NORTH POLE. 163 
vered with fnow, 'and the coaft alrnoft inacceffible from 
the great quantity of drift-ice. Four days were here 
(pent in vain endeavouring to land, after which they 
flood for the ftrait difcovered by them the preceding year. 
They arrived off the North Foreland, otherwife Hall's 
Ifland, fo called after the man who had picked up the 
golden ore, and who was now matter of the Gabriel. 
They proceeded fome diftance up the ftrait, when, on the 
181 1 1 of July, the general, taking the gold-finers with him, 
landed near the fpot where the ore had been picked up, 
but could not find in the whole ifland “ a peece fo bigge 
as a walnut.” But all the neighbouring iflands are ftated 
to have good ftore of the ore. They then landed on 
Hall’s greater ifland, where they all'o found a great quan¬ 
tity of the ore. On the top of a high hill, about two 
miles from the fliore, “ they made a columne or erode 
of ttones heaped up of a good heigth togither in good 
fort, and folemnly founded a trumpet, and faide certaine 
prayers kneeling about the enfigne, and honoured the 
place by the name of Mount Warwicke." 
Returning to their boats, they efpied feveral of the 
natives on the top of Mount Warwick waving a flag, 
“ with cries like the mowing of buls, feeming greatly de- 
firous of conference with us.” Both fides being fufpicious 
of each other, two men were (elected, one on the part of 
each, to confer together, and to fettle a traffic ; and we 
are told that “ one of the falvages, for lacke of better 
merchandize, cut off the tayle of his coate, and gave it 
unto the genera'll for a prel'ent.” On this, which was 
not a very civil return, the general and the matter fud- 
denly laid hold of the two falvages. “ But the ground 
under-foot being flipperie with the fnow on the fide of 
the hill, their hand-faft fayled, and their prey elcaping 
ranne away, and lightly recovered their bow and arrows, 
which they had hid not farre from them behind the 
rockes ; and they fo fiercely, defperately, and with fuel! 
fury, affaulted and purfued our generall and the matter, 
being altogether unarmed, and not miftrufting their fub- 
tiltie, that they chafed them to their boates, and hurt 
the generall in the buttocke with an arrow.” The fol- 
diers now began to fire, on which the favages ran away, 
and the Englitti after them ; when one “ Nicholas Conger, 
a good footman, and uncumbred with any furniture, 
having only a dagger at his backe, overtooke one of them, 
and, being a Cornifli man and a good wraftler, (hewed his 
companion fuch a Cornifli tri'eke, that he made his fides 
ake againft the ground for a rnoneth after; and, fo being 
flayed, he was taken alive, and brought away; but the 
other efcaped.” In the mean time a llorm having arifen, 
they proceeded with their prey to a fmall ifland, where, 
keeping good “ watch and warde,” they lay there all night 
upon hard cliff’s of fnow and ice, both wet, cold, and 
comfortlefs, in a country which yielded no better cheer 
than rocks and ttones, and a people “ more readie to eat 
them then to give them wherewithal! to eate.” 
They now flood over to the fouthern fliore of Frobiffier’s 
Strait, and landed on a fmall ifland with the gold-finers 
to fearch for ore ; and “ here all the fands and cliff’s did 
fo glitter, and had fo bright a niarqueiite, that it feemed 
all to be gold, but upon tryall made it prooved no better 
than black-lead, and verified the proverbe, All is not 
gold that glittereth.” 
On another fmall ifland, which they named Smith's 
IJland, they found a mine of filver, and four forts of ore 
“ to holde gold in good quantities” and on another ifland 
a great dead fi!h, twelve feet long, “ having a home of 
two yardes long growing out of the fnoute or noftrils,” 
which was brought home and “ referved as a jewell” in 
the queen’s wardrobe. They continued to proceed up 
the ftrait for about thirty leagues, much hampered with, 
and frequently in great danger from, the floating ice. In 
one of the fmall iflands they found a tomb, in which were 
the bones of a dead man, and feveral implements belong¬ 
ing to the natives, theufeof which was explained to them 
by the captive “ falvage,” who, taking in his hand one 
of their country bridles, “ caught one of our dogges and 
hampered him handfomely therein, as we doe our borfes; 
and with a whip in his hand he taught the dog to drawe 
in a fled,-as we doe horfes in a coach, fetting himfelfe 
thereupon like a guide.” They afterwards found that 
thefe people “ feede fatte the letter fort of dogges” to 
eat as food, and that the larger fort are ufed to draw 
their fledges. 
In endeavouring to feize a party of natives in Yorhe 
Sound, a lkirmifh enfued, in which five or fix of the fa¬ 
vages were unfortunately killed, and two women feized, 
“ whereof the one being old and ugly, our men thought 
(lie had been a devil or fome witch, and therefore let her 
goe ; the other, being young and encumbered with a 
fucking childe at her backe, hiding herfelf behind the 
rocks, was efpied by one of our men, who, fuppofing (he 
had bene a man, (hot through the haire of her head, and 
pierced through the child’s arme, whereupon (he cried 
out, and our furgeon, meaning to heale her child’s arme, 
applyed falves thereunto. But (lie, not acquainted with 
fuch kind of furgery, plucked thofe (alves away, and by 
continuale licking with her owne tongue, not much un¬ 
like our dogs, healed up the childe’s arme.” It is ftated 
that they found here fundry articles of the apparel of the 
five unfortunate men who had been feized by the natives 
the precedirig year; which is the only apology offered for 
the cruel attack on thefe people. 
As the feafon was now far advanced, and the general’s 
commiffion.direfted him to fearch for gold-ore, and to 
defer the further difeovery of the paffage till another time, 
they fet about the lading of the (hips, and in the (pace of 
twenty days got on-board alrnoft 200 tons of ore. On 
the 22d of Auguft, after making bonfires on the higheft 
mount on this ifland, and firing a volley for a farewell 
“ in honour of the Right Honourable Lady Anne Coun- 
tefs of Warwicke, whofe name it beareth,” they fet fail 
homewards, and after a ftormy paffage they all arrived 
fafe in different ports of Great Britain, with the lofs only 
of one man by ficknefs, and another who was waffled over¬ 
board. Hakluyt, vol. iii. 
The queen and her court were fo highly delighted in 
“ finding that the matter of the gold-ore had appearance 
and made (how of great riches and profit, and the hope 
of the paflage to Cathaia by this laft voyage greatly in- 
creafed,” that, after a minute examination by the com- 
miflioners fpecially appointed, it was determined that tire 
voyage was highly worthy of being followed up. The 
queen gave the name of Meta Incognita to the newlv- 
difeovered country, on which it was refolved to eftablilh 
a colony. For this purpofe fifteen (hips were got ready, 
and a hundred perfons appointed to form the (ettlement 
and remain there the whole year, keeping with them 
three of the (hips; the other twelve were to bring back 
cargoes of gold ore. Frobifher was conftituted admiral 
and general, and, on taking leave, received from the 
queen a gold chain, and the reft of the captains had the 
honour of kitting her majefty’s hand. 
The fleet failed from Harwich on the 31 ft of May, 1578, 
pafl’ed Cape Clear on the 6th of June, and on the 20th of 
that month difcovered Weft Friefland, which they now 
named Weft England ; landed and took pofl'eflion thereof; 
but the natives abandoned their tents and fled. The fleet 
then proceeded to Frobilher’s Strait, giving to the laft 
cliff in fight of Weft England, “ for a certaine fimili- 
tude,” the name of Charing CroJs. They found the 
ftrait choked up with ice; and the Dennis, of 100 tons, 
received fuch a blow with a rock of ice, that (he funk 
inrtantly in fight of the whole fleet, but the people were 
all laved. Unfortunately, however, (he had on-board 
part of the houfe which was intended to be ere£led for 
the winter fettlers. A violent ftorm now came on, and 
the whole fleet was difperfed, fome being driven with the 
ice into the ftrait, and there (hut up, and others fwept 
away among the drift-ice into the fea. Their diftreffes, 
and dangers, and bufferings, are deferibed in moft la- 
p 4 meatabie 
