6 SPITSBERGEN 



epitaph : " Here lieth buried the bodie of Steven 

 Borough, who departed this life ye xij day of July in 

 ye yere of our Lord 1584, and was borne at Northam 

 in Devonshire ye xxv th of Septemb. 1525. He in his 

 life time discouered Moscouia, by the Northerne sea 

 passage to St. Nicholas, in the yere 1553. At his 

 setting foorth of England he was accompanied with 

 two other shippes, Sir Hugh Willobie being Admirell of 

 the fleete, who, with all the company of ye said two 

 shippes, were frozen to death in Lappia ye same 

 winter. After his discouerie of Roosia, and ye 

 Coastes thereto adioyninge to wit, Lappia, Nova 

 Zemla, and the Countrie of Samoyeda, etc. : he fre- 

 quented ye trade to St. Nicholas yearlie, as chief pilot 

 for ye voyage, until he was chosen of one of ye foure 

 principall Masters in ordinarie of ye Queen's Ma tles 

 royall Nauy, where in he continued in charge of 

 sundrie sea services till time of his death." 



The ships left in May, but did not remain long 

 together. On the 2nd of August Willoughby and 

 Durfourth separated from Chancellor in a storm off 

 the Lofodens, and after devious courses, that might 

 have led anywhere, were frozen in on the coast of 

 Lapland, where they wintered and died, as did all the 

 men with them. Chancellor, having waited at the 

 rendezvous in vain, crossed the Arctic Circle, rounded 

 the North Cape so named by Borough and found 

 his way into the White Sea. While his ship was in 

 winter quarters near where Archangel now is, he made 

 a sledge journey to the Czar at Moscow, which led 

 to the formation of the Muscovy Company and the 

 beginning of England's Russian trade ; and through 



