The North-west and North-east passages 1576-1611

Preface

rpHE aim of the present series is to illustrate the history of geographical discovery by means of select voyages and travels. These are usually written by the discoverer himself, or by an eye-witness who accompanied him on his journey. Apart from the results achieved, they are full of interest, since they tell the story of man's bravery in feeling his way over an unknown world.

The English voyages of the sixteenth century (some of which will be given in this series) record, moreover, the deeds of the seamen who laid the foundation of Britain's sea-power and of her Colonial Empire.

It is hoped that these books may be of service in schools, used either as Readers, or as an aid to the teaching of Geography. Spelling and punctuation have been modernized wherever necessary, though archaic words have been kept.

P. F. A.

Wax,berswick,

Contents

Introduction • .

Some Important Dates in the History of Discovery page

XI

Appendix to the Third Voyage oe Barents

116 199

MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS

The exact manner of the house wherein we wintered

Frontispiece (This and the other illustrations to Barents are from

De Bry's India Orientalis, 1599. They are copies from

the original edition of De Veer — Amsterdam, 1598 — but

are better finished.) page

The only Passage (Bering Strait) and its approaches

as known now ....... x

Sir Martin Frobisher ....... xx

(From Holland's Heroologia, 1620.) Part op North America and Greenland, to illustrate

Frobisher's, Davis's and Hudson's Voyages . . 3

Hudson Bay and its approaches ..... 89

William Barents . . . . . . . .115

(From de Vries's Oud-Holland. Originally a vignette

in a chart published in Amsterdam between 1613 and

1615.) A WONDER in the heavens, and how we caught a bear. 117 Part oe Hondius's Map of 1611, showing Barents' s

discoveries . . . . . . . .119

How a bear came into our boat, and what took place

NOVAYA ZEMLYA, SHOWING ENTRANCES TO KARA SEA . 123

How our ship stuck fast in the ice, whereby three of

US WERE NEARLY LOST . . . . . . 125

How the ice heaved up the fore part of our ship . . 126

How we built a house of wood, wherein to keep ourselves through the winter . . . . .131

how we shot a bear, wherefrom we got a good hundred

pounds' weight of grease ..... 147

how we made ready to sail back again to holland . 154

how we prepared a way whereby we brought our boats

and goods to the sea ...... 159

True portraiture of our boats, and how we nearly got

into trouble with the sea-horses . . . 177

Some of the relics brought from the winter house in novaya zemlya, and now in the national museum at Amsterdam ........ 198

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The only Passage (Bering Strait) and its approaches as known now

(From Dr Bruce's Polar Exploration, by kind permission of Messrs Williams and Nor gate)