44^ ' ' ^ Account of later Attempts^ Book I L 
but even went farther, to tempt the Captain to quit 
the King’s Service,-^ and not to attempt the Difcovery j 
and offered him ^ooo /. either to return into their Ser- 
vice, or look for \t'mDavis‘s> Srreighr, or Baffin^ s Bay, 
and not to look for it in Hudfon^s Bay, or at xkitJVelcome . 
Alledging it would coft the Company fo much to fup- 
“ port their Right againft the Grown ; and as he'had 
been their Friend, and knew all their Concerns, it 
would be better to give him that Sum, than to give it 
“ to the Lawyers. 
' “ When they found him Proof againft their Bribery, 
they then thought to diftrefs him another Way, by 
“ writing to their Governor at Churchill, which was the 
“ moft convenient Harbour for the King’s Ships to 
• winter in, and was neareft to the Paffage, not to re- 
“ cei've him into their Port. And afterwards, when the 
“ Cotnpany v/as applied to by the Lords of the Admi- 
“ ralty, to allow him to winter there, if it was neceffary 
“ for him, and to give him what Afiiftance they could, 
“ in fupplying his Wants, which they would thankfully' 
“ repay the Company in London *, after deliberating 
fome Time upon an Anfwer, they wrote to the Lords 
“ of the Admiralty, that they had fent fuch a Letter as 
their Lordfhips defired, to their Governor at Churchill, 
“ and difpatched it by Poft to their Ships at the Orkneys. 
This being no v/ay fatisfadlory to Captain Middleton, 
who had been informed of their Letter to the Governor 
not to admit him, he applied for a Duplicate, tocar- 
ry it With him, in cafe the other ftiould mifearry, there 
“ being no fettled Poft to the Orkneys ; upon which 
they gave him a Duplicate fealed up, and, upon Ap- 
plication, a Copy of it, to know what it |:ontained, 
which was in thefe Words : 
/AJ/wdr Houfe, London, May 15, 1741. 
Mr. James IJham, and Council, at Prince of Wales^s 
Fort, Churchill River. 
Gentlemen, 
“ Notwithftanding our Orders to you, if Captain 
Middleton (who is fent abroad in the Government’s Ser- 
“ vice, to difeover a Paffage North- weft) ftiould, by in- 
evitable Neceflity, be brought into real Diftrefs, and 
Danger of his Life, and Lofs of his Ship ; in fuch Cafe 
you are then to give him the beft Affiftance and Relief 
you can. We remain, 
‘ ‘ Tour loving Friends, 
“ Bihye Lake, Governor, 
“ William Ederton, 
“ J. Winter, 
“ Atwell Lake, 
“ John Anthony Merle, 
‘‘ John. Merry. 
Upon fo extraordinary a Difcovery of the Incli- 
nations of the Company, to baffle the Attempt of find- 
ing out the Paffage, and to difeourage Captain Middle - 
“ ton from profecuting the Difcovery *, the Lords of the 
Admiralty thought it neceffary to apply to the Lords 
of the Regency, that the Secretary of State might, by 
their Orders, write to the Company, to require that 
“ Affiftance which they refufed to the Admiralty, which 
was fent, and upon that the Company gave a Letter to 
“ the Captain, in a more humane and friendly Stile but 
“ in Confequence of their Offer, it is plain that he ftifled 
“ and difguifed the Difcovery of the Paffage. By this it 
is evident that the Company believe there is a Paffige, 
“ which they want to conceal ; for otherwife it had been 
“ their Intcreft to have had the Attempt made, and if not 
“ found, there would have been an 'End put to the pro- 
fecuting it any farther ♦, and they might probably have 
enjoyed their Trade to the Bay, without its being co- 
“ veted or enquired into.” 
When all Difficulties were overcome, and things fo 
difpofed that nothing was wanting to Captain Middleton'% 
purfuing his Voyage, but his Inftru6tions from the Ad- 
miralty, with refpecl to the Meaftires he was to purfue in 
his intended Difcovery ^ thefe were very foon procured, 
and appear to have been drawn up with great Circum- 
fpedion, and the moft perfed Knowledge of the Subjea; 
to which they relate, as the Reader cannot but allow, 
after the ferious Perufal of them. 
Thefe Inftrudtions ran thus ; “ Whereas we have,- in 
“ Obedience to his Majefty’s Commands, ordered the 
“ Furnace Sloop, whereof you are Commander, to be 
“ fitted out, in a proper Manner, to proceed on a Voy- 
“ age towards Hudfon's Streight, in order to attempt a 
“ Difcovery of a Paffage, that Way, into the Weftern 
“ American Ocean ; and have appointed the Difcovery 
“ Pink, William Moor, Mafter fwlio is hereby required, 
“ and direfted to follow, your Ordersj to attend you on 
“ the Service : You are hereby required and direded, fo 
“ foon as the faid Sloop and Pink are ready for the Sea, 
“ to fall down to the Nore •, and when they have been 
“ paid what is due to their Companies, to proceed to 
“ Leith, and deliver the indofed Packet to Captain HoB 
“ born, Com.rnander of his Majefty’s Ship the Dolphin ; 
“ containing Orders for the faid Captain to proceed, in 
“ Company with you, as far as the Iftands of Orkney, for 
“ your better Security againft die Privateers of the Ene- 
“ my, faid to be cruizing thereabout. 
“ You are accordingly to proceed with the Lid Ship 
“ Dolphin, as far as the aforeLid Iftands, and then to 
“ make the beft of your Way with the Sloop and Pink, 
under your Command, towards i and, 
“ after pafting the Lme, to proceed to Carfs Swans Neft, 
“ and then fteer North-v/efterly, fo as to fall in with the 
“ North -weft Land, at F\x Fhoinas Roe'' s Welcome, ox ne 
“ ultra, near the Latitude of 65 Degrees North. 
“ You are there to make the beft Obfervations you 
“ can, of the Height, Direction, and Courfe of the 
“ Tides, bearing of the Lands, Depth and Soundings of 
“ the Sea and Sholes, with the Variations of the Needle. 
“ When you come up with Whalebone Point, in 65 
“ Degrees, you are to try the beft Paffage in doubling 
“ that Land, whether to Weftward or Eallward, in cafe 
“ it be an Iftand ; and on which Side foever you meet 
“ the Tide and Flood, to direbt your Courfe, fo as to 
“ meet the Tide, whether North-wefterly or South- 
“ wefterly. 
“ If after, in doubling that Cape, you find either a 
“ Streight or an open Sea, you are to keep on your 
“ Courfe, till meeting the Tide of Flood j and if it be 
“ fo wide as to lofe Sight of Land, then keep to the 
“ Larboard or American Shore, fleering South-wefterly, 
“ fo as to take the Bearings of the Lands and Sound- 
“ ings, and obferve whether there are any Inlets, Bays, 
“ or Rivers, to fhelcer the Ships in, in cafe bad Wea- 
“ ther, or contrary Winds, oblige you to take Harbour ; 
“ and there make the beft Plans you can of fuch Har- 
“ hours, and the Charts of the Coaft. 
“ You muft make no ftay any where, whilft Wind 
“ and Weather permits (except for making Obferva- 
tions for your Safety in your return) until you get to 
“ the Southward of 60 Degrees North ; and then, if you 
“ continue to find an open Sea, make more careful Ob- 
“ fervations of the American Coaft or Iftands, and of 
“ the Head-lands, Bays, and Rivers, until you make 
“ the Latitude of 50 Degrees, or any more Southerly 
“ Latitude, in cafe you find it convenient to winter on 
“ the Weftern Side of America. But if you fhould find 
“ it more convenient to come into the Bay to winter, or 
“ can make your Paffage home in Time, after making 
“ a Difcovery of the Paffage to the Weftern American 
“ Ocean f which is more eligible) in order to profecute 
“ the Difcovery to Advantage next Scafon •, then you 
need proceed no farther Southerly than 50 or 60 De- 
“ grees Latitude, and make all proper Obfervations of 
“ the Tides, Bays, Head-lands, Sholes, and Rocks, on 
“ both Sides, if the Paffage be narrow, on which ever 
“ Side the Wind and Weather permits you ; with the 
“ Variation, or any other curious Obfervations you can 
make. 
“ If you find any Inhabitants upon the Coaft, or any 
“ populous Nation to the Southward, you are to endea- 
“ vour. 
