GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 77 



it fortuned tliat a small qiiantitie of Ice come out of Foule 

 Sound, and put the Ship from her Moring. . . . The Ship 

 being cast away without hope of recoverie, the Commander 

 Thomas Edge gave order, that all the Morse living on shoare 

 shoold be let goe into the Sea, and so gave over making of 

 Oyle. . . ." Fitting up their boats as well as they could 

 they soon after abandoned the coast of Spitzbergen ("Green- 

 land"), and set sail for Cherie Island, where they found the 

 "Elizabeth" and returned to Spitzbergen "to take in such 

 Goods as the sayd Edge had left in Foule Sound, woorth fifteene 

 hundred pounds."* 



As early as the year 1611, the previous persecutions of the 

 Walruses at Cherie Island had made them very wary. Thomas 

 Finch, in his account of a visit to this island by WiUiam Gour- 

 don in August of that year, says: "At our comming to the 

 Hand, wee had three or foure dayes together very fine weather : 

 in which time came in reasonable store of Morses, . . . yet 

 by no meanes would they go on those beaches and places, that 

 formerly they have been kiUed on. But fortie or fiftie of them 

 together, went into little holes within the Eocke, which were so 

 little, steepe and slipperie, that as soone as wee did approach 

 towards them, they would tumble all into the sea. The like 

 whereof by the Masters and William Gourdons report, was never 

 done."t 



During the years 1612, 1613, 1614, and 1615, numerous vessels 

 were sent out from England to Spitzbergen for the products of 

 the Walruses and Whales, but generally met with indifferent 

 success, being much troubled with Spanish, Dutch, and Dan- 

 ish " interlopers." 



" In the yeere 1616, the Companie set out for Greenland eight 

 Sayle of great ships, and two Pinnasses under the command of 

 Thomas Edge, who following his course, arrived in Greenland 

 about the fourth of June, having formerly appointed all his 

 ships for their severall Harbours, for their making of their Voy- 

 age upon the Whale, and having in every Harbour a sufficient 

 number of exjiert men, and all j)ro\isions fitting for such a Voy- 

 age. This yeere it pleased God to blesse them by their labours, 

 that they full laded all their ships with Oyle, and left an over- 

 plus in the Countrey, which their ships could not take in. 

 They imj)loyed this yeere a small Pinnasse unto the East-ward 

 part of Greenland, Namely, the Hand called now Edges Iland^ 



^Purclias Ms Pilgrimes, vol. iii, pp. 464, 465 tlbicL, p. 536. 



