Chap. I. round the NORTHPOLE. 399 
North, by which our Trade to feveral Parts of Germany^ Se6Hon, and to proceed to the Hiilory of the Attempts 
as well as to Sweden^ Denmark^ Norway, Poland, and made for the Difcovery of a North-eaft and North-well: 
Ruffia, might be rendered twice as valuable to us, as it Paffage into the Ocean; the latter of which, perhaps, 
is at prefent. But it is now Time to clofe the prefent may be difcovered before this Volume is concluded. 
S E C T I O N II. 
The rational and philofophical Motives for feeling a Paffage into the South Seas, hy 
the North-wef^ examined and explained'^ together with the Hifory of the Attefnpts 
7jtade with that FieWj for the Space of one hwtdred and thirty Tears* 
Collected from Englifh^ Dutch y and Danijb Writers. 
r. An InfroduPlion Jhewing the Nature and Dejign of this SeBton, and the Method pur fned therein, 2. The 
Importance of a North-wef Paffage, if it could be found', and the Advantages that would refult front 
thence to our Navigation, which fidly jufifes the Endeavours of fuch as have laboured to find this Paf 
fage. An Account of the Reafons, Arguments, and Prefumptions in favour of fuch a Pafagey m 
which the Strength or Weaknefs of each Motive is fewn fairly, and in its proper Light, 4. The Hifory 
of the Attempts made for the Difcovery of this Pafage, by ]o\m Cabot, Sir Martin Frobifher, Captain 
Davis, Mr. Henry Hudfon, Mr. James Hall, and Mr. William BePtin, from Anno Domini 1497, 
1615. 5. The Expedition of Sir Thomas Button into Hudfon’s Bay, in i6i i, with a fuccinB Account 
of his Difcoveries. 6. The Attempts made for the like Purpofe by the Danes 3 and the unfortunate End 
of Captain John Monk, one of the ablef Navigators ever bred in Denmark, occafoned by his undertaking 
and failing in an Expedition for this Purpofe. 7. The Expedition of Captain Luke Fox, in his Majefy^ s 
Pinnace, the Charles, in the Tear 1630 3 with the Reafons which induced feveral P erfons of thefirf Dif- 
tinSHon, and fome of the greatef Merchants in this Kingdom, to enter into an Afociation for the Difcovery 
of the North‘Wef Pa fage 3 and the Meafures taken by them for carrying this Defgn into execution* 
I. \ F TER the Difcovery of America, hj Chrijlo' 
pher Columbus, and the publilhing to the World, 
the Reafons which induced him to look upon this Difco- 
very as a thing pra6bicable 3 fuch as were well acquainted 
with Cofmography, and fuch as were praftical Seamen, 
began to emulate his Succefs, and to think of railing 
like Reputations to themfelves by Difcoveries of the fame 
Nature. Amongft thefe, John Cabot, whom we have 
often had Occafion to mention, was the firft that fug- 
gefted the Poflibility of a Palfage to the new found 
World, by the North-well. His Son, who lived to be 
a very old Man, was the moll expert Mariner of his 
Time, and died Governor of our Rujfia Company, al- 
ways maintained this Opinion 3 which the more it was 
confidered and examined, by Men of the brightell Parts, 
and greateft Experience, the more it grew into Credit, 
and the more it was generally believed. This Notion 
has prevailed to our Times, and if we follow the Opi- 
nion of Cicero, this alone is a conhderable Argument in 
its Favour; for he obferves that Truths founded in Na- 
ture, grow ftronger in length of Time, and from a 
Courfe of Obfervations 3 whereas weak and groundlefs 
Opinions are foon dellroyed, and become quickly out 
of date. There is, certainly, a great deal of good Senfe 
and found Reafon in this Obfervation 3 which, I believe, 
will be found to have ftood, generally fpeaking, jullified 
by Experience 3 and, perhaps, fooner or later this may 
be ranked among the Number of Truths, that ought to 
give Weight and Authority to this Maxim. 
At prefent it is our Bufinefs to exhibit to the Reader 
as full and clear an Account of this Matter as it is pof- 
ble 3 the rather becaufe it is not only a Matter of great 
Importance in itfelf, and a Subjedl of general Enquiry, 
but alfo from a late A 61 of the Legiflature, anc^a great 
Undertaking founded thereupon, become the Topic of 
common Difcourfe, and of al moll uni verfal Expedlation. 
In order therefore to difcharge our Duty effedlually, and 
to reprefent the Reafon and Hiilory of this Matter with 
the ntmoft Perfpicuity 3 we lhall lirll of all enquire into 
the Nature of thofe Advantages, that may be expeded 
from the Difcovery of fuch a Paffage, fuppofing it to 
be practicable. We lhall next fet forth the Reafons that 
have been affigned in Favour of this Opinion, that fuch 
a Paffage may be found, by thofe who have maintained 
ft. And lalliy, we fliall give a diftind hillorical Ac- 
count of the Attempts that have been made, for the find-' 
ing fuch a Paffage, and the Confequences with which 
thefe Expeditions have been attended. We have, im 
deed, already had frequent Occafions to touch this Sub- 
jed, both in our former Volume, and in this; but 
wherever we have mentioned it, we have referred the 
Reader for a clearer and more particular Account to this 
Sedion 3 and we lhall herein take all imaginable Care to 
avoid all unneceffary Repetitions, by making the requifite 
Allowances on thofe Heads, which have been incidentally 
examined and explained already. 
2. The Reader will perceive, from what has been laid 
down in the foregoing Sedion, that if fuch a Paffage 
could be difcovered, it would open a Communication be- 
tween the North and South Seas, infinitely lliorter and 
ealier than the only one that is at prefent known round 
Cape Horne, or through the Streights of Magellan. We 
have feen, in the Hiilory of the Circum-navigators, how 
very tedious and troublefome that Method of reaching 
the Coafts of Mexico and California is, with how many 
and great Inconveniences it mull be always attended, and 
how far it lies out of our Power, all thefe Circumllances 
confidered, to make any confiderable Ufe of it; which ia 
the true Reafon why the Spaniards enjoy, with fo little 
Dillurbance, fo many fine Countries, and hinder others 
from difcovering many more, the Knowledge of which 
might be highly advantageous to this NorthernHemifphere. 
But if ever a Paffage could be this Way found into 
the South Seas, we might, very probably, reach, in fix 
Weeks, Countries that we cannot now vifit in twelve or 
fifteen Months 3 and this by an eafy and wholefome Na- 
vigation, inllead of thofe dangerous and fickly Voyages, 
that have hitherto rendered the Paffage into the South 
Seas a thing fo infrequent and ingrateful to Briiijh Stzxntn. 
If fuch a Pafiage could be found, it would bring us upon 
the unknown Coalls of North America 3 which we have 
many good Reafons to believe are very populous, inha- 
bited by a rich and civilized People, no Strangers to 
Trade, and with whom we might carry on a very great and 
beneficial Commerce 3 for this is, apparently, that Coun- 
try, concerning which we have had fome dark Hints given 
us by the Savages that come to trade at Hudford s Bay, 
mentioned by feveral of the French Writers 3 from the 
Information of the Indians inhabiting about the Lakes be- 
yond Canada 3 from Doctor Cox, in the Account cited 
from 
