276 HUDSON. 



a.d. than that by the Waigatz. On entering it he 

 found thirty-four fathoms water, and carried 

 twenty fathoms for six leagues up it. Beyond 

 this he could not proceed in his vessel at that 

 time, on account of a shift of wind and a strong 

 current setting from the eastward ; but the next 

 day he sent his boat to explore it, and found, 

 after a long row of seven leagues, that the water 

 shoaled to four feet, and that the channel, for 

 such it is now known to be, was completely 

 blocked up with ice. The party landed, and 

 again found traces of people, by a broken oar, 

 and some embers of wood. They saw flowers 

 in bloom, fine herbage, and many deer; several 

 herds of which had also been seen from the ship. 

 It has been supposed that Hudson was mis- 

 taken in this particular, and that he is the 

 only visitor to Nova Zembla who mentions 

 these animals. This, however, is an error, for 

 Barentz, on landing at the place where he 

 wintered, saw the foot-marks of deer, and it 

 has been already observed, that he found in the 

 stomach of a bear the hair and skin of one of 

 these animals, which had not long been devoured. 

 Numerous traces of this species were also found 

 upon the southern part of Nova Zembla, by the 

 expedition in 1595. 



The opening which Hudson had thus partially 



