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diff --git a/3482-h/3482-h.htm b/3482-h/3482-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6e55bf0 --- /dev/null +++ b/3482-h/3482-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,4882 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII" /> +<title>Voyages in Search of the North-West Passage</title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- + P { margin-top: .75em; + margin-bottom: .75em; + } + P.headingsummary { margin-left: 5%;} + H1, H2 { + text-align: center; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + } + H3, H4, H5 { + text-align: left; + margin-top: 1em; + margin-bottom: 1em; + } + BODY{margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; + } + table { border-collapse: collapse; } + td { vertical-align: top; border: 1px solid black;} + td p { margin: 0.2em; } + .blkquot {margin-left: 4em; margin-right: 4em;} /* block indent */ + + .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + + .pagenum {position: absolute; + left: 92%; + font-size: smaller; + text-align: right; + color: gray;} + + .citation {vertical-align: super; + font-size: .8em; + text-decoration: none;} + // --> + /* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> +</head> +<body> +<h2> +<a href="#startoftext">Voyages in Search of the North-West Passage, by Richard Hakluyt</a> +</h2> +<pre> +The Project Gutenberg eBook, Voyages in Search of the North-West Passage, +by Richard Hakluyt, Edited by Henry Morley + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: Voyages in Search of the North-West Passage + + +Author: Richard Hakluyt + +Editor: Henry Morley + +Release Date: December 27, 2007 [eBook #3482] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VOYAGES IN SEARCH OF THE +NORTH-WEST PASSAGE*** +</pre> +<p><a name="startoftext"></a></p> +<p>Transcribed from the 1892 Cassell & Co. edition by David Price, +email ccx074@pglaf.org</p> +<p style="text-align: center"><span class="smcap">cassell’s national +library</span>.</p> +<h1>VOYAGES<br /> +<span class="smcap">in search of the</span><br /> +<span class="smcap">North-West Passage</span>.</h1> +<p style="text-align: center"><i>From the Collection of</i><br /> +RICHARD HAKLUYT.</p> +<p style="text-align: center">CASSELL & COMPANY, Limited:<br /> +<i><span class="smcap">london</span></i>, <i><span class="smcap">paris +& melbourne</span></i>.<br /> +1892.</p> +<h2>INTRODUCTION.</h2> +<p>Thirty-five years ago I made a voyage to the Arctic Seas in what Chaucer +calls</p> +<blockquote> +<p> A little bote<br /> +No bigger than a mannë’s thought;</p> +</blockquote> +<p>it was a Phantom Ship that made some voyages to different parts of the +world which were recorded in early numbers of Charles Dickens’s +“Household Words.” As preface to Richard Hakluyt’s +records of the first endeavour of our bold Elizabethan mariners to find +North-West Passage to the East, let me repeat here that old voyage of mine +from No. 55 of “Household Words,” dated the 12th of April, +1851: The <i>Phantom</i> is fitted out for Arctic exploration, with +instructions to find her way, by the north-west, to Behring Straits, and +take the South Pole on her passage home. Just now we steer due north, +and yonder is the coast of Norway. From that coast parted Hugh +Willoughby, three hundred years ago; the first of our countrymen who +wrought an ice-bound highway to Cathay. Two years afterwards his +ships were found, in the haven of Arzina, in Lapland, by some Russian +fishermen; near and about them Willoughby and his companions—seventy +dead men. The ships were freighted with their frozen crews, and +sailed for England; but, “being unstaunch, as it is supposed, by +their two years’ wintering in Lapland, sunk, by the way, with their +dead, and them also that brought them.”</p> +<p>Ice floats about us now, and here is a whale blowing; a whale, too, very +near Spitzbergen. When first Spitzbergen was discovered, in the good +old times, there were whales here in abundance; then a hundred Dutch ships, +in a crowd, might go to work, and boats might jostle with each other, and +the only thing deficient would be stowage room for all the produce of the +fishery. Now one ship may have the whole field to itself, and travel +home with an imperfect cargo. It was fine fun in the good old times; +there was no need to cruise. Coppers and boilers were fitted on the +island, and little colonies about them, in the fishing season, had nothing +to do but tow the whales in, with a boat, as fast as they were wanted by +the copper. No wonder that so enviable a Tom Tidler’s ground +was claimed by all who had a love for gold and silver. The English +called it theirs, for they first fished; the Dutch said, nay, but the +island was of their discovery; Danes, Hamburghers, Bisayans, Spaniards, and +French put in their claims; and at length it was agreed to make +partitions. The numerous bays and harbours which indent the coast +were divided among the rival nations; and, to this day, many of them bear, +accordingly, such names as English Bay, Danes Bay, and so forth. One +bay there is, with graves in it, named Sorrow. For it seemed to the +fishers most desirable, if possible, to plant upon this island permanent +establishments, and condemned convicts were offered, by the Russians, life +and pardon, if they would winter in Spitzbergen. They agreed; but, +when they saw the icy mountains and the stormy sea, repented, and went +back, to meet a death exempt from torture. The Dutch tempted free +men, by high rewards, to try the dangerous experiment. One of their +victims left a journal, which describes his suffering and that of his +companions. Their mouths, he says, became so sore that, if they had +food, they could not eat; their limbs were swollen and disabled with +excruciating pain; they died of scurvy. Those who died first were +coffined by their dying friends; a row of coffins was found, in the spring, +each with a man in it; two men uncoffined, side by side, were dead upon the +floor. The journal told how once the traces of a bear excited their +hope of fresh meat and amended health; how, with a lantern, two or three +had limped upon the track, until the light became extinguished, and they +came back in despair to die. We might speak, also, of eight English +sailors, left, by accident, upon Spitzbergen, who lived to return and tell +their winter’s tale; but a long journey is before us and we must not +linger on the way. As for our whalers, it need scarcely be related +that the multitude of whales diminished as the slaughtering went on, until +it was no longer possible to keep the coppers full. The whales had to +be searched for by the vessels, and thereafter it was not worth while to +take the blubber to Spitzbergen to be boiled; and the different nations, +having carried home their coppers, left the apparatus of those fishing +stations to decay.</p> +<p>Take heed. There is a noise like thunder, and a mountain snaps in +two. The upper half comes, crashing, grinding, down into the sea, and +loosened streams of water follow it. The sea is displaced before the +mighty heap; it boils and scatters up a cloud of spray; it rushes back, and +violently beats upon the shore. The mountain rises from its bath, +sways to and fro, while water pours along its mighty sides; now it is +tolerably quiet, letting crackers off as air escapes out of its +cavities. That is an iceberg, and in that way are all icebergs +formed. Mountains of ice formed by rain and snow—grand Arctic +glaciers, undermined by the sea or by accumulation +over-balanced—topple down upon the slightest provocation (moved by a +shout, perhaps), and where they float, as this black-looking fellow does, +they need deep water. This berg in height is about ninety feet, and a +due balance requires that a mass nine times as large as the part visible +should be submerged. Icebergs are seen about us now which rise two +hundred feet above the water’s level.</p> +<p>There are above head plenty of aquatic birds; ashore, or on the ice, are +bears, foxes, reindeer; and in the sea there are innumerable animals. +We shall not see so much life near the North Pole, that is certain. +It would be worth while to go ashore upon an islet there, near Vogel Sang, +to pay a visit to the eider-ducks. Their nests are so abundant that +one cannot avoid treading on them. When the duck is driven by a +hungry fox to leave her eggs, she covers them with down, in order that they +may not cool during her absence, and, moreover, glues the down into a case +with a secretion supplied to her by Nature for that purpose. The +deserted eggs are safe, for that secretion has an odour very disagreeable +to the intruder’s nose.</p> +<p>We still sail northward, among sheets of ice, whose boundaries are not +beyond our vision from the masthead—these are “floes;” +between them we find easy way, it is fair “sailing ice.” +In the clear sky to the north a streak of lucid white light is the +reflection from an icy surface; that is, “ice-blink,” in the +language of these seas. The glare from snow is yellow, while open +water gives a dark reflection.</p> +<p>Northward still; but now we are in fog the ice is troublesome; a gale is +rising. Now, if our ship had timbers they would crack, and if she had +a bell it would be tolling; if we were shouting to each other we should not +hear, the sea is in a fury. With wild force its breakers dash against +a heaped-up wall of broken ice, that grinds and strains and battles +fiercely with the water. This is “the pack,” the edge of +a great ice-field broken by the swell. It is a perilous and an +exciting thing to push through pack ice in a gale.</p> +<p>Now there is ice as far as eye can see, that is “an +ice-field.” Masses are forced up like colossal tombstones on +all sides; our sailors call them “hummocks;” here and there the +broken ice displays large “holes of water.” Shall we go +on? Upon this field, in 1827, Parry adventured with his men to reach +the North Pole, if that should be possible. With sledges and portable +boats they laboured on through snow and over hummocks, launching their +boats over the larger holes of water. With stout hearts, undaunted by +toil or danger, they went boldly on, though by degrees it became clear to +the leaders of the expedition that they were almost like mice upon a +treadmill cage, making a great expenditure of leg for little gain. +The ice was floating to the south with them, as they were walking to the +north; still they went on. Sleeping by day to avoid the glare, and to +get greater warmth during the time of rest, and travelling by +night—watch-makers’ days and nights, for it was all one polar +day—the men soon were unable to distinguish noon from midnight. +The great event of one day on this dreary waste was the discovery of two +flies upon an ice hummock; these, says Parry, became at once a topic of +ridiculous importance. Presently, after twenty-three miles’ +walking, they had only gone one mile forward, the ice having industriously +floated twenty-two miles in the opposite direction; and then, after walking +forward eleven miles, they found themselves to be three miles behind the +place from which they started. The party accordingly returned, not +having reached the Pole, not having reached the eighty-third parallel, for +the attainment of which there was a reward of a thousand pounds held out by +government. They reached the parallel of eighty-two degrees +forty-five minutes, which was the most northerly point trodden by the foot +of man.</p> +<p>From that point they returned. In those high latitudes they met +with a phenomenon, common in alpine regions, as well as at the Pole, red +snow; the red colour being caused by the abundance of a minute plant, of +low development, the last dweller on the borders of the vegetable +kingdom. More interesting to the sailors was a fat she bear which +they killed and devoured with a zeal to be repented of; for on reaching +navigable sea, and pushing in their boats to Table Island, where some +stones were left, they found that the bears had eaten all their bread, +whereon the men agreed that “Bruin was now square with +them.” An islet next to Table Island—they are both mere +rocks—is the most northern land discovered. Therefore, Parry +applied to it the name of lieutenant—afterwards Sir +James—Ross. This compliment Sir James Ross acknowledged in the +most emphatic manner, by discovering on his part, at the other Pole, the +most southern land yet seen, and giving to it the name of Parry: +“Parry Mountains.”</p> +<p>It very probably would not be difficult, under such circumstances as Sir +W. Parry has since recommended, to reach the North Pole along this +route. Then (especially if it be true, as many believe, that there is +a region of open sea about the Pole itself) we might find it as easy to +reach Behring Straits by travelling in a straight line over the North Pole, +as by threading the straits and bays north of America.</p> +<p>We turn our course until we have in sight a portion of the ice-barred +eastern coast of Greenland, Shannon Island. Somewhere about this spot +in the seventy-fifth parallel is the most northern part of that coast known +to us. Colonel—then Captain—Sabine in the <i>Griper</i> +was landed there to make magnetic, and other observations; for the same +purpose he had previously visited Sierra Leone. That is where we +differ from our forefathers. They commissioned hardy seamen to +encounter peril for the search of gold ore, or for a near road to Cathay; +but our peril is encountered for the gain of knowledge, for the highest +kind of service that can now be rendered to the human race.</p> +<p>Before we leave the Northern Sea, we must not omit to mention the voyage +by Spitzbergen northward, in 1818, of Captain Buchan in the +<i>Dorothea</i>, accompanied by Lieutenant Franklin, in the +<i>Trent</i>. It was Sir John Franklin’s first voyage to the +Arctic regions. This trip forms the subject of a delightful book by +Captain Beechey.</p> +<p>On our way to the south point of Greenland we pass near Cape North, a +point of Iceland. Iceland, we know, is the centre of a volcanic +region, whereof Norway and Greenland are at opposite points of the +circumference. In connection with this district there is a remarkable +fact; that by the agency of subterranean forces, a large portion of Norway +and Sweden is being slowly upheaved. While Greenland, on the west +coast, as gradually sinks into the sea, Norway rises at the rate of about +four feet in a century. In Greenland, the sinking is so well known +that the natives never build close to the water’s edge, and the +Moravian missionaries more than once have had to move farther inland the +poles on which their boats are rested.</p> +<p>Our Phantom Ship stands fairly now along the western coast of Greenland +into Davis Straits. We observe that upon this western coast there is, +by a great deal, less ice than on the eastern. That is a rule +generally. Not only the configuration of the straits and bays, but +also the earth’s rotation from west to east, causes the currents here +to set towards the west, and wash the western coasts, while they act very +little on the eastern. We steer across Davis Strait, among “an +infinite number of great countreys and islands of yce;” there, near +the entrance, we find Hudson Strait, which does not now concern us. +Islands probably separate this well-known channel from Frobisher Strait to +the north of it, yet unexplored. Here let us recall to mind the fleet +of fifteen sail, under Sir Martin Frobisher, in 1578, tossing about and +parting company among the ice. Let us remember how the crew of the +<i>Anne Frances</i>, in that expedition, built a pinnace when their vessel +struck upon a rock, stock, although they wanted main timber and +nails. How they made a mimic forge, and “for the easier making +of nails, were forced to break their tongs, gridiron, and fire-shovel, in +pieces.” How Master Captain Best, in this frail bark, with its +imperfect timbers held together by the metamorphosed gridiron and +fire-shovel, continued in his duty, and did depart up the straights as +before was pretended.” How a terrific storm arose, and the +fleet parted and the intrepid captain was towed “in his small +pinnesse, at the stern of the <i>Michael</i>, thorow the raging seas; for +the bark was not able to receive, or relieve half his company.” +The “tongs, gridyron, and fire-shovell,” performed their work +only for as many minutes as were absolutely necessary, for the pinnesse +came no sooner aboard the ship, and the men entred, but she presently +shivered and fell in pieces, and sunke at the ship’s stern with all +the poor men’s furniture.”</p> +<p>Now, too, as we sail up the strait, explored a few years after these +events by Master John Davis, how proudly we remember him as a right worthy +forerunner of those countrymen of his and ours who since have sailed over +his track. Nor ought we to pass on without calling to mind the +melancholy fate, in 1606, of Master John Knight, driven, in the +<i>Hopewell</i>, among huge masses of ice with a tremendous surf, his +rudder knocked away, his ship half full of water, at the entrance to these +straits. Hoping to find a harbour, he set forth to explore a large +island, and landed, leaving two men to watch the boat, while he, with three +men and the mate, set forth and disappeared over a hill. For thirteen +hours the watchers kept their post; one had his trumpet with him, for he +was a trumpeter, the other had a gun. They trumpeted often and +loudly; they fired, but no answer came. They watched ashore all night +for the return of their captain and his party, “but they came not at +all.”</p> +<p>The season is advanced. As we sail on, the sea steams like a +line-kiln, “frost-smoke” covers it. The water, cooled +less rapidly, is warmer now than the surrounding air, and yields this +vapour in consequence. By the time our vessel has reached +Baffin’s Bay, still coasting along Greenland, in addition to old +floes and bergs, the water is beset with “pancake ice.” +That is the young ice when it first begins to cake upon the surface. +Innocent enough it seems, but it is sadly clogging to the ships. It +sticks about their sides like treacle on a fly’s wing; collecting +unequally, it destroys all equilibrium, and impedes the efforts of the +steersman. Rocks split on the Greenland coast with loud explosions, +and more icebergs fall. Icebergs we soon shall take our leave of; +they are only found where there is a coast on which glaciers can form; they +are good for nothing but to yield fresh water to the vessels; it will be +all field, pack, and saltwater ice presently.</p> +<p>Now we are in Baffin’s Bay, explored in the voyages of Bylot and +Baffin, 1615-16. When, in 1817, a great movement in the Greenland ice +caused many to believe that the northern passages would be found +comparatively clear; and when, in consequence of this impression, Sir John +Barrow succeeded in setting afoot that course of modern Arctic exploration +which has been continued to the present day, Sir John Ross was the first +man sent to find the North-West Passage. Buchan and Parry were +commissioned at the same the to attempt the North Sea route. Sir John +Ross did little more on that occasion than effect a survey of +Baffin’s Bay, and prove the accuracy of the ancient pilot. In +the extreme north of the bay there is an inlet or a channel, called by +Baffin Smith’s Sound; this Sir John saw, but did not enter. It +never yet has been explored. It may be an inlet only; but it is also +very possible that by this channel ships might get into the Polar Sea and +sail by the north shore of Greenland to Spitzbergen. Turning that +corner, and descending along the western coast of Baffin’s Bay, there +is another inlet called Jones’ Sound by Baffin, also +unexplored. These two inlets, with their very British titles, Smith +and Jones, are of exceeding interest. Jones’ Sound may lead by +a back way to Melville Island. South of Jones’ Sound there is a +wide break in the shore, a great sound, named by Baffin, Lancaster’s, +which Sir John Ross, in that first expedition, failed also to +explore. Like our transatlantic friends at the South Pole, he laid +down a range of clouds as mountains, and considered the way impervious; so +he came home. Parry went out next year, as a lieutenant, in command +of his first and most successful expedition. He sailed up Lancaster +Sound, which was in that year (1819) unusually clear of ice; and he is the +discoverer whose track we now follow in our Phantom Ship. The whole +ground being new, he had to name the points of country right and left of +him. The way was broad and open, due west, a most prosperous +beginning for a North-West Passage. If this continued, he would soon +reach Behring Strait. A broad channel to the right, directed, that is +to say, southward, he entered on the Prince of Wales’s birthday, and +so called it the “Prince Regent’s Inlet.” After +exploring this for some miles, he turned back to resume his western course, +for still there was a broad strait leading westward. This second part +of Lancaster Sound he called after the Secretary of the Admiralty who had +so indefatigably laboured to promote the expeditions, Barrow’s +Strait. Then he came to a channel, turning to the right or northward, +and he named that Wellington Channel. Then he had on his right hand +ice, islands large and small, and intervening channels; on the left, ice, +and a cape visible, Cape Walker. At an island, named after the First +Lord of the Admiralty Melville Island, the great frozen wilderness barred +farther progress. There he wintered. On the coast of Melville +Island they had passed the latitude of one hundred and ten degrees, and the +men had become entitled to a royal bounty of five thousand pounds. +This group of islands Parry called North Georgian, but they are usually +called by his own name, Parry Islands. This was the first European +winter party in the Arctic circle. Its details are familiar +enough. How the men cut in three days, through ice seven inches +thick, a canal two miles and a half long, and so brought the ships into +safe harbour. How the genius of Parry equalled the occasion; how +there was established a theatre and a <i>North Georgian Gazette</i>, to +cheer the tediousness of a night which continued for two thousand +hours. The dreary, dazzling waste in which there was that little +patch of life, the stars, the fog, the moonlight, the glittering wonder of +the northern lights, in which, as Greenlanders believe, souls of the wicked +dance tormented, are familiar to us. The she-bear stays at home; but +the he-bear hungers, and looks in vain for a stray seal or walrus—woe +to the unarmed man who meets him in his hungry mood! Wolves are +abroad, and pretty white arctic foxes. The reindeer have sought other +pasture-ground. The thermometer runs down to more than sixty degrees +below freezing, a temperature tolerable in calm weather, but distressing in +a wind. The eye-piece of the telescope must be protected now with +leather, for the skin is destroyed that comes in contact with cold +metal. The voice at a mile’s distance can be heard +distinctly. Happy the day when first the sun is seen to graze the +edge of the horizon; but summer must come, and the heat of a constant day +must accumulate, and summer wane, before the ice is melted. Then the +ice cracks, like cannons over-charged, and moves with a loud grinding +noise. But not yet is escape to be made with safety. After a +detention of ten months, Parry got free; but, in escaping, narrowly missed +the destruction of both ships, by their being “nipped” between +the mighty mass and the unyielding shore. What animals are found on +Melville Island we may judge from the results of sport during ten +months’ detention. The island exceeds five thousand miles +square, and yielded to the gun, three musk oxen, twenty-four deer, +sixty-eight hares, fifty-three geese, fifty-nine ducks, and one hundred and +forty-four ptarmigans, weighing together three thousand seven hundred and +sixty-six pounds—not quite two ounces of meat per day to every +man. Lichens, stunted grass, saxifrage, and a feeble willow, are the +plants of Melville Island, but in sheltered nooks there are found sorrel, +poppy, and a yellow buttercup. Halos and double suns are very common +consequences of refraction in this quarter of the world. Franklin +returned from his first and most famous voyage with his men all safe and +sound, except the loss of a few fingers, frost-bitten. We sail back +only as far as Regent’s Inlet, being bound for Behring Strait.</p> +<p>The reputation of Sir John Ross being clouded by discontent expressed +against his first expedition, Felix Booth, a rich distiller, provided +seventeen thousand pounds to enable his friend to redeem his credit. +Sir John accordingly, in 1829, went out in the <i>Victory</i>, provided +with steam-machinery that did not answer well. He was accompanied by +Sir James Ross, his nephew. He it was who, on this occasion, first +surveyed Regent’s Inlet, down which we are now sailing with our +Phantom Ship. The coast on our right hand, westward, which Parry saw, +is called North Somerset, but farther south, where the inlet widens, the +land is named Boothia Felix. Five years before this, Parry, in his +third voyage, had attempted to pass down Regent’s Inlet, where among +ice and storm, one of his ships, the <i>Hecla</i>, had been driven +violently ashore, and of necessity abandoned. The stores had been +removed, and Sir John was able now to replenish his own vessel from +them. Rounding a point at the bottom of Prince Regent’s Inlet, +we find Felix Harbour, where Sir John Ross wintered. His nephew made +from this point scientific explorations; discovered a strait, called after +him the Strait of James Ross, and on the northern shore of this strait, on +the main land of Boothia, planted the British flag on the Northern Magnetic +Pole. The ice broke up, so did the <i>Victory</i>; after a +hairbreadth escape, the party found a searching vessel and arrived home +after an absence of four years and five months, Sir John Ross having lost +his ship, and won his reputation, The friend in need was made a baronet for +his munificence; Sir John was reimbursed for all his losses, and the crew +liberally taken care of. Sir James Ross had a rod and flag signifying +“Magnetic Pole,” given to him for a new crest, by the +Heralds’ College, for which he was no doubt greatly the better.</p> +<p>We have sailed northward to get into Hudson Strait, the high road into +Hudson Bay. Along the shore are Esquimaux in boats, extremely active, +but these filthy creatures we pass by; the Esquimaux in Hudson Strait are +like the negroes of the coast, demoralised by intercourse with European +traders. These are not true pictures of the loving children of the +north. Our “Phantom” floats on the wide waters of Hudson +Bay—the grave of its discoverer. Familiar as the story is of +Henry Hudson’s fate, for John King’s sake how gladly we repeat +it. While sailing on the waters he discovered, in 1611, his men +mutinied; the mutiny was aided by Henry Green, a prodigal, whom Hudson had +generously shielded from ruin. Hudson, the master, and his son, with +six sick or disabled members of the crew, were driven from their cabins, +forced into a little shallop, and committed helpless to the water and the +ice. But there was one stout man, John King, the carpenter, who +stepped into the boat, abjuring his companions, and chose rather to die +than even passively be partaker in so foul a crime. John King, we who +live after will remember you.</p> +<p>Here on aim island, Charlton Island, near our entrance to the bay, in +1631, wintered poor Captain James with his wrecked crew. This is a +point outside the Arctic circle, but quite cold enough. Of nights, +with a good fire in the house they built, hoar frost covered their beds, +and the cook’s water in a metal pan before the fire was warm on one +side and froze on the other. Here “it snowed and froze +extremely, at which time we, looking from the shore towards the ship, she +appeared a piece of ice in the fashion of a ship, or a ship resembling a +piece of ice.” Here the gunner, who hand lost his leg, besought +that, “for the little the he had to live, he might drink sack +altogether.” He died and was buried in the ice far from the +vessel, but when afterwards two more were dead of scurvy, and the others, +in a miserable state, were working with faint hope about their shattered +vessel, the gunner was found to have returned home to the old vessel; his +leg had penetrated through a port-hole. They “digged him clear +out, and he was as free from noisomeness,” the record says, “as +when we first committed him to the sea. This alteration had the ice, +and water, and time, only wrought on him, that his flesh would slip up and +down upon his bones, like a glove on a man’s hand. In the +evening we buried him by the others.” These worthy souls, laid +up with the agonies of scurvy, knew that in action was their only hope; +they forced their limbs to labour, among ice and water, every day. +They set about the building of a boat, but the hard frozen wood had broken +their axes, so they made shift with the pieces. To fell a tree, it +was first requisite to light in fire around it, and the carpenter could +only labour with his wood over a fire, or else it was like stone under his +tools. Before the boat was made they buried the carpenter. The +captain exhorted them to put their trust in God; “His will be +done. If it be our fortune to end our days here, we are as near +Heaven as in England. They all protested to work to the utmost of +their strength, and that they would refuse nothing that I should order them +to do to the utmost hazard of their lives. I thanked them +all.” Truly the North Pole has its triumphs. If we took +no account of the fields of trade opened by our Arctic explorers, if we +thought nothing of the wants of science in comparison with the lives lost +in supplying them, is not the loss of life a gain, which proves and tests +the fortitude of noble hearts, and teaches us respect for human +nature? All the lives that have been lost among these Polar regions +are less in number than the dead upon a battle-field. The +battle-field inflicted shame upon our race—is it with shame that our +hearts throb in following these Arctic heroes? March 31st, says +Captain James, “was very cold, with snow and hail, which pinched our +sick men more than any time this year. This evening, being May eve, +we returned late from our work to our house, and made a good fire, and +chose ladies, and ceremoniously wore their names in our caps, endeavouring +to revive ourselves by any means. On the 15th, I manured a little +patch of ground that was bare of snow, and sowed it with pease, hoping to +have some shortly to eat, for as yet we could see no green thing to comfort +us.” Those pease saved the party; as they came up the young +shoots were boiled and eaten, so their health began to mend, and they +recovered from their scurvy. Eventually, after other perils, they +succeeded in making their escape.</p> +<p>A strait, called Sir Thomas Rowe’s Welcome, leads due north out of +Hudson Bay, being parted by Southampton Island from the strait through +which we entered. Its name is quaint, for so was its discoverer, Luke +Fox, a worthy man, addicted much to euphuism. Fox sailed from London +in the same year in which James sailed from Bristol. They were +rivals. Meeting in Davis Straits, Fox dined on board his friendly +rival’s vessel, which was very unfit for the service upon which it +went. The sea washed over them and came into the cabin, so says Fox, +“sauce would not have been wanted if there had been roast +mutton.” Luke Fox, being ice-bound and in peril, writes, +“God thinks upon our imprisonment within a <i>supersedeas</i>;” +but he was a good and honourable man as wall as euphuist. His +“Sir Thomas Rowe’s Welcome” leads into Fox Channel: our +“Phantom Ship” is pushing through the welcome passes on the +left-hand Repulse Bay. This portion of the Arctic regions, with Fox +Channel, is extremely perilous. Here Captain Lyon, in the +<i>Griper</i>, was thrown anchorless upon the mercy of a stormy sea, ice +crashing around him. One island in Fox Channel is called Mill Island, +from the incessant grinding of great masses of ice collected there. +In the northern part of Fox Channel, on the western shore, is Melville +Peninsula, where Parry wintered on his second voyage. Here let us go +ashore and see a little colony of Esquimaux.</p> +<p>Their limits are built of blocks of snow, and arched, having an ice pane +for a window. They construct their arched entrance and their +hemispherical roof on the true principles of architecture. Those wise +men, the Egyptians, made their arch by hewing the stones out of shape; the +Esquimaux have the true secret. Here they are, with little food in +winter and great appetites; devouring a whole walrus when they get it, and +taking the chance of hunger for the next eight days—hungry or full, +for ever happy in their lot—here are the Esquimaux. They are +warmly clothed, each in a double suit of skins sewn neatly together. +Some are singing, with good voices too. Please them, and they +straightway dance; activity is good in a cold climate: Play to them on the +flute, or if you can sing well, sing, or turn a barrel-organ, they are +mute, eager with wonder and delight; their love of music is intense. +Give them a pencil, and, like children, they will draw. Teach them +and they will learn, oblige them and they will be grateful. +“Gentle and loving savages,” one of our old worthies called +them, and the Portuguese were so much impressed with their teachable and +gentle conduct, that a Venetian ambassador writes, “His serene +majesty contemplates deriving great advantage from the country, not only on +account of the timber of which he has occasion, but of the inhabitants, who +are admirably calculated for labour, and are the best I have ever +seen.” The Esquimaux, of course, will learn vice, and in the +region visited by whale ships, vice enough has certainly been taught +him. Here are the dogs, who will eat old coats, or anything; and, +near the dwellings, here is a snow-bunting—robin redbreast of the +Arctic lands. A party of our sailors once, on landing, took some +sticks from a large heap, and uncovered the nest of a snow-bunting with +young, the bird flew to a little distance, but seeing that the men sat +down, and harmed her not, continued to seek food and supply her little +ones, with full faith in the good intentions of the party. Captain +Lyon found a child’s grave partly uncovered, and a snow-bunting had +built its nest upon the infant’s bosom.</p> +<p>Sailing round Melville Peninsula, we come into the Gulf of Akkolee, +through Fury and Hecla Straits, discovered by Parry. So we get back +to the bottom of Regent’s Inlet, which we quitted a short time ago, +and sailing in the neighbourhood of the magnetic pole, we reach the estuary +of Back’s River, on the north-east coast of America. We pass +then through a strait, discovered in 1839 by Dean and Simpson, still +coasting along the northern shore of America, on the great Stinking Lake, +as Indians call this ocean. Boats, ice permitting, and our +“Phantom Ship,” of course, can coast all the way to Behring +Strait. The whole coast has been explored by Sir John Franklin, Sir +John Richardson, and Sir George Back, who have earned their knighthoods +through great peril. As we pass Coronation Gulf—the scene of +Franklin, Richardson, and Back’s first exploration from the +Coppermine River—we revert to the romantic story of their journey +back, over a land of snow and frost, subsisting upon lichens, with +companions starved to death, where they plucked wild leaves for tea, and +ate their shoes for supper; the tragedy by the river; the murder of poor +Hood, with a book of prayers in his hand; Franklin at Fort Enterprise, with +two companions at the point of death, himself gaunt, hollow-eyed, feeding +on pounded bones, raked from the dunghill; the arrival of Dr. Richardson +and the brave sailor; their awful story of the cannibal Michel;—we +revert to these things with a shudder. But we must continue on our +route. The current still flows westward, bearing now large quantities +of driftwood out of the Mackenzie River. At the name of Sir Alexander +Mackenzie, also, we might pause, and talk over the bold achievements of +another Arctic hero; but we pass on, by a rugged and inhospitable coast, +unfit for vessels of large draught—pass the broad mouth of the +Youcon, pass Point Barrow, Icy Cape, and are in Behring Strait. Had +we passed on, we should have found the Russian Arctic coast line, traced +out by a series of Russian explorers; of whom the most +illustrious—Baron Von Wrangell—states, that beyond a certain +distance to the northward there is always found what he calls the +<i>Polynja</i> (open water). This is the fact adduced by those who +adhere to the old fancy that there is a sea about the Pole itself quite +free from ice.</p> +<p>We pass through Behring Straits. Behring, a Dane by birth, but in +the Russian service, died here in 1741, upon the scene of his +discovery. He and his crew, victims of scurvy, were unable to manage +their vessel in a storm; and it was at length wrecked on a barren island, +there, where “want, nakedness, cold, sickness, impatience, and +despair, were their daily guests,” Behring, his lieutenant, and the +master died.</p> +<p>Now we must put a girdle round the world, and do it with the speed of +Ariel. Here we are already in the heats of the equator. We can +do no more than remark, that if air and water are heated at the equator, +and frozen at the poles, there will be equilibrium destroyed, and constant +currents caused. And so it happens, so we get the prevailing winds, +and all the currents of the ocean. Of these, some of the uses, but by +no means all, are obvious. We urge our “Phantom” fleetly +to the southern pole. Here, over the other hemisphere of the earth, +there shines another hemisphere of heaven. The stars are changed; the +southern cross, the Magellanic clouds, the “coal-sack” in the +milky way, attract our notice. Now we are in the southern latitude +that corresponds to England in the north; nay, at a greater distance from +the Pole, we find Kerguelen’s Land, emphatically called “The +Isle of Desolation.” Icebergs float much further into the warm +sea on this side of the equator before they dissolve. The South Pole +is evidently a more thorough refrigerator than the North. Why is +this? We shall soon see. We push through pack-ice, and through +floes and fields, by lofty bergs, by an island or two covered with +penguins, until there lies before us a long range of mountains, nine or ten +thousand feet in height, and all clad in eternal snow. That is a +portion of the Southern Continent. Lieutenant Wilkes, in the American +exploring expedition, first discovered this, and mapped out some part of +the coast, putting a few clouds in likewise—a mistake easily made by +those who omit to verify every foot of land. Sir James Ross, in his +most successful South Pole Expedition, during the years 1839-43, sailed +over some of this land, and confirmed the rest. The Antarctic, as +well as the Arctic honours he secured for England, by turning a corner of +the land, and sailing far southward, along an impenetrable icy barrier, to +the latitude of seventy-eight degrees, nine minutes. It is an +elevated continent, with many lofty ranges. On the extreme southern +point reached by the ships, a magnificent volcano was seen spouting fire +and smoke out of the everlasting snow. This volcano, twelve thousand +four hundred feet high, was named Mount Erebus; for the <i>Erebus</i> and +<i>Terror</i> long sought anxiously among the bays, and sounds, and creeks +of the North Pole, then coasted by the solid ice walls of the south.</p> +<p style="text-align: right">H. M.</p> +<h2>A DISCOURSE WRITTEN BY SIR HUMPHREY GILBERT, KNIGHT.</h2> +<p><i>To prove a Passage by the North-West to Cathay and the East +Indies</i>.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER I.<br /> +TO PROVE BY AUTHORITY A PASSAGE TO BE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF AMERICA, TO GO +TO CATHAY AND THE EAST INDIES.</h3> +<p>When I gave myself to the study of geography, after I had perused and +diligently scanned the descriptions of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and +conferred them with the maps and globes both antique and modern, I came in +fine to the fourth part of the world, commonly called America, which by all +descriptions I found to be an island environed round about with the sea, +having on the south side of it the Strait of Magellan, on the west side the +Mare de Sur, which sea runneth towards the north, separating it from the +east parts of Asia, where the dominions of the Cathaians are. On the +east part our west ocean, and on the north side the sea that severeth it +from Greenland, through which northern seas the passage lieth, which I take +now in hand to discover.</p> +<p>Plato in his <i>Timaeus</i> and in the dialogue called <i>Critias</i>, +discourses of an incomparable great island then called Atlantis, being +greater than all Africa and Asia, which lay westward from the Straits of +Gibraltar, navigable round about: affirming, also, that the princes of +Atlantis did as well enjoy the governance of all Africa and the most part +of Europe as of Atlantis itself.</p> +<p>Also to prove Plato’s opinion of this island, and the inhabiting +of it in ancient time by them of Europe, to be of the more credit: +Marinæus Siculus, in his Chronicle of Spain, reporteth that there +hath been found by the Spaniards in the gold mines of America certain +pieces of money, engraved with the image of Augustus Cæsar; which +pieces were sent to the Pope for a testimony of the matter by John Rufus, +Archbishop of Constantinum.</p> +<p>Moreover, this was not only thought of Plato, but by Marsilius Ficinus, +an excellent Florentine philosopher, Crantor the Grecian, Proclus, also +Philo the famous Jew (as appeareth in his book <i>De Mundo</i>, and in the +Commentaries upon Plato), to be overflown, and swallowed up with water, by +reason of a mighty earthquake and streaming down of the heavenly flood +gates. The like thereof happened unto some part of Italy, when by the +forcibleness of the sea, called Superum, it cut off Sicily from the +continent of Calabria, as appeareth in Justin in the beginning of his +fourth book. Also there chanced the like in Zeeland, a part of +Flanders.</p> +<p>And also the cities of Pyrrha and Antissa, about Palus Meotis; and also +the city Burys, in the Corinthian Gulf, commonly called Sinus Corinthiacus, +have been swallowed up with the sea, and are not at this day to be +discerned: by which accident America grew to be unknown, of long time, unto +us of the later ages, and was lately discovered again by Americus +Vespucius, in the year of our Lord 1497, which some say to have been first +discovered by Christopher Columbus, a Genoese, Anno 1492.</p> +<p>The same calamity happened unto this isle of Atlantis six hundred and +odd years before Plato’s time, which some of the people of the +south-east parts of the world accounted as nine thousand years; for the +manner then was to reckon the moon’s period of the Zodiac for a year, +which is our usual month, depending a Luminari minore.</p> +<p>So that in these our days there can no other main or island be found or +judged to be parcel of this Atlantis than those western islands, which now +bear the name of America; countervailing thereby the name of Atlantis in +the knowledge of our age.</p> +<p>Then, if when no part of the said Atlantis was oppressed by water and +earthquake, the coasts round about the same were navigable, a far greater +hope now remaineth of the same by the north-west, seeing the most part of +it was since that time swallowed up with water, which could not utterly +take away the old deeps and channels, but, rather, be many occasion of the +enlarging of the old, and also an enforcing of a great many new; why then +should we now doubt of our North-West Passage and navigation from England +to India, etc., seeing that Atlantis, now called America, was ever known to +be an island, and in those days navigable round about, which by access of +more water could not be diminished?</p> +<p>Also Aristotle in his book <i>De Mundo</i>, and the learned German, +Simon Gryneus, in his annotations upon the same, saith that the whole earth +(meaning thereby, as manifestly doth appear, Asia, Africa, and Europe, +being all the countries then known) to be but one island, compassed about +with the reach of the Atlantic sea; which likewise approveth America to be +an island, and in no part adjoining to Asia or the rest.</p> +<p>Also many ancient writers, as Strabo and others, called both the ocean +sea (which lieth east of India) Atlanticum Pelagus, and that sea also on +the west coasts of Spain and Africa, Mare Atlanticum; the distance between +the two coasts is almost half the compass of the earth.</p> +<p>So that it is incredible, as by Plato appeareth manifestly, that the +East Indian Sea had the name of Atlanticum Pelagus, of the mountain Atlas +in Africa, or yet the sea adjoining to Africa had name Oceanus Atlanticus, +of the same mountain; but that those seas and the mountain Atlas were so +called of this great island Atlantis, and that the one and the other had +their names for a memorial of the mighty Prince Atlas, sometime king +thereof, who was Japhet, youngest son to Noah, in whose time the whole +earth was divided between the three brethren, Shem, Ham, and Japhet.</p> +<p>Wherefore I am of opinion that America by the north-west will be found +favourable to this our enterprise, and am the rather emboldened to believe +the same, for that I find it not only confirmed by Plato, Aristotle, and +other ancient philosophers, but also by the best modern geographers, as +Gemma Frisius, Munsterus, Appianus Hunterus, Gastaldus, Guyccardinus, +Michael Tramesinus, Franciscus Demongenitus, Barnardus, Puteanus, Andreas +Vavasor, Tramontanus, Petrus Martyr, and also Ortelius, who doth coast out +in his general map (set out Anno 1569) all the countries and capes on the +north-west side of America from Hochelega to Cape de Paramantia, describing +likewise the sea-coasts of Cathay and Greenland, towards any part of +America, making both Greenland and America islands disjoined by a great sea +from any part of Asia.</p> +<p>All which learned men and painful travellers have affirmed with one +consent and voice, that America was an island, and that there lieth a great +sea between it, Cathay, and Greenland, by the which any man of our country +that will give the attempt, may with small danger pass to Cathay, the +Moluccas, India, and all other places in the east in much shorter time than +either the Spaniard or Portuguese doth, or may do, from the nearest part of +any of their countries within Europe.</p> +<p>What moved these learned men to affirm thus much I know not, or to what +end so many and sundry travellers of both ages have allowed the same; but I +conjecture that they would never have so constantly affirmed, or notified +their opinions therein to the world, if they had not had great good cause, +and many probable reasons to have led them thereunto.</p> +<p>Now lest you should make small account of ancient writers or of their +experiences which travelled long before our times, reckoning their +authority amongst fables of no importance, I have for the better assurance +of those proofs set down some part of a discourse, written in the Saxon +tongue, and translated into English by Master Noel, servant to Master +Secretary Cecil, wherein there is described a navigation which one other +made, in the time of King Alfred, King of Wessex, Anne 871, the words of +which discourse were these: “He sailed right north, having always the +desert land on the starboard, and on the larboard the main sea, continuing +his course, until he perceived that the coast bowed directly towards the +east or else the sea opened into the land he could not tell how far, where +he was compelled to stay until he had a western wind or somewhat upon the +north, and sailed thence directly east along the coast, so far as he was +able in four days, where he was again enforced to tarry until he had a +north wind, because the coast there bowed directly towards the south, or at +least opened he knew not how far into the land, so that he sailed thence +along the coast continually full south, so far as he could travel in the +space of five days, where he discovered a mighty river which opened far +into the land, and in the entry of this river he turned back +again.”</p> +<p>Whereby it appeareth that he went the very way that we now do yearly +trade by S. Nicholas into Muscovia, which way no man in our age knew for +certainty to be sea, until it was since discovered by our Englishmen in the +time of King Edward I., but thought before that time that Greenland had +joined to Normoria Byarmia, and therefore was accounted a new discovery, +being nothing so indeed, as by this discourse of Ochther’s it +appeareth.</p> +<p>Nevertheless if any man should have taken this voyage in hand by the +encouragement of this only author, he should have been thought but simple, +considering that this navigation was written so many years past, in so +barbarous a tongue by one only obscure author, and yet we in these our days +find by our own experiences his former reports to be true.</p> +<p>How much more, then, ought we to believe this passage to Cathay to be, +being verified by the opinions of all the best, both antique and modern +geographers, and plainly set out in the best and most allowed maps, charts, +globes, cosmographical tables, and discourses of this our age and by the +rest not denied, but left as a matter doubtful.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3> +<p>1. All seas are maintained by the abundance of water, so that the +nearer the end any river, bay, or haven is, the shallower it waxeth +(although by some accidental bar it is sometime found otherwise), but the +farther you sail west from Iceland, towards the place where this strait is +thought to be, the more deep are the seas, which giveth us good hope of +continuance of the same sea, with Mare del Sur, by some strait that lieth +between America, Greenland, and Cathay.</p> +<p>2. Also, if that America were not an island, but a part of the +continent adjoining to Asia, either the people which inhabit Mangia, Anian, +and Quinzay, etc., being borderers upon it, would before this time have +made some road into it, hoping to have found some like commodities to their +own.</p> +<p>3. Or else the Syrians and Tartars (which oftentimes heretofore +have sought far and near for new seats, driven thereunto through the +necessity of their cold and miserable countries) would in all this time +have found the way to America and entered the same had the passages been +never so strait or difficult, the country being so temperate, pleasant, and +fruitful in comparison of their own. But there was never any such +people found there by any of the Spaniards, Portuguese, or Frenchmen, who +first discovered the inland of that country, which Spaniards or Frenchmen +must then of necessity have seen some one civilised man in America, +considering how full of civilised people Asia is; but they never saw so +much as one token or sign that ever any man of the known part of the world +had been there.</p> +<p>4. Furthermore, it is to be thought, that if by reason of +mountains or other craggy places the people neither of Cathay or Tartary +could enter the country of America, or they of America have entered Asia if +it were so joined, yet some one savage or wandering-beast would in so many +years have passed into it; but there hath not any time been found any of +the beasts proper to Cathay or Tartary, etc., in America; nor of those +proper to America in Tartary, Cathay, etc., or in any part of Asia, which +thing proveth America not only to be one island, and in no part adjoining +to Asia, but also that the people of those countries have not had any +traffic with each other.</p> +<p>5. Moreover at the least some one of those painful travellers +which of purpose have passed the confines of both countries, with intent +only to discover, would, as it is most likely, have gone from the one to +the other, if there had been any piece of land, or isthmus, to have joined +them together, or else have declared some cause to the contrary.</p> +<p>6. But neither Paulus Venetus, who lived and dwelt a long time in +Cathay, ever came into America, and yet was at the sea coasts of Mangia +over against it, where he was embarked and performed a great navigation +along those seas; neither yet Veratzanus or Franciscus Vasquez de Coronado, +who travelled the north part of America by land, ever found entry from +thence by land to Cathay, or any part of Asia.</p> +<p>7. Also it appeareth to be an island, insomuch as the sea runneth +by nature circularly from the east to the west, following the diurnal +motion of the <i>Primum Mobile</i>, and carrieth with it all inferior +bodies movable, as well celestial as elemental; which motion of the waters +is most evidently seen in the sea, which lieth on the south side of Africa, +where the current that runneth from the east to the west is so strong (by +reason of such motion) that the Portuguese in their voyages eastward to +Calicut, in passing by the Cape of Good Hope, are enforced to make divers +courses, the current there being so swift, as it striketh from thence, all +along westward, upon the straits of Magellan, being distant from thence +near the fourth part of the longitude of the earth: and not having free +passage and entrance through that frith towards the west, by reason of the +narrowness of the said strait of Magellan, it runneth to salve this wrong +(Nature not yielding to accidental restraints) all along the eastern coasts +of America northwards so far as Cape Frido, being the farthest known place +of the same continent towards the north, which is about four thousand +eight-hundred leagues, reckoning therewithal the trending of the land.</p> +<p>8. So that this current, being continually maintained with such +force as Jacques Cartier affirmeth it to be, who met with the same, being +at Baccalaos as he sailed along the coasts of America, then, either it must +of necessity have way to pass from Cape Frido through this frith, westward +towards Cathay, being known to come so far only to salve his former wrongs +by the authority before named; or else it must needs strike over upon the +coast of Iceland, Lapland, Finmark, and Norway (which are east from the +said place about three hundred and sixty leagues) with greater force than +it did from the Cape of Good Hope upon the strait of Magellan, or from the +strait of Magellan to Cape Frido; upon which coasts Jacques Cartier met +with the same, considering the shortness of the cut from the said Cape +Frido to Iceland, Lapland, etc. And so the cause efficient remaining, +it would have continually followed along our coasts through the narrow +seas, which it doeth not, but is digested about the north of Labrador by +some through passage there through this frith.</p> +<p>The like course of the water, in some respect, happeneth in the +Mediterranean Sea (as affirmeth Contorenus), where, as the current which +cometh from Tanais and the Euxine, running along all the coasts of Greece, +Italy, France, and Spain, and not finding sufficient way out through +Gibraltar by means of the straitness of the frith, it runneth back again +along the coasts of Barbary by Alexandria, Natolia, etc.</p> +<p>It may, peradventure, be thought that this course of the sea doth +sometime surcease and thereby impugn this principle, because it is not +discerned all along the coast of America in such sort as Jacques Cartier +found it, whereunto I answer this: That albeit in every part of the coast +of America or elsewhere this current is not sensibly perceived, yet it hath +evermore such like motion, either the uppermost or nethermost part of the +sea; as it may be proved true, if you sink a sail by a couple of ropes near +the ground, fastening to the nethermost corners two gun chambers or other +weights, by the driving whereof you shall plainly perceive the course of +the water and current running with such like course in the bottom. By +the like experiment you may find the ordinary motion of the sea in the +ocean, how far soever you be off the land.</p> +<p>9. Also, there cometh another current from out the north-east from +the Scythian Sea (as Master Jenkinson, a man of rare virtue, great travel, +and experience, told me), which runneth westward towards Labrador, as the +other did which cometh from the south; so that both these currents must +have way through this our strait, or else encounter together and run +contrary courses in one line, but no such conflicts of streams or contrary +courses are found about any part of Labrador or Newfoundland, as witness +our yearly fishers and other sailors that way, but is there separated as +aforesaid, and found by the experience of Barnarde de la Torre to fall into +Mare del Sur.</p> +<p>10. Furthermore, the current in the great ocean could not have +been maintained to run continually one way from the beginning of the world +unto this day, had there not been some through passage by the strait +aforesaid, and so by circular motion be brought again to maintain itself, +for the tides and courses of the sea are maintained by their +interchangeable motions, as fresh rivers are by springs, by ebbing and +flowing, by rarefaction and condensation.</p> +<p>So that it resteth not possible (so far as my simple reason can +comprehend) that this perpetual current can by any means be maintained, but +only by a continual reaccess of the same water, which passeth through the +strait, and is brought about thither again by such circular motion as +aforesaid, and the certain falling thereof by this strait into Mare del Sur +is proved by the testimony and experience of Barnarde de la Torre, who was +sent from P. de la Natividad to the Moluccas, 1542, by commandment of +Anthony Mendoza, then Viceroy of Nova Hispania, which Barnarde sailed 750 +leagues on the north side of the Equator, and there met with a current +which came from the north-east, the which drove him back again to +Tidore.</p> +<p>Wherefore this current being proved to come from the Cape of Good Hope +to the strait of Magellan, and wanting sufficient entrance there, is by the +necessity of Nature’s force brought to Terra de Labrador, where +Jacques Cartier met the same, and thence certainly known not to strike over +upon Iceland, Lapland, etc., and found by Barnarde de la Torre, in Mare del +Sur, on the backside of America, therefore this current, having none other +passage, must of necessity fall out through this strait into Mare del Sur, +and so trending by the Moluccas, China, and the Cape of Good Hope, +maintaineth itself by circular motion, which is all one in Nature with +motus ab oriente in occidentem.</p> +<p>So that it seemeth we have now more occasion to doubt of our return than +whether there be a passage that way, yea or no: which doubt hereafter shall +be sufficiently removed; wherefore, in my opinion reason itself grounded +upon experience assureth us of this passage if there were nothing else to +put us in hope thereof. But lest these might not suffice, I have +added in this chapter following some further proof thereof, by the +experience of such as have passed some part of this discovery, and in the +next adjoining to that the authority of those which have sailed wholly +through every part thereof.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER III.<br /> +TO PROVE BY EXPERIENCE OF SUNDRY MEN’S TRAVELS THE OPENING OF SOME +PART OF THIS NORTH-WEST PASSAGE, WHEREBY GOOD HOPE REMAINETH OF THE +REST.</h3> +<p>1. Paulus Venetus, who dwelt many years in Cathay, affirmed that +he had sailed 1,500 miles upon the coast of Mangia and Anian, towards the +north-east, always finding the seas open before him, not only as far as he +went, but also as far as he could discern.</p> +<p>2. Also Franciscus Vasquez de Coronado, passing from Mexico by +Cevola, through the country of Quiver to Sierra Nevada, found there a great +sea, where were certain ships laden with merchandise, the mariners wearing +on their heads the pictures of certain birds called Alcatrarzi, part +whereof were made of gold and part of silver; who signified by signs that +they were thirty days coming thither, which likewise proveth America by +experience to be disjoined from Cathay, on that part, by a great sea, +because they could not come from any part of America as natives thereof; +for that, so far as is discovered, there hath not been found there any one +ship of that country.</p> +<p>3. In like manner, Johann Baros testifieth that the cosmographers +of China (where he himself had been) affirm that the sea coast trendeth +from thence north-east to fifty degrees of septentrional latitude, being +the farthest part that way, which the Portuguese had then knowledge of; and +that the said cosmographers knew no cause to the contrary, but that it +might continue farther.</p> +<p>By whose experiences America is proved to be separate from those parts +of Asia, directly against the same. And not contented with the +judgments of these learned men only, I have searched what might be further +said for the confirmation hereof.</p> +<p>4. And I found that Franciscus Lopez de Gomara affirmeth America +to be an island, and likewise Greenland; and that Greenland is distant from +Lapland forty leagues, and from Terra de Labrador fifty.</p> +<p>5. Moreover Alvarez Nunmius, a Spaniard, and learned cosmographer, +and Jacques Cartier, who made two voyages into those parts, and sailed five +hundred miles upon the north-east coasts of America.</p> +<p>6. Likewise Hieronimus Fracastorius, a learned Italian, and +traveller in the north parts of the same land.</p> +<p>7. Also Jacques Cartier, having done the like, heard say at +Hochelaga, in Nova Francia, how that there was a great sea at Saguinay, +whereof the end was not known: which they presupposed to be the passage to +Cathay. Furthermore, Sebastian Cabot, by his personal experience and +travel, has set forth and described this passage in his charts which are +yet to be seen in the Queen’s Majesty’s Privy Gallery at +Whitehall, who was sent to make this discovery by King Henry VII. and +entered the same straits, affirming that he sailed very far westward with a +quarter of the north, on the north side of Terra de Labrador, the 11th of +June, until he came to the septentrional latitude of sixty-seven and a half +degrees, and finding the seas still open, said, that he might and would +have gone to Cathay if the mutiny of the master and mariners had not +been.</p> +<p>Now, as these men’s experience have proved some part of this +passage, so the chapter following shall put you in full assurance of the +rest by their experiences which have passed through every part thereof.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER IV.<br /> +TO PROVE BY CIRCUMSTANCE THAT THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE HATH BEEN SAILED +THROUGHOUT.</h3> +<p>The diversity between brute beasts and men, or between the wise and the +simple, is, that the one judgeth by sense only, and gathereth no surety of +anything that he hath not seen, felt, heard, tasted, or smelled: and the +other not so only, but also findeth the certainty of things, by reason, +before they happen to be tried, wherefore I have added proofs of both +sorts, that the one and the other might thereby be satisfied.</p> +<p>1. First, as Gemma Frisius reciteth, there went from Europe three +brethren though this passage: whereof it took the name of Fretum trium +fratrum.</p> +<p>2. Also Pliny affirmeth out of Cornelius Nepos (who wrote +fifty-seven years before Christ) that there were certain Indians driven by +tempest upon the coast of Germany which were presented by the King of +Suevia unto Quintus Metellus Celer, then Pro-Consul of France.</p> +<p>3. And Pliny upon the same saith that it is no marvel, though +there be sea by the north, where there is such abundance of moisture; which +argueth, that he doubted not of a navigable passage that way, through which +those Indians came.</p> +<p>4. And for the better proof that the same authority of Cornelius +Nepos is not by me wrested to prove my opinion of the North-West Passage, +you shall find the same affirmed more plainly in that behalf by the +excellent geographer Dominicus Marius Niger, who showeth how many ways the +Indian sea stretcheth itself, making in that place recital of certain +Indians that were likewise driven through the north seas from India, upon +the coasts of Germany, by great tempest, as they were sailing in trade of +merchandise.</p> +<p>5. Also, whiles Frederick Barbarossa reigned Emperor, A.D. 1160, +there came certain other Indians upon the coast of Germany.</p> +<p>6. Likewise Othon, in the story of the Goths, affirmeth that in +the time of the German Emperors there were also certain Indians cast by +force of weather upon the coast of the said country, which foresaid Indians +could not possibly have come by the south-east, south-west, nor from any +part of Africa or America, nor yet by the north-east: therefore they came +of necessity by this our North-West Passage.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER V.<br /> +TO PROVE THAT THESE INDIANS, AFORENAMED, CAME NOT BY THE SOUTH-EAST, +SOUTH-WEST, NOR FROM ANY OTHER PART OF AFRICA OR AMERICA.</h3> +<p>1. They could not come from the south-east by the Cape of Good +Hope, because the roughness of the seas there is such—occasioned by +the currents and great winds in that part—that the greatest armadas +the King of Portugal hath cannot without great difficulty pass that way, +much less, then, a canoe of India could live in those outrageous seas +without shipwreck, being a vessel but of very small burden, and the Indians +have conducted themselves to the place aforesaid, being men unexpert in the +art of navigation.</p> +<p>2. Also, it appeareth plainly that they were not able to come from +along the coast of Africa aforesaid to those parts of Europe, because the +winds do, for the most part, blow there easterly or from the shore, and the +current running that way in like sort, would have driven them westward upon +some part of America, for such winds and tides could never have led them +from thence to the said place where they were found, nor yet could they +have come from any of the countries aforesaid, keeping the seas always, +without skilful mariners to have conducted them such like courses as were +necessary to perform such a voyage.</p> +<p>3. Presupposing also, if they had been driven to the west, as they +must have been, coming that way, then they should have perished, wanting +supply of victuals, not having any place—once leaving the coast of +Africa—until they came to America, north of America, until they +arrived upon some part of Europe or the islands adjoining to it to have +refreshed themselves.</p> +<p>4. Also, if, notwithstanding such impossibilities, they might have +recovered Germany by coming from India by the south-east, yet must they +without all doubt have struck upon some other part of Europe before their +arrival there, as the isles of Madeira, Portugal, Spain, France, England, +Ireland, etc., which, if they had done, it is not credible that they should +or would have departed undiscovered of the inhabitants; but there was never +found in those days any such ship or men, but only upon the coasts of +Germany, where they have been sundry times and in sundry ages cast ashore; +neither is it like that they would have committed themselves again to sea, +if they had so arrived, not knowing where they were, nor whither to have +gone.</p> +<p>5. And by the south-west it is impossible, because the current +aforesaid, which cometh from the east, striketh with such force upon the +Straits of Magellan, and falleth with such swiftness and fury into Mare de +Sur, that hardly any ship—but not possibly a canoe, with such +unskilful mariners—can come into our western ocean through that +strait from the west seas of America, as Magellan’s experience hath +partly taught us.</p> +<p>6. And further, to prove that these people so arriving upon the +coast of Germany were Indians, and not inhabiters of any part either of +Africa or America, it is manifest, because the natives, both of Africa and +America, neither had, or have at this day, as is reported, other kind of +boats than such as do bear neither masts nor sails, except only upon the +coasts of Barbary and the Turks’ ships, but do carry themselves from +place to place near the shore by the oar only.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER VI.<br /> +TO PROVE THAT THOSE INDIANS CAME NOT BY THE NORTH-EAST, AND THAT THERE IS +NO THROUGH NAVIGABLE PASSAGE THAT WAY.</h3> +<p>1. It is likely that there should be no through passage by the +north-east whereby to go round about the world, because all seas, as +aforesaid, are maintained by the abundance of water, waxing more shallow +and shelving towards the end, as we find it doth, by experience, in the +Frozen Sea, towards the east, which breedeth small hope of any great +continuance of that sea to be navigable towards the east, sufficient to +sail thereby round about the world.</p> +<p>2. Also, it standeth scarcely with reason that the Indians +dwelling under the Torrid Zone could endure the injury of the cold air, +about the northern latitude of 80 degrees, under which elevation the +passage by the north-east cannot be, as the often experiences had of all +the south part of it showeth, seeing that some of the inhabitants of this +cold climate, whose summer is to them an extreme winter, have been stricken +to death with the cold damps of the air, about 72 degrees, by an accidental +mishap, and yet the air in such like elevation is always cold, and too cold +for such as the Indians are.</p> +<p>3. Furthermore, the piercing cold of the gross thick air so near +the Pole will so stiffen the sails and ship tackling, that no mariner can +either hoist or strike them—as our experience, far nearer the south +than this passage is presupposed to be, hath taught us—without the +use whereof no voyage can be performed.</p> +<p>4. Also, the air is so darkened with continual mists and fogs so +near the Pole, that no man can well see either to guide his ship or to +direct his course.</p> +<p>5. Also the compass at such elevation doth very suddenly vary, +which things must of force have been their destruction, although they had +been men of much more skill than the Indians are.</p> +<p>6. Moreover, all bays, gulfs, and rivers do receive their increase +upon the flood, sensibly to be discerned on the one side of the shore or +the other, as many ways as they be open to any main sea, as the +Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, Sinus Bodicus, the Thames, +and all other known havens or rivers in any part of the world, and each of +them opening but on one part to the main sea, do likewise receive their +increase upon the flood the same way, and none other, which the Frozen Sea +doth, only by the west, as Master Jenkinson affirmed unto me, and therefore +it followeth that this north-east sea, receiving increase only from the +west, cannot possibly open to the main ocean by the east.</p> +<p>7. Moreover, the farther you pass into any sea towards the end of +it, of that part which is shut up from the main sea, as in all those +above-mentioned, the less and less the tides rise and fall. The like +whereof also happeneth in the Frozen Sea, which proveth but small +continuance of that sea toward the east.</p> +<p>8. Also, the farther ye go towards the east in the Frozen Sea the +less soft the water is, which could not happen if it were open to the salt +sea towards the east, as it is to the west only, seeing everything +naturally engendereth his like, and then must it be like salt throughout, +as all the seas are in such like climate and elevation. And therefore +it seemeth that this north-east sea is maintained by the river Ob, and such +like freshets as the Pontic Sea and Mediterranean Sea, in the uppermost +parts thereof by the river Nile, the Danube, Dnieper, Tanais, etc.</p> +<p>9. Furthermore, if there were any such sea at that elevation, of +like it should be always frozen throughout—there being no tides to +hinder it—because the extreme coldness of the air in the uppermost +part, and the extreme coldness of the earth in the bottom, the sea there +being but of small depth, whereby the one accidental coldness doth meet +with the other; and the sun, not having his reflection so near the Pole, +but at very blunt angles, it can never be dissolved after it is frozen, +notwithstanding the great length of their day: for that the sun hath no +heat at all in his light or beams, but proceeding only by an accidental +reflection which there wanteth in effect.</p> +<p>10. And yet if the sun were of sufficient force in that elevation +to prevail against this ice, yet must it be broken before it can be +dissolved, which cannot be but through the long continue of the sun above +their horizon, and by that time the summer would be so far spent, and so +great darkness and cold ensue, that no man could be able to endure so cold, +dark, and discomfortable a navigation, if it were possible for him then and +there to live.</p> +<p>11. Further, the ice being once broken, it must of force so drive +with the winds and tides that no ship can sail in those seas, seeing our +fishers of Iceland and Newfoundland are subject to danger through the great +islands of ice which fleet in the seas, far to the south of that +presupposed passage.</p> +<p>12. And it cannot be that this North-East Passage should be any +nearer the south than before recited, for then it should cut off Ciremissi +and Turbi, Tartarii, with Vzesucani, Chisani, and others from the continent +of Asia, which are known to be adjoining to Scythia, Tartary, etc., with +the other part of the same continent.</p> +<p>And if there were any through passage by the north-east, yet were it to +small end and purpose for our traffic, because no ship of great burden can +navigate in so shallow a sea, and ships of small burden are very unfit and +unprofitable, especially towards the blustering north, to perform such a +voyage.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER VII.<br /> +TO PROVE THAT THE INDIANS AFORENAMED CAME ONLY BY THE NORTH-WEST, WHICH +INDUCETH A CERTAINTY OF OUR PASSAGE BY EXPERIENCE.</h3> +<p>It is as likely that they came by the north-west as it is unlikely that +they should come either by the south-east, south-west, north-east, or from +any other part of Africa or America, and therefore this North-West Passage, +having been already so many ways proved by disproving of the others, etc., +I shall the less need in this place to use many words otherwise than to +conclude in this sort, that they came only by the north-west from England, +having these many reasons to lead me thereunto.</p> +<p>1. First, the one-half of the winds of the compass might bring +them by the north-west, veering always between two sheets, with which kind +of sailing the Indians are only acquainted, not having any use of a bow +line or quarter wind, without the which no ship can possibly come, either +by the south-east, south-west, or north-east, having so many sundry capes +to double, whereunto are required such change and shifts of winds.</p> +<p>2. And it seemeth likely that they should come by the north-west, +because the coast whereon they were driven lay east from this our passage, +and all winds do naturally drive a ship to an opposite point from whence it +bloweth, not being otherwise guided by art, which the Indians do utterly +want, and therefore it seemeth that they came directly through this, our +strait, which they might do with one wind.</p> +<p>3. For if they had come by the Cape of Good Hope, then must they, +as aforesaid, have fallen upon the south parts of America.</p> +<p>4. And if by the Strait of Magellan, then upon the coasts of +Africa, Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, or England.</p> +<p>5. And if by the north-east, then upon the coasts of Ciremissi, +Tartarii, Lapland, Iceland, Labrador, etc., and upon these coasts, as +aforesaid, they have never been found.</p> +<p>So that by all likelihood they could never have come without shipwreck +upon the coasts of Germany, if they had first struck upon the coasts of so +many countries, wanting both art and shipping to make orderly discovery, +and altogether ignorant both of the art of navigation and also of the +rocks, flats, sands, or havens of those parts of the world, which in most +of these places are plentiful.</p> +<p>6. And further, it seemeth very likely that the inhabitants of the +most part of those countries, by which they must have come any other way +besides by the north-west, being for the most part anthropophagi, or +men-eaters, would have devoured them, slain them, or, at the leastwise, +kept them as wonders for the gaze.</p> +<p>So that it plainly appeareth that those Indians—which, as you have +heard, in sundry ages were driven by tempest upon the shore of +Germany—came only through our North-West Passage.</p> +<p>7. Moreover, the passage is certainly proved by a navigation that +a Portuguese made, who passed through this strait, giving name to a +promontory far within the same, calling it after his own name, Promontorium +Corterialis, near adjoining unto Polisacus Fluvius.</p> +<p>8. Also one Scolmus, a Dane, entered and passed a great part +thereof.</p> +<p>9. Also there was one Salva Terra, a gentleman of Victoria in +Spain, that came by chance out of the West Indies into Ireland, Anno 1568, +who affirmed the North-West Passage from us to Cathay, constantly to be +believed in America navigable; and further said, in the presence of Sir +Henry Sidney, then Lord Deputy of Ireland, in my hearing, that a friar of +Mexico, called Andre Urdaneta, more than eight years before his then coming +into Ireland, told him there that he came from Mare del Sur into Germany +through this North-West Passage, and showed Salva Terra—at that time +being then with him in Mexico—a sea-card made by his own experience +and travel in that voyage, wherein was plainly set down and described this +North-West Passage, agreeing in all points with Ortelius’ map.</p> +<p>And further this friar told the King of Portugal (as he returned by that +country homeward) that there was of certainty such a passage north-west +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) <i>if England had +knowledge and experience thereof</i>, <i>it would greatly hinder both the +King of Spain and me</i>. This friar (as Salva Terra reported) was +the greatest discoverer by sea that hath been in our age. Also Salva +Terra, being persuaded of this passage by the friar Urdaneta, and by the +common opinion of the Spaniards inhabiting America, offered most willingly +to accompany me in this discovery, which of like he would not have done if +he had stood in doubt thereof.</p> +<p>And now, as these modern experiences cannot be impugned, so, least it +might be objected that these things (gathered out of ancient writers, which +wrote so many years past) might serve little to prove this passage by the +north of America, because both America and India were to them then utterly +unknown; to remove this doubt, let this suffice, that Aristotle (who was +300 years before Christ) named the Indian Sea. Also Berosus (who +lived 330 before Christ) hath these words, <i>Ganges in India</i>.</p> +<p>Also in the first chapter of Esther be these words: “In the days +of Ahasuerus, which ruled from India to Ethiopia,” which Ahasuerus +lived 580 years before Christ. Also Quintus Curtius, where he +speaketh of the Conquest of Alexander, mentioneth India. Also Arianus +Philostratus, and Sidrach, in his discourses of the wars of the King of +Bactria, and of Garaab, who had the most part of India under his +government. All which assumeth us that both India and Indians were +known in those days.</p> +<p>These things considered, we may, in my opinion, not only assure +ourselves of this passage by the north-west, but also that it is navigable +both to come and go, as hath been proved in part and in all by the +experience of divers as Sebastian Cabot, Corterialis, the three brethren +above named, the Indians, and Urdaneta, the friar of Mexico, etc.</p> +<p>And yet, notwithstanding all which, there be some that have a better +hope of this passage to Cathay by the north-east than by the west, whose +reasons, with my several answers, ensue in the chapter following.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER VIII.<br /> +CERTAIN REASONS ALLEGED FOR THE PROVING OF A PASSAGE BY THE NORTH-EAST +BEFORE THE QUEEN’S MAJESTY, AND CERTAIN LORDS OF THE COUNCIL, BY +MASTER ANTHONY JENKINSON, WITH MY SEVERAL ANSWERS THEN USED TO THE +SAME.</h3> +<p>Because you may understand as well those things alleged against me as +what doth serve for my purpose, I have here added the reasons of Master +Anthony Jenkinson, a worthy gentleman, and a great traveller, who conceived +a better hope of the passage to Cathay from us to be by the north-east than +by the north-west.</p> +<p>He first said that he thought not to the contrary but that there was a +passage by the north-west, according to mime opinion, but he was assured +that there might be found a navigable passage by the north-east from +England to go to all the east parts of the world, which he endeavoured to +prove three ways.</p> +<p>The first was, that he heard a fisherman of Tartary say in hunting the +morse, that he sailed very far towards the south-east, finding no end of +the sea, whereby he hoped a through passage to be that way.</p> +<p>Whereunto I answered that the Tartars were a barbarous people, and +utterly ignorant in the art of navigation, not knowing the use of the +sea-card, compass, or star, which he confessed true; and therefore they +could not (said I) certainly know the south-east from the north-east in a +wide sea, and a place unknown from the sight of the land.</p> +<p>Or if he sailed anything near the shore, yet he, being ignorant, might +be deceived by the doubling of many points and capes, and by the trending +of the land, albeit he kept continually along the shore.</p> +<p>And further, it might be that the poor fisherman through simplicity +thought that there was nothing that way but sea, because he saw mine land, +which proof (under correction) giveth small assurance of a navigable sea by +the north-east to go round about the world, for that he judged by the eye +only, seeing we in this clear air do account twenty miles a ken at sea.</p> +<p>His second reason is, that there was an unicorn’s horn found upon +the coast of Tartary, which could not come (said he) thither by any other +means than with the tides, through some strait in the north-east of the +Frozen Sea, there being no unicorns in any part of Asia, saving in India +and Cathay, which reason, in my simple judgment, has as little force.</p> +<p>First, it is doubtful whether those barbarous Tartars do know an +unicorn’s horn, yea or no; and if it were one, yet it is not credible +that the sea could have driven it so far, it being of such nature that it +cannot float.</p> +<p>Also the tides running to and fro would have driven it as far back with +the ebb as it brought it forward with the flood.</p> +<p>There is also a beast called Asinus Indicus (whose horn most like it +was), which hath but one horn like an unicorn in his forehead, whereof +there is great plenty in all the north parts thereunto adjoining, as in +Lapland, Norway, Finmark, etc., as Jocobus Zeiglerus writeth in his history +of Scondia.</p> +<p>And as Albertus saith, there is a fish which hath but one horn in his +forehead like to an unicorn, and therefore it seemeth very doubtful both +from whence it came, and whether it were an unicorn’s horn, yea or +no.</p> +<p>His third and last reason was, that there came a continual stream or +current through the Frozen Sea of such swiftness, as a Colmax told him, +that if you cast anything therein, it would presently be carried out of +sight towards the west.</p> +<p>Whereunto I answered, that there doth the like from Palus Maeotis, by +the Euxine, the Bosphorus, and along the coast of Greece, etc., as it is +affirmed by Contarenus, and divers others that have had experience of the +same; and yet that sea lieth not open to any main sea that way, but is +maintained by freshets, as by the Don, the Danube, etc.</p> +<p>In like manner is this current in the Frozen Sea increased and +maintained by the Dwina, the river Ob, etc.</p> +<p>Now as I have here briefly recited the reasons alleged to prove a +passage to Cathay by the north-east with my several answers thereunto, so +will I leave it unto your judgment, to hope or despair of either at your +pleasure.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER IX.<br /> +HOW THAT THE PASSAGE BY THE NORTH-WEST IS MORE COMMODIOUS FOR OUR TRAFFIC +THAN THE OTHER BY THE EAST, IF THERE WERE ANY SUCH.</h3> +<p>1. By the north-east, if your winds do not give you a marvellous +speedy and lucky passage, you are in danger (of being so near the Pole) to +be benighted almost the one half of the year, and what danger that were, to +live so long comfortless, void of light (if the cold killed you not), each +man of reason or understanding may judge.</p> +<p>2. Also Mangia, Quinzai, and the Moluccas, are nearer unto us by +the north-west than by the north-east more than two-fifths, which is almost +by the half.</p> +<p>3. Also we may have by the rest a yearly return, it being at all +times navigable, whereas you have but four months in the whole year to go +by the north-east, the passage being at such elevation as it is formerly +expressed, for it cannot be any nearer the south.</p> +<p>4. Furthermore, it cannot be finished without divers winterings by +the way, having no havens in any temperate climate to harbour in there, for +it is as much as we can well sail from hence to S. Nicholas, in the trade +of Muscovy, and return in the navigable season of the year, and from S. +Nicholas, Ciremissi, Tartarii, which standeth 80 degrees of the +septentrional latitude, it is at the left 400 leagues, which amounteth +scarce to the third part of the way, to the end of your voyage by the +north-east.</p> +<p>5. And yet, after you have doubled this Cape, if then there might +be found a navigable sea to carry you south-east according to your desire, +yet can you not winter conveniently until you come to sixty degrees and to +take up one degree running south-east you must sail twenty-four leagues and +three four parts, which amounteth to four hundred and ninety-five +leagues.</p> +<p>6. Furthermore, you may by the north-west sail thither, with all +easterly winds, and return with any westerly winds, whereas you must have +by the north-east sundry winds, and those proper, according to the lie of +the coast and capes, you shall be enforced to double, which winds are not +always to be had when they are looked for; whereby your journey should be +greatly prolonged, and hardly endured so near the Pole, as we are taught by +Sir Hugh Willoughbie, who was frozen to death far nearer the south.</p> +<p>7. Moreover, it is very doubtful whether we should long enjoy that +trade by the north-east if there were any such passage that way, the +commodities thereof once known to the Muscovite, what privilege soever he +hath granted, seeing pollice with the maze of excessive gain, to the +enriching of himself and all his dominions, would persuade him to presume +the same, having so great opportunity, to distribute the commodities of +those countries by the Naruc.</p> +<p>But by the north-west we may safely trade without danger or annoyance of +any prince living, Christian or heathen, it being out of all their +trades.</p> +<p>8. Also the Queen’s Majesty’s dominions are nearer the +North-West Passage than any other great princes that might pass that way, +and both in their going and return they must of necessity succour +themselves and their ships upon some part of the same if any tempestuous +weather should happen.</p> +<p>Further, no prince’s navy of the world is able to encounter the +Queen’s Majesty’s navy as it is at this present; and yet it +should be greatly increased by the traffic ensuing upon this discovery, for +it is the long voyages that increase and maintain great shipping.</p> +<p>Now it seemeth unnecessary to declare what commodities would grow +thereby if all these things were as we have heretofore presupposed and +thought them to be; which next adjoining are briefly declared.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER X.<br /> +WHAT COMMODITIES WOULD ENSUE, THIS PASSAGE ONCE DISCOVERED.</h3> +<p>1. It were the only way for our princes to possess the wealth of +all the east parts (as they term them) of the world, which is infinite; as +appeareth by the experience of Alexander the Great in the time of his +conquest of India and the east parts of the world, alleged by Quintus +Curtius, which would be a great advancement to our country, wonderful +enriching to our prince, and unspeakable commodities to all the inhabitants +of Europe.</p> +<p>2. For, through the shortness of the voyage, we should be able to +sell all manner of merchandise brought from thence far better cheap than +either the Portuguese or Spaniard doth or may do. And, further, share +with the Portuguese in the east and the Spaniard in the west by trading to +any part of America through Mare del Sur, where they can no manner of way +offend us.</p> +<p>3. Also we sailed to divers marvellous rich countries, both civil +and others, out of both their jurisdictions, trades and traffics, where +there is to be found great abundance of gold, silver, precious stones, +cloth of gold, silks, all manner of spices, grocery wares, and other kinds +of merchandise of an inestimable price, which both the Spaniard and +Portuguese, through the length of their journeys, cannot well attain +unto.</p> +<p>4. Also, we might inhabit some part of those countries, and settle +there such needy people of our country which now trouble the commonwealth, +and through want here at home are enforced to commit outrageous offences, +whereby they are daily consumed with the gallows.</p> +<p>5. Moreover, we might from all the aforesaid places have a yearly +return, inhabiting for our staple some convenient place of America, about +Sierra Nevada or some other part, whereas it shall seem best for the +shortening of the voyage.</p> +<p>6. Beside the exporting of our country commodities, which the +Indians, etc., much esteem, as appeareth in Esther, where the pomp is +expressed of the great King of India, Ahasuerus, who matched the coloured +clothes wherewith his houses and tents were apparelled with gold and +silver, as part of his greatest treasure, not mentioning velvets, silks, +cloth of gold, cloth of silver, or such like, being in those countries most +plentiful, whereby it plainly appeareth in what great estimation they would +have the cloths of this our country, so that there would be found a far +better vent for them by this means than yet this realm ever had; and that +without depending either upon France, Spain, Flanders, Portugal, +Hamborough, Emden, or any other part of Europe.</p> +<p>7. Also here we shall increase both our ships and mariners without +burdening of the State.</p> +<p>8. And also have occasion to set poor men’s children to +learn handicrafts, and thereby to make trifles and such like, which the +Indians and those people do much esteem; by reason whereof, there should be +none occasion to have our country cumbered with loiterers, vagabonds, and +such like idle persons.</p> +<p>All these commodities would grew by following this our discovery without +injury done to any Christian prince by crossing them in any of their used +trades, whereby they might take any just occasion of offence.</p> +<p>Thus have I briefly showed you some part of the grounds of my opinion, +trusting that you will no longer judge me fantastic in this matter, seeing +I have conceived no hope of this voyage, but am persuaded thereunto by the +best cosmographers of our age, the same being confirmed both by reason and +certain experiences.</p> +<p>Also this discovery hath been divers times heretofore by others both +proposed, attempted, and performed.</p> +<p>It hath been proposed by Stephen Gomez unto Carolus, the fifth emperor +in the year of our Lord 1527, as Alphonse Ullva testifieth in the story of +Carolus’ life, who would have set him forth in it (as the story +mentioneth) if the great want of money, by reason of his long wars, had not +caused him to surcease the same.</p> +<p>And the King of Portugal, fearing lest the emperor would have persevered +in this his enterprise, gave him, to leave the matter unattempted, the sum +of 350,000 crowns; and it is to be supposed that the King of Portugal would +not have given to the emperor such sums of money for eggs in moonshine.</p> +<p>It hath been attempted by Corterialis the Portuguese, Scolmus the Dane, +and by Sebastian Cabot in the time of King Henry VII.</p> +<p>And it hath been performed by the three brethren, the Indians aforesaid, +and by Urdaneta, the friar of Mexico.</p> +<p>Also divers have proposed the like unto the French king, who hath sent +two or three times to have discovered the same; the discoverers spending +and consuming their victuals in searching the gulfs and bays between +Florida and Labrador, whereby the ice is broken to the after-comers.</p> +<p>So that the right way may now be easily found out in short time, and +that with little jeopardy and less expenses.</p> +<p>For America is discovered so far towards the north as Cape Frido, which +is at 62 degrees, and that part of Greenland next adjoining is known to +stand but at 72 degrees; so that we have but 10 degrees to sail north and +south to put the world out of doubt hereof; and it is likely that the King +of Spain and the King of Portugal would not have sat out all this while but +that they are sure to possess to themselves all that trade they now use, +and fear to deal in this discovery lest the Queen’s Majesty, having +so good opportunity, and finding the commodity which thereby might ensue to +the commonwealth, would cut them off and enjoy the whole traffic to +herself, and thereby the Spaniards and Portuguese with their great charges +should beat the bush and other men catch the birds; which thing they +foreseeing, have commanded that no pilot of theirs, upon pain of death, +should seek to discover to the north-west, or plat out in any sea-card any +through passage that way by the north-west.</p> +<p>Now, if you will impartially compare the hope that remaineth to animate +me to this enterprise with those likelihoods which Columbus alleged before +Ferdinando, the King of Castilia, to prove that there were such islands in +the West Ocean as were after by him and others discovered, to the great +commodity of Spain and all the world, you will think then that this +North-West Passage to be most worthy travel therein.</p> +<p>For Columbus had none of the West Islands set forth unto him either in +globe or card, neither yet once mentioned of any writer (Plato excepted, +and the commentaries upon the same) from 942 years before Christ until that +day.</p> +<p>Moreover, Columbus himself had neither seen America nor any other of the +islands about it, neither understood he of them by the report of any other +that had seen them, but only comforted himself with this hope, that the +land had a beginning where the sea had an ending. For as touching +that which the Spaniards do write of a Biscaine which should have taught +him the way thither, it is thought to be imagined of them to deprive +Columbus of his honour, being none of their countryman, but a stranger +born.</p> +<p>And if it were true of the Biscaine, yet did he but hit upon the matter, +or, at the least, gathered the knowledge of it by conjectures only.</p> +<p>And albeit myself have not seen this passage, or any part thereof, but +am ignorant of it as touching experience as Columbus was before his attempt +was made, yet have I both the report, relation, and authority of divers +most credible men, which have both seen and passed through some and every +part of this discovery, besides sundry reasons for my assurance thereof, +all which Columbus wanted.</p> +<p>These things considered and impartially weighed together, with the +wonderful commodities which this discovery may bring, especially to this +realm of England, I must needs conclude with learned Baptista Ramusius, and +divers other learned men, who said that this discovery hath been reserved +for some noble prince or worthy man, thereby to make himself rich, and the +world happy: desiring you to accept in good part this brief and simple +discourse, written in haste, which, if I may perceive that it shall not +sufficiently satisfy you in this behalf, I will then impart unto you a +large discourse, which I have written only of this discovery.</p> +<p>And further, because it sufficeth not only to knew that such a thing +there is, without ability to perform the same, I will at leisure make you +partaker of another simple discourse of navigation, wherein I have not a +little travelled, to make myself as sufficient to bring these things to +effect as I have been ready to offer myself therein.</p> +<p>And therein I have devised to amend the errors of usual sea-cards, whose +common fault is to make the degrees of longitude in every latitude of one +like bigness.</p> +<p>And have also devised therein a spherical instrument, with a compass of +variation for the perfect knowing of the longitude.</p> +<p>And a precise order to prick the sea-card, together with certain +infallible rules for the shortening of any discovery, to know at the first +entering of any strait whether it lies open to the ocean more ways than +one, how far soever the sea stretcheth itself into the land.</p> +<p>Desiring you hereafter never to mislike with me for the taking in hand +of any laudable and honest enterprise, for if, through pleasure and +idleness, we purchase shame, the pleasure vanisheth, but the shame +remaineth for ever.</p> +<p>And therefore, to give me leave without offence always to live and die +in this mind, <i>that he is not worthy to live at all that for fear or +danger of death shunneth his country’s service and his own +honour</i>, seeing death is inevitable, and the fame of virtue +immortal. Wherefore, in this behalf, <i>Mutare vel timere +sperno</i>.</p> +<h2>CERTAIN OTHER REASONS OR ARGUMENTS TO PROVE A PASSAGE BY THE +NORTH-WEST.</h2> +<p><i>Learnedly written by Master Richard Willes</i>, <i>Gentleman</i>.</p> +<p>Four famous ways there be spoken of to those fruitful and wealthy +islands, which we do usually call Moluccas, continually haunted for gain, +and daily travelled for riches therein growing. These islands, +although they stand east from the meridian, distant almost half the length +of the world, in extreme heat under the equinoctial line, possessed of +infidels and barbarians, yet by our neighbours great abundance of wealth +there is painfully sought in respect of the voyage dearly bought, and from +thence dangerously brought home to us. Our neighbours I call the +Portuguese, in comparison of the Molucchians for nearness unto us, for like +situation westward as we have for their usual trade with us; for that the +far south-easterings do know this part of Europe by no other name than +Portugal, not greatly acquainted as yet with the other nations +thereof. Their voyage is very well understood of all men, and the +south-eastern way round about Africa, by the Cape of Good Hope, more spoken +of, better known and travelled, than that it may seem needful to discourse +thereof any farther.</p> +<p>The second way lieth south-west, between the West Indies, or South +America, and the south continent, through that narrow strait where +Magellan, first of all men that ever we do read of, passed these latter +years, caving thereunto therefore his name. This way, no doubt, the +Spaniards would commodiously take, for that it lieth near unto their +dominions there, could the eastern current and Levant winds as easily +suffer men to return as speedily therewith they may be carried thither; for +the which difficulty, or rather impossibility of striving against the force +both of wind and stream, this passage is little or nothing used, although +it be very well known.</p> +<p>The third way, by the north-east, beyond all Europe and Asia, that +worthy and renowned knight Sir Hugh Willoughbie sought to his peril, +enforced there to end his life for cold, congealed and frozen to +death. And, truly, this way consisteth rather in the imagination of +geographers than allowable either in reason, or approved by experience, as +well it may appear by the dangerous trending of the Scythian Cape set by +Ortellius under the 80th degree north, by the unlikely sailing in that +northern sea, always clad with ice and snow, or at the least continually +pestered therewith, if haply it be at any time dissolved, beside bays and +shelves, the water waxing more shallow towards the east, to say nothing of +the foul mists and dark fogs in the cold clime, of the little power of the +sun to clear the air, of the uncomfortable nights, so near the Pole, five +months long.</p> +<p>A fourth way to go unto these aforesaid happy islands, the Moluccas, Sir +Humphrey Gilbert, a learned and valiant knight, discourseth of at large in +his new “Passage to Cathay.” The enterprise of itself +being virtuous, the fact must doubtless deserve high praise, and whensoever +it shall be finished the fruits thereof cannot be small; where virtue is +guide, there is fame a follower, and fortune a companion. But the way +is dangerous, the passage doubtful, the voyage not thoroughly known, and +therefore gainsaid by many, after this manner.</p> +<p>First, who can assure us of any passage rather by the north-west than by +the north-east? do not both ways lie in equal distance from the North Pole? +stand not the North Capes of either continent under like elevation? is not +the ocean sea beyond America farther distant from our meridian by thirty or +forty degrees west than the extreme points of Cathay eastward, if +Ortellius’ general card of the world be true? In the north-east +that noble knight—Sir Hugh Willoughbie perished for cold, and can you +then promise a passenger any better hap by the north-west, who hath gone +for trial’s sake, at any time, this way out of Europe to Cathay?</p> +<p>If you seek the advice herein of such as make profession in cosmography, +Ptolemy, the father of geography, and his eldest children, will answer by +their maps with a negative, concluding most of the sea within the land, and +making an end of the world northward, near the 63rd degree. The same +opinion, when learning chiefly flourished, was received in the +Romans’ time, as by their poets’ writings it may appear. +“Et te colet ultima Thule,” said Virgil, being of opinion that +Iceland was the extreme part of the world habitable toward the north. +Joseph Moletius, an Italian, and Mercator, a German, for knowledge men able +to be compared with the best geographers of our time, the one in his half +spheres of the whole world, the other in some of his great globes, have +continued the West Indies land, even to the North Pole, and consequently +cut off all passage by sea that way.</p> +<p>The same doctors, Mercator in other of his globes and maps, Moletius in +his sea-card, nevertheless doubting of so great continuance of the former +continent, have opened a gulf betwixt the West Indies and the extreme +northern land; but such a one that either is not to be travelled for the +causes in the first objection alleged, or clean shut up from us in Europe +by Greenland, the south end whereof Moletius maketh firm land with America, +the north part continent with Lapland and Norway.</p> +<p>Thirdly, the greatest favourers of this voyage cannot deny but that, if +any such passage be, it lieth subject unto ice and snow for the most part +of the year, whereas it standeth in the edge of the frosty zone. +Before the sun hath warmed the air and dissolved the ice, each one well +knoweth that there can be no sailing; the ice once broken through the +continual abode, the sun maketh a certain season in those parts. How +shall it be possible for so weak a vessel as a ship is to hold out amid +whole islands, as it were, of ice continually beating on each side, and at +the mouth of that gulf, issuing down furiously from the north, safely to +pass, when whole mountains of ice and snow shall be tumbled down upon +her?</p> +<p>Well, grant the West Indies not to continue continent unto the Pole, +grant there be a passage between these two lands, let the gulf lie nearer +us than commonly in cards we find it set, namely, between the sixty-first +and sixty-fourth degrees north, as Gemma Frisius in his maps and globes +imagineth it, and so left by our countryman Sebastian Cabot in his table +which the Earl of Bedford hath at Theinies; let the way be void of all +difficulties, yet doth it not follow that we have free passage to +Cathay. For example’s sake, you may coast all Norway, Finmarke, +and Lapland, and then bow southward to St. Nicholas, in Moscovy. You +may likewise in the Mediterranean Sea fetch Constantinople and the mouth of +the Don, yet is there no passage by sea through Moscovy into Pont Euxine, +now called Mare Maggiore. Again, in the aforesaid Mediterranean Sea +we sail to Alexandria in Egypt, the barbarians bring their pearl and spices +from the Moluccas up the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf to Suez, scarcely three +days’ journey from the aforesaid haven; yet have we no way by sea +from Alexandria to the Moluccas for that isthmus or little trait of land +between the two seas. In like manner, although the northern passage +be free at sixty-one degrees latitude, and the west ocean beyond America, +usually called Mare del Sur, known to be open at forty degrees elevation +for the island of Japan, yea, three hundred leagues northerly of Japan, yet +may there be land to hinder the through passage that way by sea, as in the +examples aforesaid it falleth out, Asia and America there being joined +together in one continent. Nor can this opinion seem altogether +frivolous unto any one that diligently peruseth our cosmographers’ +doings. Josephus Moletius is of that mind, not only in his plain +hemispheres of the world, but also in his sea-card. The French +geographers in like manner be of the same opinion, as by their map cut out +in form of a heart you may perceive as though the West Indies were part of +Asia, which sentence well agreeth with that old conclusion in the schools, +<i>Quid-quid præter Africum et Europam est</i>, <i>Asia est</i>, +“Whatsoever land doth neither appertain unto Africa nor to Europe is +part of Asia.”</p> +<p>Furthermore, it were to small purpose to make so long, so painful, so +doubtful a voyage by such a new found way, if in Cathay you should neither +be suffered to land for silks and silver, nor able to fetch the Molucca +spices and pearl for piracy in those seas. Of a law denying all +aliens to enter into China, and forbidding all the inhabiters under a great +penalty to let in any stranger into those countries, shall you read in the +report of Galeotto Petera, there imprisoned with other Portuguese, as also +in the Japanese letters, how for that cause the worthy traveller Xavierus +bargained with a barbarian merchant for a great sum of pepper to be brought +into Canton, a port in Cathay. The great and dangerous piracy used in +those seas no man can be ignorant of that listeth to read the Japanese and +Indian history.</p> +<p>Finally, all this great labour would be lost, all these charges spent in +vain, if in the end our travellers might not be able to return again, and +bring safely home into their own native country that wealth and riches they +in foreign regions with adventure of goods and danger of their lives have +sought for. By the north-east there is no way; the South-East Passage +the Portuguese do hold, as the lords of those seas. At the +south-west, Magellan’s experience hath partly taught us, and partly +we are persuaded by reason, how the eastern current striketh so furiously +on that strait, and falleth with such force into that narrow gulf, that +hardly any ship can return that way into our west ocean out of Mare del +Sur. The which, if it be true, as truly it is, then we may say that +the aforesaid eastern current, or Levant course of waters, continually +following after the heavenly motions, loseth not altogether its force, but +is doubled rather by another current from out the north-east, in the +passage between America and the North Land, whither it is of necessity +carried, having none other way to maintain itself in circular motion, and +consequently the force and fury thereof to be no less in the Strait of +Anian, where it striketh south into Mare del Sur beyond America (if any +such strait of sea there be), than in the strait of Magellan, both straits +being of like breadth, as in Belognine Salterius’ table of “New +France,” and in Don Diego Hermano de Toledo’s card for +navigation in that region, we do find precisely set down.</p> +<p>Nevertheless, to approve that there lieth a way to Cathay at the +north-west from out of Europe, we have experience, namely of three brethren +that went that journey, as Gemma Frisius recordeth, and left a name unto +that strait, whereby now it is called Fretum Trium Fratrum. We do +read again of a Portuguese that passed this strait, of whom Master +Frobisher speaketh, that was imprisoned therefore many years in Lisbon, to +verify the old Spanish proverb, “I suffer for doing +well.” Likewise, An. Urdaneta, a friar of Mexico, came out of +Mare del Sur this way into Germany; his card, for he was a great +discoverer, made by his own experience and travel in that voyage, hath been +seen by gentlemen of good credit.</p> +<p>Now if the observation and remembrance of things breedeth experience, +and of experience proceedeth art, and the certain knowledge we have in all +faculties, as the best philosophers that ever were do affirm truly the +voyage of these aforesaid travellers that have gone out of Europe into Mare +del Sur, and returned thence at the north-west, do most evidently conclude +that way to be navigable, and that passage free; so much the more we are so +to think, for that the first principle and chief ground in all geography, +as Ptolemy saith, is the history of travel, that is, reports made by +travellers skilful in geography and astronomy, of all such things in their +journey as to geography do belong. It only remaineth, that we now +answer to those arguments that seemed to make against this former +conclusion.</p> +<p>The first objection is of no force, that general table of the world, set +forth by Ortellius or Mercator, for it greatly skilleth not, being +unskilfully drawn for that point, as manifestly it may appear unto any one +that compareth the same with Gemma Frisius’ universal map, with his +round quartered card, with his globe, with Sebastian Cabot’s table, +and Ortellius’ general map alone, worthily preferred in this case +before all Mercator’s and Ortellius’ other doings: for that +Cabot was not only a skilful seaman, but a long traveller, and such a one +as entered personally that strait, sent by King Henry VII. to make this +aforesaid discovery, as in his own discourse of navigation you may read in +his card drawn with his own hand, that the mouth of the north-western +strait lieth near the 318th meridian, between 61 and 64 degrees in the +elevation, continuing the same breadth about ten degrees west, where it +openeth southerly more and more, until it come under the tropic of Cancer; +and so runneth into Mare del Sur, at the least 18 degrees more in breadth +there than it was where it first began; otherwise I could as well imagine +this passage to be more unlikely than the voyage to Moscovy, and more +impossible than it for the far situation and continuance thereof in the +frosty clime: as now I can affirm it to be very possible and most likely in +comparison thereof, for that it neither coasteth so far north as the +Moscovian passage doth, neither is this strait so long as that, before it +bow down southerly towards the sun again.</p> +<p>The second argument concludeth nothing. Ptolemy knew not what was +above 16 degrees south beyond the equinoctial line, he was ignorant of all +passages northward from the elevation of 63 degrees, he knew no ocean sea +beyond Asia, yet have the Portuguese trended the Cape of Good Hope at the +south point of Africa, and travelled to Japan, an island in the east ocean, +between Asia and America; our merchants in the time of King Edward the +Sixth discovered the Moscovian passage farther north than Thule, and showed +Greenland not to be continent with Lapland and Norway: the like our +north-western travellers have done, declaring by their navigation that way +the ignorance of all cosmographers that either do join Greenland with +America, or continue the West Indies with that frosty region under the +North Pole. As for Virgil, he sang according to the knowledge of men +in his time, as another poet did of the hot zone.</p> +<p>Quarum quæ media est, non est habitabilis æstu. +Imagining, as most men then did, Zonam Torridam, the hot zone, to be +altogether dishabited for heat, though presently we know many famous and +worthy kingdoms and cities in that part of the earth, and the island of S. +Thomas near Ethiopia, and the wealthy islands for the which chiefly all +these voyages are taken in hand, to be inhabited even under the equinoctial +line.</p> +<p>To answer the third objection, besides Cabot and all other +travellers’ navigations, the only credit of Master Frobisher may +suffice, who lately, through all these islands of ice and mountains of +snow, passed that way, even beyond the gulf that tumbleth down from the +north, and in some places, though he drew one inch thick ice, as he +returning in August did, came home safely again.</p> +<p>The fourth argument is altogether frivolous and vain, for neither is +there any isthmus or strait of land between America and Asia, nor can these +two lands jointly be one continent. The first part of my answer is +manifestly allowed by Homer, whom that excellent geographer, Strabo, +followeth, yielding him in this faculty the prize. The author of that +book likewise <i>On the Universe</i> to Alexander, attributed unto +Aristotle, is of the same opinion that Homer and Strabo be of, in two or +three places. Dionysius, in his <i>Periegesis</i>, hath this verse, +“So doeth the ocean sea run round about the world:” speaking +only of Europe, Africa, and Asia, as then Asia was travelled and +known. With these doctors may you join Pomponius Mela, Pliny, Pius, +in his description of Asia. All the which writers do no less confirm +the whole eastern side of Asia to be compassed about with the sea; then +Plato doth affirm in is <i>Timaeus</i>, under the name Atlantis, the West +Indies to be an island, as in a special discourse thereof R. Eden writeth, +agreeable unto the sentence of Proclus, Marsilius Ficinus, and +others. Out of Plato it is gathered that America is an island. +Homer, Strabo, Aristotle, Dionysius, Mela, Pliny, Pius, affirm the +continent of Asia, Africa, and Europe, to be environed with the +ocean. I may therefore boldly say (though later intelligences thereof +had we none at all) that Asia and the West Indies be not tied together by +any isthmus or strait of land, contrary to the opinion of some new +cosmographers, by whom doubtfully this matter hath been brought in +controversy. And thus much for the first part of my answer unto the +fourth objection.</p> +<p>The second part, namely, that America and Asia cannot be one continent, +may thus be proved:—“The most rivers take down that way their +course, where the earth is most hollow and deep,” writeth Aristotle; +and the sea (saith he in the same place), as it goeth further, so is it +found deeper. Into what gulf do the Moscovian rivers Onega, Dwina, +Ob, pour out their streams? northward out of Moscovy into the sea. +Which way doth that sea strike? The south is main land, the eastern +coast waxeth more and more shallow: from the north, either naturally, +because that part of the earth is higher, or of necessity, for that the +forcible influence of some northern stars causeth the earth there to shake +off the sea, as some philosophers do think; or, finally, for the great +store of waters engendered in that frosty and cold climate, that the banks +are not able to hold them. From the north, I say, continually falleth +down great abundance of water; so this north-eastern current must at the +length abruptly bow toward us south on the west side of Finmark and Norway, +or else strike down south-west above Greenland, or betwixt Greenland and +Iceland, into the north-west strait we speak of, as of congruence it doth, +if you mark the situation of that region, and by the report of Master +Frobisher experience teacheth us. And, Master Frobisher, the further +he travelled in the former passage, as he told me, the deeper always he +found the sea. Lay you now the sum hereof together, the rivers run +where the channels are most hollow, the sea in taking his course waxeth +deeper, the sea waters fall continually from the north southward, the +north-eastern current striketh down into the strait we speak of and is +there augmented with whole mountains of ice and snow falling down furiously +out from the land under the North Pole. Where store of water is, +there is it a thing impossible to want sea; where sea not only doth not +want, but waxeth deeper, there can be discovered no land. Finally, +whence I pray you came the contrary tide, that Master Frobisher met withal, +after that he had sailed no small way in that passage, if there be any +isthmus or strait of land betwixt the aforesaid north-western gulf and Mare +del Sur, to join Asia and America together? That conclusion arrived +at in the schools, “Whatsoever land doth neither appertain unto +Africa, nor to Europe, is part of Asia,” was meant of the parts of +the world then known, and so is it of right to be understood.</p> +<p>The fifth objection requireth for answer wisdom and policy in the +traveller to win the barbarians’ favour by some good means; and so to +arm and strengthen himself, that when he shall have the repulse in one +coast, he may safely travel to another, commodiously taking his convenient +times, and discreetly making choice of them with whom he will thoroughly +deal. To force a violent entry would for us Englishmen be very hard, +considering the strength and valour of so great a nation, far distant from +us, and the attempt thereof might be most perilous unto the doers, unless +their park were very good.</p> +<p>Touching their laws against strangers, you shall read nevertheless in +the same relations of Galeotto Perera, that the Cathaian king is wont to +grant free access unto all foreigners that trade into his country for +merchandise, and a place of liberty for them to remain in; as the Moors +had, until such time as they had brought the Loutea or Lieutenant of that +coast to be a circumcised Saracen: wherefore some of them were put to the +sword, the rest were scattered abroad; at Fuquien, a great city in China, +certain of them are yet this day to be seen. As for the Japanese, +they be most desirous to be acquainted with strangers. The +Portuguese, though they were straitly handled there at the first, yet in +the end they found great favour at the prince’s hands, insomuch that +the Loutea or President that misused them was therefore put to death. +The rude Indian canoe voyageth in those seas, the Portuguese, the Saracens, +and Moors travel continually up and down that reach from Japan to China, +from China to Malacca, from Malacca to the Moluccas, and shall an +Englishman better appointed than any of them all (that I say no more of our +navy) fear to sail in that ocean? what seat at all do want piracy? what +navigation is there void of peril?</p> +<p>To the last argument our travellers need not to seek their return by the +north-east, neither shall they be constrained, except they list, either to +attempt Magellan’s strait at the south-west, or to be in danger of +the Portuguese on the south-east; they may return by the north-west, that +same way they do go forth, as experience hath showed.</p> +<p>The reason alleged for proof of the contrary may be disposed after this +manner: And first, it may be called in controversy, whether any current +continually be forced by the motion of primum mobile, round about the world +or no; for learned men do diversely handle that question. The natural +course of all waters is downward, wherefore of congruence they fall that +way where they find the earth most low and deep: in respect whereof, it was +erst said, the seas do strike from the northern lands southerly. +Violently the seas are tossed and troubled divers ways with the winds, +increased and diminished by the course of the moon, hoisted up and down +through the sundry operations of the sun and the stars: finally, some be of +opinion that the seas be carried in part violently about the world, after +the daily motion of the highest movable heaven, in like manner as the +elements of air and fire, with the rest of the heavenly spheres, are from +the east unto the west. And this they do call their eastern current, +or Levant stream. Some such current may not be denied to be of great +force in the hot zone, for the nearness thereof unto the centre of the sun, +and blustering eastern winds violently driving the seas westward; howbeit +in the temperate climes the sun being farther off, and the winds more +diverse, blowing as much from the north, the west, and south, as from the +east, this rule doth not effectually withhold us from travelling eastwards, +neither be we kept ever back by the aforesaid Levant winds and +stream. But in Magellan strait we are violently driven back westward, +ergo through the north-western strait or Anian frith shall we not be able +to return eastward: it followeth not. The first, for that the +north-western strait hath more sea room at the least by one hundred English +miles than Magellan’s strait hath, the only want whereof causeth all +narrow passages generally to be most violent. So would I say in the +Anian Gulf, if it were so narrow as Don Diego and Zalterius have painted it +out, any return that way to be full of difficulties, in respect of such +straitness thereof, not for the nearness of the sun or eastern winds, +violently forcing that way any Levant stream; but in that place there is +more sea room by many degrees, if the cards of Cabot and Gemma Frisius, and +that which Tramezine imprinted, be true.</p> +<p>And hitherto reasons see I none at all, but that I may as well give +credit unto their doings as to any of the rest. It must be +<i>Peregrinationis historia</i>, that is, true reports of skilful +travellers, as Ptolemy writeth, that in such controversies of geography +must put us out of doubt. Ortellius, in his universal tables, in his +particular maps of the West Indies, of all Asia, of the northern kingdoms, +of the East Indies; Mercator in some of his globes and general maps of the +world, Moletius in his universal table of the Globe divided, in his +sea-card and particular tables of the East Indies Zanterius and Don Diego +with Fernando Bertely, and others, do so much differ both from Gemma +Frisius and Cabot among themselves, and in divers places from themselves, +concerning the divers situation and sundry limits of America, that one may +not so rashly as truly surmise these men either to be ignorant in those +points touching the aforesaid region, or that the maps they have given out +unto the world were collected only by them, and never of their own +drawing.</p> +<h2>THE FIRST VOYAGE OF MASTER MARTIN FROBISHER</h2> +<p><i>To the North-West for the search of the passage or strait to +China</i>, <i>written by Christopher Hall</i>, <i>and made in the year of +our Lord 1576</i>.</p> +<p>Upon Monday, the thirteenth of May, the barque <i>Gabriel</i> was +launched at Redriffe, and upon the twenty-seventh day following she sailed +from Redriffe to Ratcliffe.</p> +<p>The seventh of June being Thursday, the two barques, viz., the +<i>Gabriel</i> and the <i>Michael</i>, and our pinnace, set sail at +Ratcliffe, and bare down to Deptford, and there we anchored. The +cause was, that our pinnace burst her bowsprit and foremast aboard of a +ship that rowed at Deptford, else we meant to have passed that day by the +court, then at Greenwich.</p> +<p>The eighth day being Friday, about twelve o’clock, we weighed at +Deptford and set sail all three of us and bare down by the court, where we +shot off our ordinance, and made the best show we could; her Majesty +beholding the same commended it, and bade us farewell with shaking her hand +at us out of the window. Afterwards she sent a gentleman aboard of +us, who declared that her Majesty had good liking of our doings, and +thanked us for it, and also willed our captain to come the next day to the +court to take his leave of her.</p> +<p>The same day, towards night, Master Secretary Woolley came aboard of us, +and declared to the company that her Majesty had appointed him to give them +charge to be obedient, and diligent to their captain and governors in all +things, and wished us happy success.</p> +<p>The ninth day about noon, the wind being westerly, having our anchors +aboard ready to set sail to depart, we wanted some of our company, and +therefore stayed and moored them again.</p> +<p>Sunday, the tenth of June, we set sail from Blackwall at a south-west +and by west sun, the wind being at north-north-west, and sailed to +Gravesend, and anchored there at a west-north-west sun, the wind being as +before.</p> +<p>The twelfth day, being over against Gravesend, by the Castle or +Blockhouse, we observed the latitude, which was 51 degrees 33 minutes, and +in that place the variation of the compass is 11 degrees and a half. +This day we departed from Gravesend at a west-south-west sun, the wind at +north and by east a fair gale, and sailed to the west part of Tilbury Hope, +and so turned down the Hope, and at a west sun the wind came to the +east-south-east, and we anchored in seven fathoms, being low water.</p> +<p>[Here there follows an abstract of the ship’s log, showing the +navigation until the 28th of July, when they had sight of land supposed to +be Labrador.]</p> +<p>July 28th. From 4 to 8, 4 leagues: from 8. to 12, 3 leagues: from +12 to 4, north and by west, 6 leagues, but very foggy; from thence to 8 of +the clock in the morning little wind, but at the clearing up of the fog we +had sight of land, which I supposed to be Labrador, with great store of ice +about the land; I ran in towards it, and sounded, but could get no land at +100 fathoms, and the ice being so thick I could not get to the shore, and +so lay off and came clear of the ice. Upon Monday we came within a +mile of the shore, and sought a harbour; all the sound was full of ice, and +our boat rowing ashore could get no ground at 100 fathom, within a +cable’s length of the shore; then we sailed east-north-east along the +shore, for so the land lieth, and the current is there great, setting +north-east and south-west; and if we could have gotten anchor ground we +would have seen with what force it had run, but I judge a ship may drive a +league and a half in one hour with that tide.</p> +<p>This day, at four of the clock in the morning, being fair and clear, we +had sight of a headland as we judged bearing from us north and by east, and +we sailed north-east and by north to that land, and when we came thither we +could not get to the land for ice, for the ice stretched along the coast, +so that we could not come to the land by 5 leagues.</p> +<p>Wednesday, the first of August, it calmed, and in the afternoon I caused +my boat to be hoisted out, being hard by a great island of ice, and I and +four men rowed to that ice, and sounded within two cables’ length of +it, and had 16 fathoms and little stones, and after that sounded again +within a minion’s shot, and had ground at 100 fathoms, and fair +sand. We sounded the next day a quarter of a mile from it, and had 60 +fathoms rough ground, and at that present being aboard, that great island +of ice fell one part from another, making a noise as if a great cliff had +fallen into the sea. And at 4 of the clock I sounded again, and had +90 fathoms, and small black stones, and little white stones like +pearls. The tide here did set to the shore.</p> +<p>We sailed this day south-south-east ofward, and laid it a tric.</p> +<p>The next day was calm and thick, with a great sea.</p> +<p>The next day we sailed south and by east two leagues, and at 8 of the +clock in the forenoon we cast about to the eastward.</p> +<p>The sixth day it cleared, and we ran north-west into the shore to get a +harbour, and being towards night, we notwithstanding kept at sea.</p> +<p>The seventh day we plied room with the shore, but being near it it waxed +thick, and we bare off again.</p> +<p>The eighth day we bended in towards the shore again.</p> +<p>The ninth day we sounded, but could get no ground at 130 fathoms. +The weather was calm.</p> +<p>The tenth I took four men and myself, and rode to shore, to an island +one league from the main, and there the flood setteth south-west along the +shore, and it floweth as near as I could judge so too. I could not +tarry to prove it, because the ship was a great way from me, and I feared a +fog; but when I came ashore it was low water. I went to the top of +the islands and before I came back it was hied a foot water, and so without +tarrying I came aboard.</p> +<p>The eleventh we found our latitude to be 63 degrees and 8 minutes, and +this day entered the strait.</p> +<p>The twelfth we set sail towards an island called the Gabriel’s +Island, which was 10 leagues then from us.</p> +<p>We espied a sound, and bare with it, and came to a sandy bay, where we +came to an anchor, the land bearing east-south-east of us, and there we +rode all night in 8 fathom water. It floweth there at a south-east +moon; we called it Prior’s Sound, being from the Gabriel’s +Island 10 leagues.</p> +<p>The fourteenth we weighed and ran into another sound, where we anchored +in 8 fathoms water, fair sand, and black ooze, and there caulked our ship, +being weak from the gunwales upward, and took in fresh water.</p> +<p>The fifteenth day we weighed, and sailed to Prior’s Bay, being a +mile from thence.</p> +<p>The sixteenth day was calm, and we rode still without ice, but presently +within two hours it was frozen round about the ship, a quarter of an inch +thick, and that bay very fair and calm.</p> +<p>The seventeenth day we weighed, and came to Thomas William’s +Island.</p> +<p>The eighteenth day we sailed north-north-west and anchored again in 23 +fathoms, and caught ooze under Bircher’s Island, which is from the +former island 10 leagues.</p> +<p>The nineteenth day in the morning, being calm, and no wind, the captain +and I took our boat, with eight men in her, to row us ashore, to see if +there were there any people, or no, and going to the top of the island, we +had sight of seven boats, which came rowing from the east side toward that +island; whereupon we returned aboard again. At length we sent our +boat, with five men in her, to see whither they rowed, and so with a white +cloth brought one of their boats with their men along the shore, rowing +after our boat, till such time as they saw our ship, and then they rowed +ashore. Then I went on shore myself, and gave every of them a +threaden point, and brought one of them aboard of me, where he did eat and +drink, and then carried him on shore again. Whereupon all the rest +came aboard with their boats, being nineteen persons, and they spake, but +we understood them not. They be like to Tartars, with long black +hair, broad faces, and flat noses, and tawny in colour, wearing seal skins, +and so do the women, not differing in the fashion, but the women are marked +in the face with blue streaks down the cheeks and round about the +eyes. Their boats are made all of seal skins, with a keel of wood +within the skin: the proportion of them is like a Spanish shallop, save +only they be flat in the bottom and sharp at both ends.</p> +<p>The twentieth day we weighed, and went to the east side of this island, +and I and the captain, with four men more, went on shore, and there we saw +their houses, and the people espying us, came rowing towards our boat, +whereupon we plied to our boat; and we being in our boat and they ashore, +they called to us, and we rowed to them, and one of their company came into +our boat, and we carried him aboard, and gave him a bell and a knife; so +the captain and I willed five of our men to set him ashore at a rock, and +not among the company which they came from, but their wilfulness was such +that they would go to them, and so were taken themselves and our boat +lost.</p> +<p>The next day in the morning we stood in near the shore and shot off a +fauconet, and sounded our trumpet, but we could hear nothing of our +men. This sound we called the Five Men’s Sound, and plied out +of it, but anchored again in 30 fathoms and ooze; and riding there all +night, in the morning the snow lay a foot thick upon our hatches.</p> +<p>The two-and-twentieth day in the morning we weighed, and went again to +the place where we lost our men and our boat. We had sight of +fourteen boats, and some came near to us, but we could learn nothing of our +men. Among the rest, we enticed one in a boat to our ship’s +side with a bell; and in giving him the bell we took him and his boat, and +so kept him, and so rowed down to Thomas William’s island, and there +anchored all night.</p> +<p>The twenty-sixth day we weighed to come homeward, and by twelve of the +clock at noon we were thwart of Trumpet’s Island.</p> +<p>The next day we came thwart of Gabriel’s Island, and at eight of +the clock at night we had the Cape Labrador west from us ten leagues.</p> +<p>The twenty-eighth day we went our course south-east.</p> +<p>We sailed south-east and by east, twenty-two leagues.</p> +<p>The first day of September, in the morning, we had sight of the land of +Friesland, being eight leagues from us, but we could not come nearer it for +the monstrous ice that lay about it. From this day till the sixth of +this month we ran along Iceland, and had the south part of it at eight of +the clock east from us ten leagues.</p> +<p>The seventh day of this month we had a very terrible storm, by force +whereof one of our men was blown into the sea out of our waste, but he +caught hold of the foresail sheet, and there held till the captain plucked +him again into the ship.</p> +<p>The twenty-fifth day of this month we had sight of the island of Orkney, +which was then east from us.</p> +<p>The first day of October we had sight of the Sheld, and so sailed along +the coast, and anchored at Yarmouth, and the next day we came into +Harwich.</p> +<p style="text-align: center"><span class="smcap">The Language of the +People of Meta Incognita</span>.</p> +<table> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Argotteyt, a hand.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Attegay, a coat.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Cangnawe, a nose.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Polleuetagay, a knife.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Arered, an eye.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Accaskay, a ship.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Keiotot, a tooth.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Coblone, a thumb.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Mutchatet, the head.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Teckkere, the foremost finger.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Chewat, an ear.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Ketteckle, the middle finger.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Comagaye, a leg.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Mekellacane, the fourth finger.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Atoniagay, a foot.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p></p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Callagay, a pair of breeches.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Yachethronc, the little finger.</p> +</td> +</tr> +</table> +<h2>THE SECOND VOYAGE OF MASTER MARTIN FROBISHER,</h2> +<p><i>Made to the West and North-West Regions in the year 1577</i>, <i>with +a Description of the Country and People</i>, <i>written by Dionise +Settle</i>.</p> +<p>On Whit Sunday, being the sixth-and-twentieth day of May, in the year of +our Lord God 1577, Captain Frobisher departed from Blackwall—with one +of the Queen’s Majesty’s ships called the <i>Aid</i>, of nine +score ton or thereabout, and two other little barques likewise, the one +called the <i>Gabriel</i>, whereof Master Fenton, a gentleman of my Lord of +Warwick’s, was captain; and the other the <i>Michael</i>, whereof +Master York, a gentleman of my lord admiral’s, was captain, +accompanied with seven score gentlemen, soldiers, and sailors, well +furnished with victuals and other provisions necessary for one half +year—on this, his second year, for the further discovering of the +passage to Cathay and other countries thereunto adjacent, by west and +north-west navigations, which passage or way is supposed to be on the north +and north-west parts of America, and the said America to be an island +environed with the sea, where through our merchants might have course and +recourse with their merchandise from these our northernmost parts of +Europe, to those Oriental coasts of Asia in much shorter time and with +greater benefit than any others, to their no little commodity and profit +that do or shall traffic the same. Our said captain and general of +this present voyage and company, having the year before, with two little +pinnaces to his great danger, and no small commendations, given a worthy +attempt towards the performance thereof, is also pressed when occasion +shall be ministered to the benefit of his prince and native +country—to adventure himself further therein. As for this +second voyage, it seemeth sufficient that he hath better explored and +searched the commodities of those people and countries, with sufficient +commodity unto the adventurers, which, in his first voyage the year before, +he had found out.</p> +<p>Upon which considerations the day and year before expressed, he departed +from Blackwall to Harwich, where making an accomplishment of things +necessary, the last of May we hoisted up sails, and with a merry wind the +7th of June we arrived at the islands called Orchades, or vulgarly Orkney, +being in number thirty, subject and adjacent to Scotland, where we made +provision of fresh water, in the doing whereof our general licensed the +gentlemen and soldiers, for their recreation, to go on shore. At our +landing the people fled from their poor cottages with shrieks and alarms, +to warn their neighbours of enemies, but by gentle persuasions we reclaimed +them to their houses. It seemeth they are often frighted with +pirates, or some other enemies, that move them to such sudden fear. +Their houses are very simply builded with pebble stone, without any +chimneys, the fire being made in the midst thereof. The good man, +wife, children, and other of their family, eat and sleep on the one side of +the house, and their cattle on the other, very beastly and rudely in +respect of civilisation. They are destitute of wood, their fire is +turf and cow shardes. They have corn, bigge, and oats, with which +they pay their king’s rent to the maintenance of his house. +They take great quantity of fish, which they dry in the wind and sun; they +dress their meat very filthily, and eat it without salt. Their +apparel is after the nudest sort of Scotland. Their money is all +base. Their Church and religion is reformed according to the +Scots. The fishermen of England can better declare the dispositions +of those people than I, wherefore I remit other their usages to their +reports, as yearly repairers thither in their courses to and from Iceland +for fish.</p> +<p>We departed here hence the 8th of June, and followed our course between +west and north-west until the 4th of July, all which time we had no night, +but that easily, and without any impediment, we had, when we were so +disposed, the fruition of our books, and other pleasures to pass away the +time, a thing of no small moment to such as wander in unknown seas and long +navigations, especially when both the winds and raging surges do pass their +common and wonted course. This benefit endureth in those parts not +six weeks, whilst the sun is near the tropic of Cancer, but where the pole +is raised to 70 or 80 degrees it continueth the longer.</p> +<p>All along these seas, after we were six days sailing from Orkney, we +met, floating in the sea, great fir trees, which, as we judged, were, with +the fury of great floods, rooted up, and so driven into the sea. +Iceland hath almost no other wood nor fuel but such as they take up upon +their coasts. It seemeth that these trees are driven from some part +of the Newfoundland, with the current that setteth from the west to the +east.</p> +<p>The 4th of July we came within the making of Friesland. From this +shore, ten or twelve leagues, we met great islands of ice of half a mile, +some more, some less in compass, showing above the sea thirty or forty +fathoms, and as we supposed fast on ground, where, with our lead, we could +scarce sound the bottom for depth.</p> +<p>Here, in place of odoriferous and fragrant smells of sweet gums and +pleasant notes of musical birds, which other countries in more temperate +zones do yield, we tasted the most boisterous Boreal blasts, mixed with +snow and hail, in the months of June and July, nothing inferior to our +untemperate winter: a sudden alteration, and especially in a place of +parallel, where the pole is not elevated above 61 degrees, at which height +other countries more to the north, yea unto 70 degrees, show themselves +more temperate than this doth. All along this coast ice lieth as a +continual bulwark, and so defendeth the country, that those which would +land there incur great danger. Our general, three days together, +attempted with the ship boat to have gone on shore, which, for that without +great danger he could not accomplish, he deferred it until a more +convenient time. All along the coast lie very high mountains, covered +with snow, except in such places where, through the steepness of the +mountains, of force it must needs fall. Four days coasting along this +land we found no sign of habitation. Little birds which we judged to +have lost the shore, by reason of thick fogs which that country is much +subject unto, came flying to our ships, which causeth us to suppose that +the country is both more tolerable and also habitable within than the +outward shore maketh show or signification.</p> +<p>From hence we departed the 8th of July, and the 16th of the same we came +with the making of land, which land our general the year before had named +the Queen’s Forehand, being an island, as we judge, lying near the +supposed continent with America, and on the other side, opposite to the +same, one other island, called Halles Isle, after the name of the master of +the ship, near adjacent to the firm land, supposed continent with +Asia. Between the which two islands there is a large entrance or +strait, called Frobisher’s Strait, after the name of our general, the +first finder thereof. This said strait is supposed to have passage +into the sea of Sur, which I leave unknown as yet.</p> +<p>It seemeth that either here, or not far hence, the sea should have more +large entrance than in other parts within the frozen or untemperate zone, +and that some contrary tide, either from the east or west, with main force +casteth out that great quantity of ice which cometh floating from this +coast, even unto Friesland, causing that country to seem more untemperate +than others much more northerly than the same.</p> +<p>I cannot judge that any temperature under the Pole, being the time of +the Sun’s northern declination, half a year together, and one whole +day (considering that the sun’s elevation surmounteth not +twenty-three degrees and thirty minutes), can have power to dissolve such +monstrous and huge ice, comparable to great mountains, except by some other +force, as by swift currents and tides, with the help of the said day of +half a year.</p> +<p>Before we came within the making of these lands, we tasted cold storms, +insomuch that it seemed we had changed with winter, if the length of the +days had not removed us from that opinion.</p> +<p>At our first coming, the straits seemed to be shut up with a long mure +of ice, which gave no little cause of discomfort unto us all; but our +general (to whose diligence, imminent dangers and difficult attempts seemed +nothing in respect of his willing mind for the commodity of his prince and +country), with two little pinnaces prepared of purpose, passed twice +through them to the east shore, and the islands thereunto adjacent; and the +ship, with the two barques, lay off and on something farther into the sea +from the danger of the ice.</p> +<p>Whilst he was searching the country near the shore, some of the people +of the country showed themselves, leaping and dancing, with strange shrieks +and cries, which gave no little admiration to our men. Our general, +desirous to allure them unto him by fair means, caused knives and other +things to be proffered unto them, which they would not take at our hands; +but being laid on the ground, and the party going away, they came and took +up, leaving something of theirs to countervail the same. At the +length, two them, leaving their weapons, came down to our general and +master, who did the like to them, commanding the company to stay, and went +unto them, who, after certain dumb signs and mute congratulations, began to +lay hands upon them, but they deliverly escaped, and ran to their bows and +arrows and came fiercely upon them, not respecting the rest of our company, +which were ready for their defence, but with their arrows hurt divers of +them. We took the one, and the other escaped.</p> +<p>Whilst our general was busied in searching the country, and those +islands adjacent on the east shore, the ships and barques, having great +care not to put far into the sea from him, for that he had small store of +victuals, were forced to abide in a cruel tempest, chancing in the night +amongst and in the thickest of the ice, which was so monstrous that even +the least of a thousand had been of force sufficient to have shivered our +ship and barques into small portions, if God (who in all necessities hath +care upon the infirmity of man) had not provided for this our extremity a +sufficient remedy, through the light of the night, whereby we might well +discern to flee from such imminent dangers, which we avoided within +fourteen bourdes in one watch, the space of four hours. If we had not +incurred this danger amongst these monstrous islands of ice, we should have +lost our general and master, and the most of our best sailors, which were +on the shore destitute of victuals; but by the valour of our master gunner, +Master Jackman and Andrew Dier, the master’s mates, men expert both +in navigation and other good qualities, we were all content to incur the +dangers afore rehearsed, before we would, with our own safety, run into the +seas, to the destruction of our said general and his company.</p> +<p>The day following, being the 19th of July, our captain returned to the +ship with good news of great riches, which showed itself in the bowels of +those barren mountains, wherewith we were all satisfied. A sudden +mutation. The one part of us being almost swallowed up the night +before, with cruel Neptune’s force, and the rest on shore, taking +thought for their greedy paunches how to find the way to Newfoundland; at +one moment we were racked with joy, forgetting both where we were and what +we had suffered. Behold the glory of man: to-night contemning riches, +and rather looking for death than otherwise, and to-morrow devising how to +satisfy his greedy appetite with gold.</p> +<p>Within four days after we had been at the entrance of the straits, the +north-west and west winds dispersed the ice into the sea, and made us a +large entrance into the Straits, that without impediment, on the 19th July, +we entered them; and the 20th thereof our general and master, with great +diligence, sought out and sounded the west shore, and found out a fair +harbour for the ship and barques to ride in, and named it after our +master’s mate, Jackman’s Sound, and brought the ship, barques, +and all their company to safe anchor, except one man which died by +God’s visitation.</p> +<p>At our first arrival, after the ship rode at anchor, general, with such +company as could well be spared from the ships, in marching order entered +the land, having special care by exhortations that at our entrance +thereinto we should all with one voice, kneeling upon our knees, chiefly +thank God for our safe arrival; secondly, beseech Him that it would please +His Divine Majesty long to continue our Queen, for whom he, and all the +rest of our company, in this order took possession of the country; and +thirdly, that by our Christian study and endeavour, those barbarous people, +trained up in paganry and infidelity, might be reduced to the knowledge of +true religion, and to the hope of salvation in Christ our Redeemer, with +other words very apt to signify his willing mind and affection towards his +prince and country, whereby all suspicion of an undutiful subject may +credibly be judged to be utterly exempted from his mind. All the rest +of the gentlemen, and others, deserve worthily herein their due praise and +commendation.</p> +<p>These things in order accomplished, our general commanded all the +company to be obedient in things needful for our own safeguard to Master +Fenton, Master Yorke, and Master Beast, his lieutenant, while he was +occupied in other necessary affairs concerning our coming thither.</p> +<p>After this order we marched through the country, with ensign displayed, +so far as was thought needful, and now and then heaped up stones on high +mountains and other places, in token of possession, as likewise to signify +unto such as hereafter may chance to arrive there that possession is taken +in the behalf of some other prince by those which first found out the +country.</p> +<p>Whose maketh navigation to these countries hath not only extreme winds +and furious seas to encounter withal, but also many monstrous and great +islands of ice: a thing both rare, wonderful, and greatly to be +regarded.</p> +<p>We were forced sundry times, while the ship did ride here at anchor, to +have continual watch, with boats and men ready with hawsers, to knit fast +unto such ice which with the ebb and flood were tossed to and fro in the +harbour, and with force of oars to hail them away, for endangering the +ship.</p> +<p>Our general certain days searched this supposed continent with America, +and not finding the commodity to answer his expectations, after he had made +trial thereof, he departed thence, with two little barques, and men +sufficient, to the east shore, being he supposed continent of Asia, and +left the ship, with most of the gentlemen soldiers and sailors, until such +time as he either thought good to send or come for them.</p> +<p>The stones on this supposed continent with America be altogether +sparkled and glister in the sun like gold; so likewise doth the sand in the +bright water, yet they verify the old proverb, “All is not gold that +glistereth.”</p> +<p>On this west shore we found a dead fish floating, which had in his nose +a horn, straight and torquet, of length two yards lacking two inches, being +broken in the top, where we might perceive it hollow, into which some of +our sailors putting spiders they presently died. I saw not the trial +hereof, but it was reported unto me of a truth, by the virtue whereof we +supposed it to be the sea unicorn.</p> +<p>After our general had found out good harbour for the ship and barques to +anchor in, and also such store of gold ore as he thought himself satisfied +withal, he returned to the <i>Michael</i>, whereof Master Yorke aforesaid +was captain, accompanied with our master and his mate, who coasting along +the west shore, not far from whence the ship rode, they perceived a fair +harbour, and willing to sound the same, at the entrance thereof they espied +two tents of seal skins, unto which the captain, our said master, and other +company resorted. At the sight of our men the people fled into the +mountains; nevertheless, they went to their tents, where, leaving certain +trifles of ours as glasses, bells, knives, and such like things, they +departed, not taking anything of theirs except one dog. They did in +like manner leave behind them a letter, pen, ink, and paper, whereby our +men whom the captain lost the year before, and in that people’s +custody, might (if any of them were alive) be advertised of our presence +and being there.</p> +<p>On the same day, after consultation, all the gentlemen, and others +likewise that could be spared from the ship, under the conduct and leading +of Master Philpot (unto whom, in our general’s absence, and his +lieutenant, Master Beast, all the rest were obedient), went ashore, +determining to see if by fair means we could either allure them to +familiarity, or otherwise take some of them, and so attain to some +knowledge of those men whom our general lost the year before.</p> +<p>At our coming back again to the place where their tents were before, +they had removed their tents farther into the said bay or sound, where they +might, if they were driven from the land, flee with their boats into the +sea. We, parting ourselves into two companies, and compassing a +mountain, came suddenly upon them by land, who, espying us, without any +tarrying fled to their boats, leaving the most part of their oars behind +them for haste, and rowed down the bay, where our two pinnaces met them and +drove them to shore. But if they had had all their oars, so swift are +they in rowing, it had been lost time to have chased them.</p> +<p>When they were landed they fiercely assaulted our men with their bows +and arrows, who wounded three of them with our arrows, and perceiving +themselves thus hurt they desperately leaped off the rocks into the sea and +drowned themselves; which if they had not done but had submitted +themselves, or if by any means we could have taken alive (being their +enemies as they judged), we would both have saved them, and also have +sought remedy to cure their wounds received at our hands. But they, +altogether void of humanity, and ignorant what mercy meaneth, in +extremities look for no other than death, and perceiving that they should +fall into our hands, thus miserably by drowning rather desired death than +otherwise to be saved by us. The rest, perceiving their fellows in +this distress, fled into the high mountains. Two women, not being so +apt to escape as the men were, the one for her age, and the other being +encumbered with a young child, we took. The old wretch, whom divers +of our sailors supposed to be either a devil or a witch, had her buskins +plucked off to see if she were cloven-footed, and for her ugly hue and +deformity we let her go; the young woman and the child we brought +away. We named the place where they were slain Bloody Point, and the +bay or harbour Yorke’s Sound, after the name of one of the captains +of the two barques.</p> +<p>Having this knowledge both of their fierceness and cruelty, and +perceiving that fair means as yet is not able to allure them to +familiarity, we disposed ourselves, contrary to our inclination, something +to be cruel, returned to their tents, and made a spoil of the same, where +we found an old shirt, a doublet, a girdle, and also shoes of our men, whom +we lost the year before; on nothing else unto them belonging could we set +our eyes.</p> +<p>Their riches are not gold, silver, or precious drapery, but their said +tents and boats made of the skins of red deer and seal skins, also dogs +like unto wolves, but for the most part black, with other trifles, more to +be wondered at for their strangeness than for any other commodity needful +for our use.</p> +<p>Thus returning to our ship the 3rd of August, we departed from the west +shore, supposed firm with America, after we had anchored there thirteen +days, and so the 4th thereof we came to our general on the east shore, and +anchored in a fair harbour named Anne Warwick’s Sound, and to which +is annexed an island, both named after the Countess of Warwick—Anne +Warwick’s Sound and Isle.</p> +<p>In this isle our general thought good for this voyage to freight both +the ships and barques with such stone or gold mineral as he judged to +countervail the charges of his first and this his second navigation to +these countries, with sufficient interest to the venturers whereby they +might both be satisfied for this time and also in time to come (if it +please God and our prince) to expect a much more benefit out of the bowels +of those septentrional parallels, which long time hath concealed itself +till at this present, through the wonderful diligence and great danger of +our general and others, God is contented with the revealing thereof. +It riseth so abundantly, that from the beginning of August to the 22nd +thereof (every man following the diligence of our general) we raised above +ground 200 ton, which we judged a reasonable freight for the ship and two +barques in the said Anne Warwick’s Isle.</p> +<p>In the meantime of our abode here some of the country people came to +show themselves unto us sundry times from the main shore, near adjacent to +the said isle. Our general, desirous to have some news of his men +whom he lost the year before, with some company with him repaired with the +ship boat to commune or sign with them for familiarity, whereunto he is +persuaded to bring them. They at the first show made tokens that +three of his five men were alive, and desired pen, ink, and paper, and that +within three or four days they would return, and, as we judged, bring those +of our men which were living with them.</p> +<p>They also made signs or tokens of their king, whom they called Cacough, +and how he was carried on men’s shoulders, and a man far surmounting +any of our company in bigness and stature.</p> +<p>With these tokens and signs of writing, pen, ink, and paper were +delivered them, which they would not take at our hands, but being laid upon +the shore, and the party gone away, they took up; which likewise they do +when they desire anything for change of theirs, laying for that which is +left so much as they think will countervail the same, and not coming near +together. It seemeth they have been used to this trade or traffic +with some other people adjoining, or not far distant from their +country.</p> +<p>After four days some of them showed themselves upon the firm land, but +not where they were before. Our general, very glad thereof, supposing +to hear of our men, went from the island with the boat and sufficient +company with him. They seemed very glad, and allured him about a +certain point of the land, behind which they might perceive a company of +the crafty villains to lie lurking, whom our general would not deal withal, +for that he knew not what company they were, so with few signs dismissed +them and returned to his company.</p> +<p>Another time, as our said general was coasting the country with two +little pinnaces, whereby at our return he might make the better relation +thereof, three of the crafty villains with a white skin allured us to +them. Once again our general, for that he hoped to hear of his men, +went towards them; at our coming near the shore whereon they were we might +perceive a number of them lie hidden behind great stones, and those three +in sight labouring by all means possible that some would come on land; and +perceiving we made no haste, by words nor friendly signs, which they used +by clapping their hands, and being without weapon, and but three in sight, +they sought further means to provoke us thereunto. One alone laid +flesh on the shore, which we took up with the boat-hook as necessary +victuals for the relieving of the man, woman, and child whom we had taken, +for that as yet they could not digest our meat; whereby they perceived +themselves deceived of their expectation for all their crafty +allurements. Yet once again to make, as it were, a full show of their +crafty natures and subtle sleights, to the intent thereby to have entrapped +and taken some of our men, one of them counterfeited himself impotent and +lame of his legs, who seemed to descend to the water’s side with +great difficulty, and to cover his craft the more one of his fellows came +down with him, and in such places where he seemed unable to pass, he took +him on his shoulders, set him by the water’s side, and departed from +him, leaving him, as it should seem, all alone; who, playing his +counterfeit pageant very well, thought thereby to provoke some of us to +come on shore, not fearing but that one of us might make our party good +with a lame man.</p> +<p>Our general, having compassion of his impotency, thought good, if it +were possible, to cure him thereof; wherefore he caused a soldier to shoot +at him with his calever, which grazed before his face. The +counterfeit villain deliverly fled without any impediment at all, and got +him to his bow and arrows, and the rest from their lurking holes with their +weapons, bows, arrows, slings, and darts. Our general caused some +calevers to be shot off at them, whereby, some being hurt, they might +hereafter stand in more fear of us.</p> +<p>This was all the answer for this time we could have of our men, or of +our general’s letter. Their crafty dealing at these three +several times being thus manifest unto us, may plainly show their +disposition in other things to be correspondent. We judged that they +used these stratagems thereby to have caught some of us for the delivering +of the man, woman, and child, whom we had taken.</p> +<p>They are men of a large corporature, and good proportion; their colour +is not much unlike the sunburnt countryman, who laboureth daily in sun for +his living.</p> +<p>They wear their hair something long, and cut before either with stone or +knife, very disorderly. Their women wear their hair long, knit up +with two loops, showing forth on either side of their faces, and the rest +faltered upon a knot. Also, some of their women tint their faces +proportionally, as chin, cheeks, and forehead and the wrists of their +hands, whereupon they lay a colour which continueth dark azurine.</p> +<p>They eat their meat all raw, both flesh, fish, and fowl, or something +parboiled with blood, and a little water, which they drink. For lack +of water, they will eat ice that is hard frozen as pleasantly as we will do +sugar-candy, or other sugar.</p> +<p>If they, for necessity’s sake, stand in need of the premises, such +grass as the country yieldeth they pluck up and eat, not daintily, or +saladwise, to allure their stomachs to appetite, but for necessity’s +sake, without either salt, oils, or washing, like brute beasts devouring +the same. They neither use table, stool, or table-cloth for +comeliness: but when they are imbrued with blood, knuckle deep, and their +knives in like sort, they use their tongues as apt instruments to lick them +clean; in doing whereof they are assured to lose none of their +victuals.</p> +<p>They keep certain dogs, not much unlike wolves, which they yoke +together, as we do oxen and horses, to a sled or trail, and so carry their +necessaries over the ice and snow, from place to place, as the captain, +whom we have, made perfect signs. And when those dogs are not apt for +the same use, or when with hunger they are constrained for lack of other +victuals, they eat them, so that they are as needful for them, in respect +of their bigness, as our oxen are for us.</p> +<p>They apparel themselves in the skins of such beasts as they kill, sewed +together with the sinews of them. All the fowl which they kill they +skin, and make thereof one kind of garment or other to defend them from the +cold.</p> +<p>They make their apparel with hoods and tails, which tails they give, +when they think to gratify any friendship shown unto them; a great sign of +friendship with them. The men have them not so syde as the women.</p> +<p>The men and women wear their hose close to their legs, from the waist to +the knee, without any open before, as well the one kind as the other. +Upon their legs they wear hose of leather, with the fur side inward, two or +three pair on at once, and especially the women. In those hose they +put their knives, needles, and other things needful to bear about. +They put a bone within their hose, which reacheth from the foot to the +knee, whereupon they draw their said hose, and so in place of garters they +are holden from falling down about their feet.</p> +<p>They dress their skins very soft and supple with the hair on. In +cold weather or winter they wear the fur side inward, and in summer +outward. Other apparel they have none but the said skins.</p> +<p>Those beasts, fishes, and fowls which they kill are their meat, drink, +apparel, houses, bedding, hose, shoes, thread, and sails for their boats, +with many other necessaries, whereof they stand in need, and almost all +their riches.</p> +<p>The houses are tents made of seal skins, pitched up with four fir +quarters, four-square, meeting at the top, and the skins sewed together +with sinews, and laid thereupon; they are so pitched up, that the entrance +into them is always south, or against the sun.</p> +<p>They have other sort of houses, which we found not to be inhabited, +which are raised with stones and whalebones, and a skin laid over them to +withstand the rain, or other weather; the entrance of them being not much +unlike an oven’s mouth, whereunto, I think, they resort for a time to +fish, hunt, and fowl, and so leave them until the next time they come +thither again.</p> +<p>Their weapons are bows, arrows, darts, and slings. Their bows are +of wood, of a yard long, sinewed on the back with firm sinews, not glued +to, but fast girded and tied on. Their bow strings are likewise +sinews. Their arrows are three pieces, nocked with bone and ended +with bone; with those two ends, and the wood in the midst, they pass not in +length half a yard, or little more. They are feathered with two +feathers, the pen end being cut away, and the feathers laid upon the arrow +with the broad side to the wood, insomuch, that they seem, when they are +tied on, to have four feathers. They have likewise three sorts of +heads to those arrows; one sort of stone or iron, proportioned like to a +heart; the second sort of bone much like unto a stopt head, with a hook on +the same, the third sort of bone likewise, made sharp at both sides, and +sharp pointed. They are not made very fast, but lightly tied to, or +else set in a nocke, that, upon small occasion, the arrow leaveth these +heads behind them; they are of small force except they be very near when +they shoot.</p> +<p>Their darts are made of two sorts: the one with many forks of bones in +the fore end, and likewise in the midst; their proportions are not much +unlike our toasting-irons, but longer; these they cast out of an instrument +of wood very readily. The other sort is greater than the first +aforesaid, with a long bone made sharp on both sides, not much unlike a +rapier, which I take to be their most hurtful weapon.</p> +<p>They have two sorts of boats made of leather, set out on the inner side +with quarters of wood, artificially tied together with thongs of the same; +the greater sort are not much unlike our wherries, wherein sixteen or +twenty men may sit; they have for a sail dressed the guts of such beasts as +they kill, very fine and thin, which they sew together; the other boat is +but for one man to sit and row in, with one oar.</p> +<p>Their order of fishing, hunting, and fowling, are with these said +weapons; but in what sort or how they use them we have no perfect knowledge +as yet.</p> +<p>I can suppose their abode or habitation not to be here, for that neither +their houses nor apparel are of such force to withstand the extremity of +cold that the country seemeth to be infected withal; neither do I see any +sign likely to perform the same.</p> +<p>Those houses, or rather dens, which stand there, have no sign of +footway, or anything else trodden, which is one of the chiefest tokens of +habitation. And those tents, which they bring with them, when they +have sufficiently hunted and fished, they remove to other places; and when +they have sufficiently stored them of such victuals as the country +yieldeth, or bringeth forth, they return to their winter stations or +habitations. This conjecture do I make for the infertility which I +perceive to be in that country.</p> +<p>They have some iron, whereof they make arrow-heads, knives, and other +little instruments, to work their boats, bows, arrows, and darts withal, +which are very unapt to do anything withal, but with great labour.</p> +<p>It seemeth that they have conversation with some other people, of whom +for exchange they should receive the same. They are greatly delighted +with anything that is bright or giveth a sound.</p> +<p>What knowledge they have of God, or what idol they adore, we have no +perfect intelligence. I think them rather <i>anthropophagi</i>, or +devourers of man’s flesh, than otherwise; that there is no flesh or +fish which they find dead (smell it never so filthily), but they will eat +it as they find it without any other dressing. A loathsome thing, +either to the beholders or the hearers. There is no manner of +creeping beast hurtful, except some spiders (which as many affirm are signs +of great store of gold), and also certain stinging gnats, which bite so +fiercely that the place where they bite shortly after swelleth, and itcheth +very sore.</p> +<p>They make signs of certain people that wear bright plates of gold in +their foreheads and other places of their bodies.</p> +<p>The countries on both sides the straits lie very high, with rough stony +mountains, and great quantity of snow thereon. There is very little +plain ground, and no grass except a little, which is much like unto moss +that groweth on soft ground, such as we get turfs in. There is no +wood at all. To be brief, there is nothing fit or profitable for the +use of man which that country with root yieldeth or bringeth forth; howbeit +there is great quantity of deer, whose skins are like unto asses, their +heads or horns do far exceed, as well in length as also in breadth, any in +these our parts or countries: their feet likewise are as great as our +oxen’s, which we measure to be seven or eight inches in +breadth. There are also hares, wolves, fishing bears, and sea-fowl of +sundry sorts.</p> +<p>As the country is barren and unfertile, so are they rude, and of no +capacity to culture the same to any perfection; but are contented by their +hunting, fishing, and fowling, with raw flesh and warm blood, to satisfy +their greedy paunches, which is their only glory.</p> +<p>There is great likelihood of earthquakes or thunder, for there are huge +and monstrous mountains, whose greatest substance are stones, and those +stones so shapen with some extraordinary means, that one is separated from +another, which is discordant from all other quarries.</p> +<p>There are no rivers or running springs, but such as through the heat of +the sun, with such water as descendeth from the mountains and hills, +whereon great drifts of snow do lie, are engendered.</p> +<p>It argueth also that there should be none; for that the earth, which +with the extremity of the winter is so frozen within, that that water which +should have recourse within the same to maintain springs hath not his +motion, whereof great waters have their origin, as by experience is seen +otherwhere. Such valleys as are capable to receive the water, that in +the summer time, by the operation of the sun, descendeth from great +abundance of snow, which continually lieth on the mountains, and hath no +passage, sinketh into the earth, and so vanisheth away, without any runnel +above the earth, by which occasion or continual standing of the said water +the earth is opened and the great frost yieldeth to the force thereof, +which in other places, four or five fathoms within the ground, for lack of +the said moisture, the earth even in the very summer time is frozen, and so +combineth the stones together, that scarcely instruments with great force +can unknit them.</p> +<p>Also, where the water in those valleys can have no such passage away, by +the continuance of time in such order as is before rehearsed, the yearly +descent from the mountains filleth them full, that at the lowest bank of +the same they fall into the next valley, and so continue as fishing ponds, +in summer time full of water, and in the winter hard frozen, as by scars +that remain thereof in summer may easily be perceived; so that the heat of +summer is nothing comparable or of force to dissolve the extremity of cold +that cometh in winter.</p> +<p>Nevertheless, I am assured, that below the force of the frost, within +the earth, the waters have recourse, and empty themselves out of sight into +the sea, which, through the extremity of the frost, are constrained to do +the same; by which occasion, the earth within is kept the warmer, and +springs have their recourse, which is the only nutriment of gold and +minerals within the same.</p> +<p>There is much to be said of the commodities of these countries, which +are couched within the bowels of the earth, which I let pass till more +perfect trial be made thereof.</p> +<p>Thus conjecturing, till time, with the earnest industry of our general +and others (who, by all diligence, remain pressed to explore the truth of +that which is unexplored, as he hath to his everlasting praise found out +that which is like to yield an innumerable benefit to his prince and +country), offer further trial, I conclude.</p> +<p>The 23rd August, after we had satisfied our minds with freight +sufficient for our vessels, though not our covetous desires, with such +knowledge of the country, people, and other commodities as are before +rehearsed, the 24th thereof we departed there hence: the 17th of September +we fell with the Land’s End of England, and so to Milford Haven, from +whence our general rowed to the court for order to what port or haven to +conduct the ship.</p> +<p>We lost our two barques in the way homeward, the one the 29th of August, +the other the 31st of the same month, by occasion of great tempest and fog; +howbeit, God restored the one to Bristol, and the other making his course +by Scotland to Yarmouth. In this voyage we lost two men, one in the +way by God’s visitation, and the other homeward, cast overboard with +a surge of the sea.</p> +<p>I could declare unto the readers the latitude and longitude of such +places and regions as we have been at, but not altogether so perfectly as +our masters and others, with many circumstances of tempests and other +accidents incident to seafaring men, which seem not altogether strange, but +I let them pass to their reports as men most apt to set forth and declare +the same. I have also left the names of the countries on both the +shores untouched for lack of understanding the people’s language, as +also for sundry respects not needful as yet to be declared.</p> +<p>Countries new explored, where commodity is to be looked for, do better +accord with a new name given by the explorers than an uncertain name by a +doubtful author.</p> +<p>Our general named sundry islands, mountains, capes, and harbours after +the names of divers noblemen, and other gentlemen his friends, as well on +the one shore as also on the other.</p> +<h2>THE THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE INTO META INCOGNITA,</h2> +<p><i>Made by Master Martin Frobisher</i>, <i>in the year</i> 1578, +<i>written by Thomas Ellis</i>.</p> +<p>These are to let you know, that upon the 25th May, the <i>Thomas +Allen</i>, being vice-admiral, whose captain was Master Yorke; Master +Gibbes, master; Master Christopher Hall, pilot, accompanied with the +rear-admiral, named the <i>Hopewell</i>, whose captain was Master Henry +Carew, the Master Andrew Dier, and certain other ships, came to Gravesend, +where we anchored, and abode the coming of certain other of our fleet, +which were not yet come.</p> +<p>The 27th of the same month, our fleet being now come together, and all +things pressed in a readiness, the wind favouring and tide serving, we +being of sails in number eight, weighed anchors, and hoisted our sails +towards Harwich, to meet with our admiral and the residue, which then and +there abode our arrival, where we safely arrived the 28th thereof; finding +there our admiral, whom we, with the discharge of certain pieces, saluted +(according to order and duty), and were welcomed with the like courtesy, +which being finished we landed, where our general continued mustering his +soldiers and miners, and setting things in order appertaining to the +voyage, until the last of the said month of May, which day we hoisted our +sails, and committing ourselves to the conducting of Almighty God, we set +forward toward the West Country, in such lucky wise and good success, that +by the 5th June we passed the Dursies, being the utmost part of Ireland, to +the westward.</p> +<p>And here it were not much amiss, nor far from our purpose, if I should a +little discourse and speak of our adventures and chances by the way, as our +landing at Plymouth, as also the meeting of certain poor men, which were +robbed and spoiled of all that they had by pirates and rovers; amongst whom +was a man of Bristol, on whom our general used his liberality, and sent him +away with letters into England.</p> +<p>But because such things are impertinent to the matter, I will return +(without any more mentioning of the same) to that from which I have +digressed and swerved, I mean our ships, now sailing on the surging seas, +sometimes passing at pleasure with a wished eastern wind, sometimes +hindered of our course again by the western blasts, until the 20th day of +the foresaid month of June, on which day in the morning we fell in with +Friesland, which is a very high and cragged land, and was almost clean +covered with snow, so that we might see nought but craggy rocks and the +tops of high and huge hills, sometimes (and for the most part) all covered +with foggy mists. There might we also perceive the great isles of ice +lying on the seas like mountains, some small, some big, of sundry kinds of +shapes, and such a number of them, that we could not come near the shore +for them.</p> +<p>Thus sailing along the coast, at the last we saw a place somewhat void +of ice, where our general (accompanied with certain other) went ashore, +where they saw certain tents made of beasts’ skins, and boats much +like unto theirs of Meta Incognita. The tents were furnished with +flesh, fish, skins, and other trifles: amongst the which was found a box of +nails, whereby we did conjecture that they had either artificers amongst +them, or else a traffic with some other nation. The men ran away, so +that we could have no conference or communication with them. Our +general (because he would have them no more to flee, but rather encouraged +to stay through his courteous dealing) gave commandment that his men should +take nothing away with them, saving only a couple of white dogs, for which +he left pins, points, knives, and other trifling things, and departed, +without taking or hurting anything, and so came aboard, and hoisted sails +and passed forwards.</p> +<p>But being scarce out of the sight thereof, there fell such a fog and +hideous mist that we could not see one another; whereupon we struck our +drums, and sounded our trumpets to the end we might keep together; and so +continued all that day and night, till the next day, that the mist brake +up; so that we might easily perceive all the ships thus sailing together +all that day, until the next day, being the 22nd of the same, on which day +we saw an infinite number of ice, from the which we cast about to shun the +danger thereof.</p> +<p>But one of our small barques named the <i>Michael</i>, whose captain was +Master Kinderslie, the master, Bartholomew Bull, lost our company, insomuch +that we could not obtain the sight of her many days after, of whom I mean +to speak further anon, when occasion shall be ministered, and opportunity +served. Thus we continued on our course until the 2nd of July, on +which day we fell with the Queen’s Foreland, where we saw so much +ice, that we thought it impossible to get into the straits, yet at the last +we gave the adventure, and entered the ice.</p> +<p>Being in amongst it, we saw the <i>Michael</i>, of whom I spake before, +accompanied with the, <i>Judith</i>, whose captain was Master Fenton, the +master, Charles Jackman, bearing into the aforesaid ice, far distant from +us, who in a storm that fell that present night (whereof I will at large, +God willing, discourse hereafter), were severed from us, and being in, +wandered up and down the straits amongst the ice, many days in great peril, +till at the last (by the providence of God) they came safely to harbour in +their wished port in the Countess of Warwick’s Sound the 20th July +aforesaid, ten days before any of the other ships; who going on shore, +found where the people of the country had been, and had hid their provision +in great heaps of stone, being both of flesh and fish, which they had +killed, whereof we also found great store in other places after our +arrival. They found also divers engines, as bows, slings, and +darts. They found likewise certain pieces of the pinnace which our +general left there the year before; which pinnace he had sunk, minding to +have it again the next year.</p> +<p>Now, seeing I have entreated so much of the <i>Judith</i> and the +<i>Michael</i>, I will return to the rest of the other ships, and will +speak a little of the storm which fell, with the mishaps that we had, the +night that we put into the ice, whereof I made mention before.</p> +<p>At the first entry into the ice, in the mouth of the straits, our +passage was very narrow and difficult; but being once gotten in, we had a +fair, open place without any ice for the most part; being a league in +compass, the ice being round about us, and enclosing us, as it were, within +the pales of a park. In which place (because it was almost night) we +minded to take in our sails and lie a hull all that night. But the +storm so increased, and the waves began to mount aloft, which brought the +ice so near us, and coming in so fast upon us, that we were fain to bear in +and out, where ye might espy an open place. Thus the ice coming on us +so fast we were in great danger, looking every hour for death, and thus +passed we on in that great danger, seeing both ourselves and the rest of +our ships so troubled and tossed amongst the ice, that it would make the +strongest-heart to relent.</p> +<p>At the last, the barque <i>Dionyse</i>, being but a weak ship, and +bruised afore amongst the ice, being so leak that she no longer could carry +above water, sank without saving any of the goods which were in her: the +sight so abashed the whole fleet, that we thought verily we should have +tasted of the same sauce. But nevertheless, we seeing them in such +danger, manned our boats, and saved all the men, in such wise that not one +perished. (God be thanked.)</p> +<p>The storm still increased and the ice enclosed us, that we were fain to +take down top and topmasts; for the ice had so environed us, that we could +see neither land nor sea as far as we could ken; so that we were fain to +cut our cables to hang overboard for fenders, somewhat to ease the +ship’s sides from the great and dreary strokes of the ice; some with +capstan bars, some fending off with oars, some with planks of two inches +thick, which were broken immediately with the force of the ice, some going +out upon the ice, to bear it off with their shoulders from the ships. +But the rigorousness of the tempest was such, and the force of the ice so +great, that not only they burst and spoiled the foresaid provision, but +likewise so raised the sides of the ships that it was pitiful to behold, +and caused the hearts of many to faint.</p> +<p>Thus continued we all that dismal and lamentable night, plunged in this +perplexity, looking for instant death; but our God (who never leaveth them +destitute which faithfully call upon Him), although He often punisheth for +amendment’s sake, in the morning caused the winds to cease, and the +fog, which all that night lay on the face of the water, to clear, so that +we might perceive about a mile from us a certain place clear from any ice, +to the which with an easy breath of wind, which our God sent us, we bent +ourselves, and furthermore He provided better for us than we deserved, or +hoped for; for when we were in the foresaid clear place, He sent us a fresh +gale at west, or at west-south-west, which set us clear without all the +ice. And further He added more, for He sent us so pleasant a day, as +the like we had not of a long time before, as after punishment +consolation.</p> +<p>Thus we joyful whites, being at liberty, took in all our sails, and lay +a hull, praising God for our deliverance, and stayed to gather together our +fleet; which once being done, we seeing that none of them had any great +hurt, neither any of them wanted, saving only they of whom I spake before, +and the ship which was lost, then at the last we hoisted our sails, and lay +bulting off and on, till such time as it would please God to take away the +ice, that we might get into the straits.</p> +<p>As we thus lay off and on, we came by a marvellous huge mountain of ice, +which surpassed all the rest that ever we saw, for we judged it to be near +four score fathoms above water, and we thought it to be aground for +anything that we could perceive, being there nine score fathoms deep, and +of compass about half a mile.</p> +<p>Also the fifth of July there fell a hideous fog and mist, that continued +till the nineteenth of the same, so that one ship could not see +another. Therefore we were fain to bear a small sail, and to observe +the time, but there ran such a current of tide, that it set us to the +north-west of the Queen’s Forehand, the back side of all the straits, +where (through the contagious fog having no sight either of sun or star) we +scarce knew where we were. In this fog the 10th July we lost the +company of the <i>Vice-Admiral</i>, the <i>Anne Francis</i>, the <i>Busse +of Bridgewater</i>, and the <i>Francis of Foy</i>.</p> +<p>The sixteenth day, one of our small barques, named the <i>Gabriel</i>, +was sent by our general to bear in with the land, to descry it, where, +being on land, they met with the people of the country, which seemed very +humane and civilised, and offered to traffic with our men, proffering them +fowls and skins for knives and other trifles, whose courtesy caused us to +think that they had small conversation with the other of the straits. +Then we bare back again, to go with the Queen’s Forehand, and the +18th day we came by two islands, whereon we went on shore, and found where +the people had been, but we saw none of them. This day we were again +in the ice, and like to be in as great peril as we were at the first. +For through the darkness and obscurity of the foggy mist we were almost run +on rocks and islands before we saw them: but God (even miraculously) +provided for us, opening the fogs that we might see clearly, both where and +in what danger we presently were, and also the way to escape; or else, +without fail we had ruinously run upon the rocks.</p> +<p>When we knew perfectly our instant case, we cast about to get again on +sea board, which (God be thanked) by might we obtained, and praised +God. The clear continued scarce an hour, but the fog fell again as +thick as ever it was.</p> +<p>Then the <i>Rear-Admiral</i> and the <i>Bear</i> got themselves clear +without danger of ice and rocks, struck their sails and lay a hull, staying +to have the rest of the fleet come forth, which as yet had not found the +right way to clear themselves from the danger of rocks and ice, until the +next morning, at what time the <i>Rear-Admiral</i> discharged certain +warning pieces, to give notice that she had escaped, and that the rest (by +following of her) might set themselves free, which they did that day. +Then having gathered ourselves together, we proceeded on our purposed +voyage, bearing off, and keeping ourselves distant from the coast, until +the 19th day of July, at which time the fogs brake up and dispersed, so +that we might plainly and clearly behold the pleasant air which had so long +been taken from us by the obscurity of the foggy mists; and, after that +time, we were not much encumbered therewith until we had left the confines +of the country.</p> +<p>Then we, espying a fair sound, supposed it to go into the straits, +between the Queen’s Foreland and Jackman’s Sound, which proved +as we imagined. For our general sent forth again the <i>Gabriel</i> +to discover it, who passed through with much difficulty, for there ran such +an extreme current of a tide, with so horrible a gulf, that with a fresh +gale of wind they were scarce able to stem it, yet at the length with great +travel they passed it, and came to the straits, where they met with the +<i>Thomas Allen</i>, the <i>Thomas of Ipswich</i>, and the <i>Busse of +Bridgewater</i>, who all together adventured to bear into the ice again, to +see if they could obtain their wished port. But they were so +encumbered, that with much difficulty they were able to get out again, yet +at the last they escaping the <i>Thomas Allen</i> and the <i>Gabriel</i>, +bear in with the western shore, where they found harbour, and they moored +their ships until the 4th of August, at which time they came to us, in the +Countess of Warwick’s Sound. The <i>Thomas of Ipswich</i> +caught a great leak, which caused her to cast again to sea board, and so +was mended.</p> +<p>We sailed along still by the coast until we came to the Queen’s +Forehand, at the point whereof we met with part of the gulf aforesaid, +which place or gulf (as some of our masters do credibly report) doth flow +nine hours and ebbs but three. At that point we discovered certain +lands southward, which neither time nor opportunity would serve to +search. Then being come to the mouth of the straits, we met with the +<i>Anne Francis</i>, who had lain bulting up and down ever since her +departure alone, never finding any of her company. We met then also +the <i>Francis of Foy</i>, with whom again we intended to venture and get +in, but the ice was yet so thick, that we were compelled again to retire +and get us on sea board.</p> +<p>There fell also the same day, being the 26th July, such a horrible snow, +that it lay a foot thick upon the hatches, which froze as fast as it +fell.</p> +<p>We had also at other times divers cruel storms, both snow and hail, +which manifestly declared the distemperature of the country: yet for all +that we were so many times repulsed and put back from our purpose, knowing +that lingering delay was not profitable for us, but hurtful to our voyage, +we mutually consented to our valiant general once again to give the +onset.</p> +<p>The 28th day, therefore, of the same July we assayed, and with little +trouble (God be praised) we passed the dangers by daylight. Then +night falling on the face of the earth, we hulled in the clear, till the +cheerful light of the day had chased away the noisome darkness of the +night, at which the we set forward toward our wished port; by the 30th day +we obtained our expected desire, where we found the <i>Judith</i> and the +<i>Michael</i>, which brought no small joy unto the general, and great +consolation to the heavy hearts of those wearied wights.</p> +<p>The 30th day of July we brought our ships into the Countess of +Warwick’s Sound, and moored them, namely these ships, the +<i>Admiral</i>, the <i>Rear-Admiral</i>, the <i>Francis of Foy</i>, the +<i>Bear</i>, <i>Armenel</i>, the <i>Salomon</i>, and the <i>Busse of +Bridgewater</i>, which being done, our general commanded us all to come +ashore upon the Countess Island, where he set his miners to work upon the +mine, giving charge with expedition to despatch with their lading.</p> +<p>Our general himself, accompanied with his gentleman, divers times made +roads into sundry parts of the country, as well to find new mines as also +to find out and see the people of the country. He found out one mine, +upon an island by Bear’s Sound, and named it the Countess of Sussex +Island. One other was found in Winter’s Fornace, with divers +others, to which the ships were sent sunderly to be laden. In the +same roads he met with divers of the people of the country at sundry times, +as once at a place called David’s Sound, who shot at our men, and +very desperately gave them the onset, being not above three or four in +number, there being of our countrymen above a dozen; but seeing themselves +not able to prevail, they took themselves to flight, whom our men pursued, +but being not used to such craggy cliffs, they soon lost the sight of them, +and so in vain returned.</p> +<p>We also saw them at Bear’s Sound, both by sea and land, in great +companies; but they would at all times keep the water between them and +us. And if any of our ships chanced to be in the sound (as they came +divers times), because the harbour was not very good, the ship laded, and +departed again; then so long as any ships were in sight, the people would +not be seen. But when as they perceived the ships to be gone, they +would not only show themselves standing upon high cliffs, and call us to +come over unto them, but also would come in their boats very near to us, as +it were to brag at us; whereof our general, having advertisement, sent for +the captain and gentlemen of the ships to accompany and attend upon him, +with the captain also of the <i>Anne Francis</i>, who was but the night +before come unto us. For they and the fleet-boat, having lost us the +26th day, in the great snow, put into a harbour in the Queen’s +Forehand, where they found good ore, wherewith they laded themselves, and +came to seek the general; so that now we had all our ships, saving one +barque, which was lost, and the <i>Thomas of Ipswich</i> who (compelled by +what fury I know not) forsook our company, and returned home without +lading.</p> +<p>Our general, accompanied with his gentlemen (of whom I spake), came +altogether to the Countess of Sussex Island, near to Bear’s Sound, +where he manned out certain pinnaces and went over to the people, who, +perceiving his arrival, fled away with all speed, and in haste left certain +darts and other engines behind them which we found, but the people we could +not find.</p> +<p>The next morning our general, perceiving certain of them in boat upon +the sea, gave chase to them in a pinnace under sail, with a fresh gale of +wind, but could by no means come near unto them, for the longer he sailed +the farther off he was from them, which well showed their cunning and +activity. Thus time wearing away, and the day of our departure +approaching, our general commanded to lade with all expedition, that we +might be again on sea board with our ship; for whilst we were in the +country we were in continual danger of freezing in, for often snow and +hail, often the water was so much frozen and congealed in the night, that +in the morning we could scarce row our boats or pinnaces, especially in +Dier’s Sound, which is a calm and still water, which caused our +general to make the more haste, so that by the 30th day of August we were +all laden, and made all things ready to depart. But before I proceed +any further herein, to show what fortune befell at our departure, I will +turn my pen a little to Master Captain Fenton, and those gentlemen which +should have inhabited all the year in those countries, whose valiant minds +were much to be commended, that neither fear of force, nor the cruel +nipping storms of the raging winter, neither the intemperature of so +unhealthful a country, neither the savageness of the people, neither the +sight and show of such and so many strange meteors, neither the desire to +return to their native soil, neither regard of friends, neither care of +possessions and inheritances, finally, not the love of life (a thing of all +other most sweet), neither the terror of dreadful death itself, might seem +to be of sufficient force to withdraw their prowess, or to restrain from +that purpose, thereby to have profited their country; but that with most +willing hearts, venturous minds, stout stomachs, and singular manhood, they +were content there to have tarried for the time, among a barbarous and +uncivilised people, infidels and miscreants, to have made their dwelling, +not terrified with the manifold and imminent dangers which they were like +to run into; and seeing before their eyes so many casualties, whereto their +life was subject, the least whereof would have made a milksop Thersites +astonished and utterly discomfited; being, I say, thus minded and purposed, +they deserved special commendation, for, doubtless, they had done as they +intended, if luck had not withstood their willingness, and if that fortune +had not so frowned upon their intents.</p> +<p>For the bark <i>Dionyse</i>, which was lost, had in her much of their +house, which was prepared and should have been builded for them, with many +other implements. Also the <i>Thomas of Ipswich</i>, which had most +of their provision in her, came not into the straits at all, neither did we +see her since the day we were separated in the great snow (of which I spake +before). For these causes, having not their house nor yet provision, +they were disappointed of their pretence to tarry, and therefore laded +their ships and so came away with us.</p> +<p>But before we took shipping, we builded a little house in the Countess +of Warwick’s Island, and garnished it with many kinds of trifles, as +pins, points, laces, glasses, combs, babes on horseback and on foot, with +innumerable other such fancies and toys, thereby to allure and entice the +people to some familiarity against other years.</p> +<p>Thus having finished all things we departed the country (as I said +before); but because the <i>Busse</i> had not lading enough in her, she put +into Bear’s Sound to take a little more. In the meanwhile, the +<i>Admiral</i>, and the rest without the sea, stayed for her. And +that night fell such an outrageous tempest, beating on our ships with such +vehement rigour that anchor and cable availed nought, for we were driven on +rocks and islands of ice, insomuch that had not the great goodness of God +been miraculously showed to us, we had been cast away every man. This +danger was more doubtful and terrible than any that preceded or went +before, for there was not any one ship (I think) that escaped without +damage. Some lost anchor, and also gables, some boats, some pinnaces, +some anchor, gables, boats, and pinnaces.</p> +<p>This boisterous storm so severed us one from another, that one ship knew +not what was become of another. The <i>Admiral</i> knew not where to +find the <i>Vice-Admiral</i> or <i>Rear-Admiral</i>, or any other ship of +our company. Our general, being on land in Bear’s Sound, could +not come to his ship, but was compelled to go aboard the <i>Gabriel</i>, +where he continued all the way homewards, for the boisterous blasts +continued so extremely, and so long a time, that it sent us homeward (which +was God’s favour towards us), will we, nill we, in such haste, as not +any one of us were able to keep in company of other, but were +separated. And if by chance any one ship did overtake other by +swiftness of sail, or met (as they often did), yet was the rigour of the +wind so hideous, that they could not continue company together the space of +one whole night.</p> +<p>Thus our journey outward was not so pleasant, but our coming thither, +entering the coasts and country by narrow straits, perilous ice, and swift +tides, our times of abode there in snow and storms, and our departure from +thence, the 3rd of August, with dangerous blustering winds and +tempest’s, which that night arose, was as uncomfortable, separating +us so, as we sailed, that not any of us met together until the 28th of +September, which day we fell on the English coasts, between Scilly and the +Land’s End, and passed the Channel, until our arrival in the river +Thames.</p> +<h2>THE REPORT OF THOMAS WIARS,</h2> +<p><i>Passenger in the</i> “<i>Emmanuel</i>,” <i>otherwise +called the</i> “<i>Busse of Bridgewater</i>,” <i>wherein James +Leeche was Master</i>, <i>one of the ships in the last voyage of Master +Martin Frobisher</i>, 1578, <i>concerning the discovery of the great island +in their way homeward</i>, <i>the</i> 12<i>th of September</i>.</p> +<p>The <i>Busse of Bridgewater</i> was left in Bear’s Sound, at Meta +Incognita, the 2nd day of September, behind the fleet, in some distress, +through much wind riding near the lee shore, and forced there to ride it +out upon the hazard of her cables and anchors, which were all aground but +two. The 3rd of September being fair weather, and the wind +north-north-west, she set sail, and departed thence and fell with +Friesland, on he 8th day of September, at six of the clock at night, and +then they set off from the south-west point of Friesland, the wind being at +east and east-south-east; but that night the wind veered southerly, and +shifted oftentimes that night. But on the 10th day, in the morning, +the wind at west-north-west, fair weather, they steered south-east and by +south, and continued that course until the 12th day of September, when +about 11 o’clock before noon they descried a land, which was from +them about five leagues, and the southernmost part of it was +south-east-by-east from them, and the northernmost next north-north-east, +or north-east. The master accounted that Friesland, the south-east +point of it, was from him at that instant, when he first descried this new +island, north-west-by-north fifty leagues. They account this island +to be twenty-five leagues long, and the longest way of it south-east and +north-west. The southern part of it is in the latitude of fifty-seven +degrees and one second part, or thereabout. They continued in sight +of it from the twelfth day at eleven of the clock till the thirteenth day +three of the clock in the afternoon, when they left it; and the last part +they saw of it bare from them north-west-by-north. There appeared two +harbours upon that coast, the greatest of them seven leagues to the +northwards of the southernmost point, the other but four leagues. +There was very much ice near the same land, and also twenty or thirty +leagues from it, for they were not clear of ice till the 15th day of +September, afternoon. They plied their voyage homeward, and fell with +the west part of Ireland, about Galway, and had first sight of it on the +25th day of September.</p> +<h2>THE FIRST VOYAGE OF MASTER JOHN DAVIS,</h2> +<p><i>Undertaken in June</i>, 1585, <i>for the discovery of the North-West +Passage</i>, <i>written by John James Marchant</i>, <i>servant to the +Worshipful Master William Sanderson</i>.</p> +<p>Certain honourable personages and worthy gentlemen of the Court and +country, with divers worshipful merchants of London and of the West +Countrie, moved with desire to advance God’s glory, and to seek the +good of their native country, consulting together of the likelihood of the +discovery of the North-West Passage, which heretofore had been attempted, +but unhappily given over by accidents unlooked for, which turned the +enterprisers from their principal purpose, resolved, after good +deliberation, to put down their adventures, to provide for necessary +shipping, and a fit man to be chief conductor of this so hard an +enterprise. The setting forth of this action was committed by the +adventurers especially to the care of Master William Sanderson, merchant of +London, who was so forward therein, that besides his travel, which was not +small, he became the greatest adventurer with his purse, and commended unto +the rest of the company one Master John Davis, a man very well grounded in +the principles of the art of navigation, for captain and chief pilot of +this exploit.</p> +<p>Thus, therefore, all things being put in a readiness, we departed from +Dartmouth the 7th of June towards the discovery of the aforesaid North-West +Passage with two barques, the one being of fifty tons, named the +<i>Sunshine</i>, of London, and the other being thirty-five tons, named the +<i>Moonshine</i>, of Dartmouth. In the <i>Sunshine</i> we had +twenty-three persons, whose names are these following: Master John Davis, +captain; William Eston, master; Richard Pope, master’s mate; John +Jane, merchant; Henry Davie, gunner; William Crosse, boatswain; John Bagge, +Walter Arthur, Luke Adams, Robert Coxworthie, John Ellis, John Kelly, +Edward Helman, William Dicke, Andrew Maddocke, Thomas Hill, Robert Wats, +carpenter, William Russell, Christopher Gorney, boy; James Cole, Francis +Ridley, John Russel, Robert Cornish, musicians.</p> +<p>The <i>Moonshine</i> had nineteen persons, William Bruton, captain; John +Ellis, master; the rest mariners.</p> +<p>The 7th of June the captain and the master drew out a proportion for the +continuance of our victuals.</p> +<p>The 8th day, the wind being at south-west and west-south-west, we put in +for Falmouth, where we remained until the 13th.</p> +<p>The 13th the wind blew at north, and being fair weather we departed.</p> +<p>The 14th, with contrary wind, we were forced to put into Scilly.</p> +<p>The 15th we departed thence, having the wind north and by east, moderate +and fair weather.</p> +<p>The 16th we were driven back again, and were constrained to arrive at +New Grimsby, at Scilly; here the wind remained contrary twelve days, and in +that space the captain, the master, and I went about all the islands, and +the captain did plan out and describe the situation of all the islands, +rocks, and harbours to the exact use of navigation, with lines and scale +thereunto convenient.</p> +<p>The 28th, in God’s name, we departed, the wind being easterly, but +calm.</p> +<p>The 29th very foggy.</p> +<p>The 30th foggy.</p> +<p>The 1st of July we saw great store of porpoises, the master called for a +harping-iron, and shot twice or thrice; sometimes he missed, and at last +shot one and struck him in the side, and wound him into the ship; when we +had him aboard, the master said it was a darley head.</p> +<p>The 2nd we had some of the fish boiled, and it did eat as sweet as any +mutton.</p> +<p>The 3rd we had more in sight, and the master went to shoot at them, but +they were so great, that they burst our irons, and we lost both fish, +irons, pastime, and all; yet, nevertheless, the master shot at them with a +pike, and had well-nigh gotten one, but he was so strong, that he burst off +the bars of the pike and went away. Then he took the boat-hook, and +hit one with that; but all would not prevail, so at length we let them +alone.</p> +<p>The 6th we saw a very great whale, and every day after we saw whales +continually.</p> +<p>The 16th, 17th, and 18th we saw great store of whales.</p> +<p>The 19th of July we fell into a great whirling and brustling of a tide, +setting to the northward; and sailing about half a league we came into a +very calm sea, which bent to the south-south-west. Here we heard a +mighty great roaring of the sea, as if it had been the breach of some +shore, the air being so foggy and full of thick mist, that we could not see +the one ship from the other, being a very small distance asunder; so the +captain and the master, being in distrust how the tide might set them, +caused the <i>Moonshine</i> to hoist out her boat and to sound, but they +could not find ground in three hundred fathoms and better. Then the +captain, master, and I went towards the breach to see what it should be, +giving charge to our gunners that at every blast they should shoot off a +musket shot, to the intent we might keep ourselves from losing them; then +coming near to the breach, we met many islands of ice floating, which had +quickly compassed us about. Then we went upon some of them, and did +perceive that all the roaring which we heard was caused only by the rolling +of this ice together. Our company seeing us not to return according +to our appointment, left off shooting muskets and began to shoot falconets, +for they feared some mishap had befallen us; but before night we came +aboard again, with our boat laden with ice, which made very good fresh +water. Then we bent our course toward the north, hoping by that means +to double the land.</p> +<p>The 20th, as we sailed along the coast, the fog brake up, and we +discovered the land, which was the most deformed, rocky, and mountainous +land that ever we saw, the first sight whereof did show as if it had been +in form of a sugar loaf, standing to our sight above the clouds, for that +it did show over the fog like a white liste in the sky, the tops altogether +covered with snow, and the shore beset with ice a league off into the sea, +making such irksome noise as that it seemed to be the true pattern of +desolation, and after the same our captain named it the land of +desolation.</p> +<p>The 21st the wind came northerly and overblew, so that we were +constrained to bend our course south again, for we perceived that we were +run into a very deep bay, where we were almost compassed with ice, for we +saw very much towards the north-north-east, west, and south-west; and this +day and this night we cleared ourselves of the ice, running +south-south-west along the shore.</p> +<p>Upon Thursday, being the 22nd of this month, about three of the clock in +the morning, we hoisted out our boat, and the captain, with six sailors, +went towards the shore, thinking to find a landing-place, for the night +before we did perceive the coast to be void of ice to our judgment; and the +same night we were all persuaded that we had seen a canoe rowing along the +shore, but afterwards we fell in some doubt of it, but we had no great +reason so to do. The captain, rowing towards the shore, willed the +master to bear in with the land after him; and before he came near the +shore, by the space of a league, or about two miles, he found so much ice +that he could not get to land by any means. Here our mariners put to +their lines to see if they could get any fish, because there were so many +seals upon the coast, and the birds did beat upon the water, but all was in +vain: the water about this coast was very black and thick, like to a filthy +standing pool; we sounded, and had ground in 120 fathoms. While the +captain was rowing to the shore our men saw woods upon the rocks, like to +the rocks of Newfoundland, but I could not discern them; yet it might be so +very well, for we had wood floating upon the coast every day, and the +<i>Moonshine</i> took up a tree at sea not far from the coast, being sixty +foot of length and fourteen handfuls about, having the root upon it. +After, the captain came aboard, the weather being very calm and fair, we +bent our course toward the south with intent to double the land.</p> +<p>The 23rd we coasted the land which did lie east-north-east and +west-south-west.</p> +<p>The 24th, the wind being very fair at east, we coasted the land, which +did lie east and west, not being able to come near the shore by reason of +the great quantity of ice. At this place, because the weather was +somewhat cold by reason of the ice, and the better to encourage our men, +their allowance was increased. The captain and the master took order +that every mess, being five persons, should have half a pound of bread and +a can of beer every morning to breakfast. The weather was not very +cold, but the air was moderate, like to our April weather in England. +When the wind came from the land or the ice it was somewhat cold, but when +it came off the sea it was very hot.</p> +<p>The 25th of this month we departed from sight of this land at six of the +clock in the morning, directing our course to the north-westward, hoping in +God’s mercy to find our desired passage, and so continued above four +days.</p> +<p>The 29th of July we discovered land in 64 degrees 15 minutes of +latitude, bearing north-east from us. The wind being contrary to go +to the north-westward, we bear in with this land to take some view of it, +being utterly void of the pester of ice, and very temperate. Coming +near the coast we found many fair sounds and good roads for shipping, and +many great inlets into the land, whereby we judged this land to be a great +number of islands standing together. Here, having moored our barque +in good order, we went on shore upon a small island to seek for water and +wood. Upon this island we did perceive that there had been people, +for we found a small shoe and pieces of leather sewed with sinews and a +piece of fur, and wool like to beaver. Then we went upon another +island on the other side of our ships, and the captain, the master, and I, +being got up to the top of a high rock, the people of the country having +espied us made a lamentable noise, as we thought, with great outcries and +screechings; we, hearing them, thought it had been the howling of +wolves. At last I halloed again, and they likewise cried; then we, +perceiving where they stood—some on the shore, and one rowing in a +canoe about a small island fast by them—we made a great noise, partly +to allure them to us and partly to warn our company of them. +Whereupon Master Bruton and the master of his ship, with others of their +company, made great haste towards us, and brought our musicians with them +from our ship, purposing either by force to rescue us, if needs should so +require, or with courtesy to allure the people. When they came unto +us we caused our musicians to play, ourselves dancing and making many signs +of friendship. At length there came ten canoes from the other +islands, and two of them came so near the shore where we were that they +talked with us, the other being in their boats a pretty way off. +Their pronunciation was very hollow through the throat, and their speech +such as we could not understand, only we allured them by friendly +embracings and signs of courtesy. At length one of them, pointing up +to the sun with his hand, would presently strike his breast so hard that we +might hear the blow. This he did many times before he would any way +trust us. Then John Ellis, the master of the <i>Moonshine</i>, was +appointed to use his best policy to gain their friendship, who shook his +breast and pointed to the sun after their order, which when he had divers +times done they began to trust him, and one of them came on shore, to whom +we threw our caps, stockings, and gloves, and such other things as then we +had about us, playing with our music, and making signs of joy, and +dancing. So the night coming we bade them farewell, and went aboard +our barques.</p> +<p>The next morning, being the 30th of July, there came thirty-seven canoes +rowing by our ships calling to us to come on shore; we not making any great +haste unto them, one of them went up to the top of the rock, and leaped and +danced as they had done the day before, showing us a seal skin, and another +thing made like a timbrel, which he did beat upon with a stick, making a +noise like a small drum. Whereupon we manned our boats and came to +them, they all staying in their canoes. We came to the water’s +side, where they were, and after we had sworn by the sun after their +fashion they did trust us. So I shook hands with one of them, and he +kissed my hand, and we were very familiar with them. We were in so +great credit with them upon this single acquaintance that we could have +anything they had. We bought five canoes of them; we bought their +clothes from their backs, which were all made of seal skins and +birds’ skins; their buskins, their hose, their gloves, all being +commonly sewed and well dressed, so that we were fully persuaded that they +have divers artificers among them. We had a pair of buskins of them +full of fine wool like beaver. Their apparel for heat was made of +birds’ skins with their feathers on them. We saw among them +leather dressed like glover’s leather, and thick thongs like white +leather of good length. We had of their darts and oars, and found in +them that they would by no means displease us, but would give us whatsoever +we asked of them, and would be satisfied with whatsoever we gave +them. They took great care one of another, for when we had bought +their boats then two other would come, and carry him away between them that +had sold us his. They are a very tractable people, void of craft or +double dealing, and easy to be brought to any civility or good order, but +we judged them to be idolaters, and to worship the sun.</p> +<p>During the time of our abode among these islands we found reasonable +quantity of wood, both fir, spruce, and juniper; which, whether it came +floating any great distance to these places where we found it, or whether +it grew in some great islands near the same place by us not yet discovered, +we know not. But we judge that it groweth there farther into the land +than we were, because the people had great store of darts and oars which +they made none account of, but gave them to us for small trifles as points +and pieces of paper. We saw about this coast marvellous great +abundance of seals sculling together like sculls of small fish. We +found no fresh water among these islands, but only snow-water, whereof we +found great pools. The cliffs were all of such ore as Master +Frobisher brought from Meta Incognita. We had divers shewes of study +or Moscovie glass, shining not altogether unlike to crystal. We found +an herb growing upon the rocks whose fruit was sweet, full of red juice, +and the ripe ones were like currants. We found also birch and willow +growing like shrubs low to the ground. These people have great store +of furs as we judged. They made shows unto us the 30th of this +present, which was the second time of our being with them, after they +perceived we would have skins and furs, that they would go into the country +and come again the next day with such things as they had; but this night +the wind coming fair the captain and the master would by no means detract +the purpose our discovery. And so the last of this month, about four +of the clock in the morning, in God’s name we set sail, and were all +that day becalmed upon the coast.</p> +<p>The 1st of August we had a fair wind, and so proceeded towards the +north-west for our discovery.</p> +<p>The 6th of August we discovered land in 66 degrees 40 minutes of +latitude altogether void from the pester of ice; we anchored in a very fair +road, under a very brave mount, the cliffs whereof were as orient as +gold. This mount was named Mount Raleigh; the road where our ships +lay at anchor was called Totnes Road; the sound which did compass the mount +was named Exeter Sound; the foreland towards the north was called +Dier’s Cape; the foreland towards the south was named Cape +Walsingham. So soon as we were come to an anchor in Totnes Road under +Mount Raleigh we espied four white bears at the foot of the mount. +We, supposing them to be goats or wolves, manned our boats and went towards +them, but when we came near the shore we found them to be white bears of a +monstrous bigness; we, being desirous of fresh victual and the sport, began +to assault them, and I being on land, one of them came down the hill right +against me. My piece was charged with hail-shot and a bullet; I +discharged my piece and shot him in the neck; he roared a little, and took +the water straight, making small account of his hurt. Then we +followed him with our boat, and killed him with boars’ spears, and +two more that night. We found nothing in their maws, but we judged by +their dung that they fed upon grass, because it appeared in all respects +like the dung of a horse, wherein we might very plainly see the very +straws.</p> +<p>The 7th we went on shore to another bear, which lay all night upon the +top of an island under Mount Raleigh, and when we came up to him he lay +fast asleep. I levelled at his head, and the stone of my piece gave +no fire; with that he looked up and laid down his head again; then I shot, +being charged with two bullets, and struck him in the head; he, being but +amazed, fell backwards, whereupon we ran all upon him with boar spears and +thrust him in the body, yet for all that he gripped away our boar spears +and went towards the water, and as he was going down he came back +again. Then our master shot his boar spear and struck him in the +head, and made him to take the water, and swim into a cove fast by, where +we killed him and brought him aboard. The breadth of his fore foot +from one side to the other was fourteen inches over. They were very +fat, so as we were constrained to cast the fat away. We saw a raven +upon Mount Raleigh. We found withies, also, growing low like shrubs, +and flowers like primroses in the said place. The coast is very +mountainous, altogether without wood, grass, or earth, and is only huge +mountains of stone, but the bravest stone that ever we saw. The air +was very moderate in this country.</p> +<p>The 8th we departed from Mount Raleigh, coasting along the shore which +lieth south-south-west and east-north-east.</p> +<p>The 9th our men fell in dislike of their allowance because it was so +small as they thought. Whereupon we made a new proportion, every +mess, being five to a mess, should have four pound of bread a day, twelve +wine quarts of beer, six new land fishes, and the flesh days a gin of pease +more; so we restrained them from their butter and cheese.</p> +<p>The 11th we came to the most southerly cape of this land, which we named +the Cape of God’s Mercy, as being the place of our first entrance for +the discovery. The weather being very foggy we coasted this north +land; at length when it brake up we perceived that we were shot into a very +fair entrance or passage, being in some places twenty leagues broad and in +some thirty, altogether void of any pester of ice, the weather very +tolerable, and the water of the very colour, nature, and quality of the +main ocean, which gave us the greater hope of our passage. Having +sailed north-west sixty leagues in this entrance, we discovered certain +islands standing in the midst thereof, having open passages on both +sides. Whereupon our ships divided themselves, the one sailing on the +north side, the other on the south side of the said isles, where we stayed +five days, having the wind at south-east, very foggy, and foul weather.</p> +<p>The 14th we went on shore and found signs of people, for we found stones +laid up together like a wall, and saw the skull of a man or a woman.</p> +<p>The 15th we heard dogs howl on the shore, which we thought had been +wolves, and therefore we went on shore to kill them. When we came on +land the dogs came presently to our boat very gently, yet we thought they +came to prey upon us, and therefore we shot at them and killed two, and +about the neck of one of them we found a leathern collar, whereupon we +thought them to be tame dogs. There were twenty dogs like mastiffs, +with pricked ears and long bushed tails; we found a bone in the pizels of +their dogs. Then we went farther and found two sleds made like ours +in England. The one was made of fir, spruce, and oaken boards, sawn +like inch boards; the other was made all of whalebone, and there hung on +the tops of the sleds three heads of beasts which they had killed. We +saw here larks, ravens, and partridges.</p> +<p>The 17th we went on shore, and in a little thing made like an oven with +stones I found many small trifles, as a small canoe made of wood, a piece +of wood made like an image, a bird made of bone, beads having small holes +in one end of them to hang about their necks, and other small things. +The coast was very barbarous, without wood or grass. The rocks were +very fair, like marble, full of veins of divers colours. We found a +seal which was killed not long before, being flayed and hid under +stones.</p> +<p>Our captain and master searched still for probabilities of the passage, +and first found that this place was all islands with great sounds passing +between them.</p> +<p>Secondly, the water remained of one colour with the main ocean without +altering.</p> +<p>Thirdly, we saw to the west of those isles three or four whales in a +scull, which they judged to come from a westerly sea, because to the +eastward we saw not any whale.</p> +<p>Also, as we were rowing into a very great sound lying south-west from +whence these whales came, upon the sudden there came a violent countercheck +of a tide from the south-west against the flood which we came with, not +knowing from whence it was maintained.</p> +<p>Fifthly, in sailing 20 leagues within the mouth of this entrance we had +sounding in 90 fathoms, fair, grey, oozy sand, and the farther we run into +the westwards the deeper was the water, so that hard aboard the shore among +these isles we could not have ground in 330 fathoms.</p> +<p>Lastly, it did ebb and flow six or seven fathom up and down, the flood +coming from divers parts, so as we could not perceive the chief maintenance +thereof.</p> +<p>The 18th and 19th our captain and master determined what was best to do, +both for the safe guard of their credits and satisfy of the adventurers, +and resolved if the weather brake up to make further search.</p> +<p>The 20th, the wind came directly against us, so they altered their +purpose, and reasoned both for proceeding and returning.</p> +<p>The 21st, the wind being north-west, we departed from these islands, and +as we coasted the south shore we saw many fair sounds, whereby we were +persuaded that it was no firm land but islands.</p> +<p>The 23rd of this month the wind came south-east, very stormy and foul +weather. So we were constrained to seek harbour upon the south coast +of this entrance, where we fell into a very fair sound, and anchored in 25 +fathoms of green, oozy sand, where we went on shore, where we had manifest +signs of people, where they had made their fire, and laid stones like a +wall. In this place we saw four very fair falcons, and Master Bruton +took from one of them his prey, which we judged by the wings and legs to be +a snipe, for the head was eaten off.</p> +<p>The 24th, in the afternoon, the wind coming somewhat fair, we departed +from this road, purposing by God’s grace to return for England.</p> +<p>The 26th we departed from sight of the north land of this entrance, +directing our course homewards, until the 10th of the next month.</p> +<p>The 10th September we fell with the Land of Desolation, thinking to go +on shore, but we could get never a good harbour. That night we put to +sea again thinking to search it the next day; but this night arose a very +great storm, and separated our ships so that we lost the sight of the +<i>Moonshine</i>.</p> +<p>The 13th about noon (having tried all the night before with a goose +wing) we set sail, and within two hours after we had sight of the +<i>Moonshine</i> again. This day we departed from this land.</p> +<p>The 27th of this month we fell with sight of England. This night +we had a marvellous storm, and lost the <i>Moonshine</i>.</p> +<p>The 30th September we came into Dartmouth, where we found the +<i>Moonshine</i>, being come in not two hours before.</p> +<h2>THE SECOND VOYAGE ATTEMPTED BY MASTER JOHN DAVIS,</h2> +<p><i>With others</i>, <i>for the discovery of the North-West Passage</i>, +<i>in Anno</i> 1586.</p> +<p>The 7th day of May I departed from the port of Dartmouth for the +discovery of the North-West Passage with a ship of a 120 tons, named the +<i>Mermaid</i>; a barque of 60 tons, named the <i>Sunshine</i>; a barque of +35 tons named the <i>Moonlight</i>; and a pinnace of 10 tons named the +<i>North Star</i>.</p> +<p>And the 15th June I discovered land, in the latitude of 60 degrees, and +in longitude from the meridian of London westward 47 degrees, mightily +pestered with ice and snow, so that there was no hope of landing; the ice +lay in some places 10 leagues, in some 20, and in some 50 leagues off the +shore, so that we were constrained to bear into 57 degrees to double the +same, and to recover a free sea, which through God’s favourable mercy +we at length obtained.</p> +<p>The nine-and-twentieth day of June, after many tempestuous storms, we +again discovered land in longitude from the meridian of London 58 degrees +30 minutes, and in latitude 64 being east from us, into which course, since +it pleased God by contrary winds to force us, I thought it very necessary +to bear in with it, and there to set up our pinnace, provided in the +<i>Mermaid</i> to be our scout for this discovery, and so much the rather, +because the year before I had been in the same place and found it very +convenient for such a purpose, well stored with float wood, and possessed +by a people of tractable conversation; so that the nine-and-twentieth of +this month we arrived within the isles which lay before this land, lying +north-north-west and south-south-east we know not how far. This land +is very high and mountainous, having before it on the west side a mighty +company of isles full of fair sounds and harbours. This land was very +little troubled with snow, and the sea altogether void of ice.</p> +<p>The ships being within the sounds we sent our boats to search for +shallow water, where we might anchor, which in this place is very hard to +find; and as the boat went sounding and searching, the people of the +country having espied them, came in their canoes towards them with many +shouts and cries; but after they had espied in the boat some of our company +that were the year before here with us, they presently rowed to the boat +and took hold in the oar, and hung about the boat with such comfortable joy +as would require a long discourse to be uttered; they came with the boats +to our ships, making signs that they knew all those that the year before +had been with them. After I perceived their joy and small fear of us, +myself with the merchants and others of the company went ashore, bearing +with me twenty knives. I had no sooner landed, but they leapt out of +their canoes and came running to me and the rest, and embraced us with many +signs of hearty welcome. At this present there were eighteen of them, +and to each of them I gave a knife; they offered skins to me for reward, +but I made signs that it was not sold, but given them of courtesy, and so +dismissed them for that time, with signs that they should return again +after certain hours.</p> +<p>The next day, with all possible speed, the pinnace was landed upon an +isle there to be finished to serve our purpose for the discovery, which +isle was so convenient for that purpose, as that we were very well able to +defend ourselves against many enemies. During the time that the +pinnace was there setting up, the people came continually unto us, +sometimes a hundred canoes at a time, sometimes forty, fifty, more and less +as occasion served. They brought with them seal skins, stags’ +skins, white hares, seal fish, salmon peel, small cod, dry caplin, with +other fish and birds such as the country did yield.</p> +<p>Myself, still desirous to have a farther search of this place, sent one +of the ship boats to one part of the land, and myself went to another part +to search for the habitation of this people, with straight commandment that +there should be no injury offered to any of the people, neither any one +shot.</p> +<p>The boats that went from me found the tents of the people made with seal +skins set up upon timber, wherein they found great store of dried caplin, +being a little fish no bigger than a pilchard. They found bags of +train oil, many little images cut in wood, seal skins in tan tubs with many +other such trifles, whereof they diminished nothing.</p> +<p>They also found ten miles within the snowy mountains a plain champion +country, with earth and grass, such as our moory and waste grounds of +England are. They went up into a river (which in the narrowest place +is two leagues broad) about ten leagues, finding it still to continue they +knew not how far; but I with my company took another river, which although +at the first it offered a large inlet, yet it proved but a deep bay, the +end whereof in four hours I attained, and there leaving the boat well +manned, went with the rest of my company three or four miles into the +country, but found nothing, nor saw anything, save only gripes, ravens, and +small birds, as lark and linnet.</p> +<p>The 3rd of July I manned my boat, and went with fifty canoes attending +upon me up into another sound, where the people by signs willed me to go, +hoping to find their habitation; at length they made signs that I should go +into a warm place to sleep, at which place I went on shore, and ascended +the top of high hill to see into the country, but perceiving my labour +vain, I returned again to my boat, the people still following me and my +company very diligent to attend us, and to help us up the rocks, and +likewise down; at length I was desirous to have our men leap with them, +which was done, but our men did overleap them; from leaping they went to +wrestling; we found them strong and nimble, and to have skill in wrestling, +for they cast some of our men that were good wrestlers. The 4th of +July we launched our pinnace, and had forty of the people to help us, which +they did very willingly. At this time our men again wrestled with +them, and found them as before, strong and skilful. This 4th of July, +the master of the <i>Mermaid</i> went to certain islands to store himself +with wood, where he found a grave with divers buried in it, only covered +with seal skins, having a cross laid over them. The people are of +good stature, well in body proportioned, with small, slender hands and +feet, with broad visages, and small eyes, wide mouths, the most part +unbearded, great lips, and close toothed. Their custom is, as often +as they go from us, still at their return, to make a new truce, in this +sort: holding his hand up to the sun, with a loud voice crieth +“Ylyaoute,” and striketh his breast, with like signs being +promised safety, he giveth credit. These people are much given to +bleed, and therefore stop their noses with deer hair or the hair of an +elan. They are idolaters, and have images great store, which they +wear about them, and in their boats, which we suppose they worship. +They are witches, and have many kinds of enchantments, which they often +used, but to small purpose, thanks be to God.</p> +<p>Being among them at shore, the 4th of July, one of them, making a long +oration, began to kindle a fire, in this manner: he took a piece of a +board, wherein was a hole half through; unto that hole he puts the end of a +round stick, like unto a bed staff, wetting the end thereof in train, and +in fashion of a turner, with a piece of leather, by his violent motion doth +very speedily produce fire; which done, with turfs he made a fire, into +which, with many words and strange gestures, he put divers things which we +suppose to be a sacrifice. Myself and divers of my company standing +by, they were desirous to have me go into the smoke; I willed them likewise +to stand in the smoke, in which they by no means would do. I then +took one of them, and thrust him into the smoke, and willed one of my +company to tread out the fire, and to spurn it into the sea, which was done +to show them that we did contemn their sorcery. These people are very +simple in all their conversation, but marvellous thievish, especially for +iron, which they have in great account. They began through our lenity +to show their vile nature; they began to cut our cables; they cut away the +<i>Moonlight’s</i> boat from her stern; they cut our cloth where it +lay to air, though we did carefully look unto it, they stole our oars, a +calliver, a boat’s spear, a sword, with divers other things, whereat +the company and masters being grieved, for our better security desired me +to dissolve this new friendship, and to leave the company of these thievish +miscreants; whereupon there was a calliver shot among them, and immediately +upon the same a falcon, which strange noise did sore amaze them, so that +with speed they departed; notwithstanding, their simplicity is such, that +within ten hours after they came again to us to entreat peace; which, being +promised, we again fell into a great league. They brought us seal +skins and salmon peel, but, seeing iron, they could in nowise forbear +stealing; which, when I perceived it, did but minister unto me an occasion +of laughter to see their simplicity, and willed that in no case they should +be any more hardly used, but that our own company should be the more +vigilant to keep their things, supposing it to be very hard in so short +time to make them know their evils. They eat all their meat raw, they +live most upon fish, they drink salt water, and eat grass and ice with +delight; they are never out of the water, but live in the nature of fishes, +but only when dead sleep taketh them, and then under a warm rock, laying +his boat upon the land, he lieth down to sleep. Their weapons are all +darts, but some of them have bow and arrows and slings. They make +nets to take their fish of the fin of a whale; they do all their things +very artfully, and it should seem that these simple, thievish islanders +have war with those of the main, for many of them are sore wounded, which +wounds they received upon the main land, as by signs they gave us to +understand. We had among them copper ore, black copper, and red +copper; they pronounce their language very hollow, and deep in the throat; +these words following we learned from them:—</p> +<table> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Kesinyoh, eat some.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Mysacoah, wash it.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Madlycoyte, music.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Lethicksaneg, a seal-skin.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Aginyoh, go, fetch.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Canyglow, kiss me.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Yliaoute, I mean no harm.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Ugnera, my son.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Ponameg, a boat.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Acu, shot.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Conah, leap.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Aba, fallen down.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Maatuke, fish.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Icune, come hither.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Sambah, below.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Awennye, yonder.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Maconmeg, will you have this?</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Nugo, no.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Cocah, go to him.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Tucktodo, a fog.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Paaotyck, an oar.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Lechiksah, a skin.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Asanock, a dart.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Maccoah, a dart.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Sawygmeg, a knife.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Sugnacoon, a coat.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Uderah, a nose.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Gounah, come down.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Aoh, iron.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Sasobneg, a bracelet.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Blete, an eye.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Ugnake, a tongue.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Unvicke, give it.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Ataneg, a meal.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Tuckloak, a stag or elan.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Macuah, a beard.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Panygmah, a needle.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Pignagogah, a thread.</p> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<p>Aob, the sea.</p> +</td> +<td> +<p>Quoysah, give it to me.</p> +</td> +</tr> +</table> +<p>The 7th of July, being very desirous to search the habitation of this +country, I went myself with our new pinnace into the body of the land, +thinking it to be a firm continent, and passing up a very large river a +great flaw of wind took me, whereby we were constrained to seek succour for +that night, which being had, I landed with the most part of my company, and +went to the top of a high mountain, hoping from thence to see into the +country; but the mountains were so many and so mighty as that my purpose +prevailed not, whereupon I again returned to my pinnace, and willing divers +of my company to gather mussels for my supper, whereof in this place there +was great store, myself having espied a very strange sight, especially to +me, that never before saw the like, which was a mighty whirlwind, taking up +the water in very great quantity, furiously mounting it into the air, which +whirlwind was not for a puff or blast, but continual for the space of three +hours, with very little intermission, which since it was in the course that +I should pass, we were constrained that night to take up our lodging under +the rocks.</p> +<p>The next morning, the storm being broken up, we went forward in our +attempt, and sailed into a mighty great river, directly into the body of +the land, and in brief found it to be no firm land, but huge, waste, and +desert isles with mighty sounds and inlets passing between sea and +sea. Whereupon we returned towards our ships, and landing to stop a +flood, we found the burial of these miscreants; we found of their fish in +bags, plaices, and caplin dried, of which we took only one bag and +departed. The 9th of this month we came to our ships, where we found +the people desirous in their fashion of friendship and barter: our mariners +complained heavily against the people, and said that my lenity and friendly +using of them gave them stomach to mischief, for “they have stolen an +anchor from us. They have cut our cable very dangerously, they have +cut our boats from our stern, and now, since your departure, with slings +they spare us not with stones of half a pound weight. And will you +still endure these injuries? It is a shame to bear them.” +I desired them to be content, and said I doubted not but all should be +well. The 10th of this month I went to the shore, the people +following me in their canoes; I tolled them on shore, and used them with +much courtesy, and then departed aboard, they following me and my +company. I gave some of them bracelets, and caused seven or eight of +them to come aboard, which they did willingly; and some of them went into +the top of our ship, and thus courteously using them I let them +depart. The sun was no sooner down but they began to practise their +devilish nature, and with slings threw stones very fiercely into the +<i>Moonlight</i> and struck one of her men, the boatswain, that he +overthrew withal: whereat being moved, I changed my courtesy and grew to +hatred; myself in my own boat well manned with shot, and the barques boat +likewise pursued them, and gave them divers shot, but to small purpose, by +reason of their swift rowing; so small content we returned.</p> +<p>The 11th of this month there came five of them to make a new truce; the +master of the <i>Admiral</i> came to me to show me of their coming, and +desired to have them taken and kept as prisoners until we had his anchor +again; but when he saw that the chief ring-leader and master of mischief +was one of the five, then was vehement to execute his purpose, so it was +determined to take him; he came crying “Yliaout,” and striking +his breast offered a pair of gloves to sell; the master offered him a knife +for them: so two of them came to us; the one was not touched, but the other +was soon captive among us; then we pointed to him and his fellows for our +anchor, which being had we made signs that he should he set at liberty +within one hour that he came aboard; the wind came fair, whereupon we +weighed and set sail, and so brought the fellow with us. One of his +fellows still following our ship close aboard, talked with him, and made a +kind of lamentation, we still using him well, with “Yliaout,” +which was the common course of courtesy. At length this fellow aboard +us spoke four or five words unto the other and clapped his two hands upon +his face, whereupon the other doing the like, departed, as we supposed, +with heavy cheer. We judged the covering of his face with his hands, +and bowing of his body down, signified his death. At length he became +a pleasant companion among us. I gave him a new suit of frieze after +the English fashion, because I saw he could not endure the cold, of which +he was very joyful; he trimmed up his darts, and all his fishing tools, and +would make oakum, and set his hand to a rope’s end upon +occasion. He lived with the dry caplin that I took when I was +searching in the pinnace, and did eat dry new land fish.</p> +<p>All this while, God be thanked, our people were in very good health, +only one young man excepted, who died at sea the 14th of this month, and +the 15th, according to the order of the sea, with praise given to God by +service, was cast overboard.</p> +<p>The 17th of this month, being in the latitude of 63 degrees 8 minutes, +we fell upon a most mighty and strange quantity of ice, in one entire mass, +so big as that we knew not the limits thereof, and being withal so very +high, in form of a land, with bays and capes, and like high cliff land as +that we supposed it to be land, and therefore sent our pinnace off to +discover it; but at her return we were certainly informed that it was only +ice, which bred great admiration to us all, considering the huge quantity +thereof incredible to be reported in truth as it was, and therefore I omit +to speak any further thereof. This only, I think that the like before +was never seen, and in this place we had very stickle and strong +currents.</p> +<p>We coasted this mighty mass of ice until the 30th of July, finding it a +mighty bar to our purpose: the air in this time was so contagious, and the +sea so pestered with ice, as that all hope was banished of proceeding; for +the 24th of July all our shrouds, ropes, and sails were so frozen, and +encompassed with ice, only by a gross fog, as seemed to be more than +strange, since the last year I found this sea free and navigable, without +impediments.</p> +<p>Our men through this extremity began to grow sick and feeble, and withal +hopeless of good success; whereupon, very orderly, with good discretion +they entreated me to regard the state of this business, and withal advised +me that in conscience I ought to regard the safety of mine own life with +the preservation of theirs, and that I should not, through my overboldness, +leave their widows and fatherless children to give me bitter curses. +This matter in conscience did greatly move me to regard their estates, yet +considering the excellency of the business, if it might be obtained, the +great hope of certainty by the last year’s discovery, and that there +was yet a third way not put in practice, I thought it would grow to my +disgrace if this action by my negligence should grow into discredit: +whereupon seeking help from God, the fountain of all mercies, it pleased +His Divine Majesty to move my heart to prosecute that which I hope shall be +to His glory, and to the contentation of every Christian mind. +Whereupon, falling into consideration that the <i>Mermaid</i>, albeit a +very strong and sufficient ship, yet by reason of her burden not so +convenient and nimble as a smaller barque, especially in such desperate +hazards; further, having in account how great charge to the adventurers, +being at 100 livres the month, and that in doubtful service, all the +premises considered, with divers other things, I determined to furnish the +<i>Moonlight</i> with revictualing and sufficient men, and to proceed in +this action as God should direct me; whereupon I altered our course from +the ice, and bore east-south-east to the cover of the next shore, where +this thing might be performed; so with favourable wind it pleased God that +the 1st of August we discovered the land in latitude 66 degrees 33 minutes, +and in longitude from the meridian of London 70 degrees, void of trouble, +without snow or ice.</p> +<p>The 2nd of August we harboured ourselves in a very excellent good road, +where with all speed we graved the <i>Moonlight</i>, and revictualled her; +we searched this country with our pinnace while the barque was trimming, +which William Eston did: he found all this land to be only islands, with a +sea on the east, a sea on the west, and a sea on the north. In this +place we found it very hot, and we were very much troubled with a fly which +is called mosquito, for they did sting grievously. The people of this +place at our first coming in caught a seal, and, with bladders fast tied to +him sent him in to us with the flood, so as he came right with our ships, +which we took as a friendly present from them.</p> +<p>The 5th of August I went with the two masters and others to the top of a +hill, and by the way William Eston espied three canoes lying under a rock, +and went unto them: there were in them skins, darts, with divers +superstitious toys, whereof we diminished no thing, but left upon every +boat a silk point, a bullet of lead, and a pin. The next day, being +the 6th of August, the people came unto us without fear, and did barter +with us for skins, as the other people did: they differ not from the other, +neither in their canoes nor apparel, yet is their pronunciation more plain +than the others, and nothing hollow in the throat. Our miscreant +aboard of us kept himself close, and made show that he would fain have +another companion. Thus being provided, I departed from this land the +12th of August at six of the clock in the morning, where I left the +<i>Mermaid</i> at anchor; the 14th sailing west about 50 leagues we +discovered land, being in latitude 66 degrees 19 minutes: this land is 70 +leagues from the other from whence we came. This 14th day, from nine +o’clock at night till three o’clock in the morning, we anchored +by an island of ice 12 leagues off the shore, being moored to the ice.</p> +<p>The 15th day, at three o’clock in the morning, we departed from +this land to the south, and the 18th of August we discovered land +north-west from us in the morning, being a very fair promontory, in +latitude 65 degrees, having no land on the south. Here we had great +hope of a through passage.</p> +<p>This day, at three o’clock in the afternoon, we again discovered +land south-west and by south from us, where at night we were +becalmed. The 19th of this month at noon, by observation, we were in +64 degrees 20 minutes. From the 18th day at noon until the 19th at +noon, by precise ordinary care, we had sailed fifteen leagues south and by +west, yet by art and more exact observation we found our course to be +south-west, so that we plainly perceived a great current striking to the +west.</p> +<p>This land is nothing in sight but isles, which increaseth our +hope. This 19th of August, at six o’clock in the afternoon, it +began to snow, and so continued all night, with foul weather and much wind, +so that we were constrained to lie at hull all night, five leagues off the +shore: in the morning, being the 20th of August, the fog and storm breaking +up, we bore in with the land, and at nine o’clock in the morning we +anchored in a very fair and safe road and locket for all weathers. At +ten o’clock I went on shore to the top of a very high hill, where I +perceived that this land was islands; at four o’clock in the +afternoon we weighed anchor, having a fair north-north-east wind, with very +fair weather; at six o’clock we were clear without the land, and so +shaped our course to the south, to discover the coast whereby the passage +may be through God’s mercy found.</p> +<p>We coasted this land till the 28th day of August, finding it still to +continue towards the south, from the latitude of 67 to 57 degrees; we found +marvellous great store of birds, gulls and mews, incredible to be reported, +whereupon being calm weather we lay one glass upon the lee to prove for +fish, in which space we caught one hundred of cod, although we were but +badly provided for fishing, not being our purpose. This 28th, having +great distrust of the weather, we arrived in a very fair harbour in the +latitude of 56 degrees, and sailed ten leagues in the same, being two +leagues broad, with very fair woods on both sides; in this place we +continued until the 1st of September, in which time we had two very great +storms. I landed, and went six miles by guess into the country, and +found that the woods were fir, pine-apple, alder, yew, withy, and birch; +here we saw a black bear; this place yieldeth great store of birds, as +pheasant, partridge, Barbary hens, or the like, wild geese, ducks, +blackbirds, jays, thrushes, with other kinds of small birds. Of the +partridge and pheasant we killed great store with bow and arrows in this +place; at the harbour-mouth we found great store of cod.</p> +<p>The 1st of September at ten o’clock we set sail, and coasted the +shore with very fair weather. The third day being calm, at noon we +struck sail, and let fall a cadge anchor to prove whether we could take any +fish, being in latitude 54 degrees 30 minutes, in which place we found +great abundance of cod, so that the hook was no sooner overboard but +presently a fish was taken. It was the largest and best refet fish +that ever I saw, and divers fishermen that were with me said that they +never saw a more suaule, or better skull of fish in their lives, yet had +they seen great abundance.</p> +<p>The 4th of September, at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, we anchored +in a very good road among great store of isles, the country low land, +pleasant, and very full of fair woods. To the north of this place +eight leagues we had a perfect hope of the passage, finding a mighty great +sea passing between two lands west. The south land to our judgment +being nothing but isles, we greatly desired to go into this sea, but the +wind was directly against us. We anchored in four fathom fine +sand.</p> +<p>In this place is fowl and fish mighty store.</p> +<p>The 6th of September, having a fair north-north-west wind, having +trimmed our barque, we purposed to depart, and sent five of our sailors, +young men, ashore to an island to fetch certain fish which we purposed to +weather, and therefore left it all night covered upon the isle; the brutish +people of this country lay secretly lurking in the wood, and upon the +sudden assaulted our men, which when we perceived, we presently let slip +our cables upon the halse, and under our foresail bore into the shore, and +with all expedition discharged a double musket upon them twice, at the +noise whereof they fled; notwithstanding, to our very great grief, two of +our men were slain with their arrows, and two grievously wounded, of whom, +at this present, we stand in very great doubt; only one escaped by +swimming, with an arrow shot through his arm. These wicked miscreants +never offered parley or speech, but presently executed their cursed +fury. This present evening it pleased God farther to increase our +sorrows with a mighty tempestuous storm, the wind being north-north-east, +which lasted unto the 10th of this month very extreme. We unrigged +our ship, and purposed to cut-down our masts; the cable of our shut anchor +broke, so that we only expected to be driven on shore amongst these +cannibals for their prey. Yet in this deep distress the mighty mercy +of God, when hope was past, gave us succour, and sent us a fair lee, so as +we recovered our anchor again, and new-moored our ship; where we saw that +God manifestly delivered us, for the strains of one of our cables were +broken; we only rode by an old junk. Thus being freshly moored, a new +storm arose, the wind being west-north-west, very forcible, which lasted +unto the 10th day at night.</p> +<p>The 11th day, with a fair west-north-west wind, we departed with trust +in God’s mercy, shaping our course for England, and arrived in the +West Country in the beginning of October.</p> +<p style="text-align: center">* * * * *</p> +<p><i>Master Davis being arrived</i>, <i>wrote his letter to Master William +Sanderson of London</i>, <i>concerning his voyage</i>, <i>as +followeth</i>.</p> +<blockquote> +<p>Sir,—The <i>Sunshine</i> came into Dartmouth the 4th of this +month: she hath been at Iceland, and from thence to Greenland, and so to +Estotiland, from thence to Desolation, and to our merchants, where she made +trade with the people, staying in the country twenty days. They have +brought home 500 seal-skins, and 140 half skins and pieces of skins. +I stand in great doubt of the pinnace; God be merciful unto the poor men +and preserve them if it be His blessed will.</p> +<p>I have now full experience of much of the north-west part of the world, +and have brought the passage to that certainty, as that I am sure it must +be in one of four places, or else not at all. And further, I can +assure you upon the peril of my life, that this voyage may be performed +without further charge, nay, with certain profit to the adventurers, if I +may have but your favour in the action. Surely it shall cost me all +my hope of welfare and my portion of Sandridge, but I will, by God’s +mercy, see an end of these businesses. I hope I shall find favour +with you to see your card. I pray God it be so true as the card shall +be which I will bring to you, and I hope in God that your skill in +navigation shall be gainful unto you, although at the first it hath not +proved so. And thus with my most humble commendations I commit you to +God, desiring no longer to live than I shall be yours most faithfully to +command. From this 14th of October, 1586.</p> +<p>Yours with my heart, body and life to command,</p> +<p style="text-align: right"><span class="smcap">John Davis</span>.</p> +</blockquote> +<p style="text-align: center">* * * * *</p> +<p><i>The relation of the course which the</i> +“<i>Sunshine</i>,” <i>a barque of fifty tons</i>, <i>and +the</i> “<i>North Star</i>,” <i>a small pinnace</i>, <i>being +two vessels of the fleet of Master John Davis</i>, <i>held after he had +sent them from him to discover the passage between Greenland and +Iceland</i>. <i>Written by Henry Morgan</i>, <i>servant to Master +William Sanderson of London</i>.</p> +<p>The 7th day of May, 1586, we departed out of Dartmouth Haven four sails, +to wit, the <i>Mermaid</i>, the <i>Sunshine</i>, the <i>Moonshine</i>, and +the <i>North Star</i>. In the <i>Sunshine</i> were sixteen men, whose +names were these: Richard Pope, master; Mark Carter, master’s mate; +Henry Morgan, purser; George Draward, John Mandie, Hugh Broken, Philip +Jane, Hugh Hempson, Richard Borden, John Filpe, Andrew Madocke, William +Wolcome, Robert Wagge, carpenter, John Bruskome, William Ashe, Simon +Ellis.</p> +<p>Our course was west-north-west the 7th and 8th days; and the ninth day +in the morning we were on head of the Tarrose of Scilly. Thus +coasting along the south part of Ireland, the 11th day we were on the head +of the Dorses, and our course was south-south-west until six of the clock +the 12th day. The 13th day our course was north-west. We +remained in the company of the <i>Mermaid</i> and the <i>Moonshine</i> +until we came to the latitude of 60 degrees, and there it seemed best to +our general, Master Davis, to divide his fleet, himself sailing to the +north-west, and to direct the <i>Sunshine</i>, wherein I was, and the +pinnace called the <i>North Star</i>, to seek a passage northward between +Greenland and Iceland to the latitude of 80 degrees, if land did not let +us. So the 7th day of June we departed from them, and the 9th of the +same we came to a firm land of ice, which we coasted along the 9th, the +10th, and the 11th days of June; and the 11th day at six of the clock at +night we saw land, which was very high, which afterwards we knew to be +Iceland, and the 12th day we harboured there, and found many people; the +land lieth east and by north in 66 degrees.</p> +<p>Their commodities were green fish and Iceland lings and stock fish, and +a fish which is called catfish, of all which they had great store. +They had also kine, sheep, and horses, and hay for their cattle and for +their horses. We saw also of their dogs. Their dwelling-houses +were made on both sides with stones, and wood laid across over them, which +was covered over with turfs of earth, and they are flat on the tops, and +many of these stood hard by the shore. Their boats were made with +wood, and iron all along the keel like our English boats; and they had +nails for to nail them withal, and fish-hooks, and other things for to +catch fish as we have here in England. They had also brazen kettles, +and girdles and purses made of leather, and knops on them of copper, and +hatchets, and other small tools as necessary as we have. They dry +their fish in the sun; and when they are dry they pack them up in the top +of their houses. If we would go thither to fishing more than we do, +we should make it a very good voyage, for we got a hundred green fishes in +one morning. We found here two Englishmen with a ship, which came out +of England about Easter Day of this present year, 1586; and one of them +came aboard of us and brought us two lambs. The Englishman’s +name was Master John Royden, of Ipswich, merchant; he was bound for London +with his ship. And this is the sum of that which I observed in +Iceland. We departed from Iceland the 16th day of June, in the +morning, and our course was north-west; and saw on the coast two small +barques going to a harbour; we went not to them, but saw them afar +off. Thus we continued our course unto the end of this month.</p> +<p>The 3rd day of July we were in between two firm lands of ice, and passed +in between them all that day until it was night, and then the master turned +back again, and so away we went towards Greenland. And the 7th day of +July we did see Greenland, and it was very high, and it looked very blue; +but we could not come to harbour in the land because we were hindered by a +firm land, as it were, of ice, which was along the shore’s side; but +we were within three leagues of the land, coasting the same divers days +together. The 17th day of July we saw the place which our captain, +Master John Davis, the year before had named the Land of Desolation, where +we could not go on shore for ice. The 18th day we were likewise +troubled with ice, and went in amongst it at three of the clock in the +morning. After we had cleared ourselves thereof we ranged all along +the coast of Desolation until the end of the aforesaid month.</p> +<p>The 3rd day of August we came in sight of Gilbert’s Sound in the +latitude of 64 degrees 15 minutes, which was the place where we were +appointed to meet our general and the rest of our fleet. Here we came +to a harbour at six of the clock at night.</p> +<p>The 4th day, in the morning, the master went on shore with ten of his +men, and they brought us four of the people rowing in their boats, aboard +of the ship. And in the afternoon I went on shore with six of our +men, and there came to us seven of them when we were on land. We +found on shore three dead people, and two of them had their staves lying by +them, and their old skins wrapped about them, and the other had nothing +lying by, wherefore we thought it was a woman. We also saw their +houses, near the seaside, which were made with pieces of wood on both +sides, and crossed over with poles and then covered over with earth. +We found foxes running upon the hills. As for the place, it is broken +land all the way that we went, and full of broken islands. The 21st +of August the master sent the boat on shore for wood, with six of his men, +and there were one-and-thirty of the people of the country, which went on +shore to them, and they went about to kill them as we thought, for they +shot their darts towards them, and we that were aboard the ship did see +them go on shore to our men, whereupon the master sent the pinnace after +them; and when they saw the pinnace coming towards them they turned back, +and the master of the pinnace did shoot off a culliver to them the same +time, but hurt none of them, for his meaning was only to put them in +fear. Divers times they did wave us on shore to play with them at the +football, and some of our company went on shore to play with them, and our +men did cast them down as soon as they did come to strike the ball. +And thus much of that which we did see and do in that harbour where we +arrived first.</p> +<p>The 23rd day we departed from the merchants where we had been first, and +our course from thence was south and by west, and the wind was north-east, +and we ran that day and night about five or six leagues until we came to +another harbour.</p> +<p>The 24th, about eleven of the clock in the forenoon, we entered into the +aforesaid new harbour, and as we came in we did see dogs running upon the +islands. When we were come in, there came to us four of the people +which were with us before in the other harbour; and where we rowed we had +sandy ground. We saw no wood growing, but found small pieces of wood +upon the islands, and some small pieces of sweet wood among the same. +We found great harts’ horns, but could see none of the stags where we +went, but we found their footings. As for the bones which we received +of the savages, I cannot tell of what beasts they be. The stones that +we found in the country were black, and some white; as I think, they be of +no value; nevertheless I have brought examples of them to you.</p> +<p>The 30th of August we departed from this harbour towards England, and +the wind took us contrary, so that we were fain to go to another harbour +the same day at eleven of the clock. And there came to us thirty-nine +of the people and brought us thirteen seal-skins, and after we received +these skins of them the master sent the carpenter to change one of our +boats which we had bought of them before; and they would have taken the +boat from him perforce, and when they saw they could not take it from us +they shot with their darts at us, and struck one of our men with one of +their darts, and John Filpe shot one of them in the breast with an +arrow. And they came to us again, and four of our men went into the +ship boat, and they shot with their darts at our men; but our men took one +of their people in his boat, into the ship boat, and he hurt one of them +with his knife, but we killed three of them in their boats, two of them +were hurt with arrows in the breast, and he that was aboard our boat was +shot with an arrow, and hurt with a sword, and beaten with staves, whom our +men cast overboard; but the people caught him and carried him on shore upon +their boats, and the other two also, and so departed from us. And +three of them went on shore hard by us where they had their dogs, and those +three came away from their dogs, and presently one of their dogs came +swimming towards us hard aboard the ship, whereupon our master caused the +gunner to shoot off one of the great pieces—towards the people, and +so the dog turned back to land, and within an hour after there came of the +people hard aboard the ship, but they would not come to us as they did +before.</p> +<p>The 31st of August we departed from Gilbert’s Sound for England, +and when we came out of the harbour there came after us seventeen of the +people looking which way we went.</p> +<p>The 2nd of September we lost sight of the land at twelve of the clock at +noon.</p> +<p>The 3rd day at night we lost sight of the <i>North Star</i>, our +pinnace, in a very great storm, and lay a-hull tarrying for them the 4th +day, but could hear no more of them. Thus we shaped our course the +5th day south-south-east, and sailing unto the 27th of the said month, we +came in sight of Cape Clear in Ireland.</p> +<p>The 30th day we entered into our own Channel.</p> +<p>The 2nd of October we had sight of the Isle of Wight.</p> +<p>The 3rd we coasted all along the shore, and the 4th and 5th.</p> +<p>The 6th of the said month of October we came into the River of Thames as +high as Ratcliffe in safety, God be thanked!</p> +<h2>THE THIRD VOYAGE NORTH-WESTWARD, MADE BY JOHN DAVIS,</h2> +<p><i>Gentleman</i>, <i>as chief captain and pilot general for the +discovery of a passage to the Isles of the Molucca</i>, <i>or the coast of +China</i>, <i>in the year</i> 1587. <i>Written by John Janes</i>, +<i>servant to the aforesaid Master William Sanderson</i>.</p> +<p>May.—The 19th of this present month, about midnight, we weighed +our anchors, set sail and departed from Dartmouth with two barques and a +clincher, the one named the <i>Elizabeth</i>, of Dartmouth, the other the +<i>Sunshine</i>, of London, and the clincher called the <i>Ellin</i>, of +London; thus, in God’s name, we set forwards with wind at north-east, +a good fresh gale. About three hours after our departure, the night +being somewhat thick with darkness, we had lost the pinnace. The +captain, imagining that the men had run away with her, willed the master of +the <i>Sunshine</i> to stand to seawards and see if we could descry them, +we bearing in with the shore for Plymouth. At length we descried her, +bore with her, and demanded what the cause was; they answered that the +tiller of their helm was burst, so shaping our course west-south-west, we +went forward, hoping that a hard beginning would make a good ending; yet +some of us were doubtful of it, failing in reckoning that she was a +clincher; nevertheless, we put our trust in God.</p> +<p>The 21st we met with the <i>Red Lion</i> of London, which came from the +coast of Spain, which was afraid that we had been men-of-war; but we hailed +them, and after a little conference we desired the master to carry our +letters for London, directed to my uncle Sanderson, who promised us safe +delivery. And after we had heaved them a lead and a line, whereunto +we had made fast our letters, before they could get them into the ship they +fell into the sea, and so all our labour and theirs also was lost; +notwithstanding, they promised to certify our departure at London, and so +we departed, and the same day we had sight of Scilly. The 22nd the +wind was at north-east by east, with fair weather, and so the 23rd and 24th +the like. The 25th we laid our ships on the lee for the +<i>Sunshine</i>, who was a-rummaging for a leak; they had 500 strokes at +the pump in a watch, with the wind at north-west.</p> +<p>The 26th and 27th we had fair weather, but this 27th the pinnace’s +foremast was blown overboard. The 28th the <i>Elizabeth</i> towed the +pinnace, which was so much bragged of by the owner’s report before we +came out of England, but at sea she was like a cart drawn with oxen. +Sometimes we towed her, because she could not sail for scant wind.</p> +<p>The 31st day our captain asked if the pinnace were staunch. +Peerson answered that she was as sound and staunch as a cup. This +made us something glad when we saw she would brook the sea, and was not +leaky.</p> +<p><i>June</i>.—The first six days we had fair weather; after that +for five days we had fog and rain, the wind being south.</p> +<p>The 12th we had clear weather. The mariners in the <i>Sunshine</i> +and the master could not agree; the mariners would go on their voyage +a-fishing, because the year began to waste; the master would not depart +till he had the company of the <i>Elizabeth</i>, whereupon the master told +our captain that he was afraid his men would shape some contrary course +while he was asleep, and so he should lose us. At length, after much +talk and many threatenings, they were content to bring us to the land which +we looked for daily.</p> +<p>The 13th we had fog and rain.</p> +<p>The 14th day we discovered land at five of the clock in the morning, +being very great and high mountains, the tops of the hills being covered +with snow. Here the wind was variable, sometimes north-east, +east-north-east, and east by north; but we imagined ourselves to be 16 or +17 leagues off from the shore.</p> +<p>The 15th we had reasonably clear weather.</p> +<p>The 16th we came to an anchor about four or five of the clock in the +afternoon. The people came presently to us, after the old manner, +with crying “Il y a oute,” and showed us seal-skins.</p> +<p>The 17th we began to set up the pinnace that Peerson framed at +Dartmouth, with the boards which he brought from London.</p> +<p>The 18th, Peerson and the carpenters of the ships began to set on the +planks.</p> +<p>The 19th, as we went about an island, were found black pumice stones, +and salt kerned on the rocks, very white and glistering. This day, +also, the master of the <i>Sunshine</i> took one of the people, a very +strong, lusty young fellow.</p> +<p>The 20th, about two of the clock in the morning, the savages came to the +island where our pinnace was built ready to be launched, and tore the two +upper strakes and carried them away, only for the love of the iron in the +boards. While they were about this practice, we manned the +<i>Elizabeth’s</i> boat to go ashore to them. Our men, being +either afraid or amazed, were so long before they came to shore, that our +captain willed them to stay, and made the gunner give fire to a saker, and +laid the piece level with the boat, which the savages had turned on the one +side because we could not hurt them with our arrows, and made the boat +their bulwark against the arrows which we shot at them. Our gunner, +having made all things ready, gave fire to the piece, and fearing to hurt +any of the people, and regarding the owner’s profit, thought belike +he would save a saker’s shot, doubting we should have occasion to +fight with men-of-war, and so shot off the saker without a bullet, we +looking still when the savages that were hurt should run away without legs; +at length we could perceive never a man hurt, but all having their legs, +could carry away their bodies. We had no sooner shot off the piece +but the master of the <i>Sunshine</i> manned his boat, and came rowing +towards the island, the very sight of whom made each of them take that he +had gotten, and fly away as fast as they could to another island about two +miles off, where they took the nails out of the timber, and left the wood +on the isle. When we came on shore, and saw how they had spoiled the +boat, after much debating of the matter, we agreed that the +<i>Elizabeth</i> should have her to fish withal; whereupon she was +presently carried aboard and stowed. Now after this trouble, being +resolved to depart with the first wind, there fell out another matter worse +than all the rest, and that was in this manner: John Churchyard, one whom +our captain had appointed as pilot in the pinnace, came to our captain and +Master Bruton, and told them that the good ship which we must all hazard +our lives in had three hundred strokes at one time as she rode in the +harbour. This disquieted us all greatly, and many doubted to go in +her. At length our captain, by whom we were all to be governed, +determined rather to end his life with credit than to return with infamy +and disgrace; and so, being all agreed, we purposed to live and die +together, and committed ourselves to the ship.</p> +<p>Now the 21st, having brought all our things aboard, about eleven or +twelve of the clock at night we set sail and departed from those isles, +which lie in 64 degrees of latitude, our ships being now all at sea, and we +shaping our course to go coasting the land to the northwards, upon the +eastern shore, which we called the shore of our merchants, because there we +met with people which traffic with us; but here we were not without doubt +of our ship.</p> +<p>The 22nd and 23rd we had close fog and rain.</p> +<p>The 24th, being in 67 degrees and 40 minutes, we had great store of +whales, and a kind of sea-birds which the mariners call cortinous. +This day, about six of the clock at night, we espied two of the country +people at sea, thinking at the first they had been two great seals, until +we saw their oars, glistering with the sun. They came rowing towards +us as fast as they could, and when they came within hearing they held up +their oars and cried “Il y a oute,” making many signs, and at +last they came to us, giving us birds for bracelets, and of them I had a +dart with a bone in it, or a piece of unicorn’s horn, as I did +judge. This dart he made store of, but when he saw a knife he let it +go, being more desirous of the knife than of his dart. These people +continued rowing after our ship the space of three hours.</p> +<p>The 25th, in the morning, at seven of the clock, we descried thirty +savages rowing after us, being by judgment ten leagues off from the +shore. They brought us salmon peels, birds, and caplin, and we gave +them pins, needles, bracelets, nails, knives, bells, looking-glasses, and +other small trifles; and for a knife, a nail, or a bracelet, which they +call ponigmah, they would sell their boat, coats, or anything they had, +although they were far from the shore. We had but few skins of them, +about twenty; but they made signs to us that if we would go to the shore, +we should have more store of chicsanege. They stayed with us till +eleven of the clock, at which time we went to prayer, and they departed +from us.</p> +<p>The 26th was cloudy, the wind being at south.</p> +<p>The 27th fair, with the same wind.</p> +<p>The 28th and 29th were foggy, with clouds.</p> +<p>The 30th day we took the height, and found ourselves in 72 degrees and +12 minutes of latitude, both at noon and at night, the sun being five +degrees above the horizon. At midnight the compass set to the +variation of 28 degrees to the westward. Now having coasted the land +which we called London Coast from the 21st of this present till the 30th, +the sea open all to the westwards and northwards, the land on starboard +side east from us, the wind shifted to the north, whereupon we left that +shore, naming the same Hope Sanderson, and shaped our course west, and ran +forty leagues and better without the sight of any land.</p> +<p><i>July</i>.—The 2nd we fell in with a mighty bank of ice west +from us, lying north and south, which bank we would gladly have doubled out +to the northwards, but the wind would not suffer us, so that we were fain +to coast it to the southwards, hoping to double it out that we might have +run so far west till we had found land, or else to have been thoroughly +resolved of our pretended purpose.</p> +<p>The 3rd we fell in with the ice again, and putting off from it we sought +to the northwards, but the wind crossed us.</p> +<p>The 4th was foggy, so was the 5th; also with much wind at north.</p> +<p>The 6th being very clear, we put our barque with oars through a gap in +the ice, seeing the sea free on the west side, as we thought, which falling +out otherwise, caused us to return after we had stayed there between the +ice.</p> +<p>The 7th and the 8th, about midnight, by God’s help we recovered +the open sea, the weather being fair and calm; and so was the 9th.</p> +<p>The 10th we coasted the ice.</p> +<p>The 11th was foggy, but calm.</p> +<p>The 12th we coasted again the ice, having the wind at +west-north-west. The 13th, bearing off from the ice, we determined to +go with the shore, and come to an anchor, and to stay five or six days for +the dissolving of the ice, hoping that the sea from continually beating it, +and the sun with the extreme force of heat, which it had always shining +upon it, would make a quick despatch, that we might have a further search +upon the western shore. Now when we were come to the eastern coast, +the water something deep, and some of our company fearful withal, we durst +not come to an anchor, but bore off into sea again. The poor people, +seeing us go away again, came rowing after us into the sea, the waves being +somewhat lofty. We trucked with them for a few skins and darts, and +gave them beads, nails, needles, and cards, they pointing to the shore as +though they would show us great friendship; but we, little regarding their +courtesy, gave them the gentle farewell, and so departed.</p> +<p>The 14th we had the wind at south. The 15th there was some fault +either in the barque or the set of some current, for we were driven six +points out of our course. The 16th we fell in with the bank of ice, +west from us. The 17th and 18th were foggy. The 19th, at one +o’clock afternoon, we had sight of the land which we called Mount +Raleigh, and at twelve of the clock at night we were athwart the straits +which we discovered the first year. The 20th we traversed in the +mouth of the strait, the wind being at west with fair and clear +weather. The 21st and 22nd we coasted the northern coast of the +straits. The 23rd, having sailed 60 leagues north-west into the +straits at two o’clock afternoon, we anchored among many isles in the +bottom of the gulf, naming the same the Earl of Cumberland’s Isles, +where, riding at anchor, a whale passed by our ship and went west in among +the isles. Here the compass set at 30 degrees westward +variation. The 24th we departed, shaping our course south-east to +recover the sea. The 25th we were becalmed in the bottom of the gulf, +the air being extremely hot. Master Bruton and some of the mariners +went on shore to course dogs, where they found many graves, and trains +spilt on the ground, the dogs being so fat that they were scant able to +run.</p> +<p>The 26th we had a pretty storm, the wind being at south-east. The +27th and 28th were fair. The 29th we were clear out of the straits, +having coasted the south shore, and this day at noon we were in 64 degrees +of latitude. The 30th in the afternoon we coasted a bank of ice which +lay on the shore, and passed by a great bank or inlet which lay between 63 +and 62 degrees of latitude, which we called Lumley’s Inlet. We +had oftentimes, as we sailed along the coast, great roots, the water as it +were whirling and overfalling, as if it were the fall of some great water +through a bridge. The 31st as we sailed by a headland, which we named +Warwick’s Forehand, we fell into one of those overfalls with a fresh +gale of wind, and bearing all our sails, we looking upon an island of ice +between us and the shore, had thought that our barque did make no way, +which caused us to take marks on the shore. At length we perceived +ourselves to go very fast, and the island of ice which we saw before was +carried very forcibly with the set of the current faster than our ship +went. This day and night we passed by a very great gulf, the water +whirling and roaring as it were the meeting of tides.</p> +<p><i>August</i>.—The 1st, having coasted a bank of ice which was +driven out at the mouth of this gulf, we fell in with the southernmost cape +of the gulf, which we named Chidlie’s Cape, which lay in 6 degrees +and 10 minutes of latitude. The 2nd and 3rd were calm and foggy, so +were the 4th, 5th, and 6th. The 7th was fair and calm, so was the +8th, with a little gale in the morning. The 9th was fair, and we had +a little gale at night. The 10th we had a frisking gale at +west-north-west; the 11th fair. The 12th we saw five deer on the top +of an island, called by us Darcie’s Island. And we hoisted out +our boat, and went ashore to them, thinking to have killed some of +them. But when we came on shore and had coursed them twice about the +island they took the sea, and swain towards islands distant from that three +leagues. When we perceived that they had taken the sea, we gave them +over, because our boat was so small that it could not carry us and row +after them, they swam so fast; but one of them was as big as a good pretty +cow, and very fat; their feet as big as ox-feet. Here upon this +island I killed with my piece a grey hare.</p> +<p>The 13th in the morning we saw three or four white bears, but durst not +go on shore unto them for lack of a good boat. This day we struck a +rock seeking for a harbour, and received a leak, and this day we were in 54 +degrees of latitude. The 14th we stopped our leak in a storm not very +outrageous at noon.</p> +<p>The 15th, being almost in 51 degrees of latitude, and not finding our +ships, nor (according to their promise) being any mark, token, or beacon, +which we willed to set up, and they protested to do so upon every headland, +sea, island, or cape, within 20 leagues every way off from their fishing +place, which our captain appointed to be between 54 and 55 +degrees—this 15th, I say, we shaped our course homeward for England, +having in our ship but little wood, and half a hogshead of fresh +water. Our men were very willing to depart, and no man more forward +than Peerson, for he feared to be put out of his office of stewardship; he +was so insatiate that the allowance of two men was scant sufficient to fill +his greedy appetite; but because every man was so willing to depart, and +considering our want, I doubted the matter very much, fearing that the +seething of our men’s victuals in salt water would breed diseases, +and being but few (yet too many for the room, if any should be sick), and +likely that all the rest might be infected therewith, we consented to +return for our own country, and so we had the 16th there with the wind at +south-west.</p> +<p>The 17th we met a ship at sea, and as far as we could judge it was a +Biscayan; we thought she went a-fishing for whales, for in 52 degrees or +thereabout we saw very many.</p> +<p>The 18th was fair with a good gale at west.</p> +<p>The 19th fair also, but with much wind at west and by south.</p> +<p>And thus, after much variable weather and change of winds, we arrived +the 15th of September in Dartmouth, Anno 1587, giving thanks to God for our +safe arrival.</p> +<p style="text-align: center">* * * * *</p> +<p><i>A letter of the said Master John Davis</i>, <i>written to Master +Sanderson of London</i>, <i>concerning his fore-written voyage</i>.</p> +<blockquote> +<p><span class="smcap">Good Master Sanderson</span>,—With God’s +great mercy I have made my safe return in health with all my company, and +have sailed 60 leagues farther than my determination at my departure. +I have been in 73 degrees, finding the sea all open, and 40 leagues between +laud and land; the passage is most certain, the execution most easy, as at +my coming you shall fully know. Yesterday, the 15th of September, I +landed all weary, therefore I pray you pardon my shortness.</p> +<p>Sandridge, this 16th of September, Anno 1587.</p> +<p style="text-align: right">Yours equal as mine own, which<br /> +by trial you shall best know,<br /> +<span class="smcap">John Davis</span>.</p> +</blockquote> +<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VOYAGES IN SEARCH OF THE NORTH-WEST +PASSAGE***</p> +<pre> + + +***** This file should be named 3482-h.htm or 3482-h.zip****** + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/3/4/8/3482 + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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