I6l2. SIR THOMAS BUTTON. 197 



were some years afterwards printed by Fox, in tlie 

 introductory part of his ovvn voyage.* 



Tlie opening of Hudson's Strait into a great 

 western sea, and the report in Abacuk Pricket's 

 journal of Hudson's ship having been floated off a 

 rock near Cape Digges, by a high tide flowing 

 from the westward, are the reasons assigned for 

 undertaking this new voyage of discovery. It is 

 to be hoped however, that humanity had some 

 share in the business, and that one of the objects 

 of the expedition might be that of inquiring after 

 the fate of the unfortunate Hudson and his com- 

 panions. The intention at any rate was to follow 

 the track of Hudson ; and accordingly, on arriving off 

 the strait, Button stood directly to the westward, for 

 Digges's Island, where he remained about a week 

 employed in fitting up a pinnace which had been 

 brought out in pieces from England. He then con- 

 tinued to proceed to the westward, till he made the 

 southern part of the large island, which in some 

 charts is called Southampton Island, and to which 

 he gave the name of Carey s Swans Nest ; and 

 from hence still sailing westerly he fell in with 

 more land on the main coast of America, in lat. 60° 

 40', to which he gave the name of Hopes Checked, 

 A storm coming on, the two ships stood to the 

 southward down Hudson's Bay, and on the 15th 

 August, entered the mouth of a river in lat. 57° 10', 



* North-west Fox, p. 117. 



o 3 



