Chap. III. 
the Kingdom of Corea. 
lof 
val the Reputation of old Difcoveries, by the more ing very remarkable Paffage. On the NortH-eafl: 1 
^ ' <■ 'j ---1! - .. is bounded by the vafl: Ocean where there is every 
Year a great Number of Whales taken, fome of 
them found v/ith the French and Dutch Harping- 
furprizing Scenes they unfold, in making new. 
12. It is a very juft Obfervation of the wife Lord 
Chancellor Bacon, that there are many People, who 
chufe to put the moft material Part of their Letters in 
their Poftfcripts I muft confefs, I do ndt enter . into 
the Reafon of the Thing, though without adverting 
thereto, I have fallen into the Pradice, of which I 
fhall give the Reader very fincerely and without Re- 
ferve my Motives. When I undertook to give this 
Hiftory of Corea, and to recommend an Eftablifhment 
upon the Coafts of it, I propofed to fpare no Pains in 
order to recommend it to my Countrymen, as a Thing 
highly advantageous, and that could not poffibly fail 
of amply rewarding their Endeavours ; but at the fame 
Time it was my Intention to have concealed the ca- 
pital and ftrongeft Reafon, which had induced me to 
prefs this Matter fo warmly, not out of the leaft ill 
Will or Jealoufy of my Countrymen, not from any 
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Irons'^ thofe People ufing to follow that Eiftiery; 
There are Abundance of Herrings alfo catch’d there 
in December, January, February and March. Thofe 
taken the two firft bf thefe Months, are as large as 
ours in Holland, but what they catch afterwards are 
fmaller, and like thofe in Holland, called Frying- 
Herrings, which are eaten in March and April. Hence 
we infer, that thefe is a Paffage above Corea, Japan 
and Fartary, which anfwers to the StfelgKts of TVeF 
gats.. For this Reafon we often asked bf the Cofe- 
fian Searrien, whb ufe the North- eaft Sea, what Lands 
were beyond them, and they all told iis they be- 
lieved there was nothing that Way but a boiindlefs 
Ocean.^^ , ^ 
This very Paffage is alledged by Captain Wood, as 
private View to my own Advantage, but becaufe I was one of the feven Reafons which induced him to attempt 
apprehenfive, that the difclofing this Matter might finding this Paffage, but as at the Time bf Writing his 
give other Nations an Opportunity to profit, by an In-, Book, he had two very different Objeds in View, 
vention which I could wifh to fee in the Poffeffion of the Showing that he did not venture upon the Expedi- 
the Britijh Nation alone. This I the rather apprehended, tion vdthout gobd Grounds^ and the Proving that, not- 
becaufe of that fupine Indolence, which for many Years withftanding their fair Appearance, thefe were in Ef~ 
has locked up our Faculties, with Refped to Difcoveries, fed no Grounds at all ; he is fo far frorri citing the Paf- 
while other Nations that we feem to defpife have crept fage as I have done, that he gives a very inaccurate, 1 
fo fall into Naval Power, as already to tread upon our might fay, falfe Account bf it ; for he fays, that the 
Heels ; for the Swedes this very Year have deftined Dutch Writer reports, that in a certain Bay of the 
thirty five thoufand able Seamen for the Service of their Kingdom of Corea, dead Whales drive in with Englijh - 
Navy, and at ahe fame Time have renewed the Charter and Dutch Harping-Irons in them, which if true, he 
of their Eaji-India Company for twenty Years, and owns had been a great Argument of a Paffage. 
difpatched two large new Ships to China. The Reader may fee, that the Dutch Writer fays no 
But being well informed, that thofe worthy and pub- fuch Thing, and if he had faid it, the Abfurdnefs of 
lick fpirited Men, who were at the Expence of the • thefe dead Whales floating fo far, would have rendered 
laft Expedition, for the Difeovery of a North-weft Paf- the Paffage ridiculous i and this, very poffibly. Captain 
fage, continue in their Refolution to profecute that De- Wood intended by making the Change. Of the Her- 
fign, which fooner or later I am convinced will be at- rings he fays not a Word, and therefore giving him up 
tended with Succefs ; I was from thence determined to the dead Whales for his ‘own Ufe, I prefume the living 
alter my Plan, and to acquaint the World, fairly and ones, and the Herrings, may ftill pafs for two very 
truly with the Secret of this Bufinefs ; and the principal ftrong Arguments of fuch a PaffagCj and in its proper 
Reafon of my contending fo much, not only for the Place, I have produced thefe and many more. If 
Expediency, but even for the Neceffity of making an ' ^ 
Attempt on this Side, and fecuring a folid Eftablifh- 
ment on fome or other of the Hands between Corea 
and Japan. The fetting this Affair in a clear and 
proper Light will take up fome Room, and require a 
little Attention i but every ingenious Reader, I am con- 
fident, will allow me the one without complaining, 
and gratify me in the other with Pleafure, fince what 
therefore there be any fuch Paffage, it is ^ery manifeft 
from hence, that making fuch a Settlement as I con- 
tend for, is the likelieft Method to find it. For fup- 
pofing that we had a good Colony, or at leaft a ftrong 
Fort and Fadiory, upon the Hand bf Fui la tao, we 
might from thence annually endeavour to difeover along 
the Coafts of Kamfehatjea, at the moft favourable Sea- 
fon of the Year, and thereby obtain a fairer Opportu- 
I have to offer, , carries along with it the prevailing nity than has yet offered, of getting round into the Eu~ 
Charm of Novelty, at the fame Time that it is equally ropean Seas ; for as Dampier very rightly faid of the 
curious and important. Northweft Paffage, that it was more likely it fhould bd 
The Hopes of difeovering a North-eaft Paffage have found by thofe who attempted it from California, than 
been long laid afide, from a great Variety of Reafons, by fuch as fought it from Hudfon\-Bay ; fo I may fay^’ 
but chiefly on Account of thofe advanced by the laft with Regard to this Difeovery, that they have infinitely a 
Adventurer for that Difeovery our Countryman Cap- better Chance, who feek this Paffage from Japan, than 
tain Wood, who like many other great Navigators, hav- thofe who. profecute it from the North of Scotland-^ 
ing failed in his Expectations, confoled himfelf for that and for the very fame Reafon, becaufe this is proceed- 
Difappointment, by labouring to take away Expedla- ing from the Unknown to the Known, and making the 
lion itfelf. I muft confefs, that this Method, however latter Part of the Voyage, fafe and eafy, which in the 
common, is very far from being fatisfadlory to me, in- other Way is always dangerous and incercain ; to which 
lomuch that I could wifh it was difufed, and that fuch we may with much Probability, attribute moft of the 
as are for the future employed in any Expeditions of Difappointments that have been met with, 
this Kind, would content themfelves with the Vindica- But if contrary to all Appearances, if in Spite of al! 
tion of their own Conduft, in giving a fair Detail of the Reafons, Phyfical, Phylofophicai and Cofmographi- 
their Mifearriages, without laying it down as a Thing ’ ’ . • ^ 
certain, or even probable, that no Man fhould ever 
fucceed where they failed. But notwithftanding all the 
Difappointments, and, I muft confefs there have been 
many of them in attempting this Nofth-eaft Paffage, 
the Reafons for believing it remain yet unanfwered, and 
cal, that countenance this Opinion, and which Utherto 
remain altogether unrefuted, there fhould, after all, be 
none fuch, we fhould make this negative Difeovery ear- 
lier, and with greater Certainty than other People, and 
even from hence there might very great Advantaoeg 
arife, that have not hitherto been confidered j for though 
particularly a Matter of Faft which belongs properly it would be impoffible to tranfpbrt Goods, yet Letters 
I will 
re^ 
to the Subjeft of this Section, and therefore 
port it in the Author’s own Words. 
The Perfon, whoever he was, that wrote an Ac- 
count of the Shipwreck of the Dutch Sailors on the 
Hand of ^elpraet, has added a fhort Defeription 
of the Kingdom of Corea, in which he has the follow- ties of fending to Mofeow, and by this Means 
VoL. II. N® 139. 12 A 
and Intelligence might be carried over Land j a Sloop 
in the Space of three Weeks, with a fair Wind, iri 
much lefs Time, might proceed from ^elpraet, up 
the River Amur, and To the Packets might be conveyed 
to Nipchou, from whence there are frequent Opportuni- 
in the 
Space- 
