28 
FAILURE OF FROBISHER’S EXPEDITION. 
cumbers the northern seas, must be formed in the sounds or 
islands near the Pole, and that the main seas never freezes, 
steered directly for the Strait where his preceding- voyage had 
terminated, and sought the spot where the supposed gold ore 
had been picked up, but could not find in the whole Island “ a 
piece so big as a walnut.” On the neighbouring Islands how¬ 
ever the ore was found in large quantities. In their examination 
of Frobisher Strait, they were unable to establish a pacific in¬ 
tercourse with the natives. Two women were seized, of whom 
one, being old and ugly, was thought to be a devil or a witch, 
and was consequently dismissed. As gold, and not discovery 
was the avowed object of this voyage, our adventurers occupied 
themselves in providing a cargo, and actually got on board 
almost 20Qt ons of the glittering mineral, which they believed to 
be ore. When the lading was completed, they sat sail home¬ 
wards, and though the ships were dispersed by violent storms, 
they all arrived safely in different parts of England. 
The queen, and the persons engaged in this adventure, were 
delighted to find “ that the matter of the gold ore, had appear¬ 
ance, and made show of great riches and profit, and that the 
hope of the passage to Cathaia by this last voyage greatly in¬ 
creased.” The queen gave the name of Meta Incognita to the 
newly discovered country, on which it was resolved to establish 
a colony. For this purpose, a fleet of 15 ships was got ready, 
and 100 persons appointed to form the settlement, and remain 
there the whole year, keeping with them three of the ships, the 
other twelve were to bring back cargoes of gold ore. Frobisher 
was appointed admiral-in-chief of the expedition, and on taking 
leave, received from the queen a gold chain, as a mark of her 
approbation of his past conduct. The fleet sailed on the 31st 
May, 1578, and in three weeks discovered Friezeland, of which 
possession was formally taken, and then held its course direct 
to Frobisher Straits The voyage hitherto had been prosperous, 
but distresses and vexations of every kind thwarted the attempt 
to fix a colony. Violent storms dispersed the fleet—drift ice 
choked up the strait; one small bark, on board of which was 
the wooden house, intended for the settlers, was crushed by the 
