VOYAGES OF WEYMOUTH, HALL, AND KNIGHT. 143 



Next comes the attempt of George Weymouth in 1602. He was despatched by the 

 worshipful merchants of the Muscovy and Turkey Companies to attempt a north-west passage 

 to China. This voyage was an utter failure, and he never reached a higher latitude than 

 63 53' N. While proceeding to the north- west they passed four islands of ice " of a huge 

 bignesse," and about this time the fog was so thick that they could not see two ships' lengths 

 before them, and the sails, shrouds, and ropes were frozen so stiff that they could not be 

 handled. On July 19th the crew mutinied, and conspired to keep the captain confined to his 

 cabin, while they reversed the ship's course and bore for England. Wey mouth discovered 

 this, and punished the ringleaders. The boats were on one occasion sent to an iceberg, to 

 load some of it for fresh water, and as the men were breaking it " the great island of ice gave 

 a mightie cracke two or three times, as though it had been a thunderclappe ; and presently 

 the island began to overthrow/' which nearly swamped the boats. The whole account of 

 Weymouth's voyage is confused and indefinite, but he evidently did nothing beyond cruising- 

 among the islands north of Hudson's Strait, and off Labrador. 



In 1605, 1606, and 1607, three expeditions, of which James Hall, an Englishman, was 

 pilot, were despatched to the Greenland coasts by the King of Denmark. They fancied on the 

 first voyage that they had discovered a silver mine in Cunningham's Fiord, Greenland, and 

 the second voyage was instigated in the hopes of filling the royal coffers with the precious 

 metal. These voyages were in effect most fruitless. Several natives were carried off by Hall, 

 who in return left three Danish malefactors on the Greenland coasts, a severe mode of 

 banishment. While these voyages were in progress, the Muscovy and East India merchants 

 had despatched a small barque, under the command of John Knight, for the discovery of the 

 north-west passage. Near Cape Guinington, on the coast of Labrador, a northerly gale, 

 which brought down large quantities of drift ice, did much damage to the vessel, and she 

 lost her rudder. Knight took the vessel into the most accessible cove in order to repair her, 

 and went ashore with the mate and four sailors, all well armed, to endeavour to find some 

 more suitable harbour. On landing, Knight, the mate, and another, went up towards the 

 highest part of the island, leaving the others to take charge of the boat. The latter waited 

 some thirteen hours, but the captain and his companions did not return. Next day, a well- 

 armed party from the ship went in search of them, but were unable to reach the island on 

 account of the ice. No tidings were ever gleaned concerning their fate, but it was concluded 

 that the savage natives had killed them, as later a number of these people came down and 

 attacked the crew with great ferocity. They had large canoes, and the narrator describes 

 them as " very little people, tawnie coloured, thin or no beards, and flat-nosed, and man- 

 eaters." After patching up their vessel, they steered for Newfoundland, and later for 

 England, which they reached in safety. 



