historical SUMMARY 79 
attention to the importance of the whale fishery, which soon 
after was begun, and lasts to the present day. 
About this time a Danish expedition, under the command of 
Jens Munck, sailed into Hudson bay and wintered in the mouth 
of Churchill river. The ships were unprepared for a winter in 
the north, and, consequently, the crew suffered terribly from 
the ravages of scurvy, so that in the spring, out of fifty-two per- 
sons only Munck and two others survived. These fortunately 
procured some grasses from under the snow, and as the water 
opened killed ducks and fish enough to give them strength to 
repair the smaller vessel, in which they reached home. 
The Muscovy Company, in 1631, again decided to send out 
an expedition to search for a passage from Hudson bay, and 
entrusted the command to Captain Luke Fox. Having passed 
through Hudson strait he landed at cary's Swan Nest, and then 
rounded the southwest point of Southampton island, and pro- 
ceeded to explore the channel between that island and the main- 
land, up to latitude 64 10', where he saw an island near the 
mainland, which he named Sir Thomas roe's Welcome, a name 
now applied to the channel as a whole. fox's instructions lim- 
ited him to the coast south of latitude 63, so he now stood to 
the south along the shore, passing Marble island, which he called 
Brooke Cobham, and the mouth of the Churchill river, and 
reaching Nelson river on the 10th of August. Keeping a south- 
erly course for a fortnight longer, he fell in with Captain James 
near Cape Henrietta Maria. Having convinced himself that 
there was no opening to the west between latitudes 65 30' and 
55 10', Fox turned northward and explored Fox channel to 
the east of Southampton island, naming the prominent points 
on the west side of baffin island, King Charles his Promontory, 
Cape Maria, Lord Weston's Portland and Point Peregrine, the 
last being the most northerly point reached. 
Captain James was in command of a rival expedition, fitted 
out the same year, with instructions to explore to the south   
