Chap. I. North-eas 
examined the Giilph into Which they open, abandoned 
the Defign, after having obferved that the Water was 
frehi, which had not been taken notice of before. He 
thought, however, that fomething might ftill be donCj 
though not that Way, and therefore undertook a fecond 
and a third Voyage to Nova Zembld^ in Hopes of fuc- 
ceeding better. In 1596, which was his laft Voyage^ he 
and his Crew wintered in that Country, in the Latitude 
of 78 Degrees. After having loft their Velfel, they got 
off the next Spring in their two Shallops, defigning for 
Cola in Lapland^ where they fafely arrived ; but Barentz 
died in the Paffage. He remained to the laft Moment in 
the Sentiments he entertained after his firif Voyage, and 
declared if he had lived, he would have made another 
Voyage, from a thorough Perfuahon, that notwithftand- 
ing all he had fuffered, there was a free and open Sea be- 
tween Nova Zembla and Greenland. 
The beft Accounts we have of this Undertaking, and 
of the Extremities of Norway., Lapland, Nova Zembla, 
Wcygatz, the Mouth of the River Oby, the Coaftof Vhr- 
tary at the Mouth of that River, and of the White Sea, 
are in the Works of the famous Linfchooten, who made 
this Voyage at the fame time with Barentz. Our great 
Navigator Henry Hudfon had fome Thoughts of dif- 
covering the PaiTage, and adually made a Voyage for 
thatPurpofe in 1610 ; but the Fate of Barentz, and the 
unpromifing Appearance of the Frozen Coafts, obliged 
him to abandon very foon fo troublefome an Expedition. 
In 1653 the King of Denmark fitted out three Ships for 
the finding the North-eaft Paffage, and diredled the 
making an exadl Chart of their Difcoveries : Thefe Ships 
paffed the Streights of Weygatz, and in the Bay beyond 
them found fome of the Inhabitants of Nova Zembla in 
their Canoes ; which were the moft brutal and intolerable 
Savages that were ever feen : Their Garments were made 
of the Skins of Penguins, Pelicans, and other large Birds, 
with their Feathers on ; They lived upon raw Fifli, and 
had the utraoft Abhorrence of more civilized Nations *, 
which was not by any Means to be foften^d by Prefents 
or kind Ufage. This made the Danes foon weary of fo 
inhofpitable a Coaft, and fo put an End to the Expedition, 
which brought fuch a Difcredit on the North-eaft Paffage 
as prevented any farther Attempts for near twenty Years. 
At laft, after the Royal Society was founded here, by 
which Means Subjeds of this fort came to be more known 
and more freely examined, the Hopes of finding a 
North-eaft Paffage was again renewed, and feveral Papers 
were written, to ftiew both the Utility of fuch a Paffage, 
and that the finding of it was praclicable. 
The firft that revived, at leaft with any Degree of Vigour, 
the Notion 'of difeovering a Paffage to theNorth-eaft, after 
that Scheme had lain fo long under Difcredit, was a Com- 
pany of Merchants in Holland, who fitted out a Ship for 
the Difeovery *, which, upon its Return, brought an 
Account, That they had failed to the Height of between 
70 and 80 Degrees, and had difeovered a fair open Sea, 
without any Ice to the Eaftward of Nova Zembla, which 
feemed fo plain and fo perfed a Proof of the Probability 
of a fafe Navigation on that Side, that the Merchants 
concerned in that Undertaking applied to the States for 
a Charter, that might fecure to them the Advantages that 
might refult from this new-found Paffage. But the Eaft 
India Company having Notice of this Application, and 
forefeeing how far it might affed their Trade, inftantly 
petitioned the States on their Side, fetting forth the great 
Services they had done the Republic, the Nature of the 
Charters which had been granted to. them, and theCon- 
fequences that muft attend the bellowing on this new 
Company, the Privileges that they demanded. The 
States had Regard to their Reprefentations, and refufed 
the Charter applied for. The Merchants, upon this, ap- 
plied to the King of Denmark, and having obtained his 
Licence, an Expedition was made for Difeovery *, but by 
reafon of a Mutiny on board the Ship, it came to nothing. 
A large Account of all thefe Tranfadions was printed in 
iht Memoirs ouv Royal Society, in the Year 1675, but 
without any Date j one, however, I have with much Dif- 
ficulty recovered, wKich is the Voyage wherein the Dutch 
Merchants were fticcefsful, and which! find was in 1670. 
- Vo L. IJ. Numb, C. 
i 
T P A S S A G E. ■ ^ ej 
The fame Perfon that gave - me this Date acquainted me^ 
that at the Time this Application was made to the States, 
it was afferted that there was no Difficulty in failing North 
about Greenland \ that feveral Dutch Ships had adually 
done it, and that the Merchants being required to vdify 
this Fadj they defired that the Journals of the Greenland 
Squadron in 1655, might be produced in feven of 
which there was Notice taken of a Ship, which that Year 
had lailed as high as the Latitude of 89, within one De- 
gree of the Pole •, and three Journals of that Ship being pro- 
duced, they all agreed as to an Obfervation taken by the 
Mafter, Auguji the ift, 1655, in 88 Degrees 56 Minutes 5 
and it was farther fet forth in thofe Journals, that the Sea 
was entirely clear of Ice, and was a hollow rowling Sea, 
like that of the Bay of Bifcay. 
4. Soon after the publiffiing theAccoimts before-rilention-^ 
ed in the Philofophical Tranfablions, Capt. John Woodj, an 
experienced Seaman, who had accompanied Sir John 
Narborough in his Voyage through xht Streights of Magel- 
lan, offered his Service to attempt the Difeovery of the 
North-eaft Paffage ; which was accepted, and the eight 
following Perfons, viz. Thomas Duke of Tork, Lord 
Berkley, Sir Jofeph Williamfon, Sir John Bankes, Mr. Sa- 
muel Peeps, Capt. Herbert, Mr. Dupey, and Mr. Hoop- 
good, at their ov/n proper Charge, bought a Pink called 
the Profperous, of the Burden of one hundred and twenty 
Tons, fitted her to Sea, with Men, Ammunition, Pro- 
vifion, and Merchandize, which was fuch as v/as reafon- 
ably propofed to vend on the Coaft of T art aria, or at Ja- 
pon, if a Paffage had been found. The Command of 
diis Veffel was given to Qdcptdim'WiUiam Flawes, and a 
new Ship of the King’s called the Speedwell, manned and 
vidtualled at the King’s Expence, was givqn to Captain. 
W lod, who had the Conduct of the Expedition. 
They failed from the Buoy at the Nore, May the 28th, 
1676, but the Voyage was very unfortunate *, for the 
Speedwell was Ihipwrecked on the Coaft of Nova Zembla, 
and Captain Wood, and his People, returned aboard the 
Profperous, which put an End to all Thoughts of Expe- 
ditions of this Nature j for Captain Wood, like other diff 
appointed Commanders, changed his Opinion upon his 
Return, and undertook to prove that it was impoffible to 
find any Paffage to the North-eaft, There is nothing 
very remarkable, either in his Journal, or in that of Cap- 
tain Flawes •, but his Relation of his Shipwreck, of the 
Country of Pdova Zembla, and his Reafons for changing 
his Sentiments, are, in themfelves, very . curious, and 
therefore deferve the Reader’s Notice. 
5. “ After giving both thefe Journals, fays he, mean- 
“ ing his own, and that of Captain Flawes, I intend to 
“ fhew my Conceptions of the faid Voyage, and a true 
“ Relation of our Mifcarriage, with fome Obfervations 
“ made in the faid Voyage. The firft was, the follow- 
“ ing the Opinion of William Barentz, that was to fteer 
“ diredlly North-eaft from the North Cape, and fo fall 
“ m the Middle-way, between Greenland and Nova Zjcm- 
“ bla ; fo having made the Land to the Weft ward of the 
“ North Cape, the 19th Day of June, I fteered aw'ay 
“ North-eaft by Compafs, which was not fo luuch by 
“ the true Courfe, becaufe of the Variation that is there 
“ Wefterly ; and the 22ft Day at Noon we faw the main 
“ Body of Ice, being in the Latitude 76 Degrees, and 
“ about fixty Leagues to the Eaftward of Greenland. At 
“ the firft feeing of Ice, I did imagine it had been' the 
“ Ice that joined to Greenland, and that if 1 went more 
“ Eafterly there might be a free Sea ; fo Iffan clofe b^t 
“ the Ice, it lying away Eaft- fouth-eaft, and Weft-north- 
“ weft ; and every League or lefs that we ran, we met 
“ with a Cape of Ice ; fo whfen we were about that we 
“ could fee no Ice to the Northward -, fo Landing in 
“ North-eaft fometimes two Glaffes, that is one Hour, 
“ we could fee more Ice ahead, and then we were forced 
“ to go out the fame Vfay we came in, and thus I 
“ continued coafting the Ice, fometimes in Hopes of a 
“ clear Sea, and then again diflieartened by feeing more 
“ Ice, till at laft I had no Flopes at all ; which was 
“ when 1 faw the Land of Nova Zembla- knd the Ice join 
“ to it. So here the Opinion of William Barentz was 
“ confuted, and the reft of the Dutch Relations, which 
si Z “' certainly 
