ATTEMPTS TO COLONISE IT. 219 



In the early part of tlie seventeentli century 

 Spitzbergen became the seat of the most flom^- 

 ishing whale-fishery that ever existed, as many 

 as between 400 and 500 sail of vessels, prin- 

 cipally Dutch and Hamburgers, resorting there 

 in a season. It then became obvious that it 

 would be very advantageous if something in 

 the shape of a permanent settlement or colony 

 could be founded in Spitzbergen ; and the 

 merchants engaged in the trade offered rewards 

 to their crews, to induce some of them to make 

 the hazardous experiment of trying whether 

 human life could be supported there during 

 the winter. Por a long time this was believed 

 to be impossible ; and, as no volunteers could 

 be prevailed upon to risk their lives in the 

 solution of the interesting problem, an English 

 company hit upon the ingenious and economical 

 idea of trying it upon some criminals who were 

 under sentence of death in London. Accord- 

 ingly they procured " a grant " of these culprits 

 — probably sheep-stealers, papists, or some such 

 atrocious criminals — and offered them their 

 lives on condition that they would pass, or 

 try to pass, one winter in Spitzbergen. Of 

 course they were glad to purchase their lives 

 on any terms, and at once acceded to the 



