510 The Arctic Expedition. [October, 
Company), sent out three vessels sailing under the directions 
of Sebastian Cabot, Grand Pilot of England. The crews of 
two of these vessels, together with the Admiral, Sir Hugh 
Willoughby, were frozen to death near the mouth of the 
Northern Dwina. The crew of the third vessel returned 
overland to England from St. Nicholas on the White Sea. 
The Muscovy Company, nothing daunted, fitted out a pin- 
nace named the Serchthrift in 1556 for the search for the 
North-East Passage. Sebastian Cabot, although in his 88th 
year, was an active member of the company, and directed the 
new expedition, the command of which was given to Stephen 
Borough. ‘‘On the 27th of April,” says Borough, ‘ being 
Monday, the Right Worshipful Sebastian Cabot came on 
boord our pinnesse at Grauesende, accompanied with divers 
gentlemen and gentlewomen, who, after they had viewed 
our pinnesse and tasted of such cheere as we could make 
them aboord, they went on shore giving to our mariners right 
liberall rewards, and the good olde gentleman, Master Cabota, 
gave to the poore most liberall almes, wishing them to pray 
for the good fortune and prosperous successe of the Serchthrift 
—our pinnesse. And then at the sign of the Christopher 
hee and his friends banketed and made mee and them that 
were in the company great chere; and for very joy that he 
had to see the forwardness of our intended discovery, he 
entred into the dance himselfe among the rest of the young 
and lusty company: which being ended hee and his friends 
departed most gently, commending us to the governance of 
Almighty God.” During this voyage Borough discovered 
the Strait between Novaya Zemlya and Vaigat Island 
sometimes called the Strait of Kara; but he did not prose- 
cute his researches further to the East, having seen “a ter- 
rible heape of ice approach neere.”” The Dutch stimulated 
by the English attempts to effect a north-east passage sent 
out an expedition from Amsterdam in 1594 commanded by 
William Barentzoon, who made three voyages, the third of 
which was by far the most important. During this voyage 
he discovered Spitzbergen, and sailed round the north-west 
end of Novaya Zemlya. In the winter of 1596-97 Barents, 
with sixteen of his countrymen, found themselves entirely 
hemmed in by ice at the north of Spitzbergen, and they were 
compelled to land and build a house out of drift-wood and 
portions of their ship. In June, 1597, they set sail for the 
South, and a few days later Barents died. The survivors, 
after undergoing frightful hardships, reached Kola, in Lap- 
land, after a voyage of 1600 miles in open boats through a 
stormy and icy’sea, and were picked up by a Dutch vessel. 
