36 WHAI-E-^TSHERY. 



The English groimded their claim on the supposed 

 discovery of Spitzbcrgen by Sir Hugh Willoughby, 

 in the year 15.53 *, and on tlie discovery and esta- 

 bhshnient of the fishery about which they contend- 

 ed. The Dutch denied, and with justice, Sir Hugh 

 Willoughby's discovery, and rested tlieir claim on 

 the discovery of these islands by Heemskerke, Ba- 

 rentz and Ryp, in the year 1596. And the Danes, 

 supposing Spitzbcrgen to form part of West Green- 

 land, which was at an early period possessed by 

 them, asserted this as a sufficient title. 



Finding the determination of this point a matter 

 of great difficulty, while it now appeared of less 

 importance than they had at first conceived, having 

 found that the whole coast abounded with fine bays 

 and commodious harbours, each of which were e- 

 qually resorted to by the whales, and equally Avell 

 adapted for carrying on every operation relative to 

 the fishery, they agreed at length to a division of 

 these bays and harbours, which were to be consider- 

 ed as the independent possession of those to whom 

 tliey were allotted. 



The English had such iiifluence as to obtain, not 

 only the first clioice, but tlie ])rivilege of occupying 



* This claim of the Englisli was fully answered by D. Peter 

 Planei, " a rcri/ h-qnied cosmographer," who proved that Sir 

 Hugh Willoughby never reached so Ikr north as Spitzbcrgen. 

 His protest against the claims and conduct of the English, is 

 included in De Bry's " Historica Descriptio regionis Spitzber- 

 " gap," published in his Ind. Orient, torn. iii. p. GO.-G^. 



