XXIV ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 
river of Ob, made by Master Steven Burrough, master of the Pinnesse 
called the Serchthriff, with divers things worth the noticing passed in 
the yere 1556.’ In this we read on August 25th, ‘At a west north-west 
sunne we sounded and had 29 fadoms blacke sandie oze, and then 
we were north-east, five leagues from the north-east part of the island 
Colgoieue.’ ! 
1580.—Pet and Jackman sailed this year under commission from the 
Russian Company to go ‘eastwards to the countries and dominions of 
the mightie prince, the Emperor of Cathay, and in the same unto the 
cities of Cambalu and Quinsay, or to either of them.’ Neither of them 
of course they reached, but on their return from Waigats they managed 
to get their ships aground, on August zoth, on the sand-banks to the 
south of Kolguev. 
The account runs: ‘At twelve of the clocke we were upon the 
suddaine in shoale water among great sands, and could find no way out. 
By sounding and seeking about we came aground, and so did the 
William ; but we had no hurt, for the wind was off the shore and the 
same night it was calme. All night we did our best but we could not 
have her aflote. These shoals doe lie off Colgoyeue; it is very flat a 
great way off, and it doth not high aboue 2 or 3 foote water. It floweth 
north-east and south-west.’ ? 
1594.—The famous Dutch explorer, William Barents, on his first 
voyage ‘sayled til the 14th of August, five or six miles south-west, 
sailing close by the land, which (as they gesse) was the island of 
Colgoyeu.’ ? 
1611.—Richard Finch, in a letter to Sir Thomas Smith, Governor of 
the ‘Worshipfull Companie of English Merchants trading into Russia,’ 
wrote as follows:—‘The seventh of August, William and I with our 
shallop went on shoare. This Colgoieue is a very long and broad 
Iland with many vallies in it. On the same are many geese, which the 
Russes use to take with nets in the time of the yere, before they be ouer 
fledge. In this Iland seemeth to be store of Hawkes. Here William 
Purchas his Pilgrimes, 1589-99 to 1601. 
Hugh Smith in Hakluyt, vol. i. p. 508, ed. 1810. 
’ G, de Veer in Hakluyt. Hakluyt Society’s edition, 1850, vol. xiii. p. 35. 
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