124 Arctic and Antarctic Exploration [part i 
that there was great wealth to be derived from the 
fishery in the seas round the New Land. In 1612 the 
Muscovy Company obtained a Charter from James I 
excluding all others from the fishery, English or foreign, 
so that henceforward it would be a question which had 
the strongest fleet. Christian IV thereupon put in a claim 
on the ground first that the country was Greenland, and 
then that it was part of Norway. The Dutch obtained 
a Charter, similar to that of the Muscovy Company, 
from Prince Maurice. Dunkirk privateers and Biscayners 
also began to arrive at the fishery. The grand work of 
discovery, though never quite lost sight of by the English, 
was practically put aside, and the sordid greed of wealth- 
seekers was substituted. 
The first appearance of the Dutch was in 161 2, when 
a ship arrived at the fishery piloted by an Englishman 
named Bonner. In that year also, Captain Marmaduke, 
one of the most able and dashing sailors on the Spits- 
bergen side in those days, with a crew from his native 
town of Hull, boldly pushed forward to make discoveries, 
and we are told by Fotherby, a reliable authority, that 
he reached 82 0 N. 
The country was called " King James his Newland " 
by the Muscovy Company, and Greenland by the Dutch 
and Danes and also for long by the English. 
In 1613 the Muscovy Company fitted out a large fleet 
under the command of Benjamin Joseph, an experienced 
seaman. The Admiral or leading ship was the Tiger of 
200 tons, with Joseph in command and William Baffin 
as pilot. The Matthew of 250 tons was Vice-Admiral, 
and Captain Marmaduke appears to have commanded 
her, with Fotherby as pilot. Thomas Edge, who after- 
wards did such good service as a discoverer as well as 
a whaling captain, was also in the fleet. The Rear- 
Admiral was the Gamaliel of 200 tons, the fourth ship 
was the John and Francis of 180 tons, and the fifth the 
Annula of 140 tons. There was also a pinnace of 60 tons 
called the Richard and Barnard. The fleet left the 
Thames on the 13th May, and by the 1st June, all the 
ships being in company, they were off Prince Charles's 
Island on the west coast of Spitsbergen, anchoring in 
Sir Thomas Smith's Bay between Prince Charles's Island 
