A.D. 



1615. 



292 FOTHERBY AND BAFFIN. 



both of which he was unsuccessful, and returned 

 home in September. 



The passage to the East Indies, by the north, 

 and north-east, had now been so repeatedly tried, 

 and found impracticable, that but very little hope 

 remained of its ever being effected ; Fotherby, 

 nevertheless, recommended the Company to ex- 

 pend a small sum annually in discovery, " 150/. 

 or 200Z. at the most ; " and we find, accordingly, 

 that a small vessel, fitted for this purpose, occa- 

 sionally accompanied the ships which were em- 

 ployed in whaling. No advance was, however, 

 made beyond what has been already stated. In 

 1618, we find the ice close down upon the coast, 

 about Hakluyt's headland ; in 1621, that it was 

 set into Sir Thomas Smith's Bay beyond Red 

 Beach ; and, in short, in every account that has 

 reached us from that quarter, there appears to 

 have been no possibility of passing to the north- 

 ward of Spitzbergen. Discovery was, however, 

 pushed along the eastern shore of that island, and 

 a large inlet,* extending into the centre of the 

 island, explored. Several straits and islands have 

 also since been discovered, and in short, the 

 whole coast of Spitzbergen has in course of time 

 been laid down ; but we have, I believe, no 

 authenticated account of any vessel having ever 

 circumnavigated the island. 



* Wyde Jansz Water. 



