165 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [chap. 



Sea, a further attempt was planned to reach the east coast of 

 Asia by the same route. A small vessel, the Scarchthrift, was 

 fitted out for this purpose and placed under the command of 

 Stephen Burrough.^ The most important occurrences during 

 the voyage were the following : — 



On the ^"^. y^^.', 1556, the start was made from Ratcliffe to 



iird April, ' 



Blackwall and Grays. Here Sebastian Cabot came on board, 

 together with some distinguished gentlemen and ladies. They 

 were first entertained on board the vessel and gave , liberal 

 presents to the sailors, alms being given at the same time to a 

 number of poor people, in order that they might pray for good 

 luck and a good voyage ; " then at the signe of the Christopher, 

 Master Cabot and his friends banketted, and made them that 

 were in the company great cheere ; and for very joy that he 

 had to see the towardness of our intended discovery, he entered 

 into the dance himselfe, amongst the rest of the young and 

 lusty company." At Orwell Burrough left his own vessel, in 

 order, at the wish of the merchants, to make the passage to 

 Vardoehus in the Edward Bonaventiu'e. In the end of May 

 he was off the North Cape, which name Burrough says he 

 gave to this northernmost headland of Europe during his 

 first voyage.'^ When Burrough left the Edward Bonaventure 

 and went on board his own vessel is not stated, but on the ^i*^ 

 June he replied on the S&archthrift to the parting salute of 

 the Edward Bonaventure. On the ^~ June Kola was reached, 

 and its latitude fixed at 65° -IS'.^ 



" On Thursday the -jl June at 6 of the clocke in the morn- 

 ing, there came aboord of vs one of the Russe Lodiaes, rowing 

 with tweutie oares, and there were foure and twentie men in 

 her. The master of the boate presented me with a great loafe 

 of bread, and six rings of bread, which they call Colaches, 

 and foure dryed pikes, and a peck of fine otemeale, and I gave 



^ The voyage is described in Hakluyt, 1st Edition, p. 311. It is inserted 

 in the list of contents in the following terms : " The voyage of Steven 

 Burrough towarde the river Ob, intending the discoverie of the north-east 

 passage. An. 1556." It appears from the introduction to Hakluyt's work 

 that the narrative was revised by Burrough himself. In the text Burrowe 

 is written instead of Burrough. 



2 As I have already mentioned, von Herbertstein states that the Russians 

 (Istoma and others) as early as 1496 sailed round the northern extremity 

 of Norway in boats, which when necessary could be carried over hind. 

 North Cape, or rather Nordkyn, was called at that time Murmanski Nos (the 

 Norman Cape). When Hulsius in his collection of travels gives von 

 Herbertstein's account of Istoma's voyage, he considers Swjatoi Nos on 

 the Kola peninsula to be North Cape (Hamel, Tradescant, St. Petersburg, 

 1847, p. 40). 



•* This must be a slip of the pen or an error of the press; it was probab'y 

 intended to be 68' 48'. Kola lies in 68° 51' N. L. 



