VII.] JAN MAYEN. 93 



prisoned within the eternal fields of ice, that lie out for up- 

 wards of a hundred and fifty miles along the eastern coast 

 of Greenland ; and next, that if even the sea should be clear 

 in its vicinity, the fogs up there are so dense and constant 

 that the chances are very much against our hitting the land. 

 But the fact of the last French man-of-war which sailed in 

 that direction never having returned, has made those seas 

 needlessly unpopular at Reykjavik. 



It was during one of these fogs that Captain Fotherby, 

 the original discoverer of Jan Mayen, stumbled upon it in 

 16 14. While sailing southwards in a mist too thick to see 

 a ship's length off, he suddenly heard the noise of waters 

 breaking on a great shore ; and when the gigantic bases of 

 Mount Beerenberg gradually disclosed themselves, he thought 

 he had discovered some new continent. Since then it has 

 been often sighted by homeward-bound whalers, but rarely 

 landed upon. About the year 1633 the Dutch Government, 

 wishing to establish a settlement in the actual neighbour- 

 hood of the fishing-grounds, where the blubber might be 

 boiled down, and the spoils of each season transported home 

 in the smallest bulk, — actually induced seven seamen to 

 volunteer remaining the whole winter on the island. 1 Huts 

 were built for them, and having been furnished with an 

 ample supply of salt provisions, they were left to resolve the 

 problem, as to whether or no human beings could support 

 the severities of the climate. Standing on the shore, these 

 seven men saw their comrades' parting sails sink down be- 

 neath the sun, — then watched the sun sink, as had sunk the 



1 The names of the seven Dutch seamen who attempted to winter in 

 Jan Mayen's Island were : 



Outgert Jacobson, of Grootenbrook, their commander. 



Adrian Martin Carman, of Schiedam, clerk. 



Thauniss Thaunissen, of Schermehem, cook. 



Dick Peterson, of Veenhuyse. 



Peter Peterson, of Harlem. 



Sebastian Gyse, of Defts-IIaven. 



Gerard Beautin, of Bruges. 



