A.D.I 676. 581 



Berkley, Sir Jofeph Williamfon, Sir John Banks, and others, fitted out, 

 together with another fhip bought by them, under the command of 

 Captain Wood. The hope of effeding a difcovery was revived by new 

 reports and arguments circulated at this time, fome of which had little 

 or no foundation, as, ift, whales had been found on the coafl of Corea, 

 near Japan, with Englifli and Dutch harpoons flicking in them * ; 2d, 

 20 years before, fomc Dutchmen had failed within one degree of the 

 north pole, and found it temperate weather there ; and therefor William 

 Barents, the Dutch navigator, who wintered at Nova Zembla, in 1596, 

 fhould have failed farther to the north before turning eaftward, in which 

 cafe faid they he would not have found fo much obfl:rud:ion from the 

 ice ; 3d, two Dutch fhips had lately failed 300 leagues to the eaftward 

 of Nova Zembla ; but their Eaft-India company had ftifled that defign, 

 as againft their intereft. The vefTels doubled the North cape, and came 

 among much ice and drift-wood, in 76 degrees of latitude, fteering to 

 the coaft of Nova Zembla, where the king's ftiip ftruck upon the rocks, 

 and was foon beat to pieces ; and Captain Wood, in the other fhip, re- 

 turned home, with an opinion, that fuch a paffage was utterly imprac- 

 ticable, and that Nova Zembla is a part of the continent of Greenland. 

 i6yy. — The people and parliament of England, being juftly alarmed 

 at the great progrefs of the French conquefts in the Spanifh Nether- 

 lands, the houfe of commons requefted the king to make alliances, in 

 order to fecure the Spanifh Netherlands, in the prefervation of which 

 they told him, in the beginning of the year 1677, both his and their 

 interefts were highly concerned. They addreffed him twice again on 

 this fame account ; and although his fecret engagements with the 

 French king, for the worft of purpofes, (viz. to eftablifh an abfolute 

 power over his people, and the popifh religion) were too ftrong to in- 

 cline him ferioufly to break with him, yet the cries of his people made 

 him, in part, outwardly comply with thofe repeated addrefles ; and the 

 parliament now granted him L5 84,000 for building 30 fhips of war, in 

 order to provide for the nation's fafety. In the mean time, whilfl he 

 was plunged in pleafures, and remained quite unconcerned, Louis (who 

 knew his indolence) took the cities of Valenciennes, Cambray, and St. 

 Omer, whereby the reft of the Spanifh Netherlands was left open on all 

 fides. The king was again requefted to enter into an offenfive alliance 

 with the Dutch, and to declare war againft France, which he flatly re- 



* This is no infallible proof that (liips could get navigated, or fuiveyed, it is now perfectly well 



thither by a north-eaft, paffage, although whales known, that no one vcifel can ever be expected to 



might. A. make a clear paffage along the whole coaft, and 



The late improvements in geography have fliewR into the Pacific ocean. Ute Coxc's Account of thi 



that the paffage between Aha and America is I'.o- -Rujian difajvena k-l-wcen AJla aud Amcrua, aad 



where obltructed by land. But though every part Pallas' s New northern collcdhm. M. 



"of the north coaft of Europe and Alia has been "^ 



