270 DISCOVERIES OF WOOD AND FLAWES. J 676" . 



published, it would appear that in the same year 

 that Wood proceeded to the north-cast, a Captain 

 Baker had been sent on a voyage of discovery to 

 the north-west, though no voyage of the kind can 

 be traced in that year, either at the instance of the 

 public, or of private adventurers ; certainly none 

 but that of the Speedwell was fitted out by the 

 Admiralty. The minute in the diary therefore 

 most probably alludes to the voyage of Wood ; 

 and if so, it contains mistakes very unusual to a 

 man of Evelyns character for sound intelligence 

 and strict accuracy. He says, " 1676, July 26, I 

 dined at the Admiralty with Secretary Pepys, and 

 supped at the Lord Chamberlain's. Here was 

 Captain Baker, who had been lately on the attempt 

 of the north-west passage. He reported prodigious 

 depth of ice, blue as a sapphire, and as trans- 

 parent. The thick mists were their chiefe impe- 

 diment and cause of their return."* 



There can be little doubt that this odd jumble 

 of mistakes, in the date, names, and objects, was 

 meant to refer to Wood's failure, which, to use the 

 words of a learned writer, " seems to have closed 

 the long list of unfortunate northern expeditions 

 in that century ; and the discovery, if not abso- 

 lutely despaired of, by being so often missed, 

 ceased for many years to be sought for."t 



* Memoirs of Evelyn, &c. — Diary^ July 25th, \676. 



t Introduction to Cook's last Voyage by Doctor Douglas, p. 2S. 



