OLIVER BRUNEL. 
235 
V.] 
now probably at a place where Oliver Brunel ^ had been 
before, and which had been named by him Costinsark, evidently 
* The name Oliver Brunei occurs so often in accounts of the first voyages 
to Novaya Zemlya, and the man who bore it appears to have exercised so 
great an influence on the development of commercial communications with 
Russia, and the sending out of exploratory expeditions to the North Polar 
Sea, that I shall give a brief sketch of his life, mainly after S. Muller^ 
Gesclnedenis der Noordsche Compagme^ Utrecht, 1874, p. 26. 
Oliver Brunei was born in Brussels, and in 1565 went in a Russian 
vessel from Kola to Kolmogor in order to learn the Russian language and 
make himself acquainted with the trade of the region. But the English, 
who of course eagerly endeavoured to prevent any intrusion on their 
newly-discovered commercial territory, prevailed on the Russians to keep 
him in prison for several years. In the end he was set at liberty, or rather 
handed over to the rich merchants Jakov and Grigory Anikiev (Stroganov). 
In consequence of this, Brunei came to take part in the commercial 
expeditions sent out by this mercantile house, (which by the conquest of 
Siberia acquired a world-historical importance, both by land and sea,) to 
the parts of Asia bordering on Russia, whereby he became well acquainted 
with the Polar Sea and the Gulf of Obi. Brunei afterwards brought about 
direct communication between the Netherlands and the great commercial 
house, almost sovereign de facto if not dejure in extensive countries. In 
connection with this Brunei made strenuous exertions to open in earnest the 
navigation of the Netherlands to the White Sea, and there found a 
Netherlands factory, which was placed not on Rosen Island, which was 
occupied by the English, but on the spot where the present Archangel is 
situated. Brunei next took part in preparations for a Russian North-east 
expedition, for which Swedish shipbuilders were received into Stroganov’s 
service. Brunei himself travelled by land to Holland to enlist men. A 
number of particulars regarding these undertakings of Brunei are con¬ 
tained in a letter of John Balak to Gerard Mercator, dated “Arusburgi 
ad Ossellam fluvium ” the 20th February, 1581. The letter is printed in 
the second edition of Halduyt, 1598, i. p. 509. Scarcely however had 
Brunei returned to his- native country, before he altered his plan and 
wished to procure for his own fatherland the honour and advantage of the 
undertaking. The first attempt of the Dutch to reach China and Japan by 
the north-east thus came about. Of this voyage we know only that Brunei 
endeavoured without success to sail through Yugor Schar, and that his 
vessel, heavily laden with furs, plates of mica, and rock-crystal, was 
wrecked on the way home at the mouth of the Petchora {Besch'yvinghe 
vander Samoyedeii Landt in Tartarien^ &c. Amsterdam, 1612. S. Muller’s 
Photolithographic Reproduction, 1878). The mica and rock-crystal were 
undoubtedly brought from the Ural, as no useful plates of mica or large 
rock-crystals are found in the region of the Petchora. Brunei then entered 
