v.] DUTCH EXPEDITIONS. 199 



a specimen of the birds of Novaya Zemlya a penguin was 

 drawn and described, and finally the work closed with a rectifi- 

 cation of tlie map of the Polar Eegions, which according to the 

 author's ideas ought to be as represented below. I refer to these 

 absurdities, because the account of Martiniere's voyage exerted 

 no little influence on the older writings relating to the Arctic 

 Regions. 



1664 and 1668. A whaling captain, Willem de Vlamingh, 

 sailed in 1664 round the northern extremity of Novaya Zemlya 

 to Barents' winter quarters, and thence eastwards, where one 

 of his men thought he saw land (" Jelmert-landt," Witsen, 

 p. 902).^ The same Vlamingh says that in 1668 he discovered, 

 twenty-five miles JSI.N.E. of Kolgujev, a new island three to four 

 miles in circumference. This island, which was described in 

 great detail, and named by the discoverer " Witsen's Island," 

 has not since been seen again ( Witsen, p. 923). 



1666. In this year some vessels were sent from the Nether- 

 lands to the north-east. There were Jews among the owners 

 and the seafarers were furnished with letters in Hebrew, because 

 it was believed that they would come in contact with some of 

 the lost tribes of Israel. Nothing further appears to have been 

 known of the voyage, which undoubtedly was without result. 

 [Witsen, ^. W2.) 



1675. A Dutch whaling captain, Cornelis Piersz. Snob- 

 BERGER, visited Novaya Zemlya, on whose coast he killed three 

 whales and six hundred walruses. He would probably have 

 got still more " fish," if he had not in 72:|° found an ore, which 

 appeared to contain silver, gold, and other metals. Instead of 

 blubber the skipper now loaded ore, which in his opinion was 

 precious, but afterwards on being tested at home was found to 

 be valueless {Witsen,^. 918). 



17th Century, year not stated. Shipmaster CoRNELlS ROULE 

 is said to have sailed in the longitude of Novaya Zemlya to 84|° 

 or 85° N.L. and there discovered a fjord-land, along which he 

 sailed ten miles. Beyond that a large open sea was seen. From 

 a high mountain situated on a sound, in which he rode, it 

 appeared that he might sail one or two watches further to the 

 north. He found there large numbers of birds, which w^ere 

 exceedingly tame [Witsen, p. 920). If we take some degrees 

 from the latitude stated, which is perhaps not very unreason- 

 able in dealing with the narratives of old whalers, which 

 have passed through two or three hands, Roule may, as far 

 back as two hundred years ago, have reached Franz-Josefs 

 Land, and sailed along its coast to a very high latitude for 

 tliose regions. 



1676. Wood and Flawes were sent out from_ England by 



^ Compare page 156. 



