ARCTIC GOLD DIGGINGS. 



125 



fever, a veritable " excitement," in connection with Arctic " dig-gins/' Nevertheless, the 

 nexC voyage of Frobisher was instigated purely for the further discovery of the precious 

 metal. Queen Elizabeth seems to have been infected with the same fever, and Frobisher 

 on taking his leave of her Majesty had the honour of kissing her hand, and being 

 dismissed with " gracious countenance and comfortable words." He was furnished with 

 "one tall ship" of her Majesty's, named the Ayde, of 180 tons or so, and two barques 

 of about thirty tons each. On the way north they observed some enormous icebergs, more 



AN ARCTIC SCENE : FLOATING ICE. 



than half a mile in circuit, and seventy to eighty fathoms (210 to 240 yards) under water. 

 The ice being perfectly fresh, Frobisher came to the conclusion that they " must be bredde 

 in the sounds, or in some land neere the Pole." It is now admitted that icebergs 

 properly so called, are but the ends of glaciers, broken off. Furthermore, he was the 

 first to record that "the maine sea freeseth not, therefore there is no mare glaciale, as 

 the opinion hitherto hath bene." They loaded up with the ore from Hall's greater 

 island and on a small island in Frobisher's Strait. "All the sands and cliffs did so 

 glister, and had so bright a marquesite, that it seemed all to be gold, but upon tryall 

 made it prooved no better than black-lead, and verified the proverbe, l All is not gold that 

 glistereth/ '' We shall see that it was only iron pyrites, a sulphuret of iron. They 

 also professed to have found on another island a mine of silver, and more gold 

 ore. 



