14 G. Amdrup. 



out a new expedition in 1607 under the command of the Holstener 

 Carsten Richardsen *, who had been one of Lindenov's officers 

 the previous year; Hall again serving as pilot. But Carsten Richard- 

 sen met with the same fortune as Jacob Allday and Mogens Heine- 

 son. He sighted the land, but the heavy drift-ice prevented him from 

 approaching the coast; he was, indeed, nearly crushed by the screw-ice 

 and was obliged to sail for home without achieving anything. 



In the same year that Carsten Richardsen undertook his voyage 

 to the east coast of Greenland, the renowned Hexry Hudson^ set 

 sail from England with the fantastic aim of finding some way over the 

 North Pole to China. H udson sighted the east coast of Greenland several 

 times, the last time at ca. 73° N. lat., and he was thus the first to give us 

 any information regarding the northern part of Greenland's east coast. 



After Carsten Richardsen's unsuccessful voyage Christian IV 

 gave up trying to rediscover the old northern colonies. It was not 

 until the time of King Frederik III, that the attempts were begun 

 again, though not by the King himself, but by a rich private gentleman 

 Henrik Møller, who sent out 3 expeditions in the years 1652 — 54, 

 all three under the command of a foreigner, David Danell*, probably 

 a Dutchman. 



Of Danell's three voyages the first especially is of importance. 

 With the vessels St. Peder and St. Jakob he sailed north round Iceland 

 on the way towards the east coast of Greenland. Dn June the 2nd he 

 came in sight of the coast and was able to follow this fromca. 64°50' N. 

 lat. right down to Cape Farvel, practically the whole way in sight of 

 the coast and often so near, that he believed he would manage to land. 

 But the ice conditions rendered this impossible. 



On Danell's second voyage in 1653 he again sailed along the 

 east coast from ca. 64° N. lat. to Cape Farvel, but the ice conditions 

 seem to have been worse than in the foregoing year and there was no 

 possibility of landing. 



In the attempts to find a more easily navigable route to China 

 and East India than that already known, one of which by Henry 

 Hudson is referred to above, Spitzbergen was discovered in the year 

 1596 by Jacob van Heemskerk and William Barentsz. On returning 

 home the expeditions reported, how the waters there were rich in 

 whales and walrus and with this attraction the first English whalers 

 set sail for Spitzbergen already in 1608. The following years saw the 

 arrival of the Dutch, French and Spaniards and the Danes came there 

 in 1615*. Year by year thereafter great numbers of Avhalers flocked 



1 Grönlands historiske Mindesmærker, Bd. Ill, pp. 696 — 698. 

 - G. M. AsHER. Henry Hudson, the Navigator, pp. 1 — 7. London lä6Ü. 

 ' Grönlands historiske Mindesma^rker, Bd. III, pp. 713 — 725. 

 ^ C. Xormann: "Hval-, Hvalros- og Sælhundefangstens Historie og Ud- 

 vikling", Tidsslvfift for Sovæsen, Bd. 1, ]). 511 and Bd. II, p. 26. 



