CAPTAIN WOOD. 293 



CAPTAIN JOHN WOOD. 

 The question of a northern route to the Pacific a d. 



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had failed to occupy attention for upwards of 

 sixty years, when it was revived by various reports 

 and accounts, partly from Holland, but chiefly 

 by the publication of a paper in the " Transactions 

 of the Royal Society of London in 1675 ;" in 

 which it was stated, that a vessel had sailed 

 several hundred leagues to the north-east of 

 Nova Zembla, and that the sea was there found 

 free from ice. It was also reported, that some 

 Dutch vessels had circumnavigated Spitzbergen, 

 and that one had even reached the latitude of 88° 

 56' N., and found the sea there quite hollow and 

 free from any incumbrance. To these statements 

 were added many hearsay stories, of an encou- 

 raging nature ; and the subject finding a zealous 

 advocate in the person of Captain John Wood, 

 who advanced many specious reasons in support 

 of his opinion, the practicability of a passage 

 was entertained with as much earnestness as 

 though no efforts to accomplish it had ever been 

 made. 



Hitherto the vessels which had been sent upon 

 this service were in the employment of Compa- 

 nies or of private individuals, being, besides, ex- 

 tremely small, and ill adapted to the occasion ; 



