44 
DEATH OF BARENTS 
and anxiety, still it was hoped, that as they approached the 
more southern latitudes, some symptoms of convalescence might 
exhibit themselves, and that his life would be prolonged until 
they reached some settlement, where medical assistance could 
be obtained ; their hope however was not destined to be realized, 
daily his decline was visible, and in 12 days after the departure 
from Icy Haven, he died, to the great affliction and regret of his 
whole crew, who placed the most unbounded confidence in his 
nautical skill and experience. 
History furnishes numerous instances of long voyages having 
been performed on the sea in open boats; even the early naviga¬ 
tors ventured across the Atlantic, in boats not exceeding 10 tons 
in burthen, but there is not one on record, stamped with such an 
extraordinary character as the present, in which two small boats 
ventured to navigate the frozen ocean, subject every moment to 
be crushed to pieces between floating masses of ice, and the crew 
by day and by night, for upwards of forty days, exposed to all 
the extremities of cold, fatigue, and famine. It has been com¬ 
puted that these two boats navigated nearly 1200 miles, before 
they arrived at Cola, where they found lying three Dutch ships, 
in one of which the crew embarked, and arrived safely in Hol¬ 
land in October 1597. 
We have hitherto seen that in the discovery of the north west 
passage, England has stood alone in the attempt, and although 
every expedition had been as yet unsuccessful, yet the belief was 
still prevalent that the passage did exist, and that it only re¬ 
quired skill and perseverance to accomplish its discovery. The 
English and Dutch, at the close of the sixteenth century were 
too deeply involved in hostilities with Spain, to bend their 
attention to the prosecution of foreign discoveries, and particu¬ 
larly to one which had been as yet accompanied with nothing 
but loss and disappointment. The minor maritime powers of 
Europe urged on by a spirit of commercial rivalry began grad¬ 
ually to emerge from the supineness in which they had in¬ 
dulged, and taking advantage of the temporary check, which 
the spirit of discovery had received in England, they determined 
to profit by the discoveries, which had been already made in the 
