154 



DISCOVERIES OF 1608. 



latter day, being then in lat. 75° 1\ " one of our 

 company, (says Hudson,) looking over boord saw a 

 mermaid, and calling up some of the companie to 

 see her one more came up, and by that time shee 

 was come close to the ship's side, looking earnestly 

 on the men: a little after a sea came and over- 

 turned her; from the navill upwards her backe 

 and breasts were like a v/oman's, i^as they say that 

 saw her,) her body as big as one of us; her skin 

 very white, and long haire hanging downe behind, 

 of colour blacke; in her going downe they saw 

 her tayle, which was like the tayle of a porposse, 

 and speeckled like a macrell. Their names that 

 saw her were Thomas Hillcs and Robert Rayner."* 

 On the 19th of June, in lat. 75° 22', Hudson 

 made an observation v/ith the dipping needle, 

 which, if at all correct, or nearly so, would lead to 

 a conclusion that one of the magnetic poles was 

 then at no great distance from this parallel, some- 

 where between Cherry Island and Nova Zembla ; 

 but even now, with all the modern improvements 

 which philosophical instruments have undergone, 

 very little dependence can be placed on observa- 

 tions made at sea, on account of the ship's motion, 

 for the inclination of the magnetic needle. On 

 the 25th, it is stated, that " the hope of a passage 

 was gone this way by meanes of our nearenesse 

 to Nova Zembla and the abundance of ice." They 

 landed on Nova Zembla in about lat. 72° 12', an4 



•5* Purclias, vol. iii. p. 575. 



