43^ Captain jAMESi Voyage into Hudfon’s Bay, Book IL 
Us. We could from Top-maft Head fee the Ice from 
the North-north-weftj the North- weft, and fo round 
about by the South to the Eaft ; and fonie there was to 
the Leeward of us. It was all flat found Ice, and the 
Sea as fmooth as a Wall amongft it. This ftruck us all 
into a Damp, whereupon I called a Confultation of my 
AflTociates, namely, Arthur Price^ Mafter ; William Cle- 
ments^ Lieutenant', John Whit teredo Mafter’ s Mate 5 
Nathaniel Bilfon., Chirurgeon *, and John Palmer, Boat- 
fwain ; requiring them to advife and counfel me how to 
profecute our Buflnefs to Effedfc. Thefe went all to- 
gether and reafoned amongft themfelves, and then 
brought me their Opinions in Writing under their own 
Hands, biz. Our Advice is, that you repair homeward 
from this prefent 26th, and that for thefe Reafons ; 
Firft, That the Nights are long, and fo extreme 
cold withal that we can hardly handle our Sails and 
Rigging. Secondly, The Seafon is now fubjebt to 
ftormy and gufty Weather, as witnefs the prefent, it 
having continued a Storm ever fince the 24th, and 
yet doth continue no Weather to difcover in. Third- 
ly, We doubt whether Hudfon^s Str eights be fb clear of 
Ice that it may be paflable in convenient Time, Winter 
coming on apace^ before we are frozen up, feeing the 
Ice lies here all over the Sea. Fourthly, We muft have 
fair Weather to pafs the Streight, forv/hich we may ftay 
a long Time, if we neglebt the firft Opportunity. Fifth-" 
ly. Our Ship is fo very leaky that in foul Weather we 
are forced to pump every Glaft, which is great Labour. 
Moreover, we know her to be fo bruifed with Rocks and 
Blows of the Ice that fhe is no more to be adventured 
among it, but in faving our Lives homewards. Befides 
ail this our Men grow very weak and fickly with extreme 
Labour. Sixthly, The Seafon of the Year is fo far fpent 
that we can expedf no other Weather than we have had 
both lately and at prefent ; that is to fay, Snow and 
Fog freezing our Rigging, and making every thing fo 
flippery that a Man can fcarce ftand, and ail this with the 
Wind Southerly, v/hich if it fhould come to the North- 
v/ard then- we are to expedl far worfe. Seventhly and 
laftly. That the Ice lies all in thick Rands and Ranges in 
the very Way we fliould go, as you and all Men here 
may fee ; and therefore we conclude as aforefaid, that 
there is no Poflibility of proceeding further ; Wherefore 
we now counfel you to return homeward, hoping thatGod 
will give us a favourable Paffage to return to our native 
Country, if we take Time and not tempt him too far by 
our Wilfulnefs. 
Indeed moft of thefe Difficulties were in view, and 
I could, not reafonably oppofe them, nor any Reafon 
could I give for proceeding further *, wherefore with a 
forrowful Heart, God knows, I confented that the Helm 
fhould be borne up and a Courfe fliaped for England, 
hoping that his Majefty would gra'cioufly confider our 
Endeavours, and pardon our Return. And although 
we have not difeovered populous Kingdoms, and taken 
fpecial Notice of their Magnificence, Power, Policy, 
brought Samples home of their Riches and Commodities, 
pried into Myfteries of their Trade and Traffic, nor made 
any great Fight againft the Enemies of God and our 
Nation ; yet I hoped that our Willingnefs in thofe defart 
Parts may be acceptable to our Readers. 
When we bore up Helm we were in Latitude 65 De- 
grees 30 Minutes, atWeft-north-weft and by North from 
Nottingham-Ijland. Some were of Opinion that we were 
farther to the Northward; but by reafon it was my 
Judgment, I chofe to fet down the leflTer Diftance. The 
27th the Wind came up at North-weft, with which v;e 
could not have gone on with our Defign., That Wind 
made no great fwelling Sea. By Noon we were athwart 
of Cape Charles, fo that we went in between that Cape 
and Mill-IJlands. The laft Night it fnowed very much, . 
•and was very cold, fo that all our Rigging and Sails were 
frozen, and all the Land covered with Snow. And here 
it will not be amifs to conflder the Reafons of it : When 
I was upon Charles-IJland (our Wintering-place) and in 
June when the Snow was cleareft off the Ground, I 
have in the Nights, and fome of them following the 
hotteft Days, obferved whether there fell any Dew or 
DO, but I could never perceive any, and from Mofs and 
Sand little I thought was to be expedted. Now of what 
was exhaled from the fnowy Ice and cold Sea could there 
probably be returned but the like again ? Generally we 
continued on our Courfe blinded with Fog and dirty 
Weather, and that intermixed with Snow and Froft 
among difperfed Pieces of Ice, many of them higher than 
our Top-maft Head; With great variety of Windfalls 
we were driven within three Leagues of both Shores ; fo 
that the laft of this Month we were in the N arrow of the 
Streight, which is about fifteen Leagues over ; the South 
Shore was much peftered with Ice. 
September 1632. The ift and 2d we endeavoured to get 
on our Vfay. The 3d in the Evening, as the Weather 
cleared up^ we faw the South-End of the Ifland Refolu- 
tion. Thefe three Days and Nights had been extreme 
cold with Fog and Froft, infomuch that our Men in the 
Evening could hardly take in our Top and Sprit- fails. 
We have failed through much mountainous Ice, far 
higher than the Top-maft Head, but this Day we failed 
by the higheft I ever yet faw, which is incredible indeed 
to be related; NoW as the Wind comes Eafterly, we feel 
another Sea out of the Ocean, and the Ship labours with 
another Motion than fhe hath done with any that we 'ever 
obferved to come out of the Weftward. From the 3d 
to the 8th we had variety of Winds, and were got clear 
out of the Streights, but were now come into fuch a 
tumbling Sea, the Weather dirty and windy, and by In- 
tervals calm again, that the Ship did fo labour and roll 
that we thought verily fire would have rolled her Mafts 
by the Board. This made her fo leaky that we were 
forced to pump every Glafs ; nay, her Seams fo 
opened aloft that we lay all wet in her. 
39. This v/as the laft Day we faw any Ice. The Wind 
now favouring us we made all the Hafte we could home- 
ward, by the Way having endeavoured, obferved, and 
experimented fome Things in this our unfortunateVoyage. 
I perfedled my Obfervations, which being afterwards 
commanded to publiffi, I here moft fubmiffiveiy offer 
unto the judicious Reader. What hath been long ago fabled 
by fome Portugueje Pmt fliould have come this Way out 
of the South Sea, the mere Shadows of whofe miftaken 
Relation have come to us, I leave to be confuted by 
their own Vanity ; thefe Hopes have ftirred up from. 
Time to Time the more affive Spirits of this our King- 
dom to refearch that merely imagined Paffage. For my 
part I give no Credit to them at all, and as little to the 
vicious and abufive V/its of later Portuguefe and Spa-^ 
niards, who never fpeak of any Difficulties, asShole- 
Water, Ice, nor Sight of Land, but as if they had beeii 
brought home in a Dream or Engine ; and indeed their 
Difeourfes are found abfurd ; and the Maps by which 
fome of them have pradtifed to deceive the World mere 
Falfities, making Sea where there is known to be main 
Land, and Land where there is nothing but Sea. 
Moft certain it is, that by the Induftry of our own Nation 
thofe northern Parts oi America have been difeovered to the 
Latitude of 80 Degrees or upwards ; and it hath been fa 
curioufly done, the Labours of feveral Men being joined 
together, that the main I. and may be leen and fearched ; 
and they have brought this fuppofed Paffage to this Pafs, 
that it muft be to the North of 66 Degrees of Latitude, a 
cold Climate, peftered with Ice and other Inconveniencies, 
and where the S'paniards'D\{'go^\t\on^ and their weak Ships 
can hardly endure it : And withal it is known, that the 
Entrance of Hudfon'^s Streights is but fifteen- Leagues 
broad, and in the Middle not fo much ; and between 
Salijhury JJland and the Main it is but eight Ijeagues, 
Then proceeding to the Northward toward the foremen- 
tioned I.atitude, it is but fifteen Leagues from Maim to 
Main. This in Length is about a hundred and forty 
Leagues, as will more plainly appear by the Map, and 
infinitely peftered with Ice until Auguji, and fome Years 
not paffable then ; and I believe the Streight is never 
clear of Ice entirely. Now it is moft probable there is aa 
Paflage for the following Reafons ; Firft, There is aeon- 
ftantTide, Flood and Ebb, fetting in 10 Hudfon' s Streights^ 
the Flood ftill coming from the Eaftward, which, as it 
proceeds, correfpondent to the Diftance, it alters his Time 
of full Sea. This alfo entering into Bays and broken 
Ground, it becomes difturbed, and overfets with Half- 
Tides, 
