17^9,, BARLOW, VAUGHAN, AND SCROGGS. 273 



•fr 



had the less scruple in sending Knight as, by 

 Robson's account, he must have been nearly 

 eighty years of age when he ' undertook this 

 voyage ; of the success of which he \ras so con- 

 fident, that he had strong chests made, bound with 

 iron, to hold the gold and copper which he ex- 

 pected to find. This was probably the single 

 object that occupied the mind of Knight; the 

 north-west passage and the straits of Anian were 

 thrown out with no other view than to urge the 

 Company, and to point out to them the necessity, 

 to do something which might wear the appearance 

 at least of satisfying the conditions of their charter. 

 Knight is accordingly, by his instructions, 

 directed " to depart fiom Gravesend on the in- 

 tended voyage, by God's permission, to find out 

 the straits of Anian, in order to discover gold and 

 other valuable commodities to the northward.'-* 

 As neither of these ships ever returned or were 

 heard of, it was concluded they had been lost 

 among the ice, or shut up in some creek or strait 

 from which they had no means of returning ; and 

 as the Hudson's Bay Company had sent out these 

 two vessels, they could not do otherwise than 

 dispatch another to look for the unfortunate crews. 

 The lVhalebo7ie was accordingly ordered to proceed 

 on this service. The person appointed to com- 

 mand her was John Scroggs, of whose proceedings 

 nothing was ever published, except a brief abstract 

 procured by Mr. Arthur Dobbs. From tliis account 



VOL. I. T 



