of April one approached the hut, and the door being unfastened, made desperate attempts to force it, but the master placing himself behind, succeeded in keeping it. The animal then climbed to the roof, and attacked the chimney with such force, and a roaring so tremendous, that they expected every moment he would have torn it down; but he at last departed. Another came up close to a man who was keeping guard at the door, but looking another way. Roused by his companions, he had only time to turn and fire; and if the piece had missed, which, from the damp state of the powder and firelock, was most probable, he would not only have perished, but the bear probably would have entered the hut, where, it is observed, "he would have made strange havock."

In May, the weather becoming tolerably mild, the crew became clamorous to leave this fatal place, and urged the plan of proceeding in the boat, to which the captain, who at first wished to wait till the ship could be got off, at length agreed. On trial, however, their strength, exhausted by long suffering, appeared unequal to the task of dragging it afloat. The captain now warned them, that there was no alternative, unless they felt inclined to become citizens of Nova Zembla, and to leave their bones there. These images roused all their remaining vigour, and after enormous labour for about a month, they succeeded in refitting the boat, and dragging it into the sea. In sailing round Nova Zembla, they were repeatedly inclosed by the ice, and gave themselves up for lost. They got through, however, and near the southern extremity found a party of Russians, who treated them with great humanity. They then sailed along the coast till they arrived at Kola in Russian Lapland, where they found a Dutch ship, which conveyed them home, and they were received by their countrymen with equal joy and surprise.

Having thus given an account of some remarkable voyages undertaken for the discovery of a north-east passage, we shall now proceed to notice those which were made with the view of finding a passage by the north

west.

The unsuccessful attempt of Pet and Jackman seems to have diverted

He set sail on

the English from farther attempts to discover a passage in an eastern direction. The north-west passage, or that round the northern coast of America, engrossed thenceforth almost all their efforts. In 1576, Martin Frobisher, a seaman of great reputation, was sent by Queen Elizabeth to explore this naval route. the 7th of June, and on the 26th passed Fowla, the last of the Shetland Islands. On the 11th he came in sight of Friesland, which appears in our maps as the southern extremity of Greenland. He found it "rising like pinnacles of steeples, and all covered with snow." He sailed straight west, and saw what he supposed to be the coast of Labradore. On the 1st of August, he saw a large island of ice, which, on the 2d, fell, one part from another, making a noyce as if a great cliffe had fallen into the sea." He then touched at several islands, about one of which seven boats, with a considerable number of people, were observed. "They be like to Tartars, with long blacke haire, broad faces, and flat noses, and tawnie in colour.' They were at first shy, but some trifling presents soon produced familiarity. The English then sailed to the opposite side of the island, and took several of the natives on board. Frobisher sent a boat to convey them on shore, giving strict directions to land them at a rock, and not near the body of the natives; "but the wilfulness of his men was such," that they disregarded this injunction, and the consequence was, that neither boat nor men were ever more seen or heard of. The next and following days the English came near the shore, fired guns, sounded trumpets, and saw several boats, but could not come up to them, and were unable to penetrate in any degree the fearful mystery in which the fate of their countrymen was involved. By ringing a bell they enticed one of the natives on board, and carried him with them to Britain, for which they immediately after set sail.

As this voyage appeared rather encouraging, another was sent the following year, 1577, under the same commander. On his way he touched at the Orkneys, which seem to have been then almost an unknown region. When the English first landed, the people "fled from their poore cottages, with shrikes and alarms," but

were soon, "by gentle persuasions, reclaimed." In describing their manners, he says, "The goodman, wife, children, and other of the familie, eate and sleepe on the one side of the house, and their cattle on the other, very beastly and rudely, in respect of civilitie." He adds," Their apparel is after the rudest sort of Scotland; their money is all base." In the rest of the voyage, they had no night, at which he rejoices, as it gave them constantly, when so disposed," the fruition of their bookes," which he says is" a thing of no small moment to such as wander in unknown seas." In their way they met large fir trees floating, which they judged to be" with the fury of great floods, rooted up." Having come "within the making of Frisland," they found themselves, though only at 61° of latitude, in the depth of winter," boisterous boreal blasts, mixt with snow and hail;" and only the perpetual day reminded them that it was summer. Our navigator then crossed the entrance of Baffin's Bay, and came to the Strait, to which he gave his own name, and the sight of which rejoiced his heart, as it appeared to promise an entrance into the Mare del Sur, or great Southern Ocean. It was even conceived that one side of this Strait was America, and the other Asia. Frobisher now went on shore, with a party to search for gold, as there was found here a species of marcasite or pyrites, which contained a portion of that metal. While he continued on shore, a furious tempest came on, accompanied with the rolling of innumerable islands of ice, "so monstrous, that even the least of a thousand had been of force sufficient to have shivered our barke into small portions." It was with the utmost difficulty they kept the coast, but they magnanimously resolved to brave all dangers, before they would," with our own safetie, turne into the seas, to the destruction of our said generall and his companie." Frobisher next day having returned "with good news of great riches," all their hearts were revived. They now sailed to the coast, at which they had lost their boat and men the preceding year. They resolved to land and make vigorous exertions to come up with the people. The natives, on seeing them land, retreated higher up the bay,

holding themselves ready, if hard pressed, to fly into the interior. The English, however, advancing in two bodies, attacked from different sides the mountain on which they were stationed. The natives then discharged their arrows, but without any effect; while several of themselves were quickly wounded by the arrows of their opponents. Seeing themselves thus surrounded and worsted, they yielded to the excess of savage and frantic agony, and despising the offered mercy of the English, threw themselves down the rocks, and were dashed to pieces. All who could effect their escape, fled into inaccessible mountains, and the sailors could only over take two women and a child. One of these females exhibited a degree of ugliness, so hideous and appalling, that it seemed unaccountable on any other supposition, but that of the devil himself having assumed her form; and the presumption seemed the stronger, as the furious proceedings of her coun trymen would thus be accounted for. Before acting upon this hypothesis, however, it appeared reasonable to bring it to some test of experiment; and an infallible one occurred in that structure of the lower extremities, which by every approved system of diabolic zoology is assigned to the per sonage in question. They "had her buskins plucked off, to see if she were cloven-footed." The essential distinctive character being found wanting, no violent proceedings were instituted; but as the contemplation of her visage still inflicted the most exquisite torture, it appeared indispensable to relieve themselves by her im mediate dismissal.

Frobisher, on examining the ore which he collected on the southern side of the Strait, had found room to apply the proverb, "All is not gold that glistereth." On the northern side, however, supposed by him to be the continent of Asia, he found a quantity of mineral which appeared more promising, and of which, there fore, he took as much on board as his ships could well carry. Meantime, the natives used every contrivance to allure him on shore; but it being observed, that while two or three came forward with signs of friendship, a number of others lay hid behind the rocks, a deaf ear was turned to every invitation. At length one of them,

who had every appearance of being extremely lame, was carried down and left on the shore. Frobisher taking compassion on his malady, determined, if possible, to attempt its cure; and conceiving that the application of a loaded musket might be attended with salutary effects, he caused one to be discharged. The cure was instant; the lame man sprung up and ran with incredible swiftness, while his countrymen rushed out from their ambuscade to his rescue. These manoeuvres appear to have been practised with a view to the deliverance of the two females who were still in the hands of the English; but without success; and Frobisher carried them with him to England, for which he soon set sail.

On the 25th May 1578, Frobisher again sailed with eight vessels, carrying out a hundred men, and ample building materials, for the purpose of forming a settlement upon Meta Incognita, the name then given by Queen Elizabeth to this remote region. On the 20th June, he came in view of Friesland, and cannot avoid again remarking its aspect "full of craggie rocks, and the tops of high and huge hills," covered with mist and snow. "There might we also perceive the great isles of ice lying on the seas." He immediately sailed across to his own Straits, and made preparations for forming his settlement; but these were interrupted by a storm of the most terrific character. "The ice had so invironed us that we saw neither land nor sea, as far as we could kenne." They cut their cables, and hung them, along with oars, bars, and planks, over the sides of the ships, to defend them from" the great and dririe strokes of the ice." Its force, however, was such, that it broke these barriers, and "rased the sides of the ship, that it was pitifull to behold." Happily in the morning the wind ceased, though they were soon involved in so terrible a fog, that but for the continual beating of drums they could not have kept near each other. On the 26th of July the snow fell a foot thick, freezing as it fell. These and other disasters obliged them to give up the idea of forming a settlement this year on these dreary shores. They merely formed a small house, " garnished with many kinds of trifles, as pins, points, laces,

glasses, combs, babes on horseback and on foot," with other toys, to amuse and conciliate the minds of the natives.

After a short interval, in 1585, John Davis was sent out with two vessels on the same mission with Frobisher. On reaching Greenland, he seems to have been peculiarly struck with its gloomy and terrific aspect. He calls it " the most deformed, rocky, and mountainous land that ever we sawe. The first sight whereof did shewe as if it had been in forme of a sugar loafe, standing to our sight above the clouds, for that it did shewe over the fogge like a white liste in the skye, the tops altogether couered with snowe, and the shoare beset with ice a league off into the sea, making such yrksome noyse, as that it seemed to be the true patterne of desolation." He then steered north-west, till he arrived in Cumberland's Strait. He at first saw no people, but soon heard them making" a lamentable noyse, with great outcryes and skreechings; we thought it had been the howling of wolves." Davis, however, seems to have studied, with much more courtesy and address than his predecessor, to place himself on an amicable footing with them. As soon as they were descried, a band of musicians, provided on purpose, was sent for, who immediately struck up a tune, to which the crew danced, making at the same time friendly gestures towards the natives. These merry proceedings induced the latter to advance nearer, though they did not grant their full confidence till, besides the continuation of music and dancing, the English had made several mystic signs, as a pledge of protection. The natives then became quite intimate and familiar,-sold every thing they had, their canoes, and the clothes off their backs. These clothes were made of fine wool, seals' skins, and birds' skins, with the feathers on. In August Da vis was stopt by adverse winds and tides. He was then among islands, "with great sounds passing between them," and was convinced, from various circumstances, that this sea had a communication with the great Southern Ocean.

In 1586, Davis set out on a second

voyage. He came to nearly the same point which he had visited the year before, and renewed his intimate

commerce with the natives. But some less satisfactory features in their character began to be unfolded. He observes, "they are very simple in all their conversation, but marvellous theevish." "They began, through our lenity, to shew their vile nature; they began to cut our cables;-they cut away the Moonlight's boat from her stern; they cut our cloth where it lay to ayre,-they stole our oares, a caliver, a boare speare, a sword, with divers other things." The crew loudly called upon Davis to "dissolve this new friendship," and the good natured commander at last allowed a caliver to be fired, which "did sore amaze them," and caused an immediate dispersion. In ten hours after

66

they came back, promising good behaviour, and, we again fell into a great league." Unfortunately, however, some pieces of iron coming under their eye," they could in nowise forbear stealing;" but this to Davis "did but minister occasion of laughter," and he merely warned the sailors that they must look well to their own property, "supposing it to be very hard, in so short a time, to make them know their evils." Being anxious, then, to obtain some knowledge of the interior of the country, he got to the top of a high mountain, but the mountains round were so many, and so mighty," that his view could not extend far. He then sailed up a large river, but found "no firme lande, but huge, waste, and desert isles, with mighty sounds and inlets passing between sea and sea.' On his return to the ship, a torrent of complaints was poured out against the unfortunate natives. They had stolen an anchor, -had cut the cable,-had severed the boat from the stern,-" and with slings they spare us not with stones of halfe a pound weight." The goodnatured commander bid them be content, and all would be well. He went to the natives, used them with much courtesy, and considered their friendship as gained. But as soon as it was dark, "they began to practise their devilish nature," and the boatswain was even knocked down by a stone thrown from one of their slings. Davis was at length worked into a rage, and ordered them to be fired upon; but they rowed off so quickly, that no damage ensued. He afterwards enticed one of the ringleaders, a maister of

mischief," on board, and carried him off. He was at first very disconsolate, but on being well treated, soon recovered his spirits.

On the 17th July, in lat. 63° 8', he says, "we fell upon a most mightie and strange quantity of ice, in one intyre masse, so bigge, that we knew not the limits thereof, and being withall so very high, in forme of a land, with bayes and capes, and like high cliffe land, 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 farther thereof. This only I think, that the like before was never seene." This enormous mass formed a serious bar to his progress, and the crew becoming sickly, it was, after full consideration, judged necessary to return.

In 1587, Davis made his third voyage, which, though less diversified by incident, was more important as to discovery.

He sailed along the west coast of Greenland as high as 72° 12′ N. considerably farther north than any navigator had yet been. He found the sea to the north and west entirely open; then leaving land, he steered to the westward. Circumstances obliged him, to take a southern direction, and he arrived in Cumberland Straits, where he discovered a number of islands, to which he also gave the name of Cumberland. His farther progress was all to the southward; but he returned in the most sanguine expectation of the grand discovery. He writes to his employer, Mr Sanderson,-" I have been in 73 degrees, finding the sea all open, and 40 leagues between land and land. The passage is most certaine, the execution most easie." Notwithstanding these sanguine anticipations, the interest of the public fell asleep upon this subject, and was not awakened anew till a considerable time after.

The next great explorer of the northern seas was Henry Hudson, who, by his voyages into these regions, acquired a name equal to that of the most illustrious British navigators. His first voyage was one of discovery towards the North Pole, "set forth at the charge of certaine wor shipfull merchants of London." veral voyages had already been made to Cherry Island; but Hudson was

Se