstanding this early date of a voyage across tlie Atlantic, there exists no document to prove that any thing further was done by the Por- tugueze, in the way of discovery, till towards the close of the fifteenth century ; and if the evidence of that in question rested on this single testimony of Cordeiro, and on the fact of the patent, it ■would scarcely be considered as sufficiently strong to deprive the Cabotas of the honou "being the first who discovered Newfoundland ; at the same time if the patent should specify the service for wliich it was granted, and that service is stated to be the discovery of Newfoundland, the evidence would go far in favour of the elder Cortereal. But there is another indirect testimony afforded by Francisco de Souza,* who in 1570 wrote a treatise on the Nexv Islands, and of their discovery ; as also con- cerning those Portugueze who went from Vianna, and from the islands of the Azores, to people the Terra Nova do Baccalhao twenty years before that period; which would prove that the Portugueze not only were in the habit of fishing on the banks * Tratado das Ilhas 7iovas, Sfc. 1570. Bibliothcca Lu&itaua. 1500. 1500. THE COUTEREALS. 59 Bruges, reward I, their jra, 2(1 voyage iient to he Por- irds the ;viilence stimony itent, it y strong eing the :he same vice for ted to be :e would ; there is 'rancisco 3 on the ilso con- Vianna, ople the fore that tugueze le banks of Newfoundland, but of settling there also, towards the close of the fifteenth century. The arduous entcrprizc of prosecuting disco- veries in the northern seas would seem however to have been reserved exclusively for the family of the Cortereals ; for it does not appear that any person had attempted, on the part of Portugal, to explore those seas navigated by John Vaz Cortcreal, the father, nor by any nation, except Cabota in behalf of England, until the time of his son Caspar Cortereal. The two ships which had been prepared for this voyage, and put under his cc^nunand, sailed from Lisbon in the summer of 1500 — for although Galvam says that they sailed from the island of Terceira, this must only be understood on account of their having touched there to receive refresh- ments, to complete their crews, and to afford Cortereal an opportunity of taking leave of that part of his family which was settled in that island. Departing from the Azores, or Western Islands, they steered a course which, as far as they knew, had never but once before been traced by any navi- gator, till they discovered land to the northward, to which they gave the name of 7e/T« Fej'de—thait is, Greenland. Galvam places it (although with little accuracy) in 50°* — and others, particularly • Misprinted probably for G0° which would be correct. D 4 40 DISCOVERIES OV 1500. Goes, describe the qualities of the country, and the manners of the inhabitants. In the first collection of voyages which is known to have been published in Europe, and printed in Vicenza, by Francazano Alontaboldo,* there is inserted a letter from Pedro Pascoal, ambassador from the republic of Venice to the court of Lisbon, addressed to his brother in Italy, and dated 29th October 1501, in which he details the voyage of Cortcreal, as told by himself on his return. From this authority, it appears that, having employed nearly a year in this voyage, he had discovered, between west and northwest, a con- tinent until then unknown to the rest of the world ; that he had run along the coast upwards of eight hundred miles ; that according to his con- jecture tliis land lay near a region formerly ap- proached by the Wnetians,t almost at the North Pole ; and that he was unable to proceed farther on account of the great mountains of ice which incumbcretl the sea, aiyi the continued snows which fell from the sky. He furtiier relates that Cortereal brought fifty- seven of the natives in his vessels — he extols the country on account of the timber which it pro- * Mundo Nuovo c Paesi nuovamente retrovati,&c. Vicenza, 1507 ; a \fry rare book; traMblated into Latin, by Madrigano, under ilie title of " Itinerarium Portu"alensium c Lubitania in Ind lam, &< a i( a (( a a t Nicolo and Antonio Zeno. 1500. y, and iiich is le, and boldo,* 'ascoal, to the her in lich he liimself having be had a con- of the pwards is con- ily ap- North farther which snows fifty- ols the it pro- Vicenza, drigano, tania in 1500. THE CORTEREALS. 41 duces, the abundance of fish upon its coasts, and the inhabitants being robust and laborious. To this evidence may also be added that of Ranuisio, whose accuracy in such matters is well known. The following extract is taken from his discourse on Terra Firma and the Oriental Islands. " In the part of the new world which runs to " the northwest, opposite to our habitable con- " tinent of Europe, some navigators have sailed, " the first of whom, as far as can be ascertained, " was Caspar Cortereal, a Portiigueze, who arrived " there in the year 1500 with two caravels, " thinking that he might discover some strait " through which he might pass, by a shorter " voyage than round Africa, to the Spice islands. " They prosecuted their voyage in those seas " until they arrived at a region of extreme cold ; " and in the latitude of 60° north they discovered '^ a river fdlcd with ice, to which tlicy gave the " name of Rio Nevado — that is, Snow River. " They had not courage however to proceed farther, *' all the coast which runs from Rio Ne^•ado to " Porto das Malvas (Mallow Port) which lies hi " 56", and which is a space of two hundred leagues, " was well peopled, and they landed and bjought " away some of the inhabitants — Cortereal also " discovered many islands, all inhabited, and to " each of which he gave a name.'"* We shall presently see what islands these were. * Ramusio, Naxi^at. d Viiiggi. 42 DISCOVERIES OF 1500. 6 • Tliis great country discovered by Cortereal is evidently that which at present is known under the name of Labrador, or rather Lavrador — a Portugueze word which characterises the inha- bitants. As a further proof that this is the fact, theil3 is a map in an old edition of Ptolemy, published in Rome in 1508, which gives to the land of Lavrador the name of " Corterealis," and on it is laid down the island of Demonios (Demons) on account of the trouble which the ships had there experienced. Sebastian Munster, in his Chorography, printed for the first time in Basle in 1544, gives to New- foundland itself (Terra Nova) the name of Cortereal, and the celebrated Abraham Ortelius not only calls the land of Lavrador, Cortereal, but he marks the Rio Nevado, and Bahia da Serra, close to the entrance of the strait now named Hudson's ; and he places nearly in the middle of it, a river which he calls Rio da Tormenta, (Storm River,) to which succeeds another bay called Bahia das Medas (Rick Bay.) It does not how- ever follow that, because all these names are Por- tugueze, they must have first been given by Caspar Cortereal, nor that he actually entered Hudson's Bay, though the probability is in favour of such a supposition, if we take into consideration all the collateral circumstances of the narrative. The same doubt however does not occur in 3 1500. 1500. THE COHTEIIT^'ALS. 43 regard to the liver St. Lawiciice. Even without specific evidence it might safely have heen con- cluded that, as a passage to India was the grand object of* research, so large an opening as is presented by the moath of this river could not have escaped examination. Independent however of this general reasoning, the evidence furnished by Ranuisio is decisive. In describing the prin- cipal places on that coast, he says that beyond Cabo do Gado (Cattle Cape) whicii is in 54 degrees, it runs two hundred leagues to the westward, to a great river called St. Lawrence, which some con- sidered to be an arm of the sea, and which the Portugueze ascended to the distance of many leagues. The extent of this navigation was probably limited to the ascertaining that it was not an arm of the sea, but a large river. As to the name of Canada, which was given to the country on the right of the entrance, it was by many geographers confined to a village situated at the confluence of the Seguenai, and according to most writers ori- ginated in the following circumstance: — When the Portugueze first ascended the river, under the idea that it was a strait, through which a passage to the Indies might be discovered — on arriving at the point where they ascertained that it was not a strait, but a river, they, with all the emphasis of disappointed hopes, exclaimed repeatedly, Ca, nada ! — (here, nothing !) which words caught the 44 DISCOVERIES OF 1500. attention of the natives, and were remembered and repeated by them on seeing other Europeans, under Jacques Cartier, arrive in 1534 — but Cartier mistakes the object of the Portugueze to have been gold mines, not a passage to India ; and if the Portugueze account be true, he also mistook the ex- clamation of Crt, nada, for the name of the country. It has been already stated that, in the course of this voyage, Cortereal discovered many islands, uliich he found were inhabited, and to which he gUN'e Portugueze names. Ramusio, in his map, lays down the Ilha dos Baccalhaos (Cod Island) almost joining Terra de Cortereal ; the island of Boa Vista ; and another which he names " Monte de Trigo" (wheat heap or hill); and in the map of Ortelius there is laid down, in lat. 43°, Ilka ^ Redofida (Round Island) ; in lat. 47°, Ilha da area (Sand Island); and in lat. 57°, Ilha dos Cysnes (Swan Island); and, finally, in the mouth of Hud- son's Straits, he places a little islet under the name of Caramilo — from which it may almost be con- cluded tliat the Portugueze had been here also, as this name is only a mis-spelling of the Por- tugueze word Caramelo or Icicle. Tliese circumstances render it probable that during the entluisiasm excited by the voyages of Gama and of Alagalhanes, other voyages were undertaken, and countries described, by the Portu- gueze, which subsequent events caused to be neg- lected and foruotten. i 1501. THE CORTEREALS. 45 area that i^es of were 'ortu- neg- As Caspar Cortereal was fully persuaded that a north-west passage to India might be found, and that its discoverv would be honourable to himself and highly advantageous to his country, he con- tinued his preparations for a second expedition, to which he had no difficulty in obtaining the king's consent ; and he sailed, accompanied by the anxious prayers and hopes of his countrymen, from the port of Lisbon, on the 15th of May, 1501, with two vessels. The voyage is said to have been prosperous until they reached Terra Verde; but here he was separated by bad weather from his consort, who, after having long searched and waited for him in vain, returned to Lisbon, with the melancholy tidings of what had happened. It is stated, in several of the collections of voyages, that the name of Anian was £>;ivcn to the Strait supposed to have been discovered by Caspar, in honour of two brothers who accompanied him ; but there are no grounds whatever for such a sup- position, nor for that of other geographers who, pretend that the name of Aniay as applicable to the north-western extremity of America, is mentioned by Marco Polo as a province of China, there being- no such province in China, nor any such men- tioned by Marco Polo. The origin of tlie word is, in fact, utterly unknown.* * In the earliest maps Ania is marked as the ?iame of the north- western part of America. Ani in the Japaiieb>e hinguage is said to signify brother ; hence piobably the mistake. 46 DISCOVERIES OF 1502. Michael Cortercal, grand door-keeper of the king Don Manuel, seeing himself thus deprived of a brother for whom he entertained the warmest affection, would not entrust the task of sending in search of him to any other, and therefore he him- self set sail with three vessels from Lisbon, on the 10th of May, 1502. Antonio Galvam informs us that, upon their reaching the coast, they discovered many rivers and openings, and each vessel entered a separate one, with the understanding that they should all meet at a certain point on the 20th of August. Two of the vessels did so meet, but Miguel de Cortereal did not appear, nor was any thing more ever heard of him ; and the only memorial of his and his bro- ther's fate is the name of Cortereal given to the country. When these two vessels returned to Lisbon with the melancholy news of the loss of this second Cortereal, there remained yet a third brother, Vasco Eanes, master of the household, and one of the privy council of king Don Manuel, who im- mediately prepared to set out in search of his lost brothers ; but no entreaty, no influence, could ob- tain the king's consent, who constantly replied that in this undertaking he had already lost two of his most faithful servants and valuable friends, and was resolved at least to preserve the third; he very readily, however, granted leave for other vessels being prepared and dispatched on this 1503. THE COllTEREALS. 47 1 with lecoiid other, one of lo iin- lost Id ob- epHed t two iends, d; he other this search; but they also returned without any intel- lisrence of these unfortunate navigators. Notwithstanding these disasters, those voyages were nevertheless productive of great advantages to Portugal : they led to the establishment of a settlement on Newfoundland and to the prose- cution of verv extensive fisheries, in which were employed, at one period, between two and three hundred vessels from the ports of Vianna and Aveiro alone. But when Portugal had passed under the dominion of Spain, her commerce lan- guished and her marine was destroyed, from the combined effect of domestic oppression and foreign war; and the ports both of Aveiro and Vianna are at present, and have been for many years, by sheer neglect, nearly choaked with sand and mud, and can no longer receive vessels of burthen. The family of Cortercal has long been extinct, but it was for many years one of the most distin- guished in Portugal. The family name was ori- ginally Costa or Coste, and of French extraction, having come to Portugal along with the Count Alfonso Henriquez, under whom one of the Costas served in the taking of Lisbon and conquering of Portugal from the Moors. The family settled in Algarve; and when John Vaz da Costa (some say his father) came to the Portugueze court, he used to live in such a stvle of splendour and hospitality, that the king observed to him, " Your presence, Costa, in my court. i 48 DISCOVERIES, &C. 1503. 1534 makes it a real court."" Others say, that it Avas not on account of his magnificent style of living, but of his personal prowess on a particular occa- sion. Two strangers having appeared at court, and, according to the manners of the times, chal- lenged any of the courtiers to wrestle or combat, Cortereal immediately accepted the challenge, and civilly shook hands with his antagonist before the contest; but so prodigious was the strength of Cortereal (until then called Costa) that he squeezed the stranger ^ hand until he cried out, in the greatest pain, that he could not attempt to contend with a man possessed of such extraordinary strength ; on which occasion the king is represented as being so delighted, that he exclaimed, " Truly, Costa, your presence makes my court a real court.''* * Mem. de Litterat. Portug. vol. viii. Lisbon, 1812. An Essay, by Scbastao Francisco Mendez Trigozo. DISCC Auberi nus I mil — 5i and Davi Ham AUBE TUE m maritir appare nation* either they V veries Breton century for tin f'liavigat Dieppe the vie\ VOL. 1503. 1534. ( 4.9 ) it was living, r occa- court, ;, chal- ombat, ;e, and ore the gth of [ueezed greatest with a jth; on leing so ta, your CHAPTER II. DISCOVLRILS MADK IN Tilt NORTH DURING THE SIXTEENTH CENTURV. Aubert and Jacques Cartier — Esteian Gomez — The Domi- nus Fobiscum — The Triiiitie and the Minion — Sir llngh Willoughb}/ — Richard Chancellor and Stephen Burrough —Sir Martin Frohisher — Edward Fenton — Arthur Pit and Charles Jackman — Sir Humphreif Gilbert — John Davis — Maldonado—Juan de Fuca — Barentz — JVil' Ham Adams. AUBERT AND JACQUES CARTIER. 1508 and 15S4. The French may almost be said to be the only maritime people of Europe who have seen, with apparent indifference, the exertions made by other nations for the discovery of a passage to India, either by the north-east or the north-west. Yet they very early availed themselves of the disco- veries of others: for we find the Normans and Bretons, at the commencement of tlic sixteenth century, frequenting the banks of Newfoundland for the purpose of fishing ; and one of their inavigators, named AuBERTor Huueut, sailed from Dieppe in 1508, in a ship called tlie Pensec, with the view, as it would seem, to examine the shores VOL. 1. %. oO DISCOVERIES OF 1535. I of New fountlliiiul, fVoni whence he broiiglit back to Paris one of the natives; but it does not ap- pear that any furtlier (hscovery was the object of thi>> voyage. Perhaps, however, the expechtion of .lAcqi'is Cartilh in 1534, under the auspices of Francis 1., might be called a voyage of discovery, undertaken with the view of finding a short route to those countries, from which Spain derived so much wealth. The discovery he actually made, oi at least claimed, was that of the gulf and river of Saint Lawrence; though tiiere can be little doubt that Cortereal preceded him, and indeed it is gene- rally supposed that even Velasco had been before him. The etymology of the word Canada (already noticed*) has even been ascribed to the visit of Velasco, with as little accuracy perhaps as that which had before been assigned by Cortereal. It is stated that the former, disappointed in not finding any of the precious metals, in hastening to return, called out to his people Aca nada, " there is nothing here," which words being repeated by the natives to the next Europeans they saw, it was concluded that Canada was the name of the country ; but both may probably be thought too forced and fanciful to be real. Cartier, in the narrative of his second voyage up the St. Lawrence in lo3.5, gives a more probable derivation of the name, when he says that an assemblage of houses or a town is called ^ Undir Art. " Cortcmil." —I 1535. 1535. AUBERT AXD J. CAUTIER. 51 ;l»t back not ap- ilyect of [litiou of jpiccs of iscovery. ort route rived so made, oi I river of tie doubt : is gcne- ni before L (already ; visit of s as that tjreal. It ot finding to return, is nothing J le natives :onclude(l ; but both II fanciful lis second es a more [1 he says j 1 is called Canada in the language of the natives — ilz appel- lent une ville, Canada* The subsequent voyages of Roberval and of the Marquis de la llochc had no other object of dis- covery than that of gold, or of finding out a desirable spot to establish a colony on the coast of America; and though they contain many very- curious and interesting transactions with the native Indians, they come not within the scope of the present history, which is meant to be confined to the more northern regions. We hasten, therefore, to those brilliant periods of early English enter- prize, so conspicuously displayed in every quarter of the globe ; but in none, probably, to greater advantage, than in those bold and persevering eflfLrts to pierce through frozen seas, in their little slender barks of the most miserable description, ill provided with the means either of comfort or safety, without charts or instruments, or any pre- vious knowledge of the cold and inhospitable regions through which they had to force and to feel their way ; their vessels oft beset amidst end- less fields of ice, and threatened to be overwhelmed with instant destruction from the rapid whirling and bursting of those huge floating masses, known by the name of ice-bergs : yet, so powcrfidly in- fused into the minds of Britons was the spirit of • In his vocahulary of the language he calls a town " Canada." — Ilakluyt, vol. iii. p. 232. E 2 5f DISCOVEllIES OF 15^24. r enterprise, that some of the ablest, the most learned, and most respectable men of the times, not only lent their countenance and support to expeditions fitted out for the discovery of new lands, but strove eagerly, in their own pei-sons, to share in the glory and the danger of every daring adventure. In point of time, however, there is one solitary voyage on record, though the particulars of it are so little known as almost to induce a suspicion whether any such voyage was ever performed, which takes precedence of any foreign voyage on the part of English navigators ; it is that of a Spaniard, or rather perhaps, judging from the name, of a Portugueze, for the discovery of a northern passage to the Moluccas ; and still more probably a Portugueze, from the circumstance of his having accompanied Magelhanes on his voyage into the south seas round the southern extremitv of the continent of America. The following vague ac- count is all that can now be collected of Estevan or Steven Gomez. 15 ESTEVAN GOMEZ. 1524. The attempts which had been made by John and Sebastian Cabota on the part of England, by Cortereal on that of Portugal, and by Aubert or Hubert, who was sent out by the French, to pro- secute discoveries in the north, very naturally alarmed the jealousy of the Spaniards, who, on 1524. ESTEVAN GOMEJI. .53 account of* their rich and valuable possessions in the cast, were the most interested in confining the way to them to that, which should l)eas intricate and difficult as possible. The two i>rand routes to those possessions, which the two Portugucze, Vasco de Gama and Magelhaues, had succeeded in discover- ing;, were, it is true, both loujij and tedious, and, in those early periods of navigation, not altogether free from danger. That circumstance alone might not, therefore, have been sufficient to excite investigation on the part of Spain, if she had not witnessed other nations attempting to discover a shorter way to China and the Indies by the iiorth. It would have argued the extreme of indifference, if the nation most interested in the speedy intercourse with the wealthy countries of the east should have been the most backward in profiting by those discoveries already made, and which augured such happy results. Accordingly we find that in the year 1524, Estcvan Gomez, a supposed skilful navigator, employed on the part of Spain, sailed from Corunna with a view of discovering a northern passage to the Molucca islands from the Atlantic. This Gomez, as before mentioned, had sailed with Magelhanes on his voyage of discovery into the sou til seas. He was therefore personally acquainted with the difficulties and delays of a passage by that route, and capable of estimating the compa- rative advantages of one round the northern ex- tremity of America. But to what part of the coast E 3 54 DISCOVEIUES OF 1624,. of America, or Ncm fouiKlland, or Labrador, he directed his course is not at all known. It is evident, however, that he returned without bring- ing back with him any hope of a passage into the eastern seas, having contented himself with seizing and bringing off some of the natives of the coast on which he had touched. It is said, that one of his friends, accosting him on his return, incpiired w ith eagerness what success he had met with, and what he had brought back; to which Gomez replying shortly esclavos (slaves), the friend concluded he had accomplished his purpose, and brought back a cargo of cloves (clavos). " On this," says Piirchas, " he posted to the court to carry the lirst news of this spicy discovery, looking for a great reward; but the truth being known, caused hcrcat great laughter."* Ciaspar, in his liistory of the Indies, is the only authority for this vovau:e, of which and of Steven Gomez, as Purchas has observed, "little is left us but a jest. ' The Spaniards were not less alarmed on the side of the Pacific than they were at home. Cortez, the concjueror and viceroy of Mexico, had received intelligence of the attempt of Cortereal to dis- cover a northern passage from the Atlantic into the Pacific, and of his having entered a strait, to which he gave the name of Anian. Alive to the importance of the intelligence, he lost not a mo- * Purcha^ his Pilgrimage, vol. v, p. 810. ^' 1542. ESTEVAN GOMEZ. 55 ment in fitting out three ships well mannerl, of which he is said to have taken the command in person, though nominally under the orders of Francisco Ulloa, to look out for tlie opening of this strait into the Pacific, and to oppose the pro- gress of the Portugueze and other Europeans who might attempt this passage. Little is known con- cerning this expedition of Cortez, but that it soon returned without meeting with Cortereal, or dis- covering any tiling that could lead to the suppo- sition of a passage from those seas to the Atlantic. The Spaniards, however, were by no means easy at the attempts, feeble as they had hitherto been, to reach the Pacific by a northern route. Accordingly, in 1542, the viceroy Mendoza sent Coronado by land and Alarcon by sea to the north- ward from Mexico, to inquire into and, if possible, to discover the strait of Anian, which was then supposed to be the western opening of the passage into the Pacific; but both expeditions returned without having effected any discovery tnat could lead to the supposition of the existence of such a passage being well grounded. The court of Spain were by no means satisfied with such negative testimonies, and gave orders, two years afterwards, for another expedition, the conduct of which was entrusted to Juan Rod- riguez de Cabrillo, a Portugueze in the service of Spain. He proceeded along the north-west coasi of America as far as the latitude 44", and V. 4 56 DISCOVEllIES IN 1527. gave the name of Cape Mendocino, in compliment of the viceroy, to the land seen about the latitude 42°. The want of provisions, the sickness of the crew, the weakness of the ship, the turbulent sea, and the cold weather, were assigned as the reasons for their return, without proceeding- to a higher degree of latitude ; and it may well be a subject of wonder, that this enterprizing nation, the first which was firmly established on the coasts and islands of the Pacific, should have been the last to make discoveries in that part of the world. THE DOMINCS VOBISCUM. 1527. We ought, perhaps, to be less surprized at the indiflPerence shewn for northern discovery by the maritime nations of Europe, when we find that, notwithstanding the liberal encouragement given by Henry VII. and his successor Edward VI., to Sebastian Cabota, the spirit of enterprize seems to have lain dormant in England for thirty years nearly ; at least no memorial of any voyage under- taken either for profit or discovery is left on record during that period. In fact the real spirit of ad- venture had not yet stimulated the mercantile part of the nation to engage in foreign trade or to make discoveries ; and so little impression had the ex- ploits of Cabota and his suggestions for following them up made on the minds of the people of Eng- land, or of tl^e government, that thia great pilot 1527. THE DOMINUS VOBISCUM. 57 Eiisj- i seems to have left the country in disgust, and entered into the service of Spa^n; from whence he was probahly drawn, in the reign of Edward VI., on promise of the pension aheady mentioned, or, in general terms, of the king's patronage. It would seem, indeed, tliat although the prowess of English seamen had oft-times been displayed in contests on their native clement with their con- tinental neighbours, in '' carrackes, barges and balyngers," the kings of England, or their coun- sellors, were not yet aware of the great advantages of foreign trade and foreign enterprize towards the formation of a military marine. There is, how- ever, a document preserved in Hakluy t's collection, in the shape of a poem, complaining of the neglect of the navy in the time of Henry VI., and extolling " the policce of keeping the see in the time of the marveillous werriour and victorious prince, King- Henry the Fift, and of his grete shippes." " When at Hampton, he made the Great DromonSy Which passed other grete shippes of the Commons, The Trinitiej the Grace de Dieu, the Holy Ghost And other moe, which as now be lost, What hope ye was the king's grete intent, Of thoo shippes, and what in mind he meant. It was not eilis, but that he cast to bee Lord Round-about, environ of the see."* At length, however, the spirit of discovery and foreign enterprize burst forth in the reign of Ilcniy * English Policie exhorting all England to keepe the see-, ^c — JIakluyt, vol. i. p. 187. ) 58 DISCOVERIES IX 1527. VIII., and flourished in fidl vigour under the fostering hand of Ehzabeth. The first enterprL^c undertaken solely by Englishmen, of which we have any record, was at the suggestion of Master Rol)ert Thcrnc, of Bristol, who is said to have ex- horted King Henry VIII. " with very weighty and substantial reasons to set forth a discoverie even to the North Pole," which voyage, as would appear from the Chronicles of Hall and Grafton, actually took place; for they inform us that " King Henry VIII. sent two faire ships well manned and victualled, having in them divers cunning men to seek strange regions, and so they set forth out of the 'J'hames the 20th day of May, in the ipth yccre of his raigne, which was the yere of our Lord 1527.' * Hakluyt took great pains to discover who these cunning men were, but all he could learn was that one of the ships was called the DoMiNUS VoBiscuM, and that a canon of St. Paul's, in London, a great mathematician and wealthy man, went therein himself in person ; that having sailed very far north-westward, one of the ships was cast away on entering into a dangerous gulph, about the great opening between the north parts of Newfoundland and Meta incognita or Greenland, and the other returned home about the beginning of October: "and this," says Hakluyt, " is all that I can hitherto learne or finde out of this voyage, by reason of the great negligence of * Chronicles quoted by Hakluyt, vql. iii. p. 129. 1527. er the ?rpiL^e ch we ^^laster ve ex- eighty :overie woukl rafton, IS that )S well divers 50 they f May, he ye re )ains to : all he J called ii of St. an and II ; that e of the na:erous le north rnita or )Out the lakluyt, ; out of vence of 29. 1536. THE DOMINUS VOBISCt'M. 69 the writers of those times, who should have used more care in preserving of the memories* of the worthy actes of our nation.''* THE TRINITIE AND THE MINION. 1536. This voyage, we are told by Hakluyt, was set forth by Master Hore, of London, " a man of goodly stature and of great courage, and given to the studie of cosmographie." Assisted by the king's favour, several gentlemen were encouraged to accompany him in a voyage of discovery upon the north-west parts of America, many of whom were of the Inns of Court and of Chancery; " and divers others of good worship, desirous to see the strange things of the world. The whole number that went in the two tall ships were about sixe- score persons, w4iereof thirty were gentlemen, which were all mustered in warlike maner at Gravesend, and after the receiving of the sacra- ment they embarked themselves in the ende of Aprill, 1536."t After a tedious passage of two months they reached in safety Cape Breton; and shaping a course from thence to the north-east came to Pen- guin island, " very full of rocks and stones, whereon they went and found it full of great * Hakluyt's Voyages, vol. iii. p. 129- t idem. Go DISCOVERIES IN 1536. foulcs white and gray, as big as geese, and they saw infinite numbers of their egges." These birds they skinned and found to be good and nourishing meat, and the great store of bears, both black and white, was no mean resource, and, as we are told, no bad food. Mr. Oliver Dawbeney, merchant of London, who was one of the adventurers on board the Mix I ON, related to Mr. Richard Hakluyt the fol- lowing curious circumstances concerning this early voyage : " That after their arrivall in Newfoundland, and having bene there certaine dayes at ancre, and not having yet scene any of the naturall people of the countrey, the same Dawbeney walking one day on tb.e hatches spied a boate with savages of those parts, rowing downe the bay toward them, to gaze upon the sliip and our people, and taking vewe of their comming aloofe, he called to such as were under the hatches, and willed them to come up if they would sec the natural people of the countrey, that they had so long and so much desired to see : whereupon they came up and tooke viewe of the savages rowing toward them and their ship, and upon the viewe they manned out a ship-boat to meet them and to take them. But they spying our ship-boat making towards them, returned with maine force and tied into an island that lay up in the bay or river there, and our men pursued them into the island and the savages lledde and escaped ; 1536. I they J birds ishmg ;k and e told, Diulon, rd the he fol- s early id, and nd not of the day on * those :o gaze ewe of s were e up if Lintrey, to see : of the ip, and 3oat to spying :;d with )' up in d them caped ; 1536. THE TRTNITIE AND MINIOK. 61 but our men found a fire and the side of a beare, on a wooden spit, left at the same by the savages that were fled. " There, in the same place, they found a boot© of leather, garnished on the outward side of the calfe with certaine brave trailes, as it were of rawe silke, and found a certaine great warme mitten. And these caryed with them, they retained to their shippe, not finding the savages, nor seeing any thing else besides the soyle, and the things growing in the same, which chiefly were store of firre and pine trees. " And further the said Mr. Dawbenev told him, that lying there they grew into great want of vic- tuals, and that there they found small reliefe, more than that they had from the nest of an osprey, that brought hourely to her yong great plentic of divers sorts of fishes. But such was the famine that cncreased amongst them from day to day, that they were forced to seeke to relieve themselves of raw herbes and rootes that they sought on the maine : but the famine encreasing, and the reliefe of herbes being to little purpose to satisfie their insatiable hunger, in the fieldes and deserts here and there, the fellow killc^l his mate while he stooped to take up a roote for his reliefe, and cutting out pieces of his l:)odie whom he had mur- thered, broyled the same on the coles and greedily devoured them. ** By this nieane the company decreased, and 62 DISCOVEllIES IN 1536. I the officers knew not wliat had become of them ; and it fortuned tliat one of tlie company, driven \vith hunger to sceke abroade for reliefe, found out in the lieldes the savour of brovled flesh, and fell out witli one for that he would suffer him and his fellowes to sterve, enjoying plentie as he thought; and this matter growing to cruell speaches, he that had the broyled mcate burst out into these wordes: — If thou wouldest needes know, the broyled meatc I had was a piece of such a man's buttocke. The report of this brought to the ship, the captaine found what became of those that were missing, and was perswaded that some of them were neither devoured with wilde beastes nor yet destroyed with savages : and hereupon he stood up and made a notable oration, containing howc much these dealings offended the Almightie, and Vouched the Scriptures from first to last what God had, in cases of distresse, done for them that called upon him, and told them that the power of the Almighty was then no lesse, then in al former time it had bene. And added, that if it had not pleased God to have holpen them in that distresse, that it had been better to have perished in body, and to have lived everlastingly, then to have relieved for a poore time their mortal bodyes, and to be condemned everlastingly both body and soule to the unquenchable fire of hell. And thus having ended to that effect, he began to exhort to repentance, and besought all the company to pray, J 1536. 1536. THE TRINITIE AND MIXIOX. 6$ ' them ; cliivcn I aid out [llld fell and his lought ; , he that 1 these 3W, the a man's he ship, lat were )f them nor yet le stood g; howc tic, and liat God at called r of tlie former had not listressc, in hodv, to have ves, and )dy and hid thus xhort to to pray, that it might please God to look upon their present miserable state, and for his ovvne mercie to relieve the same. The famine encreasing, and the incon- venience of the men that were missing being found, they agreed amongst tliemselves, rather than all should perisli, to cast lots who should be killed; and such was the mercie of God, that the same night there arrived a 1 rench ship in that port, well furnii,hed with vittailc, and such was the policie of the English that they became masters of the same, and changing ships and vittailing them they set sayle to come into England. " In their journey they weresofarre northwards, that they saw mighty islands of yce in the sommer season on which were hawkes and other foules to rest themselves being weary of tlying over farre from the maine. They sawe also certaine great white foules with red bils and red legs, somewhat bigger than herons, which they supposed to be storkes. They arrived at S. Ives in Cornewall about the ende of Octcjber, from thence thev departed unto a certain castle belonging to Sir John Luttrell, where jM. Thomas Buts, and M. Rastall, and other gentlemen of the voyage, were very friendly entertained ; after that they came to the Earle of Bathe at Bathe, antl thence to Bristol, so to London. Af. Buts was so chanu;ed in the voyage with hunger and miserie, that Sir William his father, and my Lady his mother, knew him not to be their sonnc, until thev found a secret mark. 64 DISCOVERIES IN US6. which was a wart, upon one of his knees, as he told me, Ricliard Hakluyt of Oxford, himselfe ; to whom I rode 200 miles to learn the whole triieth of this voyage from his own mouth, as being the onely man now alive that was in this dis- cov^rie. *' Certaine months after, those Frenchmen came into England, and made complaint to king Henry the VIII ; the king, causing the matter to be ex- amined, and finding the great distrcsse of his sub- iccts and the causes of dealing so with the French, was so mooved with pitie, that he punished not his subiects, but of his ovvnc purse made full and royall recompence unto the French. " In this distresse of famine, the English did somewhat relieve their vital 1 spirits, by drinking at the springs the fresh water out or certaine wootlen cups, out of which they had druuke their aqua composita before.' •* SIR HUGH WILLO UGH BY. 155S. The attention of the merchants of England en- gaged in foreign trade appears to have cliiefly been confined to the Flemish towns, the island of Ice- land, and to a limited fishery on the banks of Newfoundland, during the first half of the six- * Haklu)'t, vol. iii. p. 130. I \j36. sill HUGH WILLOUCHBy. (55 tcciitli centurv. But tlic ivturn of Sebastian Cabota, and tbe knowledge of his great cntcr- prizes in the service of Spain, infused into the minds of the mercliants of England that spirit of enlarged adventure which had l)ut fecl)ly shewn itself at the commencement of tlie centurv, and then confined to one quarter of the globe. The reputation of this able navigator was so firmly established on his return to England that, in ad- dition to the hberal pension granted to him by Edward VI., he was constituted Grand Pilot of England, and " Governour of tlie mysterie and companie of the marchants adventurers for the discoverie of regions, dominions, islands and places unknowen." It was at his suo-o-estion that a voyage was undertaken in the year \563 for the discovery of a north-east passage to Cathaia ; and the ordinances and instructions drawn up by him on this occasion are such as do him infinite honour, not only for the chaste style in which they are written, but also for the liberal and enliohtened sentiments which run throughout this early per- formance.* The ships fitted out for this expedition of dis- covery were the Bona Esperanza, Admiral of the fleet, of the burden of 120 tons, having with her a * Ordinances, Instructions, ^-c. by M. Sebastian Cabota, Esquicr. Ilakluyt, vol. i. p. 226. VOL. r. F 66 discovj:iiie3 ok 1553. pinnace and a boat ; and Si ii Hugh Wi lloughbt , Knight, as ('aptain General of the fleet, was appointed to command her : the Edward Bonad- vcnture, of 160 tons, with a pinnace and a boat, the connnand of which was given to Richard Chan- celor, Captaiji and Pilot-Major of the fleet, and Steven liurongh was master of the ship : and the Bona Covjideiitia of 90 tons, having also a pinnace and a boat,of which Cornelins Dnrfoorth was master. The number of persons in the first ship was thirty- five, including six merchants; in the second fifty, including two merchants; and in the third twenty- eight, including three merchants. This first regular expedition for discoveries excited the most lively interest at the court and in the capital; and so sanguine were the promoters of the voyage of its success in reaching the Indian seas, that they caused the ships to be sheathed with lead as a protection against the worms which, they had understood, were destructive of wooden sheathing in the Indian climates,* and these are pro- bably the first ships that in England were coated withametallic substance.t From the account of the * Clement Adams's account of the voyage. liakluyt, vol. r.p. 243. j Sheathing with lead was in use till the reign of Charles II. but was discontinued on account of its wearing away irregularly and so soon washing bare in places, as to let in the worms ; and sheathing with wood was adopted in its place. In 1708, a pro- posal was made to the Navy Board to slieath ships with copper. I \353. SIR HUGH WILLOUGHBY. 67 voyage written by Clement Adams, "schoolcmaster to the Queene's lienshmen," it would appear that several persons of <>;reat experience were candidates for the command, but that Sir Hugh Willougliby, a valiant gentleman and well born, was preferred before all others, " both by reason of his goodly personage (for he was of tall stature) as also for his singular skill in the services of warre." On the day appointed for the sailing of the expedition from Ratcliffe, which was the 2()th May, " they saluted their acquaintance, one his wife, another his children, and another his kinsfolkes, and another his friends deerer than his kinsfolkes;" after which the ships dropped down to Greenwich, where the court then was. The great ships were towed down by the boats, " the marriners being all apparelled in watchet or skie-coloured cloth. The courtiers came running out and the common people flockt together, standing very thicke upon the shoare ; the Privie Consel, they lookt out at the win- dowes of the court, and the rest ranne up to the toppes of the towers ; the shippes hereupon dis- charge their ordinance, and slioot off their pieces after the maner of warre, and of the sea, insomuch which was rejected without a trial. About si.xty years after it obtained a trial and was favourably reported on — yet, so very ditlicult is the introduction of any thing new, that, ten years after this experiment, in Admiral Kcppel's fleet, there uas but one line of battle ship that was coppered. — M. S. Memoirs of the Naiy. f2 68 DISCOVtUlKS Of 1553, tliat the tops of the hilles sounded therewith, the valleys and the waters gave an edio, and the mariners they shouted in such sort, that the skie ranjr aoainc with the noise thereof.'"* The result of this voya<^e, which held out such fair promises, was most disastrous to the gallant Sir Hugh AVilloughby and his brave associates; who, with the whole of the merchants, officers and ship's company, as well as those of the Bona Con- fidentia, to the number of seventy persons, perished miserably from the effects of cold or hunger, or both, on a barren and uninhabitf^d part of the eastern coast of Lapland, at the mouth of a river called Arzina, not far from the liarbour of Kegor. The ships and the dead bodies of those who thus perished were discovered the following year by fiome Russian fishermen; and by some papers found in the admiral's ship, and especially by the date of his Will, it appeared that Sir Hugh Willoughby and most of the company of the two ships were alive in January 1554. They had entered the river on the ] 8th of September preceding. No papers, however, were ever published to give the least acct)unt of their proceedings and sufferings, which is someu hat sin- gular; as even common seamen, English, Dutch and Russians, who, at various times, have wintered in much higher latitudes, have kept regular journals of tlieir proceedings. That of Sir Hugh is exceed- in "^ Clcmmt Adams. Ilaklu^'t, vol. i. p. 245. 1555. sill HUGH WILLOUGlJBr. 69 ingly meagre, terminates just after their arrival ill the Arzina, and contains only the following paragraph respecting their distressed situation. " Thus remaining in this haven the space of a weeke, seeing the yeere farre spent, and also very evill wethei', as frost, snowe anhtv sea/' At lenoth he entered into a very a'reat ba^•, and seeins: a fishini>'-hoat, en- quired of the people " w^iat jountry it is, and what people, and of what niaiier of living they were;" but these men seeing the large ship were greatly alarmed and fled. At last, however, they were overtaken, and immediately fell on their knees, offering to kiss Master Chancelor's feet. The report being spread abroad of the arrival of a strange people " of singular gentlenesse and cour- tesie," the inhabitants brought them presents of provisions and entered readily and fearlessly into trade with them. Our navigators now learned that the name of the country w^as Russia or Moscovie, and that of their king Juan Vasilovich, w^ho " ruled and go- verned farre and wide in those places." A nego- ciation speedily commenced, the result of which was a journey, undertaken and performed by Master Chancelor, of nearly fifteen hundred miles, to a city called Mosco, where he was w^ell received ; and to his discreet and able representations Eng- land is indebted for the firm foundation of that commerce with Russia, which has continued almost without interruption ever since. f4 72 DISCOVERIES OF 1555 a7id The first interview with the Czar of IVIosco is extremely inte'esting and curious. These adven- turers were received with every mark of distinc- tion, and invited to a splencUd entertainment, at M'hich were present the Czar and all his nohles. The disphiy of gold and silver, the jew els and the licli robes, perfectly astonished the English travel- lers. ;T;Jic emperor kept them at great distance ; but Chancelor saluted him only in the manner of the English court. On the second visit the Czar was more familiar. " The prince called them to his table to receive each a cup from liis hand to drinke, and took into his hand Master George Killingworth's beard, wdiich leache.l over the table, and pleasantlie delivered it the Metropoli- tane, who, seeming to blesse it, saide in Russ, * this is God's gift;' as indeed at that time it was not only thicke, broad, and yellow coloured, but in lenii'th live foote and two inches of assize." Shoitly after this he was dispatched with a proper escort to Archangel, with a letter from the Czar addressed to Edward VI., and sailing from thence the following spring arrived safely in England. lilCHARD CHANCEEOU, AND STEVEN BUKOUGH. 1.555 and 155G. The return of Chanceeou to Eno'land with a letter from the Czar Vasilovich addressed to Ed- ]556. CIIANCELOR AND BUKOUGII. 73 Avnrd VI., and tlic prospects of vast profits which a trade with this extensive empire held forth, were deemed to have amply compensated the melancholy fate of Sir Hugh Willoughby, the supposed loss of the two ships, and the laihire ( f tiie expedition in its main object; and Philip and INIary, who were now on the throne, were readily prevailed on to grant a new charter " to the community of merchants adventurers," and to appoint Sebastian Cabota governor thereof for the term of his natural life. A commission w^as also issued, constitutinj>: Richard Chancelor, Cieorge Killing-worth, and Richard Gray commissioners from Philip and Maiy, to carry a letter to, and to treat with, the Czar of Moscovie concerning the commercial privileges and immu- nities which he might be pleased to grant to this newly chaitered com pan}'. The FAhvard Bona- "oenturc and the Philip and Mary were the ships appointed to carry out the commissioners, who, on their arrival at Archangel, were escorted to Mosco, where cliey were well received, and, we arc tokl, made a profitable voyage. But though commerce wa^ the immediate, it was not the only, object of this second expedition. J]y an article of their instructions the adventurers were particularly di- rected " to use all waves and meanes possible to learne howe men umy passe from Russia, either by land or by sea, to Catbaia." And so anxious wu» the company to follow up the attempt at a north- cast passage to the Indian seas, (hat, without 74 Discovr;i;its of 1555 and waiting the result oF Cliaiicelor's second voyage, it was detcnnined to fit out a small vessel the next vear, 1555, to make discoveries bv sea to the east- ward ; and Stevex Buriiowe or Burough was ap- pointed to command tlic Serchthrift pinnace fitted out for this purpose. On the 27th April, being then atGravesend and ready for sea, the governor, accompanied with several gentlemen and ladies, paid a visit to the ship, " and the good olde gentle- man Master Cabota gave to th'3 poore most liberall almes ; and then, at the signe of the Christopher, bee and his friends banketted, and made mee and them that were in the company great cheere ; and for very joy that he had to see the towardness of our intended discovery, he entered into the dance himselfe, amongst the rest of the young and lusty company." They left Gravesend on the 29th ; on the 23d May passed the North Cape, so named on the first voyage, and on the 9th June entered the river Cola, and determined its latitude to be 65** 48' N. One of the numerous Russian vessels called lodias, under the orders of one Gabriel, being bound for Petchora, led the way for the Serchthrift with great attention and civility until they came to that river, which they reached on the 15th July, ^n proceeding to the eastward they fell in with much ice, in which they were enclosed before they were aware of it, and " which was a feareful sight to sec." In latitude 70** 15' they again encountered ■S ^ 155^. CIIAXCELOR AND BLllOUGII. 70 licaps of ice. But on the 25th they fell in with an object which seems to have inspired greater terror even than the ice. It was the first whale that our navigators had met with, and tlie impression it made on the crew is rather amusing. " On St. James his day, bolting to the windewardes, we had the latitude at noon in sevcntv dei>;recs, twentic minutes. The same day, at a south-west sunnc, there was a monstrous whale aboord of us, 60 ncere to our side that we mip-ht have thrust a sworde or any other weapon in him, which we durst not doe for feare hee should have over- throwen our shippe; and then I called my com- pany together, and all of us shouted, and with the crie that we made he departed from us ; there was as much above water of his backe as the bredth of our pinnesse, and at his falling downe he made such a terrible noise in the water, that a man would greatly have marvellerl, except he had known the cause of it ; but, God be thanked, we were quietly deliv^ered of him."* The same day they came to an island which they named Jameses Island. Here they met with a Russian who had seen tliem at Cola, and whrt told them that the land a head of them was called No*va Zemhla, or the New Land. On the 31st they reached the island of JVeigats. Here they had intercourse with several Russians, and learned * Hakluyt's English ^'oyages, vol. i. p. 280. I 76 DISCOVERIES OF 1.55(3. from them that the people who inhabited the great islands were called Samocds, who have no houses but tents made of deer's skins. On landing- they observed a heap of Samocds' idols, at least three hundred in number, in the shape of men, M'omen, anrl children, " \ ery grossly wrought, and the eyes and mouth of sundrie of them were bloodie.'' iSomc of them arc described as being " an olde sticke w^ith two or three notches." They remained near this place till the 23d August, without being able to get further to the eastward on account of the constant north-east and northerly winds, thick weather, andalmndance of ice ; and on the 10th September they arrived at Colmagro, where they remained for the winter. In \557 Burough returned to England, and was afterwards made Comptroller of the Royal Navy. In the mean time, Juan Vasilovich sent, as his ambassador and orator to the court of London, Oscp Napea, who embarked on the 20th July, \556, on board the Edward Bonaventure, in the bay of St. Nicholas or Archangel, under the di- rection of Richard Chancelor, Grand Pilot, and accompanied by three other ships, the Bona Spe- ranza, the Philip and Mary, and the Conjidentia. This homeward voyage was most disastrous. The C'onfidentia \vas lost on the coast of Norway, and all hands perished. The Bona Speranza wintered at Drontheim, and was lost on her passage to England ; and the Edward Bonaventure, after \55G. CIIAXCELOR AND BlROl GH. 77 being four months at sea, came into Pitsligo 13a}\ oil the cast coast of Scotkuul, on tiic 10th Novem- ber, 1556, and was there wrecked, wlicn, with great diriiculty, the ambassador with a few of his atten- dants were saved; but Richard Clumcclor, the Grand Pilot, and most of the crew were drowned. We are told bv the writer of lliis unfortunate voyage, that " the whole masse and bodie of the goods laden in her, was by the rude and ravenous people of the country thereunto adjoining, xifled, spoyled, and carried away, to the manifest losse and utter destruction of all the ladino- of the said ship."* The ambassador was conducted to Lon- I don in great pomp, and the connection between the two nations was from that time drawn closer every year. The English merchants trading with Russia extended their commerce far beyond the confines of that extensive empire ; but as their dis- coveries were made by land, they form no part of the present plan, and could not with propriety be I introduced. MARTIN FiiOBiSHER — Fivst Voyagc. 1576. While this rapid progress was making in the north-cast both by sea and land, under the auspices of tlie company of merchants trading to Russia, the question of a north-west passage lound the northern coast of America to Cathaia and the F/ast * Voyages and Navigations, Hakluyt, vol. i. p. 286 78 Dl6C0VLRItS OF \57Ck Indies, was revived witli <2;rciitcr ardour than at any former period, and the pens of the most learned men in the nation were employed to prove the existenee, the practicabihty, and the great advantages of such a ])assage. Among others, Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Mr. Richard Willcs com[)osed very learned and ingenious discourses on the subject. That of the former, in particular, contains much curious argument in favour of such a passage, and was well calculated to infuse a spirit of practical inquiry and discovery among his countrymen ; and although it appears not to have been printed until the year 1576', being that in which Frobisher made his first voyage, yet, having been written many years before, while Sir Hum- phrey was serving in Ireland, it was undoubtedly very well known to the promoters of Frobisher's voyage. * Among other matters adduced in proof of a north-west passage between the Atlantic and Pacific, Sir Humphrey states, that "there was one Salvaterra, a gentleman of Victoria in Spain, who came to Ireland in 15()8, out of the West Indies, and reported that the north-west passage from Europe to Cathaia was constantly believed in America ; and further said, in presence of Sir Henr}^ Sidney, Lord Deputy of Ireland, in Sir H. Gilbert's hearing, that a ' friar of Mexico, called Andrew Urdaneta, more than eight years before * A DiscoursebySirllumphreyGilbeit, &c.riakluyt,vol.iii.p. 19. from g same It W( and the our ]576. MARTIN FROBISHKR. 79 liis then coming- into Ircliind (i.e. before 1560), told him tliere, that lie came from Mar del Siir into Gcnnany thro' this N.W. passage, and shewed Salvaterra (at that time being then a\ ith him in Mexico) a sea card, maile by his own experience and travel in that voyage, ^\ herein was plainly set down and described this N.W. passage, agreeing in all points with Ortelius's map. * And further, this friar told the King of Por- tugal (as he returned by that country homeward) that there was (of certainty) such a passage N. W. from England, and that he meant to publish the same : which done, the king most earnestly desired him not in any wise to disclose or make the passage known to any nation. For that (said the king) if England had knowledge and experience thereof, it would greatly hinder both the King of Spain and me. This friar (as Salvaterra reported) was the greatest discoverer by sea that hath been in our age; also Salvaterra being persuaded of this passage by the Friar Urdaneta, and by the com- mon opinion of the Spaniards inhabiting America, offered most willingly to accompany me in this discovery, Avhich of like he would not have done if he had stood in doubt thereof."" I This Urdaneta was with Magelhanes on his dis- covery of a passage into the South Seas, round America; many years after this he took holy orders, and, residing in New Spain, was applied to f by the King of Spain to pilot Legaspi's squadron ^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. %// ^ .^^4fc' '^ 1.0 1.25 121 S2.5 Hi 1.8 1.4 V] '^ ^> ^ ▼ ♦. >\ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 873-4503 ^ ,} I 80 DISCOVERIES OF \376. to tlic Pliillipines, Avhich he did; and tbccliart iiomt or retcntiv in use bv the Manilla ships is said to be tliat which was orijiinaily Urdaneta's. It may safely be asserted, that no mention of the diseovery attributed by Salvaterra to Urdaneta is to be met with in any Spanish author. But as the falsehood of the friar or the reporter could not at tbat early period Ijc known in England, and as notiiing in it appeared to be improbable, it served to spur on a spirit of adventure, by holding out the hope of certain success from perseverance. Ano- ther account of the same kind was afterwards received, which, though utterly false, produced the same encouraging effects. One Thomas Cowles, an English seaman, of Badminster, in Somerset- shire, made oath that, being some six years before (1573) in Lisbon, he heard one Martin Chacque, a Portugueze mariner, read out of a book which he, Chacque, had published six years before that ; in which it was stated, that twelve vears before (1556) he. the author, had set sail out of India for Portugal, in a small vessel of the burden of about eighty tons, accompanied by four large ships, from which he was separated by a westerly gale of wnnd ; that having sailed among a number of islands he entered a gulph, which conducted him into the Atlantic, in the 59° of latitude, near New- foundland, from whence he proceeded without see- ing any more land till he fell in with the north- west part of Ireland, and from thence to Lisbon, HIS 1 mk 1576. MAIITIN FllOBISHER. 81. where he arrived more than a month bei'ore the other four ships with which he set out. Whether Frol^isher had collected similar reports oi' tlic passai^e having actually been performed, or whether alone from his " knowledge of the sphere and all other skilles appertaining to the arte of navigation" his hopes were grounded, it is quite certain he had persuaded himself that the voyage was not only feasible but of easy execution. His friends, however, were not so readily persuaded to enter into his scheme ; but, " as it was the only thing of the world that was left yet undone, whereby a notable mind might be made famous and fortunate," he persevered foi' fifteen years without being able to acquire the L^eans of setting forth an expedition, on which his mind had been so long and so resolutely bent. At length, in the year 1576, by the countenance and assistance of Dudley, Earl of Warwick, and a few friends, he was enabled to fit out two small barks, the Gabriel of thirty-five and the Michael of thirty tons, together with a pinnace of ten tons. With this little squadron he prepared to set out on his important expedition, and on the 8th of June passed Greenwich, where the court then was ; and Queen Elizabeth bade them farewell by shaking her hand at them out of the window. On the nth of July they came in sight of Friesland, " vising like pinnacles of steeples, and all covered with snow." This island, whose position has so VOL. I. G. 82 DISCOVERIES OF 1576. \iU greatly puzzled geographers, cculd not be the Frisland of Zeno, but, being in 6\° of latitude, was evidently the southern part of Greenland. The floating ice obliged him to stand to the south-west till he got sight of Labrador, along the coast of which he then stood to the westward, but could neither reach the land nor get soundings on account of the ice. Sailing to the northward he met with a great island of ice, which fell in pieces, making a noise " as if a great cliife had fallen into the sea," After this he entered a strait in lat. 63" 8'. This strait, to which his name was given from being its first discoverer, is the same which was afterwards named Lumley's Inlet; hut Frobishers Strait was, for a long time, supposed by geographers to have cut off a portion from Old Greenland, till Mr. Dairy mple and others shewed the fallacy of such a supposition. Among the openings betwectj he numerous islands hereabouts, they descried " a number of small things floating in the sea afarre off, which the captain supposed to be porposes or scales, or some kind of strange fish" — but on a nearer approach they were discovered to be men in small boats covered with skins. The captain says, ** they be like to Tartars, with lot;g black hair, broad faces and flattc noses, and taunie in colour, wearing scale skinnes, and so doe the women, not differing in the fashion, but the women are marked in the face with blewe streekes downe the cheekes and round about the eyes." They approached the ships with some hesitation, and one of the natives \576 MARTIN FROBISIIER. 83 01 irer [aall lys, lair, )ur, not tked ;kes the tives presently went on board in the ship's boat; and Frobisher, having given him a bell and a knife, sent him back in the boat with five of the crew, direct^ ing them to lantl him on a rock and not to trust themselves where numbers of his countrvmen were assembled on the shore; but they disobeyed his orders and were seized by the natives, together with the boat, and none of them heard of more. A few days afterwards, on returning to the jame place, the people were observed to be extremely shy, but Frobisher, having succeeded in drawing one of them alongside by ringing a bell and hold- ing it out, as he stretched out his hand to receive it, " caught the man fast and plucked him with maine force, boate and all, into his barke out of the sea. Whereupon, when he found himselfe in captivity, for very choler and disdaine he bit his tongue in twaine within his mouth, notwithstand- ing he died not thereof, but lived until 1 he came in England, and then he died of cold which he had taken at sea." With this " strange infidele, whose like was never scene, read nor heard of before, and whose language was neither knowen nor under- stood of any," Frobisher set sail for England, and arrived at Harwich on the 2d of October, " highly commended of all men for his greate and notable attempt, but speceally famous for the great hope he brought of the passage to Cathaia." That hope, however, would probably have died away but for an, accidental circumstance which G 2 .1 jr 84 DISCOVERIES OF ^577. had been disregarded during the voyage. Some of the men had brought home flowers, some grass, and one a piece of stone, " much like to a sea cole in colour," merely for the sake of the place from whence they came. A piece of this black stone being given to one of the adventurers' wives, by chance she threw it into the fire; and whether from accident or curiosity, having quenched it while hot with vinegar, " it glistered with a bright mar- quesset of golde." The noise of this incident was soon spread abroad, and the stone was assayed by the ** gold finers of London," who reported that it contained a considerable quantity of gold.* A new voyage was immediately set on foot for the following year, in which w; are told by Master George Best, Frobisher's lieutenant, that " the captaine was specially directed by commission for the searching more of this gold ore then for the searching any further discovery of the passage. ""} MARTIN FROBiSHEii — SccoTid Voyagc. 1577. Frobisher was now openly countenanced by Queen Elizabeth, and on taking leave had the honour of kissing her Majesty's hand, who dis- missed him " with gracious countenance and com- fortable words." He was, besides, furnished with " one tall ship of her Majesties, named the Ayde, of nine-score tunnes or thereabouts; and two other * True Discourse by IMaster George Best. — Hakluyt^ Voyages, vol. iii. p. 2<). t Ibid. ^r 1577. MARTIN FROBISHER. 85 "1 little baikes likewise, the one called the Gabriel, whereof Master P'cnton was Captainc ; and the other the Michael, wher'^of Master Yorke, a gen- tleman of my Lord Admiralls, was Captainc :" these two ^'essels were about thirty tons each. On the iJ7th of May, having received the sacrament and prepared themselves " as good Christians towards God, and resolute men for all fortunes," they left Gravesend, and after a long passage fell in with Friesland, in lat. 6oy on the 4th of July, the mountains covered with snow and the coast almost inaccessible from the great quantity of drift ice. It is worthy of remark tliat Fro- bisher, being in possession of the account of Fries- land, by the two Venetians, declares that " for so much of this land as we have saylc*! alongst, com- paring their carde with the coast, we find it very agreeable;" but no creature was seen " but little birdes." Tbey observed islands o^' ice, " some seventic, some eightie fathome under water," and more than half a mile in circuit; and the ice being fresh, Frobisher is led to the conclusion that these m.ountains " must be bredde in the sounds, or in some land neere the pole ;" and that the *' maine sea freeseth not, therefore there is no mare giadale, as the opinion hitherto hath bene." Four days were here spent in vain endeavouring to land, after which they stood for the strait discovered by them the preceding year. They arrived oft' the north foreland, otherwise Hall's island, so called after the G 3 86 DISCOVEIMTS OF 1577. man who Iia77. but upon fiyall nuidc it |)iv)()vc(l no better tlidti black-lead, ami verified the proverbc — all is not gold that i>listereth." On another small island, which they named Sffiith's hlatidy they found a mine of silver, and fo ir sorts of ore " to holde gold in good quan- titie,*" and on another island a great dead lish, twelve feet long, " having a home of two yardes long growing out of the snoute or nostrels," which Svas hrought home and " reserved as a jewcll' in the (jueens wardrobe. They continued to proceed lip the strait for about thirty leagues, much ham- pered with, and frequently in great danger from, the floating ice. In one of the small islands they found a toml), in which were the bones of a dead man, and several implements belonging to the natives, the use of w hich was explained to them by the captive "salvage" — who taking in his hand one of tlieir country bridles, " caught one of our dogges and hamperetl him handsomely therein, as we doe our horses ; and with a whip in his hand he taught the dog to drawe in a sled, as we doe horses in a coach, setting himselfe thereupon like a guide." They afterwards found that these people " feede fatte the lesser sort of dogges" to eat as food, and that the larger sort arc used to draw their sledo'es. In endeavouring to seize a party of natives in Vorke Sound, a skirmish ensued in which five or six of the savages were unfortunately put to death, and two women seized, " whereof the one being 0l( a ( the sue the posi of h wbe to b( I]ut plucl lickii our d that t of tlic h th only I these brougl from 1 ^vere s to ther i"g wc "In who ( soulesy you. devise / "ivith an iviil not J577. MARTIN FROBISMF.U. B9 ?» iod, heir in six itb, ling old and ugly, our men thought she had been a devil or sonic witch, and theierore let her i^oc ; the other being young and incmnbered with a sucking child at her backc hiding herself behind the rocks, was espied by one of our men, whosup- posini^she had bene a man, .shot through the haire of her head, and pierced through the child's armc whereupon she cried out, and our surgeon meaning to healc her child's arme, applyed salves thereunto. But she, not accjuaiiited with such kind of surgery, plucked those salves away, and by continuale licking with her owne tongue, not much unlike our dogs, healed up the childe's arme." It is stated that th.ey found here sundry articles of the apparel of the five unfortunate men who had been seized by the natives tlie preceding year, which is the only apology oflered for the cruel attack on these people. By means of their two captives they at length brought about an intercourse with the natives ; from whom they understood that the five men were still living, and engaged to deliver a letter to them, which letter w as couched in the follow- ing words : — " In the name of God, in whom we all believe^ who (I trust) hath pi^e.served your bodies and soules, amongst these infidels, I commend me unto you. I will be glad to seeke by al means you can devise for your deliverance, either with force, or with any commodities within my ships, xvhich I will not spare for your sakes. or any thing eh r 90 DISCOVEKIES, &C. 1577. / can doe for you. I have ahoord, of theirs y a man a woman and a child, which I am contented to deliver for you, but the man which I carried azvay from hence the last yeere is dead in England. Moreover you may declare unto them, that if they deliver you not I will not leave a man alive in their countrey. And thus, if one of you can come to spcake with mec, they shall have either the man, woman or childe in pawncforyou. And thus unto God whom I trust you doe serve^ in hast I leave you, and to him wee will daily pray for you. This Tuesday morning the seventh of August, 1577." The men however never appeared, and as the season was far advanced and tlie general's com- mission directed him to search for gold ore, and to defer the further discovery of the passage till another time, they set about the lading of the ships, and in the space of twenty days, with the help of a few gentlemen and soldiers, got on board almost two hundred tons of ore. On the 22d August, after making bonefires on the highest mount on this island, and firing a volley for a farewell " in honour of the Right Honourable Lady Anne, Countess of Warwicke, whose name it beareth," they set sail homewards, and after a stormy passage they all arrived safe in different ports of Great Britain, with the loss only of one man by sickness, and another who was washed overboard.* * Hakluyt's Voyages, vol. iii. p. 32. Frobisl 1 h ( 91 ) t on the the olley rable iiame after erent one ashed MARTIN FUOBisHEU — Third Voyogc. 1578. The Queen and her court were so highly de- lighted in " finding that the matter of the gold ore had appearance and made shew of great riches and protit, and the hope of the passage to Cathaia by this last voyage greatly increased," that after a minute examination by the commis- sioners '^pecially appointed, it was determined that the voyage was highly Morthy of being followed up. The Queen gave the name of Met a incog- nita to the newly discovered country, on which it was resolved to establish a colony. For this purpose a fleet of fifteen ships were got ready, and one hundred persons appointed to fomi the settlement and remain there the whole year, keep- ing with them three of the ships ; the other twelve were to bring back cargoes of gold ore. Frobisher was constituted admiral and general, and, on taking leave, received from the Queen a gold chain, and the rest of the captains had the honour of kissing her Majesty's hand. The fleet sailed from Harwich on the 31st May, 1578, passed Cape Clear on the Gth June, and on the 20th of that month discovered west Friesland, which they now named JFest England; landed and took possession thereof; but the natives abandoned their tents and fled. The fleet then proceeded to Frobisher's strait, giving to the last cliff in sight > ' ' fy2 1)1 SCO V£U IKS OF 1578. of VVost F/.igland, " for a ccrtaine similitude," the name of Charifto- Cross. Tliev found t!ie strait choked up with ire, and the hark Dennis, of one hun(h'ed tons, received sucli a hlow with a rock of ice, that she sunk instantly in sijj^lit of the whole fleet, hut tlie |;eo|)le were all saved. Unforiunately however she had on hoard part of the house which was intended to he erected for the winter settlers. A violent storm now came on, and the whole fleet was disj)ersed, son^.e l«ein<:f driven with tlie ice into the strait, and there shut up, and others swept away among the ilots of the fleet where they were In this dilemma two of the ships parted company ; the rest followed Frohisher to the north-west coast of Greenland, along which he passed to the northward, thinking, or as the writer of the voyage says, pretending and " persuading the flecte always that they were in their right course, and knowen straights." At length, after many perils from storms, fogs, and floating ice, the general and part of the fleet assembled in the Countess of francick's Sound in Frohisher's strait, 1578. MARTIN FROBISIIER. 93 ;re )ast [the I the I the Irse, |any the the rait, wlitMi a council was held on tlic 1st Anp;ust, at which it M'as determined to send all persons and thinij^s on shore uj>on Countess of Warwick's island ; and on the 2d August, orders were proclaimed hy sound of trumpet for the guidance of the com- pany during tlieir ahode therer)n. It was found however, on examining the hills of lading, that the east side and the south side only of the house were saved, and those not perfect, many pieces having heen destroyed when used as fenders against the ice. There was also a want of drink and fuel for a hundred men, tlie greatest store heing in the miss- »ng ships. Tor these and sundry good and sufhcient reasons, it was determined in council " that no habitation should he there this yeer." Captain Best of the Ann Francis, one of the missing ships, discovered " a great black island," where such plenty of black ore was found " as might reasonably suffice all the gold gluttons of the world,' which island, "for cause of his good luck," the captain called after his own Dame, Best's Blessing. He also ascended a high hill called Hattnn's Headland, where he erected a co- lumn or cross of stone in token of Christian pos- session ; " here also he found plentec of blackc ore, and divers pretie stones." The 3()th August, having arrived and all haids evidently disheartened with the extreme cold and r.mpestuous weather, a council was again held, at which it was determined, for divers good and substantial reasons, that each captain and gentle- y4 niSCOVKHIKS OK I.57H. nuin shniiM look to tiK> hiding of liis own slii|) with oiv, and Ik* in 'vadinoss to sot homeward by a t'crtain day, wlncli it appears was the follow injj^ one or :11st August. Alter a stormy passage, in whieh it is stated that '* many of the llei te were danjxerouslv distressed, and were severed almost all asunder," they all arrived at various ports of England, about the 1st of October, w ith the loss by death of about lorty persons.* The IJusse of ihiilgewater, itt her homeward pas- sage, tell in with a large island to the south-east of Friesland, in latitude 57 j", which had never before been discovered, and sailed three days along the eoast, the land appearing to be fertile, full of wood, and a line ehampaign country. On this authority the island was laid down on our charts; but was never afterwards seen, and certainly does not exist ; though a bank has recently been sounded u|)on, which has revived the idea of the Friesland of /eno and the IJusse of liridgcwater having been swallowed up by an earthquake. It is somewhat remarkable, that a man of Fro- bisher's saoacitv, who in his lirst vovaire soon discovered that the open and deep sea does not tVeeze, but that the ice originates in rivers, bays, and creeks, ami tloats about till it clings by the land, or is forced into narrow and shallow straits, should have persevered in struggling among strait;? and ice, when he knew he had an open sea • llakluyt's ^'oyages, vol. iii. p. Z^. ;ini bi.s cov golt cikJi F sidei mud oriiri sevei tiil, i tile c Indie of tbt Arniai and K lor<| J In \6i niand orders assist I^cagu part of neigh b ber, u receive lie dic( squad rd interre 1.578. MARTIN FHOniSIILU. .95 the atov ro- ^oon not ays, tlic aits, Iraits sea hctwcm CficcTiIamI and tlic archipelago of islands, anu)n^ which is the strait hearing his name; but his first voyaj«;c only was in Fact a voyaj^c of dis- covery ; the seconed with the Sj)anish Armada, in which he fou«»ht with threat bravery; and received the honour of knifjjhtliood from the lord hi«>;h admiral on board his own ship at sea. In \690 he was appointed by tlie (juecn to com- mand a scjuadron on the coast of Spain, with orders to co-operate with Sir John Hawkins. In 1.594 lie was detached with four ships f)f war to assist Henry IV. of France a<>ainst a body of Leaguers and Spaniards, then in jjossession of a part of Britanny, and strongly entrenched in the neighbourhood of Brest. On the 7th of Novem- ber, when assaulting the fort of Croyzon, he received a wound in the hip from a ball, of which he died shortly after, having brought his little squadron safely back to Plymouth, where he was interred. The wound, according to Stov/e, was not 1 ■ '• 96 DISCOVFRIKS OV 1577. I, mortal in itself, but became so through the neglect or ignorance of his surgeon, who, having extracted the ball, left the wadding in the wound, which caused it to fester. Sir Martin Krobisher was born (yf humble parents, in the town of Doncaster, and is supposed to have betaken himself early to sea. He is represented as a man of great courage, of much experience, and correct conduct ; but of a liasty temper, harsh and violent. There is a portrait of him in the picture gallery of Oxford.* EDWARD FEN TON. 1577. It would be unjust to pass over the name of Mr. Edward Fenton, a gentleman who greatly distinguished himself in many gallant and adven- turous actions. At the recommendation of the Earl of Warwick, he accompanied Sir Martin Frobisher as Captain of the Gabriel in 1577; and in the following year commanded the Judith, one of the fifteen vessels of which the squadron des- tined to form the settlement on Meta Incognita was composed ; and in the third expedition he had the title of Rear-Admiral. Notwithstanding the three unsuccessful attempts for the discovery of a north-west passage, Fenton remained firmly persuaded that such a passage was practicable, and migb.t be resumed with the strongest proba- bi, en f'ul pat try J and berl Fen nam tile I vour to di the P Seas ; son's seas, , succej pated in the out di return and su with ir comma gallant 1588. buried * Biog. Brit. VOL. 1 1577. KDWARD FENTON. 97 bilitv of succc! itations to be 'till and one Idcs- i^nita had i-mly lable, ioba- II is repeated so employed on tliis enterpiizc, joineil to tbe power- ful interest of tbe Earl of Leicester, one of bis patrons, procured bini at lengtb an opportunity of trying; bis fortune.* A voya<]fe was set fortb, nnder tbe auspices, and cbiefly at tlie expense, of tlie Duke of Cum- berland, tbe object of wbicb, as would appear from Fenton's instructions, was of a two-foki nature : namely, to proceed to tbe East Indies by one of tbe usual routes, and from tbe Moluccas to endea- vour to return by tbe nortb-cast; or in otber words, to discover tbe nortb-west passage on tbe side of tbe Pacific, tben known by tbe name of tlie Soutb Seas ; but tbe real object was, in Sir William Mon- son's opinion, to try bis fortune in tbe Indian seas, as Drake bad already done witb so mucb success. But tbe king of Spain, baving antici- pated tbe design, sent a fleet to intercept bim in tbe strait of Magellan. Fenton on bis passage out discovered tbis and tbougbt it prudent to return to England, but not before be bad engaged and sunk tbeSpanisb Vice-Adniiral, wbom be met witb in a Portugueze port. After tbis be bad tbe command of tbe Mary Rose, and bebaved most gallantly in tbe attack on tbe Spanisb Armada in 1588. He died at Deptford in 1C03, and was buried in the parisb cburch of tbat place, in wbich VOL. I. • Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. ^64,. H i 98 DISCOVEUIES OF 1580. is a Iiamlsoinc inomimcnt, with a chaste inscrip- tion, erected to his memory by the Earl of Corke, wlio married his niece.* ARTHUR VET AND CHARLES JACKMAN. 1580. Although the fruitless voyages of Martin Fro- l)isher had abated the zeal of the court, they did not in the least damp the ardour of private enter- prize. The Russia merchants, liaving made so considerable a progress in the cast by land, now determined to fit out another expedition by sea, for the purpose of renewing the attempt to discover a north-east passage to China. Two barks, the George and the JVillianif under the command of Arthur Pet and Charles Jackman, were fitted out for this service. They left Harwich on the 30th May, reached Wardhuys the 23d June, crossed the bay of St. Nicholas, passed much ice, and on the iGth July made the body of the islanfj. as they supposed, of Nova Zembla. On the 17th, after passing through much ice and shoal water, they reached the bay of Petchora, and the following day came to Waigatz, where they found great store of wood and water. To the eastward of Waigatz they were so hampered with the ice that they resolved to return, a task which with dil!iculty they effected, the sea being so thickly covered * Fuller's Worthies. Sir W. Monson's Naval Tracts. Camden. 1 ^ Wi or U'i pas sno con Kqu and "an( a por in 0( tbIIoM w itii £ to\var( nioie 1 Froi sufficie indifi^'ei tliemse v/arer, approac might hamperc %th dt ^^nglisli fied wit Nichola <^nteij)/i, Mnd. 'r 1580. PKT AXD JACKMAX. 99 i7tb, ratcv, wing I stoic tUcy Iculty rcved iden. with ice, that they were enclosed in it for sixteen or eighteen days, and the air w as constantly loadeti with thick foi*-. On the 1 7th Angust they re- passed the strait of Waigatz, among ninch ice, snow, and fog, and on the ^2tl the ships parted con)pany. i)i\ the 27th the Cieorge was opposite Kegor, on the 31st donhled the North Cape, and on the 26*th Octoher they reached llatdiffe, " and praised God for their safe retnrne." The VV^illiani was less fortnnate. She arrived at a port in Norway to the sonthward of Drontheini, in October, and wintered there. In the February following she departed from thence, in company with a ship belonging to the king of Denmark, towards Iceland, and from that time was never more lieard of From the meagre narrative of this voyage it is sul^cicntly evident, that Pet and Jackman were but indifferent navigators, and that they never trusted themselves from the shore and out of shallow water, whenever the ice would suffer tliem to approach it; a situation of all others where they miaht have made themselves certain of beinsr hampered with ice, though only in the 68th and 6j)th degrees of latitude. From this time the English merchants, trading to Russia, were satis- fied with sending their ships to the bay of St. Nicholas, or Archangel, and of committing their cntevpii/cs of eastern discoveries to journeys by land. H 2 i ( 100 1583. SIR HUMPHREY GILBERT. 1583. 1 't The successful efforts of the Russia company by land gave new vigour to a spirit for foreign traffic and discoveries, and turned n.en's minds once more to the north-westward. The indefatigable exer- tions of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, his great talents and powerful interest, had procured for him letters patent, dated in 1578, authorising him to undertake western discoveries, and to possess lands unsettled by Christian princes or their subjects; and the same year he is said to have made a voyage to New- foundland, of which, however, no detailed account appears to have been published. The grant in the patent was made perpetual, but at the same time declared void, in case no possession was actually taken within the space of six years. Sir Humphrey, therefore, the year before its expii jtion, prepared for a new expedition and, in the very same year, being 1583, Queen Elizabeth granted another patent to his younger brother, Adrian Gilbert, of Sandridge, in the county of Devon, and his associates, conferring on them the privilege of making discoveries of a passage to China and the Moluccas, by the north-westward, north-east- ward or nojthward; to be incorporated by the name of " The Colleagues of the Fellowship for the Discoverie of the north-west Passage." Sir Humphrey in the meantime set out to take « Jli ayt 1583. SIR HUMTHREY GILBERT. 101 cry Inan Ivon, ilege and least- the for take possession of the northern parts of America and Newfoundland. The tleet consisted of five ships of different burdens, from two hundred to ten tons, in which were embarked about two hunched and sixty men, including shipwriglits, masons, smiths and carpenters, besides '' minerall men and refi- ners ;" and, " for tlie solace of our people," says Mr. Haies, " and allurcmcrt of the savages, wc were provided of musicke in good varietie; not omitting the least toyes, as morris dancers, hobby horsses, and may like conceits, to delight the savage people, whom we intended to winne by all faire meanes possible.'* This little fleet left Cawsaiid Bay on the 1 1th of June. In lat. 60° X. they found themselves opposed by mountains of ice driving about on th.e sea, having passed wliich, they fell in with the land on the 30th of July. It is noticed that, at this early period, " the Portugals and French chiefly have a notable trade of fishing on the Newfoundland banke, where there are some- times more than a hundred sail of ships." On entering the harbour of St. John's, the gene- ral and his people were entertained with great pro- fusion by the English merchants, who cairied them to a place called the garden — but the writer of the voyage observes, that nothing appeared but " nature itselfe without art;" plent}' of roses and raspberries were found growing wild in every * Hayes s Narrative of the Voyage. — Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 154. H 3 102 DISCOVERIES OF 1583. \\ I I ■.! place. Here, in presence of the English traders and the foreigners assembled, possession was taken, in the queen's name, of the harbour and two hundred leagues every way ; and three laws were immedi- ately made and promulgated on the spot: 1. For the public exercise of religion according to the church of England ; 2. For maintaining her majes- ty's right and possession, against which any party offending, to be adjudged and executed as in case of high treason; and 3. For preventing the utter- ance of words sounding to the dishonour of her majesty, the party offending to lose his ears, and his ship and goods to be confiscated. Several par- cels of land were granted out; but, it seems, " the gencrall was most curious in the search of metals, commanding the minerall man and refiner espe- cially to be diligent." This man was a Saxon, " honest and religious, named Daniel;" and he brought to Sir Humphrey what he called silver ore, but the general would not have it tried or spoken of till they got to sea, *' as the Portuga!s; Biscains and Frenchmen were not farre off." Sir Humphrey now embarked '* in his small fiigate, the Squirrel," wliich, in fact, was a miser- able bark of ten tons, and takinj' with him two other ships, the Delight, commanded by Captain Brown, and the Golden Himle, by Captain Hayes, proceeded on discovery to the southward ; but the Delight, with all tlie valuables on board, was wrecked amona* the flats and santls near Sable sage "I home 1583. SIR HUMPIIUEY GILBERT. 103 the was able Island, when only twelve men escaped in a boat out of more than a hundred souls, who all, except these, perished ; among whom was Stephanus Par- menius, of Buda, a learned Hungarian, who had embarked on this cntcrprize ibr the purpose of recording, " in the latinc tongue, the gcsts and things worthy of remembranrc ;' and also "the Saxon refiner and discoverer of inestimable riches." It was said that the loss of the miner and the ore preyed on Sir Humphrey Gilbert's mind, as on the strenfrth of his mine he had reckoned on borrowing 10,000/. from the queen for his next voyage.* Mr. Edward Haies, the narrator, observes, that '* like the swanne that singcth before her death, they in the admirall (or Delight) continued in sounding of trumpets with drummes and fifes ; also winding the cornets and haughtb:)yes ; and in the end of their jolitie left with the battell and ringing of doleful knels." Sir Humphrey, however, escaped in his little bark, and, with the Golden Hinde, determined on proceeding to England. His little frigate, as she is called, is described as being wholly unfit to proceed on such a voyage ; and when he was entreated not to venture in her, but take his pas- sage in the Golden Hinde, this br.ive man replied, " I will not forsake my little company going homeward, with whom I have passed so many ♦ Hayes's Account of the Voyage in llakhiyt, vol.iii. p. 155. II 4 104 DISCOVERIES OF 1583. n |i. i\ stormes and perils." On the 9th September, hav- ing passed the Azores, Sir Humphrey's frigate was observed to be nearly overwhelmed by a great sea ; but she recovered the stroke of the waves, and immediately afterwards the general was observed by those in the Hinde sitting abaft, with a book in his hand, calling out *' Courage, my lads ! we are as near to heaven by sea as by land !" The same night this little bark and all within her were swallowed up by the sea, and no more heard of. Thus perished this brave and adventurous gen- tleman. Mr. Hayes says, that he was chiefly induced to continue in the Scjuirrel, and adhere to the fatal resolution of not quitting her, in con- sequence of a malicious report that was spread abroad, and had reached his ears, that he was afraid of the sea. But it is not probable that a man of such undaunted courage and vigour of intellect should have been swayed by any such consideration ; though, in this chivalrous age, he might perhaps have been influenced by the motto which he bore on his arms — Mutare *cel timere sptnw* Sir Humphrey Gilbert was descended from an ancient and honourable family in Devonshire, whose mother married a second time to Walter Raleigh, Esq., from which marriage was born the * Prince, in his Worthies of Detotiy makes the motto Mailm mori quant mutare. 1583. SIR HUMPIIREV CilLBF.RT. 105 of he celebrated Sir Walter Raleigh, who was thus half brother to Sir Humphrey. He was educated at Eton, fVoin whence lie was sent to Oxford, where he was distinguished for h! > talents in an age fruit- ful in great men. He served in Ireland with much credit, and was made President of IMunster, in which situation he comUicted himself with firmness and address. He may truly be styled " the father of western plantation ;" and Prince bestows on him the followino; euloQ-ium : — " He was an excellent hydrographer, and no less skil- ful mathematician ; of an high and daring spirit, though not equally favoured of fortune ; yet the larsje volume of his virtues may be read in his noble enterprizes ; the great design whereof was to discover the remote countries of America, and to bring off those salvages from their diabolical superstitions, to the embracing the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Christ ; for which, his zeal de- serves an eternal remembrance."* lere hire, dter the lallm JOHN DAVIS — First Voyage. 1585. The merchants of London and of the west country being satisfied " of the likelyhood of the discoverie of the north-west passage," and that the former adventurers had been diverted from * Prince* s Worthies of Devon , p. 417. •* '. 105 DISCOVEUIF.S OF 1.585. > I their main purpose by objects foreign to the original design, resolved on a new expedition, whose sole motive should be that of discovery. The superintendance of the outfit was entrusted to Mr. William Sanderson, Merchant of London ; and Mr. John Davis, of Sandridge, in Devonshire, by the reconnnendation, no doubt, of his neigh- bour, Mr. Adrian Gilbert, received the appointment of Captain and chief pilot of this new enterprize. Two small barks, one of 50 tons, called the Sun- shine, and the otlier of 36 tons, named the Moon- shine, were put under his orders. In the first were twenty-three persons, of whom four were musi- cians ; and in the latter nineteen. They left Dart- mouth on the 7th June, 1.58.5, and on the 19th July were among the ice on the western side of Greenland, where they heard "a mighty great roaring of the sea," which, on a closer examination in the boats, they f and to proceed from the " rowl- ing together of islands of ice.'* The next day, as they proceeded to the northward, the fog cleared away, and they perceived a rocky and mountainous land, in form of a sugar loaf, appearing as if above the clouds. The top was covered with snow, and the shore beset with ice a full league into the sea ; and the whole surrounding aspect presented so " true a paterne of desolation," that Davis gave to it the name of " the Land of' Desolation.*' Find- ing it impossible to reach the shore near this spot on account of the ice, Davis determined to return 1585. JOIIX DAVIS. 107 as red ^ous love land »ea; so [e to find- jpot Ituru to the southward. In standing along the coast he observed drift-wood floating about daily, and the Moonshine picked up a tiee "sixty feet long and fourtcenc handsfuls about, having the roote upon it." The air was moderate, like April weather in England, and it was cold only when the wind blew from the land or ice, but when it came over the open sea " it was very bote." From this coast tbcy stood off again to the north-westward for four days, when they saw land in latitude 54° 15', the weather still being temperate and the sea free from ice. It was an archipelago of islands, " among which were many faire sounds and good roads for shipping ;" to that hi which they anchorefl Davis gave the name of Giiberfs soutid. A multitude of natives approached in their canoes, on Avhich the musicians began to play and the sailors to dance and make tokens of friendship. The simple and harmless natives soon understood their meaning, and were so delighted with their treatment and the music that the}^ flocked round them in vast numbers, not less than thirtv-seven of their boats being at one time along side their small barks. The sailors shook hands with them and won so far on their good will that they obtained from the " salvages" whatever they wished — canoes, clothing, bows, spears, and in short whatever they asked for. " They are very tractable people," says the narrator, " void of craft or double dealing, and easie to be brought to any civilitie or good order ; If 108 DISCOVERIES OF 1585. 's I but we judge them to be idolaters, and to worship the sunne." The drift-wood was brousfbt to these islands in great abundance. The clift's are described to be of " such oare as M. Frobisber brought from Meta mcognita," and they had "divers shewes of Study or Muscovy glasse, shining not altogether unlike christall.'' They found a red fruit growing on the rocks, which was " sweet, full of red juicj, and the ripe ones like corinths." On the 1st August, our adventurers stood farther to the north-west, and on the 6th, discovered land in 66° 40' ; the sea altogethei" free from ice. Here they anchored their barks, " in a very faire rode under a brave mount," to which they gave the name of JMoiint Raleigh, " the cliffs whereof were as orient as gold." The foreland towards the north they cal led £)ier'*CV//?e, that towards the south Cfl'j&e TValsingham ; and to the great bay between them they gave the name of E.veter sound, and to their anchorage Totncss Road. On their first landing they met with " four white bearcs of a monstrous bignesse," one of which they killed. On the 8th August, they returned, to the south- ward, and on the 11th, came to the next southerly cape of the land they had coasted, which they named the Cape of God's Mercy, " as being the place of our first entrance for the discovery." Keeping this land to the northward of them, they sailed to the westward, and had a fine open passage, dron c 1586. JOHN DAVIS. 101) from twenty to thirty leagues in width, entirely free from ice, " and the water of the very colour, nature, and quality, of the main ocean, which gavf us the giJiter hope of our jjassage." Having proceeded sixty leagues, a cluster of islands was observed in the midst of the passage. Here, lue weather becoming thick and foggy, and the wind from the south-east, and no appearance of amend- ment, they remained SiX days, at the end o^' which they determined on returning home'.vards, and accordingly set sail on tlie 2d August, and arrived safe in Dartmouth on the 30th Sep- tember. ith- ;rly hey the hey ige, JOHN DAVIS — Second Voyage. 1585. The important discovery of the free and open passage to the westward, between Frobisher's archipelago and the land now called Cumberland's island^ the great number of whales, seals, deer skins, and other articles of peltry in possession of the natives, which were freely offered by them to the crews of the ships, excited such lively hopes at home for the extension both of traffick and dis- covery, that the merchants of Exeter, and other parts of the west of England, contributed a large trading vessel of one hundred and twenty tons, called the Afermaid, to accompany the little squa- dron of Davis on a second voyage, which now 110 DISCOVEUIKS OF \5H6. consisted of the Suns/iinc, the Afvons/une, ami a pinnace of ^en tons, named the North Star. On tlie/th May they left Dartmonth, and on the K5th June made the land ahont Cape Farewell; coasted the west side oF (iicenland, and from hence they had nnich interconrsc with the natives, who came oti' to their ships sometimes in an " luin- drcd canoes at a time, sometimes fourtie, fiftic, more and less as occasion served, l)rini»ing with them scale skinnes. staui^e skinnes, white hares, scale fish, samon pcale, smal cod, dry caplin, with other lish, and hirds such as the country did yield." The civility of the people induced the adven- turers to examine the rivers and creeks which ran up into the main land. They found the surface much the same as that of the moory and waste "•rounds of En2:land. The natives are descrihed as " of good stature, and in hody proportioned, with small slender hands and feet, with broad visages and small eyes, wide mouths, the most part un- bearded, great lips, and close toothed." They are represented as being idolaters, having great store of images, which they wear about them and in their boats. They are said to be witches, and to practise many kinds of enchantments ; they are strong and nimble, fond of leaping and wrestling, in which they beat the best of the crew, who were west-country wMCstlcrs. They discovered, how- ever, in a little time that these Greenlanders were a < V, lo86. JOHN DAVIS. HI ire )re in to lie ;vc [w- lere both very tliicvish and very mischievous, cutting their cables and steahng every thing they could lay their hands on. They are said to live mostly on fish, which iihey eat raw ; drink salt water and eat grass and ice as luxuries. On the 17th July, our navigators were all alarmed at the appearance of " a most mighty and strange quantity of ycc in one intire masse, .' " so bigge as that we knew not the limits thereof. Its size and shape and height are stated by the writer of the voyarre to be so " incredible to be reported in trueth," that he declines speaking more of it, least he should not be believed. They coasted this ice till the 30th July, which occa- sioned such extreme cold that all their shrouds, ropes and sails were frozen, and the air was loaded with a thick fog. The men grew sick and feeble, and wished to return, and advised their captain, through his overboldness, not to leave their widows and fatherless children to give him bitter curses. lie therefore thought of ordering: the Mermaid to remain where she was, in readiness to return homewards, while with the Moonshine he should proceed round the ice. He discovered land in 66° 33', long. 70° from the meridian of London, " vovd of trouble without snow or ice." This land turned out to be a group of islands. The weather was found to be very hot ; and they \vere much troubled with a fly " which is called nuiskyto, for they did sting grievously." After 112 DISCOVKUIES OF 1586. leavinujthc Mermaid they sailed west fifty leagues, and discovered land in lat. 66" \9. Turning to the south thev fell in with land north-west from them, heing a fair promontory in lat. O'J", having no land on the south ; " here," says Davis, " wee had great hope of a thorough passage." I'rom henee they eontinued to the southward among n)any islands, and afterwards along the eoast from the lat. 67 to 57 degrees. On the 28th August, thev fell in with a fair harhour in lat. 56)" and sailed ten leagues into the same, with line woods on hoth sides. On the 4th Sei)temher heing in lat. 54", Davis says, " he had a perfect hope of the passage, fmding a mightie great sea passing hetween two lands west." On this part of the coast of Lahrador two of their men were slain by the savages. The weather now became most stormy and tempestuous, and on the 11th September they weighed anchor and arrived in England in the beginning of Oc- tober. It should be remarked that, in all this track, Davis w as entirely alone in his little bark, the Moon- shine; he having, on his arrival off Cape Farewell, ordered the Sunshine and the North Star to seek a passage northward between Oreenland and Ice- land as far as lat, 80°, if not interrupted by land. On the 12th June the two latter vessels put into Icelaufl and remained there till the l6th, and stecrina: north-west came, on the ^A July, between two firm islands of ice. This made them turn about, and, coasting Greenland within three leagues off J5J the can ove wlie notii land 6th ( a grc whic I \ Tht tended to the ji to J)is these t< the noi- the pas; it nius all." and tile J-ondon appoint t^artnio June de niouiitai 0^' island On tJ VOL. I. 1587. JOHN DAVIS. 113 the land ami along a coiitiiiucil field of ice, they came on the 17tii to the land of Desolation, crossed over to (rilbcrt's Sound, the appointed rendezvous, where tliey remained till the 31st, when hearing nothing of their consort, they departed for Eng- land, and the Sunshine arrived at lladclitt'e on che 6th October : she had parted from the North Star in a great storm on the 3d September, the latter of which was never heard of more. Oc- JOHN DAVIS — Third Voyage. 1587. The second voyage of Davis had not been at- tended with any very encouraging circumstances to the adventurers; but this intrepid navigator writes to his patron Mr. W. Sanderson, on his arrival, in these terms : " I have now experience of much of the north-west part of the world, and have brought the passage to that likelilK)od, as that I am assured it must bee in one of foure places, or els not at all." A third voyage was therefoie determi»Cd on, and the Elizabeth of Dartmouth, the Sunshine of London, and the clincher Helena of London were appointed for this expedition. They sailed from Dartmouth on the lyth ]May, and on the 14th June descried the land, consisting of vei;^' l^i^^i mountains covered with snow. It was composed of islands lying in lat. 6'4°. On the 24th they had reached the lat. off)?'' VOL. I. I ' :• \ \\i DISC ovKKfi'S or 1587. \S U)' and saw !;ioat slort' of wluilrs. On the .'JOtli flicv had clear wcatluT and toiind l»y oliscrvation that tlu'v were in 7«" 1*2', and tliat the variation of the eonipass was 12.S" \V. The land along which thev had heen rniminu:, and which was tlie west coast oI'(ireenIand, they named the London corLst. At this hii;h latitude, findinuf the sea all open to the westward and to the northward, and the wind shifiin*; to the northward, they left thatpart of the shore, which they called Jfopc Sanderson and, shapini»- their course west, ran forty leagues in that direction without meeting with any land. On the 'Jd.Iuly, however, they fell in with a "mightie bank of ice" to the westward, among which they were hampered for eleven or twelve days. They then determined to get near the shore and wait five or six days '' for the dissolving of the ice, hopinii; that the sea continually heating it, and the suniic with the extreme force of heat which it liad always shining upon it, w^ould make a quickc dispatch, that we might have a further search upon the wasterne shore ;" but they found tlio water too deep to come to an anchor, and cither from " some fault in the harke or th-: set of some current," they were driven six points out of their course, and on the J^th were abreast of Mount Raleigh : from hence they stood sixty leagues up the strait discovered in the first voyage, (and which is now called Cutnberland Sfi'ait,) and anchored among the islands at the bottom of the gulph, to wli her ■ to". out p.'ISSi wii/V thv s ill's lu ffarzt cnj)c Cf//)e ( which was in iit' saf|( hide w On Zor took in, I of'tljcinl ^-0% anj feet." j[ ^^v- i)ai f« Mr. Sil ^^lescca/i iand. Thi easic, as 1587. JOHN' DAVIS. Il.S wli'u'b tlicy ,i;"ivr tlu* iininc of tlic Kari of dum- bcrlaiul's Isles. 'V\\v variiitioii nlilic coinjjass was •JO". 'J'hc air \vas t'xtromcly liot. i Iiiy stood out from tlicsc islands to the south-east and passed an inlet between GT and 62" ol' latitude, whieii they named LumUifs Inlet, and wiiich is die strait discovered hy IVohisher, and hearini^ his name. J^issini;- a headland, whicli they called JVarxvkk's Forelandy and crossin*;- a L;ieat <»;ulF, they fell in on the IstAuj^ust with the southernmost cape of the gulf, to whicli they gave the name of Cape Chidlcy, in O'T 10' hit. The strait therefore which hears the name of Hudson on all the charts was in fact discovered by Davis, hut that in which he sailed to the highest point of northern lati- tude was very properly stamped with his name. On Lord Darcits island they saw five deer, which took immediatelv to the sea on their landin"-; one of them is stated to he " as hii^jrc as a good ])rety cow, and one very fat, their feet as higge as oxc feet." From hence they shaped their course for England, where they arrived on the J 5th Septem- Ler, 1587. Mr. Davis, on his arrival at Dartmouth, writes thus to Mr. Sanderson : — " I have bene in 73°, finding the sec all open, and forty leagues betweene land and land. The passage is most probable, the execution easic, as at my coining you shall fully knowe."* '* Hakluyt's Voyages and Navigations. I2 I 116 DlSCOVKIllKS 01; 1587. It would appear, however, that Davis was unahle to ])ievail on the merchant adventurers to continue what niii>]it hitherto he named fruitless expeditions; hut that his zeal for discovery was unahatcd appears from a little treatise written and puhlislietl hy him eight years after his return from his third voyage.* In this work, addressed to the " lordes of her maiesties most honorahlc privie consayle," hesides many ingenious arguments for the existence of a north-west passage, and the great advantages which England would derive from the cHscovery thereof, there is the following brief and comprehensive narrative of his own three voyages. " In my first voyage not experienced of the nature of those clymattes, and having no direction either by Chart, Globe or other ccrtayne relation in what altitude that passage was to bee searched. I shaped a Northerly course and so sought the same towards the South, and in that my Northerly course I fell upon the shore which in ancient time was called Groynland fine hundred leagues distant j from the durseys West Nor West Northerly, the | land being very high and full of mightie moun- taines all couered with snow no viewe of wood I grasse or earth to be scene, and the shore two| * The Worlde's Hydrographicall Discription, 1595. A very| rare and curious little book; of which perhaps not three copies are in existence. h Je; shi Th noj con to / cjca so c< iatiti tow a theici ^cagc,< still f\ the \V tion, \ grecne hilt tJu with sliipp( our seh six tie ff t'le cou unto u« hand to stricke came ab htSLixkil, whom a that tow g'eat sea 1587. JOHN DAVIS. 117 IS to :ss ras om the ivie fov the evive wmg tliiee ,V( A vetj ree copie' leages of into the sea so full of ysc as tliat r.) shipping cold by any nicancs conic iieere the same. The lothsonie ncwc of the shore, and irksome noyse of the ysc was sucli as that it bred strange conceipts among us, so that we supposed the place to be wast and voyd of anv scnciblc or vcgitable creatures, wherupon I called the same Desolation ; so coastinjr this shore towardes the South in the latitude of sixtie degrees, I found it to trend towardes the w^est, I still followed the leading thereof in the same height, and after fiftie or sixtie leages, it fayled and lay directly north, which [ still followed, and in thirtie leages sayling upon the West side of this coast by me named Desola- tion, we were past all the ysc and found many greene and plesant Ills bordering upon the shore, but the mountains of the mainc were still covered with great quantities of snowe, I brought my sliippe among those ylls and there mored to refreshc our selves in our wearie travell, in the latitude of sixtie foure degrees or there about. The people of die country having espyed our shipps came down unto us in their canoes, holding up their right liand to the Sunne and crying Yliaout, would stricke their brestes, w^e doing the like the people came aborde our shippes, men of good stature, un- bearded, small eyed and of tractable conditions by whom as signes would permit, we understoode that towardes the North and West there was a great sea, and using the people with kindnesse in I 3 ■I 118 DiscovEuiEs or 1587. gcuing tlicm naylcs and knifes which of all things they most desired, we departed, and linding the sea free iVoni yse supposing our selves to be past all daunger we shaped our course West Nor West thinking thereby to passe for China, but in the latitude of sixtie sixe degrees, wee fell with an other hliore, and there founde an other passage of 'JO. leages broade directly West into the same, which we supposed to bee our hoped strayght, we intered into the same thirty or fortie leages, finding it neither to wvden nor straii»hten, then consider- ing that the yccTc was spent for this was in the tyne of August, and not knowing the length of this straight and dangers thereof, we tooke it ouv best course to rctourne with notice of our good successe for this small time of search. And so retourning in a sharpe fret of Westerly windes the 29- of September we arived at Dartmouth. And accjuainting master Secretory with the rest of the honorable and worshipfull adventurers of all our procedinges. I was appointed againe the seconde yeere to search the bottome of this straight, because by all likelihood it was the place and pas- sage by us laboured for. In this second attempt the merchants of Exeter, and other places of the West became adventurers in the action, so that being sufficiently furnished for sixe monthes, and having direction to search this straighte, untill we found the same to fall into an other sea upon the West side of this part of America, we should 15S7. JOHN DAVIS. II!) stk And f tlie OUT fai cr ht, cl pas [tempt )f the that and kill wt the >ii should' ai^aync rctournc for then it was not to be doubted, but sliij)ing with trade might safely bee eonueied to China and the parts of Asia. \\'e departed fiom Dartmouth, and ariving unto the south part of the cost of Desolation costed the same ujjon his west shore to the hit. of ()(>. degres, and there ancored among the ylls l)or(iering ujjon the same, where wee refreshed our selucs, the people of this place came likewise vnto vs, by whome 1 vnderstood through their signes that towardes the North the Sea was large. At this place the chicfe shipe wherupon I trusted, called the Merma>'d of Dart- mouth, found many occasions of discontentment, and being unwilling to proccede she there forsooke mc. Then considering howe I had giucn ni}' fayth and most constant promise to my worshipfull good friend master William Sanderson, who of all men was the greatest aduenturcr in that action, and tooke such care for the pcrfourmance thereof that hee hath to my knowledge at one time disbursed as much money as any fme others whatsoeuer out of his owne purse, when some of the company haue bin slacke in giuing in their aduenture. And also knowing that I should lose the fauour of master Secretory, if I should shrinke from his direction, in one small barke of thirty tonnes, whereof master Sanderson was owner, alone with- out farther comfort or company I proceeded on my voyage, and ariuing unto this straights fol- lowed the same eightie leages vntill T came among I 4 f 120 DISCOVERIES OF 1587. '"; many ylandes, wlicre the water did eb and flowe sixe fadome vpright, aud where there had beene great trade of people to make trayne. But by such thiuges as there we found wee knewe that they were not Xtians of Europe that vsed that trade, in fine by seaching with our boatc, wee founde small hope to passe any farther that way, and therefore retourning againe recouered the sea and so coasted the shore towardes the South, and in so doing (for it was to late to search towardes the North) wee founde an other great inlett neere fortie leages broade where the water entred in with violent swiftnes, this we likewise thought might be a passage, for no doubt but the North partes of America are all ylands, by ought that I could perceiue therein, but because I was alone in a small barke of thirtie tonnes, and the yeere spent I entered not into the same for it was no\v^ the seuenth of September, but coasting the shore towardes the South we saw an incredible number of birdes, hauing diners fishermen aborde our barke they all concluded that rhere was a great scull of fish, wee beeing vnprouided of fishing furniture, with a long spike nayle mayde a hoke, and fastening the same to one of our sounding lyncs, before the bayte was changed wee tooke more then fortie great cods, the fishe s\\ imming so aboundantly thicke about our barke as is incredible to be reported of, which with a small portion of sake that we had, wee preserued some thirtie (C ciful then to fo not t shou bark< depai their I land, distn disco I open 1587. JOHN DAVIS. 121 couple, or there aboutes, and so returned for Eng- land. And hauing reported to master Secretory the whole successe of this attempt, hee comriianded mec to present unto the most honorable Lorde high thresurcr of England some parte of that fish, which when his Lordship saw and hearde at large the relation of this seconde attempt, I receiued fauor- able countenance from his honour, aduising mee to prosecute the action, of which his Lordship con- ceiued a very good opinion. The next yeere although diners of the aduenturers fel from the action, as al the western merchantes and most of those in London yet some of the aduenturers both honorable and worshipfuU continued their willing fauour and charge, so that by this meanes the next yeere 2. shippes v\ ere appointed for the fishing and one pynace for the discouery. " Departing from Dartmouth through Gods mer- ciful fauour I ariued to the place of fishing and there according to my direction 1 left the «2. shipps to follow that busines, taking their faithful promise not to depart vntill my returne vnto them, which shoulde bee in the fine of August, and so in the barke I proceeded for the discouery but after my departure in sixteeue dayes the shippes had finished their voyage, and so presently departed for Eng- land, without regard of their promise, my selfe not distrusting any such hard measure proceeded in the discouerie and followed my course in the free and open sea betweene North and Nor west to the lati- 12^ DISCOVERIES OF 1587. f ■ ^'M tilde of sixtic seucn dcijrces and there I mieht sec America,* West tVoin me, and Desolation East, then when I saw tlie land of both sirles, I began to distrust that it would prooue but a guite, notwith- standino- desirous to knoue the full certaintve I proceeded, and in sixtie eight degrees the passage enlarged so that I could not see the westerne shore, thus I continued to the latitude of seuentie fine degrees, in a great sea, free from ysc coasting the westerne shore of Desolation, the people came continually rowing out vnto me in their Canoas twenty, forty, and one hundred at a time, and would giue me fishe dried, Samon, Samon peale, cod, Caplin, Lumpe, stone base, and such like, besides diners kindes of birdes, as Partrig, Fesant, Gulls, sea birdes, and other kindes of fleshe, I still laboured by signes to knowe from them w hat they knew of any sea towards the North, they still made signes of a great sea as we vnderstood them, then I departed from that coast thinking to dis- couer the North parts of America, and after I had sayled towardes the west neere fortie leages I fell upon a great bancke of yse, the wind being Nor'h and blewe much, I was constrained to coast the same towardes the South, not seeing any shore West from me, neither was there any yse towards the North, but a great sea, free, large, very salt p'ri * This land must have been the James s Island of some of our charts, the existence of which however has bet-n considered doubtful. Mid\ 1587. JOHN DAVIS. 123 ,t\\\ dis- bad : fell It the sborc Iw ards salt of our and blue and of an unsearcheable depth. So coast- ing towardes the South I came to the place wher I left the shippes to fishe, but found them not. Then being forsaken and left in this distresse referring my selfe to the mercifull prouidence of God, shaped my course for England and vnhoped for of any God alone releuing me I ariucd at Dart- mouth, by this last discouerie it seemed most manifest that the passage was free and without impediment towards the North, but by reason of the Spanish flecte and unfortunate time of master Secretoryes death the vovaoe was omitted and neucr sithens attempted. The cause why I use this particular relation of all my procedinges for this discouery, is to stay this obiection, why hath not Dauis discouercd this passage being thrise that waycs imploied r how far I proceeded and in what fourme this discouery lyeth, doth appeare npon the Globe which master Sanderson to his verye great charge hath published whose labouring indeuour for the good of his countrie, dcserueth great fauour and commendations. Made by master Emery MuUineux a man wel qualited of a good iudgement and verye expert in many excellent practises, in my selfe being the onely meane with master Sanderson to imploy master Mulineux therein, whereby he is nowe growne to a most exquisite perfection."* * A pair of Mollineiix's j^lobes are still in tlie library of the Middle Tcwplc. Dalrymple says " the date of the celestial globe 4 124 DISCOVERIES OF i J87. Of the life and parentage of this intrepid navi- gator very little has been left on record for the benefit of posterity. He lias not even found a place in our biographical dictionaries, though an obscure American dissenting clergyman of his name has been thought deserving to be honoured with a niche in this temple of fame.*' In the little treatise above-mentioned he calls himself "J. Davis, of Sandrudg, by Dartmouth, Gentleman ;" and in vindication of England's knowledo-e in " horizon- tall, paradoxall and great circle sayling," he offers himself as a proof from his " briefe treatis of navigation naming it the Seamans Secreats." He also wrote " a rutter, or brief direction for sailing into the East Indies/ f Sir W. Monson, who was no friend to the discovery of a north-west passage, admits that both Frobisher and Davis did offer him some very plausible reasons in proof of the exist- ence of sach a passage ; he throws out a hint at the same time that a more probable attempt might be made by sailing due north across the pole, which if successful, he says, would reduce the passage between England and China to fifteen hundred an( mui still continues, 1592; but the date of the terrestrial has been visibly altered to l603 with a pen." — Mem. (fa Map of the Lands around the North Pole, 1789- It is to be hoped that no other " alterations" have been made, as the discoveries of Davis were marked upon the terrestrial globe under his immediate inspec- tion. * See Gen. Biog. Diet. — Dalies. t Prince's Worthies of Devon, vol. i. p. 28G. 1587. JOHN DAVIS. 125 V ed leagues.* Davis, after his northern discoveries, made several voyages to the East Indies, in the service of the Dutch, some of which have heen pubhshed,t and prove him to have been a man of nice observation, great sagacity and of sound good sense. He was the lirst pilot, says Prince, " that conducted the Zcalander to the East Indies ; they departed from Middleburgh in March, 1598, and in June, 1599, came to Sumatra; where he and some two or three Englishmen more had bad measure shewed them by the Zealanders."J " This great navigator," he adds, " made no less than five voy- ages to the East Indies, and returned home safe again ; an instance of a wonderful providence; and an argument that the very same Lord, who is the God of the earth, is the God of the seas."§ No further account is known of this daring navigator except that he was married to Faith, daughter of Sir John Fulford, of Fulford, in Kent, Knt. by Dorothy his wife, daughter of John Lord Bour- chier, Earl of Bath.|| Of the place of his death and interment, and of his descendants, posterity must remain in ignorance. [been Mnds lothev were [spec- MALDONADO. 1588. The name of Maldonado is well known in the * Monson's Naval Tracts. t Two of them by Purchas. I Prince's Worthies of Devon, p. 286. § Ibid. II Ibid. 126 DISCOVERIES OF 1588. annals of Spanisli literature, and was prol>al)ly selected on this account to cover the gross impos- ture of ascribing to him a fictitious voyage, in which he is supposed to have effected a passage by the north-west from tlie Atlantic to the Pacific, and back again the following year. Under the article " Laurent Ferrer Maldonado," in the Biblio- theca Hispana of Nicolas Antonio, we are told that he was well skilled in nautical matters and in geography; that he published a book entitled Imagen del Muiido^ &c.* and that he (Antonio) had himself seen in the hands of Mascarenas, bishop of Segovia, the manuscript relation of a voyage purporting to be an account of the discovery of the strait of Anian, made by the author in the year 1388.t Antonio de Leon Pinelo also bears testi- mony to the talents of Maldonado as a navigator, and says, that he presented to the council of the Indies (of which Pinelo was a member) two plans, one of which related to a method of rendering the magnetic needle not subject to variation, and the other, to the finding of the longitude at sea. J The Spaniards, in fact, not only acknowledge Maldo- nado as a navigator and a man of genius, but would appear not wholly to discredit a forgery, which. * Imagen del Mundo sobre la Esfera, Cosmographia, SfC. comp. apud Joh. Garsiam, 1626. t Relacion del Descubrimiento del Estrecko de Anian hecho por el autor, 8pc. — Bibl. Hisp. torn. ii. p. 2. X Epitome de la Bibl. Orient, ^c, Madrid, 1629. d'un 1588. MALDONADO. 127 ^he )ulcl :omp. wr d though not so easily detected at the time it was wilt ten, ought not for the last fifty years to have imposed on any one in the least acquainted with the subject of it; and might, indeed, have been dectected at the time the voyage was supposed to be made, by an attentive examination. The Spa- niards, however, have afforded some countenance to the authority of this pretended voyage, even so recently as the year 1789; for when the corvettes^ la Discubierta and VAtravida, were dispatched under the orders of Malaspina, to examine the passages and inlets which might be observed to break the continuity of the line of coast of north- west America, between the degrees of 53 and 60 of north latitude, one object of this expedition was " to discover the strait by which Laurent Ferrer Maldonado was supposed to have passed in 1588, from the coast of Labrador to the Great Ocean." This V03'age of Malaspina has not yet been published, though long ago said to be in the press ; but that this was a main part of the voyage would further appear from a letter of a particular friend of Malaspina's employed on the expedition, who states, that a copy of Maldonado's journal was procured from the Due de I'lnftmtado.* We also find, fiom the Introduction to the Voyage of Le * Voyage de la Mer Atlantique ^ I'Ocean Paci/lque, ^c. traduit d'un M. S. Espagnol, par Ch. Amoretti, 1812. Ptaisancey 1812. las DISCOVERIES OF 1588. Sutll and Mcxicana* tbat the commander of this expedition was also furnished witli a copy of the manuscript journal of the supposed voyage of Maldonado. The manner in which this spurious voyage found its way to the public is this : — Amoretti, the librarian of the Ambrosian library at Milan, in his examination of the manuscripts, with the view of publishing such of them (agreeably with the inten- tion of its founder, the Cardinal Borromeo) as should be found to contain new and instructive matter, was struck with the title of a small volume in the Spanish language, importing to be the " Relation of the Discovery of the Strait of Anian, by Laurent Ferrer Maldonado," &c. At first he was disposed to consider it only as a tale to amuse the curious ; but on reading it attentively, he found it so strongly marked with the character of authen- ticity and veracity, that he determined to translate and publish it, Avith the addition of some notes and a short dissertation to prove that it supported the character of both ; and that he was more particu- larly urged to this step from M. de Humboldt and others having consigned the manuscript, M'ithout knowing what it contained, to the mass of geogra- phical impostures. M. Amoretti, however, had .one advocate, and but one for the " veracity and * Published at Madrid, 1802. of the fabric the SI of Qi \607. the fal of disi flegreel flegree] ous d( ^nglisl copy oi of the VOL 1,588. MALDONADO. 129 ind Igra- had and authenticity" of the vojage in question in the person ol'M. Buache, the French geographer, who read a memoir on the subject, before the French Academy of Sciences, as far back as 1790. The forgery, however, is incontrovcrtibly proved from all the circumstances therein mentioned being wholly at variance with our present knowledge of things as they actually exist. It cannot possibly now mislead any one not grossly ignorant of geo- graphy ; and its iiumerous anachronisms might have led to its detection even at the time the voyage is stated to have been made ; but the truth seems to be that this manuscript, like many others, was locked up among the musty records of the state, and kept so long concealed, that, when again brought to light, it was as new to the Spaniards as to the rest of the w^orld. It evidently appears to have been fabricated many years subsequent to the date of the supposed voyage, as it notices the discoveries of Quiros, which were not known till the year 1607. Captain Burney has conjectured that it is the fabrication of some Fleming, as the reckoning of distances is in German leagues, fifteen to the degree, and not in the Spanish league of 17i to a degree. As this " Relation" is at any rate a curi- ous document, and has never appeared in the English language, a translation from a Spanish copy of the original manuscript, in the possession of the Due d'Infantado, w^ill be found in tlie VOL. T. K 130 DISCOVERIES OF 1592. Appendix,"* which will render any extract of it here, or any further connnent, unnecessary. f JUAN DE FUCA. 1592. The autlienticity of t ■ ' narrative, given hy this person, of a voyage from New Spain for the dis- covery of the Estrecho d'Anian, rests on hetter grounds than the voyage of Maldonado. The vera- city of the narrator has frequently heen called in question, hecause he happened to he wrong in his conclusions ; hut the facts of his statement have, in our times, heen in so many instances verified, as scarcely to leave a doubt of the reality of the voyage. Besides, the little that we have is at second-hand, and the mere record of a conver- sation, misunderstood probably in some points, and imperfectly stated in most of them. Under such circumstances, the story of Juan de Fuca ought not to be canvassed with the severity of criticism. The story of this voyage is as follows : Mr. Michael Lok, consul for the Turkey merchants at * Obtained from Don Filipe Bauza, Super intendant of the Hydrographical Department in Madrid. t The detection of this German imposture may be seen in Burney's Hist, of Voyages; in the Quarterly Review, No. XXXI.; and in Baron de Zach's Journal, by Baron de Lindenau, 1812. 1592. JUAN DE FUCA. 131 XXXI. 1812. Alcp|)0, transmits to England a note, of wliich tlic following is the substance and nearly a copy. He says, "when I was in Venice, in April 159^, happily arrived there an old man, about sixty years of age, called commonly Juan de Fuca, hut named properly Apostolos Valerian us, of nation a Greek, born in Ccphaloiiia, of profession a mariner, an ancient pilot of ships." He then goes on to say, that one John Douglas, an Englishman, brought this man before him, who made the fol- lowing declaration, in the Italian and Spanish languages : — First, " that he had been in the West Indies of Spain forty years; that he was in the Spa- nish ship which, in returning from the Philippines towards Nova Spania, was robbed and taken at the Cape California by Captain Candish, an Eng- lishman, whereby he lost 60,000 ducats of his own goods ; that he was pilot of three small ships sent from Mexico by the Viceroy, armed with 100 men, to discover the straits of Anian, along the coast of the South Sea, and to fortify that strait to resist the attempts of the English to pass into the South Sea; that, howe\'er, a mutiny broke out among the seamen, which prevented any thing being done in the way of discovery on that voyage. Secondly, " that the Viceroy of Mexico sent him out again in 1592, with a small caravel and a pinnace, to follow up the said voyage for the dis- covery of the straits of Anian, and the passage K 2 1312 niJCOVEiiiis ot' 1592. thereof into the sea usually called the North Sea; that he coasted along Nova Spania and Cali- fornia until he came to the latitude of 47°, where the land trending north and north-east, with a broad inlet of the sea between 47 and 48 dcgiecsof latitude, he entered therein, sailing more than twenty days, continuing on various courses and passing divers islands within the said strait ; that at the entrance of the north-west coast thereof there is a great headland or island, with an exceed- ing high pinnacle or spired rock, like a pillar thereupon ; that he saw some people on the land clad in beasts' skins." He further stated, " that being entered thus far into the strait, and being come into the North Sea already, and finding it wide enough c v where, and 30 or 40 leagues within the mouth of the strait w here he entered, he conceived he had now discharged his duty, and returned again towards Nova Spania, where he arrived at Acapulco in the year 15^2, hoping for his reward from the Viceroy for this discovery ; that, after waiting two years, the Viceroy of Mexico sent him to Spain; that he was welcomed at the king's court, but that he was unable to obtain any satisfactory reward. He therefore stole out of Spain and came to Italy, to go home again and live among his own kindred." He also said, " that, hoping the Queen of Eng- land would do him justice for his goods lost by Captain Candish, he would be content to go into ^a I5y2. JUAN DE FUCA. 13J England, and serve her Majesty in tluit voyage for the (Hscovery of the north-west passage into the Soiitli Sea, if she would furnish him with only one ship of 40 tons burden and a pinnace, and that he would perform it in ninety days time from one end of the strait to the other." Mr. Lok then states, "that he wrote accordingly to the Right Honourable the old Lord ^'reasurer Cecil, and to Sir Walter Raleigh, and to ^lartin Richard Ilakluyt, that famous cosmographer, cer- tifying them hereof; and that he only prayed for one hundred pounds to bring the old pilot to England, but that the money was not ready, and the matter was dropped at that time ;" that, how- ever, on making preparations for his return to England, Mr. Lok wrote to this old pilot in July 1.596, then in Cephalonia, and received an answer from him, dated in September, expressing his willingness to go to England, and adding, that twenty others, good men, were ready to accom- pany him ; but he asks for money, and re})eats tlic charge of Captain Candish having robbed him : Mr. Lok, being some time longer detained in Venice, wrote to him again in 1.597, and after that sent him another letter, to which he answered in the Greek language on the 20th October, 1598, that he was still willing to go if money was sent to him to bear his expenses. " Lastly," says Mr. Lok, " when I was at Zante, K 3 134 DISCOVERIES OF 1592. in June 1602, minding to pass from thence for England by sea, for that I had then received a little money, I wrote another letter to this Greek pilot to Cephalonia, and required him to come to me at Zante to go with me into England ; but I had no answer thereof from him, for that, as I heard afterwards at Zante, he was then dead, or very likely to die of great sickness."* The Spaniards deny all knowledge of any such voyage as that mentioned by the old Greek pilot ; but this is no ground whatever for calling in question its veracity. Mr. Lok v/as a public cha- racter, and living in England when Purchas printed his narrative ; he was also known as the translator of the last live decades of Peter Martyr, which treat of American discovery. Candish him- self states, that in the rich Spanish ship called the Santa Anna, and taken by him off Cape California, there was a skilful pilot, t But the most power- ful argument in favour of the reality of Juan de Fuca's voyage is the subsequent discovery of a strait, on the north-west coast of America, exactly on the spot where the old pilot placed it ; within which are islands and broad channels, leading in all the directions as mentioned by him. This strait, it is true, opens through Queen Charlotte's Sound into the Pacific, which the old man mistook * " Note made by Michael Lok."— Purchas, vol. iii. p. 849. t Candish's Voyage. — Id. vol. i. p. 56. 1592. JUAN DE FUCA. 135 for the great North Sea ; and such a mistake is not very surprizing at this early period of naviga- tion, when the instruments were imperfect, and theory had made but Httle progress, and, it may be added, when men confidently believed that such a communication as he was in search of, between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, did actually exist. When, therefore, the lat'<; Doctor Douglas so hastily pronounced the story of De Fuca to be " the fabric of imposture,"* he committed an act of great injustice to the memory of the old pilot ; for the ink was scarcely dry, which transmitted to posterity this unmerited censure, when the very strait, and the sea within it, and the savages clothed in skins, w ere all recognized by Meares, and since that by Vancouver and many others, just as they were described by the old Greek pilot to Mr. Lok ; and modern geographers, willing to do justice to the memory of the f rst discoverer of Queen Charlotte's Sound, formed by the archi- pelago on the west coast of America, between the latitudes of 48 and 50 degrees, have assigned to the southern opening into that sound the name of the Entrance or Strait of Juan de Fuca. * Introduction to Cook's last Voyage. K 4 ■ i * t 136 DISCOVERIES OF CORNELISON, 1594. CORNELIS CORNELISON, BRANDS TSBRANTS, AND WILLIAM BARENTZ 01' BARENTZON. 1594. No sooner had the Low Countries been deU- vered from the yoke of Spain, chiefly by the exertions of England, than Dutch capital began to find its way into foreign channels, and a spirit of enterprize to infuse itself into the commercial pursuits of this industrious nation, which, in a very short space of time, raised it to a degree of power and prosperity unequalled at any former period, and scarcely surpassed by that of its deliverers. Desirous of participating with other maritime powers of Europe in the trade of the East, it was obvious that a passage, v^hich would lead by the north to India and China, would be to them, of all others, the most advantageous. With a view to the discovery of such a passage, the United Pro- vinces set forth, in the year 1594, an expedition, consisting of four ships, whereof two were fur- nished by the city of Amsterdam, one by Zealand, and one by Enkhuysen ; the first, called the Mes- senger, was commanded by Barentz ; the name of the Zealand ship was the Swan, under the com- mand of CoRNELisoN, wlio was also appointed Admiral ; and the last was the Mercury, com- manded by YsBRANTS. The ships from Zealand erronec tvaigat stormy ^^^y tlu / 1594. YSBRANTS, AND BARENTZ. is: and Enkhuysen sailed > ;etlier on the 3th June, reached Kilduyn in Lapland on the 23d, left it on the 2d July, passed Kolgoy on the i3d, and soon after fell in with much ice and numerous seals. Proceeding to the eastward, they found the weather, about the middle of July, as warm as in Holland during the dog days, and the musquitoes were exceedingly troublesome. On approaching the island and strait of Way- gatz or Waigatz, they met with great quantities of drift-wood, and on the shores of the island whole piles of it, heaped up as if by art, some of which were large trees that had been torn up by the roots. The face of the island is described as being covered with verdure, and embellished with a multitude of beautiful flowers. In passing round the south part of the island they observed from three to four hundred wooden idols, of men, wo- men, and children, their faces generally turned towards the east. To this point the Dutch gave the name of JJgodeti hoek or Idol Point ; but by the Russians it is called JVaigati Noss, or Cape of Carved Images ;* and hence tlic name Waijatz or Waigatz, which by many has been supposed, erroneously as it would seem, of Dutch origin, waigat signifying in that language Zi'Wdi/ or stormy strait or hole ; but the former is undoubt- edly the proper derivation, as the name w as known * Forster's Northern Voyages, p. 413. 138 DISCOVERIES OF CORNELISON, 1594. i -^ i to Steven Bu rough in 1565, long before any Dutchman had been so far to the eastward. On passing the strait they continued their course to the eastward, but met with considerable inter- ruption from ice which, at one time, came floating in such quantities as to oblige them to return. But on observing it to separate and disperse by a change of wind and by the current, they again stood on to the eastward until they came into a deep blue sea nearly free from ice. At this time they were not more than forty leagues from Waigatz strait, and the main land to the southward of them was in sight, trending apparently to the south-east. These circumstances gave them such confident hopes of an open passage to Cathaia, that, instead of following up the actual discovery of it, they agreed to turn back, in order to be the first to convey the happ}' tidings to Holland. They accordingly repassed the strait, gave names to some islands already named, called at Kilduyn, and from thence made the best of their way home, which they reached on the 26th September. This part of the voyage, containing the operations of the two ships which sailed together, is written by H. Van Linschoten ; that which follows by Gerrit de Veer. Barentz, in the Messenger, after crossing the White sea, stood to the north-eastward, and having made the west coast of Nova Zembla on the 4th July, proceeded along it to the northward, giving birds m a Fren( phosing St. Loui 1594. ySBRANTS, AND BARENTZ. 139 the laving ie4th riving the names o^ Lanjenesand Bapo to two headlands, and to a good bay, in which he anchored, that of Lomshay ; thus named from a species of penguin so called by the Dutch, which was found here in vast numbers * The latitude of this bay was observed to he 74° \. He next passed Admiral's Island, C'dipe Negro, Black Point, fi'illiamss Island, which is in 75° 55' ; ai^d on the shores of which was found much drift-wood, and a multitude of sea-horses. Here also they met with a most tremendous white bear of wonderful strength, which, after wounding with musket ball, they endeavoured to get into the boat by throwing a rope round her ; but the bear needed no such as- sistance, having nearly succeeded in getting into the boat of her own accord and driving all the people therein to the opposite end, when luckily the rope entangled her with the rudder and checked her career ; one of the crew at this moment, em- boldened by her helpless situation, stepped aft and put her to death with a half-pike. From hence they still proceeded northerly, pass- ing the Island of' Crosses and Point Nassau, and came to an extensive field of ice about the lat. 77° 25', of which they could see no end from the top. * Purchas, following the old translator Phillip, transforms these birds into " a certayne kinde of beares." vol. iii. p. 474. But a French editor has made a more absurd mistake, by metamor- phosing the puffins, or " the northern parrots" of the Dutch into St. Louis. Hist. Gen. des Voy. torn, x.xii. p. 128. 140 DISCOVERIES OF CORVELISON, 1594. } ^ , / . I. Returning to the southward they named the nearest point of Nova Zembla in sight Ice Point, lying in hit. 77°; and here they found certain stones that glistened like gold, which on that ac- count they named Gold-stones. Farther south they gave the nameof Or^w^e to certain islands, on the shore of one of which they saw about two hundred sea-horses basking themselves in the sun., which they attacked M'ith hatchets, cuttle-axes (cutlasses), and pikes, without being able to kill one of them, but had recourse to the cruel expedient of striking some of the teeth out of their mouths. The morse, walrus, or sea-horse, is not better described by Cook, than we here find it by De Veer : " This sea-horse is a wonderful strong monster of the sea, much bigger than an oxe, which keepes continually in the seas, having a skin like a sea-calfe, or scale, with very short hay re, mouthed like a lion, and many times they lye upon the ice ; they are hardly killed unlesse you strike them just upon the forehead ; it hath four fecte, but no cares, and commonly it hath two young ones at a time. And when the fisher- men chance to fmde them upon a flake of ice with their young ones, shee castcth her young ones before her into the water, and then takes them in her arms, and so plungeth up and downc with them ; and when she will revenge herselfe upon the hoatcs, or make resistance against them, then she casts her young ones from her againe, and *Thi Trans, bi t An" the Dutc 1594. YSBRANTS, AND BARENTZ. 141 with all her force goeth towards the boate, (whereby our men were once in no small clanger, for that the sea-horse had almost stricken her teeth into the Sterne of their boate,) thinking to overthrow it, but by meanes of the great crie that the men made, she was afraide, and swomme away againe, and tooke her young ones againe in her amies. They have two teeth sticking out of their mouthes, on each side one, each being about halfe an ell long, and are esteemed to bee as good as any ivorie or elephant's teeth."* The ice now came floating down in such quan- tities, and the weather was so misty, cold and tem- pestuous, that the crew first began to murmur and then refused to proceed any farther. Accordingly on the 1st August, Barentz consented to return to the southward, by the same way they had ad- vanced. In coasting along till they came into lat. 71** 33\ a large inlet was discovered which Barentz judged to be the place where Oliver Brunei t had been before, called Costine sarca. They landed farther south on Sions Point, where they perceived some Europeans must have been, for they there found six sacks of rye-meal, a cross, a heap of stones, and a large cannon shot, and three houses built of wood, near which stood five or six coffins * Three Voyages made by the Dutch into the Northern Seas. Trans, by Phillip, 1607. t An Englishman, of whom a vague mention only is made by the Dutch. 142 DISCOVERIES OF 1594. m- by graves with dead incii's bones, the coffins filled with stones. They also discovered the wreck of a Russian ship with a kcci forty feet long. To this " faire haven" they gave the name of Meal- harbour, in gratitude for the relief it afforded them. On the 15th they arrived at the two islands called Matfloe and Delgoy^ where they met with the Zealand and Enkhuysen ships, which had repassed Waigatz strait, on their return, the same day, and from whom they learned that the latter had been as I'ar to the eastward, according to their conjecture, as the river Obe ; that they were not far from Cape Tabin, which is the point of Tartary that reached towards the kingdom of Cathaia, and that, south-east from Waigatz, they had discovered a small island, to which they gave the name of Staaten Island, and that " there they found many stones that were of christall mountayne, being a kind of diamond." From hence the three ships set sail together, and arrived in the Texel, as before mentioned, on the I6th September. WILLIAM BAiiENTz — Secoiid Voyage. 1.595. Prince Maurice and the States-General of the United Provinces entertained the most sanguine hopes, from the report of Linschoten in particular, of an eastern passage to China. They accordingly caused a fleet of seven ships to be fitted out for began! over ti 1595. WILLIAM BAllENTZ. 143 the new expedition, six of wliich were laden with divers kinds of wares, merchandizes, and money, and factors appointed to dispose of the said wares ; of these Jacob Van Heemskerke was the chief; and William Bauentz was constituted pilot-major — the seventh vessel was a small pinnace, which, on reaching Cape Tabin, was to proceed to examine the remainder of the passuc e, and bring back news thereof. These immense preparations were alto- gether rendered nugatory by the tardy movement of the machine. It was the 2d July before the expedition left the Texel, and it did not reach the coast of Nova Zembla before the 17th August, a period of the year at which it ought, if suc- cessful, to have been at least the length of the Aleutian islands in the Pacific. They now found, as might have been anticipated, the coast of Nova Zembla unapproachable on account of the ice. Turning therefore to the southward, they passed Waigatz, and landed on the northern shore, but could find neither men nor houses ; but on the 23d, they fell in with a Russian lodgie or boat of Petchora, sewed together with ropes, in quest of sea-horses' teeth, train oil, and geese. Their ships, they said, to which their boat belonged, were to come out from the coast of Russia to fetch them, then to sail by the river Obc, to a place called Ugoleta, inTartary ; that it would be nine or ten weeks before it began to freeze, but when it once began it would freeze so hard that men might pass over the ice to Tartary. I 144 DISCOVKUTES OF 1595. On the soutli side of \\'aii»utz, tlicy had some intercourse with tlie Samoyeds, whose appearance and manners are de8cri!)ed at considerahle length ; and from tiiem they learned that five days saiHng from thence to the north-east would bring: them to u point of land, beyond which there was a great sea stretching to the south-east. This was con- sidered as joyful information, as it fell in exactly with their notions of the direction of the passage to Cathaia. They parted with these people on friendly terms, but the Dutch having taken into tlieir boat one of the carved images, a Samoyed came after them to fetch it, and found means of signifying that they had not done well in carrying it oif, on which it was returned, and the Samoyed carried it to a hill and replaced it among several hundreds of the same kind. Some of the crew had landed on the main shore to seek for stones, which are stated to be a kind of diamond ; and as two of the men were lying together, " a greate leane white beare came sud- denly stealing out, and caught one of them fast by the necke, who, not knowing what it was that tookc him by the necke, cryed out and sayd, ' Who is that that pulls me so by the necke ?' wherewith the other, that lay not farre from him, lifted up his head to see who it was, and perceiving it to bee a monstrous beare, cryed out and saycl, ' Oh mate! it is a beare !' and therewith presently rose up and ranne away." The bear is said to VOL. 1595. WILLIAM BARENTZ. 145 .ind vins; lid to have instantly " bit his head in sunder and suckt out his blood ;" and on being attacked by about twenty people, some with pikes, and others with muskets, she turned furiously upon the party, seized upon one of them, whom she tore in pieces, and all the rest ran away. The people on board, perceiving what had happened, went on shore, and about thirty made an attack on this furious animal. The purser shot her in the head between the eyes, which did not oblige her to let go her hold of the dead man, but she lifted up her head with the dead man in her mouth ; on perceiving, however, that she began to stagger, the purser and a Scotchman drew out their cutlasses and struck her with such force that both broke; still she held fast her prey, till one William Geysen felled her to the ground by striking with all his might with his piece upon her snout, when they contrived to dis- patch her, by cutting her throat. Finding it impossible, on account of the great quantity of ice, to make any progress in the Tar- tarian sea, and " the weather being mistie, melan- choly, and snowie," they drove with the current back again through the strait, and on the 15th September the whole fleet took their departure from Waigatz; on the 29th they entered Wardhuys, from whence they sailed again on the 10th Octo- ber, and on the 18th November arrived in the Maes. VOL. I. L ♦ ^ ( 146 ) \ ' ( ill'*', WILLIAM BARENTz — Third Voj/agc. 1596, After this luckless voyage, for which sucli great and unnecessary expense and preparations had been made, the States-CJeneral seemed to have felt no inclination to renew the attempt for the discovery of a north-east passage ; but they, never- theless, issued a proclamation, holding forth a cer- tain reward to such person or persons as should accomplish a voyage to China by this route. Upon the strength of this encouragement, the merchants of Amsterdam litted out two ships, one of which was commanded by Jacob Van Ileemskerke, and Willi AM Barentz appointed chief pilot ; and the master of the other was Cornelis Ryp. They sailed from Amsterdam on the 10th of May. On the 1st of June they had no night, and on the 4th, in lat. 71°, a strange sight appeared in the heavens. It was two parahelia or mock suns, which are thus described: — " on each side of the sunne there was another sunne and two raine-bowes, that past cleane thorow the three sunnes, and then two raine-bowes more, the one compassing round about the sunnes, and the other crosse thorow the great rundle ; the great rundle standing with the uttermost point elevated above the horizon 28*." In the original Dutch voyage, by De Veer, a figure is given of the three suns and the rain-bows.* h n in , t\\ the IViH mu( iiarc was ioun birds " Thi hang This fk of De continue «Jan COL JVaerachtighe Beschriv. tan de drie Sei/lagien, &c. IS 96. "^VIILTAM BAHr.^rz. 147 On the 6th thov ft./i • n.istook fo.. J„te .^^ f''^-'- ,-- <>f tin- ce,. -'-e skin ,ltt:lT ''"•■''" ■-clK.ltl.e-,a^;o: ;"':7^7.7'^''"tti,eyl.,,, ""f' 'and to fheeastwa;;;; :'!'.'■''" ''''->'-• -s thirteen .^ W "o ' '"'' """^ ^^■'- found nudtitndes of e.^., o^l' '. '"'"' "'""" *'"-'y >"•■•''■'. when driven :rvl?'"'^'=^'^'^'«"= " l-''o»e gee,se we,e of a I',.;; "', "!' '•"'' -'•* «'"c into Holland abont V ' "' '"'^'' yeere are there taken ,'""'«''"' ""'^ ^^erie tin^e it was neve t oJn ""r'""'''' ''"' »'" ^I- cgges;.othat::: :r,::^;\»'-^>'>-^-''td^ -•'e that the, sit u;ot:t:T''r?'"'° '>•■'%' over tl>e water a,„l / , 'Gotland, tliat t''^'"> downe into the wae ' , ' '^^'' "' ^^" «■"'» a-Kl swin, there out of h! " ^"""8 S'^ese, •^""Pon the land bnr/n""T^'"'"'°^^''-' This fable of the baZV •""!"' ""'' '"■^' '"^t." ^' ^^ Veer, f:,' '^^'^'^ *-• "> the opinion continues, "it is not, , "' '■^'^"'"'' '"'d. he "--'ci tell where lejrrd'r "''■'"- -^ "^^^^ their egges, for * 'J'hat is, red, red, red. L2 'l ■ ' 148 DISCOVERIES OF 1596. that no man that ever wee knew had ever been under 80" : nor that land under 80° was never set down in any card, much lesse the red geese that breed therein." This is, unquestionably, the first discovery of Spitzbergen; and it is further ob- served, and very truly, that " there groweth here leaves and grasse, yet in Nova Zembla, under 76°, tlierc groweth neither leaves nor grasse ;" and such is the providence of nature in the appropriation of the animal to the vegetable kingdom, that while the more southern climate of Nova Zembla produces only carnivorous animals, the northernmost part of Spitzbergen is supplied with herbivorous deer. He does not exactly state that they were unable to proceed higher to the northward, though a good deal of ice appeared around them. By their lati- tude it would seem they were off Amsterdam island^ on which is that famous foreland, since so well known to whalers under the name o^Hakluyt's headland. The variation of the compass was found to be 16° W. From hence they steered south- west to avoid the ice, and on the 1st of July were again opposite to Bear island. Here the ships mutually agreed to part company, Jan Cornelis being of opinion that he should find a passage to the eastward of that land which lay under 80°, and accordingly returned to the northward; while Jacob Van Heemskerke, or rather his pilot, Barentz, deeming it more likely to find the passage to the eastward, in a lower parallel, steered for Waigatz Strait. 1596. ^VILLIAM BAHENTZ. 149 bX, t:r ;lt;; -| P-«e. occasioned ice, reached the coast „7m ' 4 '"' '""'''' «»='«"? northward as near o ^, f ',"''" '"'°'' '^ ^^e permit, and on the i.h B ' ^^ "" '^^ ^-"''' vation, that thev L I , ?'" ^'"""'' ^y "^ser- -- n^ befo^^The 6 ,r?A ''"' '''*• ^'° '^'- I' ceeded i„ do , L^ Jo t Na'r' *'''" ''^^ -- being from the east fl, "' ""'' "'« ^"'nd tbe Thip to atr ;s ti:ir ;r "^ ^^^* -ter, and sixteen fathom aVe^/:*;'" T' ;; stated to have sudden,, beeV'^nt J^ietf b"nl7Lrafrera?'VT'-"^"'^^^^ the sea was covered with fl v ' *'''' "'^'^• otherice.ber..s It n " "' '""' ^"■'""s '-"^'&»> out none qinte sn la^^, r ■n vam they struggled ,o cl to M ^'' ^' "'"^ wind blew strong ftom that ! f '*"""'''• "'« it -.nense pat^cht " ' e ^'t """"^^^'* attempts ineffectual tl,„ '"'"S^ "" their tanti/compelie? :';eS.X' h^' ' •"^'" '■'^'- generally beset in thl ' ! ''"P' ""'^ed, was it-theruddeZa^Xnl"''"''^^^ flat between the c 2^"' '^'°''''^™^'-'' --nt that a simila'r Z SdtK/r It was now evident that everv I.! ''"P" not only from the poss.bilitv 1^' ^ """' ""' "«- to the eastward. l^.l^'TSZt' '^r ''---- coast of Nova ZemtrtCS:: h 3 150 DISCOVERIES OF 1596. attempted to get back by the way they had conic. On the 2()th, with great exertion, they had so far succet'ded as to reacli the western side of Ice- haven, but it had nearly been to them a fatal suc- cess ; f )r, in this (Hsmal spot, " we were forced," says De Veer, " in great cold, povertie, niiserie and griefe, to stay all that winter." 1 he pre\ ailing north-easterly winds brought into the bay such prodigious quantities of ice, that the ship, had she even sustained no previous damage, could by no possibility have been moved out of the bay that season : but, lifted up as she was between heaps of ice, bruised and bilged, with her rudder torn oif, very little hope remained that she would ever again be got afloat. The unhappy crew, therefore, determined at once to abandon the ship, and to prepare for passing the winter in this cold and dreary spot ; and luckily for them they found, at no great distance, a sufficient quantity of drift- wood, not only to build them a capacious house, but also to serve tb.em for fuel. The party, thus doonucl to the melancholy fate which awaited them, amounted to seventeen persons, of whom Oiic, who could least be spared, the carpenter, died the first week, and another was taken ill. Tliey contrixcd, however, to build their house, but, l)c Veer says, it was so dreadfully cold " that, as wee put a naile into our mouthes, (as carpenters use to do,) there would ice hang thereon when wee tooke it out againe, and niake the blond follow." The journal of the proceedings of these poor people o\'er and f iiandi 1596. IS96. ^VILLIAM BARENTS. savs and le ship, lis cold found, f drift- house, y, thus iwaited whom er, died They but, l)e , as wee s use to ?e tooke ." The pcop le ^'2^; ::2.:rr"f'■^^^"''<'-'- J«s and afliicted situation ,"' ""' '"''*' '•°'''=- Piety, u.d a tone of I "h 'n 1 ' " '^""" "^ ""«= nation to Divine n n i "'"' '"^''""'^ '^ig- -'>o.e nan. i :\ :'r"'^' '"T' " ''"""«'' ^^''^ simple tale of thet, ':.'".'P"^''''''' '" Peruse the for the unhappy fate nf ""•' '''^'^pcst emotion cut off fro.n'^a'n Z^Z^'^^T''''' '''"^^' i>ope of their ever b in. h,e ,"''""' ''"■» «" and dismal abode. ° ° '''^*' "'^"- dark On the 4th of November the la.t f, i , the sun took leave of then, a If ■''^^ °^' cold was observed ^4:;;"''^" ''"'''■"- *'- became so intense as to be, S,:*"r"' ''" ■' Tiie wine and beer thev f^ '«^f""''eneans of large fi-es of woo bv .' " ""^ stones to their feet and , ""'''.''y, P'^^'ng heated ^ox-skin caps irtV'h::^,"''^^'"'''^^^^ to l^eep themselves f o , tutf ""■?'"" '"^'^^ a dreadfid task to en „" ^' ^ '''"' '*"* '^ "'as and to haul it o, all f '" '""''^ "' '''"'-^^""'i' 07- ice and irar::::^ ^^ "rr'- an.l piereing weather as to take the ''"''' hands and faces. They once trf '" "*"' ''''•' y once Had recourse to the I- 4 !l 152 DISCOVERIES OF 1596. coals on board the vessel, but the fire made with these had nearly suffocated the whole party. Their clock soon became frozen, and it was then necessary for some of them, by turns, constantly to watch the hour-glass, that they might not mistake the time. Being frequently attacked by bears, which assaulted their wooden hut, and opposed them whenever they stirred abroad, they found means to kill several of these ferocious animals, and used their fat for their lamps ; from a single bear they extracted about a hundred pounds of grease. Finding the liver of tins animal palatable food, they eat heartily of it, but it made them all sick ; and three of the party were so ill, in con- sequence thereof, that the skin came off their bodies from head to foot. It deserves to be remarked, that when the sun disappeared, the bears immediately took leave of them; and their place was as speedily supplied by white foxes, which came in great abundance, and served them both as food and clothing, their flesh tasting like that of rabbits. By setting traps on the roof of their house, they caught abundance of these useful animals; but immediately after the re-appearance of the sun, the foxes took their departure and the bears again renewed their visits. When the 19th of December arrived these unhappy men began to receive consolation at the thought that half the total absence of the sun had now been got over. Miserable as their situation U96, William bare:.tz. wether, with a north-west wTn > '"'" ^°"''' was fbule wether we he^'f ^'' *'"'"^'' '' house, wherewith son 1 of '' '"" °^" «"'• "'^'»-;a„ci;:r;:^:---'itwasa„ should he an i„ ,ig„, IZ JP"""^ why it "nswere that it M^a, an ill °"'' "^^" »'=«'e ""t to-ce them to put l"^"*' '"''"''' ^^« could *em, for that had bel '"*" ""^ P"^' ^o '"^t f"ci after .abou inX" alHf T' '^^"^ '°'- -'' January i„ ,,; j^^ 7''/ ' *«= ''«>" of the .5th of several days blocked uTl , '""^ *''' '«^ f''^ their hut," we rel^, '''?'°'"-' ^"^ ^'^nedout —or. .< that i:~ :?-■-'"''" ^^^-^ '"« P'-ayed our Maister that I ?'"' ""'' "'«' we "■•^"'. -d said that :V ,7" '^ -•'■y that »n>e of the wine that „ilT!u?'"' '" ^P«»d ""d which was our sha f 1 ' ''' '"'^' 'P'"'^''. -hereof for certaine ^L I?, T" '''' ^^ and so that night we ml, '^ "°* ''runke; the three king' Ld th T"'^ ^"'' ^^'^^- to of -eaie where /i^rr* T^ ^-' *- Pou«d --y "lan a white biskctrf" ""'' °>'e- «nd "nd so supposing ,«!. ^'^ ^'" '"P' '" wine: country and ar„o.t<.s 1 T T'' '" °"'- °«'"o ^» wen as if we l.^ ^1 ?' " """'^^"' "^ owne house; and we "t n T'- '""''^' '" °"'- S"nner was king of Nova 7 ,",""'''' «■«' ""^ » ^ova Zembia, which is at ■ ft 1.54 DlSCOVEllIES OF ^597. If least two hundred miles loner, and lyeth betvvcene two seas."* The raptures felt by these unhappy men at the first blush of the sun may easily be conceiyed. This joyful eyent was first announced to them about the l5th of January, when they perceiyed " a certaine rednessc in the skie," though William Barentz conyinced them that the sun himself would not make his appearance aboye the horizon for three weeks vet to come. Iloweyer, on the 24th of Janu- ary, " it was faire cleare \veather," says Gerrit de Veer, " with a west wind ; then I and Jacob llems- kerk, and another with us, went to the sea-side, on the south side of Noya Zembla, where, contrary to our expectation, I first saw the edge of the sunne, wherewith we went speedily home againe to tell William Barentz and the rest of our companions that joyful nevyes. But William Barentz, being a wise and well experienced pilot, would not belieyc it, esteeming it to be about forteen dales too soone for the sunne to shine in that part of the world ; but we earnestly afiirmed the contrary, and said that we had seen the sunne." On the two follow- ing days they had thick and foggy weather, but on the 27th it was clear ; " and then," says the jour- nalist, " we saw the sunne in his full roundnesse aboye the horizon, which made us all glad, and ^ve * True and perfect Description of Three Voyages, so strange and ■wondcrfull that the like hath never been heard of before. Trans, by ^Villiilm Phillip. London. iGop. iS97, ^^'^LLIAM BARENTZ. gave God hearty thankp« ^ ,. ^^^ heir joy, l.o^.ever was . " ""' '° "^ "ga-nc" *'«3'. ompauion on the preceding *e -'Scf of th'i^ respecting q"estiou hy ,„„,j , '^^ ^" . ''as been called i„ ,^ho have adverted oS ""'' ^■''^"''"■ers ''="' ifs defenders. It J™,?^' ''"^ ''' '•«» also ™P'obal,le, that after tJi ' "'"' '"''«''' ""t fnd "• tl>e darkness of a In ''""*^ "' ""^ ''"-'>■. '■avc lost so„,e ti.ne ZL '^ "'S''^' ''"^^ »'-gl. '-sted in markin;^' :;;:',"'-'' »'-.V -re1„. a^vay-but so very feJob e, T '' '■''>■ l"--^*"' ■"«'« « '"gh latitudes on at T" ''"'' ^'^ '-" ''-; a circun^stance s^t d ^ ■''^•^' '■^■«-^'-. a»d sin>plicity ;„ ^ dJl '" "'"'''' ''°"«ty f '-'^P. be iecte:a firr """'" '-' connnon. V,u\cy ordina v '"' " '^ ""- faction the appea-anc " H "'"'""^'''"^^^ °^' '- ''-e been p,,l,,,,;,;"^'--n would see,n to T'le (.ears did notfail to ! ' "«'" ''•■">'^' ''--•". and were not i° "'";?"■'•''' ^'-'■•ghtof *'-'bleson,eaftcrtlK.io ,:,:;''''■ T'^ *'-» "-r '""■■'^ intense as the 'h"! "'''/'"= ™W''«a.ne '---vere.andthesn^, ::?''"■'"'' "- Aost was the "ionthof J more fr "He hefbie th ^^I"ciit, so that It lo -/--'"gtheirtwohoats,a',;2:""'^^ no- V o « ^'0} age from their d repaii- the ship was out of the ^ii^i fitting the y P^ace of reside lear 111 for nee. question, as she l~ tl 156 DISCOVERIES OF 1597. I < T ; » was completely bilged and still fast in the ice. On the 13th of that month every thing was in readiness for their departure; previous to which a statement was drawn up in writing by Barentz and left in the wooden house, containing their names, detailing their late misfortunes and what had befallen them in that wretched abode ; after which, committing themselves to the will and mercy of God, they left their Ici/ haven in the two open boats, with a view to return the way they had come, along the western shore of Nova Zembla. They had not proceeded far, however, before a misfortune befell them which over- whelmed them all with grief and despair. Poor Barentz, in whom all their confidence had rested, died on the 20th of June; being ill when they left their house, he, and another of the name of Claes Adrianson, had been obliged to be taken to the boats on a sledge. On being told that Adrianson was so sick that he could not live, William Barentz spake and said, " I thinke I shal not live long after him" — he then said to De Veer, " Gerrit, give me some drinke ; and he had no sooner drunke but he was taken with so sodain a qualme that he turned his eyes in his head and died." The same day Adrianson died also. There are numerous instances on record of ex- traordinary voyages being performed in rough and tempestuous seas in open boats, with the most scanty supply of provisions and water, but there is probably not one instance, that can be To %P adven is no tentioi 1397. ^ViLLlAU BARENTZ. 137 i07 compared to tliaf- ;« occanmoretha'Jlevetl 1 '° P^'"-- « frozen -Vheice,a„,Z^! ';;:!'^^'''ntheiee, the dangers of beinc at oiJt P°'"' *° «" t'>e Haves, at anotl,;;. oJ hT "^^'^''-'n'ed by *'- whirling of ,at nL:S'"V° """"^ "^ «tantattacliofferociou,hr ? ' ""'' '° *««^on- o^- ^ony days se^rotS::';?^-'"^ "'''-''' ^'-^e; .nd yet, excepting thet", T' '""^ '"'■ entered the boats in a r«t.P, '"'''"''' ""'' ^ho «- -t arrived in g oT eS'l T "" ''^'^"'*>-' where thev l,ad fC " "f * ^""l sp"'ts at Cola ^'>-- old fit tnd «"^'-" of meeting with %.'.w.,ohad:,set:'arm'r"'='"^°-«* ward tl,e year befbre T u ,f '° '^' »°«h- «K"du/„, thatftreeD^tTht "™"'' '""-''• =•»'' a Laplander, whoT„ 1 "'"''"""'" ^"'^^ returned withalette fir ^ '"" °"'^'- '''nd. -"'" -areely a«er' he, T '" "^P '' "'"'they' ^-"ewhohad'^^ailedwi I'tr' r *" " ^«' ^hl "ow took them on boT d , ;•: '"" «»"-''• He o'- October, they all a fved 'f ^' '"'' °" *«^S''» «-»-atjoyof^heirS "tS';",'"^^^'' '<> «P for lost. '' '^''° '^a'' g' ven them %XUSl"rr---^e CornehV .'"-ntures he met ,dth Tit' ""^' °^ ""^^^ «"o where stated; but as 1 7^"^^^ *" '"'*' '«tion of sailin. a on" th °"' "''* *« in- n. along the eastern side of the land 158 DISCOVERIES OF 1.596. ■ ? they had before coasted to the 80" of latitude, it is probable he circiimnavii»ated Spitzbergcn, in Avliicli case he must have reached the 81st degree of nortliern latitude. The three voyages of Barentz are written by Gerrit de Veer, who was on all of them; the first two have also been published by Linschoten, who enters into more nautical details, and gives views of the land and charts of the bavs, harbours, head- lands, &c. ; but the deepest interest attaches to the last voyage, of which it is to be regretted there is no good translation in the English language. WILLIAM ADAMS. 1596. Purchas, in his " rilgrimcs," stontly asserts the honour of the first discovery of Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla to be due to our countrymen, Sir Hugh Willoughby and Steven Burough ; and though he avows his partiality for the Dutch, who " in the glory of navigation are so neere us, and worthie to be honoured," yet it is most true, he adds, that *' the English hath becne the elder brother, a doctor and ductor to the Hollanders, in their martiall feats at home, and ncptunian exploits abroad.'"* To a certain extent this is unquestion- ably true. In all their early foreign voyages they * Purchas his Pilgrimes, vol. iii. p. 46'1. 1596. ^y^LLlAM ADAMS. :^^d ^-■"•«- the ferociour Loa t S, , f """'' "■^' '" fl'e name of Ji,„„e|| J, '" /'"«''slm.a„ „f '^J'oia,- wl.ea- l,c i„,t ..ii f-'-l^lioyHm to IV- ';-' ''een on tl,e coast o Nov. y''";r'' ''''''■ ''' tl'e na,ne of Costiu-sarca I" r "' "'"' S'^"^" to a bay situate,! i„ about 7 n- r'"*'"'"'''''^ '*) 1"y "^'•'' appear, a»igbt not have been s ' ,'" '" '^'' r^utcl,. I>e Veefs aceonnt o? S^"^'' !'""--' «<>,„ "'»t the extraonlinary ,„t T '^ ''"«' ^"^-''ff-S the head of this sectij" ' '"'' """"^ ^'•''"''^ at -n employ., „„:;:"■;;;- one oj.,,,,„^„,.^__ ^t ;^ very probable, l,o,vever 17 ^1 '"^'S'^- ^"J that, in the yea,- il'r \ " ^'"' ''' '^o. Cornells Eyp ^ Spiuberoen 1^1" ''^'■°'"J«ni^-d ''""'^t of his having live^r "■ ■"" """ ^e no ^nd heen in the Praeti clof IT!- '""' '" """««<' ---'ettersaddresse;:^:^-:-;--^^ • r'T.ter ,hi„ks, c„„.,,„,.,,,„^ '■,tl 160 DISCOVLllILS OF 1596. Ini ' t < .' rn he is silent on this suhject.* It could not, how- ever, be any other than himself who p^ave the narra- tive, which follows, to the Portugueze Jesuits at the court of Japan ; for his good friend Timothy Shelton of London, who, he tells us, was pilot of the Admiral, was lost in that ship, and Thomas Adams, his brother, was slain in battle. It is well known that William Adams was engaged as master-pilot of a Dutch fleet of five ships, bound on a voyage to the East Indies through the strait of Magellan, which circum- stance alone proves that his character must have been well established in Holland. We know also that the only vessel which escaped shipwreck was that in which he was pilot; and that it was saved only to be cast away on the coast of Japan ; that through the favour which he found in the eyes of the Emperor, on account of his skill in building ships, and instructing his people in mathe- matics and navigation, he was the means of in- troducing both the English and the Dutch to trade with that empire; and that he was never per- mitted to leave the country, t Now it is mentioned incidentally in the records of Portugueze navigation, that an Englishman had performed a voyage to the northward, to a * Purchas's Pilgrims, vol. i. p. 125. t Purchas's Pilgrims, ibid. — Harris, Coll, of Voy. vol. i. p. 856 — Astley, Coll, &c. 1596. ^'^UA AM AD 'log'ecoflatitu.lcbov A MS. ond that which I6i lOil '«»vc been „„ oti"e th W r' ''"""'^''"'="' '^°«''l WogodeCol. "''T'^^''"»-• '•""n'l Cape Horn ilT '""' '^^ "'« 1^"^-'. "'• t'>e .Lips .vriw"f, ''' "'''"'■'''' «"" one Captain, wlu„n l,e eaikr ^^'''''S"'"'' '"^'^ase her -':° '-ad n-orethea^ppt 7e; ^r"""'"''^"''''^' '"['"g beings, and uttLUle .'"'" ''''''" "^ ''"P- " Tlie pilot of this s Z" ."""'«■' "'<= "» English„,a„, a .0^ ' '"''' '^^f <^°"to. " ^n.s f°'"eknow,edg;ofCloT^,Tf ^'•' »-' -* J«uus at Meaco. that thotj! ^T'' '" "'" - -veral occasions e-np,!:;"^/^ O'^^- bad 'kose languages. ^ "'"■ ""'"J' hidden treasures in VOL. I. it h I'i • 162 DISCOVEUIES OF 1596. r ; to proceed to Japan, China, and the Moluccas, to procure the riches of those islands; considering this route not only much shorter, but also much safer from our corsairs : and that the last attempt was made in 1595, (probably 1596,) when he reached eighty-two degrees north ; and although it was in the middle of summer, and the day ahnost con- tinual, as tliere was no night, except for about two hours,* yet was the cold so excessive, with so much sleet and snow driving down those straits, that he was compelled to return. And he asserted, that if he had kept close to the coast of Tartary, on the right hand, and had run along it to the eastward, to the 0[)ening of Anian, between the land of Asia and America, he might have suc- ceeded in his undertaking." . " And this pilot further said, that the Dutch would not abandon the attempt until they should accomplish their object, on account of the great importance they attached to this route." " And the English have already attempted to discover this route tow^ards the west, betw^een the islands of Grotland (Greenland) and the land of Labrador ; but on account of the same difficulties * Couto must have mistaken the Jesuits, or the Jesuits Adams, ill relating this part of the story, as the latter well knew there could be no night for upwards of four months in such a iatitude. From a want of making due allowance for the extraordinary refraction in high latitudes, most of the old navigators Lava carried Spitzbergen a full degree higher than it in. ^S96. WILLIAM ADAMS. 163 they ])ave returned as rhVJ .1 Gavot (Cabot) „,ore' t „ t J If"' "^'^'S'.to. -"tes, b, .,,.'h\:;\;^-^;--) these t„.o tinctly seen;* and aL ! H ''"''' "'''^ '''■»■ *e islands of Japa.,'^^ !„' ^l': P^P- '^'itude. mnes are said to be ' '■"^^'' '*''^'^'' It may be observed tbat r / ' upwards of fbrtv yea ' ,:r h'""'' '" ^"*^ Decadas; be eouid tCfor k " ""'^ '"^ of the attempts to di eotl il ""*"'=" '"°- IncJ-a than what be heard IL ::':::" '""^"^ '° * We have seen that the track ^f n • globes „.ade by Emery MuJ],^eu ^^ "'' '"' '^^^^ "" ^J- left England. ^ "'''"'"'^' "'^"^ yeurs before Adams tDiogodeCouto,Decad..ii.Chap.2. MS ."r (I, ' '■ ) ( 164 ) CHAPTER III. VOV ACiKS OF DISCOVERV IN THE NORTHEliy RIGIONS DURIN(J TkE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. George Wejf mouth — James Ilall, Is/, Q.dy and '3d Foi/agen — John Knight — Henry Hudson ^ \st, 2d, Sd, and ^th Fot/ages — Sir Thomas Button — James Hall, Ath f'oi/age — Captain Gibbons — Robert By lot — By lot and l^affin — Voyages of a niixt character between ltJ03 and l6l5 — Jens Mun/c — Luke Fojc — Thomas James — Zachary Gillarn — JVood and Flawes. GEORGE WEYMOUTH. 16*02. Several years had passed away witliout any new attempt being made, on the part of the maritime nations of Europe, to discover a nearer passage by the north to India and China. The Enghsh, liowever, could not see with indifference a lucra- tive connnerce carried on with the eastern world by the Spaniards and Portuguezc without endeavour- ing to enjoy a participation thereof. The successful expeditions of Sir Francis Drake in 1578, and of Candish in 1586, had sufficiently proved to the nation the great value of oriental commerce. The several attempts to establish a share of that com- merce by a shorter route than thase of the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn halving failed, the mer- But ^las sill It ^ercaj ^^'Ofsiiil 1(J02. ^^SCOVERIKS OK M'.VMOUTH. I^. - ">ucl. with t , : ofT'"^ "0U,o„,ve;' --'-vith ti.e native Tftt ::;■"! V?'"""'- wealth by the more chcaoa u ? "'^'^ '■"'"•" «<■ plundering the Portnl'^ ''>'l'«litio„s mo,lc Captain Georg /aSrt " '"' '''' "-'>"- »'"Pof his own calln P ''>' '^''"^ <"" ••' J'^dward Bonaventurrit , "'''''"'-""y^" -'' Indies. The v.; "^^ l:"' '" '^^' ^^ the East T>.e Royal.Merchr„; e t C 3 1" "7 "'-trous. of sick men. The Pene 1 " ""= '^''''P'-' f"" fe Cape when ICa IV;:"' T:'^^ I^onaventure, commanded iv C. ?' ^" ^''-^^^ -'er, after an unsucclfn^^^oya^:'" '^"^r '^"- '■«'• 7t".„, in the West I„d J ^« T; '°^' "» sent home, or is supposed to ' ^"''''•^' piece of inforn,ation! wh h 1 ""' '""'"-■' '^ to northern discovert t' ^ " ""^" ^''"""""s '»« letters, he says, "The 1' '""'""'''" *" ""'^ °f in the north-we^t of A '^ ^'^' *° **= ^"''ies is «-hispostscri :,L^:-:;:;;"J^;^0- north." '"» smce been supposed to 1 1 «'""'"'^' It served, however t 'nterpolation.. mercantile part of 1 7"' '''' ''"P^^ "^ the ^ey Companies fitted out ,^Z ■' ""'' '^""^- om, at their jomt expense, •''"„e,'.Vo,.ge.,naD;sco,.„>, 1G6 DISCOVERIES Ol" 1602. an expedition intended solely for the discovery of a north-west passage towards China. It consisted of two fly-boats, the one of seventy tons, named the Discovery; the, other of sixty tons, called the Godspeed — the two carrying five and thirty men and hoys, and victualled for eighteen months. The command of the expedition was entrusted to Captain George Weymouth, who, for the better success of the voyage, as he tells us, was provided with " a great traveller and learned minister, one master John Cartwright." They departed from Radcliffe on the 2d May, 1602. On the 18th June, in lat. 59° 5 J' N. tli^y fell in with the first island of ice, stretching to the northward beyond the reach of sight; and on the same day saw the south part of Greenland. In standing to the westward the sea was perfectly smooth, but the water so black, " and as thicke as puddle," that they conceived it to be very shallow ; on heaving the lead, however, " they could fetch no ground with one hundred and twenty fathoms." On the 28th they saw land in lat. 62* 30' which they thought to be the land of America, but it was only JVarwiclcs Forland on Resolution island. In proceeding to the westward they passed several banks of ice, and again fell in with black water, occasioned probably by the soil which the ice- bergs frequently bring away in their disruption from the land. Again they supposed that they discovered America iu lat. 6S° 33', but they could 1602. OEORGE WEYMOUTH. 167 not approach it on acconnf „f ., «f ice which encircle , " '''' 1"=*»t't>- i^e " of a I „„ ■ ^ '''''«' '°"'- is'^'nd, o^" «-"thc,., ,-.J,,e i r '"?'''f ^' '-'gths «o^e„ so .tiff- that 1 ev ^''' '"""' ''"^'^■' -<•'''= *heni. n,e thic fo ■ '""' """''''= '" ''""die - fast as it 'S; "P.T,r««' to '.ave fi-ozea «tiff-"ess of tl,e;.ol?,"'1'''^'°'-'"'y' ■■•"<' the «-he,,tho;r„ r':,::-"'''^'""-'- secretly tosethcr, while I eVn ^ '""'P'"'"^ bear up for En,.I „„,,"' 'X"" ''"' ''^"'P' '" -K but ,,e;hsc«^:; :;"-«"-' to his -'ich were Z^^^Z 7'""] "' ^-'-^'"S' between 6o' and 7oo . /'^.V ""^3' slioul.l winter tbey could atteLpt '\;ir"'''^-''^>' '-^- ^^tMaythefo,,ovS,r;;;'Kf ""',!''' 'y ''- iHtitudes well fitted .':,;« 7'°"'*' '"^ '" ">ose ''■« they were w li f:"'"'"'" J^''^"'-''-' but in making discoverv.'^ encounter any danger Andafteft!.i ;^;:^;.7'"*°or.;=of,atit>ure." "Pthehe,„,e;„dlt :tt'*"r^^^ captain, however h J H ^""thward. Tl,e •■"-S'eaclers .ost ^e^- ^ ""'"f " ^" P""'sb the "f the punishment tt!,' '"'""'•>' '■'=""tted a part f- twri',ht the 1 :;:,,;;;---- -'f ^i- «-.toanyandofice ": ':'""'^^"- "'-a »™e of it for fresh waerh.tr'" "'"'''""'' ", Outasthey wwhrcak- M 4 'I'l ]6S DlSCOVEllTF.S OF 1602. 5 |l ' I I ' ', I ing some of it off, " the great island of ice gave a niightie cracke two or three times, as though it had heeu a thunder-clappe ; and presently the island began to overthrow, which was like to have sunk both our boats."* An inlet is described in 61° 40', not much pes- tered with ice, and forty leagues broad, within which Weymouth says he sailed a hundred leagues west and by south, but which we now know must have been impossible. Indeed the whole account of Weymouth's proceedings is so confused, that little or nothing can be drawn from it, except that he was among the islands to the northward of Hudson's Strait, and probably those of Cape Chid- ley ; and though he calls every land he fell in with the " land of America," it is quite clear that he never came near the American coast, except that part of it which is known by the name of Labra- dor, along which he continued to range from the 5th to the 14th July, when he discovers an inlet in lat. 56°, up which he sailed thirty leagues, en- tertaining sanguine hopes of a passage through it : this inlet corresponds with Sleeper's Bay, or Davis's Inlet. On the 5th August he arrived at Dart- mouth, t The voyage of Weymouth was a complete failure. He reached no higher than lat. 63° 53'; " hee neither discovered," says Luke Fox, *' nor • Purchas his Pilgrimes, vol. iii. p. 812. t Ibid. p. 814. "land 1605, JAMES HALL. I6(j named any thinff more fli-in t^ • ^ightof Greenlal ::;t",^ 7' "- '-' -'X can I conceive he hath, n . " """'''• "o^ this desi^„e • yet thot t '''^' ""'"^ "'"■■« t" conceivetli:!,'! „^ '°',""''^'""""^' ''"'. I ' °"' ^^"^''«n "ito his straights. •« JAMES HALL — Flraf T^„. virst Foyagc, I60.5. -StltLt^ei:'"'^'-™-^^''' •'-apposed '"" *e arctic seas abnlth . P~'^«'ti"g discoveries '■ad seen the renttf, '"'""''^"^'^''^-''-d, '•" those j:sz::::^ ^^ '■- ^-.'.sh at length, however tr '"''''^'^'*"'^'-'- Routed but more o p rhans nfH '•'"'' °^ *'"^ I ■"P^ty, It consisted of twl shof '' 'rP'""'"^" ^"-"'-kI. ,-■-h,ti,eAdn■:^t^ci,^r'"r^°"^''^ l""den of thirty or fo,tv I ! "*'' °^' ^''^ John Cunnino-hL ' W f ' ™"""awled hy -vice of the' !: ;' rt ^T'"'"" '■" ^l- •^--.^ H..., an I;;- „:;'--' «^- -''ich was P''«.- the otl,er ship wT r'"^ '' P""^'>»' of the same burden " . "' ^''^^-^hniral, . '' """'en, coinnianded hv ■, 11 'he pinnace of twelve list. - ""*= ' =">d "'and of John K„ 11 , "'''■^ ""''er the com- ^-"'ght, also an Engli,l„,„n, The • North.w«e Fox, p. so. ~"^i»' 170 DISCOVERIES OF 1505. M'holo o\|)r(litiou was placed under the orders of Adiniial (iodske I/mdenau. 1 licy sailed iVom ('openliasien on the 'id May, KU):). On the 24th, heins;" ni lal. ,5.';^" they e\|)eete(l to Ikhc seen Ihis.s island, and conclude it to he laid down in a wrong latitude on the charts. On the 3()th they saw the south point of (Jreenhnid, which, out ot' coin|)irnient to the kini>" of Denmark, they named (Vz/x* Christum. 'J'o asoid i\\v. ice, which encompassed the shore, they stood to the west- w^ird, and fell in w ith " niii;'hty islands of ice, beini; very hii^h, like hui»c mountains," making a hideous and wonderl'ul noise ; and on one of them was observed " a huge rocke stone, of the weight of three hundred pounds or thereabouts." Finding nothing but ice and fog, from the 1st to the 10th June, the Lion's peo|)le hailed the Ad- miral, "calling very fearfully, and desiring the pilot to alter his course, and return homeward." The alarm spread in the Adniiral's ship, and they would have determined to have put about, had not Cun- ningham, ihc captain, j)rotcsted he would stand by Hall, '' as long as liis blood was warme, for the good of the king's majestic. " This pacified them for a moment, but the next tloatiu"* island of ice renew ed the terrors of those on board the Lion, w ho having fired a piece of orchiance, stood away to the southw ard. On tlie J'-th the Adniiral fell in with the coast of (irecidaiui, iuul ga\ c llic Aiaiues of Mount Cun- thai not iuck steC] and coiiie woiiM ^>ut til 1605. JAlMIvS HAI.L. 171 of Ad- pWot u\a :uu- o 1st bf ice Liou, away coas' Cun- ninffJunn, Queen /luue, ami Queen Sophias Capes, to tci tain portions of tlic land ; and entering* a deep bay, wliicli they called Christians Fioi'd, a party landed and examined some tents of the natives covered with seal skins; and within, amonj^ other articles, some vessels were observed boiling over a little lamj), in one of which was fonnd a dog's head boiled, " so that I persiuwled myself, ' says Hall, " tliat they eate dog's flesli." The latitude of tlie anchorage was found by observation to be 66" 25'. The natives presently came otf to the ship in their boats, and bartered whale-bone, seal-skins, morse teeth and unicorns' horns for nails and pieces of old iron. But on reaching the shore they began to hurl stones at the strangers with their slings " in such sort, that no man could stand upon the hatches." The Danes, however, succeeded after some time in dispersing them by the fire of mus- ketry ; but they assembled again in greater force than ever, having upwards of seventy boats, and not less tlian 300 persons on shore. The wind luckily became easterly, on which the pinnace stetred out to sea, and coasting along the shore to lat. 69°, they found many goodly sounds, bays, and rivers, and gave names to divers of them ; they met with nuich drift-wood, " but whence it comcth," observes Hall, " I know not." Hall would have proceeded farther to the northward, but the people in the pinnJice earnestly entreated him to return, saying that tlieir companions in the ]7^ 1 / ^ DISCOVERIES OF JAMES HALL. 1605. ,';;,. .; i Admiral would mutiny and leave them behind, which in fact they had nearly done. They found, on theii return, that the people of the ship had been enj>aged in fight w ith the natives, of whom several were slain and three taken prisoners. Before they departed from Frost Sound they turned on shore two Danish malefactors, whom they had brought out for that purpose by order of the Court, with certain necessaries ; " and thus," says Hall, " having committed both the one and the other to God we set saile homewards." They passed down Davis's Strait witii a rapid current in their favour, and anchored on tlic 1 0th August off the castle of Elsineur. It would seem that the ship, in which Lindenau was, stood away to the cast coast of Greenland; or rather, it may be suspected, to the south, some- where about Cape Farewell, where he was visited by a number of the " savages," as they are called, though very far from deserving that appellation. Wine, it is said, was offered to them, and not being to their taste was refused ; but they drank with great avidity whole mugs of whale oil. The Ad- miral most unwarrantably seized two of the natives, and carried them off to Denmark ; and it is said that those brought by Hall differed very much from those brought by Lindenau, in manners, language and appearance, the former being much superior in every respect.* * Relation du Groenland par M. de la Peyr^re. iSSf. ( 173 ) Tiie Danish sfovernmrTif ,. i • ^'•'>s an,, a pi„„,,J„'^^ ',''■"'-"'. caused four P''ot-n,aior of tl,c fleet. Two„ M T'" "^^"'"'"^ ="•«' the Z.«„, were the I^ , "'"'"'^' ^'•''*' tl'e precedino- year .„,. "' ""''<^ employed ;«-. the1,L;;rt,~-'^; ... .he sa^^ tons; the fourti, the Cii//;a ^'"'"^ ""<= hundred ''-Pinnaeeof twelt1tr'°''"'^ '""''• -'' The .same admiral, Liiu"' """' ^'"^ ^'"• command this see;nd ex n" Jit'i '•''''"'■"^"' '" "■••fves carried off by Cm "' "'"' ""= "'«<= >^-dtoseryeasi„Xt:":Sr'"rP"'- On the 29th Mav ,rn. , ^""''''' »hore of Labrador, about Capiat "'"■""'™ appear, though no name , ^'^ ^ "^'cy. as it would -PtivcGreenlanrsX; rT"' '"" °^" *'- no«h.we.eer,,. towards the Zt Tr "^ ''^'^ and about 63° 45' fo„„,, ' '^°'"' "^ Greenland. It" " "".-htie int?lfte""'r\"^'''"''--' '«|cu'ty they got cle r of ^HaT : "'.' ^""* atjtude ««. they saw land, wl c / I ""■'"''' *« ^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k // /. z f/. ||=LL 11.25 Iflii 2.2 140 I 2.0 U 11.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation ^ ^ ,v \\ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) •72-4503 O^ ^ ^ • -VJ ^ o^ 174 DISCOVEUIKS OF 1606. I ! I t westerly current. On the 25th they had sight of Greenland, about ten leagues to the south of Queen Anne's Cape, the Frost having on the preceding day been scparalccl from the Lion and the Gillitlower. They put into Cunningham's J iord, where, it seems, they had found a silver mine the year before, of which ore they had sworn to his Majesty to bring home a sufficient quantity ; accordingly " they all landed to see the silver myne, where," says Hall, " it was decreed that we should take in as much thereof as we could." This, in fact, appears to have been the grand object of the extensive equipment furnished by the King of Denmark : it was the discovery of gold and silver, and not of the lost colonies, that actuated the framers of an expedition on a scale unneces- sarily large for the purposes of scientific disco- very ; for in fact no search nor even mention is made either of a north-west passage or of the oid colonies of Greenland. They rowed in their boats up the sound, passing " many green and pleasant islands," and after some days came to the mouth of a river which they named after the pilot of the Eagle, Fos river; the latitude of which is 66° US'. On the bank of this river was situated the winter village of the natives, consist- ing of about forty houses '' builded with whales' bones, the balkcs being of whales' ribbes ; the tops were covered with earth, and they had certaine vaults or selleii under the earth foure square, about two yards deepc in the ground." In the 1 to tl 1 m C 1 TJ 1 'l^k m con si Has of A ciiga^ as bei they the Dl obst nit prol Ma, leenli '■^presc G 1606. JAMES HALL. burying place tlicy observed the bodies wrapt in seal skins, " and stones laid in manner of a coffin over them.*' Here they seized live natives, to carrv with them to Denmark, in lieu of whom they put on sliorc an unfortunate Dane to be left behind for having committed some crime which is not specified. They learned from their new captives that the country was named Scca- nunga, and that the great King, who lived in the interior, was carried upon men's shoulders. It was now the lOth August, the weather l)egan to be very stormy, and, finding themselves exceedingly hampered among the numerous islands and rocks and floating ice, they resolve! to return to the southward, and after a long passage arrived in Copenhagen roads on the 4th October. This fruitless expedition, it seems, was followed uj' by another the next year, equally fruitless. It consisted of two ships, the command of which was entrusted to a Danish captain of the name Q^ Karsten liichardisefty a native of Holstein, who engaged some sailors from Norway and Iceland, U!s best acquainted with navigation among ice ; but they proceeded no farther than Cape Farewell, as the Danish chronicle savs, from mountains of ice obstructing their passage; but Hall gives a moie probable reason. " I have also,' says Purcl.as, " Master Halfs vovai>e of the next yeere 16()7, to Greenland from Denmarke, writter, and with representations of land-sights, curiously delineatecl 176 DISCOVKUIES OF 1606. '•? I- ,n i' I by Josias Hubert of Hull, but the Danes (envious perhaps that the glory of the discovery would be attributed to the English pilot) after the land saluted, mutinied, and in line forced the ship to returne to Island. For which cause I have here omitted the whole.''* Pcyrere gives from the Danish chronicle a long- account of the treatment and behaviour of the Greenlanders in Denmark ; of the feats they performed on the water with their canoes; of their manner of feeding on raw flesh and fish ; and their fixed melancholy and pining away till they finally died of grief, t JOHN KNIOHT. I6O6. While the King of Denmark v a.^ netting forth l»is second grand expedition for exploring " the myne of silver," and in the hope of filling his coffers with that precious metal, " the worshipfull Companies of Muscovey and the East India Mer- chants" were fitting out a small bark of forty tons, called the Hcpewell, for the discovery of the north- west passage, under the direction of the same John Knight who had been master of the pinnace in the first Danish expedition. He left Gravesend * Purchas, vol. iii. p. 827. t Relation du Greenland par Peyrere, p. 180. 1606. JOHN KNIGHT. 177 "" the J8th April iffn/j , Lab>a,lor.) Here a f'"' "" ^'^^^ '"''»' "f '-■■ '-•'"- into the b"otL:;o?;, "''"'"'" '° '-1 »ave the clothes «„,, Zrr ■'"''' "' '"•''^••- 1'> Kn.ght then, with i,e ma el" '"'°' '^'■""^• "" ^''0.0 Mell armed, to e.^?' """' "^'"■-. ^^ent "-'■'' convenient nacel; "*'''''"'""' '*'>»'^- !■'->■' -nt up i^^^^^^^^^^ «'aml, leaving two of t, f'''^*' l^""' o^" the "-'-t;there:e,wa'S'"'''":^^°''"^''-areof ■'''"'^-inthen,orn::"V"'"'"'''>-retn "'«r ""fo-tuLte caltaL ' """ '" -"'^l' of "-.>■ were unable to'tch I. '"r°'"'""'"-' '"'t »ft''eice. From thi tin ' -I""'' "" "-"""t ;f«':''«'^-part,,a„:t:;,'"^--- hoard ""^y I'ad been intercepted an, T '?"""'''^'' "'"f ""'"-N as these peoplT " L"; ' ''"" ''^' ''•^' -'age '-•■•'t^, ^hootingtheira. J' „;:: "»'• S-t >oi.. ,. ■ "'' P"'suing them 178 DISCOVERIES OF \607. 1( \ i. in all directions. They had very large boats, full of men, and the narrator thus describes their appearance: — *' As farre as we could judge, they be very little people, tawnie coloured, thin or no beards, and flat nosed, and man eaters." They now set about repairing their vessel, and after great exertion partially stopped the leak and succeeded in hanging the rudder; but on getting to sea, out of the ice, they found it neces- sary to keep the pump constantly going. They steered, with a rapid current in their favour, for Newfoundland, and after much suffering and fatigue rciched Fogo on the 23d of July. They remained here, refitting and refreshing for about a month, after which they set sail on the 22d of August, and on the 24th of September landed at Dartmouth.* HENRY HUDSON — First Voyogc. I607. The unfortunate issue of Captain Knight's voy- age does not appear to have in the least discou- raged the merchants of London from persevering in the attempt to discover a nearer passage to Japan and China ; but as hitherto neither the north-east nor the north-west had held out much hope of suc- cess, it was now resolved to try a new route, and to see what could be done by holding a course towards the north pole. For this cnterprize they mi * Purchas bis Pilgrimes, vol. iii. p. 827. 1607. IIENIIV HUDSON. 179 iscou- fapan )f suc- selcctcd Henry Ilunsox, au experienced and intrepid seaman, well skilled in the theory as well as practice of navii>ation, and in the use of nirol)ably the fust Englislnnan, who made observations on the inclination or dip of the magnetic needle. This adventurous navigator, with ten men and a boy, in a small bark, whose name and tonnage have not been left on record, set sail from Gravesend on the 1st of May, 16'()7- On the 13th of ,Fune Hudson fell in with land u-head and some ice; the weather became foggy, and the sails and shrowds were frozen. The land was higli and the upper part covered with siiaw, but beinij several days without an observation, Hudson was doubtful whether it was an island or part of Greenland. He reckoned his latitude to be then about 70°, and gave to a hea(! ijid about that parallel the name of Young's Cape, and to a high mount, like a round castle near it, that of the Mount of God's Mercy. This land was evidently that jutting part of the east coast of Greenland which lies to the northward of Iceland. On the 22d he was, by observation, in lat. 7*/ 38' N., and, on the weather clearing uj), he found himself about twelve leagues from tlic ia?id. " It was a maync high land, nothing at all covered with snow ; and the north part of that maync high land was very hioh mountavnes, but we could sec 180 DISCOVERIES OF 1607. 1 no snow on them." " It may be objected ap^ainst us as a fault," continues Iludscm, " tor hauling so westerly a course. The chiefe cause that moved us thereunto, was our desire to sec that part of Groneland which (for ought that we knew) was to any Christian unknowne; and we thought it might as well have beenc open sea as land, and by that means our passage should have beene the larger to the pole." This land lying in lat. 73"" he named Hold with Hope. Hudson observes that this headland, unlike that of Young's Cape, had little or no snow on it, and the air, on their approach to it, was very temperate to their feeling; the rain fell in great drops, like the thunder showers in England. From this part of the east coast of Greenland, so seldom ap- proached, he continued to steer away to the north- east in the hope of falling in with the body of Newland, the name giv«n by the Dutch to Spitzbergen; and accordingly, on the 27th, they made this land, then nearly covered with fog, the ice lying very thick along the shore for fifteen or sixteen leagues. They reckoned thcmselv'cs to be in 78° and near to Voi^el Hoek; and it is remarked, that ill running along near to the shore they found no great cold, yet there was great store of ice to the westward, which obliged them to stand to the southward between tiie land and the ice. On the 1st of July they were embayed in the ice, and, by observation, it appeared they were ^he hoi forgeitil saw Spl ''fore 4 J607. II K\UV HUDSON. 181 lecn or tlicn in 7H°42', which made Hudson conclude they were opposite the great [tulraiight, into which he atUM wards entered \ery far, iindinj^- no bottom, witli one humhcd flitlioms.* The next (hiy they observed in 7S° 5i)\ and on tlie 3{\ in 7H° 33'. On the 4th, tlie wind beinu; at north, it was very cold, and the shrowds and sails were IVozen ; and on the .5th they returned to the mouth of the inlet. Hav- ing sailed about in dift'erent courses to get free from the ice, with which the little vessel was ire- quently beset, they had an observation on the nth, which gave the lat. 79'' 17'. Among the ice was much tlrift-wood. They saw ])lenty of seals, and some bears, one of \\ Inch was killed, and many of the people made themselves sick with eating bear's flesh, unsaltcd. It was Hudson's intention to cross over from hence and pass round the southern extremity of the land called Newland, or Spitzbcrgen ;t but the wini heforc by the Duteh" !—Vny. and Dis. in the North, p. 421. N 3 T. 18(2 DISCOVER TF.S OF \607. or sound, at the bottom of wliich the mate and boatswain went on shore, wliere tliey found a pair of morses' teetli, whale bones, deer's horns and the foot- marks of other beasts ; they also met with nuieh drift-wood and streams of fresh water. " Here thev found it hot on shoore, and (hnnke m ater to coole tlicir thirst, which they also commended." Hudson made the northernmost part of the land then in sight to be in about 81" N. latitude; but on attempting; to sail farther north he saw more land joining to the same, " trending north in our sight, by meanes of the cleernessc of the weather, stretching farrc into 82 degrees; and by the bowing or shewing of the skie mucli farther." This must either be a mistake, or he stood over so far to the west as to have fallen in again with Greenland extending to this latitude, which would rather seem to be the case, as he some time after- wards mentions, from an " icy skic and neerenesse to Crroncland, tliere is no passage tliat way; which, if there had bcene, 1 meant to have made my returne bv the north of Groneland to Davis his Streights, and so fur England." It might, how- ever, have been the ice- blink that deceived him, which was then not so easily, as it now is, dis- tinguished from what is called the land-blink. On the 3 1st of Jnly, being in want of all man- ner of necessaries, the weather thick and foggy, and the season being too far advanced to make further discovery that year, Hudson bore up in his 160A. IIEMIY HUDSON. 183 little bark for his return home, and passinf^ Rear or Cherry Island arrived sat'elv in the Thames on the 1.5th of September.* HENRY nuDsos '—Second Voyage. 1608. Being baffled by the ice in his attempt to pass to the northward of Spitzbergen, Hudson was now directed to try his success in the discovery of a north-east passage to the East Indies. His crew, on this second voyage, was increased to fourteen men. On the Slid of April he dropped down the river, and on the 3d of June got sight of the North Cape; and it is deserving of remark, that, in the course of this passage, he made three observations with a dipping-needle, which he calls the incli- natoty; the lirst in lat. 64° 512' gave 81° of incli- nation; in lat. 67° it was 82°; and in lat. 69"^ 40' the needle inclined 84". Having stood to the north- east till he reached the lat. 74* 30' the inclination of the needle was found to be 86°. In 75° 29' Hudson first fell in with the ice and attempted to pass through it, but four.d it so thick and firm after proceeding four or five leagues, that it Avas thought prudent to return, which was effected with a few rubs of the ship against the ice. From the 9th to the 15th of June little progress was made on account of the ice and fog. On the * Purchas, vol. iii. p. 574. N 4 IS-; DISCOVKRIES OF 1608. '* 1' latter day, bcinj^ then in hit. 7.3" 7', "one of our company, (says Hudson,) looking over boord saw a mermaid, and calling up some oi* the com panic to sec her one more came up, and hy that time shcc Avas come close to the ship's side, looking earnestly on the men: a little after a sea came and over- turned her; from the navill n|)\vards her hackc and breasts were like a woman's, ^^as they say that saw her,) her body as big as one of us ; her skin very white, and long hairc hanging downe behind, of colour blacke ; in her going downe they saw her tayle, which was like the tayle of a porpossc, and sj)eeckle(l like a macrell. Their names that saw her were Thomas Ililles and Robert Rayncr."* On the 19th of June, in hit. 75° ^2^2', Hudson made an observation with the dipping needle, which, if at all correct, or nearly so, would lead to a conclusion that one of the magnetic poles was then at no great distance from this parallel, some- where between Cherry Island and Nova Zembla ; but even now, with all the modern improvements which philosophical instruments have undergone, very little dependence can be placed on observa- tions made at sea, on account of the ship's motion, for the inclination of the magnetic needle. On the 25 th, it is stated, that " the hope of a passage Avas gone this way by meanes of our nearenessc to Nova Zembla and the abundance of ice." They landed on Nova Zembla in about lat. 721° 12', and * Purchas, vol. iii. p. 575. 8. 1C03. HENRY iiunsov. 185 ur r a to ,tW ,'cr- ckc [hat ikin liml, saw ossc, that idson sedlc, pad to s was somc- iibla ; iiicnts igone, Iscrva- iotioii, On issage IcTiessc They 2', aiul found whalebone and deer's horns, and the party broutrlit on board two dozen of fowl and some ejriiis. The sea was full of morses, whales and seals. Findinir little hope of a passaiije between New- land (Spitzberi^en) and Nova Zembla, " my j)ur- pose," says Hudson, "was by the Waygats to passe by the mouth of the river Ob, and to double that way the North Cape of Tartaria, or to give reason wherefore it will not be." The quantity of morses, however, induecd him to hope that they might defray the eharge of the voyage ; in the meantime a party was .«cnt up a large river flowing from the north-eastward, to see if a passage could not be found tliat way into a more easterly sea; but having traced it to one fathom in depth they returned. " Generally," says Hudson, " all the land of Nova Zembla that yet wee have scene, is to a man's eye a pleasant land ; much niaync high land with no snow on it, looking in some places greene, and dcere* feeding thereon ; and the hills are partly covered with snow and partly bare." He adds, " it is no marvell that there is so much ice in the sea toward the pole, so many sounds and rivers being in the lands of Nova Zembla and Ncwland to ingender it; besides the coasts of Pechora, Russia and Groenland, with Lappia, as by proofes 1 finrlc by my travell in these parts ; by meanes of v/hich ice I suppose there will be no navigable passage this way." He therefore stood * Hudson is tlie only navigator timt mentions rfter on Nova Zembla ; and he was probably mistaken. x^ I ' ^ 186 DISCOVERIES or 1609. -■■n 1 f^ \ 1 1 ■i m ^ \ \ to the westward, '• being cut of hope to find pas- sage by the north-cast," and on the 26th of August arrived at Gravcsend.* HENRY HUDSON — Third Voyage. 1609. The ^Merchant-adventurers who had set forth the two preceding voyages appear now to have given up all hope of finding a passage either by the north pole or the north-east : but Hudson was probciOly more sanguine in his expectations ; for we again find him employed by the Dutch in another voyage of discovery. The account of this voyage is written by Robert I vet of Lime- house, is very long, and very uninteresting, at least in so far as it relates to northern discovery. In fact, one scarcely can form any notion, from the perusal of it, v/hat could originally have been its principal object. He first doubles the North Cape, as if proceeding in quest of a north-east passage ; but presently, without any reason being assigned, we find him turning back to the west- ward, passing the Feroe islands, and proceeding to Newfoundland ; from thence he directs his course down the coast of America, as far as Charlestown, then back again to Cape Cod ; and, finally, discovered Hudson's river, which he enters, and on which the Dutch afterwards founded a settlement. * Purchas, vol. iii. p. 581. I6i0. NENUY HUDSON, J 87 hp:niiv uv bson- -Foui'th Foyage. 16 10. Once more the public attention of the British nation is again turned to the north-westward. Sir John Wolstenhohn, Sir Dudley Digges, and some others, were so thoroughly persuaded of the existence of a north-west passage, that they fitted out a vessel at their own expense, and gave the command of her to Henry Hudson, whose cha- racter had long been established as an experienced and enterprizing seaman Of this voyage, which terminated so fatally to the brave commander, we have only a very meagre account, at least of that part of it which is said to have been written by Hudson himself; enough, how- ever, to shew that he passed through the strait into the mediterranean sea, improperly enough called a bay, both of which bear his name. The ship appro- priated for this service was the Discovery, of .55 tons, victualled only, as it w^ould appear, for six months. She left the river on the 1 7th April, 1() 10, and on the 9th .Tune arrived off the entrance of Fro- bisher's Strait ; but, on account of the ice and con- trary Vvinds, was compelled to ply to the westward for nearly a month, when on the 6thJuly she reached some rocks and islands, which Hudson named the Isles of God's mercies. Still plying to the west- ward, Hudson observed more land, in latitude 61° 24', to which he gave the name of Holdxvith Hope. 188 DISCOVEllIES OF 1610. ,i On tlic 23th luoic land was seen, and named Magna Britannia^ the ship heing then in ahout 62i^ On tlic 2d August they had sight of a fair headland, to which was given the name of Salis- bury s Foreland ; and saiHng from thence west- south-west fourteen leagues, and then seven leagues farther, they found themselves in the mouth of a great strait, in which they had no bot- tom at one hundred fathoms. This strait is formed by the north-west point of Labrador, which was named by Hudson Cape fVolslenholm, and a cluster of islands to the north-westward of it, the nearest headland of which he named Cape Digges. From hence the land was found to trend to the southward, and a large sea opened out: — here Hudson's brief remarks end, and the account of the remaining part of this unfortunate voyage is given by one Abacuk Pricket, on whose narrative very little dependence ought, perhaps, to be placed ; as to the discoveries made after Hudson's death it is perfectly useless. He scarcely gives a date, dis- tance, or latitude, and his account of the mutinous proceedings of the crew must be received with caution, and, indeed, creates no little suspicion as to its veracity, from his connection with the muti- neers, and his being permitted to remain with them in the ship. Such as it is, however, it furnishes an awful example of the wretched condition to which mutiny and disobedience to lawful command on 1610. HENRY HUDSON. 189 1 awful Iwbich nd on board a ship at sea, never fail to bring the uuhapp}'' men who are guilty of this crime. Pricket says, that Hudson, being beset with ice, and almost despairing whether he should ever get free from it, brought out his card and shewed the ship's company that he had entered the strait above ahuudred leagues farther than any English- man had been before, and therefore left it to their choice whether they were disposed to proceed ; on which some were of one mind and some of another, some wishing themselves at home, and some not caring where they were if once out of the ice ; but, he adds, " there were some who then spake words which were remembered a great while after." The first appearance of the mutiny is stated to have been produced by Hudson displacing the mate and boatswain, " for words spoken when in the ice," and appointing others. Proceeding to the south they entered a bay on Michaelmas day, and gave it that name, and here it would seem the discontent was increased by the master insisting to weigh the anchor while the rest were desirous of remaining there. Having spent three months " in a labyrinth without end," they at length found a place on the 1st November, where they hauled the ship aground, and on the 10th were frozen in. About the middle of the month John AV'illiams, the gunner, died ; on which occasion Pricket ejaculates, " God pardon the master's uncharitable 190 DTSCOVEIUES OF 16'J0. 'I I i;' dealiiic: witli tliis man !" And now we arc let into Abaciik's story of the cojispiracy. Henry Hudson had takcMi into his liouse in London a young man of the name of CJreene, of good and respectable parents, but an abandoned pro- fligate, whom he carried with him to sea "because he could write well," though in all probability from the more humane motive of saving him from ruin. This person quarrelled with the surgeon and others of the crew. Pricket speaks favourably of his " manhood ;" " but for religion, he would say, he was cleane paper, whereon he might write what bee would." Having thus got rid of every reli- gious feeling, it follows, of course, that no moral tie could bind him, and he soon began to conspire against his benefactor. The provisions growing short increased the discontent of the crew ; but for tlte iirst three months this part of the country abounded with such covics of milk-white par- tridges, that they killed above a hundred dozen, besides others of different sorts ; and when the partridges left them in the spring, their place was supplied with swans, geese, ducks, and teals, but all of them difficult to procure; so difficult, he t^lls us, that they were reduced to eat the moss and frogs ; but the ice breaking up, seven men were sent out in the boat, and returned the first day witli five hundred fish as big as good herrings, and some trouts ; this supply, howxver, soon failed them. 1610. IlEXRY HUDSON. 191 Hudson now began to make preparations for leaving tlic bay in wbieh tbcy bad wintered ; previous to wbicb be debvercd out all tbe bread, being a pound to eaeb man tor about a fbrtnigbt, " and be wept wben be *gave it unto tbem." Tbey bad five cbeeses, wbieb were also divided among tliem, and wbieb ailorded tbrce pounds and a balf for seven days. Tbey tben stood to tbe nortb- west, and on tbe 18tb June fell in witb iee, and on tbe 21st, being still in tbe ice, Wilson tbe boat- swain and Greene came to Pricket, wbo was lying lame in bis cabin, and told bim tbat tbey and tbe rest of tbeir associates meant to turn tbe master and all tbe sick into tbe boat, and leave tbeni to . sbift for tbemselves ; tbat tbere was not fourteen days' victi^als left for tbe wbolc crew ; tbat tbey bad not eaten any tbing tbe last tbree days, and were tberefore resolved " eitber to mend or end ; and wbat tbey bad begun 'Jiey would go tbrougb witb it or die." Pricket of course says be dis- suaded tbem from tbeir borrid design, but tbat Greene bad bim to bold bis tongue, for be knew tbe worst, and be would ratber be banged at borne tban starved abroad. Presently came five or six otbers to Pricket's cabin, wbere tbe following oatli v/as administered to eacb of tbe conspirators : " You sball swear trutb to God, your prince, and country ; you sball do notbing but to tbe glory of God and tbe good of tbe action in band, and barm to no man :" and so it very soon appeared ; for, on 192 DISCOVERIES OF 1610. ■Hi i ^1: i-'i Hudson's coming out of bis cabin, tbey seized and bound bis arms bebind bim ; and on bis asking tbeni wbat tbey meant, tbey told bim be sbould know wben be was in tbe boat. Tbc boat was accordingly bauled along side, ''and tbe poore sicke and lame men were called upon to get tbem out of tbeir cabbins into tbe sballop." Immediately tbe Captain, bis son, and seven otbers were driven into tbe boat ; and a fowling piece, some powder and sbot, a few pikes, an iron pot, a little meal, and some otber articles, tbrown in at tbc same ^ime. Tbe mutineers tben cut tbe tow rope and let ber go adrift among tbe ice, wbere sbe was left witb tbese unfortunate men, in a situation wbicb cannot be contemplated w^itbout borror, and a feeling of deep indignation at tbe brutal perpetrators of tbis most atrocious act ; and most of all, at tbe base ingratitude of tbe wretcb wbo bad been fed, clotbed, and rescued from ruin by Hudson. As soon aG tbe boat was out of sigbt. Pricket says Greene came to bim and told bim tbat it was tbe will of tbe sbip's company tbat be (Pricket) sbould go up into tbe master's cabin, and take cbarge of it, wbicb, after some reluctance, be tells us be did. Tbe first dispute among tbe people was, wbicb way tbey sbould steer, one being for stand- ing to tbe nortb-west, and anotber to tbe north- east; bowever tbev were soon beset in tbe ice, wbere tbey remaiued sbut up for fourteen days ; and wben at lengtb tbey escaped from tbe ice, i\\Q son to < selv thei slioi still, scale It'iigt Oi near Hiids feed I nirt M at firsi soon ei (lied c scuffle, own a thus," of He called men in \rere ni nearly spot on supply to proc They ik to shapi VOL. 1<)11. HENRY HUDSON* 193 itaiicl- lorth- \Q ice, days ; le ice, their provisions were all gone, but they reached some islands on which they gathered cockle-grass to eat. They now began to talk among them- selves that England would be no safe place for them, *' and Henry Greene swore the shippe should not come into any place, but keep the sea stilt, till he had the king's majestie's hand and scale to shew tor his safety;" and this Greene at length became their captain. On the ^7th July they reached come island near Cape Digges, at the western extremity of Hudson's Strait, where they got some gulls to teed upon, and some cockle-grass ; and here they nirt with a great number of savages, with whom at first they were on friendly terms, but a quarrel soon ensued, in which Greene was killed, and three (lied of the wounds they had received in the scuffle. Pricket, after fighting manfully, by his own account, was also severely wounded — " and thus," he says, " you have heard the tragicall end of Henry Greene and his mates, whom they called Captaine ; these four being the only lustie men in all the ship :" the survivors, says Purchas, were now in the most dreadful plight ; provisions nearly gone, and themselves cut off from the only spot on which they had calculated on procuring a supply of sea fowl. They contrived, however, to procure about three hundred of these fowds. They now stood to the westward, and endeavoured to shape their course for Ireland. They had a VOL. T. Q M , 194 DISCOVERIES OF 1611. little meal left, and with this and half a sea fowl a day to each man, they made a kind of pottage. " Wc had flayed our fowle, for they will not pull; and Robert Ivet was the first to niake use of tlie skins by burning off the feathers; so they became a great dish of meate, and as for the garbidgc, it was not throwne away" . ..." at length was all our meate spent, and our fowle restie and dry; but being no remedy, we were content with the salt broth for dinner, and the halfe fowle for sup- per." Nor was this the worst ; they were com- pelled at last to eat their candles, and to fry tlie skins and crushed bones of the fowl in candle- grease, which, with a little vinegar, is stated to have made " a good dish of meate." Just before they reached the land, and the last of their fowls was in the steep-tub, Robert Ivet, whom Hudson is said to have displaced as mate, and n^'xt to Greene the chief mutineer, died for sheer want, They were now in the bay of Galloway, where they met with a Fowey fishing-smack, the people of which agreed, for a certain sum, to carry them into Plymouth.* Such is the substance of Abacuk Pricket's nar- rative; and meagre and suspicious as it is, the most remarkable circumstance is that it appeared satisfactory in England; at least no further in- quiry seems to have been made into the most in- 1 • Purchas his Pilgriraes, vol. iii. p. 596. 1611. HENRY HUDSON. 195 fowl tage. pull; li' the Ige, it ;as all 1 ilvy ; \i\\ tbc ov sup- re coni- tVy the canillc- tated to it before eir fowls lluclsou npxt to er want. , where le people human and atrocious act that had been committed. Pricket, it is true, had disposed of the principal mutineers, and no doubt liimself and those few who returned home made it out that they were compelled to enter into the conspiracy, or at least to remain neutral. It is to he remarked that the part of Hudson's Journal which they brought home terminates on the 3d August, 18.0, when between the Capes Wolstenholme and Digges, but Hudson was not seized and thrust into the boat till the 21st June, 1811. Ts it not then very surprizing that no inquiry should have been made for the master's journal during this long period ? Pricket was the very person to have been made account- able, for he admits that he took charge of the masters cabin, and that Greene gave him the key of the master's chest. A shrewd navigator, com- menting on the transactions of this voyage, says, " Well, Pricket, I am in great doubt of thy fidelity to Master Hudson."* .SIH THOMAS BUTTON. l6l2. most uv I The moral character of Abacuk Pricket, and of Robert By lot, would not seem to have suffered very greatly in the eyes of the Merchant- Adventurers, "^ North-west Fox, p. 117. O 2 190' DISCOVERIES Of 1612. on account of the unhappy catastrophe which betel Hudson ; and it may therctbre be presumed that they substantiated by proof their innocence of all participation in that atrocious transaction. We find, at least, that both were engaged to proceed on the same voyage the following year, under the command of Captain (afterwards Sir Thomas) Button, a gentleman then in the service of Prince Henry, an able seaman, and a man of very considerable talent. The two ships fitted out for this new voyage oi' discovery bore the same names as those under the celebrated Cook, when employed on the same service, but on the opposite side of America — the Resolution and the Discovery ; the former of which was commanded by Sir Thomas, the latter by Captain Ingram. Sir Thomas Button had with him besides, on this voyage of discovery, a relation of the name of Gibbons, and one Captain Hawkridge, both volunteers, and men of reputed skill and experience. The two ships, being in all respects ready for sea and victualled /or eighteen months, took their departure early in Alay 1612. For reasons that one cannot well comprehend, the voyage of Sir Thomas Button was never published, either by himself or '^y any competent authority ; a sort of mysterious secrecy being kept up, though several details, collected from different persons employed on it, and from verbal informa- tion, as well as some abstracts said to be taken from Button's own journal by Sir Thomas Roe, 1612. SlU THOMAS BUTTON. \97 )ctcl that )f uU iiiul, n tUt: mantl roN, a Lvy,au talent, rage of ler the e same :a— tlie mer of ic latter :on had overy, a Captain reputed lug in were some years afterwards printed by Fox, in the introductory part of his own voyage.* The opening of Hudson's Strait into a great western sea, and tlie report in Abacuk Pricket's journal of Hudson's ship having been floated off a rock near Cape Digges, by a high tide flowing from the westward, are the reasons assigned for undertaking this new voyrge of discovery. It is to be hoped how^ever, that humanity had some sluire in the business, and that one of the objects of the expedition might be that of intiuiring after the fate of the unfortunate Hudson and his com- panions. The intention at any rate was to Ibllow the track of Hudson ; and accordingly, on arrivingoflf the strait, Button stood directly to the westward, for Digges's Island, where he remained about a week employed in fitting up a pinnace which had been brought out in pieces from England. He then con- tinued to proceed to the westward, till he made the southern part of the large island, which in some charts is called Southampton Island, and to which he gave the name of Carey s Swans Nest ; and from hence still sailing westerly he fell in with more land on the main coast of America, in lat. 60" 40', to which he gave the name of Hopes Checked. A storm coming on, the two ships ?.tood to the southward down Hudson's Bay, and on the 15th August, entered the mouth of a river in lat. 57° 10', * North-west Fox, p. H7. o 3 i I 198 DISCOVERIES OF 1612. f 5 , wliicli was named by Button, Nelsotis River, so called from the master of his ship, whom he had the misfortune to lose, and who was interred at this place. The season being far advanced, and Button seeing it would be expedient to winter here rather than in a more northerly latitude, his first care was to secure the two ships against the wind and tides and the floating ice, which he learned from early experience might be expected to be still more troublesome in the course of the winter. Many of the people died from the severe cold, though the river was not frozen over till the I6th February. The weather however was frequently mild, and Button took advantage of it by employing his people on shore in killing game. The quantity of partridges was so abundant and so easily procured, that they are said to have taken and consumed no less than eighteen hundred dozen. He also con- trived, like a wise commander, to keep the crew employed during their confinement to the ship, well knowing that the best way of preventing men from murmuring, discontent, and secret conspira- cies, was to divert their minds from dwelling on their own unpleasant situation. To the inferior officers he put questions concerning the route of their late navigation, and engaged them in com- paring each other's observations as to the courses they had run, the set of the tides, the latitudes of the places they had touched at ; and apparently I6l2. SIR THOMAS BUTTON. 199 early more jiy of h the ruary. 1, and ng bis itity of )curecl, ned no so con- e cvc>y ship, ig men ►nspira- jng on [inferiov •oute of |n corn- courses ;udes of larently consuhing them what they should do, and what course pursue, on the appioach of spring. Every man in the ship hy these niea )s felt himself of some importance, and took an interest in the further prosecution of the voyage. Among others wc find an answer given hy one Josias Iluhert, the pilot of the Resolution, to the question. How the discovery might he hest prosecuted when they should be able to go to sea ? which shews the sound notions enter- tained by this man respecting the true mode of searching for the passage, " My answer," he says, "to this demand is, to search to the northward about this western land until, if it be possible, that we may find the flood coming from the westward, and to bend our courses against that flood, following tlie ebb, searching that way for the passage. For this flood which we have had from the eastward, I cannot be persuaded, but that they are the veins of some head-land to the northward of the Checks, and hy the inlets of rivers which let the flood-tides into them, which headlands being found, I do assure myself, that the tide will be found to come from the westward." The ice broke up from Nelson's River on the 21st of April, but they did not quit their winter anchorage till two months afterwards, when they stood to the northward exploring the eastern coast of America, conformably with Hubert's idea^ as high along the land of Southampton Island as 65°, Proceeding again to the southward Button fell in o 4 200 DISCOVERIES OF 1612. r J H> i ^^■'..i I '<'. . ': .\ with some islands wbicli he namec\ Man ceTs Islands, and which are now marked on the charts as Mans- Jield's Islands. To the extreme point of South- ampton Island, lying to the westward of Carey's Swan's Nest, he gave the w^mQoi Cape Southampton^ and to that on the east of it Cape Pembroke. After this he passed Cape Chidley, and in sixteen days reached England in the autumn of 1613. There seems to have been no reason why the proceedings of the voyage of Sir Thomas Button should have been kept secret, or published only piecemeal. He was the first who reached the eastern coast of America on the western sidj of Hudson's Bay, and discovered Nelson's River, which has long been the principal settlement of the H udson's Bay Company. He was strongly possessed with the idea of the existence of a north-west pas- sage ; and he told Mr. Briggs, the celebrated mathe- matician, that he h d convinced King James of the truth of this opinion, which is said to have had so much influence with the Adventurers as to induce them to make a further attempt the following year. JAMES HALL — Fouvth Voyage, 1612. In the same year that Sir Thomas Button sailed from England, James Hall also made a fourth voyage, with two small vessels, called Xho, Patience and Ilearfs Ease, fitted out by a new set of 1612. 1612. JAMES HALL. 201 lands, Mans- 50Utb- ^arey's mpton, After n clays ^hy the Button ed only led the sidw of 5 River, ntofthe )0ssessctl rest pas- mathe- of the had so o induce 12. on sailed a fourtli )Patienci ■V set of es merchant-adventurers of London, of whom Mr. Alderman Cockin appears to have been one of the principal partners ; but it proved fatal to tlie per- severing commander of this expedition, who was mortally w^oundcd by the dart of an Esquimaux on the coast of Greenland. The little that is known of this voyage appears to have been written by William Baffin; and it is cbiefly remarkable for its being the first on record, in which a method is laid down, as then practised by him, for determining the longitude at sea by an observation of the heavenly bodies ; and the metliod he made use of sufficiently proves that Baflin possessed u very con- siderable degree of knowledge in the theory as well as practice of navigation. On an island in Cockin's Sound he first determined, by various observations of the sun, both above and below the pole, an exact meridian line; be says, "on the 9th of July I went on shoare the island, being a faire morning, and observed till tbe moone came just upon the meridian. At which very instant I observed the sunnes height, and found it 8 degrees 53 minutes north, in the elevation of the pole 65 degrees 20 minutes. By the which, working by the doctrine of sphericall triangles, having the three sides given, to wit, the complement of the pole's elevation; the complement of tbe Alme- canter; and the complement of the sunnes decli- nation ; to find out the cjuantity of the angle at the pole: I say, by this working, I found it to be i| 202 DISCOVERIES OF 1612. .•5: \ • foure of the clocke, 17 minutes and 24 seconds. Which, wlien I had done, I found by mine ephe- merides, that the moone came to the meridian at London that morning at foure of the clocke, 25 minutes, 34 seconds, which 17 minutes, 24 seconds, subtracted from 25° 34' leaveth S'* 10' of time, for the difterence of longitude betwixt the meri- dian of London and the meridian passing by this place in Grocnland. Now the moone's motion that day was 12 degrees 7 minutes, which con- verted into minutes of time, were 48 minutes 29 seconds ; which, working by the rule of pro- poition, the worke is thus : if 48 minutes 29 seconds (the time that the moone commeth to the meridian sooner that day, then she did the day before) give 360 (the whole circumference of the earth), what shall 8 minutes 10 seconds give — to wit, 60 degrees 30 minutes, or neere thereabout; which is the difference of longitude betweene the meridian of London and this place in Grocnland, called Cockin's Sound, lying to the westward of London.'"* Baffin admits that the operation is somewhat difficult and troublesome, and liable to error ; yet the importance of knowing the longitude of places renders it, in his opinion, highly expedient that mariners should practise such things; and, he * Purclias, vol. iii. p. 832. 1612. JAMES HALL. 203 the ind, 1 of fwhat yet )laces that ll, he adds, " I know some of the better sort which arc able to work this and the like propositions ex- actly." From Cockin's Sound they proceeded towards the river, " where the supposed myne should be" — fiom which expression it may be conjectured that the object of the present voyage was the dis- covery of gold and not ot the north-west passage. The weather being stormy, with the wind fioin the northward, they put into Ramelsford on the 21st of July; and here about forty of the savages came down to barter with them. " At which time our master, James Hall, being in the boate, a savage, with his dart, strooke him a deadly wound upon the right side, which our surgeon did thinke did peerce his liver. We all mused that he should strike him, and offer no harme to any of the rest: unlesse it were, that they knew since he was there with the Danes ; for out of that river they carried away five of the people, whereof never any returned againe ; and in the next river they killed a great number." " All that day he lay very sore pahied, lo )king for death every houre ; y.nd on Thursday the three and twentieth, about eight of the clocke in tlie moriving he dyed, being very penitent for all his former offences.'"* Having buried the master they proceeded to tlic northward and entered Cunningham's river, where Furchas, vol. iii. p. 83'J, 504 DISCOVERIKS OF 1614. .1 *: ■ • i t . .; . M*:» i ■ ^ i they " foind divers places where the Danes had digged ; it was a kinde of shining stone, M'hich, when our goldsmith, James Carlile, had tried, it was found of no vahie, and had no mettall at all in it; but was like unto Muscovie studde, and of a glittering colour." From hence they proceeded to Ramelsford, which lies in lat. 67°. Here the new master, Andrew Barker, and the merchant, Mr. Wilkinson, and others, held a conference about returning home; because, since the murder of Hall, none of the savages would come near to trade with them as usual. Accordingly, on the 10th of August, they stood out of the harbour, and on the 17tli of September they arrived at Hull. CAPTAIN GIBBONS. I6l4. The reason assigned for Sir Thomas Button not following up the attempt to discover the passage, of the existence of which he was so sanguine, is the death of his patron, Prince Henry, during his absence on the first voyage. But the same ship, the Discovery, which had accompanied the Reso- lution, w^as again fitted out and victualled for twelve months, and the command of her given to Captain Gibbons, the relation and friend of Sir Thomas Button, who had been with him the pre- ceding year. The high character given by Sir Thomas to this officer as a seaman, of whom he 1615. CAPTAIN GIBBONS. 205 does not hesitate to say " that he is not short of any man that ever yet he carried to sea," had raised great expectations from this voyage, which, however, were wofully disappointed. Captain Gibbons had not proceeded far into Hudson's Strait before he fell in with the ice, which came down in such quantities as to hamper him very considerably. The weather also was boisterous, cold and foggy, which induced him to turn back. Some, indeed, are of opinion that he never reached the Strait, but was driven by the southern current and the floating ice down the coast of Labrador, where he took shelter in a bay lying in about 57", in which he remained nearly five months, com- pletely blocked up by the ice. To this spot his ship's company are said to have given, in derision, the name of " Gibbons his hole'' Escaping at length, with considerable damage to his ship, he made the best of his way home. The bay in which he was thus caught appears to be that now called Nain, at the head of which there is an establishment of Moravian missionaries. ROBERT BYLOT. \6\5, The total failure of Captain Gibbons, notwith- standing the high character given of him as a sea- man by Sir Thomas Button, did not discourage the adventurous merchants from following up the pro- w . I 206? DISCOVERIES OF 1515. sccution of discoveries in the north-west. They again fitted out the Discovery for a fourth voyage towards this quarter. Robert 1]yletii or Bvlot, who had been employed on the tlnec former voyages, under Hudson, Button and Gibbons, was now appointed master; and William Baflin, by whom the account of the voyage is written, his mate and associate. The crew consisted of four- teen men and two bovs. With these slender means they left the Thames on the l6th of April, and saw Greenland on the east side of Cape Farewell on the 6'th of Mav, from which time to the 17th, in proceeding westerly, they were much hampered with ice, and, on that day in parti- cular, passed many great islands of ice, some of which are stated to be more than two hundred feet high above the water. " This," says Baftin, " I proved by one shortly after, which I found to be two hundred and forty foot high, and if report of some men be true, which al^irms that there is but one seventh part of the ice above water, then the height of that piece of ice, which I observed, was one hundred and forty fathoms (280 fathoms) or one thousand sixe hundred and eiohtic foote from the top to the bottome."* On the 27th they * Purchas, vol. iii. p. 837. Forster, in quoting from Fox, makes a most ridiculous mistake, and after a learned dissertation on the specific gravity of ice, concludes that the mass in question must have been 8,400 feet high ; " which," he adds, as well he might, " is, indeed, a most tremendous \\t\g\\C—Voija^is, c^c. in the North, p. 30' I. 1615. ROllEUT BYLOT. 207 ?poit re is then rved, loms) footc they listake, ot ice, )0 feet la most saw the island of Resolution. On the 31st they came in sight of Buttons Isles, and the next day stood across and got into a good harhour on the north-w est side of the island of Resolution, whose longitude was ascertained, hy ohscrvation, to be 66° 3o' W. from London, and tiic variation of iie compass 24^ 6' W. Standing to tlie northward they came to a cluster of islands in Lumley's inlet, to which they gave the name of Savage Islands; why, is not very clear, because though they observed on some of them many tents and canoes, and dogs, they saw no people. On ascend- ing a hill, however, they discovered a large boat on the water with fourteen people in it. " Among the tents I found," says Baffin, " a little bagge, in which was z company of little images of men ; one the image of a woman with a child at her backe, all the which I brought away." The dogs, to the amount of thirty-five or forty, were most of them muzzled, and are described as a sort of " mun- grele mastifles, being of a brinded blacke colour, looking almost like wolves." These dogs draw their sleds over the ice, and they draw with collars and other furniture. In the narrow passages between these islands the ship was frequently set fast in the ice, whicli some- times entirely choked up those straits. Here Baffin observes, that he saw the sun and the moon at tlie same time, which is not unusual in fair weather; and this gave him an opportunity of 'I 1; I 208 DISCOVERIES OF 1615. making an observation for the longitude ; justly remarking, tliat " if observations of this kinde or some other, at places farre remote, as at the C'ipe Bona Speranza, Bantam, Japan, Nova Albion and Magellan Straits, I suppose we should have a truer geography then we have." The ice at length opening afforded an opportu- nity for the ship to escape ; they next appjoached Salisbury Island, a little to the northward of which was a cluster or group, to which they gave the name of Mill Islands, from the grinding of one mass of ice against the other. The latitude of the main island of this group was observed to lie in 64°. In the narrow sounds made by these islands, the ice running o le way and the current the other, the ship was frequently in the utmost danger; *' but God," says Baffin, '• which is still stronger then either ice or streame, preserved us and our shippe from any harme at all." They continued advancing slowly to the north-westward; and finding the flood coming down from the north- ward, they were " put in great comfort and hope of a passage in this place," on which account the master called the cape or headland Cape Comfort ; and the hope was increased by finding the depth of one hundred and forty fathoms not a league from the shore. The lat. of this cape is 65° and long. S5° 20' W. of London. " But this our sudaine comfort," says Baffin, " was as soone quailed ;" for having passed 15. ,tly ; or "pc and re a )itU- ched 3 the f one )f the lie in lands, other, mger ; ronger id our tinned i; and north- rt and which ladland ^ed by forty Ihe lat. W. of pas 1615. RODERT BY LOT. 209 the cape the land was observed to strctcli a\v»ny to tlie norlb-eastward, and the farther they proceeded north the shoaler was the water, and tlie more the sea pestered with ice. Having, therefore, reached the lat. 65° 26' and long. 86° 10' W., the master concluded they were in a great bay, ** and so tacked and turned the shippes head homewards, without any farther search." Coasting the land, therefore, to the southward, they fell in with a number of morses, and called the point opposite, Sea-horse Point; passed Not- tingham's Isle, near which they remained till the 27th of July, observing the set of the tides, the time of high water, &c. and taking in ballast. From thence they proceeded between Salisbuiy and Nottingham Islands. The master, however, was not quite satisfied in giving up the point so soon and stood back again to Sea-horse Point, but the trending of the land gave no hopes of a passage that way, and they again stood to the south-east- ward to Diggess Islands, w^here they killed about seventy fowls, which are called willocks; and it is observed they might have kil'ed many thousands, these birds frequenting those .Jands in incredible multitudes. On the 5th of August they passed Resolution Island, and on the 7th of September came to anchor in Plymouth Sound ; all the crew living, having only three or four sick, all of whon\ speedily recovered. VOL. I. P ( 210 ) \G\6. i I 1 ■ •1 !■ i ' i ; ROBERT BYLOT AXD WILMAM BAFFIN. l6l6. This is the fifth voyage made in tlie little barlv the Discovery in search of a north-west passage, wiiich sliij) was again fitted out by the same adventurers, who, we are now told, were the Right Worshipful Sir Tiiomas Smith, Knight, Sir Dudley Digges, Knight, Master John Wolstenholme, Es- quire, Master Alderman Jones, with some others. KoBERT By LOT was again appointed Master, and WiiLiAM Baffin Pilot. The instructions given for their guidance have the merit of being clear, distinct, and brief. " For your course you must make all possible haste to the Cape Desolation ; and from thence you, ^Villiam Baffin as pilot, keep along the coast of Greenland and up Fretum Davis, until you come toward the height of eighty degrees, if the land will give you leave. Then, for feare of in- baying, by keeping too northerly a course, shape your course west and southerly, so farre as you shall thinke it convenient, till you come to the latitude of sixtic degrees ; then direct your course to fall with the land of Yedzo, about that height, leaving y-ur farther say ling southward to your ownc discretion, according as the time of the year and windes will give you leave ; although our desires l)e, if your voyage prove so prosperous, that you may have the year before you, that you goe so farre southerly as that you may touch the 6. 1615. DVLOT AND UAFFIK. 211 ark \ge, \g\it aicy Ks- ;bcvs. , and o'ivcu clear. Dssible thence c coast U you if the of in- shapc as you to the course height, to your [lie year iQ'h our iperous, Ihat you Lch tbe north part of Japan, from whence, or from Yedzcy, if you can so compassc it vvitliout danger, wc ■would liavc you to bring home one of the men ( f the countrcy ; and so God blessing you with all expedition to make your return home againe.' ^ On tbe 26th IMarch the Discovery, with seven- teen persons on board, set sail from (navcsend ; but the weather being boisterous, they were compelled to seek shelter, fust in Dartmouth and then in Plymouth. They got away from the latter place on the 19th April, and, " after a good passage, the first land we saw was in Fretum Davis,, on the coast of Greenland, in the latitude of 65" 20/' They proceeded northerly, without obstruction, to latitude 70° 20', and anchored in a fair sound near the London Coast of Davis. The natives all ran away, leaving their dogs behind them. Here the small rise of the tide being only eight or nine feet, gave Baffin " some dislike of the passage." On the 30tli ^lay they reached Hope Sanderson^ the extreme point of Davis's progress, lying be- tween 72° and 73°, and fell in with much ice, which on the 1st June they got clear of, and, the wind being contrary, put in among a cluster of islands ; but on the natives seeing their ship they fled aw^ay, leaving their tents behind. They found several women, however, Avho had hidden them- selves among the rocks, some of them young and others old, one of the latter being from her ap- * Purchas'b Pilgrims, vol, iii. p. 842. p2 212 DISCOVERIES OF ]G\6 •>i 4 i-':i \ 'r 1 { i peaiancc little less than tburscorc. To this g;roiip they <>;a\e the name of ITomens Lslamk ; the latitude of that nearest which they lay heino* lif 45', the tide still small, and the flood eoming from the southward. The inhabitants are described as very poor, livin<>' on seal's flesh, which they eat raw, and clothing themselves with their skins. The faces of the women were marked with black streaks. They seemed to worship the sun, pointing constantly to it and stroking their breasts, and calling out at the same time lit/out f The men and doirs are buried in the same manner, each having a heap of stones piled over them. Departing from hence they stood away to the northward, between the ice and the land, being in a channel as it weie of seven or eight leagues ■wide, till they came to the latitude 74° 4', when they found themselves much pestered with the ice ; and here they dropped anchor near three small islands, which appeared to be occasionally visited by the people of the neighbouring coast. They then trie(! to make their way to the westward, but the ice was too firm to let them pass ; and therefore they returned to some islands in latitude 73° 45' to wait till the ice (which they observed to consume very fast) sliould disappear. During their stay at this place, some forty of the natives came in their boats and exclianged seal's skins, sea morse teeth, and iinicorn's horns, for small pieces of iron, glass beads, and such like. To this place they ga\ c the nan^c of Horn Sound, 16 1616'. MVLOT AND BAFFIN. 21J 3Up the Von\ d as raw, The )lack \ting , and : men each to the ;iiig in cagues when th the three tonally coast, kward, ititudc ►uvuig latives ins, sea pieces plac Oil tlic 18tb, on j)erceiving that imicli oK tlie ice liad already w asted, thcv nioceedcd northerly ; hut the weather was extremely cold with much snow, and IJaltin savs, it froze so hard, " that on Mid- summer day our shrowds, roapes, and sailes were so frozen that we could scarce handle them." l^y the 1st July, being then in latitude 7.5° 4()', tliey had got into an oj)en sea, " which," says IJalVm, " anew reyiyed the hope of a passage." On the second they found a fair cape or headland, which tliey named Sir Dudley Diggess Cape, in latitude 76^ 36'f and twehe leagues beyond this a fair sound, haying an island in the midst, making two entrances. To this sound they s;aye the name of JVolstenliolmc Sound ; it is described as having many inlets or smaller sounds in it, and as a fit place for the killing of whales. On the 4th, the weather being stormy, they found themselyes embayed in a large sound, in which they saw so many whales that they named it JVhale Sound: it lies in latitude 77° 30'. Between two great sounds was an island, which they called Hakluyt's Island, and the latter sound Sir Thomas Smith's Sound, which runneth to the north of 78°, " and is admirable in one respect, because in it is the greatest variation in the compasse of any part of the world known ; for, by divers good observa- tions, I found it to be above five points or iifty-six degrees varied to the westward." To a cluster of islands Baffin gave the name of Carey s Islands, p3 214 DISCOVERIES OF 1516. I but he does not give their position, observing, that " all which sounds and islands the map doth truly describe." Of this map of Baffin hereafter. The wind being favourable they stootl to the south-westward, in an open sea, and with a stiff gale of wind, till the 10th, when it became calm and foggy ; they were taen near the la id, in the entrance of a fair sound, which they named Aide?'- man Jones's Sound. The boat was sent on shore, but it soon returned on account of the bad weather ; no sign of people were seen, but abun- dance of sea morses among the ice. Standing on to the westward, they opened out, on the l!i?th, another great sound in 74** ^20', which they named Si?' James Lancaste?''s Sound. " Here," says Baf- fin, " our hope of passage began to be lesse every day than other, for from this sound to the south- ward wee had a ledge of ice betweene the shoare and us, but cleare to the seaward ; we kept close by this ledge of ice till the 14tn day in the after- noone, by which time wee were in the latitude of 71° 16', and plainely perceived the land to the southward of 70° 30' ; then wee, having so much ice round about us, were forced to stand more eastward ;" and in this direction they ran amongst tlie ice threescore leagues, nor could they approach the land till they came to about 68", and being then unable to get to the shore on account of the ice, they drifted down to 66° 4(/. " Then," says Batlin, " wee left off seeking to the west shoare, because wee were in the indraft of Cu??ibcrLa?ids 1616. BtLOT AND BAFFIN. 215 Ides, and should know no ccrtaintic and hope of passage could be none." lie adds, " Now seeing that wee had made an end of our discovery, and the year being too farre spent to goe for the bottonie of the bay to search for drest finnes,* therefore wee determined to goe for the coast of Gfoneland to see if we could get some refreshing for our men." Their crew, it seenis, were very weak and sickiy, one had died and three laid up in their hammocks. They therefore stood for the shore, and anchored in a place called Cockin Sound, in hititude 65° 45'. And here on a little island they found abundance of scurvy-grass, which they boiled in beer, and mixing it with sorrel and orpen, both very plentiful, made good sallads ; the men in the course of eight or nine days perfectly re- covered. They also received, after continuing a few days, '' salmon peale" from the natives. It is also stated, that in this sound " were such great scales of salmon swimming to and fro, that it is much to be admired." They left this bay on the 6th August, and on the 25th of the same month came in sight of the coast of Ireland, and on the SOth anchored safely in Dover Road, "for the which," says Balfm, "and all other his blessings, the Lord make us thankful." This voyage, which ought to have been, and indeed may still be, considered as the most interest' * Whalebone. P 4 216 DISCOVERrES OP 16\6. M': \ •• I I i. : i . ing and important cither before or since, is the most vague, indefinite, and unsatisfactory of all others, and the account of it most unhke the writing of William Baffin. In all his other journals, we have not only tlic latitude and longi- tude noted down, but the observations of the heavenl}^ bodies from wliich they were deduced, and the arithmetical operation inserted ; the lon- gitude, the variation and declination of the mag- netic needle, the courses steered, and a variety of particulars entered on the proper day ; but hi this most important voyage, purporting to have reached many degrees of latitude beyond any preceding voyage, and to have skirted the coast and islands of America, where the passage must have been found, if it has any existence, we have neither course, nor distance, nor variation of the compass, except once, and no one longitude whatever; so vague and indefinite indeed is every information left, which could be useful, that each succeeding geographer has drawn " Baffin's Bav" on his chart as best accorded with his fancy. It would almost seen as if Baffin was averse from discovery on this voyage ; for v/hen they had reached only the lati- tude 7(f 20', beyond which even Davis had been, he conceived "some dislike of the passage;" and the slovenly manner in which he runs over the nume- rous " sounds," in a very high degree of latitude, is quite vexatious ; Indeed, from the multitude of shales, which he describes to choke up those 1 ;i6. the [ all the »tber )ngi- ' the need, ! lem- ma g- ;ty of 11 this ached !edmg lids of found, course, exeept ue and which raphcr IS best : seen. )n this le lati- een, he nd the iiumc- titudc, udc of those 1616'. BYLOT AND BAFFIN. 217 sounds, they were perhaps nothing more tliaii openings between huge ice-bergs, or at any rate passages made by an archipelago of islands. Baf- lin is so much aware of this, that in his letter to Mr. John Wolstenholme he observes, " some may object and aske why we sought that coast no better r" to which he alleges, in answer, the bad- ness of the weather, the loss of anchors, the weak- ness of the crew, and the advanced season of the year. Purchas, however, is blameable to a certain degree, for the meagreness of Baffin's journal and the suppression of a chart which accompanied it ; for he admits, in a marginal note, that " this map of the author's for this and the former voyage, with the tables of his journall and say ling, were somewhat troublesome and too costly to insert."* It may he observed, that Baftin drew off from the main land of America to the eastward, from the very spot wliere of all others a passage is most likelv to be fuund ; but he is not to blame for not then possessing that knowledge which Cook and Hearne and Mackenzie have since supplied. * Purchas's PiijTrims, vol. iii. p. 847. — " Purchas," says Dal- ryniple, " has iinpardonably omitted publi^liing Baffin's original map, which, as well as his journal, he had in his possession. Nor can the low state of the art of engravincr at that time be pleaded as an excuse, since that valuable original merited his attention more than the vile scraps he has given from Ilondius." — il/ew. of a Map of the Lands around the North iWc. I ; ( 213 ) 1603 to III, 1 .1 . VARIOUS VOYAGES, OF A MIXED CHARACTER, TO HIGH NORTHERN' LATITUDES. From ]603 io \6\5. The various voyages vvhicli had been made into the arctic seas, for the purpose of discovering a passage to the Indie«, not only laid the foundation of an extensive and advantaii'eous commerce witli Russia, but gave rise to the regidar establishment of the fisheries of Newfoundland, of Davis Strait and of Spitzbergen. So early as the year 1603, the " worshipful Francis Chcrie' ficted out a ship, called the Gi^ace, of fiftie tons, whereof Stephen Bennet was master, with instructions to visit Cola in the first place, in order to dispose of her cargo, and take in such other goods as Lapland might afford ; and after that " to proceed upon some discoverie." For the latter purpose Bennet left the river of Cola on the 6th of August, with a determination to sail as far as 80° of latitude, if nothing should hinder him. On the 17th of August he fell in with an island, on which the people landed, but found nothing but two foxes, one white the other black, a piece of lead, and a frao-ment of a morse's tooth. Beino: too late in tlie year to attempt any tiling farther to the north, he stood from this island to the westward, continuing in the same parallel till he had an observation, by )3 to \6\5. VOYAGES OF A MIXED CHARACTER. 219 I, TO e into ring a dation c with ilmicnt i Strait f 1603, out a A'lieveof luctions which he determined the hititude of the island to be 74"° 30'. This island, though discovered by Barentz several years before, and named by him Bear Island, was now named by Bennet, and has since retained the name, Cherry Island. The following year ]3cnnet proceeded on the same voyage, in the God Speed, of sixty tons, belonging to ^Ir. Thomas Welden. They left Wardhuys the Gthof July. On the 8th they saw Cherry Island, and, on going Oii shore, found " so many fowles that they covered the rockes, and flew in such great flockes tliat they shewed like a cloud;" and, in returning, "a huge morse putting his head above the water, made such a horrible noyse and roaring, that they in the boate thought he would have sunk it." On another part of the island they found " a multitude of these monsters of the sea, lying like hogges upon heaps." They shot at them in vain till their muskets were spoiled and their powder was spent, when " wee would blow their eyes out with a little pease-shot, and then come on the blind side of them, and with our carpenter's axe cleave their heads : but for all that wee could doe, of above a thousand wee killed but fifteene." They filled a hogshead with the loose teeth found on the island. In the interior they saw only fowls and foxes. On another side of the island were at least a thousand morses lying, and on the shore abundance of drift-wood, mostlv fir. Having killed about fiftv of the morses or wal- ^ ^ r '220 VOYAGES OF 160 J to I'usscs, they returned to Cola ; and, departini*- for Kns]jland, arrived iu the Thames the l.'Jtli of Octo- ber, U)Oi. Tlie next vcar Mii. Welden, the owner of tlie ship, witli Bennet, as master, made another voyage to Cherry Ishmd ; and being now more expert in kilHng the morses, they not only took their teeth but boiled their blubber into oil. They also dis- covered a mine of lead-ore, and brought away about thirty pounds of it in weight. Again, in 160(), Bennet proceeded in the same ship, accompanied by a pinnace of twenty tons. They arrived off the island on the 3d of July, but the ice not having yet broken up from the shores, the morses had not landed. On the 13th the ice began to go away and the morses to land. A party, properly equijjped, went on shore ; and so well had they improved in the work of destruc- tion, that " before six hours were ended wee had slayne about seven or eight hundred beasts." By the 26'th they had taken on board twenty-two tons of oil and three hogsheads of teeth, besides which they slew two large bears. They then left the island en the 29th of July, and on the 15th of August arrived in the Thames. In 160s Mr. Welden again proceeded in his ship to Lapland and Cherry Island, at the latter of which he arrived on the 18th of June, slew two bears on shore, and perceived great store of sea morses. On the 21st and 22d the weather is 1615. A MIXED CIIAllACTF.R. :2i J to for )cto- F the )yaoc nt hi teeth io tlis- away J same f toi^s. ily, but sl\ores, the ice nd. A and so Icstvue- ivee »> had 15y Iwo tons which lleft the ll5th of latter ot lew two le of sea lather is stated to have ])een cahii and clear, and as liot as is commonly felt at that time of the year in Eng- land ; " for the pitch did runne downe tlic sliip's sides ; and that side of the masts that was to the sunne-M ard was so hot that the tarre did frye out of it, as though it had boyled." At the bottom of a cove, on the south side of the island, they slew about nine hundred or a thousand morses in less tlian seven hours ; and such was the (luantity of these animals killed, that by the .Qth they had taken in thirty-one tons of oil, one hogs- liead, one barrell and one tierce of morses' teeth, besides 400 loose teeth. There was also a second ship here, called the Dragon belonging to a brewer of St. Catharine's. They took on board a eouple of young morses, male and female ; the female died on the passage, but the male was brought home alive and earried to the court, " where the king and many honour- able personages beheld it with admiration, for the strangenesse of the same, the like whereof had never before becne scene alive in Knoland. Not Ions: after it fell sick and died. As the beasi; in shape is very strange, so it is of strange docilitie, and apt to be taught, as by good experience wee often proved."*' iVnother voyage to this island was undertaken ill 1609, which is chietly remarkable on account * Purclias, vol. iii. p. 560. i I,; 222 VOYAGES OF 1G03 to of* formal possession l)clng taken of it in the name of the Muscovy Company ; of the extraordinary quantity of bears seen and shiin ; of the multitude of foxes; of good sea coal, and three mines of lead ore being discovered on Gull Island ; and for their meeting with no less than three other ships at the island, making with theirs a little fleet of five vessels, and one hundred and eighty-two men ; the whole of which vessels, being caught in a cove by the drift-ice, had nearly been crushed to atoms. In consequence of the possession taken of Cherry Island, on the part of the Muscovy Company, the s\\\\i Amitie, of seventy tons, was fitted out by that company in the year \6\0 for a further discovery to be made towards the North Pole, either for trade or a passage that way, of which ship Jonas PooLE, who had been on all the former voyages, was appointed master. He passed the North Cape on the 2d of May, ^' after many stormes, much cold, snow and extreame frosts." He made the latitude of Cherry Island on the 6th, but could not approach it on account of the vast quantity of ice, among which " the ship had many a knocke." He stood on to the northward, and, on the 16th of May, saw land in 76° 50', which was, of course, a part of Spitzbergen. The boat was sent on shore, and the people finding a deer's horn they gave the name of Horn Sound to the bay in which they landed ; and to the land first seen, about four leagues to the southward of the bay, that of nia I to 1615. A MIXED CHARACTER. imc mvy :iicle Iciul tliciv t the ' ftvc ; the ivc by lis. :Uerry ly, the 3y that icovevy her tor ) Jonas oyages, th Cape i, much ^ade the )uUl not of ice, aiocke." U)th of :ourse, a )n shove, jgave the fich they lout tour that of Muscovy Mount. Leaviiio; this part of the coast he stood first to the westward, then to the uortli- ward, and in lat. 77° 2o' finds the weather on the 17tli of May " very Avarnie and farre teniperatcr" tliuu at the North Cape at the same period of the year. On the 19th, however, lie says, " it was v^ry thick foggcs, with wind, frost and snow, and cold, that I thinke they did strive here which oi them should have the superioritic." Such was the continuance of fog that he comjjlains of not being able to see the sun on the meridian for five davs, and not at all for sixty hours, though constantly above the horizon. In 78° 57' he named the head- land of a small island Fair Foreland; and here he assures himself " that a passage may be as soonc attayned this w^ay, by the pole, as any iinknowne way whatsoever, by reason the sun doth give a great heat in this climate ; and the ice that freezeth here is nothing so huge as I have seen in 73 dco-rees." On a small island he killed a great number of deer, and "ave to the bav the name of Deer Sound; after this thev slew several bears, and a multitude of the walrus or sea-horse. " The tenth day," he goes on to say, " I went on shoore and slue five deeres, with the which and them that I slue before, I lia\e lengthened out my victuals, blessed be the Creator of the world, which hath not made any part thereof in vaine, but so that in these parts (Avhich hath seemed impossible to our 1 ■■'- i ■i: 224 VOYAGES OF 1G03 in ancestors to bee travelled unto, by reason of the extreanie cold which they supposed to be here) I find the ayre temperate in the lands, and nothing so cold as 1 have found at Cherry Island in five severall voyages. Aloreover, in this land I liave seene great store of deere, which have neither bark nor tree to shelter them frv.»n tiic nipping cold of winter, nor yet any extraordinaric pasture to refresh them. If then (I say) having nothing but the rockes for a house, and the stany canopie for a coverins: doe live here, why may not man, which hath all the gifts of (lod bestowed upon him for his health and succour r"* The farthest latitude reached in this voyage was 79° -50', in which parallel Avas situated a part of land, to which Poole gave the name of Gurnerd's Nose, leading into Faire Haven, where he also met with and killed several deer, which were in such excellent condition that both these and most of them which had before been killed had two and three inches thick of fat upon them. In Deer Sound they found sea-coal, which burned very well. Towards the end of July he stood to the southward with the intention of calling at Cherry Island, but the ice was so thickly packed that he gave up the attempt and proceeded homewards, arriving in London on the last day of August. This voyage, as appears by the commission given * Journal of .Jonas Poole in Purchas, vol. iii. p. 703. I to 1615. A MIXED CIlAllACTER. 225 t\ic ling five i^vc bavk Ulof c to o- but lie tor ^vbich m tor re was part of r nerd's AC also vcre in id most ■\vo and Beer hI very to the Cbcrry Itbat be Rewards, lust. )n given to Poole, was intended not only as an experiment to " catcli a wliale or two," and to kill sea morses, but also for northern discovery. It thus sets out : " Inasmuch as it hath pleased Almightie God, through the industry of yourselfe and others, to discover unto our nation a land lying in eightie degrees toward the North Pole : We are desirous, not only to discover farther to the northward, along the said land, to find whether the same be an island or a mayne, and which way the same doth trend, either to the eastward or to the westward of the pole ; as also whether the same be inhabited by any people, or whether there be an open sea farther northward then hath been already dis- covered: For accomplishing of all which our desires w^e have made choice of you, and to that end have entertained you into our service for cer- taine yeares upon a stipend certayne ; not doubting but you will so carric yourselfe in the businesse for which you were so entertayned, as God may be glorified, our countrey benefited, yourselfe credited, and we in our desires satisfied, &c." Jonas Poole appears to have been a faithful servant, and a good and well experienced mariner; but Purchas tells us that, after this voyage, as he had heard, " he was miserably and basely mur- thered betwixt Ratcliffe and London;"* notwith- standing which he continues to give two more l70S. VOL. I. * Puichas, Pil. vol. iii. p. 707- Q ■' » v^ 226 VOYAGES OF 1603 to ■-. i J; ••t I 1 voyages, performed aftervards, and written by Jonas Poole himself. The same company sent out the following year a large ship of 150 tons, of which Stkpuen Bennkt was master, and Thomas Edge factor, " lor the killing of the whale ;" and, as this appears to have been the first voyage undertaken expressly for that purpose, it is stated, that " they have bin at the charge of procuring of sixe men of Saint John de Luz accustomed to that function." Jonas Poole accompanied this ship as master of the Elizabeth, with two others, which were to proceed, one to St. Nicholas or Archangel, the other to Nova Zembla. While the ships were engaged in fishing, Poole stood to the northward as high as 80°, r^^ar Spitz- bergen, then crossed to the east coast of ^enland, near Sandersons Hold with Hope, and says he ran about forty leagues to the westward of the eastern- most part of the land as it was then laid down in his charts ; he next stood across to Cherry island, and again proceeded to Spitzbergen, where he found part of the crew of the large ship on shore, she having been lost in the ice ; they atferwards were taken on board a vessel from Hull, which carried them home. The next year, 1612, the same company of mer- chants sent out two ships, the JVhale and the Sea- horse, under Jonas Poole. On their arrival at Cherry Island they found a ship from Holland, in which one Alan Salowes, an Englishman, was by J to car a I' the bavc V t\\at it the ohn de Poole zabetb, c to St. (lembla. ;, Poole ir Spitz- ^enland, s he ran eastern- }C)\5. A MIXKD CHARACTKR. 007 ^vnm his land, and found he bore, snc Lvds were [h carried of mev- the 5^^- irr ival at )Uand, "^ lan, pilot. This is not tlic first Dutch ship that was employed on the whale fishery. One Jan Mayetiy the prccedinj;- year, discovered an island to the northward of Iceland in about 71° of latitude, which still bears liis name; and which for several years was a sort of fishing station of the Dutch, till their frequent visits and the boiling their blub- ber on shore frightened away all the whales and sea morses ; of late years it has rarely been ap- proachable on account of the ice. Trom Cherry Island, Poole proceeded to Spitzbergcn; and being in Foul Sound, the said Alan Salowes came on board and reported, that his merchant (the Dutch- man) " had broke his necke down a cliffe." Here also Poole met with one Thomas Marmaduke, of Hull, in a ship called the Hopewell, which, how- ever, soon left them and stood to the northward. " This ship," (Poole says,) " as we were afterward informed, discovered as farre as 82 degrees : two degrees beyond Hakluyt's Headland." This is the highest degree of latitude mentioned to which any ship had yet proceeded, except wx give credit to the account supposed to have been received from Adams by the Jesuits of Japan. This voyage is chiefly curious on account of the rapid progress which appears to have been made in the art of killing whales by the help of the Biscayans ; not fewer than thirteen having been taken by Poole's ship alone, besides many others by a vessel from London, by another from Hull, Q 2 ^1^ 228 VOYAGES OF 1603 to > 1 and by one from Biscay, having an English pilot on board. In the year \6ltj the same company sent out six ships and a pinnace to fish on the coast of Green- land, (Spitzbergen,) in one of which was the cele- brated navigator William Baffin ; and so rapidly had the fame of the fishery spread over the mari- time nations of Europe, that no less than eight Spaniards, two Dutchmen, four Frenchmen from Dunkirk, besides some Biscayans, were this year assembled in the sea of Spitzbergen ; one of the ships of Biscay being .seven hundred tons, and others from two to three hundred tons. " The first," says Baffin, " we expected would have fought with us, but they submitted themselves unto the generall." The English having taken possession of the whole country in the name of his Majesty, prohibited all the others from fishing and sent them away, excepting such as they were pleased to grant leave to remain. In this voyage the extraordinary refraction of the atmosphere is first noticed by Baffin, who fre- quently observed a considerable difference in the latitude of the same place deduced from the alti- tude of the sun above and from that below the pole. The quantity of this refraction he therefore endea- voured to ascertain by an observation of the sun when on the meridian below the pole, when one fifth part of his body only appeared above the horizon, and the result gave him twenty-six minutes ; " but," observes this intelligent uavi- 1603 to h pilot out six Green- le cele- rapidly e mari- m eight n from lis vear ! of tlie ns, and " The [1 have m selves r taken le of his fishing ey were ction of kvho fre- ? in the the alti- the pole, e endea- the sun hen one )ove the enty-six Qt uavi- 1616. A MIXED CHARACTER. 229 — aiaS bone. *=>""" ^^ore of oil and wider the orrlers of Bn» ^ "" '''sc°veries, ^-^ ^-'^^^^'^^ o^,:^ Xz l^ii^-^r B^^^^ « >s given by Fotherbv , i '''''''*'•'" °f f-vi„g j^j::^ -.i „„,,,,^ hampered with ice th^ .)," '"^ "^""^ -very got very iUltV;?'"'/"'- ''■■^- extremity of Spitsbergen b1 """''"'^^^tern 1615, sent on northe™ W " "'''^ ='«''''"' 'n «"ed the iJ/cCof J:r7'"^P■--e fa^the^ north than Hak uvt „ ,^' *"" ««* "° "ons however his h,^; J ^ ^ Jf ''"^ '^ '^ -n- "how farre the state :ftSse: ""?"'' ™='i'' betwixt eightv and ,., / " discovered P-age by the pole? he ays " f'"''""'^ °^ ^ wears not yet to the clT • , '' '""'^'' "' '' a spacious sea betwixt G°'''''' ""' "'"■' '^ pestered wiirfce^flir"; ''"""»"'' --•" 'his worshipful, compan" from tt" *V"""""^ *2W at the most, till some « 3 i i; 230 DISCOVERIES OF 1619. further discovcrie be made of the said seas and lands adjacent," which he thinks might very well be performed by the little pinnace witli a crew of ten men. For several years after this the whale fishery proved successful, till at length the Dutch fairly drove the English from this lucrative branch of trade. ' ■i ; JENS MUNK. 161.9. The discoveries of Hudson and Baflfm once more turned the attention of the slumbering Danes towards their lost colonies on the coasts of Greenland, and perhaps held out to them a hope of completing the long-sought-for passage in that direction to the Indies. Accordingly in the year 1619, Christian IV. caused two ships to be fitted out on a voyage of discovery, the command of which was given to an experienced seaman of the name of Jens Munk. The vessels, it would seem, were chiefly manned with English sailors, who no doubt had been employed on some of the former expeditions for making discoveries, or on the whale fishery. Munk left Elsineur on the 18th May, and on the SlOth June made Cape Farewell, and endeavoured to stand up Davis's Strait, with the intention, as it would seem, of pursuing the track of Baffin and Bylot; but he found his vessels 50 perpetually hampered with ice, that he returned 19- 1^19. JENS r NK. 231 and well wof hale lutch ancU 1 once ibeiing oasts of a bope . in tlvat ;lie year 36 fitted nand of n of the kl seem, who no [e former on the the IBtli lavewell, [ait, Nvitb iis vessels returned along the coast to the southern extremity, from whence he passed through Hudson's Strait, the name of which he thought fit to change to that of Christian's Strait, (Fretum Christiani.) The northern part of what is called Hudson's Bay, he converted into Mare Novuv:, the New Sea, and the southern and eastern side he changed into Mare Christiafium, Christian's Sea ; and either he, or the publisher of his voyage, has accompanied it with a chart in which the whole geography of Hud- son's Sea and its islands is upset and distorted. He made the coast of America in 63° 20', where, meeting with much ice, he was compelled to seek for shelter in an opening in the land which he called Munk's JVinter Harbour, and to the sur- rounding country he gave the name of New Den- mark. This harbour must be that which has since been named Chesterjield or Bowdens Inlet. The year being far advanced, (having entered the harbour on the 7th September,) and seeing no likelihood of being able to cross Hudson's Sea and Strait, he took the precaution of first hutting himself and his people, and then exploring the neighbouring country, which luckily afibrded them a plentiful stock of game, consisting of white bears, black foxes, hares, partridges, and other birds. On the 27th of November there appeared in the heavens three distinct suns, and again two, equally distinct, on the 24th January. On the 1 8th of the preceding December, there was an eclipse of the moon, and Q 4 232 DISCOVERIES OF 1620. the night this kiminary was environed by a trans- parent circle, within which was a cross, cutting through the centre of the moon, and quartering it — this phenomenon was regarded as the harbin- ger of those misfortunes which soon befel them. The frost had set in with such severity that the wine, brandy, and beer, were entirely frozen, and the casks burst with the intense cold. The scurvy began to make its appearance among the crews of the two vessels, consisting of forty-eight persons in the one, and sixteen in the other.* The spring of the year brought with it no relief to their misery. Their bread and provisions were ex- hausted, and none of them had strength enough to take any of the ducks, geese, partridges and other fowl which came around them in infinite multitudes. They were reduced to a most helpless and deplorable state, and the mortality became almost general. Towards the beginning of the month of May 1620, those who had survived had the misery of knowing that the whole of their provisions were consumed, and that famine was now added to disease. They had no strength left to pursue the animals which surrounded them. Munk himself, reduced to the last extremity, remained alone in a little hut in so hopeless and ♦ In a Danish M.S. it is said that the disease was mostly occasioned by the almost unrestrained use of spirituous liquors, which are known to be particularly destructive iu a colc^ climate. S20. rans- ;rmg vbin- tbem. It the 1, and The ig the -eight The ;o their ;re ex- enough res and infinite helpless became of the Ived had |of their iine was Igth left r |d them. Itremity, ^ess and ifas mostly IS liquors, [4 climate- 1620. JENS MUNK. 233 despondirig a state, as to expect nothing but death. At length however, pressed by hunger, he had the resolution to crawl out of his hovel and inquire into ihe fate of his unhappy companions ; he found only two alive, all the rest having perished. These three men encouraged each other to make an attempt to procure some species of food ; they scratched away the snow and found some plants and roots, which they eagerly devoured. By degrees they were able to take fish in the river, as the ice disappeared, birds, and other animals. They now thought of getting home, and for this purpose equipped the little vessel from the stores in the large one ; they re-passed Hudson's Strait, and after a stormy passage, in which the ship was almost abandoned to herself, they arrived safely in a port of Norway on the 25th September. They were received in Denmark as men risen from the grave : and the recital of their atlven- tures and sufferings created a general sympathy in their favour. Such indeed appears to have been the interest excited by these new discoveries that Munk, notwithstanding his sufferings, once more proposed to make the attemjit to discover a north-west passage. A subscription was set on foot for that purpose, and every thing was made ready for his departure. On taking leave of the court, the conversation turned on the misfortunes of his former enterprize, and the King, in admonish- ing him to be more cautious than in his last 1,1 t 5234 DISCOVERIES OF JENS MUNK. 1520. voyage, seemed to ascribe the loss of his people to some mismanagement. Munk feeling sensibly this reproof, answered in a manner less respectful than that to which the royal car had been ac- customed, and the King, forgetting all decency and moderation, struck him a blow with his cane. The indignity thus sustained by the unfortunate navigator was never to be effaced, and he is said to have taken his bed and died of a broken heart a few days afterwards. There is an air of romance thrown over a great portion of the narrative of Munk's voyage ; their unparalleled sufferings — the survival of the three persons only — their recovery from death's door by eating grass and roots — their being able to get pro- visions for a voyage across the Atlantic — and bring- ing home one of the vessels — are things not physi- cally impossible, though not very probable; and the conduct of the King is most likely one of those stories which have been repeated over and over again, from one and the same source, without the slightest foundation in truth. Forster indeed men- tions, but without giving his authority, that the same Munk was after his return employed by the King in the years 1624, 25, and 27, in the north sea, and on the Elbe ; and that he died on the 3d June 1628, in the course of a naval ex- pedition.* * History of the Voyages and Discoveries, &c. p. 471. 10. 1631. ( 23.5 ) pic bly ful ac- ncy ine. natc id to irt a great their three »orby ;t pro- bring- Iphysi- nd the those d over ut the Imen- at the >y the north )n the il ex- LUKE FOX. 1631. The last voyage of Baffin and Bylot in 16 16, which, from its uninterrupted northern progress, might have been expected to raise the hopes of the adventurers and of the nation, for a successful issue of the oft-attempted passage, would seem, on the contrary, to have cast a damp over the minds of its most sanguine advocates ; with the exception of one attempt, under the direction of a person of the name of Hawkridge, who sailed with Sir Thomas Button, the project seems to have been entirely given up. It is scarcely known under whose employ, in what ship, or even in what year, Captain Hawkridge sailed on tliis ex- pedition. From the meagre fragment of the voyage as given by Fox,* which, he says, he procured *' in manuscript or by relation," it is evident at least that he added nothing to former discoveries in the north-west. The revival of an attempt to discover a north- west passage is unquestionably owing to Captain Luke Fox, who, by his own account, had con- tinued with unabated zeal to urge a new expedition, for exploring the arctic seas ; which, he says, " he had been itching after c\er since 1606, when he wished to have gone as mate to John Knight." * North-west Fox, p. l66. '■ h 1236 DISCOVERIES or 1631. ■ i "'1- ■; ■' 1 i 1 ■■• 3 i : '< 1 ' ! ^ ' , \ , A ■ i t, i • ■ I' ' ■ ■ y ] 1. 5 If- • 1 ' il- ■■ ; \ i \ '' . ■ • ; »■ ? ;: j^ ■' U' ~ i ■ M ■^■■' . "» ; r': '-; r ' • .r He succeeded at length in persuading Mr. Henry Briggs and Sir John Brooke to petition His Majesty Charles I. for the loan of one of his ships, and for his countenance of the voyage, who, we are told, " graciously accepted and granted both." Fox says he was allowed to chuse his own ship, and that he pitched on a pinnace of the burden of 80 tons, which was named the Charles^ manned with twenty men and t\v o boys, victualled for eighteen months, and well fitted in every respect. Sir Thomas Roe and Sir John Wolstenholme were ap- pointed to superintend the fitting out of this enterprize, and the master and wardens of the Trinity House were ordered to give their assistance. The narrative of the voyage is written by Fox himself, who affectedlv assumes the name of the North-xvest Fox\ He was a keen shrewd York- shireman, and evidently a man of considerable talent, but conceited beyond measure ; and the style of his journal is so uncouth and the jargon so obscure and comical, as in many places to be scarcely intelligible. " Gentle reader," he thus begins, " expect not heerc any florishing phrases or eloquent tearmes ; for this child of mine, begot in the north-west's cold clime, (wheie they breed no schollers,) is not able to digest the sweet milke of Rethorick," &c. He leaves England, however, highly satisfied both with himself and with his equipment. " I was victualled," says he, " compleatly for eighteen 1631. Henry lajesty ind for re told, Fox ip, and I of 80 id with ghteen t. Sir ere ap- 3f this of the istance. 3y Fox of the I York- derable md the jargon es to be lie thus phrases 2, begot y breed ;t milke satisfied lit. "I nghteen 1631. ^VKE FOX. 237 monetlis : but wbpf],«.. *i t. , or "o, I know not ; but .u:" "''' '" Professions excellent fat beefe 7L ' '"'" °f' ^ ^'^ ''est, admirable sackl T. . "'' "''""" ''*' "'« ■-;vwthci,,;.tr/iir';T''""''^"^ trechissis, antklote, ! i '"' ^ ' •'"'^P'' ^°"'''ts, i^plaiste.,;,!;";^^^^^^^^^^ ^"'"'"-- ""guents says, from the Kin- "a m, J 'ece.ved, he cessors discoverie!" mT" f, ^" "^ P'edc- v/ith a letter to Z' P •'^''^ ' instructions, letter to the tmperour of Japan "» ^ he merchants of Bri.ifnl i . out-done by those of T V '""'"«' "»' ^ be spirit of enLprS te^ot:, '" "'''''"''''"^ " for the same ob=4t a in V'"'' y^""' ^"d command of whlhll -"^ '"'"' *''^ M«"a, the James. '' '"^ ^'ven to Captain Thomas Fa'°;el:?at!tV'"r* ''^^■- « ^apo •f-e. and, on r :Lter '"f ""' ^ shoalofgrampussesln ?""^' °'^^«"'<^d a '"e tells uf, brouTt to v"""^ *''"'' '^^''^■•' ^^''-h. «am Browne °i 1^ ^^"^"''-t-" "Mr. Wil- -■•^es UheTritoilSerxl^rr'^^ '- *--'"Onthe.othhe'rsS:^j';^^^^^^ * North-west Fox, i I 238 DISCOVKIllES OF 1631. '^ ;: i ! H if i f i \ I! ' ': to the northward of Lumlcy's Inlet, the name of which affords matter for another recollection, namely, that of the Right Ilonourahle Lord Lum- ley, and his building the pier of Hartepool at his own cost and charge, also the answer of an old man, whom he (Fox) had asked at whose cost the said pier was built ? " Marrye, at my good Lord Lundey's, whose soule was in heaven before his bones were cold." This kind of gossipping occurs in almost every page of Fox's journal. On the 2()th he arrives off Cape Chidley ; a spot which brings to his fertile recollection Gi^iow* and his hole, but why is not very apparent. The haste with which he endeavoured to pass through Hud- son's Strait to the westward, and to avoid the fate of Ciibbons, induced some one of his officers to ask him why he was in such a hurry? and his answer was, " that it fared with him as with the mackarcU-men of London, who must hasten to market before the fish stinke." Towards the western extremity of the strait he was much liampered with ice, which he observed to be of two kinds; first, mountainous ice, floating about in large masses, " seldome bigger than a great church ;'' and the second kind is called " masht or fleackt ice, in pieces from a foot or two to two acres, and one or two feet high above the surface." One of the mountainous pieces, larger than the rest, had a rock upon it of five or six tons weight, with se\ eral other smaller stones and mud. h( all boi A] nui it islal to 531 1631. LUKE FOX. 23.9 e of tion, ^um- t bis u old X i\\c Lord re his occurs a spot 9725 and ,e haste h Hud- the fate icers to and his ^^ith the Lstcn to irt^s the much be of about great \asht or to two 10 a Isur face." than the weight, Ou the 10th July he had only reached Salisbury Island, where he observed that " the conipassc doth almost loose his sensitive part," wliicii he ascribes to " the sharpnesse of the ayre, interposed betwixt the needle and bis attractive point ;" or, " here may be some mountaines, of the one side or the other, whose minerall may detaine the nim- blenesse of the needles moveing to his respective poynt ; but this 1 leave to philosoj)hie." Mr. Fox is not very liappy in his description of a sea unicorn which passed the ship. " He was of length about nine foot, black ridged, with a small fiu thereon, his taile stood crosse his ridge, and indented between the pickends as it were on either sif'*) with two scallop shels, his side dappled j)urely with white and blacke, his belly all milke white, his shape from his gils to his taile was fully like a makarell, his head like to a lobster, whcreout the fore-part grewe forth his twined horn, above six footc long, all blacke save the tip." The 20th July, near Carey's SwanVncst, " was a hot dav as anv in England, the Henban ilashin<»: all night," and at midnight " here was in the ayre many pettit-daricers,'' (so he calls the aurora borealis.) In coasting along the eastern shore of America he falls in with an island, in which were numerous burying places of the natives, and names it Sir Thomas Howes JFclcome ; and to another island he gives the name of Brooke Cobham, and to a little group of islands Brtggs his Matherna- [ ¥ ^:40 niscovERiKS or 1631, ■' I' 1 if i V tickcs. In the huryinp; grounds of Sir Thomas Howe's AVelconic thoy i'onnd many corj)scs, wrap- ped in deer-skins, and laid under stones with their heads to the west, the longest of whieh, Fox says, was not above four I'eet long. The bodies were enclosed with planks nine or ten feet long and four inches thick, a whole boat load of which they carried oft* for fire wood. With the bodies were deposited bows, arrows, lancet, darts, and other implements carved in bone. IMany of the darts were headed with iron, but one had a head of cop- per, which makes him conclude that some Clnis- tians might have been there before him. From the Welcome F'ox stood again to the southward, looking into Hubert's Hope^ and the day light, he says, enabled him to see the bottom of " vainely Hoapt Ilulbert." On the 9th August he goes into Port Nelson, for reasons assigned in long and minute detail, but not of sufficient interest or importance to transcribe. Here they found a cross which had been ejected by Sir Tho- mas Button, still bearing his name. From Nelson's River Fox stood across the bay to the south-east- ward, and on the 29th August fell in with Captain James, on board whose ship he went and " was well entertained and feasted ;" for which, however, he makes but a scurvy kind of return, speaking thus slightingly of his brother navigator : " The gentleman (meaning James) could discourse of arte, as observations, calculations, and the like, and til V- 'l- it( 1631. 1631. LUKE FOX. 241 homas \vra|)- 1\ their X says, s were iiress to tlie w est- Avard. On the 'iyth they fell in with the Charles, under the orders of Fox. Sliortly after a tremen- dous gale of wind, aecomj)anied with snow and hail, put tiiem into tiie utmost peril; the waves ])roke over the ship " with that tearing violenee," says James, " tliat not I, nor any that were tlien with me, ever saw the sea in such a breach." She took in the water at botli sides and at lioth ends ; it ran into the bold and into the ])read-r()om ; " for the sea so continually overreached us, that we were like Jonas in the whale's belly." On the I'Jth of September they contrived to run the ship ai>:round ai>ain amonij,- the rocks on the coast of America, in about the latitude of .52',", and con- ceiving; that she had now s;'ot her " death's wound," they threw into the boat some carpen- ters tools, a bariel of bread, a barrel of powder, some muskets, matches, lishing-hooks and other materials, which they sent ashore, " to prolong a miserable life for a few days." She drove oil', however, and was found to be less injured than they had expected. At length, after all manner of perils, they came to an island on the 2d of October, which was calle^l, by James, the Earl of Danbys Island ; but now known generally by the name of Charlton Island, lyinu; in lat. about 52°. After some time spent in determining what to do, and in exploring the island, the sick men n i with- ; west- :\ravlcs, >\v aiul I waves )lcuce," ;re then ^." She th eiuls ; (l-room ; , that we On the the ship coast ot and con- " death's L^ carpen- ■ powder, lind other iiolong a [hove off, ,ucd than [nanner of [' October, t' Danbys |e name ot what to Isick men 16.31. THOMAS JA]\ir.S. 247 wislied ior a hovel on sliore, which w^1S aceord- ini»lv built and covered over with the mainsail. A tew deer was all tiiat the island seemed at first to j)ro(luce, but on the winter sit tiny; in n.any black foxes made their appearance; in lookiiii;- tor which, the i;unner's mate, in crossiuo- a frozen pond, fell in, and the ice closing- upon him thev saw him no more. Before the end of Novend)er everv thinir was covered with irost and snow, and the ship appeared to be one great mass of ice. On the 1212(1 the gunner died, — " an honest and a stout-hearted man." His leg had been amj)utatcd, and notwith- standing the constant fire kept up in liis cabin, " his plaisters would freeze at his wound, and his bottle of sack at his head." 'i be constant danger to which the ship was exposed from the drift-ice, and foul ground, and peqjetual storms, determined them to remove all the provisions to the shore and quit her altogether, which was accordingly done on the 12Gth of November; and it is stated, that when they joined their sick companions on shore " they could not know us nor we them, by our habits and voices, so frozen we were, faces, iiair and apparel." A dismal account is gi\en of their noses, cheeks and fmgers being frozen as white as paper, and of blisters being raised as large as wal- nuts. The well which they had dug froze up, and n)clted snow-water is pronounced to be very un-i H 4 X 248 DISCOVERIES OF 1631. ■ I > is II I ^ ; i wholesome, either to drink or to dress victuals; *' it made us so short-breathVl that we were scarce able to speak" — " all our sack, vinegar, oil, and every thing else that was liquid, was now frozen as hard as a piece of wood, and we cut it with a hate !iet ; our house was all frozen in the inside, ajid it froze hard within a yard of the fire-side" — and all this happened before the middle of Decem- ber, and in a latitude not thirty miles to the north- ward of that of London. In the month of January, James determined the latitude of his winter quarters to be 51° 52', and ascribes the great difference between this and a former observation to the effects of refraction; and, as a proof of it, the disc of the sun, when near the horizon, appeared to be twice as long as it was broad; and by observations it was found that, owing to the refractive power of the atmos- phere, the sun rose full twenty minutes before and set twenty minutes after the regular time. And -on two nights, in particular, he observed more stars in the firmament, by two-thirds, than he had ever seen before. In rcbriiary the scurvy l>egan to make its appearance ariiong the crew, exhibiting the usual symptoms of weakness, swelled legs, sore mouths, black turgid gums, and teeth loose in the jaw. As the spring advanced the cold increased; and it is remarked, that the people found it " more mor- of )31. 1631. THOMAS JAMES. 249 als; avce and ozeii itli a iside, le"— jcem- lorth- sd the >', and and a iction ; when long as found atmos- re and ndt)n stars in er seen ike its usual louths, le jaw. and it ic mor- tifying cold to wade through the water in the be- ginning of June, when the sea was full of ice, than in December, when it was cncreasing." It does not seem to have occurred to Captain James that this feelino* was not occasioned bv a greater dei2:rec of absolute cold, but by the gieater difference between the temperature of the air and that of ice- water in June, tlian iu December. Towards the middle of April tliey began to clear away the ice out of their ship, and to sec what could be made of her. In tiie hold they found some beer and wine which had not been frozen, and which was a great comfort to the sick whose condition is described as being most deplorable. The death of the carpenter was a great interrup- tion to their proceedings, but they contrived to supply his place by one or two who could handle a tool. At length, on the 1st of July, all was ready for a start ; the ship's colours wxrc hoisted on the poop and in the main-top, and the follow- ing day they made sail ; but such was the captain's predilection for the shore and shoal w'ater, that even at this advanced season of the year, and in the low latitude of 52°, the ship " did so strike against the ice, that her fore part would crack again, and make our cook and others run up all amazed and think the ship had been beaten all to pieces." Captain James, indeed, contrived, in the whole of his northern passage, to be hampered with ice 2.50 DISCOVrUIES OF 1631. V* "ft.i t ; 7i :■ ^ I- < f 14 U (lailv ami almost houilv ; so tliat it took them from the 12(1 of Julv to the C4th of Aimust to run over 7' degrees of latitude. Ou this day they saw Nottiug'hani Island, where the whole sea was covered with ice. On the 2()th he asked his oilicers for their counsel and advice — in what man- ner he should proceed ; who gave in writing their unanimous opinion that he should repair home- wards ; an opinion which v.as accordingly adopted, and on the 23d of Octoher he arrived in Bristol roads. Captain James's history of his \oyage may he called a book of " Lamentation and weeping and "leat mourninp-:"' it is one continued strain of diffi- culties and dangers and complainings from the first making of the ice off Cape Farewell, till his return to the same point. The observations it contains are at this time of no use whatever, thouijh it is said that Mr. Bovle derived much in- formation from it in composing his Treatise on Cold. At that time the thermometer had not been brought into use, nor anv instrument known to measure the degree of absolute cold ; but the suf- fcriuirs of his crew, from its i>reat intensitv, could onlv have arisen from mismanas>ement, as the people belonging to the Hudson's Bay Com- pany pass the winters comfortably enough along the line of coast near to which Charlton Island is situated, and eight or ten degrees farther to the northward. Of the slow dissolution of the ice 1h* 1631. 16'31. THOMAS JAMES. 2,51 tbcm :o run tbcy ccl bis t iiKin- [T tbciv bome- [loptcd, Bristol may be ing; aiul I of cliffi- ioni tbc , till bis ations it latcvcv, luicb in- atise on not been nown to tbe suf- ntensity, ment, as lav Com- irb aloui; IslaiKl is ler to tbc be ice be bas tbc followino- observation : — •" I bavc in July, and in the beginning of August, taken some of the ice into tbe ship and cut it scjuare, two feet, and pnt it into tbc boat where tbe sun shone, witli a very strong reflection about it, and notw ithstand- ing the warmth of tbe ship, for mc kept a good lire, and all our breathings and motion, it would not melt in eight or ten thus. It was our practice, where we should be two days, to get her fast to a ])icce of ice, to set marks to it, to see bow it con- sumed, but it yielded us small hope of tlissolving; we could not, in that time, perceive any diminu- tion bv the sinkiu"' of it, or otherwise: neverthc- less I think that it is ruined bv storms, or con- sumed by heat some years, or else tbe hay would be choked up ; hut I confess these secrets of nature are past my comprehension."* A\ ith regard to discovery, James contributed nothing to Mbat former navigators bad etiected; yet he boldly asserts the improbability of a north- west passage, for reasons which he might just as well have assigned prior to bis voyage, and spared himself and bis people the sufferings they under- went on Charlton Island. But, as Doctor Camp- bell has observe.!, " all the difficulties and discou- ragements, which, from too strong a sense of his own disappointment, Captain James has conjured up, sink to nothing, when duly considered and compared with the circumstances that later disco- * Harris's Collect. ofVoy. and Travels, vol. ii. p. 128. V 2.12 niscovERiEs or \63\. vcrics have broiujlit to lio-ht ; so that tlicrc seems to he no reason liis eoiijectures shouhl have any weight to deter us from prosecuting attempts on this side, even though they should still continue to prove, in several instances, as they have hitherto done, abortive."* J i i ■'' ! I 5 { I ! CAPTAIN DANELL. 1652. Frederick III. king of Denmark, in the year 16\5L', commanded Captain Dan ell to undertake an expedition to discover East Greenland. He set sail from Copenhagen on the 8th of May, 16J2, Avith two N'cssels, and proceeded to the north of Iceland. Then taking a westerly course, he per- ceived the coast of Ciieenland on the 2d of June, at the distance of about thirty miles, in hit. 64° 50'; but could not approach it nearer on account of the ice. In the N. E. at about three miles dis- tance, they saw two small islands, which they named Ifviclsolen and JMastclos Skib. On the 4th they again saw land, which was very high, and appeared to be covered with ice. This land was about thirty-two miles from them ; they sailed among some little islands; the ice extended from the coast eighteen or twenty miles into the sea. On the ()th of June they saw five small islands in iat. 65°, when fourteen miles distance from them ; * Harris's Collect. ofVoy, and Travels^ vol. ii. p. 428. ir 1631., seems ^'e any ipts on nuc to itberto 1652. CAPTAIN DANELL, 1253 be year Klevtake He set ly, 1652, north of he pcr- of Jnne, 64° 50' ; :ount of niles tlis- [icb tbey tbe 4th im-b) ''^^^^^ hand was ey sai led ded from tbe sea. islands in m tbem ; tbey were ail covered witb snow, exccptini^ one of tbeni, about four miles long, of a blackisb colour, but tbe ice |)revented tbeni irom approaching it. These islands were eit»hteeu or tw cntv miles from the land. Tiie water between them was of a brown colour, but they found neither lisb, birtls, nor seals. The mouutains on tbe shore were visible at sea at the distance of nearlv sixty miles. The most nor- thern cape they saw, in ^o" 30', received the name of tbe Cape of King Frederick. They coasted along the land, running to the S. W., but they could not iu any place penetrate the ice, which however was neither continuous nor fhni enough to support them when tbey wished to walk upon it towards the land. On the lOtb of June tbey were in lati- tude 63° 10', at twenty-five miles from tbe land. On the 12tb, in lat. 6ii°, they saw a mountain split in two at iiftcen or sixteen miles to the westward of them. There were several small bays on the coast, which here seemed to be the best country tbey had yet seen in Greenland, but the ice prevented tbem from approaching it nearer than twenty miles. They doubled Cape Farewell and sailed up along the western coast of Greenland, and remained on that coast till the l6tb of .July. On the ISth of July they repassed Cape Tarewell, and on tbe 22(1 of July, in 6 1*' 30' latitude, tbey again discerned the eastern coast of Greenland seventv miles to the N. W., and in two places tbey fancied tbey saw buildings witb turrets on tbem. On the 23d of 428. •i.)4 DiMovi ui IS or l()?.y. * 1 i \ i ( J ! ^i >i .Inlv, in lalitiulo (» I', thrv saw :i Imv l»rt\\(\'n two W\iX\\ luonntaius, aiul tlu'v wouM Uaw rnti'ird it it' tlu'uii»,iit had not picx vntrd thrni. I'orsi'viTal i'oai'lird m itliin lour or five miles, hut, had no means ot" reaihini;- it on aeeonnt ol' the iee. 'I'liey eoasted aloniv it as hii;h as ()j'' M) ot' latitude, hut. were ohlii^ed at leni;th to ^rwc up their endeavours to approach it, and returned to Denmark, ('ap- tain Danell set sail ai»ain iVom Copenhai»vn on the loth ot' April, l(>j;). went t«) the north of lee- land as t'ar as latitude 7i>" heyond that of the island .Ian Meyen, and then took the direction of S. W . and W . S. W ., and on the 13th of June, in latitude ()l°, saw somethini;- hlue in the horizon wliich he conjectured to he (/ape King I'rcderick. On the lj)th of June he saw ilorjolt'snes inCirecn- land in latituile ()!'', hut the ice was twcnty-tbur or five miles t'rom the coast, lie coasted alonu,- as far as Cape Farewell, hut always at the distance ot" t'orty-li\ or titty miles from the coast, on account of the masses of ice: and he repaireil to the western coast of (ireenland, t'rom whence he returned to Denmark. ;! zACciiAiuAii {nLLA:\r, 1(>(58. The lapse of fortv vears nearlv without any at- tempt being; made for the discovery of a passai:;c to into the South Seas, either bv the north-east or the thi \oy.i l(:(i^. /At'l'lf AIM.\!I (i I LI. AM. '255 w two «(l it it* \l(lav>i h tlu'V \vm\ no (U\ l)nt LMVOIUS \ o\\ the ot' U'C- [ ot* tlu- liivctiou i)t* June, ; horizon 'vcdcric'k. nCiivon- v-ibnr ov ,uiv as tar stance o( \ account western [urned to ht any lu- a passaiic least or the norlh-west, is the stroni'cst proof of t lie linh.t in w hicli the voya<»rs of l"\)\ and .hunes liad been cousidcred ; and tliat all tinlher attempts wore looked upon as hopeless. It would ap|)ear, however, that :i voyage had been undertaUen to Hudson s 15ay, in the intermediate time, iVom New l'.ni»land, either tor the purpose of lishint;' or discovery. 'I'hc French, after posscssinj;* tiien)selves of Canada, erossctl over the land to the shores of Hudson's Hay. AmouLV the first was one M. de Cirosseliez, ahold and enterprizini»' man, wlio, seeinj;- the ad- vantai>e that mii>ht he derived to the French set- tlements in North America, by possessing them- selves of tlie ports and harbours of Hudson's IJay. prevailed on some of his countrymen at Quebec, to lit out a ship for tiie j)urpose ()l'e\])loring the coasts of tiiat bay, in which he j)r()cecdcd himself. Havint;- landed late in the season on the western side of the bay, near to Nelson's River, some of his people returned w ith an account of their having discovered an l''.u<» lish settlement ; upon which he pro()osed to attack and, if possible, to take posses- sion of it; but, on aj)proaching' the spot, a solitary luit onlv was discoveretl, in which were found half a dozen miserable wretches on the point of perishing from disease and famine. These unhappy men told Grosseliez, they were part of the crew of a ship from Boston, who had been sent on shore to look out for a proper place for the ship, to which they belonged, to lie iu safety during the winter, and 256 J)lSCOVERlf:S OF 1668. tlmt while on this service the ship had heeiKhiven away with the ic"e hy a storm iVom her anehoraoe, and had ne\er returned. This part of the story seems to rest on the authority of M. Jeremie, the governor of Port Nelson, after it had fallen into the liands of the French ; hut, whether true or false, it apjicars to have given rise to one of those inge- nious fahrications which were frecjuently the means of keeping alive a spirit of discovery ^vhen otherwise it might prohably have died away. The fabrication alluded to is the account of a Spanish ex])edition from the South Sea, through the interior of America, hy means of rivers avA lakes, into the Northern Atlantic. It first appeared in an English dress, and in an English periodical publication, called The Alojithly Miscellani/^ or, Memoirs for the Curious, for the month of April, in the year 1708. The name of the Admiral, selected for the com- mander of this expedition, was De Fofite, a name mentioned by the burgomaster Witsen, as being celebrated for a voyage to Terra del Euego, made in 1640, at the cost of the King of Spain. This admiral, passing up the gulf of California, dis- patches one Barnardaup a fair river into a lake full of islands, which he names Valasco, where he left his ship and proceeded several hundred leagues in large Indian canoes, called Periagos. At the same time the admiral got into the Lake^c//e, and, passing through a strait to the eastward, came to an Indian town, where he learnt that at a little distance from r (I 111. n 1668. (hi veil lovao-c, c story [lie, the :u into or false, se iiigc- tly the •y ^vhen )■■ The Spanish ; interior into the I EntJilish blication, rsfor the ear 1708. the coni- a name as being- go, made n. This inia, (lis- lake full L-e he left 3aurious admiral l)e I'onte ends his narrative by sayin<»; that he returned home, " havinlbC()VLHII..S Ul 166s. rate, if it had not ir.adc at the time sonic iiois(j ill the world, it would mow be wholly uiuleserving of notice. lo return to Grosscliez. Having explored the country bordering on Nelson's River, lie departed tor Canada, leaving his nephew Chouart with five men to w inter there; but some disagieement arising ])etween him and his employers, he sent over his hrother-in-law to Trance, to lay before the govc; v ment a reprc^eutation of the advantages which miu'ht be derived from an establishment on the coast of Hudson'^ Ikiy. The project however wa^> treated as visionaiy ; ])ut so strongly convinced was Grossclicz of its <>-reat utilitv, that he set out himself for Paris, where he met with no better l ac- cess than his brother-in-law had done. The onlv reason assiiined for this inditierence of the French government, to foiin any establishment on the shores of Hudson's Hay, is the dismal account given of the climate, in Captain James's narrative, which deterred them from attempting such a project. Mr. Montague was at that time the English minister at Paris; and hearing of the pro- posal of (xrosseHez, and its rejection by the French government, Jscnt for him to explain hi> views; they appeared so satisfactory to the English minister that he gave him a letter to Prince Kupert, with which he came over to England. Here he met with a different reception fro'.n th.-»t of liis countrvmen : lie was inmie- 166S. 1668. ZACCIIARIAH GILLA:\r. 259 c noise :sevv"mg ' ovcd the Icpartcd vith five It avisiiig; over hi^ ; o-ove.'V >s \vhich t on the ever \va^» onvinceil ic set out letter cac- The only le French It on tlu! I account narrative, V such a time the f the pro- bv the plain hi> [v to the letter to over to reception ,iisi innnc- (liatelv cn'0 out in one of liis ^fajestv's %\\\\)s, which was taken up tor tlie voyage, not merely to form a settlement, but also to prosecute the oft attcmj)tc(l ])assagc to China, by the north- west. In a letter from Mr. Oldcuburgh, the lirst secretary to the RoNal Society, addressed to the celebrated Mr. iJovle, he savs, "suielv I need not tell vou from hence what is 'aid here with g'reat joy of the discovery of a north-west passage made by two English and one Frenchman, lately repre- sented bv them to his Maiestv at Oxlbrd, and ansu cred l)v the Roval a:rant of a vessel to sail into Hudson's Bay, and thence into the South Sea; these men alhrming, as I heard, that with a boat they went out of a lake in Canada, into a river, which discharo'cd itself north-west into the south sea, into which they went and returned north-east into Hudson's Bav." Captain Zacchariah Gillaim was appointed to carry out the Fienchman to Hudson's Bay, and to make discoveries to the northward. He sailed in the summer of 16"6S, and is said to have proceeded as fur north up Davis's Strait as 7.V', I)u4: nothing- appears on record to justify such an assertion. On liis return into Hudson's Bay, he entered Rupert's River on the 'J9th September, and prepared to pass the winter there. The river was not frozen over before the 9th December; and thouu:h considerably to the northward of Charlton Island, where James wintered, no complaint is made by Gillam of the s2 ■ i 260 DISCOVERIES OF IGGS. scvcritv or Ion"- coiitiiuiauce of the cold, which, on the contrary, is snid to ha\c ceased in the montli ■-' of April. At this place Captain viilhun laid tlie fonndation of tlic lust English settlement, hy bnildino- a small stone fort, to which he gave the name of Fort Charles, Prince Uuperttlid not content himself with merely patronizing the voyage of Gillam. He obtained from King (.'harles a charter, dated in 16'69, granted to himself and several other adventurers therein named, for Iwing, at their own cost and charges, nndertaken an expecl'ition to Hudson's Lay, for the discovery of a new passage into the South Sea, and for the fmdin<>- of some trade for furs, minerals, anil other considerable connnodities ; it stated that thev had alreadv made such discoveries a;-^ en- couraged them to proceed farther in pursuance ot their said design; and that by means thereof great advantage might probably arise to the King and his dominions ; and therefore his Maiestv, for the better promoting of their endeavours for the good of his peoj)le, was pleased to confer on them, ex- clusi\elv, all the land and territories in Hudson's Bav, too'cther with all the trade thereof, and all others \\ hich they should acquire, &c. This ex- traordinary charter, with its sweeping privilege-. has continued to be vested to this dav in the Hud son's Bay Companv. The body of "-entlemen and merchants, thus incorporated, soon proved itself to be a body M'ith- out a spirit, as far as discovery formed a part ot' 1C68. which, : mouth M th.c cut, hy i-Livc the i\ merely obtained , irrantecl i therein t charges, Day, tV)i outh Sea, minerals, tated thai ics a? eii- suance ot cot' great Lving and , for the the good hem, ex- lludsous of, and all This cx- privileges, the Iliul ants, tlub nx)(lv with- a V art ot 1676. ZACCHARIAH OIIJ.AM. 261 the original design, though tliis was the ciiief plea on which the charter had been granted. Their whole attention was turned to the establish- ment of forts and factories and to extend their trade with the Indians; Irom whom they pro- cured the most Nahiable furs for articles of very trilling cost. In this prosperous state of affairs, the north-w est passage hcems to have been entirely forgotten, not only by the adventurers who had obtained their exclusive charter under this j)retext, but also by the nation at large ; at least nothing more appears to lune been heard on the sul)ject for more than half a century. In the meantime, however, the public attention was once more awakened to the possibility of discovering a passage to the Indian seas bv the north-eastward ; a new voyage was projected with this design, and was sanctioned bv the same monarch svho had granted such exclusive privileges to the Hudson's Bay Company. JOHN M'OOD AXD WTLLlA^r FLAWES. 16/6. The fjucstion of a north-eastern passage to China had been set at rest in Eufj-land foi' more than a century, when it was once more revived by the appearance of n piiper in the Tr;insiicfions of tlie Uoval Society of J.ondon, iji 167.5. Ibis volume of tiie i'hilosophical Transactions contaiued a short statement of a voyage fitted out by a com- s 3 II 12 ()2 DISCOVERIES OF 1676'. ;■; i pany of nicrcliants in Holland for the pnrpose of making northern (Hscoverics ; it stated that the ship employed in this voyage had hrought baek an account of her havin"- sailed to the north-eastward of \ova Zenibla several hundred leagues, between the ])arailels of 70" and 80°; and that the sea in that direction was founrl to be perfectly open and free from ice ; that, in consequence of the na\'iga- tion of this part of the Taitarian Sea being so easy and uninterrupted, and the pass::ge to China by that route so nearly certahi, these merchants liad solicited the States-General for a charter, by wdiich the advantages that would lesult from the discovery of a north-east passage to the Indian seas should be secured exclusively to the adventu- rers ; which however was refused through the in- trigues and representations of the Dutch East India Company, to whom already an exclusive charter had been granted.* About this time also there was a very current rejiort of several Dutch ships having circunniavigated Spitzbergen, and that they found the sea open on all sides qf it; and another story, e(pially cujrent, was, that ic had been discovered, in searching the journals of Dutch whalers, that, in the year 1655, a certain ship had proceeded to within one degree of the north pole ; and that, on three ditfcrent journals which were kept in the same ship being jModuced, they all agreed as to an ob- * Philcsophkal Transactions. l675. 1676'. pose of lat the )ack an istwarci ictwcen ; sea in pen and naviga- ein<»' so China 3rcliants Iter, by Tom the ; Indian idventu- [\ the in- ast India cliartcr here was s having V foinid ler storv, covered, rs, that, i:.CiQ,Ci to that, on Ithe same lo an ob- 167<5. M OOD AND FLA WES. CG: servation taken bv the master on the 1st Auo-ust, l(i5J, wiiich determined tlie latitude to be S8°or)'; and it was further asserted that j)artieuiar mention was made in these jourjials, of the sea beinji; there entirely clear of ice, and that it was a liollow roll- in"' sea, like that of the Bav of Biscav. 'J liere was besides published, about this time, "A brief Dis- course by Josej)h Moxon, I'ellow of the Royal Soci- ety," in which the probability of a passage by tlie north pole to Japan is stiongly contended ibr, and which this ingenious writer conceives to be practi- cable, from the circumstance of our having no know- ledge of any l-jnd lying within eight degrees about the pole; and because he had reason to believe, on the contrary, " that there is a free and open sea nnder the very pole." — As the ground of this belief, lie assigns the following circumstance. " Being a!)ont twenty-two years ago in Amsterdam, I went into a drinking-housc to drink a cup of beer for my thirst, and sitting by the public fire, among several peo- ple, there happened a seaman to come in, who, seeing a friend of his there, whom he knew went in the Greenland voyage, wondered to see him, because it was not yet time for the Greenland fleet to come home, and asked him what accident brought him home so soon ; his friend (\\\\o w as the steer-man aforesaid in a Greenland ship that summer) told him, that their ship went not out to fish that sunmier, but only to take in the lading of the whole fleet, to bring it to an earl}' market. s 4 i M ' '26'i DFSCOVEUIES OF 1676. 1)11 1, said he, hetbrc tlic fleet had caught fish enoiigli to lade us, we, l)y order of the Green- land Company, sailed unto the north pole and came i)aek again. >\'hereupon (his relation beinii- novel to me) I entered into discourse with him, and seemed to (juestion the truth of what he said; hut he did ensure me it was true, and that the ship was then in Amsterdam, and many of the seamen belonging to her to justify the truth of it : and told me moreover, that they had sailed two de" lees bevond the pole. I asked him if thev t'oLind no land or islands about the pole? He told me — Xo, there was a free and open sea. I asked him if him if thev did not meet with a "leat deal of ice? He told me, No, they saw no ice: I asked him wliat weather they had there? lie told me fmc warm weather, such as was at Amsterdam in the sum- mer time, and as hot. I should have asked him more questions, but that he was engaged in dis- course with his friend, and I could not in modesty interrupt them longer."* Such accounts as these were amply sufficient to revive the notion of a north or north-east passage, \\ hich had so lono* lain dormant. It has "enerallv happened, in this country, that some indivitlual more sanguine tlian the rest of the community has, by I * A Britf Discourse, Src. Ily Jusep/i Moron. Harris's Voyages, vol. , p. . — Possilii/ifi/ of opproac/ii/i(^ the North Pole, asserted hi/ lion. D. Barringfon. 1676. vht fish G veeu- ole and relation rse with what he Lind tiuit many of the truth lad sailed m if they He told 1 asked 'at deal of isked him fine warm the siim- sked him ed in dis- modesty Ifiicient to passage, I generally dual more has, by \iss Voyages, *ole, asserted 1670. 'WOOD AND FLA WES. 265 his superior know ledge, greater exertions, or more constant perseverance, succeeded in hringing about a project to bear, which, in less vigorous or pertina- cious bands, would have been sullercd to die awav. Captaix .John \\'()od appears to have been a man of tiiis stamp ; b.e was known as an active and ex- perienced seaman, who bad accomparded Sir John NarborouLi'b on his vovau'c throu* seven distinct reasons, and three arguments, for the existence of such a passage. His reasons were — 1. That Captain Barentz had been of opinion that the ice did not extend above tw^entv leao'ues from the sliores of Greenland and Nova Zend)la, and that the intermediate space of one hundred and sixty leagues was open sea. 2. That by a letter from Holland, published in the PbilosophicLd Transactions, it appeared that the Russians had discovered the sea to be open on the north of Nova Zembla. 3. That from the report of some Dutchmen wrecked on the coast of Corea, it appeared that whales were caught on tliat coast with English and Dutch harpoons in them. 4. The story of the Dutchman told to Mr. Joseph Moxon. 5. The story of the Dutch ship that went within one degree of the pole, told to him by Captain Gouldcn. 6. The report of Ca|/tain n I V'' ':.1 . I i < P h II i i 266 DISCOVERIES OP 1676. (ioiiideii that all the drift-wood found in Green- land was eaten to the very heart witii the sea- worm. 7. 'i'lie relation of two ships whieh had sailed three inindred leagues to the east of Nova Zenibla, puhlished in the J^hilosophical 'J'rans- aetions. His arguments were — 1. 'J hat the i)o]e Mas fully as warm as under the arctic circle, and that the experience of ( J rcen landers ])roved this. 2. Something about winds and fogs, not very intel- ligible; and 0. That the magnetic influence would not prevent a safe ])assagc across the pole. These reasons and arguments, together with a polar draught, were presented to his Majesty and the Duke of York. At a board of Admiralty, at which the king, as usual in those days, was pre- sent, it was ordered that the Speedwell should be appropriated to this service and the command of her given to Captain Wood. And as all voyages of discovery arc liable to accidents, the Duke of York, with several noblemen and gentlemen, pur- chased a pink of 120 tons, called the Prosperous, to accompany the Spcedwa^ll. To this pink Cap- TAix William Flawes was a])pointed as com- mander. ]5oth ships were well equipped for the occasion, victualled for sixteen months, and sup- plied with such commodities as were likely to turn to the best account on the coast of Tartary and Japan. The two ships sailed from the Nore on tlie 28th of ]\Iay, 1676, and seem to have doubled the North Cape about the 19th of June; but the ii 167^. 1676. MOOD AND FLA WES. 2(); Green- lie sea- v\\ luul f Nova J raus- iic pole :1c, and cd this. IV Intel- c would with a csty and ralty, at was prc- hould be niand of vovai>c.s )uke of en, pur- )Sj)erous, nk Cap- as coni- for the and suj)- / to turn tavy and on the tblcd the but the journal of Captain Wood is so meagre, that, if it were not for his5///)/;o.v6Y/latitUiies and his situation " accord! nijj to jiidu^nicnt," it is not easy to follow his truck or to trace his place on any pjuticular (lav. l>v the ^^i\, how'CNcr, he had reached the hit. 7^' ^9', at which time the ice aj)peare(l about a league fiom the slii|), and the weather was cold and snowy. They found many openings in the ice which allowed them to proceed, and it is said that the pieces of ice detached by the current from the main field " represented the Nhaj)es of trees, beasts, iishes and ibwls." Among the ice Mas observed s(mie floatin"- wood. On the *J6"th they got sight of kind, which was the west coast of Nova Zembla. The dej)th of the sea was eighty fathoms or 480 feet; yet so smooth and clear was the water, that it is stated " they could discern the ground very plain,"' and even discover the shells at the bottom. On the Syth, on wearing the Speedwell to avoid the ice, she struck upon a ledge of rocks under water. Fortunately the Prosperous pink was close at hand, though it does not appear that she was then able to aiford them the least assistance. They had scarcely succeeded in landing the bread and the carpenter's tools, to rebuild the long boat, in the event of the Prospe- rous not being able to approach them on account of the ice, when the ship went entirely to pieces, and the fog prevented them from seeing their con- sort. All the crew, however, were safelv got on IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 |22 2.0 |4S US m 1.4 11.6 vl >• Hiotographic Sciences Corporation ^ ,\ <^>^ :\ \ ^v ^ 6\ k '^^ 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEB«TER,N.Y. 14580 (716) 873-4503 '^ '^ '^ ■^ yj r. 268 DISCOVEUIES OF 1676. I f i II shore, cxcejDt two who were (howiicd in the piii- naee, and all tlie bread, powder, and provi.-.ions tlien in that boat were spoiled vii' lost. Alter the ship had gone to pieees, this loss was amply repaid, as several casks of flour, batter, beet' and pork were driven on shore, with spars and otiier articles, sufficient for making* tents and for fuel. No Imman inhabitants made their appearance, but a great white bear seized hold of the gunner, who, by giving innnediate alarm, was saved from his jaws, and the bear killed. Tliev remained on shore nine davs, in a situ- ation of the greatest anxiety, and but ill provided with provisions, annnunition, and clothing ; and without seeing any thing of the l*n)sperous on ac- count of the foggy weather. At the end of this period it was proposed to set out by land towards Waigatz, in the hope of meeting with some Russian vessel to transport tliem to the continent ; when, just at this time, to their unsj)eakable joy, they es- pied, on the 8th July, the Prosperous, on which they made a great lire to point out their situ- ation ; and on the same day the whole got safely on board that ship. It is not diihcult to foresee what would have been the consecjuences to the whole party had they proceeded ; for, as the boat could not carry above thirty men, and there were sixty-six in the whole, *' this," Wood observes, "occasioned no small discontent among us, every one challenging the same right with the others ; all I could do in 1676. he pin- ^ virions iter the ' repaid, lul pork articles, .•1. No e, hut a ler, \\ho, from his 1 a situ- provided ug ; and lus on ac- id of til is I towards e Russian t; when, , thev es- :)\\ which lieir situ- • on esee what he whole could not x.ty-six in sioned no allenging mid do in 1676. WOOD AND FLAWES. 26y this exigency was to let the brandy-hottle go round, which kept them always fox'd, till the 8th July (the ninth day after we had been on shore) Captain Flawes came so seasonably to our relietV From this time the journal is continued by Captain Flawes ; but as it contains cmly the courses steered and the distances run in the homeward vovaiie, it is unnecessary to take any further notice of it. Captain Wood, liaving thus lost his ship without niakinu; the smallest advancement of new dis- covery, and without having approached ])y many degrees, either in latitude or longitude, the points already reached by former navigators, boldly tle- cides that he was led into error by following the opinion of William Barentz ; that all ♦^lie Dutch and English relations were false; that Nova Zembla and Greenland (Sj)it:^bergen) are one and the sa?:ic continent ; and that it is unknown hitherto whether Nova Zembla be an isle or adjoining to the continent of Great Tartarv. " In justice, how^ever," says Daines Barrington, " to the me- mories of both 12nglish and Dutch navigators, I cannot but take notice of these very peremptory and ill-founded reflections made by Wood, and which seem to be dictated merely by his disap- pointment in not being able to effect his dis- covery.' * From a memorandum in Evelyn's Diary, recently * Possibility of approaching the North Pole. 270 DlSCOVFilIES OF WOOD AND FLAWES. ]676. k II- I If 1 If . V ,1 puhlislicd, it would appear that in the same year tlmt Uood proceeded to the north-east, a Captain Baker liad l)een sent on a vovaiye of (hscovery to the north-west, thoiii>h no voyage of the kind ciui be traced in tliat \ear, either at the instance of tlic public, or of private adventurers ; certainly none but that of tlic Speedwell was fitted out by the Adniiraltv. The minute in the diary therefore most probably alludes to the voyage of Wood ; and if so, it contains mistakes very unusual to a man of Evelyn's character for sound intelligence and strict accuracv. lie says, " 1676, July 26, I dined at the Admiralty with Secretary Pepys, and supped at the Lord Chamberlain's. Here was Captain Baker, who had been lately on the attempt of the north-west ])assage. He reported prodigious depth of ice, blue as a sapphire, and as trans- parent. The thick mists were their cb' fe impe- diment and cause of their return."* There can be little doubt that this odd jumble of mistakes, in the date, nan)es, and objects, was meant to refer to ^\'ood's failure, which, to use the words of a learned writer, " seems to have closed the long list of unfortunate northern expeditions in that century ; and the discovery, if not abso- lutely despaired of, by being so often missed, ceased for many years to be soujiht for.''t * Memoirs of Evelyn, &c. — Diari/j July 26th, 1676. ■f Introduction to Cook's last Voyage by Doctor Douglas, p. 2S. !: I67C. ( '-n ) jc year Captain very to iiul cflii 2 of tllC Iv none : bv the lerefovc \\'oo(l ; ual to a ;Uigcnce il\^26, 1 pys, and ere was attempt rodisjions fis trans- fe impc- l jumble ects, was J use the e closed editions not al)so- misscd, CHAPTER IV. DISCOVI'.HIKS I.V THi: NORTHKIIN' ilEGIONS DUUING T 1 1 1:- i: I (J 11 r !•: v. x t 1 1 c e n t u ii v . Kiiig/it, Barloic, I fiug/um, and Snvgrs — M'uJdkton aud Moor — Moor and Smith — Ilea me — P/iipps — Cuuk and C/etke — Pic/icrxfri// — Youns, confirmed all that the latter had stated; said that the tide rose thirty ,?; * All Account of the Coimtrics adjoining to Hudson's Bay. Bij Arthur Dobbs, Esq. p. SO. «: 1719 to 1722. BARLOW, VAUGHAX, AND SCROGGS. 275 Liver on he bad ctl with 1- within ojecting 'hakbonc s in the ' He had wintered ►per mine lore near direct the it, and be jrht sonic that made ts. They |coal upon iCburchill, [veil."* Welcome, land from :hward of said they 2 farther ; jO fathoms, •chill, who il that the rose thirty lu/( hBay. -Cj/ feet ; that bein^ on shore at tlie top of a mountain be saw the land fall away to the southward of west, and nothing to prevent their going farther. In this account there is not a sv liable mentioned of any search being made for tlie unfortunate crews of the two ships ; not a single inquiry whether they might be living, or be destroyed by the natives, or have perished from cold and hunger. Many persons, indeed, were sanguine enough to conjecture that Knight and Barlow had dis- covered the north-west passage, and had pro- ceeded through it into the South Sea to return by the way of Cape Horn; but two years having expired put an end to these delusive hopes : and it was not before the year 1767 that the most un- equivocal proofs were discovered of the melancholy fate of these adventurers, and of the whole of their party. In that year, as some of the boats employed on the Company's whale fishery, near Marble Island, stood in close to the shore, they discovered a new and commodious harbour near the east end of it, at the head of which were found guns, anchors, cables, bricks, a smith's anvil, and several other articles, which, from their weight or uselessness, had not been removed from their original place by the natives. The remains of a house, and the hull$ or rather bottoms of the two ships were also dis- covered under water; and some of their guns and the figure-head of one of the ships were sent home T 2 '• I i] - I* It 27 () DIRCorKUlKS OF KNIOIIT, 1719/0 to Kiii;laii(l. The lollowiniij account, p:ivcn by Jloarnc, points out llic niisciy to wliicli these poor people must iia\e been reduced on this desolate island. " In tlie summer of 176.9, while we were pro- .sccuting- the iishery, we saw several Esciuimaux at this new harbour, antl perceivinu^ one or two of them greatly advanced in years, our curi- osity was excited to ask them some (juestions concerning- the above ship and sloop, which wo were the better enabled to do by the assistance of ai' Es((uimaux, who was then in the Company's service as a linguist and annually sailed in one of their vessels in that character. The account which we received from them was full, clear, and unreserved, and the sum of it was to the following purport. " When the vessels arrived at this place (Marble Island) it was very late in the fall, and, in getting them into the harbour, the largest receivetl much damage ; but on being fairly in, the English began to build the house, their number at that time seeming to be about fifty. As soon as the ice permitted, in the following sunnner, 1720, the Esquimaux paid them anotlier visit, by which time the number of tlic English was very greatly reduced, uwd those tliat were livimj; seemed very nnhcalthv. Accordinii' to the account i>-iven In the I'suuimaux thev were then vcrv busily em- ployed, but :il)out w hat they could not easily de- scribe; probably in lengthening the long-boat, for, t!'; 1719 to von by .'sc poor ilcsolatc CMC pio- juinuiux or two iir curi- jucstions /hic-h wo stance ot* onipany's in one of account clear, and following (Marble 1 gcttinii' eil much Enjijlish r at that 3n as the 1720, the by which ry greatly med N-ery oiven bv )u*ilv cm- easily de- v-ljoat, for, J722. HARLOW, VAlIGUAV, A>fD SCU0G(iS. 277 at a little distance from the house, there was now lying a great (|iiantity of oak chips, which had been made ir.ost assuredly by car|)ent 278 DISCOVFRIF.S OF 1741. Other's strength was so far oxliaustcd, that \\v fVll do\v\i and dial aUo in attiMiiptiiia; to diji; a grave for his companion. The sends and other lai,i;e bones of those two men aie now Ivinj;- uIjovc gronnd elose to the honse. The h)nu:est hvcr w as, aeeording to the Kst|nimanx aeeonnl, always em- ployed in worUiny; iron into implements tor them; probably he was the armourer or snnth."* CHRIS mm F.U MIPDLKTON. 1741. The circumstances mentioned i)v Scrou^j^s and Barlow^ respecting: the tides, and the w hales ob- served in the U elcome, the iop|)er mine from vhich there was so easy a coinmunication with the sea, and the chart made by tiie native Indians, were considered bv a i»entlenian of the name of Dobbs as being such dec isive proofs of a passage into the Clreat Western Ocean, that, bv dint of persuasion, solicitation, and importunity, he suc- ceeded in prevailing on the Hudson's Bay Com- pany to send out two small vessels, for the purpose of examining the eastern coast of the Welcome to the northw ard of their settlements ; and these ships sailed accordiniilv on this service in the year 1 737. It does not appear that any account of their * Journey from Prince of Wales s Fort in Hudson's Bay to the Northern Ocean. By Samuel Hearne, Intrud. p. xxxi. 1741. I7H. C II Fl ISTOPH E R MIDV 1. 1 TO N . 1279 it he tVll ;i grave .cv lai.uc »>• al»<)vc tvcr was, ,vav!> cm- oi- them ; 1. roiTJIs and hales oh- a: lie iVom lit ion with e Indians, name of a passage )v dint of , he suc- liay Coin- he purpose Welcome and these n the vear mt of their n's Bay to the xi. piocc'i'diiigs was evn puhlisluul ; hut ihev arc su|>jio.sed to Inve nached only to ahout O'JV of* nortlieni latiluik", eonlirmnnj: howe\er the tonner reports of l'o\, JUitton, and Scroggs with regard to tlu* set oK the tide iVom the* iKjrthw ard. Mr. Dohhs, it seems, was h\ no iiK'ans snti^(ied Avith the proceedings ol' these twoNcssels. Indeed lie treats the Hudson's IJay Com|)any with very little ceremony, aecusing them of intentionally preventing rather than eiuouraging diseoveries. " 'i'he Company," he says, " avoid idl they can making diseoveries to the northward of Churchill, or extending their trade that way, for feiir they should discover a passage to the western ocean of America, and tempt by that means the rest of the Knglish merchants to lay open their trade, which tliev know thev have no lesral rii>ht to ; which, if the passage Mas found, would not only animate the rest of the merchants to pursue the trade through that passage, but also to find out the great advanta^-es that might be made of the trade of the rivers and countries adjoining to the bay, by which means they would lose their beloved monopoly ; but though they are fully informed of a fine copper mine, on a navigable arm of the sea north-westward of JVkale Cove, and the Indians have offered to carry their sloops to it, yet their fear of discovering the passage puts bounds to their avarice and prevents their going to the mine, which by all accounts is very rich ; and the r 4 280 DISCOVERIES OF 1741. m >M i II ^ If ! II Indians, who have been often at the mine, say it 13 upon a navigable arm of the sea of great depth, leading to the south-west, where arc great numbers of large black fish spouting water, which confnms the opinion, that all the whales seen between Whale Cove and Wasfcr River all come there from the Western Ocean, since none are seen any where else in Hudson's Bay or Strait."* It is rather singular that, after expressing so strong an opinion against the Company, he should have entered into a correspondence with Captain Middleton, who had for many years been in their service, and, as would appear, not disposed to go against their interests. The facts, however, which he obtained from this gentleman confirmed his former opinions, and rendered in his mind the existence of a passage into the Pacific quite con- clusive. On the strength of these facts he pre- vailed on the Lords of the Admiralty to appropriate ** An Account of the Countries mljoinhig to Hudson's Bay. By Arthur Dobbs, Esq. p. 48. — There can be little doubt that the Hudson's Bay Company were for a long time exceedingly jealous of their monopoly ; and that they not only discouraged all attempts at northern discovery, but withheld what little informa- iion came to their knowledge; but of late years the governors of this Cr-.ipany have liberally communicated whatever information may have been sent to them respecting the geography and hy- drography of Hudson's sea and lands adjoining, as Mr. Arrow- smith can lestiiy. That their servants have not been very active ill collecting information is quite true; but the fault is rather to be ascribed to the individuals than to the Company. 1741. le, say it at depth, numbers coniinns between lere from ny where cssing so he should li Captain ;n in their sed to go ^-er, which firmed his mind the |uite con- s he prc- propriatc \is Bay. By ubt that the ingly jealous Icouiaged all tttlc informa- governors of r information ixphy and hy- ISIr. Arrow- In very active It is rather to 1742. CIIUISTOPIIER MIDDLETON. 281 a ship of the Navy for the purposes of discovery, and to ffive the command of her to C attain MiDDLETON. Accordingly the Furnace bomb and the Discovery pink v/ere put under his orders, the latter being commanded by Mr. William Moor. Middleton left England in 1741, and passed the winter in Churchill River, in latitude 58° 56\ where he unaccountably was detained till the 1st July, 1742. Leaving this river he stood along the coast to the northward, and on the 4th saw Brook Cobh^irUy which had still much snow lying on it. On the 10th he was in latitude 63° 51', longitude 88° 34', the Welcome being here eleven or twelve leagues in width and full of floating ice, from the upper part of which they procured fresh water for the use of the ships' companies. Having got through the ice, he observed, to the northward of Cape Dobbs, another headland on the north-west side of the Welcome in latitude 65" 12', longitude 86° & W., beyond which was a fair opening or river six or eight miles in width, which extended within to the width of four or five leagues. Into this opening the ships proceeded to secure them from the ice, until it had tlispcrscd in the Welcome. The entrance into this river, called the fVager, lies in latitude ()5°i2:J'. The ice float ] in and out with the flood and ebb tides, but a good anchorage was found on the northern side free from the ice in a cove which he called Savage. Sound, i ii82 ilrsCOVERIES OF 1742. m ■' J I H 'i ! On the loth, a lieutenant with nine men well armed were sent in a hoat to examine the river ; tliey returned on the 17th, having gone as far up as the iee would permit and until they found it to extend from side to side. The s]iij)s tliLieforL- ivli down the river on the 21st, wiien, from :i h'}^\\\ iiiil a few miles ahovc the entrance, it was pereeived that the Welcome was still full of ice fior.i side to side. In one of the excursions up the river it was reported that man}' hlack whales and other iish had been observed, whereas none had made their ajipearancc where the ships were anchored, nor below" them. This circumstance afforded a hope that there might he some other opening into the Welcome thaii that by which they had entered. The Lieutenant and the Master were accord inelv again scut up w ith directions to examine all the coves on the northern shore of tlie Wa^er. After four davs absence thev returned on the 1st August. They reported that tliCy had seen a great many black whales of the whalebone kind ; that they had tried eveiy opening they saw ; and that they constantly found the tide of flood coming from the eastward or in at the mouth of tiie Wager. This put an end to all expectations of finding any outlet from the ^\'ager besides that through which they had entered it. 'On the 4th of August the ships departed out of the river. In latitude 65° 38', longitude 87° 7' \V., they entered another opening lying north-west of I 1742. icn well he river ; IS tar up iiuul it to hi,^\u iiill pcMvcivcd Jul side to c river it UK I other iiad made anchored, [ifVorded a eu'mg into id entered, [^eordingly ine all the cr. After St August, leat many that they that they ning from he Wager, nding any luirh which Ited out of 87° 7' W., rth-west of 1742. CHRISTOPHER MIDDLETOV. S83 Wager River thirteen leagues in width, and on the following day they were in latitude 66° 14', longi- tude H6* '28' \V., at which place it had narrowed to eioht or iiine leagues. Thouo-h the tide came from the eastward, the appearance of a fair cape or headland and the trendiuL;; of the land i^avc tlic greatest joy, all helieving that this caj e would prove the north-east point of An^erica, and Middlcton therefore gave it the nairic of Copt Hope. The next day, when the fog l.ad cleared away, they perceived the land to exteiul to westward of north, making a deep hay ; and standing on to- wards the hottom of this hay, they saw plainly that they could not proceed above six or eight miles farther. On trying the set of the tide they found it slack waiter, and concluded therefore that they must have overshot the opening to the east- ward at which the tide entered. IJerc Middlcton talks very unintelligibly of a frozen strait to the eastward of them. On the 8th, he says, that, at ten in the morning, he went on shore, taking with him the gunner, carpenter, and his clerk, to try if he could find from whence the flood came into this strait or bay. He describes the entrance of the frozen strait, among the islands on the cast side, as bearing east two leagues; he travelled, he says, about fifteen miles, to the highest mountain that overlooked the strait and east bay on the other side, and saw the passage the flood came in at; the narrowest part, he says, of this strait i«i '^l ■ •I 284? DiFcovEuiEs or 1742. four or five lea<2:ucs, and five, six, and seven, in the broadest, almost full of lar^,e and small islands, and in length about sixteen or eighteen leagues ; to the v/estward it was full of ice, not broken up, but fast in every part to the shoals and islands in the strait. Finding no hope in that direction, and the ice not Ijeing broken up, it was resolved in council to try the other side of the Welcome, from Cape Dobbs to Brook-Cobham, to know if there was an opening there, and then return to Eni»:land. They accordingly bore up on the pth August, stood away to the southward, and on the 15th, after watering the ships at Brook-Cobham, Mid- dleton set satl for England. On his arrival in England, Mr. Dobbs at first appeared to be satisfied that Aliddleton had done all that could be done, and that a passage by the Welcome was im- practicable. But some little time after, when in Ireland, an anonymous letter Avas received by Dobbs, stating, that the frozen strait was all a chimrora, as was every thing which ^liddleton had written concerning that part of the voyage. This letter (which was afterwards discovered to have been written by the Surgeon and the Cap- tain's Clerkj aroused suspicions in the mind of Dobbs that IMiddleton had not performed his duty : on rurther inquiry, he was satisfied that this was the case ; and finally accused him of acting treacherously tow ards the government, and 174«i. CHRISTOPHER MIDDLETOX. 285 1742. seven, in [\ll islands, 11 1 caiques ; Moken up, islands in direction, IS resolved Welcome, to know if , return to til August, I the 15tb, ham, Mid- ; arrival in I be satisfied Id be done, was im- r, when in ceived by was all a ^liddleton le voyage, covered to the Cap- e mind of brmed his isfied that ed him of imcnt, and. of having taken a bribe of ^£"5,000 from his old employers not to make any discoveries. He de- nies the bribe, but seems to admit that he might have suid to some of the Company before he left England, that he would discover the north-west passage and yet that none of those who were with him should be the wiser for it. The dispute ran very high, and several of IMiddleton's oihcers took part against him, swearing that he had mis- represented facts, and tampered with them to con- ceal the truth. Added to all which, Dobbs accused him of not only having slighted examining the material parts of the coast, and the direction and height of the tide, where, by all former accounts, there was the greatest probability of a passage ; but that " )ie even avoided the coast, and passed great part in the night, and has given false ac- counts of the course of the tides, and has made an imaginary frozen strait, in order to bring a tide of flood through it, to support the false facts he has laid down in his journal, and published in his chart of the course of the tide, from thence to conclude that there is no passage," Sic* — and he adds, •' that his whole conduct, from his going to Churchill until his return to England, and even since his return, makes it plainly appear, that he intended to serve the Company at the public ex- * Account of the Countries adjoining to Hudson's Bay, by Arthur Dobbs, Esq. p. 78. i 1"! 3 I it If 285 DISCOVERIES OF MIDDLETOX. 1743. pcnse, and contiived every thing so as to stifle the discovery, and to prevent others from undertaking it tor the furure, so as to secure the favour of the Company, and tlie reward he said they promised him before lie began tlie voyage."* The Lords of the A(hniialty called on Captain Middleton to answer the strong charges preferred against him by Mr. Dobbs, which he did in detail; but the impression of bribery or tieachery had gone forth against him, and it does not appear that the Board of Admiralty was satisfied with his explanation, or, at least, tliat they approved of his conduct, though he asks \hem for that approba- tion. On the contrary, i.' may rather be inferred, that they considered him culpable; and concurred in opinion with Mr. Dobbs, in the great proba- bility of a north-west passage, which Middleton either would not, or from ignorance could not, dis- cover; for the very next year after his return an act of parliament was passed,! by which a re- ward was offered of twenty thousand pounds to the person Oi persons, being subjects of His Majesty, who should discover a north-west pas- sage through Hudson's Strait to the western and northern ocean of America, a discovery which is stated in the preamble to be *' of great benefit and advantage to the trade of this kingdom," * Account of the Countries adjoining to Hudson's Bay, by Arthur Dobbs, Esq. — p. 8i. t 18 Geo. II. chap. . ii 1743. 1746. ( 287 ) stifle the crtaking ir of the promised I Captain preferred in detail; hery had )t appear I with his ed of his approba- ; inferred, concurred at proba- ^liddleton 1 not, dis- eturn an ch a re- ounds to of His est pas- Istern and which is nefit and Bay, by WILLIAM MOOR AND FRANCIS SMITH. 1746. The public opinion in favour of the existence of a north-west passage was not in the least shaken by the failure of Captain Middleton. The charges of misconduct brought against him by Mr. Dobbs, and the arguments of that gentleman in favour of such a passage, ultimately prevailed. The implied disapprobation of this officer's con- duct by the Lords Commissioners of the Ad- miralty, and their recommendation of a liberal reward to be granted for the discovery of such a passage, had the effect that might have been ex- pected. A plan w^as immediately set on foot for fitting out an expedition of discovery; and to defray the expenses it was proposed that a sub- scription should be opened, for raising the sum of ten thousand pounds, to be divided into one hun- dred shares, of one hundred pounds each. A Committee was appointed, and two small vessels purchased, the Dobbs Galley, of 180 tons, and the California, of 140 tons; the command of the former was given to Captain \yiLLiAM Moor, and of the latter to Captain Francis Smith. ^Ir. Ellis was engaged to proceed on the voyage, as Agent for the Committee. Of this voyage two accounts have been published, one by !Mr. Ellis, a plain, unaffected, intelligible narrative; the other by *' the Clerk of the Califoi^nia,'' whose 288 DISCOVERIES OF 1746. II %. I name was Dragc, a pedantic, disputatious, dog- matical performance. The following abstract is taken from the journal of Mr. KUis.* The twc ships dropped down to Gravesend on the 20th May, 1746. They fell in with ice on the 27th June, in latitude .58" 30', to the eastward of Cape Farewell, and shortly after with abundance of drift-wood, the origin of which causes some vague and certainly erroneous speculations in Mr. Ellis's mind, for he imagines it to come from the west coast of Greenland, where he ought to have known that no wood is produced. He also specu- lates on the origin of those mountains of ice which float down Davis's Strait, and inclines to the opinion of Hans Egede, which is unques- tionably the right one, of their original formation being on the land. The two ships passed the Resolution and the Savage Islands, at the latter of which they had communication with the Esquimaux, whose per- sons, clothing, canoes, and implements are de- scribed with great accuracy. Mr. Ellis observes, that the approach to large islands or fields of ice is alwavs announced bv the chano-c in the tem- pcrature from warm to cold, and generally by low fogs suspended over it. He also observes, that the refraction is so great, that it is not uncommou ' \ u * A N'oyage to Hudson's Bay, by Henry Ellis. 1746. 1746. MOOR AND SMITH. 28y IS, dog- stiact is ■•send on T on the tward of )un(lance scs some lis in Mr. from the t to have [so spccu- is of ice iclines to J unques- formation I and the they had hose pcr- are de- observes, Ids of ice the tem- lly by low Irves, that Incommou :nis. to sec the ice thrown above the horizon at least six degrees. On the 2d August they doubled Cape Diggcs, passed Manselfs Islands, and on the 1 1th made the land on the west side of the IVelcome^ in latitude 64° N. From hence they proceeded to Marble Island, where thev made some observations on the tides and currents; and finding the flood tide come down the coast from the northward, they had great hopes of a passage; but the season being advanced, it was resolved to bear up for Port Nelson, as being the most eligible place for passing the winter : they accordingly made sail for that place on the 17th August; but on the 26th the Dobbs grounded on the flats, near a place called Five-fathom-Jiole, about seven miles from Fort York. A beacon had been erected as a lead- ing mark, which the Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company caused to be cut down, though he very well knew, says ^Ir. Ellis, who we were. This was not all; he ordered them on no account to come nearer the factory, without producing a proper authority from the government or the Hudson's Bay Company. The Dobbs however got off, and, regardless of the threats of the Go- vernor, both ships pioceeded up Hayes River, and moored in a creek about two miles above Fort York. The people immediately set to w^ork in digging holes in the ground to bury their wine and beer, and in building log huts to protect them from the VOL. 1. n 2£)() DISCOVEUIKS Of 174(). 1^ 1^ it A severity of the cold, iVost, and snow, — " trouble- some enoii'c days in a month, and generally about the full and change of the moon; at which times, the w ind is usually from the north-west, and very tern- pestuous; but at other times, though there is a hard frost, Mr. Ellis says it is pleasant enough ; the winds being variable and moderate, and the weather fa- vourable for shooting or catching animals in traps, chiefly rabbits and partridges, which they procured in vast quantities. By constant exercise, when the \\'eather would admit of it, and by keeping good fires of wood, and when burnt by stopping up the chimney, they appear to have suffered very little from the effects of cold; and we hear of none of those wailings with which James's doleful narra- tive is filled, at a place too l^dl five leagues far- ther to the southward on the same coast. Mr, ti i74n. 1746. MOOR AND SMITH. 291 troublc- sccming l; winters lie exag- all com- st was so ink from [tied beev e cold in- ugbt prii- en out of however, ibove four about tbe times, the very tern- e is a hard the winds eather fa- s in traps, y procured , when the iping good opping up fered very lar of none eful narra- agues far- loast. jNir- I'.llis ()bser\'cs, that the difference was so great be- tween the cold without and tbe heated huts within, tbat persons, 011 entering the latter, fre(iuently tainted, anil remained apparently lil'eless for some time; that if a door or window was but opened, the cold air rushed in with great fury, and turned the vapour, inclosed within the hut, into a snow shower. Tbe alternate freezing and thawing of tbe juices of the logs caused them to split with a noise little inferior to tbe report of a musket. Spirits of wine did not freeze into ice, but became of the consist- ence of oil. The different kinds of game, which they procured between November and April, kept easily in a frozen state for any length of time \\ ith- out the use of salt. When any part of the human body was frozen, it became hard and white I'ke ice, but by rubbing the part with a warm baud it went off in a blister ; if left alone the part mortified. Extreme cold appeared to have pretty nearly the same effect as extreme heat, and required nearly the same treatment : of the absolute degree of cold Mr. Ellis cannot speak, as they took out but one thermometer, which was broken before thcv reached the ice. It is noted, in manuscript, in the margin of the copy of I\Ir. Ellis's book from which this abstract is taken, *' that the greatest degree of cold observed (by the writer) at Churchill was 45° below the cypher of Fahrenheit's scale.'' The effects of the cold are sufficientlv re- markabie — " If we touch iron,'' says Mr. Ellis, I' 2 292 DISCOVER IKS OF 1746. I if I' ;5 " or any otlicr smooth solid sm-race in the w inter, our fmgcrs arc froze fast to it; if, in(hinkinu;a (ham of hrandy out of a glass, one's tongue or lips touch it, in puUing it away, the skin is left upon it. An odd instance of this sort happened to one of our people, who was carr} ing a bottle of spirits, from the house to his tent ; for not having a cork to stop the bottle, he made use of his fmger, which was soon froze fast, by which acci- dent he lost a part of it to make a cure practicable. All solid bodies, as glass, iron, ice ami such like, accpiire a degree of cold so very intense, that they resist the efiects even of a strong heat, and that too for a good while :'"* — yet with all this the in- habitants, according to Mr. Ellis, are neither un- comfortable nor unhappy — nay, he asserts, that Europeans even, who have lived here for some years, prefer it to all other places ; and that when they leave it and come home with their ships, they usually grow tired, in a few months, of a more moderate climate, and wish with impatience for the proper season, that may give them an opportunity of re-\ isitina: these frozen regions. It was the 2d June before the winter finally took leave of them, and enabled them to get the vessels ready for dropp'ng down to the mouth of the river ; and it was not till the 24th that they succeeded in passing the shoals; they then stood to * A Voyage to Hudson's Bay, by Henry Ellis, p. IS I. ' V i; 174(). MOOIl AND s:MiTn. ^93 tlic northward for tlu* purpose of* discovery. To tlie northward of ('hiirciiill tlicy had a sou dear of ice. In coastin; an empty bottle to the depth of thirty fathoms, it came up full of water as salt as that in the Atlantic. Soon af^er this the water suddeniv shoaled, and it was rliscovered that the inlet terminated in two unnavigable rivers, one of ^vhich proceeded from a large lake lying- to the south-westward. Being disappointed in not finding a passage through Wager Strait, for so it w^as supposed to be, it was proposed that they should examine another opening to the northward, which appears to have been Captain M'lddleton sfrozeti strait, or entrance into what is now known as Repulse Bay. They had sufficient encouragement to make this attempt, us the farther they advanced to the northward along this coast, the more flattering were the prospects of a passage communicating with a great ocean, as the tides were always higher and the time of high water sooner than to the southward; and ^Ir. Ellis says, " the saltness and transparency of the water in the Welcome was such, that one miiiht see the bottom at the depth of twelve or fourteen fathoms ;" to which he adds, " the numbers of whales that were continually seen upon the coast, ' \ \ 174(>. extended ats passed beyond it nwith 140 ivfacc was lie dej)th of r as salt as the water ;d that the , ers, one of yhig to the a passage [)Osed to ])e, hie another ears to have or entrance They had attempt, as iward along ospectsofa icean, as the- me of high and Ul ency of the one might or fourteen numbers of n the coast, 1745. MOOR AND SMITH. 2<).> and tlie repeated instances we had, that north-west winds made abundantly the highest tides/' A difference of opinion liowevcr prevailed between the commanders and among the oilicers, as to the propriety of proceeding to the examina- tion of this bay, consistently with their instruc- tions; and most of the party were evidently indis- posed towards any further research, urging the advanced season of the year, though it was only the 7th August, and the winter seldom sets in till the beginning or middle of October. After this nothing was done nor even attempted; and a council being held, it was determined to bear up without further delay for England, which was ac- cordingly j)ut in execution ; and on the 29th August they reached the western entrance of Hudson's Strait, with very [)leasant warm a*, eather, which lasted till the 5d September ; and, alter stopping some time at the Orkneys, arrived safely in Y'armouth roads on the 14th October, after an absence of one year, four months, and se\'enteen days. " Thus," says Mr. Ellis, " ended a voyfige of very great expectation, not only here, but through- out the greatest part of Europe, more especially the maritime countries, where the design, its nature, consequences, and their great importance were best understood. Thus, 1 sav, ended this voyage — without success indeed, but not without effect; for though we did not discover a north- V 4 2.9() IMSCOVERIFS OK 1769 t(t •\ w est passage, yet were we so far from discovering the impossibility or even improbability of it, that, on the contrary, we returned with clearer and fuller proofs, founded on the only evidence that ought to take place in an inquiry of this nature, — plain facts and accurate experiments, that evi- dently shew such a passage there may be.''* SAMUEL HEARNE. 1769 tO 1772. I K r-' 1 ■ The unsatisfactory result of the voyage of the Dobbs and California would appear to have thrown a damp on the ardour of northern dis- covery, which the parliamentary reward, liberal as it was, failed to revive ; and for nearly thirty years no attempt whatever was made by sea, eithcF on the part of government or of individuals. At length, however, the Hudson's Bay Company undertook to make discoveries to the northward by land, partly to look for a large river, on which was said to be the copper mine so often mentioned, and partly to obtain correct geographical informa- tion ; and Mr. Hearne was pitched upon to conduct this expedition. He set out from the Fort Prince of Wales on the 6th November, I769, crossed the Seal River and travelled over the barren grounds ; but the A Voyage to Hudson's Bay, by Henry Ellis, p. 298. 1769 to 17712. SAMUEL HEARXK. 297 scovcring " it, that, ;arer and ence that nature, — that evi- 3 Lire of the to have thern dis- , liberal as trly thirty c by sea, dividuals. Company northward on which mentioned, I infoima- upon to Wales on ISeal River but the I p. 298. weather beginning to be excessively cold, all his provisions expended, and no supply to be had, the chief of the In lians who accon^.panied him wish- ing to return, and ultimately leaving him, he was obliged to retrace his steps, after reaching no farther than about the 64th degree of latitude, and arrived at the factory on the 1 1th December. On the 23d February, 1770, he set out a second time, accompanied by three northern and two southern Indians. They continued to proceed slowly to the northward and Avestward, living on wh^t the country afforded, which was sometimes most abundant and at others nothing at all — or, as Hearne says, " either all feasting or all famine ; sometimes we had too much, seldom just enough, frequently too little, and often none at all. It will be only necessary to say, that we have fasted many times two whole days and nights, twice upwards of three days, and once near seven days, during which we tasted not a mouthful of any thing, except a few cranberries, water, scraps of old leather, and burnt bones."'* Towards the end of July his guide intimated to him that it was too late that year to think of reaching the Copper Mine River, and proposed spending the winter among a tribe of Indians where they then were, between the 63d and 64th degrees of latitude ; * Journey from Hudson's Bay to the Northern Ocean, by Samuel Hearne, p. 33. • V ' o .98 Discovj:i{ii;.s or 1769 io but on the i 1th August, while niakino* an obser- vation for the latitude, u sudden gust of wind blew down the quadrant, '' and as tlie ground where it stood was very stony, the bubbles, the sight vane and vernier, were entirely broke to pieces, which rendered the instrument useless. In consequence of this misfortune I resolved to return again to the fort, though we were then in the latitude of 63'' 10' north, and about 10° 40' west longitude from Churchill River. '* Accordingly, after many dilliculties, and extreme hardships from the incle- mency of the weather and from hunger, he arrived at Prince of Waies's Fort on the 25th November, after an absence of eight months and twenty-two days. On the 7th December Mr. Ilearnc aoain set out for the third time to explore the northern parts of North America, and particularly to discover the situation of the copper mine. On the 1st July he reaches a place called Congecathawhachaga, which is not only remarkable on account of the length of the name, but as being the only spot on this long journey at which any observation was made for the latitude ; and even here no par- ticulars are given, but merely an assertion, that " during this time I had two observations, both by meridional and double altitudes, the mean of * Jounioj from Hudson s Bay to the Northern Ocean, by Samuet flcarne, p. 100\ an obscr- vind blew I where it lio'ht vane ;cs, which [isequcncc again to latitude of lonsiitudc iter many the inele- he arrived "November, kventy-two ain set out [n parts of scover the e 1st July whachaga, unt of the ly spot on I'ation was no par- rtion, that s, both by mean of 'an, by Siuiiuct \77^- SAMUEL HE ARM'.. ^9d which determined the latitude of Congecathawha- chaga to be 68° 4(>' N., and its longitude was 24° 2' W. from Prince of Wales's Fort, or 1 18M5' W. of the meridian of London." On the 13th of the same month he reached the Copper Mine River, and on the 15 th connnenced his survey of it. The Indians that accompanied him live in constant hostility with the Esquimaux inhabiting the lower part of the river, and now prepared to attack them in their tents, to which they approached on the 17th about one o'clock in the morning, " when finding all the Esquimaux quiet in their tents, they rushed forth from their ambuscade and fell on the poor unsuspecting creatures, unperceived till close at the very eves of their tents, when they soon began the bloody massacre, while I stood neuter in the rear." It seems that the little horde consisted of about twenty persons, men, women, and children, who were all put to death in the most barbarous and inhuman manner. Another small tribe of Esquimaux escaped the brutal fury of the Indians : but " they threw all the tents and tent-poles into the river, destroyed a vast quantity of dried salmon, musk-oxen flesh, and other provisions ; broke all the stone kettles ; and in fact did all the mischief they possibly could to distress the poor creatures they could n(»t murder, and who were standing as the woeful spectators of their great or perhaps irreparable loss.'' V. ^ 300 OlSflOVKHIKS OK 1 7(J9 t^ 1) li fi After this piece of w antonncss " we sat clown," Hcarne says, " and made a good meal of fresh sahnon." He adds, " It was then about five o'clock in the morning of the 17th, the sea being in sight from the north-west by west to the north-east, abont eight miles distant; I therefore set instantly about commencing my survey, and pursued it to the mouth of the river, which I found all the way so full of shoals and falls that it was not navigable for a boat, and that it emptied itself into the sea over a ridge or bar."* The tide, he says, was then out ; but he judged from tlie marks on the edsrc of the ice that it flowed about twelve or fourteen feet ; that, the tide being out, the water in the river was perfectly fresh ; but, he continues, " I am certain of its being the sea, or some branch of it, by the quantity of whalebone and seal's skins which the Escjuimaux had at their tents, and also by the number of seals which I saw on the ice." He says moreover, that at the mouth of the river " the sea is fall of islands and shoals" as far as he could see with the assistance of a good pocket telescope. It has been doubted whether Hearne ever reach- ed the sea-coast, on the ground that the water in the mouth of the river being perfectly fr^esh^ when the tide was out, is inconsistent with the flood rising •* Journey from Hudson's Bay to the Northern Ocean, by Samuel: Hcarne, p. l62. 17()9 l^ t down/' of fresh vc o'clock jT in sight orth-east, instantly mcd it to il the way navigahle to the sea says, was ks on the twelve or the water continues, me branch and seal's iieir tents, I saw on mouth of shoals" as I of a good ver reach- water in re^A, w4ien iood rising m, by Samuel 1772. SAMUKL IIEARNE. 301 four t ten feet. It might certainly have been ex- pected that, after so long and hazardous a journey, ]\Ir. Ilearne would have taken every possible care to have ascertained in the most unequivocal manner w^hethcr he really had reached the northern shore of North America, and stood on the borders of the hyperborean sea. If the tide was out in the morn- ing of the 17th, it must have been in on the middle part of the same day; and as he never quitted the margin of the river, or the shore of the supposed sea, till the morning of the 18th, and consequently was there during the flowing and ebbing of two distinct tides, it is certainly very unsatisfactory to state merely that he judged its rise to be fourteen feet by some marks that he perceived on the ice ; nor is it easy to comprehend how the w^atcr at the mouth of a river, into which the tide flows and rises fourteen feet, could have been perfectly fresh. Equally unsatisfactory is his statement as to the latitude of the mouth of the Copper Mine River. He says tliat a thick fog and drizzling rain came on, and that " finding that neither the river nor the sea were likely to be of any use, I did not think it worth while to wait for fair weather to determine the latitude exactly by an observation." What then, it might be asked, did he go for? lie tells us, and it appears by his instructions, that he was selected for the expedition because he knew 302 DISCOVKRIf.S OF 17^9 fo :i ^ % liow to take an observation for the latitude ; and yet, diirino- his long- and interesting journey of twehe or thirteen hunched miles and as many back again, he takes but one soHtary observation to ascertain the latitude ; which is the more un- accountable as, by a remark of his own, he seldom, could have wanted opportunities to determine this most essential point, without which the true geo- graphy of this part of the continent may still be said to remain in doubt. Ilis remark is, that " in those high latitudes, and at this season of the year, the sun is always at a good height above the horizon, so that he had not only day-light but sunshine the whole night." Still, however, he tells us that the latitude of the mouth of the river may be de- pended on, though he does not mention in the text what that latitude was ; it is to be collected only from the chart, in which it would appear to be about 73° 30'. Now comparing his journey after leaving Congecathawhachaga, where his single observation was made and which gave him u8° 46', and calculating by the courses and dis- tances the difference of latitude betw^een that place and the mouth of the river, that difference would not appear to exceed three degrees ; so that the latitude, w^hich Mr. Hearne says " may be depended on," and w hich on the chart is 73° 30', ought rather to be taken at 71° 46'. Doctor Douglas, into whose hands the manuscript journal was placed long before its publication, states the k 17^9 to 177'2. SARIUr.J, IIKARXL. 303 itle ; and Lirney of as many servation nove un- ic seldom mine this true geo- ;ill be said "in those year, the 3 horizon, [ishine the IS that the ay be de- on in the collected appear to s journey Inhere his gave him and dis- een that difference so that may be is 73° 30', Doctor pt journal states the u latitude of the river's mouth to be 72°; but the late Mr. l)a:/ymple, after carefully comparing llcarnc's distances and the direction in which he travelled, with Canadian and other authorities, and after him ^Ir. Arrowsmith and other geographers, have agreed to cut down Mr. Hcarnes latitude to that of about 69°, which falls in pretty nearly with that of the supposed sea-coast visited by Mackenzie afterwards farther to the westward. Tbc correctness of Mr. Hearne's narrative may be questioned in many respects. For instance, the sun could not " always be a good height above the horizon" in the latitude 69°, especially when he was there, for his declination on the 18th July, being about 120° N., he could have been only, in the middle of the night of that day, just in the horizon. In that part of his journal where the expression occurs, and which is quoted by Doctor Douglas, there is not a word of this " sunshine all night." The journey of Mr. llearne proved how- ever the practicability of reaching the northern shore, and it is much to be regretted that this journey has not been followed r > by the Hudson's Bay Company. COXSTATXIXE JOHX PIIIPPS. 1773. The Honourable Daines Harrington having pre- sented to the Royal Society a series of papers on 504 DiscovFuiLs or 1773. r 1 i ii 'I It {J 1^ the practicability of ajiprojiching the north pole, the President and Conncil oK that Society came to tlie resolution of applying to the Karl of Sand- wich, then iirst Lord of the Admiralty, to obtain his ^lajesty's sanction for an expedition to be lifted out for the purpose of trying how far navi- gation might be practicable towards the north pole. This expedition his Majesty was pleased to direct should be immediately undertaken, '* with every encouragement that could countenance such an enterprize, and every assistance that could con- tril)ute to its success." Two ships, the Racehorse and the Carcass, bombs, as being the strongest, were therefore fixed npon as the most proper for the purpose; the former having on board a complement of ninety men, and the latter eighty, with an additional number of officers. The com- mand of the expedition was given to the Hon. Captain Constantine John Phipps, (afterwards Lord Mulgrave,) who embarked in the Racehorse, and Captain Skeifington Lutwidge was ap- ])ointed to the command of the Carcass. Two masters of Greenland ships were employed as pilots. JMr. Israel Lyons w^as recommended by the Board of Longitude as astronomer ; and in- struments of va.ious kinds, of the best description at that time in use, were sent on this interesting voyage. The two ships sailed from the Nore on the 10th June, 1773. On the 27th they had an observation I;. 1773. th pole, came to if Sanil- o obtain n to be (ar navi- rth pole, to cliicct th every such an II 1(1 con- lacehorse trongest, >t proper board a lY eia:htv, he coni- he Hon. Iftcrwards acchorse, was ap- is. Two loyed as ndcd by ; and in- scription ^teresting the 10th Iservation 1773. CONSTANTINE JOII\ PIMPPS. 305 of the sun at midnight, which gave the latitude to be 74" 26' ; and in the evening of tbat day reached tile latitude of the south part of Spitzbergen with a fair wind, without an increase of cold, and with- out any appearance of ice or sight of land. A piece of drift-wood, which was fir, was picked up, and not worm-eaten. On the 129th they stood in with the land, which was formed " by high, barren, black rocks, witbout tbe least marks of vegetation; in many places bare and pointed, in other ])arts covered with snow, appearing even above the clouds; the vallies between the high cliffs were filled with snow or ice. This prospect would have suggested the idea of perpetual winter, had not the mildness of the weather, the smooth water, bright sunshine, and constant daylight, given a cheerfulness and novelty to tbe whole of this striking and romantic scene.'** On this day the latitude observed was 77° 59 1 1 . A mountain was measured M'hich was fifteen hundred and three yards in height. The weather along the coast continued to be moderate and line. At midnight the latitude was 78° 23 46 ; the dip of the magnetic needle 80° 4^'. On the 4th the latitude of ]Mao:dalena lloek was ascertained to l)e 79° 34', the same as Fotherby observed it to be in 16 14. On the 5th they fell in with the main body of the ice, along which they stood to as- * A Voyage towards the North Pole, p. 31. VOL. I. X i5()() l)rs(;ovi uirs or 1773. (•(Mt.iiii wlu'tluT it joiufd to tlir hind of SpitzlxT- L',rii,()i' w as so (U't;icln(l as to allonl an ojjj.ortiniity of passiiio- to tilt' I'asrwaid. Tut {\\c pilots and ollici'is (liouL'lit it ini|)racti(al>U' to proct'rd in that ni\'(l that thcv wonid probably soon bi* hrsiM w lu'ii* ihi'v wimc, as this wasabont tlic spot w lic'iv most ol" liu' old disroNcicrs had been stoj)p('arts()l' th.e iee towards till' noith-w est. A hea\v swell and thieU weather eann'd them to taek and to stand towartls Ilak- Inyt's IIe;ullan(I. On the niornini;- oC the Jjlh the iee was fbnnil to he (piile last to the west, being then in l()n<>i- tnde '2*' 'j' 1!. by their leekoninu,-, w hieh Captain J'liij>ps o!)ser\ es w as th.e larthest to the westward of Spit/heiLien tliev e\ er lloI on the vo\ai»e. Iir the exenini;' of" the same day the latitnde was 80° 36'. lJa\ in:;- iim alono* the edi:e of the iee tVoni east to west al)o\e ten dei'iee: I now saN s Capt am P ni>iis. Tl heuan to eoneeixe that tlie ice was eonipaet inipene trabh hod\ IJ e now s tood one over to the eistw aid. aiu! on the \3th ear.ie to anehor in Vogelsang- ; a good roadsread, near a remarkable point ealled Cloven ClitV, w hieli is ''a bare roek, so ealled tVom tlie top of it resend)ling a cloven hoot", which appearance it h.as always w orn, having been named bv some of the iirst Dntch navio-ators who fretiuented these seas. This rock, beina; entirclv detached from the other niountaius, and joined to 1773. S|)itz])cr- |.()rt unity lilots imd L'd 111 tluit |)i(»bul)ly about tlic had been ikcd tbcir CO toNViivds ;U wciitlicr kiwds llak- was fbuiul .1 in longi- L'h Captuiii westward of )C. liT the was 80° 36'. tVoni cast to 1773. COXSTANTIXE JOIIX PIIIPPS. 307 II vs Capt nil lice was one iv stood over bor ill kable Ito anc vcniav Ibaie IOC •lovcn k, so boot", io-ators w Ibavinu,- liecu lio nuo- entirely nd joined to tlie rest of tlie island by ii low narrow istbnuis, presc'ves in all situations tbe same lorn), and, l)cini»; nearly i)er|>endi('nl:u-, it is never disijjuised hy snow:'"* its latitude is 7if 53' N., longitude i)" 5^)' 30' K. ; tbe variation of tbe eoinpass was 'JO* tiS' ^\'. dip H'J° 7'. Here tbey ascertained tbe goino* of tbe pendulum, wbicb bad been adjusted to vibrate seconds in London. Tbe tliermonietcr difVered very little at noon and at midnii»bt, being 5sy' at tbe former and .51" at tbe latter. On tbe l5tli, tbe weatber being line and clear, tbe tb.er- niometer in tbe sbade rose, by exposure to tbe sua for a few minutes, from 49° to 8<)i°, and remained so for some time, till a small breeze springing up made it fall lO" almost instantly. Again on tbe 18tb tbe sbips stood to tbe cast- ward, along tbe cihyv of tbe ice ; but were for a tbird time stopped about tbe same place, by iinding tbe ice loeked in witb tbe land, witbout any passage eitber to tbe nortliw aid or tbe cast- ward. Tbcre were small openings, bowever, into one of wbicb tbey ])rocecded as far as 80° 34-'. For tbe fovirtb time Captain Pbipps made an at- tempt to get to tbe eastward ; passed Moften Island, and in working among loose ice proceeded as far to tbe nortbward, on tbe i27tb, as 80" 48' by tbe reckoning, wben tbey were stopped by tbe main body of tbe ice, wbicb extended in a line * A Voyage towards the North Pole, p. 44. X 2 308 DISCOVERIES OF 177:^. i'i I: r- f } nearly east and west. By observation at midniglit the latitude was 80° 37', and their longitude the following day, when in sight of the Seven Islands, was 15° 16' 45" E. Some of the officers landed on a low flat island in the mouth of Way gat Strait, on which they found several large fir trees lying on the shore, sixteen or eighteen feet above the level o' the sea; some of them, seventy feet in length, had been torn up by the roots, others had been cut down with an axe and notched for twelve-feet lengths ; this timber was no ways decayed, or the strokes of the hatchet in the least effaced. The beach was formed of old timber, sand, and whale-bones. The middle of this island was covered with moss, scurvy grass, sorrel, and a few ranunculuses tlien in flower. Two rein-deer were feeding on the moss, one of which they killed, and found it fat and of high flavour. On the return of the officers they wounded a sea-ho'3e, which dived immediately and brought up with it a number of others. They all joined in an attack upon the boat, wrested an oar from one of the men, and were with difficulty prevented from staving or oversetting the boat. On the 30th July the weather was exceedingly fine and mild and unusually clear. " The scene,"' says Captain Phipps, " was beautiful and pictu- resque ; the two ships becalmed in a large bay, with three apparent openings between the islands 177:^. midnigbt itudc the ]n Islands, flat island hich they the shore, of the sea; I been torn vn with au gths ; this 3kes of the beach was hale-bones, with moss, uluses tlien ing on the ound it fat ivn of the 4iich dived L number of Iv upon the ,e men, and staving or jxceeuingly ;he scene,' and pictu- large bay, li the islands 177.1. CONSTANTINE JOHN ?HIPPS. 309 that formed it, but every where surrounded with ice as far as we could see, with some streams of Avater; not a breath of air; the water perfectly smooth; the ice covered with snow, low and even, except a few broken pieces near the eth Septend)er arrived at th ; Nore. Captain Phipps seems to think that "the summer was unconiinonh' favour- able for liis purpose,"" l)ecause it *' alTordid him the fullest oppoitunity of ascertaining rej;eatedly the situation of that wall of ice, extending lor more tlian twenty degrees between the latitudes of eighty and eighty-one, without the smallest appearance of any opening." There is reason to believe, however, that fe\y years occur in which there arc not man)- openings in the wall of ice which usually stretches bet\\ ecu the eastern coast of Greenlanil and the northern-most parts of Spitzhergen, and consecpicntly the sumn^cr in which Captain Phipps made the atteir.pt to get to the northward was peculiarly unfaxourable. JAMES COOK AXD CUARLES CLEllKE. 1776' lo 177f). The hopes of opening a navigable communica- tion between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, by a northerly course, were not abaiuloi.cd by the failure of Lord Mulorave ; another \()\ V. ii 1776 to 1779- COOK AND CLERKE. 313 imand it. hich had id instead ;ic to the from the lips fitted m and the under the the latter oned, thdi 20,000 was s Majesty's n-e; hut it reward was lid discover lis Act was ded, and so , and to ap- " any nor- ;en the At- awards the that shall orth Pole.* tioii sailed ons for the ood Hope ; hern hemi- lof Asia and ) America, with which all Europe is well acquainted, the two ships entered Behring's Strait on 9th August, 1779) and anchored near a point of land to which Captain Cook gave the name of Cape Prince of Wales, which he afterwards ascertained to be the w^estern extremity of the whole con- tinent of America. It is situated in latitude 65'* 46' N. and longitude 191° 45' E. Some elevations like stages, and others like huts, were seen on this part of the coast, and they thought also that some people were visible. From hence they stood over to the westward and entered a bav on the east coast of Asia, at the head of which was a village and some people. On landing they were found to consist of about thirty or forty men, each armed with a spontoon, a bow and arrows, drawn up on a rising ground. As the people of the ships drew near, three of the natives came down to the shore, took oif their caps and made low bows. An ex- change of presents took place ; those received by Captain Cook were two fox-skins and a couple of seahorse-teeth ; they appeared, however, to be fearful and cautious, and preserved the attitude of being ready to make use of their spears. They parted with their arrows in exchange for trifling articles, but nothing could induce them to part with a spear or a bow. All their weapons were made m ith great ingenuity, and their quivers in particular are represented as extremely beautiful, being made of red leather covered with neat em- 514 DISCOVERIES OF 1776/0 -I it /; broidery and otlicr ornaments. Tlicy diifercd in their persons and features entirely tVoni the natives of nortli-west Ameriea, tiie latter being low of stature, with round faces and high cheek-bones; whereas the Tchutaki had long visages and were stout and well made; they had their ears bored and some had "lass beads hantiino' iVoni them, but no lip ornaments like the Americans. They had numerous dogs, probably used to draw their sledges, of wh/ich several appeared in one of the huts; but Captain Cook thought that they might also constitute a part of their food, as several were observed Iviu"- dead which had been killed that niorninu:. From this bay the ships stood over to the north- east, and again fell in with the west coast of America, the distance in the narrowest part being- only about fourteen leagues. Another cape was observed to the northward of Cape Prince of Wales, lying in latitude 67° -io and longitude 194* 51'; the whole coast free from snow, but apparently destitute of wood. To this caj)e Captain Cook gave the name of Pouit JMiihrave. On the 17th August, in latitude 70° 41', they fell in w ith the ice, extending from E. by N. to W. by S. and ([uite impenetrable, being as compact as a wall and at least ten or twelve feet high, and to the nortluvard apparently much higher. The weather clearing up, the extreme point of the eastern land, or America, was observed to form a it Si 1776^0 1779' COOK AND CLEUKE. 515 ferctl ill ^natives ; low of i<-boiics ; 11(1 were rs bored m tliem, >. They raw their le of the cv miu;ht era! were illed that he north- coast of art being- cape was ^riiice of tilde 194* ppareiitly aiii Cook 41', they by N. to compact lig-h, and ler. Tlie It of the to form a point, whicli was much encumbered with ice ; for which reason it ol)taincd the name of Ici/ Cape. Its latitude was 70° il9\ longitude \y^° 20'. As tlic ice appeared to bv drifting down towards the ships, and miglit probably have caught them between it an^l the American shore, they stood back to the southward into clear water, and after- wards to the northward, iinding the ice less compact and covered with ^^■hole lierds of the sea- horse, many of which they took and found to be good meat. The weather cominu; on foiro'v, it was thought prudent to stand to the south ward ; and on the 2 1st, when in latitude 69" 32', the main ice was observed at no great distance fiom them, so that it now covered a part of the sea whicli but a few days before had been clear ; and it ex- tended further to the south than where they had first fallen in with it. But, Captain Cook observes, he did not suppose any part of this ice to be fixed; on the contrary, he considered the whole as a moveable mass. Captain Cook stood in for the American coast, which extended from S. W. to E., tlie nearest part beinii" four or five leaiiues distant. The southern extreme he named Cape Lishurne, uliose latitude was 68° 5', longitude 194° 42'. Finding he could not get to the north, while near the coast, on account of the ice, he stood out to a dijitance from it. The water deepened, as he stood westward, to twenty-eight fathoms, which was the most they 316 DISCOVERIES OF 1776 to ^'1 had. On the 26th they again fell in with the main body of the ice, appearing to be thick and compact, and to extend from N.W. to E. by N. ; the latitude then 6.9° .'36', longitude 184°. On the 27th, being close to the edge of the ice, Captain Cook went in a boat to examine it. He found it to consist of loose pieces, so close toge- ther as scarcely to admit the boat between them ; it was all pure transparent ice, except the upper surface, which was a little porous; it appeared to be composed of frozen snow, and to have been all formed at sea. The pieces were from forty or fifty yards m extent to four or five, and the larger pieces appeared to reach thirty feet or more under the surface of the water. He considered it improbable that so much ice could have been the product of the preceding winter; and equally im- probable that the little which remained of the summer could destroy the tenth part of what then subsisted of the mass ; he thinks indeed that the sun contributes very little to the destruction of such immense masses; that it is the wind, or rather the waves raised by the wind, that brings down the bulk of these huge masses, by grinding one piece against another, and washing away those parts that lie exposed to the surge of the sea. Davis was of the same opinion nearly two hundred vears before. On the 29th the ships made the land of the Asiatic continent, which, like the opposite coast i # 1779. COOK AND CLERKE. 317 of America, was low land next the sea, with ele- vated land farther back. It was destitute of wood, and without snow. To a steep and rocky point Captain Cook gave the name oF Cape North; its latitude 68" 56', longitude 180" 51'; no land appearing to the northward of this, it it was concluded that the coast here began to trend to the westward. " The season," says Cap- tain Cook, " was now so far advanced, and the time when the frost is expected to set in so near at hand, that I did not think it consistent with pru- dence, to make any further attempts to find a passage into the Atlantic this year, in any direc- tion, so little was the prospect of succeeding." Accordingly, on the SOtli August, he stood to the southward, coasting the land of Asia from the Cape Serdze Kamen of Muller, so called from a heart-shaped rock upon it, round East Cape, passed the mouth of the bay of St. Lawrence, down to Tschukotskoi Noss, from thence to Norton Sound on the American coast, and finally to the Sandwicli Islands^ where this celebrated navigator lost his life.* Captain Clerke was now become Commanding Officer, and Lieutenant Gore appointed Com- mander of the Discoveiy. On the 15 th March, 1779, they left the Sandwich Islands, and stood to the northward, by the way of Kamtschatka, to follow up the discovery of a passage into the Cook's last Voyage into the Pacific, &c. vol, ii. .*?IS DISCOVKRIKS OF 1776 to > ',, : h .1 'i !i n. i It I Atlantic. On tlic Sd Julv tlu'V caiiie in siolit of Tscluikotskoi Noss, and on tlic 5tli saw Kast Cape, covered witli snow, and tiie heaeli sur- rounded with ice. On the san^.e evenin<2', at ten o'clock, tlicy saw, at the same nionienl, the re- markable peaked liill, near Cajw Prince of Hales, on the coast of America, and ihe East Cape of Asia, with the two connectini*" islands of Saint Diomede between them. On the follow inu,' dav they fell in with an extensive l)ody of ice, from which tliey stem to have anticipated an nnsuc- cessful issue of the expedition. Jt presented a solid compact surface, and appeared to adhere to the cc.ist of America. On the 8th July the latitude was 69° 21', longi- tude 192° 4^' ^V^ They were then close to the ice, the weather exceedingly cold, with much snow and sleet; Falnenheit's thermometer in the night 28°, and at noon ^0°. Having stood near forty leao'ues to the westward alono; the edii'c of the ice, without seeing any opening, or a clear sea to the northward beyond it, Captain Clcrke re- solved to return to the southward and to pass the time in examining the Bay of St. Lawrence, till the season should be further advanced. They found so much ice, however, to the southward, and the sea now appeared so free from it to the northward, that they innncdiately returned to- wards that quarter; but on the 13th found themselves close in with a solid Held of ice, to which no limits could be seen from the mast head; -A 776 to 1779. COOK AND CLERKE, 319 iglit of V Kast ,'h suv- , at ten tlic rc- ■ Hales, Cope of )f Saint inp: (lay e, from 1 unsuc- iciitcd a Lclhcrc to 1', loiigi- c to the th much r in the 00(1 near edge of clear sea crke re- pass the cuce, till They Duthward, it to the irned to- il found )f ice, to last head ; the latitude then being G[f 37', and the position of the ships nearly in the mid channel, between two continents; the ice extending from E. N.E. to W. S.W. They proceeded along the edge to- wards the coast of America, and, on the 18th, were in latitude 70° !3()', longitude 19-1° j4'. The following day they Ibund themselves so com- pletely embayed in the ice as to have but one opening to the southward, through which they directed their course. This was the farthest point to vv'hich they proceeded, being in latitude 70° 33', which is five leagues short of the point to which Captain (!ooiv had proceeded the former year. On the 'J 1st tliey got sight of the American coast at the distance of eiLvhi or ten leagues, and hauled in for it; but were again stopped by the ice, and obliged to bear av.ay to the westward, along the edge of it. " Thus," observes the writer of the voyage (Captain King), " a connected, solid field of ice lendcrinL!: everv efibrt we could make to a nearer approach to the land fruitless, and joining, as we judged, to it, we took a last farewell of a north-east passage to England." After this the ships stood over to the eastward, and on the 27th came in sight of the Asiatic con- tinent, beyond large fields and masses of ice, in which the Discovery had been beset and so seriously damaged, as to recjuire at least three weeks repair, for which purpose it would be ne- cessary to go into some port. As there was thus Uttle or no prospect of advancing to the ' i ' U20 DISCOVERIES OF 1779. . I ! if nortlnvard, and both continents were obstructed by a sea blocked np with ice, it was deemed fruitless by both Captains, with respect to the design of the voyage, to make any further at- tempts toward a passage ; and they determined, therefore, to lose no more time in what Captain Clerke concluded to be an unattainable object, but to sail for Awatska Bay, to repair the damages. ** I will not,'' says Captain King, " endeavour to conceal the joy that brightened the counte- nance of every individual, as soon as Captain Clerke's resolutions were made known. We were all heartily sick of a navigation full of dan- ger, and in which the utmost perseverance had not been repaid with the smallest probabilit of success. We therefore turned our faces to } home, after an absence of three years, with a delight and satisfaction, which, notwithstanding the tedious voyage we had still to make, and the immense distance we had to run, were as freely entertained, and perhaps as fully enjoyed, as if we had been already in sight of the Land's- end."* RICHARD PICKERSGILL. 1776. To give facility to the success of Captain Cook's expedition, in the event of his reaching * Cook's last Voyage, vol. iii. u 1779. 1776. RICIIAUI) VICKERSGILI.. 321 ructccl Iccnicd to the her at- nnhicd, Japtain 3ct, hut ages, [leavoiir counte- Captain Ve were 3f dan- nce had bilit of i to i with a standing and the s freely- led, as if Land's- Captain Ireaching Baffin's Bay, Lieutenant Pickkrsoill was directed to proceed to Davis's Strait in his Ma- jesty's armed hrig the LinHy for the protection of the British whale fishers, and, that being accom- plished, to continue uj) the strait into Baffin's Hay, and explore the coasts thereof, taking care to leave it in time to secure his return to England in the fall of the year; with injunctions to employ the Master, Mr. Lane, in surveying, making charts, and taking views of the several bays, harbours, &c. and in making such notations thereon as might be useful to geography and navigation.* Pickersgill was not instructed to attempt the passage; the object of sending him into Baffin's Bay being merely to obtain such information as might be useful the following year to the vessel which was intended to be sent out to look for Captain Cook, about the time he might be expected to approach the eastern side of America in the event of success. The Lion left Deptford on the 25th May, 1776; struck soundings on a bank at 320 to 330 fatlioms, on the 2.9th June, in latitude .57" N., longitude 24° 24' W. which he supposed might be the remains of Buss Island seen by one of Sir Martin Frobishcr's fleet; and, on the 7th July, saw Cape Farewell, near which, on the following day, he was set fast in a field of ice, " the land at the same time forming one of the most romantic scenes that can * MS. Instructions, 14th May, 177^. VOL. 1. Y I 5'2'2 riSCOVEUIES OF 1776. '!* be described, being very high and rugged, pre- senting to the eye mo.intainous rocks and spires of ahnost every shape, intermixed with patches of snow, which contrasted finely with the deep blue of the mountains, affording the most pleasing sensations, and at the same time exhibiting either grandeur or horror as the sun shone forth or as it was cloudy."* Among the field-ice were several lofty islands, on one of which was much earthy matter many feet deep, and pieces of rock several hundred pounds weight e:xh, with gravelly streams of fresh water pouring down its sides. The whole mass was drifting; to the southward. The sea being perfectly smooth among the ice afforded them a good opportunity of making obser- vations for the variation and inclination of the magnetic needle, the former of which was found to be 41° 31' W., and the latter 76" 30'; the lati- tude at the same time being 60° 1' N., and longitude, by observation of the sun and moon, 46° 36' W. : and from these observations and his distance from Cape Farewell, he makes that promontory to lie in latitude 59" 32' N. longitude 44° 10' West of Greenwich. Mr. Pickersgill, in proceeding to the northward, appears to have kept as close to the shore as the ice and the rocks would permit; and on the 13th was " regaled," as he expresses himself, " with the astonishing sight of the famous Greenland ice- f* * Lieutenant Pickeissiirs M.S. Journal. 1776. UICIIARD PICKERSG.ILL. 323 glance ; it is a prodigious high field of solid ice, frozen across the supposed Frobishcr's Strait, and is as high as the mountains, having the most romantic appearance that can be imagined, though it does not shine so bright as I should have sup- posed from the description which has been given of it, nor could I see those amazing arches, said to be forty feet in height, through which the water rushes, bringing back with the ebb tide vast quantities of ice from the inland countries with a crashing noise resembling thunder ; at the same time it is very possible, for the nearest distance we were from it was at least four leagues."* Still running northwards along the shore, among rocks, islands, sand-banks and ice, the Lieutenant anchored the Lion in a place which he called Musquito Cove, from the swarms of this insect, bred, as he supposes, in the pools of snow water among the rocks. The latitude of this place was found to be 64' 56' 20" N., longitude 51° 53 30" W., dip of the needle 81' 2^' 30', and variation 50° 30' W. Here he had some communication with the natives, who are described as well-bcr haved, diffident and honest. On leaving this place Lieutenant Pickersgill continued standing as close along the shore as he could get for rocks and ice. and one day caught thirty-six fine hollybutts, from one hundred to * M.S. Journal. y2 ^ 324 DiscovEiiiEs or 177(k i ■' ■I ■ ^.t' ■r three hundred pounds each. The sea was now clear of ice until he came opposite to Davis's Cape of God's Mercy ^ when an immense field of ice appeared in sight, along which he continued to sail for upwards of fifty miles. On the 3d August, being then in latitude 6.5' S7', he first be- gan to perceive his error in the navigation of Davis's Strait: " This day," he says, "has wafted us faster than wc have ever gone since we entered these calm and foggy straits, for, upon an average, we have gone no more northerly than twelve miles a day since we have entered them. I now sec the reason of our slow progress, which has been the keeping too near the land ; therefore, as I design to growniij (r dark very fast, and the season far spent, a num- ber of our men sick, a putrid fever raging in the vessel, and numbers complaining for want of clothing and with pains in their limbs, which seems to be in this count/y a general complaint,>-- the vessel very wet and single- bottomed, with- out being provided for wintering if we had been caught with the ice; in this situation, I thought It necessary to return, &c."* He stood on, how- ever, as far as 68° 10', then bore up for the southward; but, with an unaccountable per- versity, still continued to creep along the shore, among the rocks, and islands, and fields of ice,' and did not reach Cape Farewell till the 24tli August. On the 4th September he ran into Porcupine harbour, on the coast of Labrador. Here he remained till the 27th, and on the 29th his journal breaks off thus—" Being now taken ill, which illness continued for almost all the passage, and as nothing material occurred duiing It, I hope their Lordships will excuse the short remainder until I give my general thoughts upon the voyage and the hopes of a passage." It does not appear, however, that their Lordships gave him any further trouble on either subject, but superseded him in the command of tlie Lion, not deeming him a proper person to be sent out on a similar voyage the following year. * M.S. Journal Y :} 326 DISCOVERIES OF 1777. ;i'- I WALTER YOUNG. 1777- i- The Lion armed brig being again fitted out, uniler her new Commander, Lieutenant Walter Young, sailed from the Nore on the 23d March, 1777, and made Cape Farewell on the 3d June ; and for several days had stormy weather, with much snow and hail, the ship working all the while among fields of packed ice, till, on the 18th May, she stood into the harbour of Lichtenfels. On the 24th she again weighed, and made sail to the northward, among much ice, and the weather so bad, that on the 2d June the ship's sails, ropes and rigging were one mass of ice. On the 5 th, the sea rose very high, and made a fair breach over the main deck of the Lion, which froze instantlv, and the decks became covered with a solid body of ice, and the rigging hung with icicles : at this time the Island of Disco was in sight. Here the ice seemed to divide into two immense fields, leaving an open channel in the middle, of eight or ten miles in width, down which channel were seen floating a number of ice-islands or bergs. On the 28th June, in latitude 72° 42', the Woman s Islands were in sight, and to the north- ward, the eastern ice appeared to approach the western, till the channel became so narrow that Lieutenant Young thought it prudent to tack and stand away to the southward. No soundings with 100 fathoms of line. The floatins: islands of ice .ij 1777. ]7r7. WALTEtt YOUNG. 327 itted out, Walter Id March, 3d June ; her, with ' ■;«• 1 !■; now called Julianskaab, which is at this moment inhabited by the Danes; and that this part has received the name of East Greenland ^ only be- canse it happens to be situated a little to the east of that part which is commonly called the western coast. The Danish government, however, was of a different opinion. The only question with it was, v/hcther Frobishcr had actually j)assed through a strait which, crossing from the eastern to the Avestern coast, cutoif and insulated a large portion of Greenland; and Mr. Lowenorn, before his de- parture, wrote a memoir to pro\e the fallacy of such a supposition, which in fact had been proved long before by the old English navigators. Bishop Egede was of opinion that the most favourable season for commencing this voyage would be in the beginning of the spring, before the masses of ice should come down from the north and fix themselves to the coast , but Captain Lowenorn preferred making the attempt to reach the coast in the middle of summer, or even later, and to depart from the west coast of Iceland for that purpose, as the ice would then have floated down farther to the south and have left the east coast of Greenland open. The ship Greo Ernst Scheinmelmann of 246 tons burden, usually employed on the whale fishery, was engaged by government for this expedition. There was also attached to her a small vessel of 60 tons, which was placed under 786 and 1787. LOWENORN, EGEDE, AND llOTHE. 331 moment part has mly be- Xhc east western i^as of a h it was, Inough a 1 to the c portion e his (le- fallacy of ini proved rs. the most s voyage i\g, before from the t Captain It to reacii vcn later, ;eland for e floated the east \reo Errist employed ivernment Ihed to her ced under the command of Lieutenant Egede, the son of the Bishop. These vessels were to pass the winter in Iceland, in order to resume their research the following summer, in case they should not succeed the first year. Mr. Lowenorn was ordered at the same time to examine carefully the geogra- phical situation of the Shetlai/vl Isles, and to survey the coasts of Iceland, in order to improve the hydrography of that island. He was also to survey and ascertain the situation of a small volcanic island which had appeared in the year 1783, but which, according to the reports of several navigators, had disappeared the following year. The two vessels set sail from Copenhagen on the 2d May, 1786, and arrived at Iceland on the I6th of the same month. They made some ob- servations on the variation of the compass, which arc not much to be relied on, as, from the number of volcanoes in almost every part of the island, which they say contain magnetic matter, the needle is so much affected by them as to vary many degrees in the shortest distances. Thus Olafsen has observed that, on the summit of Snocfell Jokul, the compass wi^s so disorderly that it pointed in all directions. Mr. Lowenorn was unable to obtain in Iceland any correct information respecting Old Greenland; nor could he ascertain the fact, that the coasts of Iceland and Greenland might be seen at the same 'i 332 DISCOVERKS OF l7S6and '.'■ 3' " * i 1 V^ 11 time. On the 20th June the two ships left Scol- nienshani, and on the 2<)th a phenomenon was observed during the day-time which they con- chided to he the aurora borealis. The atmosphere was clouded and of an extraordinary whiteness ; the sun was surrounded by a circle of faint light; towards the N.W. the air was less cloudy ; and from the horizon streaks of light columns and luminous points shot up resembling the aurora borealis, darting and changing their shapes in the same manner as this meteor. The same phenome- non appeared again on the following day, but more faintly. If it was the aurora borealis, it is probably the first time it has been observed by daylight, and when the sun was above the horizon. On the 30th June, they perceived the Snoefell Jokul in the east, at the distance of about ninety miles. At the same time they thought they per- ceived in the western quarter some white moun- tains covered with snow, and directed their course towards them. On the 1st of July the atmosphere was cloudy, and at mid-day they imagined that they saw mountainous land ; they were then in latitude 65° 13' 30", and longitude 31° 16' W. of Paris. The fog was thick, but every now and then it cleared away, and they fancied they saw land ; but on the air becoming quite clear they beheld nothing but masses of ice and some float- ing ice-bergs. They entered a bay of ice on the 2d July ; but I 4i 1787. LOWENORN, EGEGE, AND ROTHE. 333 instead of land, they saw nothing but an immense and impenetrable extent of ice, in which rose enormous mountains of ice. The vapour and fog occasioned by the great extent of ice prevented them from seeing the coast, even if near it ; but if the land here had been moumtainous, they must have perceived its summits at a great distance across the ice, as from time to time the fog cleared away. The extent of ice, which liitlierto liad lain in the direction of N.E. and S.W., in this bay took a turn to the W. and a little to the N., allowing the ships to hold a westerly course. On the 2(1 July, at mid-day, they were at least 160 miles from Snoefell Jokul, in latitude 65° 6' — longitude 32° 3' W. of Paris, and, according to the old charts, they ought then to be very near Old Greenland. In going westerly they constantly observed to- wards the north a certain glimmering, (ice blink,) which is an indication of an uninterrupted track of ice, and which generally shews itself when at the distance of ten or twelve miles, and frequently at a much greater distance ; but it is never observed where there are only patches of floating ice. The clouds assumed at times the appearance of land. On the 3d July, at mid-day, when at a distance of 270 miles from Snoefell Jokul, being in latitude Q5° 1 1', longitude 35° 8', while surrounded with ice, they first discovered land. The variation of the compass was here 45" 10'. This land was composed of very high mountains towards the 334 DISCOVERIES or l7S6and I 1 1 iiortli, appearing for two days always in the same position and of tlie same form ; so that they were convinced of their not heing clouds. They con- jectured this land to he at the distance of fifty miles from them, or 290 miles nearly from Snocfell Jokul. The ice was every where so firmly united and of such vast extent, that they had not the least hope of hreaking through it; and even if they could have entered it, their temerity w^ould prohahly have been repaid by their ships being- crushed in pieces between the mountains of ice. Every moment they became more i?nd more sur- rounded with ice-bergs ; and in this situation they discovered an enormous log of wood, which had been hewn square, and so large that it could not be taken on board until it had been cut in two with the saw. Several sea-gulls were perched upon this log. The most remarkable circumstance was that of its being mahogany, Avhich is generally too heavy to float in the water ; but the wood was so worm-eaten, even to the very heart, that Mr. Lowenorn conjectured its specific gravity probably might have been diminished. They saw no seals, nor any other sea-animals, in this part of the ocean, excepting a few gulls. As the great mass of ice was observed to be drifting towards the S.W., they determined not to penetrate farther to the westward ; for should they even discover some inlet in the ice through which they might pass, they would at most have been able to enter some bay beyond the ice, and 786 ami 1787. LOWENOUN, ECiEDF., AND IIOTIIE. 335 he same ey were icy con- of fifty Snoefell y united not the even if ty would ps being- is of ice. nore sur- tion they I'hich had could not it in two ; perched ;umstance generally wood was , that Mr. probably I no seals, the ocean, -ed to be lined not for should c through nost have e ice, and would have been obliged to pass the winter in Greenland, for which they were not at all pre- pared. Besides, they hoped to fnid less ice towards the north, and that they might perhaps discover some land in the neighbourhood of the bay of ice in which tl.ey had been on the l^d July. On the 7th, in latitude 65° 21', longitude 30° 30', at 120 miles from Snoefell Jokul, they fancied again that they saw an extended ridge of rocks, but it proved only a chain of ice-mountains ; at the same time, towards the west, they dis- cerned the ice blink, nearly in the same place where they were on the 2d July. On the 8th, proceeding easterh', they constantly observed, in a nr»rtherly direction, mountains of ice and the ice-blink, and passed between some floating islands of ice. Fearful that the masses of ice still coming down from the northward might fill up the whole of the sea between Greenland and Iceland, so that it could not be navigated, they preferred returning to Iceland, from which they were then only about sixty miles, and to make another attempt to discover the east coast of Greenland when the northerly winds and the cur- rent should have drifted the ice to the southward. Accordingly on the 12th June they entered the port of Dyrefjord. All the accounts they received here confirrned them in the opinion that there was more ice than usual this year, and that it would not float away 36 DISCOVEUIES OF \7S6and r' .V at all that season, or at least till very late. Mr. Lowenorn, however, resolved to set sail once more, to be convinced of the impractibilit}^ of penetrating through the ice. He departed on the 123d July, and on the 24th, in latitude 66° 35' y longitude 29° 10', fell in with great masses of ice. They persevered in coasting along these ice-bergs, which, in latitude 65° 10', longitude 29°, appeared to turn towards the S.W. and to form a great bay; but that they might not be closed in by the ice, they stood to the southward, and then returned to latitude 65° 41', to the place nearly where they were on the 8th, They now once more tried to proceed westerly, but were stopped by great masses of ice ; and as for several days they saw nothing but masses of ice on all sides, they re- solved to return to Iceland, where they arrived, at Havnefiord, on the 31st July. They now began to refit the small vessel under the command of Lieutenant Egede, which was to remain during the winter in Iceland, in order that she might resume the voyage of discovery in the following spring, and Mr. Lowenorn returned to Denmark with his ship. Mr. Lowenorn is of opinion, that the eastern coast of Greenland may be approached, which however he thinks is by no means the part an- ciently inhabited and called East Greenland, and which has been lost for four centuries. He imagines that he cairsatisfactorily account for the vast masses S6 and 1787. I.OWENOUX, EGEDE, AXl) ROTHE. 337 . Mr. il once )ility of I on the GG'' 35', 5 of ice. ;e-bergs, ippearcd eat l)ay ; ' the ice, returned lere they ore tried by great they saw , they re- jrived, at ow began nmand ot n during Ihe might following Denmark he eastern ;d, which b part aa- iland, and le imagines l-ast masses of ice which come down along that coast every year, by the formation of the globe. By the motion, he says, of the earth round its axis from west to east, supposing that the surface of the globe was nothing* but water, the current of the sea must constantly be from east to west, and by reason of the centri- fugal force, the waters must at the same time run towards the equator ; but the various groups of con- tinents and islands have modified these motions. The masses of ice round the north pole, and in the sea to the north of Asia, and around Spitzbcrgen, ought therefore by this rotation to take a direction from east to west, and also towards the Equator; and would consequently pass along the eastern coast of Greenland. Such is Admiral Lowcnorn's theory; and such was that of Fabricius many years before Mr. Lowenorn's voyage. Sometimes, he tells us, these masses of ice break in the spring, on ac- count of storms, winds, &c. and drift to the south- ward some months earlier, leaving the ?^orthern coast of Iceland open ; but at other times the ice does not move, but renders that coast quite inac- cessible. In order, then, to penetrate to the eastern coast of Greenland, a year, he thinks, ought to be chosen when the ice floats down in the early part of the season, intelligence of which can only be obtained in Iceland. The navigator should ap- proach the coast in about the ()6th parallel of lati- tude ; and, by following the course of the floating ice, proLi^ed as far as Cape Farewell. In the years 17.51-53, an endeavour had been made with great VOL. r. z 338 DISCOVERIES OF 1786 and i ■i- 1 h boats from Greenland to follow the cast coast of Statenhoek or Cape Farewell to the north ; but they had not been able to proceed farther than sixty miles on account of various obstacles.* Lieutenant Egede, with his little vessel, set sail from the port of Havncfiord in Iceland on the 8th of August, 1786; met for many days enormous masses of floating ice, and discovered land on the l6th August, in latitude 65° 24' 17", longitude ^S° 10', at the distance of sixty or seventy miles; and approached it within thirty miles ; he observed the current to run to the south-west. No sound- ings were to be had at !00 fathoms. There was a brightness in the horizon, occasioned no doubt by masses of ice. The ice was of great breadth be- tween him and the land, but he could find no open- ing to push through it; he hove the lead in vain — no bottom was to be found. He perceived a narrow space of clear water lying between the ice and the land. The land was very high, with pointed rocky summits, apparently of greater elevation than the mountains of Norway; and they were covered with snow and ice ; but through the telescope they could discover pointed peaks lower down, which were not covered with snow. On the 20th they again discovered land, when in latitude 64° 58' 53', longitude 34° 34', at the distance of about six and thirty miles ; but all the coast was beset with ice, which it was impossible to penetrate. They Abstracted iVom Admiral Lowenorn's iMS. Journal. 86 and 1787. LOWENORy, EGEDE. AND ROTHE. 339 oast of h ; but er than set sail the 8th lormous [ on the )ngitude :y miles ; observed soimd- here was no doubt ■eadth be- 1 no open- vain — ^no a narrow ;e and the ted rocky than the ered with cope they \vn, which 20th they 34° 58' 53", about six beset with lite. They Journal. could perceive a large bay or river which opened out to the northward, and ran in that direction into the country. They approached the land within ten miles. The bay, which might be four or five miles in breadth, was full of ice-islands. The land was very high, with pointed rocks covered with snow and ice. Through the tele- scope they perceived clefts in the rocks, and they thought they could see moss growiug m some places. The coast trended in the direction of N.N.E. and S.S.W. ; but Egede conjectures that at fifteen or sixteen miles more to the southward they might have seen Hegolfsnes, the bay belong- ins: to w^hich runs down as far as Statenhoek. There were numbers of seals on the ice-islands, gulls, and various species of sea-birds. Egede coasted on along the land towards the south, and though the air was very clear, they could perceive neither men, houses, nor animals, though they were sufficiently near the land to see them had there been any. On the 2 1 st he still continued to see land ; but the ice drove him from it, and in order that he might not be closed in, he thought it pru- dent to stand out into the open sea. The follow- ing day they had a terrible storm, by which the vessel was much damaged, and on the 22d Sep- tember they regained the port of Havnefiord in Iceland, after being tossed about in all directions for some weeks. Here Lieutenant Egede resolved to pass the z 2 4- <*■ 340 DISCOVERIES OF 178G and i r winter, in order to resume the object of the expe- dition in the following spring. Accordingly on the 6th of March, 1787, he again set sail, but fell in with nothing but immense masses of ice, float- ing about in all directions; and, the ship having sj)rung a leak, he was obliged to seek a port of Iccliuul, where he arrived on the 23d of April. Here he ij^aincd some intelliijence concernins: the ice, being informed that the quantity during the last two years had been greater than usual. He again set sail on the 8th of May with two small vessels, one of which was under the com- mand of Lifj TPXANT Rothe'. On the 17th May tlicv came in sioht of the land on the eastern coast of Greenland, being then in latitude 65° 15' ryH", longitude 34° 47'. At the same time they ^\ ere surrounded by ice-islands, and it was re- marked that, on that and on the following day, the current ran from sotith northerly, which was the more extraordinary as it had been considered to run invariably in the contrary direction. But they were then in a large bay formed by the ice, which extended to the distance of thirty miles or more from the shore, without the smallest open- ing. In short, Egede observes that he had never before met with so much ice. He entered this bay of ice, ^^hich was at least forty miles in depth. On the 18th he approached the ice as close as was possible in order to get a near view of the coast. He was then about thirty miles from 86 and 1787. LOWENOUN, EGEDE, AND ROTIIE. 341 expe- gly on jut fell 2, float- having port of r April, ling the (hiring 1 usual, ith two he com- 7th ^lay I eastern ie 6.5° 15' me they was re- ing clay, hich was insiderecl on. But ^ the iec, ' miles or est opcn- lacl never :erccl this miles in le ice as r view of lilcs from the nearest land, and forty miles from the most northern part of it, the latitude being 65° 54' 18', longitude 36° 51'. The coast extended from N.N.E. to S.S.W. They saw nothing but rocks, very high, pointed, and in most parts covered with ice and snow, presenting a most dreary and miserable spectacle ; and he observes, that if this part of the coast be inhabited, tlie people must acquire their nirans of sustenance in the interior of the country, by hunting and by fishing in the rivers, for he thinks they could not live on the sea- coast on account of the mountains of ice which surround it by land and by sea. On the change of the current the ice began to come down afresh from the north, which forced them to leave the bay ; a task they accomplished not without difficulty, and made sail for Iceland, where they arrived on the 28th May. On the 8th June Lieutenant Egede set sail a second time ; but meeting with nothing but mountains of ice, which it was impossible to pass, or to find any opening to admit the vessel towards the land beyond the ice, he put back into Iceland, after an unsuccessful attempt of three wrecks. On the 14th July and 25th August he again made endeavours to pass through the ice, and to push on towards the coast of Greenland; but meeting continually with impenetrable ice, which prevented him even from seeing the land, he was at last forced to abandon the undertaking altogether, and. z 3 342 DISCOVERIES or 1789. to rctiirn to Denmark. The two little vessels were so much damaged hy the ice and the storms they met Avith, that they were every moment in danger of sinking.* ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. 1789- With the view of reaching the shores of the hyperhorean sea, Mr. Alexander Mackenzie, accompanied by a party of Canadians and some Indians, one of which had been with Hearne, set out from Fort Chepewyan, on the south side of the Lake of the Hills, on the 3d June, 1789- On reaching the Slave Lake they found much ice, but were able to proceed, partly by land and partly by crossing the bays of the lake ; they then descended the Mackenzie River, passed several tribes of Indians, and arrived finally at that which is called Deguthee Dinees or the Quarrellers, being the last inhabitants of Indians to the north- ward, and immediately bordering on the Esqui- maux. From these Indians he learned that the distance over land, on the east side, to the sea, was not long, and to the westward still shorter ; the intermediate land through which the river flowed projecting to a point into the sea. The banks of the river were now low, and displayed, on the 10th July, a face of solid ice, intermixed with veins of black earth ; yet trees of spruce were growing * From Admiral Lowenorn's MS. Journal. 1789. vessels storms iient in 1789. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. 343 i of the KENZIE, id some ame, set side of c, 1789. rtuch ice, and and hey then 1 several lat which arrellers, he north- ic Esqui- that the e sea, was Mtcr; the ^er flowed banks of 1 the 10th h veins of ; growing of a large size. The latitude of the Quarrellcrs is about 6/° 45'. On the lOth they passed three encampments of the Esquimaux. The river now began to widen fast, and to flow in a number of narrow meandering channels among low ishuids, on which were only observed a few dwarf willows. On the 12th July they entered a lake, in latitude 69° 1', open to the westward, in which, out of the channel of the river, there was not more than four feet Water, and in some places the depth did not exceed one foot. They arrived at an island, the deepest water in the passage to it for fifteen miles not exceeding five feet. From a high part of this island they could see the solid ice extend- ing from the south-west by compass to the east- ward. In the south-west they could dimly per- ceive a chain of mountains, at the distance of more than twenty leagues, stretching farther to the north than the edge of the ice. To the east- ward were observed many islands. Mr. Mackenzie says, " My people could not at this time refrain from expressions of real concern that they were obliged to return, without reaching the sea." Yet we are told that the people were obliged to re- move the baggage on account of the rising of the water ; that this rising they concluded to be the tide; and that it appeared to rise sixteen or ciurhteen inches : there were besides a "leat num- ber of whales in the water, which, the guide informed them, were the same kind of fish which z 4 > 3U i:)ISCOVEUIES OF 1789. ■ ■ .:':'> constituted the principal food of the Esquimaux. On tlie island w liere they encamped, and which he called JFIiale Island, several red foxes were seen, one of w liich was killed. The latitude of Whale Island was 6^f 14 N. No natives appeared cither on the shore of the continent or on the islands ; hut in various places were seen the remains of their hahitations, their domestic utensils, frames of sledges and of canoes made ol" wlialehonc, which left no doubt on r>Ir. ]\Iac- kenzie s mind that they were the deserted abodos of the Esquimaux. If Hearne's account of his visits to the mouth of the Copper Mine River was unsatisfactory, that of ]\Iackenzie to the mouth of that river which bears his name is still more so ; for we are completely left in the dark, and almost without the smallest guide to form an opinion, whether tlie ex- tensive but shallow water, in which Whale Island is situated, be the sea or a lake. He evidently means to impress the reader with an idea of its being the sea, but forbears even the mention of the word ; yet the title of his book * implies, and on his chart it is asserted, that he had reached the "frozen ocean." It is observed by a writer in a popular critical journal,! that " the simple, easy, and obvious test of dipping his finger in the * Voyage from Montreal through the continent of North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans. t The Quarterly Review, No. XXXI. p. iSj. 17H9- 1791. CTIAUrrS DUNCAN. 345 iimaux. I which :s were itutle of ppcarcd on the icn the omestic made oi" r. Mac- 1 abodes 3 mouth ifactory, lat rivev we are liout the r tlie cx- Island is videntlv ea of its ntion of lies, and ched the iter in a simple, er in the t of North water to taste if it was salt, seems not to have <)( curred" to tlic traveller; that "if he did so, he is uncandid in not mentioning tlie result :"' and the conclusion drawn by the same writer, from all the circumstances mentioned by Ilearne and IMac- kcnzic, is, that both were certainlv near the sea- shore, thoiigh neither of them actually reached it. CHARLES DUNCAN. 1790, 1791- The inland journey of Mr. Hearue had drawn the attention of Mr. Dalrymple to the considera- tion of the imperfect geography of the northern regions of America, and the lands around the north pole. In the course of his inquiries he was furnished with some charts made by the Indians, and other documents, from the Hudson's Bay Company, which led him to conclude that, notwithstanding the numerous failures in the search after a northern passage froni the Atlantic to the Pacific, such a passage would ultimately be discovered round the north-eastern extremity of America, and that the surest way to it was up the Welcome. But as the naval administration of that day entertained less sanguine views on the subject, and as Mr. Dalrymple had experienced the truth of Dr. Douglas's observation, that " the Governor and Committee of the Hudson's Bav Company had made amends for the narrow preju h ' ( lUG DrSCOVKUIF.S OF 1790, dices of their predecessors, and that no further obstruction would be thrown in the way of those who miglit be sent on discovery," he addressed himself to the Governor of that Company, and prevailed on him to employ Mr. Chaules Dun- can, a Master in the navy, (now Master-attendant of His Majesty's dock-yard at Chatham,) who had shewn considerable talent on a voyage to Nootka Sound. ^Ir. Duncan was no less sanguine of success than Mr. Dalrymple. In 1790 he left England in one of the Company's ships called the Sea-horse t to take the command of a sloop named the Churchill, then in Hudson's Bay, and destined for the discovery. He found, on his arrival, a crew who affected to be terrified at the idea of proceeding to the northward on discovery. The Company's servants endeavoured to persuade him that the vessel was totally unfit for such a purpose, and told him, that there were no means in that countiy to make her sea-worthy — though Mr. Duncan has since learned that this same vessel was constantly employed for twenty years after- wards. Finding that every impediment was thrown in his way, and nothing likely to be done that season, he returned to England, resolving to have nothing further to do with the servants of the Hudson's Bay Company. However, on his arrival in England the Governors expressed so much regret and disappointment, and Mr. Dal- 1791. CHARLES DUNCATC. 347 ryniplc was so urgent for following up the dis- covery, that he was prevailed on to take the com- mand of a strong well-built ship of eighty-four tons, called the Beaver, fitted to his mind, and stored with eighteen montlis' provisions. He left the Thames on the 2d May, 1791, met with much ice on entering Hudson's Strait, and was so hampered with it among the straits and islands, that he did not reach the hei<>ht of Charles's Island, which is only in latitude 63°, till the 2d August; and on the 5th September entered Churchill River, when all hope of being able to accomplish any thing for that year was at an end. It has been observed, as somethino: very remark- able, " that our early adventurers, at a time when the art of navigation was in its infancy, the science but little understood, the instruments few and imperfect, in barks of twenty-five or thirty tons burden, ill-constructed, ill-found, and apparently ill-suited to brave the mountains of ice between which they had to force their way, and the dark and dismal storms which beset them— that these men should have succeeded in running through the straits to high latitudes, and home again, in less time t^ian Mr. Duncan required to roach one of the Hudson's Bay Company's establishments, the route to which was then as well known as that to the Shetland Islands."* Mr. Duncan's delay was ♦ Quarterly Review, No. XXXI, p. l66. i i 348 DISCOVERIES OF riiAiir.F..^ nuNCAX. 17.91. cvirlcntly occasioned by liis great predilection for keepinu; near the land. Mr. Duncan remained the winter in ClHirchili River, which he i (1 ill !)>' ed to be ed down >s setting; , in i;ct- N. E. ill titude of and the cavch for cordinjj;ly y on tbe he island its of the II his ap- urpose, he nbev; and. liavinu,- fastened his vessel to a large mass of ice, was ({lifted iilonLv witii it to the W. S.W. at the late of five vevsts an Jioiir; on the 12th he came to his former winterinji,' |)lace in the Kovynui, in- tending- to make anotlier attem])t the following- year to douhle Shelat^k(^i >s. •.-:•<; hut Mant of pro- visions anil the nuitiny of the crew Ibrced him to retnru to tlie Lena. Tile difficulties he had n)et with did not however intimidate Slialaurof from making another attempt to double vSheiatskoi Noss,, which he by no n.eans considered as impracticable; and for this purpose he left the Lena, in the same vessel, in the year 17()4, but jieithcr he nor any of his crew ever returned. They are snpposed to have been put to death by the Tschutski, near the Anadyr, the third year after their de])arture from the Lena; but whether he had succeeded in fioubling the north-east promontory and passed through Behring's Strait to the Anadyr, or crossed the narrow neck of land winch separates the Anadyr from the Kovvma, bar; not been ascertained ; all that is knoM n being tlie certainty of their liaving j)erished in that neighbourhood. Mr. Saner learned fron) Dauerkin, the Tschutski interpreter, that Shalaurofs vessel had been found drifting near the mouth of the Kovy/nii, and himself and his crew frozen to death in a tent; but he doubted the truth of the story. lu all the Jlussian attempts to pass from Arch- A A 3 356 DISCOVERIES OF THL fl-lISSIANS. 1764. angel, ami the more eastern ports, into tlie Pacific, it cannot fail to strike the reader that every where alonij: this low coast and shallow sea the vessels had to struggle continually with ice, and that in their endeavours to douhle the projecting points of land, they constantly kept close to the shore, instead of standing out into decj) water, where, in all prohahilitA', they would have met with less ice. * Coxc'b Account of the Russian Discoveries. ^aciiic, where vessels that ill points ; shore, where, ith less ( 357 ) CHAPTER V. VOYAGES OF NORTHERN DISCOVERY TNDERTAKEX IN THE EARLY PART OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Lieutcmmt Kotzchue—John Ross, David Buclimi, IVil- liani Edtcard Pant/, and John Franklin. XIEUTENANT KOTZEBUE. 1815 tO 1818. The long protracted war, in which all the nations of Europe were at different times involved, sus- pended all attempts at northern discovery ; but no sooner did the European world begin to feel the blessings of peace, than the spirit of discovery revived. Expeditions were sent forth to every quarter of the globe ; and, to the honour of an individual it ought to be mentioned that, at his own cost, a ship was fitted out for the purpose of ascertaining w^hether the sea, on the northern coast of America, afforded a navigable passage between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans : that individual is the Russian Count Romanzoff. The vessel A A 3 t S5H DISCOVERIES OF 1815 to ! i prepared for this uiiclertaking* was called tiic Ruricic, and Likl'tenant Kotzeule, son of the celcbiaced writer of that name, Avas appointed to command her. She was of small tonnage, not exceeding one hundred, and manned with twenty- two men, oificers included, a surgeon and botanist. His instructions were to proceed round Cape Horn, and make the best of his way to the north-west coast of America, pass IJehring's Strait, and endeavour to find some 1)ay or inlet on the American side to lay up his vessel in safety, Vv'hile, with a certain number of his crew, he sliould penetrate the American continent by land, first to the nortliward, to ascertain if Icy Ca])e be an island, as is supposed, and then to the eastward, keeping the liyperborean sea on their left, and carrying with them light skin boats or baidars to enable them to pass such lakes or rivers as might intervene. At one of the Aleutian Islands he observed a vast quantity of drift-wood thrown iijjon the shore, and, among other species of wood, picked np a log of the camphor tree. In the midst of Behring's Strait, between East Cape and Cape prince of Wales, he found the current setting strongly to the north-east, at the rate, as he thought, of two miles and a half an hour, which is at least twice the velocity observed by Cook. In tliis particular place also the depth of the water was considerably more than the soundings men- tioned in Cook's \'oyage. fM5 lo 1818. LTEUTEKA\T KOTZEDUE. 359 :d the of the itcd to re, not wx'iity- n and I round vay to ^hiinii-"s nlet on safety, cw, he jy land, Uape he istward, ^ft, and idars to s might icrvcd a j3on the [, picked midst of m\ Cape ; setting e, as he ir, which by Cook, [he water igs men- Having passed the ('ape Prince of Wales early in August, without any obstruction from ice, and as it would appear without seeing any, an opening was ohserved in the line of the American coast, in latitude ahout 6/^° to 68^ Into this inlet the Rurick entered. Across the mouth was a small island, the shores of which were covered with drift- wood ; and among it were observed trees of an enormous size. The tide regularly ebbed and flowed through the passages on each side of the island. Within the entrance, the "-reat bay or inlet spread out to the north and south, and had several coves or sounds on each shore. Its extent to the eastward was not determined, but the Rurick pro- ceeded as far in that direction as the meridian of 160", which corresponds Avith that of the l^ottom of Norton Sound. The shores of this great inlet, and more particu- larly the northern one, were well peoi)led with Indians of a large size ; the men were well armed with bows, arrows, and spears. They wore skin clothing, and leather boots, neatly made and orna- mented ; their huts were comfortable and sunk deep into the earth; their furniture and imple- ments neatly made ; they had sledges drawn apparently by dogs, though the skulls and skins of rein-deer indicated the presence of that animal in tlie country. The description given by Lieutenant Kotzebuc of these people corresponds almost ex- actly with that of the Tschutski by Cook on the A A 4 I 36*0 DISCOVERIIvS ()!• 181j to \: opposite continent, with whom they sonietinies trade and are sometimes at war. Tliey are the same race of peo|de as those on the continent of America lower down and about tlie Russian settle- ment of Kodiack, as appeared from a native of that place bein^' .d^le to understand their langnai>,'e. From these Indiims Lieutenant Kotzebue learned, that, at the bottom of the inlet was a strait through which there was a passage into the great sea, and tliat it re(iuired nine days rowiu"- with one of their l)oats to reach this sea. This, Kotzebue thinks, must be the Great Northern Ocean, and that the whole of the land to the northward of the inlet mus.t cither be an island or an archipelago of islands. At the bottom of a cove on the northern shore of the inlet was an extensive perpendicular cliff, apparently of chalk, of the height of six or seven hundred feet, the summit of which was entirely covered with vegetation; between the foot of this cliff and the shore was a slip of land, in width about five or six hundred yards, covered also with plants, which were afterwards found to be of the same kind as those on the summit. But the asto- nishment of the travellers may readily be conceived, when they discovered, on their approach to this extensive cliff, that it was actually a mountain of solid ice, down the sides of which the water was trickling by the heat of the sun. At the foot of the cliff' several elephants' teeth were picked up, similar to those which have been found in such immense quantities in Siberia and the islands of Ij to 1818. LIFl'TEXAXT KOTZEnUF. nrn times c tlw' cut of scttlc- ivc of rained, uoiii^U ca, and :)t* tlvciv tbinks» :\\at the let mu&t ands. Ill shore liar cliff, or seven entirely t of this |iu width Iso with be of the |the asto- luceived, Li to this pountain ater was foot of :ked up, 111 such Islands of the Tartarian Sea ;* tliese teetli they conchided to have fallen out of the mass of ice as its surface melted, though no other part of the animal was dis- covered liy them. There was, however, a most oppressive and offensive smell of animal matter, not unlike that of burnt hones, so that it was almost impossible to remain near those parts of the face of the mountain where the water w as trickling down. By the gradual slope of the side of this enormous ice-berg which faced the interior they were able to ascend to its sunmiit, and to make a collection of tlic plants that were growing upon it. The stratum of soil which covered it was not deep, and the Lieutenant describes it as being of a calcareous nature. The slip of land at the foot of tlic moimtain was probably formed of tlie soil and plants which had fallen down from the summit as the ice melted, and which, in fact, while there, they had the opportunity of observing to fall. Besides this mountain of ice, there was no ap- pearance of ice or snow on the land or the water in this part of America, and the weather was exceedingly clear and mild, and even warm ; but on the opposite coast of Asia the weather at the same time was cold, and the atmosphere almost constantly loaded with fog-s. There was in fact * Lieutenant Kotzebue called them mammoths' teeth (mas- to(lontes); but from a drawing made by the naturalist they were evidently the teeth of elephants: which is the more extraordinary, as being the tirst remains of this quadruped found in the New worid. ■"Ji. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A ^ .A^4fc>x •^^,% ^ 1= 11.25 Z. lift "^ I 1^ |2.0 1-4 11.6 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 V :\ ^ I ih! such a great difFcrence between the temperature of tlic two continents, on the two sides of the strait, that, in standing across, it was like passing instan- taneously from summer to winter, and the contrary. This happened about the end of August, at which time a fair and open passage appeared to lie on the American side, as far to the northward as the eye could reach ; whereas on the Asiatic side the ice seemed to be fixed to the shore, and its outer qA^q, to extend in the direction of north-east, which was precisely that of the current. The season being too far advanced either to at- tempt to carry the Rurick round Icy Cape, which, however, Lieutenant Kotzebue thinks he could have dr)ne without any obstruction, or to prosecute the land journey to the eastward ; and fearing if he remained longer in the great inlet the entrance might be closed up with ice, he thought the most prudent step he could take would be that of pro- ceeding to winter and refit in California, and early in the following spring to renew the attempt to penetrate into the interior of America. He ac- cordingly set out again early in March, called at the Sandwich Islands, and reached the Aleutian Islands in June, where the Rurick suffered much from a violent gale of wind, in which Lieutenant Kotzebue unfortunately had his breast bone bro- ken ; this accident threw him into such a state of ill health, that after persevering till they reached Eivoogicna or Clerke's Island, at the mouth of to ]81S. LIKdTFXANT KOTZKBl E. 363 ait, tau- ary- hicU I the i the ie the outer which r to at- \vhich, ; could •osecute ing if ^^c ;ntvance [he iT^ost of pTO- Lud early itempt to He ac- caUed at Aleutian red luuch /leutenaut Iboiie hro- ich a state cy reached n\outh of IJehrinp^'s Strait, tlic surgeon declared that nothing but a warmer climate would save his life. The ice had but just left tiie southern shores of this island and was ffraduallv movina; to the northward, which it appears is its usual course every year, but is hastened or delayed in its progress more or less according to the prevailing uinds and the strength with which they blow. Being thus nearly a month too soon to aftbrd any prospect of immcdiare access to the inlet on the noriiiern side of (!ape l^iir.oc of Wales, and his health daily getting worse, he was reluctantly compelled to return with his little bark, and to make the best of his way home round the Cape of Good Hope. In the course of his circumnavigation, Lieu- tenant Kotzebue has made several interesting discoveries of new groups of islands in the Pacific ; and he has done that which for the first time has been effected, namely, taking the tempe- rature of the sea at the surface and at a certain depth at a particular hour every day, both on the outward and homeward vovage. It is greatly to the credit of Lieutenant Kot- zebue that, after a voyage of three years, in every variety of climate, he has brought back again every man of his little crew, with the exception of one who embarked in a sicklv state* * From pei'sonal conversation with Lieutenant Kotzebue, 4 364 DISCOVERIES OF ROSS, 181S. JOHN ROSS, DAVID BUCHAN, WILLIAM EDWARD PARRV AND JOHN FRANKLIN. 1818. M In the whole series of expeditions for the dis- covery of a northern communication between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, none have been fitted out on so extensive a scale, or so completely equipped in every respect, as the two which left England this present year. From the numerous attempts that have been made from the earliest periods of British navigation to the end of the ciglitcenth century, it is sufliciently evident that the discovery of a north-west passage to India and China has always been considered as an object peculiarly British. It engaged the attention and procured the encouragement of the first literary characters of the age, and the most respectable of the mercantile class. It has received tl «^ -itro- nage of sovereigns, and the promise of rewards from different parliaments. It never failed to excite a most lively interest among all conditions of men. The principal maritime nations of Eu- rope have at different times been engaged in the same enterprize ; and even Russia, as we have seen, nay, a piivate individual of Russia, has recently fitted out a ship at his own cost, for the discovery of a communication between the two oceans by a passage round North America. Jt would therefore have been something worse 8. ID 1818. BUCHAN, PARRY, AND FRAXKLIN' 365 (!is- tbe tted jtely left evous Lvliest ►f the tt tliat ja and object on and iteravy able of .atro- icwards iled to ditions of Eu- in the ,ve bave sia, bas , for the tbe two ka. Ing worse than indifference, if, in a reign which stands proudly pre-eminent for the spirit in which voyages of discovery have been conducted, Eng- land had quietly looked on, and suffered another nation to accomplish almost the only interesting discovery that remains to be made in geography, and one to which her old navigators were the first to open the way. A circumstance occurred which encouraged the fitting out an expedition of discovery at this par- ticular time. For the last three years, very unusual quantities of the polar ice had been observed to float down into the Atlantic ; and in the year 1817 the eastern coast of Greenland, which is supposed to have been shut up wnth ice for four centuries, \vas found to be accessible from the 70th to the 80th degree of latitude, and the intermediate sea between it and Spitzbergen entirely open in the latter parallel.* This disappearance of the arctic ice from a very considerable extent of the Green- land seas was deemed to be favourable for making a new experiment, and to hold out the hope of a successful issue ; particularly in the attempt to approach the north pole, which, notwithstanding the failure of the late Lord Mulgrave, is considered by many as being by no means a hopeless enter- prize. The opinion of the learned, and the ex- perience of the whale-fishers, have long been in favour of an open polar sea, and of the practicabi- * A Miunburgh ship actually sailed along this track. :3(>() DISCOVEHltS OK ROSS, 1818. ■f, ri h lityorrcacliing this norlhciii cxticniityoftlic earth's axis : it w as resolved, therefore, to fit out two (Hstiiict expeditions; the one to proeeed up the middle of Davis's Strait to a high northern latitude and then to streteh aeross to the westward, in the hope of being able to pass the northern extremity of America, and reach Behrinji^'s Strait bv that route ; the other to proceed directly north, between Greenland and Spitzbergen, and in the event of meeting with an open polar sea, free from land, in which case it was hoped it would also be free from ice, to proceed direct for liehrins* ':< Strait, by which route the distance would be shorter than the other by nearly one-third. Tlie ships fitted out for exploring the north-west passage were the Isabella^ of 382 tons, commanded by Captain John Ross, and the Alexander, of 252 tons, under the orders of Lieutenant Wil- liam Edwakd Parky. Those destined for the polar passage were the Dorothea, of 370 tons, commanded by Captain David Buchax, and the Trent, of 260 tons, under the command of Lieute- nantJoiiN Franklin; to eacli ship there was also appointed an additional Lieutenant and two masters mates or midshipmen. Two of these Lieutenants arc the sons of two eminent artists, one of the late Mr. Hoppner and the other of Si'' William Beechey, and both of them excellent draughtsmen. The four ships were all fitted out as strong as wood and iron could make them, and every regard paid in the internal arrangement to the comfort 8. li's ict illc Lidc t\\e nity tlvaV lit of : tVcc It, by than i-wcst landed ier, of WlL- for the tons, iiul the Lieutc- ,vas also iiastci"s itenants of the William htsmcn. trong as ^•y regard comfort 1818. BL'CHAN, PAUUV, AND FRANKLIN'. 3t>7 and accommodation of the officers and crews. They were stored with provisions and fuel for t\\ o years ; supplied with additional (juantitics of fresh preserved meats, tea, sugar, sago, and other arti- cles of a similar kind. Each of the larger ships liad a surgeon and a surgeon's assistant, and the two smaller vessels an assistant surgeon each. A master and a mate accustomed to tlie Greenland fishery were engaged for each ship, to act as pilots when they should meet with ice. The whole complement of men, including ofiicers, seamen, and marines in each of the larger ships was fifty- six, and in the smaller forty. Captain Sahine, of the Royal Artillery, an officer well versed in ma- thematics and astronomy and in the practical use of instruments, was recommended by the President and Council of the Royal Society, and in conse- quence thereof engaged, to proceed with the north- west expedition; and Mr. Fisher, of the Uni- versity of Cambridge, a gentleman well versed in mathematics and various branches of natuial know- ledge, to accompany the polar one. A number of new and valuable instruments were prepared for making observations in all the departments of science, and for conducting philosophical experi- ments and investigations ; in order that, in the event of the main object of the vova«»'e bein"* defeated either through accident or IVom utter impracticability, every possible attention might be paid to the advancement of science, and correct 36S DISCOVER IKS OF UOJiS, 1818. » '( a ' <.:}' information obtained on every interesting subject in high northern latitudes which are rarely visited by scientific men. Among other important objects, which the occa- sion uill present, is tiiat of determining the length of the pendulum vibrating seconds in a high de- gree of latitude. For this purpose each expedition is supplied with a clock having a pendulum cast in one solid mass, vibrating oii a blunt knife-edge resting in longitudinal sections of hollow cylinders of agate ; and to each clock is added a transit in- strument. Each ship is also supplied with the following instruments — a dipping needle on a new construction which, at the sane time, is calculated to measure the magnetic force — an azimuth com- pass improved by Captain Kater — a repeating circle for taking terrestrial angles — an instrument for ascertaining the altitude of celestial bodies when the horizon is obscured by fogs, which is almost always the case in high latitudes — a dip- micrometer and dip-sector, invented by Doctor Wollaston, to correct the variation of the real dip from that given in the tables, arising principally from the difference between the temperature of the sea and the atmosphere — a macrometcr, also in- vented by Doctor Wollaston, for measuring di- rectly the distance of inaccessible objects, by means of two reflectors, mounted as in a common sextant, but at a greater distance from each other — three chronometers to each ship — a hydrometer, ISi^ 8. ;ct Xi\ Cil- ac- tion it in 3dgc kIcis it iu- i tlic , new ilatcd com- bating; nnent bodies licb is -a dip- octov al dip cipally of the Iso in- ng di- :ts, by omnion 1 other onietcr, 1818. BUCIIAX, PARRY, AND PRANKLIX. flC)9 intended to determine tlic specific gravity of sea- water in different latitndes — thennonieters of va- rious kinds — a barometer of Sir Henry Kngle- ficld's construction for ascertaining the height of objects. IJcsides these, each expec'ition is fur- nished with an apparatus ibr trying the state of atmosplierical electricity, and determining wliether there be any tiling peculiar in the electricity of the atmosphere in the polar regions ; and whether tliere be any analogy between the aurora borealis and the electrical light — an apparatus for taking up sea-water from given depths; and an apparatus for the analysis of air, which is the more desirable from there being Httle or no change from vege- table or animal life or decomposition in the polar atmosphere; and consequently a different propor- tion of oxygen, azote or carbonic acid, may be ex- pected from that which prevails under ordinary circumstances. Each expedition is besides provided with a com- plete apparatus for collecting, in the sea and on the land, the various objects of natural history which may occur, and for preserving them in a proper state ; and of such as cannot be preserved, accurate drawings will be made by Lieutenants Hoppncr and Beechy. On tlie whole, neither care nor expense appears to have been spared in sending out the two expeditions as complete and as well equipped as possible, and notliing that the com- manders of them deemed to be useful was refused, VOL. I. B 13 370 DISCOVKllIKS OF KOsS, 1818. Kvcry sup;gestion that appeared to merit considera- tion was attended to, both in the ecjuipnientof the shiiis and in the instructions to the ollicers, every one of whom, from the Inchest to the lowest, left this country in perfect satisfaction, and in full con- fidence of attaining the great object of the expe- ditions — or Hi least with the determination of esta- blishing the fact of its utter impracticability. < . ; -l\ !•-! I. v: I: ;1 ': The failure of so many expeditions, of which an abstract has been given in the preceding j)ages, is certainly lathcr of a discouraging mature; and after so many unsuccessful trials for the discovery of a passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans by the north-east, the north, and the north- west, it would not seem unreasonable to infer that no such passage exists, and that therefore the two last expeditions might have been spared — but the same inference might with equal fairness have been drawn after tlic first three or four attempts. The progressive geography of the northern regions was very slow ; but it has been i)rogressive : yet much within the limits of practical navigation still remains unexplored. Of the three directions in which a passage has been sought for, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, that by the north-east liolds out the least encou- raging hope; indeed the various unsuccessful 1818. 1818. nrciiAV, patmiv, and ri{A\Kri\ V\ idcra- of tlic every St, left 11 con- : cxpc- )f esta- Avhicli V pages, ic; and iscovcry ; Pacific e nortb- ifer that the two -but the ave been s. The regions ive: yet tion still sa2;e has Lj Pacific, St eucou- uccessful attempts by the Englisli aufl tlic Dutch i\i\d whether it was practicable to reach the north pole, — in which case, there was no reason to doubt that it would also be practicable to proceed by that nearest route to Behring's Strait. The only expedition which had hitherto been sent out for tlie express purpose of advancing towards the north pole, was that under the command of Cap- r ■MP 1818. blows places ; 3 opeii' J fouiifl »ul(l be also be abisher, xl iiavi- freczc. suit ace hen not doubted perma- crpetual icd tem- d conse- , which prevent )m form- cvni in desirable respect^ lie north to doubt oceed by The only it out lor vards the 1 of Cap- 1818. BUCHAN, PARRY, AND FRAXKI.IN'. 37.5 tain Pliipps; but the two vessels employed on tliis service having unfortunately got hampered and entangled in the shallow sea and among the islands on the northern and north-eastern side of Sj)itz- bergcn, at an advanced period of tlie season, it returned without making any discover}-. The case is different with regard to the north- west passage. From the very frecjucnt attempts whicli have been made for its disco\ cry, it is now known pretty nearly wliereabouts such a jjassage. if it exiiits at all, must be looked for. It li;is, for instance, been ascertained, that there is no i)assa"-e on the coast of America below the arctic circle ; but beyond this it has not been ascertained whe- ther this coast rounds off to the eastv^ard in a continuous line iiito Old Greenlaiul, forming what is named Eaflin's Bay on the charts, or whether it does not turn in a contrary direction to the west- ward, and tall in with the <^;encra! trc^ulin"- of the northern coast of America; Vvhich, from three nearly equidistant points, seen by Cook, Mackenzie and liearne, may be considered to run within a degree either way of the 70th parallel of lati- tude. Many reasons have been assigned for the latter supposition. The constant current that descends down the ^Velcome on the one side, and towaids the coast of Greenland on tlie other: the loo-s of mahogany and the remains of the North Ame- rican ox brought from the north-west bv that 376 DISCOVERIES OF ROSS, 1818. I'i i i II m current; tlie icc-bergs tliat come floatinpj clown from the northward ; and the whale struck in the sea of Spitzbergen and taken the same year in Davis's Strait;* these and the rude charts painted on skins hy the Indians, which, tliough without scale or compass, mark the inlets from Hudson's Bay with tolerable accuracy, and carry the coast without interruption to the Coppermine Iliver,t are strong arguments in favour of a north-western conmumication between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Indeed the best geographers are now of opinion that Greenland is either an island or an archi- pelago of islands; and this is no new idea. Among the Ihnleigh PaperS;J: in tlie Ihitish Museum, is one on the subject of a north-west passage to Cathaia in his lordship's own hand- writing, which begins tlujs: — •" Considering Groynelande is well known to be an islando, and that it is not con- joyned to America in any part; that there is no cause of doubte but that upon the north of Bacca- lans tlic seas are open," &c. This supposed insularity of Greenland will most probably be determined by one or other of the ex- peditions. If in the aihrmative, the next question ♦ Quarterly Review, No. XXXVI. Art.VIII. t One of these charts is in the Hudson's Bay House. X In the Lansdowne Collection, vol. c Paper No. 4, en- ijorsed Mr. Greynleld's Voiadge, &c. ■RHHi 1818. down in the car in ainted ithout idson's z coast Llivcr/l- vcstcrn nd the opinion 1 archi- Among scum, is )Sage to hich »' w is well lot con- e is no * Bacca- V ill most f the ex- question No. h en- 1818. liUCHAN, PAURY, AND FRANK MX. 377 that presents itself is, whether an uninterrupted comnuinication exists between the Pacific and the Atlantic. The simple fact of a perpetual current setting from the Pacific into Dehring's Strait, and a perpetual current down the coasts of Cheenland and Labrador into the Atlantic, renders such a communication extremely probable; and it becomes almost certain, when we Trnd the productions of the shores of the Pacific cairicd to the north- ward by the first current, and brought down intc the Atlantic by the second. The journals of Cook, Gierke, Glottof, and Kotzebue establish this fact. And as we know, from the Russian, the English and the Dutch navigators, that a westerly current sets along the coast of Siberia and Europe, from the Kovyma to the White Sea, it is probable that the water, in passing through Behring's Strait into the Polar Sea, diverges on each side, and that the other part of it, follow- ing the trending of the American coast, gives rise to the current down the Welcome, as observed by Button, Fox, Middleton and others. It muL-t be athnitted, at the same time, that although a communication may, and in all piolja- bility does, exist between the two oceans, it by no means ibllows that there nmst also be found a navigable passage for large vessels; though it is not unfair to infer that, where large mountains of ice can tloat and find their way, a ship may do the c c 378 DISCOVERIES OF llOSS, 1818. I ^i 'i «• 1 1 T. n i ;* same. This, however, is the point to be ascer- tained by the expedition under Captain Ross. While this officer, with two vessels under his orders, is employed in examining thi; unexplored part of the east coast of America, to the north- ward of the arctic circle, and in endeavouring to pass along the northern shore of that continent to Behring's Strait, to Captain Buchan is assigned the task of inquiring into the state of the Polar Sea to the northward of Spitzbergen. Should both fail of success in the main objects of the ex- ])edition, from both may at least be confidently expected much valuable information, and im- ]irovement in the hydrography and the geography of the arctic regions ; as well as many important and interesting observations on the atmospherical, magnetical, and electrical phenomena, which can- not fail to advance the science of meteorology ; and lastly, many valuable collections of objects in natural history, which inhabit a part of the globe where few researches have yet been made in this branch of science. In short, from the zeal and abilities of the persons employed in the arduous enterprize, every thing may be expected to be done within the scope of porisibility. Of the enterprize itself it may be truly characterized as one of the most liberal and disinterested that was ever undertaken, and every way worthy of a great, a prosperous and an enlightened nation ; ^;1 » !'•' 818. 1818. nUCHAN, PARUV, AXn FRAXKLIN. 379 scer- Ross. r his )lored lorth- ing to Lent to si "Tied ; Polar Should the ex- idently nd im- )graphy iportaiit phevical, ich can- >iology ; bjects in he globe e in this zeal and arduous d to be Of the lerized as ited that .rthy of a |l nation ; having for its primary object that of the advance- ment of science, for its own sake, without any selfish or interested views. On this account it has justly excited the attention, and called forth the approbation, of maritime Europe; for it is well known that whatever new discoveries may be made, will be for the general benefit of mankind ; and that if a practicable passage sliould be found to exist from the Northern Atlantic; into tbe Nortbern Pacific, the maritime nations of Euro])e will equally partake of the advantages, without having incurred either the expense or the risk of exploring it. 1'l' 'f ^ 1' |st ^f^ < I'l' •it Si 1 f,' H si 14 APPENDIX. No. I. Mr. Buchan's Expedition into the Interior of Nezcfound/and. Since the first establishment of tlie fishery on the banks of Newfoundland, very little communication ha- at any time been had with the natives of this large island, and for more than half a century past none.at all ; indeed, it was considered by many a: doubtful whether there were on the island any permanent inhabitants, or whether the Indians, sometimes seen on the western coast, did not come in their canoes across the Strait of Bellisle merely for the purpose of fish- mg and killing deer. A settler, however, reported that, in the autumn of 1810, he had discovered a storehouse on the banks of the River of Exploits. Upon this report, Sir John Duckworth sent Lieutenant (now Captain) Buchan, commander of the schooner Jdonis, to the Bay of Ex- ploits for the purpose of undertaking an expedition into the interior, with a view of opening a communication with the native Indians, if any such were to be found. His vessel was soon frozen up in the bav ; and on the 12th January, 1811, Mr. Buchan began his march into the in- terior, along the banks of the river, accompanied by twenty- four of his crew and three guides ; and, having penetrated about one hundred and thirty miles, discovered some wigwams of the natives. He surprised them ; and their inhabitants, in number about seventy.five persons, became <» AIM'KNIHX, NO. I. I I ill his power. He siicccedt'il in overconiinj^ llicir extrein<» It'iior, and soon esluhlislud a good undei'.stuiidin>; with tlic;!!. Four of tlie inoii, among whom was tlieir chid, accoplt'd iiis invitation to atcompan}' them back to tho place where, as he exphiined to them by signs, he liad lelt some presents wliich he designed for tlieni. The confidence l>y this time existing was mutual, and so great, that two of Mr. liuchan's people requested to remain with the Indians till his return with the presents. They were permitted to do so ; and Mr. Buchan set out on his return to his depot, whh the remainder of the party and the four Indians. Tiiey continued together for about six miles, (to the resting place of the night before,) when the chief declined going any farther, and with one of his men took leave, directing the other two to go on with Mr. Buchan. They (lid so till they came near the place to which they were to be conducted, when one of them became panic-struck, and fled. But the tempers of the two men were different. The latter remained unshaken in his determination, and with a cheerful countenance and an air of perfect confidence in the good faith of his new allies, motioned to them with his hand to proceed ; disregarding i:is companion, and seeming to treat with scorn Mr. t uchan's invitation, to depart freely if lie chose to do so. Soon afterwards the party reached their reiidezvous ; slept there one night ; loaded themselves with the presents, and returned again to the wigwams. The behaviour of the Indian remained always the same. lie continued to shew a generous con- fidence, and the whole tenor of his conduct was such as Mr. Buchun could not witness without a feeling of esteem for him. On arriving at the wigwams they were found de- serted, and the Indian became exceedingly alarmed. Many circumstances determined Mr. Buchan to let him be at perfect liberty ; and this treatment revived his spirits. The party spc i the night at the wigwams, and continued their route in the moruhig. They had proceeded about a mile, APPENDIX, NO. 1. r diiof, to tlio hud U'ft , aiul s(i I) remain hey were lis return the four miles, (to f dedhied ok leuve, n. They ;y were to truck, and ■ent. The , and with confidence lI to thein )ani()n, and itation, to rwards the one night ; rned again ii remained lerous con- as such as of esteem re found de- ed. Many him be at pirits. The iitinued their ibout a mile, when, being a litth; in advance before llie rest of the party, the Indian was seen to start sncUlenly backward, lie screamed loudly, and Hed with a swiftness that rendered piusnit in vain, 'i'be cause; of his Hight was understood when Mr. Huchan, the next moment, beheld upon the ice, headless and pierced by tlic arrows of the natives, the naked bodies of his two marines who had been left with the Indians. An alarm had, it is evident, been given by the savage to the party at the rendezvous ; and it is supposed that, to justify his conduct in so deserting, he liad abused his countryn\en witli a tale, which excited them to what perhaps they considered a just retaliauon. The following is an abstract of Mr. Buchan's journal : — JOURN \L. SaturdfUf, Vith Januart/, 1811 : River of Exploits. — On the eve of this day my arrangements were closed, and every necessary preparation for the purpose of endeavouring to accomplish the object of procuring an interview with the native Indians of this island. For this service I em- ployed William Cull and Matthew Hughster as guides, attended by twenty-three men and a boy of the crew of His Majesty's schooner, and Thomas Taylor, a man in Mr. Miller's employ, and well acquainted with this part of the country. The provisions, arms, and other requisite articles, to- gether vvitli presents for the Indians, were packed on twelve sledges, and consisted of the following : viz. bread, eight hundred and fifty pounds ; sugar, one hundred pounds ; co- coa, thirty-four pounds; pork, six hundred and sixty pounds; salt beef, thirty pounds ; spirits, sixty gallons, equal to four hundred and eighty pounds ; rice, thirty pounds ; tea, six pounds ; tare of casks and packages, five hundred pounds ; ships' muskets, seven ; fowling-pieces, three ; pistols, six ; cutlasses, six ; with cartouch boxes and ammunition equal to two hundred and seventy pounds ; ten axes, and culinary utensils : presents for the Indians — blankets, thirty j wool- a 2 APPENDIX, NO. I. < I ) ■I 1 4 Icn wrnpprrs, nine ; flannel shirts, eighteen ; hatcliets, twtntv-six ; tin pots, ten ; with beads, thread, knives, needles, and utiier trifles, equal to one hundred and eighty pounds : the sledges with their lashings and drag-ropes are estimated at two hundred and forty pounds ; one lower studding sail and painted canvass covers for the sledges, one iiundred and twenty pounds ; spare snow shoes, buskins, vamps, cuft's, and twenty-eight knapsacks, eighty pounds : making, ind(;pendent of a small quantity of baggage allowed to each person, three thousand six hundred and twenty pounds in wieght. l.'Uh. ^Vind N.W. blowing strong. At 7 A. M. com- menced our march in crossing the arm from the schooner to Little i^eter's Point, which is two miles ; we found it ex- tremely cold, with the snow drifting, and sledges heavy from the sloppincss of the ice; but having rounded the point, we became sheltered from the wind until reaching Wigwam Point, which is two miles farther up on the north side; here the river turns to the northward ; a mile farther up is Mr. Miller's upper Salmon station ; the whiter crew have their house on the south shore. 3 P.M. having reached the remains of a house occupied by William Cull last winter, we put up for Mie night, our distance made gooJ being but eight miles in as many hours travelling. The night proved so intensely cold, with light snow at times, that none of our party could refresh themselves with sleep. 14th. Wind N.W. with sharp piercing cold. Renewed our journey with the dawn, not sorry to leave a place i; which we had passed so intolerable a night. Having pro- ceeded two miles. Me came to the Nutt Islands, four in number, situated in the middle of the river ; a mile above these, occurs the first rattle or small waterfall ; as far as the eye could discern up the river, nothing appeared but ice, in rugged ridges, threatening to preclude the possibility of drawing the sledges along ; but determined to surmount all practicable difficulties, [ proceeded on with the guides t« Iclicts, [nives, [eighty \ts are lower ?s, one JLiskins, )uiids : lllowed [twenty com- ;hooner d it ex- vy from )int, we » igwam h side ; ler up is ew have readied t winter, eing but t proved le of our lenewed place ii ing pro- , four ill le above ar as the ut ice, in bility of lount all guides t« i APPENDIX, NO. I. 5 select among the hollows those which seemed to be the most favourable. At .1 P.M. we put up on the north side, and fenced round the fire-place by way of siielter. This day's laborious journey 1 compute to be seven miles ; the crew, from excessive fatigue, and a somewhat milder night than the last, enjoyed some sleep : — Left a cask with bread, pork, cocoa and sugar, for two days, to be used on cur re- turn. 15th. Blowing fresh from W.N.W. to N. N.W. wi»h snow at times ; the river winding from west to north-v jst. At .J P.M. stopped on the north bank for the night, one mile above a rattling brook, which empties itself into the great river. On the south side we discovered a canoe, which I observed to be one belonging to the Canadian vvho had resided at Wigwam Point. This day's journey exhibited the same difHculties as yesterday, having frequently to ad- vance a party to cut and level, in some degree, the ridges of ice, to admit the sledges to pass from one gulph to ano- ther, and to fill up the hollows, to prevent them from being precipitated so violently as to be dashed to pieces, — but notwithstanding the utmost care, the lashings, from the constant friction, frequently gave way ; and in the evening, most of the sledges had to undergo some repair and fresh packing. Fenced the fire-place in ; at supper the people ap- peared in good spirits, the weather being milder ; and fatigue produced a tolerable night's rest. This day's dis- tance may be estimated at seven miles. l6th. Strong breezes from the N.W. with sharp frost. Began our journey with the day ; several of the sledges gave way, which delayed us a considerable time. At 1 1 A.M. discovered two old wigwams on the north bank of the river ; although they did not appear to have been lately in- habited, yet there were some indications of the natives having been here this fall. 2h. 30' P.M. having reached the lower extremity of the great waterfall, we put up on the north side. While the party were preparing a fire and fence, 1 a 3 ♦ 6 APPF.NniX, NO. I. 11 !••«■ i' i' ft proccrdt'il on, witli Csill ami Taylor, in search of an Indian l>alli, tinuugli wliicli they convey their canoes into the river above tlie overfall. Taylor, not having been here for many years, had lost all recollection where to lind it; h(»\vever, after a tedious search we fell in w ith it, and perceived evident si^^ns of their havinjj; recently passed this way, but not ap- parently in any great nnnd>er. The evening advancing, we retraced oiir steps, and reached our iire-place with the close of the day. The night proved more mild than any hitherto, and our rest proportionably better. Here I left bread, pork, cocoa and sugar, for two days, and four gal- lons of rum. 17th. South-westerly winds, with sleet and cold wea- ther. Began this day's route by conducting the sleilges in a winding direction amongst some high rocks, which forms the lower part of the waterfall ; — we had not proceeded more than half a mile, before it was found necessary to un- load and parbuckle the casks over a perpendicular neck of land, which, projecthjg into the rapid, prevented the ice attaching itself to its verge ; having reloaded on the oppo- site side, and turned the Margin of Coves for the third of a mile, we arrived at the foot of a steep bank where com- menced the Indian path; here it was also necessary to unload. Leaving the party to convey the thhigs up the bank, I went on with Cull and Taylor, to discover the farther end of the path ; having come to a marsh, it was with ditliculty we again traced it ; at length we reached the river above the overfall, its whole extent being one mile and a quarter, — having gone on two miles beyond this, we re- turned. At noon, the w ind having veered to the south-east, it came on to rain heavily, sent a division on to the farther end of the path to prepare a lire, ik-c. At 3 P.M. all the light baggage and arms being conve; cd to the tire-place, the sledges were left for the night half-way in the path, so that after eight hours' fatigue, we had got little better than a mile and a half. It continued to rain hard until \) P.M. Al'Pr.NDlX, NO. I. 7 wluii the wind lra\iiig sliiltcd loiiiul to the wcntwaiil, tho wcatluT n there. Four miles from this passed an island ai: I rounded a bay, two miles beyond its westiJrn extremity, — on a projectiui; rock were placed several stag's horns : W illiani Cull now in- fonned me it was at this place he had examined the store- jjouses mentioned in his narrative, but now no vestij^e of them appeared ; there was, however, ample room cleared of wood for such a building as is described to have stood, and a few hundred yinds off Mas the frame of a wigwa'u still standing; close to this was a (leer-s!;in hanging lo a tree, and farther on a trope with the nanu> of " K^nisell." On the south bank, a little lower down, also stood the remains of a wigwam, close to which Ctdl pointed out the other storehouse to have been ; a quarter of a mil a point, an expansive view opened out, and Me saw before us an inmieuse lake extending in a N.E. and S.W . direction, its surface a smooth sheet of ice. A\ e per- cei\ed tracks, but could not be certain Mhether of deer or men. On approaching the lake or pond, we discovered on its north- M est side tMO objects in motion, but Mere uncer- tain Mhether they Mere men or quadrupeds. I drew the party suddenly into the wood to prevent discovery, and di- recting them to prepare a place for the night, I Ment on M'ith Cull to reconnoitre. Having skirted along the Moods for nearly two miles, we posted ourselves hi a position to ob- wm APPENDIX, NO. 1. n vided the ns during day-light [1 ran ra- t the In- acticable. g the ini- I divided es, whilst days' pro- ded more •.s, we ob- e a canoe rattle, this X of their th side. — d in depth rivers on to which, from the y recently be at no iver at this lan a mile, d out, and N.E. and A\ e per- )f deer or overed on ;re uncer- drew the ry, and di- 1 went on woods for ion to ob- serve the motions of the two objects, and could perceive that one gained ground considerably on the other; we con- tinued to doubt as to their bein<>- men until just before losing sight of them in the f vilight we could discern that the one behind dragged a si -dge. Nothing more could be done until the morning, as it would have been iuipossible to have found their track, in the dark ; observing, on our return, a shovel ill a bank of snow, we suspected that venison had been dug out, and in searching ab(Uil foimd a fine lieart and liver, which afforded a good supper for the purty, whom we did not rejoin until dark ; one-tliird oi the men w ere in suc- cession under arms, during the night, which proved cold and restless to all. 24lh. Wind N.E. and intc nselv cold. Having refreshed ourselves with breakfast and a dram to each, at 4 A. M. commenced our march along the east shore of the lake with the utmost silence : beyond the point fronx w hence 1 had the last view of the two natives, we fell in with a quantity of venison in carcasses and quarters, close to w hicli was a path into the wood. Conjecturing that the habitations of the Indians were not far off, we advanced in and found die re- mains of one ; the party complained much of the cold, and occasionally sheltered themselves under the lee of projecting points. It now became necessary to cross the pond iu order to gain the track of the sledge we had seen ; this ex- posed us entirely to the bitterness of the morning, and all complained of excessive cold. With the tirst glimpse of morn we reached die wished-for track, which led us alon*'- the western shore to the north east, up to a point, on which stood an old w igwam ; from thence it struck across for the shore we had left. As the diiy opened it was requisite to push forward with celerity to prevent being seen and to sur- prise the natives, if possible, wliile asleep. Canoes were soon dqscried, and shortly after w igwams, two close to each other, and a third about a hmulred yards from the former. Ilaviipv examined the arms, and charged my men to be prompt in ljll 12 APPENDIX, NO. 1. executing such vorders as might be given, at the same time I strictly ordered t\wi\\ to avoid every impropriety, and to be especially guarded in their behaviour towards the women. The bank was now ascended with great alacrity and silence ; the party being formed into three divisions, the three wig- wams were at once secured ; we called to the people within, but received no answer ; the skins which covered the entrance were then removed, and we beheld groups of men, women, and children lying in the utmost consternation ; they remained absolutely for some minutes without motion or utterance. My first object was now to remove their fears and inspire confidence in us, which was soon accomplished by our shaking hands and shewing every friendly disposition. The women very soon began to embrace me for my attention to their children ; from the utmost state of alarm they soon became curious, and examined our dress with great attention and surprise. They kindled a fire and presented us with venison steaks, and fat run into a solid ca\e, which they used with lean meat. Every thing promised the utmost cordiality ; knives, handkerchiefs, and other little articles were presented to them, and in return they oflfered us skins. I had to regret our utter ignorance of their language, and that the presents were at the distance of at least twelve miles. The want of these occasioned me much embarrass- ment ; [ used every endeavour to make them understand my great desire that some of them should accompany us to the place- where our baggage was, and assist in bringing up such things as we wore ; which at last they seemed perfectly to comprehend. We had spent three hours and a half in con- ciliatory endeavours, and every appearance of the greatest amity subsisted between us ; and considering a longer delay useless, without possessing the means of convincing them further of our friendship, we indicated our intention of setting out and speedily returning, on which four of them signified that they would accompany us. James Butler, Corporal, and Thomas Southland, private of marines, re- AIM'ENDIX, NO. 1. 13 e time I III to be women, silence ; ice wig- e within, eutr.ince , women, remained tterance. i inspire I by our an. The ention to hey soon attention us with hich they e utmost articles us skins. Liage, and st twelve inburrass- rstand my us to the g up such rfectly to f in con- greatest iger delay ing them ention of of them !S Butler, riues, re- quested to be left behind in order to repair their snow shoes ; and such was the confidence placed by my people in the natives that most of the parly wished to be the individuals to remain among them. I was induced to comply with the first request from a motive of shewing the natives a mutual confidence, and cautioning them to observe the utmost regularity. Having myself again shaken hands with all the natives, and expressed, in the best way 1 could, my intention to be with them tlie following morning, we set out ; and they expressed their satisfaction by signs on seeing that two of us were going to remain with them. On reachhig the river head, two of the Indians struck off into our last night's resting-place ; one of them I considered to be their ' hief ; finding nothing here he directed two of the four to continue on with us ; they pro- ceeded with cheerfulness, though at times they seemed to mistrust us. The banks of the river being narrow and winding occasioned, at tin\es, a considerable distance be- tween me and the Indians, and one of them, having loitered behind, took the opportunity on our doubl'ng a point to run off with great speed, calling out to his comrade to follow. This incident I considered to be unfortunate, as we were now nearly in sight of our party with the baggage. I thought it not improbable but that he might have seen the smoke and taken the alarm. Certainly no one act of any of my people could have given rise to any such conduct ; he had, however, evidently some suspicions, as he had frequently come up, looked steadily in my face as if to read my intentions. I had been most scrupulous in avoiding every action and gesture that might cause the least distrust. In order to try the disposition of the remaining Indian he was made to un- derstand that he was at liberty to go if he chose, but he shewed not the least wish of this kind. At 3 P. M. we joined the rest of our party, when the Indian seemed to be startled on seeing so many more men ; but this was but of momentary duration, for he soon be- ^• 14 APPF.NDTX, Nd. t. ciuiK' ploiisctl willi all lie siiw ; 1 mude him a few presents^ and shewed iiiiit llie artieles whieh were to be taken np for his countrymen, consisting of blankets, woollen wrappers, and shirts, beads, hatchets, knives, and tin-pots, thread, and tish-hooks, with which he appeared njueh satisiiiii, and re<>a!ed hiniself with tea and broiled venison, for we brought down two haunches with us in the evening. A pair of trowsers and vamps being made out of a blanket, and a flannel shirt being presented to him, he put them on with sensible pleasuie, carefully avoiding any indecency ; being under no restraint, he occasionally went out, and he ex- pressed a strong desire for canvass, pointing to a studding sail which covered us in on one side ; and he lay down by me during the night. Still my mhul was somewhat dis- turbed lest the native Indians, on the return of their com- rade that had deserted us, might be Induced, from his mis- representati(m and from fear, to have quitted their wigwams to observe our motions ; but I was willing to suppress my alarm for the safely of our men left with them, judging that they would not be inclined to commit any violence, particu- larly until they should see w hether we returned and brought back their companion ; 1 was moreover satisfied that the conduct of my men would not give occasion for animosity. 2jth. Wind N.N.E. and boisterous, with sleet; set out, leaving only eight of the party behind. On coming up to the river-head, we observed the tracks of three men crossing the frozen lake in a direction for the other side of the river ; the violence of the wind with the sleet and drift snow ren- dered it laborious to get on, and the air was so thick at times that the party could frequently not discern each other, al- though at no great distance. When we had rea<;hed within half-a-mile of the wigwams, the Indian, who walked some- times on before and at other times by my side, pointed out an arrow sticking in the ice ; we also perceived the recent track of a sledge. At 2 P. M. we arrived at the wigwams, when my apprehensions were unfortunately verified ; they APPr.NDlX, NO. 1. 15 presents^ ;n up for nappcrs, , tlircad, li'ii d, and .' brouglit \ pair of et, and a 11 on witli ;y; being d lie ex- studding down by what dis- iieir coni- i his mis- wig wanis j^press my djjinn that 2, particu- d brought 1 that the nimosity. ; set out, ing up to n crossing the river ; snow ren- :k at times other, al- ed within ked some- ointed out the recent wigwams, tied ; they were left in a state of confusion, and little remaining in them but sosne deer skins. A quantity of venison pa<:ks had been cf^iivcyed a little way oiV and dipositrd in ilio snow; a path led into the wood, but only to a short distance. Per- ceiving no marks of violence to have been connnitlcMJ, [ hoped that my former conjectint s would he reall/i-d ;ind that all would yet be well ; the actions of tlu> Indian, how- ever, were indicative of extreme perplexity, anil not lo be described. Having directed the tire to be removed from the wigwams, we now proceeded into one more comnio- vatch, . This IS occa- he had he skin rhonias the en- against n tended The er skins eet and ^ere put , shirts iidian to Is resid- , as also seemed ndiug to return on the Monday following; seeing that the Indian came on, I signified my wish for him to go back, he how- ever continued with us, sometimes running on a little beforut as the ery other us, and as ' had pre- it want of pond, I »n we ar- perienced inxiety for [prudently lied down ineasiness iduct was thing now down the >f the river ward, and ly through )nis on the iformation people so )unt, how- I then that al visitors. Tlu'ir wi«^\vams arc of two kinds ; one of a circular form, and the oilier octagonal. The first of these consists simply of a few poles supported hy a fork, such as are conunon to various tribes in North America; but this kind is used only us a sununer rcsidtiicc whilst employed in the lakes and rivers procuring food for the winter. Those in which [ found them were of the octagonal structure, and were con- structed with very considerable pains. The diameter, at the base, was nearly twenty-two feet; to the height of about four feet above the surface was a perpendicular wall or fence of wooden piles and earth ; on this was affixed a wall- plate, from which were projected poles forming a conical roof, "nd terminating at the top in a small circle, sufficient for emitting the smoke and admitting the light ; this and the entrance being the only apertures ; a right line being drawn to equal distances from each of the angular points towards the centre was fitted neatly with a kind of lattice- work, forming the fronts of so many recesses which were filled with dressed deer skins. The fire was placed in the centre of the area, around which was formed their places of rest, every one lying with his l\:et towards the centre, and the head up to the lattice-work partition, somewhat ele- vated. The whole wigwam was covered in with birch bark, and banked on the outside with earth, as high as the upright wall, by which these abodes, with little fuel, were kept warm even in the inclemency of the winter. Every part was finished in a manner far superior to what might rea- sonably have been expected. According to the report of William Cull, the storehouses seen by him were built with a ridge pole, and had gable ends; and the frame of the store which we saw on the island, [ conceive to be of that description, as it certainly had a ridge pole. Their canoes were finished with neatness, the hoops and gunnels formed of birch, and covered in with bark cut into slieets, and neatly sewed together and lackered over with gum of the spruce-tree. Their household vessels weie all made of b2 ~ i %0 APPENDIX, NO. I. >. I i birch or spruce bark, but it did not appear tliat these" were applied to any purpose of cookery : 1 apprehend they do not boil any part of their diet, but broil or roast the whole; there were two iron boilers, which must have been plundered from some of our settlers; to what purpose they may apply these is uncertain, but they appeared to set a great value on them, for on deserting the wigwam, they had conveyed them out of our sight. They were well supplied with axes, on which a high value is set ; these they keep bright and sharp, as also the blades of their arrows, of which we found upwards of an hundred new ones in a case. The reports of the settlers have always magnified the Newfoundland Indians into a gigantic stature ; this, how- ever, is not the case as far as regards the tribe we saw, and the idea may perhaps have originated from the bulkiness of their dress. They are well formed, and appear extremely healthy and athletic, and the average stature of the men may probably reach five feet eight inches. With one ex- ception, their hair was black ; their features are more pro- minent than any of the Indian tribes that 1 have ever seen, and from what could be discerned through a lacker of oil and red ochre (or red earth) with which they besmear them- selves, I Mas led to conclude them to be fairer than the generality of Indian complexions. The exception with regard to the hair, was in that of a female, bearing all the marks of an European, with light sandy hair, and features strongly resembling the French, apparently about twenty- two years of age ; she carried an infant in her cossack ; her demeanour differed very materially from the others ; in- stead of that sudden change from surprise and dismay to acts of familiarity, she never uttered a word, nor did she ever recover from the terror our sudden and unexpected visit had thrown her into. The dress of these Indians consisted of a loose cossack, without sleeves, but puckered at the collar to prevent its falling off the shoulders, and made so long that when fastened up round the haunches APPFNDIX, NO. 1. fit c" were liey do whole ; indered y apply t value )uv«'yccl th axes, irlit and jich we fied the is, how- iaw, and cniess of xtremely the men one ex- lore pro- ber seen, er of oil ;ar thein- than the ion with ig all the features t twenty- lack; her hers ; in- dismay to • did she lexpected J Indians puckered Iders, and haunches it becomes triple, formnig a good security against accidents happening to the abdomen ; this is fringed round with a cut- ting of the same substance; they ulso wear leggins, niocki- 8r than forty, and containing many ports, bays and sheltering places, which might be of ser- vice in cases of necessity. As far as the 73d parallel the sliores appear to be inhabited, for in many parts of the Coasts we observed smoke. To some persons it has seemed impossible to navigate at so high an altitude of the pole ; — in answer to this it may be observed, that the llanseatics live in latitude 72°, into w hose harbour, namely, that of St. Michael, and in all the Bay of St. Nicholas, nearly a thousand merchant ships enter every yeai", which, in order to go to the sea of Flanders, must necessarily ascend to latitude 75°. Having cleared the Strait of Labrador we began to descend from that latitude, steering W.S.W. and S.W. for three hun- dred and fifty leagues, till we arrived in latitude 71^, when we perceived a high coast without being able to discover whether it was part of the continent or an island, but we remarked that if it was the continent it must be opposite to the coast of New Spain. From this land, seen at 71°, we directed our course to the W.S.W. for four hundred and forty leagues, until we came as low as 60°, in which parallel the Strait of Anian was discovered. Thus the same course must be followed which I made, at least as fur ns Friesland ; for I set sail from the Baccallaos in quest of that island to procure provisions and other necessaries, which we obtained from some islands lying near it called Zelandillas ; they are three in number, one of which only is inhabited, and the other two serve ai pastures for the cattle of the natives, M'ho are rather savage, APPENDIX, NO. 11. 19 le 75«, or will iO° and lies in nd last ! north eagues, many of ser- parallel of the igate at J it may 2°, into 1 all the it ships sea of Having nd from ee hun- <^, when discover md, but opposite nat 71°, hundred in which which I from the jions and e islands number, > serve a» ;r savage, though they seem to be Catholics or Christians. — Return- ing to our voyage — I say, according to my opinion, that it would be more prudent, when the Strait of Labrador is cleared, to coast along the opposite coast of New Spain, for two reasons ; first, to discover what population it con- tains, and secondly, to seek for provisions and necessaries for the ships which have to sail through this passage. According to the narrative above mentioned, it appears that the distance from Spain to Friesland is four hundred and fifty leagues, and from thence to Labrador one hundred and eighty, and to the termination of that strait two hun- dred and ninety, which make in the whole nine hundred and twenty leagues ; and these added to seven hundred and ninety, which we found to be the distance from the north part of the Strait of Labrador to the Strait of Anian, make in the whole one thousand seven hundred and ten leagues for the distance between Spain and the Strait of Anian. The season in which we freed the Strait of Ladrador was very rigorous, being the beginning of March ; and as we were navigating the strait during the latter part of February, we suffered great hardships on account of the darkness, the cold, and the storms ; the days during that time were short, and the cold so great, that the waves of the sea, which beat against the ship, froze on it in such a manner, that the vessel seemed to be one mass of crystal ; and we were obliged to break the ice, for it grew so thick that in some parts we found it more than a pulmo in thick- ness. It is a great mistake to suppose that this sea can freeze all over ; for fis it is spacious, and rapid currents are always running through the strait, these and the great waves oc- casioned by its continual motion will not suffer it to freeze ; but on the borders of the sea, and the parts where it is quiet, I think it may freeze, and we perceived that the water which beat against the shores was frozcni. This only I know, and it was told us in Iceland, that a strait of tlir 30 APPENDIX, NO. 11. ! 'l , i t "1 j ill ! sea between Friesland and Greenland was frozen during the greater part of the year ; because it was in the midst of mountains and high land on the side of Friesland, by which the rays of the sun Mere prevented from falling upon it ; and being thus surrounded by high hills, it was not affected by the winds, which might have set its waves in motion, and therefore the continual calm had allowed it to be frozen, and rendered it unnavigable ; and the same thing occurs hi the seas above mentioned. But when we returned through this Strait of I^abrador, which was in the month of June and part of July, we en- joyed continual daylight, so that when we arrived at the arctic circle, or latitude G()2°, we lost not the sight of the sun, nor did it sink below the horizon until we came to the middle of the Strait of Labrador ; and thus, from the sun continuing always above the horizon, the air was so warm, that we felt more heat than even in the central parts of Spahi ; yet when we exposed ourselves to the rays of the sun, they did not much incommode us ; and because there are always great currents and winds coming from the north, the Strait of Labrador is easily and quickly cleared. The rapid currents, occasioned by the flux and reflux, are of great assistance in entering and departing from the strait, even when the winds are cont.ary ; and as they blow incessantly from the north, it is needful, on departing from Spain to Anian, to take advantage of the tides ; and this account we will now conclude with the course of the ship and the incidents of the voyage. The strait we discovered in ()0°, at the distance of t7IO leagues from Spain, appears, according to ancient tradition, to be the one which geographers name in their maps the Strait of Anian ; and if it be so, it must be a strait having Asia on one side and America on the other, which seems to be the case, according to the following narration : — As soon as we had cleared the strait, we coasted along the shores of America for more than one hundred leagues, APPENDIX, NO. If. 31 luring idst of which on it ; ffected lotion, to be ; thing brador, we en- 1 at the of the 3 to the the sun ) warm, parts of s of the se there om the cleared, flux, arc om the as they eparting es ; and 2 of the of t7lO radition, naps the t having seems to ted along leagues, the head of the ship being turned S.W., until wc arrived at 55° of altitude, on which coast there were no inhabitants, nor any opening to indicate the vicinity of another strait through which the South Sea flowing into the North might uisulate that part ; and from hence we concluded, that all that coast belonged to America, and that continuing along it we might oUorlly arrive at Quivira and Cape Mendocino. We left this coast, (which, as was before said, we knew to continue along,) and standing towards the west, we sailed four days wiih the wind abeam, so strong that we made thirty leagues a day ; and having voyaged one hundred and twenty leagues, according to this calculation and to the point marked in the map, we discovered a very high land, and continuing along the coast, from which we kept at a convenient distance, to fulfil our object, always in the open sea; sailing at one time to the N.E., at others towards N.N.E., and again to the N., from whence it appeared to us that (for the most part) the coast trended N.E. and S.W. We could not mark any particular points, on account, as I before said, of our voyaging in the open sea ; and, there- fore, can only aflirm, that it is inhabited very nearly to the strait's entrance, as we saw smoke rising up in many places. This country, according to the charts, must belong to Tartary or Cataia; and at the distance of a few leagues from the coast must be situated the famed city of Cambalu, the metropolis of Tartary. Finally, having followed the direction of the said coast, we found ourselves at the entrance of the same Strait of Anim, which, fifteen days before, we had passed through .o the open sea, which we knew to be the South Sea, where Japan, China, the Moluccas, India, New Guinea, and the land discovered by Captain Quiros, are situated, with al^ the coast of New Spain and Peru. At the mouth of the strait, through which we passed to the South Sea, there is an harbour situated on the coast of America, capable of holding five hundred ships, though in some parts it is rough ^i 32 APPENDIX, NO. n. i\ ( \ ■ I : ! ^V and a bad rondstcd, on account of tlie currents which, with the tide flowing from the north to the south, enter the har- bour, and beat violently against one part of it not far from the mouth on going in on tlie right side. It nnist be understood liiat the mouth of tlie harbour is open to the north, and runs in an oblique direction. The shores of this harbour seemed never to have been touched by human footsteps. In a certain part there is a pool of stagnant water, on the borders of which we round an im- mense (quantity of the egg shells of sea birds, which gene- rally lay them on the shores of the sea ; these appeared to have been brought there by the currents from the north, and were so many in number that they formed a wall a vara in height and eight palmos in breadth. We found in this harbour a large river of fresh water, so deep that we were able to enter with our ship to procure water ; and I think a ship o ' five hundred tons burden might enter it. The greater part of this harbour has a sandy bottom, parti- cularly near the place where the river flows into it, and where the currents beat; more to the north there is a sheltered spot formed by a rocky hill, more than two picas in height in some parts, upon which is a plane surface having a narrow neck, which the sea surrounds, leaving a jutting of land on the eastern side ; on which situation an extensive colony might be planted, and for the present a fortress might be raised, which would be of great service. The land which adjoins this harbour is very pleasant, containing extensive plains on the south-east side coming in a point to the harbour, and these are bounded by a low mountain, in some parts of which we found rosemary. These plains being cleared might serve for neat fanns or gardens, and on account of the situation the greater part of tliem might be well watered. Although this land is situated in latitude 59°, it is of a very pleasant temperature ; because the mountains, which are an the north side, shelter and defend all the land lying to the south. The climate is very good, for the cold of the APPENDIX, NO. II. 3.0 , witli e har- )t far list be to the shores iccl by ool of [\n im- i ginic- arecl to north, , wall a »und in hat we ; and I enter it. 1, parti- d where red spot in some w neck, on the y i»igl»t J raised, jins this s on the lid these ?hich we serve for ition the ^Itiiough a very lich are lying to i of the winter is not excessive, but on the contrary very moderate ; because the country is always open to the rays of tiic sun, and is unaffected by the north winds, being only open to those which blow from the south, which are always tenipe- rate,"and especially so there, because they come in a direct line from the sea. The proof of this was evident from the species of fruits which we found there. Although this land is in so high a parallel of latitude, it is not on that account less fit to be inhabited, since many other countries are so which run in the same parallel ; namely, Edinburgh in Scotland, the principal cities of Sweden, Hapsalia and Ryga, cities in Livonia, Dublin in Ireland, Nidrosia, a city in Norway, many parts of Moscovia, and many other very pleasant countries which are inhabited, traded with, and well known ; which, although they are free from the heat of this coast, are rather cold. The longest day of summer in this land is eighteen hours and a half, and the longest night in winter the same ; therefore the summer nights are five hours and a half long, and the day in winter about an many. Upon the banks of die river which flows into the harbour, and on those of another which is lower down on the south- east side, grow many large trees, most of them fruit-bearing; some similar to those ot Spain, such as apples, pears, and wild plums, and others quite unknown, of divers forms ; therefore, that we might fall into no danger, (as might possibly have happened,) I ordered my people not to eat any fruit which had not been pecked at by the birds by this means we avoided eating any hurtful fruit. Most of these were the fruits of last year remaining upon the trees, for in that season there was no ripe fruit, being the latter part of April, all May, and part of June; and as the fruit was preserved on the trees from one year to another, we knew that the winter could not have been very severe. We found in a valley surrounded by the river, which was low and apparently very temperate, wild grapes and lechias, c .14 ^I'PKN IMX, NO, II, / I which is u delicious fruil t'loin fiidiii, .ilwiiys loiind in tcni- pei'utc climates. Al the head of the hurbou;-, looking between north and east, and alon' Loiiduii: Printed by C. Rowoith, Bell-yard, Temple-btr. ]y6 f" ""V o o '■» m fishing mted us ?m.