Ghap. III. 
Larks, Ravens, and PartHges. On the i yth they went 
aiiiore again, and, in an Oven built with Stones, they 
found a fmall Canoe made of Wood, an Image, a Bird 
made of Bone, Beads for Necklaces, and other Trifles. 
The Coaft made no very promifing Appearance, as 
having neither Wood nor Grafs ^ but the Rocks were of 
a fine bright Stone, like Marble beautified with Veins of 
different Colours. ' Upon the Shore they found a Seal or 
Sea-Calf juft Head and thrown under a heap of Stones. 
Captain Davis and his Mafter were extremely well 
pleafed with the Appearance of this Streight, though 
they began to doubt whether the Seafon would permit 
them to continue long in it ; which neverthelefs they took 
for the very Channel into the South Seas, in fearch of 
which they came, and refolved to report fo much upon 
their return to England. The Reafons which confirmed 
the Probability of there being a Paftage in this Streight, 
and upon which they grounded their Hopes of future 
Succefs, were, ift. That this Place was all Iflands, with 
great Sounds between them. 2d. That the Water remaiiir 
ed all of the fame Colour with the main Ocean, without 
altering ; whereas they never came into any Bay before 
nor after, but the Colour of the Water was altered very 
blackifh. 3d. Becaufe they faw to the Weft of thofe 
Ihands three or four Whales in a Skull, which they 
imagined came from the Weftern Sea, becaufe to 
the Eaftward they had feen no Whales. 4th. Becaufe 
as tliey v/ere rowing into a very great Sound lying South- 
weft, from whence thofe Whales came, there came fud- 
denly a violent Counter-check of a Tide from the South- 
ward, againft the Flood which they came in with, not 
knowing from whence it received its Source. 5th. Be- 
caufe in failing twenty Leagues within the Mouth of this 
■Entrance, they had founding in ninety Fathoms on a 
grey and oufy Sand ; and the farther they ran into the 
Weftward, the deeper was the Water : So that among the 
Iflands they had near the Shore no Ground in three hun- 
dred and thirty Fathom. 6th. Becaufe it ebbed and flow- 
ed fix or feven Fathom, the Flood coming from divers 
Parts, fo that they could not with any Certainty difcern 
the chief Source of it. 
On the 19th it vras refolved by the Oflicers to continue 
the Profecution of their Difcoveries ; but the Wind 
changing on the 20th, they were obliged to nsmain at 
Anchor ; and the Weather growing very foul, they, on 
the 24th, hoifted Sail for England. On the loth of Sep- 
tember they fell in with the Land of Defolation ; on the 
27th they had Sight of the Englijh Coaft, and in a Storm 
loft the MoonJJjine that Night. On the 30th Captain 
Davis came lafely into Dartmouth.^ where he found the 
Moonfhine., which arrived about two Hours before. 
Upon his return to London., Captain Davis gave a veiy 
clear Account to his Owners, of his Expedition, and of 
what he had done ; obferving, that at the Time he put 
to Sea, he had only general Inftruftions to fearch for a 
Paflfage to North-weft, without any Intimation where 
that Paffage was moft likely to be found ; that he had 
accordingly entered a Streight which he thought might 
poffibly be that Paftage ; but the Weather changing, 
and the Sealon of the Year being two far advanced, he 
judged it requifite to return home. 
His Owners were fo well fatisfied, that they procured 
him an Audience of Secretary JValfingham ; v/ho ap- 
proved very much of the Enterprize, and of the Manner 
in which he had conduced it ^ but at the fame Time re- 
commended it to him to complete this Difcovery, to 
which he Was alfo preffed by thofe who were concerned 
in his' former Undertaking, and by fome Merchants of 
Exeter who deiired to join in the Expences neceflary 
fbr a fecond Expedition ; to which he willingly confent- 
, cd, and accordingly undertook it ^ and as he has written 
himfelf an Account of this Voyage, which was a very 
remarkable one, I fhall give it the Reader, as near as may 
be, in his own Words. 
“ On tne 7th of May^ 1586 , 1 fet out from Dartmouth 
‘‘ with four Sail, viz. Dht Mermaid of 120 Tons, the 
“ Sunjhine of 60 Tons, the Moonjhine of 33 Tons, and 
a Pinnace of 13. Tuns, called the North Star. We 
coafted the South-fide ot Ireland^ and on- the 13th 
VoL. JL , Numb. 83*. ■ 
fteered away North- weft, till we came to the Lati= 
tude of 6od At which Time I divided my Fleet, and 
ordered the Sunjhine^ and the North Star-., to feek a Paf- 
fage Northward, between Greenland and Iceland., to the 
Latitude of 80k if Land did not hinder them. I de- 
parted from them the 7th of June^ and on the 1 5th. 
difeovered Land in 60° Latitude, and in Longitude 
“ from the Meridian of London Weftward 47®. The 
“ Ice lay, in fome ten, in fome twenty, in fome fifty, 
“ Leagues off the Shore; fo that we were conftrained. 
“ to bear into 57° to double the fame, and to get a free 
“ Sea, which through God’s favourable Mercy we at 
“ length obtained. 
“ On the 29th, after many Storms, we again difeover- 
“ ed Land, in Longitude from the Meridian of London 
“ 58'’ 30', and in Latitude 64°, being Eaft from us, into 
“ which fince it pleafed God by contrary Winds to force 
“ us, I thought fit to bear in with it, and to fet up our 
“ Pinnace, which we had provided in the Mermaid to 
“ be our Scout for this Difcovery, and fo mmch the ra- 
“ ther, becaufe the Year before I had been in the fame 
“ Place, and found it Very convenient for fuch a Pur- 
“ pofe, being inhabited by a People of traftable Con- 
“ verfation, and the Sea void of Ice. The Ships being 
“ within the Sounds, we fent our Boats to fearch for 
Shole- water, where we might anchor, which in this 
“ Place is very hard to find. The People of the Country, 
“ efpying them, came in their Canoes towards theifi 
“ with Shouts and Cries ; but when they faw in the 
“ Boats fome of our Company that were there the laft 
“ Year, they rowed to the Boat, and, taking hold of the 
“ Oar, hung about the Boat, expreffing a great deal of 
“ Joy ; and making Signs that they knew all thofe that 
“ had been there the Year before. I went aftiore with 
“ others of the Company, and took with me twenty 
“ Knives. We had no fooner landed but they leaped out 
“ of their Canoes and came running to us, and embraced 
“ us with many Signs of hearty welcome *, there were 
“ eighteen of them, and I gave to each of them a 
“ Knife, and they offered me Skins for a Reward ; but 
“ I made Signs that they were not fold, but freely 
“ given to them ; and fo difmiffed them for that Time, 
“ with Signs that they fhould return after certain Hours. 
“ The next Day, with all poffible Speed, the Pinnace 
“ was landed upon an Ifland, there to be finiftied ; and 
^ “ while it was fetting up the People came continually to 
“ us, fometimes a hundred Canoes at a time, bringing 
“ Seal-fkins, Stag-fkins, White Hares, Seals, Salmon- 
“ Peal, fmall Cod, dry Caplin, with other Fifli, and 
“ fome Birds. I fent one of the Boats to fearch one Part 
“ of the Land, while I went to another Part, with ftridt 
“ Command that there fhould be no Injury offered to 
“ any of the People, nor any Gun ftiot. They formed 
“ Tents made of Seal-fkins, wherein was Store of dried 
“ Caplin, being a fmall Fifh, no bigger than a Pilchard, 
“ fome Bags of Train-Oil, many little Images cut in. 
“ Wood, and Seal-fkins in Tan-Tubs, whereof they 
“ diminilhed nothing. When they had paffed ten Miles 
“ within the fnowy Mountains, they came to a plain 
“ champaign Country with Earth and Grafs, like to our 
“ moory and wafte Grounds in England *, they went ten 
“ Leagues up into a River, which in the narroweft Place 
“ was two Leagues over, finding it ftill to continue 
“ they knew not how far. But I with my Company 
“ took another River, which, although at firft it afford- 
“ ed a large Inlet, yet it proved but a deep Bay, the 
“ End whereof I attained in four Hours ; and there leav- 
“ ing the Boat well manned, Went with the reft of the 
“ Company three or four Miles into the Country, but 
“ found nothing, nor faw any thing but Gripes, Ravens, 
“ and fmall Birds, as Larks and Linnets. The third of 
“ July I manned my Boat, and went with fifty Canoes 
“ attending upon me into another Sound, where the Peo- 
“ pie, by Signs, willed me to go, hoping to find their 
“ Habitation. At laft they made Signs that I fliould go 
“ into a warm Place to fleep ; at which Place I went on 
“ Shore, and defired they would leap with our Men, 
“ which they agreed to, but ours did over-leap them ; 
“ from leaping they went to wreftling ; we found them 
■Ggg . ftrong 
of the ENGLI S'H k A M E R I C A. 
V 
