Chap. I. round the NORTH POLE. 
i97 
“ are colder than thofe that come from the Sea, and 
“ therefore it may be cold about Greenland^ becaufe of 
the Land, yet warmer under the Pole while the Sea is 
“ open, The third Objedtion is. That if they were 
“ under the Pole they could not tell how to come back, 
“ becaufe of the IndilFerency the Needle fhould bear 
to every Point of the Horizon. I examined not my 
Relator upon this Argument, though when T was 
‘‘ parted from him I was forry I did not ; but it is eafy 
“ to apprehend how to guide a Ship either forward or 
“ backward, by an Obfervation of the Sun a little before 
‘‘ they enter the Pole ; for by finding in, or near, what 
“ Meridian it is •, or upon what Part of the Ship it bears, 
“ whether on the Head or Stern, or Star-board or Lar- 
“ board ; you may meafure Time near enough with 
“ a Glafs, to know feveral Days after, in, or near, what 
“ Meridian the Sun is, at any known or eftimate Time, 
“ and confequently know how to proceed, or come back 
with your Ship ; Or, if the Moon have North Lati- 
tilde, you may do the fame by the Moon ; but if the 
“ Pole were traded, in a fhort time it might be found by 
“ Variation of the Needle j for there is doubtlefs Varia- 
“ tion in it, and in all the Meridians about it feveral 
“ Variations. 
“ Thus far it appears there is a free and open Sea in 
“ Summer-time (at leaft) about the North-Pole. But I 
“ lliall add another Relation of James Ben^ whofe Father 
“ lived about five Years ago in Crown-court in Rujfel- 
“ Jirsety Covent -garden^ and himfelf now lives in Wap- 
“ pitig : This Mr. Ben failed to Japan with the Dutch^ as 
“ a Carpenter of the Ship, and he told me that that 
“ Year, viz. i668, he was newly come home from 
I alked him how long they were on their Way home from 
“ thence? He told me he could not very well tell.; 
“ becaufe when they failed from Japon.^ the Captain 
“ commanded the Stcerfman to fail due North, and they 
“ did fail fo trom thence for about four hundred Dutch 
“ Miles, which is almofl twenty-feven Degrees due 
“ North. I aflced him if they met with no Land or 
lilands, as I had done before the Dutch Greenland Steerf- 
“ man ? He told me. No, they faw no Land but 
“ there was a free and open Sea ; fo tar as they failed no 
“ Land appeared. I aflced him, why they failed fo far 
“ northward ? He told me he could not tell, only the 
“ Captain commanded it, &c. but I fuppofe the Eajl- 
‘‘ India Company commanded the Captain, either to 
‘‘ make a Difcovery of Land to increale Trade, or to 
“ fatisfy themfelves with the Knowledge of another Sea, 
‘‘ that when they faw Reafon they might expedite their 
“ Voyages between Holland and thofe Parts that Way. 
“■ I was thus inquifitive with him, becaule ever fince I 
“ heard the former Relation of the Greenland Steerfman, I 
“ harped on a Pafliige through, or about, the North-Pole 
to Japan., China^ &c. And by thefe two Difcoveries 
it appears very probable there is fo, and that it is pafla- 
“ ble in Sumirjer-time.” 
It is very ftrange, that a Paper of this Confequence 
fhould^ not be more confidered ; more efpecially, 
as it is certain, that to this very Time the Dutch 
Men of War, when any are fent with the Greenland Fleet, 
cruize conftantly very far to the northward, without 
meeting either with Obftrucfions or Inconveniencies from 
Ice or Cold. And I have been informed by a Gentleman 
who was Surgeon to one of thefe Men of War, that in 
the Latitude of 82 Degrees, the Sea to the North was 
open, and the Weather very hot in the Month June. 
I cannot fay exactly what Year this was in ; but by a 
Comparifon of Circumftances I am led to think, that it 
might be in 1718 or 1719. There being an open Sea at 
that Seafon very plainly fliews it to be always open ; for it 
is impoflible, if it had been frozen in the Winter, that it 
Ihould have thawed fo foon, or that there fliould have, 
been no Hands of Ice floating in it, as has been ob- * 
ferved from the Latitude of 57 Degrees, or thereabouts, 
to 80. . 
The Reader will eafily obfer\^e, that the Difcoveries 
mat have been lately made, as to the true Figure of the 
Larth, and its being flatted towards the Poles, favour this 
Opinion and Account for the Sea’s bsinm always open. 
^ Vot. IF Numb. l 
It may alfo deferve fome Notice, that perhaps there is no* 
Occafion for failing fo high as 90 Degrees ; for if a Pal- 
fage is to be found either to the Eaft or Weft, and the 
Sea be open, a Ship might fail either VvTy, perhaps im 
the Latitude of 85 Degrees, which would ' make this 
fhoiter and eafier, by bringing the Veffels fooner upon 
known Coafts. While I am upon this Subject I will take 
the Liberty of obferving, that if any Attempts fliould 
be made of this kind by us, the moft probable Method 
of doing it would be in concert with the Court of BjtJfia^ 
by procuring an Order from the Emprefs, to the Govern- 
ors of the frontier Countries towards Japon^ to give fuch 
Affiftance or Relief as might be neceffary, to any Vef- 
fel that arrived upon thofe Coafts ; and it would be re- 
quifite that fuch an Order fhould be procured, and expe- 
dited the Year before the Attempt was made from hence ; 
and that the Commander of the Frigate employed in tliis 
Expedition, might carry with him an authentic Copy of 
that Order, for his own Security and Advantage. 
I am very fenlible that a Multitude of Objections may 
be raifed againft fuch an Undertaking ; but I am very 
confident they may be very eafily anfwered, and who- 
ever confiders that fo long ago as 1553, Sir Hugh 
Willoughby difeovered the moft Northern Part of RuJ^a ; 
and though he perifiied in the Attempt, opened thereby 
that d rade which has been fince of lb great Advantage 
to^ this Nation, we may very v/ell hope, that it this 
Diftance of Time, and v/ith ail the great Advantages that 
modern Navigators have, farther and more ufetul Dif- 
coyeries may be made, with much lefs Hazard ; At leaft, 
it is very right to fuggeft Defigns of this Nature to the 
Public, whether they . may, or may not, be thought 
pradficable for the prelent ; becaufe the very mentioning 
fuch Things, and thereby creating Difccurfes about them 
cannot but be attended vdth good EffeCts, becaufe we 
know that they were the very Means by which former 
Difcoveries were brought about, and v/e cannot think fo 
meanly of our Countrymen as to fuppofe that either their 
Courage, their Judgment, or their Spirit, is inferior to 
that of their Anceftors, though Accidents and Circum- 
ftances may induce fome v/eak People to think or encou- 
rage fome wicked Men to fay fo, in order to ferve their 
own Purpofes. But perhaps we can never entertain any 
probable Hopes of Succefs in this great Affair, until we 
engage once again in the Whale Filhery ; and that we may 
be encouraged to think ferioufly of that, we will conclude 
this Chapter with a clearer and more perfedt Reprefenta- 
tion of this Trade, than to cur Knowledge has been 
hitherto publiflied, which cannot therefore fail of giving 
the ingenious and inquifitive Reader great Pleafure and 
Satisfadlion. 
25. We are to obferve then, that it was towards the 
latter End of the fixteenth Century, that the Vfhale- 
filhing, on theCoaft of Spitzbefgen^ became confiderable, ■ 
and was entirely in the Hands of the Englijh., till the 
Year 1578. This. Commerce was, by a Company, 
which fent thither annually a few Ships, and they adLiially 
excluded the reft of their Countrymen, and endeavoured 
to exclude Foreigners. In the Year 1613, they fent a 
Squadron of feven Sail, which found there fifteen Dutcl\ 
French., and Flemijh Ships, befides Englijh Interlopers. 
And the next Year, the Dutch fent eighteen Sail, of which 
four were Men of War. And, in 1615, the King of 
Denmark fent a Squadron of three Men of War, to aflTert 
his exclufive Right, but with fuch indifferent Succefs, that 
he thought fit to give up the Point. In 1617 cur Com- 
pany were more lucky than in any other Year, and ac- 
tually made one thoufand nine hundred Ton*of Oil. The 
Dutch made, for many Years after, very indifferent Voy- 
ages ; and as tiieir great Statefman, M. de Wity well ob- 
ferves, had certainly been beat out of the Trade, if it had 
not been laid open by the Diffolution of their Greenland 
Company, to which he attributes their having beat the 
Englijh., and almoft ail other Nations, out of that Trade, 
which they carry on to a prodigious Advantage. And as' 
the fame great Author obferves, it is the belt Nurfery of 
their bojdeft and moft hardy Sailors. But as ive do not 
affedt to deal in general Terms, which never can con- 
vey any clear and diftindt Notions of any Subjedl, we 
. Ihall 
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