274 HUDSON. 



a.d. as it was, were indisposed, Hudson says, by 

 reason of the cold. But a favourable change 

 had now taken place, both in the health of his 

 crew and the state of the weather, and he deter- 

 mined to attempt a passage with his little bark 

 through this barrier, hitherto held so formidable, 

 and so ruinous to the prospects of his prede- 

 cessors. It is really quite impossible to contem- 

 plate the exploits of this daring and worthy 

 navigator, without entertaining the highest respect 

 for his character. In his first voyage, with only 

 ten men and a boy, he really did more than 

 some of our best equipped expeditions of modern 

 times have been able to accomplish ; and we 

 now find him boldly facing the great icy barrier, 

 with serious expectations of being able to master 

 it. We are now sufficiently acquainted with 

 the nature of this mass of ice to know that 

 with his means he could not be otherwise than 

 unsuccessful, as it turned out ; for after pene- 

 trating about fifteen miles, he found it impos- 

 sible to proceed, and was forced to give up his 

 intention ; indeed, he thought, not without 

 reason, that he had endangered himself some- 

 what too far. He however made his way out 

 with only a few rubs of the vessel against 

 the ice. Foiled in this direction, he stood along 

 the ice to the eastward until the 25th June, 



