f 
a Grapnel, it having fiowed fix Feet immediately after 
he anchored the Boat. 
The third Reafon affigned feems the flrongefl of all ; 
for the Captain therein ahert>, that the Water was found 
to be fo frefh in the Mid-Channel, above Deer Sounds 
that the Men freely drank it, along-fide the Boat, in- 
ftead of Beer ; and the higher they went they found it 
the frefher. , But it has been before obferved, that the 
Lieutenant, in his Expedition, filled a Bottle of Water 
at the Shore, and two Bottles farther down to the Eaft- 
ward •, and that the Captain, when he came aboard, own- 
ed, that the V/ater, taken up at the Weft-end, near the 
Fall of Water, was the falteft ; and the Mafter faid, that 
it was as fait as any he tafted in thofe Seas, which was 
confirmed by all thofe who tafted it aboard. It is alfo 
affirmed, that when the Captain caufed the Water to be 
taken up, which he fays was frefh, the Crew did not 
come entirely into his Opinion, but only faid that it was 
not very fait. 
The Captain urges next, that no Whales were feen 
there •, but at the Entrance of the River, and at Deer 
Sound j this being an Argument that they came not from 
any Sea to the weftward, . but entered by fome Inlet from 
' the North-eaft. We have already taken notice, that the 
Lieutenant contradidts this in his original Report, by 
afferting pofitively that the Whales came from the Weft. 
And Mr. Dohbs, in anfwer to this very Argument of 
Capt. Middleton^^^ expreiTes himfelf thus : “ The next 
“ Falfity he would have impofed upon me was. That the 
“ Whales came in certainly at the Eaft Entrance of Wa- 
ger River, for he faw feveral in the Welcome and Cape 
“ Dobbs, before they came in and after they went out, 
“ which none of them faw but himfelf. And the Jour- 
nal- exprefly fays, when they came up with the Ice, “ Hi- 
. “ therto have been feen no Whales, except one white 
‘‘ Wiiale as big as a Grampus, and five or fix Seals : 
“ And both Log-Book and Journal are entirely filent a- 
“ bout any when they came out, until they came near 
“ Brook Cobh am. When I taxed the Captain With this, 
“ all he could fay was, he heard one or two blow ; yet 
in the Log-Book which he has printed, he fays he heard 
“ two or three blow in that Watch, though nothing of it 
is entered in the Original large Log-Book, rior was 
“ any feen by any other Perfon oh board the Furnace 
“ nor did Capt. More, in the Difeovery, fee any, though 
“ two on board him took upon them to fwear, they faw 
or heard two or three blow.” 
Another Reafon madeufe of by Capt. Middleton is, be- 
caufe Travellers which have gone from Churchill by Land, 
as high as the Ardtic Circle, affirm, that they met With 
neither fait Water, River, nor Sea, in any Part of their 
Journey. This Argument would alfo be very conclu- 
five if the Fadb was abfolutely certain ; but if it was, 
it is not eafy to conceive why Capt. Middleton, by his 
Letters to Mr. Dobbs, written before the undertaking of 
this laft Expedition, fhould give him any Hopes of Suc- 
cefs in fuch an Undertaking •, for had he known and con- 
^ fidered the Force of this Argument at that Time, in its 
full Extent, he muft have feen that it proved any fuch 
Paflage as he went in Search of, if not impoffible, at leaft 
impraclicable, and therefore, not worth the feeking. When 
the Reader reflects upon the Obfervation's made in the 
very laft Article upon the Condud and Sentiments of 
Capt. James, after his Return from Charlton IJland, he 
will probably fee good Grounds to believe, that Difap- 
, pointment operates very powerfully upon fome Mens 
tlnderftandings, and engages them .to treat as Vulgar 
Errors what themfelves formerly efteemed undoubted 
Truths, either from an Over-weaning Fondnefs for their 
own Abilities, or from an envious Defire to put that out of 
the Thoughts of others, which by Accident was put out 
of their own Power. 
II. It was however natural enough for Mr. Dobbs, after 
examining this Matter attentively, to wifh that all the 
Doubts about it might be removed by a fubfequent Expe- 
T H-W E S T Pa S S A G E. ^ p j 
dition, and one would have thought that this Schem® 
muft have been alfo fatisfadory to Captain Chrifiopher 
Middleton and. tht Hudfon’ s, Bay Company; becaufe be- 
ing fo firmly perfuaded as they feem to be, that no 
fuch Paffage can ever be found from HudfoFs Bay into 
the W Ocean, they flaould have been willing to have had 
this Truth, as they efteem it, fo fairly and fully made 
out as to leave no Grounds, or, if poffible, no Colour, of 
Sufpicion about it, as this would have entirely juftified 
that Gentleman’s Condud, and have faved the Company 
all future Trouble. 
But it does not appear that this adually Was the Cafe; 
on the contrary, fuch Objedions were ftarted, and fo 
many Difficulties fuggefted, as quite overthrew all Hopes 
of obtaining fuch Afliftance from the Admiralty as they 
had before ; but the Spirit of the Nation being awakened, 
the Opinion of there being fuch a Paffage gaining Ground^ 
and the Defire of finding it increafmg daily, produced an 
Application to Parliament in 1744, when, after mature 
Deliberation, a Law pafled upon that Subjed, in Confe- 
quence of which another Expedition has been fet on 
foot. 
The Preamble of this Ad takes Notice, that as the dif- 
covering another Weft Paffage through HudfoAs Str eight 
to the Weftern Amernan Ocean, would be of great Be- 
nefit and Advantage to this Kingdom; and that it would 
be of great Encouragement to the Adventurers to attempt 
the fame, if a public Reward was given to fuch Perfons 
p fhould make a perfed Difeovery of the faid Paffage, it 
is therefore Enaded, that if any Ships or Veffels belonging 
to his Majefty’s Subjeds fhall find out, and fail through 
any Paffage by Sea, between HudfoAs Bay and the Wejiern 
Ocean of America, the Owners of fuch Ships or Veffels 
fhall be intitled to receive as a Rew^ard for fuch Difeovery, 
the Sum of F'wenty Fhoufand Pounds. The following Per- 
fons are, by the faid Ad, appointed Commiffioners for 
examining the Claims that may be made under it ; vi%. 
the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Prefident of the Council, 
the Lord Privy-Seal, the Lord Steward of his Majefty’s 
Lloufliold, the Lord Chamberlain, the firft Commiffioner 
of theTreafury, the firft Commiffioner of the Admiralty, 
the principal Secretaries of State, the Speaker of the 
Houfe of Commons, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 
the firft Commiffioner for Trade and Plantations, the 
Treafurer of his Majefty’s Navy, and the Admfirals of the 
Red, White, and Blue Squadrons for the Time being ; and 
thefe Commiffioners are empowered to examine the Claim- 
antsWitneffes upon Oath ; and the Certificate of the Majority 
of them (of wdiich the firft Commiffioner of the Admiralty 
fhall be one) under their Hands and Seals given, fliall intitlO 
the Perfon or Perfons, having fuch Certificate, to receive 
of the Lord High Treafurer, or Commiffioners of the 
Tieafury, the faid Sum of Pwenty PhoufandBounds, after the 
faid Difeovery fhall be completed, and the Certificate 
thereof produced as aforefaid. As a farther Encourage- 
ment, and to promote the executing of, and finding out, 
fuch Paffage,^ It is further Enaded, That all Perfons, 
Subjeds of his Majefty, refiding in any Place where the 
faid^ Adventurers may come, in the Profecution of this 
Difeovery, fhall give the faid Adventurers all Afliftance ; 
and Perfons, Subjeds, as aforefaid, fhall no Way ob- 
ftrud, moleft, or refufe the laid Adventurers reafonabic 
Succour in anyDiftrefs they may fall into in the profecu- 
ting this Difeovery. A Provifo is added, that nothing in 
this Ad fhall extend to prejudice the Eftate, Right? or 
Privileges of the Governor and Company of Adventurers 
of England, trading into Hudfon’s Bay. 
Such is the Hiftory of the Defign for penetratino- into the 
Wefiern Ocean, by a Paffage to the North-weft ; fuch 
have been the Steps taken for putting it in Execution"'; fuch 
the Difappointments with which Expeditions of this Sort 
have been attended ; and fuch, finally, the Provifion made 
by the Legiflature, that whoever fhall be at the Expence 
and Hazard of this Difeovery for the public Sendee, 
fhall receive a public Reward. ^ 
SECTION 
