1586. JOHN DAVIS. 109 



from twenty to thirty leagues in width, entirely 

 free from ice, " and the water of the very colour, 

 nature, and quality, of the main ocean, which gave 

 us the greater hope of our passage." Having 

 proceeded sixty leagues, a cluster, of islands was 

 observed in the midst of the passage. Here, the 

 weather becoming thick and foggy, and the wind 

 from the south-east, and no appearance of amend- 

 ment, they remained six days, at the end of 

 which they determined on returning homewards, 

 and accordingly set sail on the 2d August, and 

 arrived safe in Dartmouth on the 30th Sep- 

 tember. 



JOHN DAVIS — Second Voyage. 1586. 



The important discovery of the free and open 

 passage to the westward, between Frobisher's 

 archipelago and the land now called Cumberland's 

 island, the great number of whales, seals, deer 

 skins, and other articles of peltry in possession of 

 the natives, which were freely offered by them to 

 the crews of the ships, excited such lively hopes 

 at home for the extension both .of traffick and dis- 

 covery, that the m.erchants of Exeter, and other 

 parts of the west of England, contributed a large 

 trading vessel of one hundred and twenty tons, 

 called the Mermaid, to accompany the little squa- 

 dron of Davis on a second voyage, which now 



