42 TRANSACTIONS iSqq-^OO 



They discovered and named Savage Island, Cape Comfort (be- 

 cause of the hopes B5dot was then led to entertain of the existence 

 of a North West Passage), Mill Island, (from the way the ice 

 floes were ground up there by the rushing waters), Women's 

 Island (because Bafl&n there found two or three native women), 

 Horn Sound (because Bylot traded there with the Indians for sea 

 otter and unicorn's horns), Wolstenholm Sound (after the second 

 Sir John W. who aided Bylot and to whom Bylot wrote a long 

 account of his explorations); and Hakluyt Island, the latter 

 after Rev. Richard H. who collected and published in 1582 

 ' ' Divers voyages touching the discovery of America and the 

 principal navigations, voyages, trafl&cques and discoveries of the 

 English nation made by sea and land," and is the first and 

 greatest English compiler of sea voyages. 



Lancaster Sound and Channel were named in honour of Sir 

 James I^ancaster, who aided to equip the Baffin expedition and 

 was a Director of the East Indian Company and the first English- 

 man to sail round Cape of Good Hope to India (159 1-4). Jones 

 Sound was so named for Alderman Sir Francis Jones, a Eondon 

 merchant, who also aided to equip Baffin's expeditions. 



Baffin also named the most northerly opening of Baffin Bay, 

 Smith Sound, after a very important man in his da}'. Sir Thos. 

 Smith, who was the life and soul of the East Indian Company 

 during the first year of its existence. When James Lancaster 

 came back to England after an absence of three 3'ears and report- 

 ed the greatness of the field in India for English mercantile 

 enterprise a few merchants sent off a ship for the purpose. The 

 success of the venture occasioned the formation of a company and 

 Sir Thos. Smith was its first Governor continuing to hold that 

 office for man}' years. The marvellous career of the East India 

 Conipan}^ is sketched by Macaulay's graphic pen in his essay on 

 Warren Hastings. After its doings had been the history of the 

 English in India for nearly 260 years its political power ceased 

 and the Queen was proclaimed Queen of India in 1858, sub- 

 sequently being proclaimed, on Jan. ist, 1877 at Delhi before the 

 princes and high dignitaries of India, Empress of India — all 

 these great events and this magnificent addition of India to the 

 pages of British history springing from the action of a few 

 merchants like Sir Thomas Smith. 



