198 



Inasmuch 



The Third 

 Expedition 



The Gulf 



Stream 



Described 



fitted out with the primary purpose of returning 

 to Frobisher s Bay and loading cargoes of the 

 black stone, supposed to &quot;hold gold and that very 

 richly for the quantity.&quot; On the second expedi 

 tion diligent and unavailing search was made for 

 the five men of the first expedition captured by the 

 natives. The third expedition carried the frame 

 work of a fort and residence, with supplies 

 sufficient to maintain, throughout the winter 

 months, a proposed colony of one hundred men. 

 The loss of one of the smaller vessels with certain 

 parts of the framework, the destruction of other 

 parts when used to ward off the blows of masses 

 of ice, and the damage or loss of much of the pro 

 visions, caused the project to be abandoned. By 

 the return of this expedition the worthlessness of 

 the supposed gold ore had, apparently, been 

 demonstrated; in any case the enterprise was 

 abandoned. 



As an example of the knowledge and reasoning 

 of the period, the following description of the 

 Gulf Stream is worth quoting: 



&quot;And after this good deed done, and having a 

 large wind, we kept our course upon our said 

 voyage without staying for the taking-in of fresh 

 water or any other provisions, whereof many of 

 the fleet were not thoroughly furnished : and sail 

 ing towards the northwest parts from Ireland, 

 we met with a great current from out of the south 

 west, which carried us (by our reckoning) one 

 point to the northeastwards of our said course, 

 which current seemed to us to continue itself 



