1G5 
NORTH P O L E. 
his people were entertained with great profusion by the 
Englilh merchants, who carried them to a place called 
the garden; but the writer of the voyage obl'erves, that 
nothingappeared but “nature itfelfe without artplenty 
of rofes and rafpberries were found growing wild in every 
place. Here, in prefence of the Englilh traders and the 
foreigners aflembled, pofleflion was taken, in the queen’s 
name, of the harbour and aoo leagues every way ; and 
three laws were immediately made and promulgated on 
the fpot: “ 1. For the public exercife of religion accord¬ 
ing to the church of England; 2. For maintaining her 
majefty’s right and pofleflion, againft which any party of¬ 
fending to be adjudged and executed as in cafe of high 
treafon ; and 3. For preventing the utterance of words 
founding to the dilhonour of her majefty ; the party of¬ 
fending to lofe his ears, and his fhipand goods to be con- 
fifcated.” Several parcels of land were granted out; but, 
it feems, “ thegenerall was molt curious in the fearch of 
metals, commanding the minerall-man and refiner efpe- 
cially to be diligent.” This man was a Saxon, “ honeft 
and religious, named Daniel ;” and he brought to fir 
Humphrey what he called filver-ore, but the general 
would not have it tried or fpoken of till they got to fea, 
“ as the Portugals, Bilcains, and Frenchmen, were not 
farre off.” 
Sir Humphrey now embarked “ in his fmall frigate, 
the Squirrel,” which, in fact, was a miferable bark of ten 
tons ; and, taking with him two other fliips, the Delight, 
commanded by captain Brown, and the Golden Hinde, 
by captain Hayes, proceeded on difcovery to the fouth- 
ward ; but the Delight, with all the valuables on-board, 
was wrecked among the flats and lands near Sable Illand, 
when only twelve men efcaped in a boat out of more than 
a hundred fouls, who all, except thefe, perilhed; among 
whom was Stephanus Parmenius, of Buda, a learned 
Hungarian, who had embarked on this enterprife, for the 
purpole of recording, “ in the Latine tongue, the geils 
and things worthy of remembrance 5” and all'o “ the Saxon 
refiner and difcoverer of ineltimable riches.” 
Sir Humphrey, however, efcaped in his little bark, and, 
with the golden Hinde, determined on proceeding to 
England. His little frigate, as Ihe is called, is defcribed 
as being wholly unfit to proceed on fuch a voyage 5 and, 
when he was entreated not to venture in her, but take his 
paflage in the Golden Hinde, this brave man replied, “ I 
will not forfake my little company, going homeward, with 
whom I have pafled fo many ftormes and perils.” On the 
9th of September, having pafled the Azores, fir Hum¬ 
phrey’s frigate was obferved to be nearly overwhelmed by 
a great fea; but file recovered the ftroke of the waves, 
and immediately afterwards the general was feen by thofe 
in the Hinde fitting abaft, with a book in his hand, as 
related under the article Gilbert, vol. viii. p. 563. The 
fame night this little bark and ail within her were fwal- 
lowed up by the fea, and no more heard of. k 
The merchants of London and of the weft country, 
being fatisfied “ of the likelyhood of the difcoverie of 
the north-weft paflage,” and that the former adventurers 
had been diverted from their main purpofe by objefts fo¬ 
reign to the original defign, refolved on a new expedition, 
whole foie motive fhould be that of difcovery. The fu- 
perintendance of the outfit was entrufted to Mr. William 
Sanderfon, merchant of London ; and Mr. John Davis, 
of Sandridge in Devonlhire, by the recommendation, no 
doubt, of his neighbour, Mr. Adrian Gilbert, received 
the appointment of captain and chief pilot of this new 
enterprife. Two fmall barks, one of 50 tons, called the 
Sunlhine, and the other of 35 tons, named the Moon- 
fhine, were put under his orders. In the firft were twen¬ 
ty-three perlons, of whom, four were muficians ; and in 
the latter nineteen. They left Dartmouth on the 7th of 
June, 1585 ; and on the 19th of July were among the 
ice on the weftern fide of Greenland, where they heard 
“ a mighty great roaring of the fea,” which, on a clofer 
examination in the boats, they found to proceed frojn the 
l Vol. XVII. No. 1169. 
“ rowling together of iflands of ice.” The,next day, as 
they proceeded to the northward, the fog cleared away, 
and they perceived a rocky and mountainous land, in 
form of a fugar-loaf, appearing as if above the clouds. 
The top was covered with fnow, and the fhore belet with 
ice a full league into the fea; and the whole furrounding 
afpeft prefented fo “ true a paterne of defolation,” that 
Davis gave to it the name of the Land of Defolation." 
Finding it impoflible to reach the fliore near this fpot on 
account of the ice, Davis determined to return to the 
fouthward. In ftanding along the coaft he obferved drift¬ 
wood floating about daily ; and the Moonftiine picked up 
a tree “ fixty feet long and fourteene handfuls about, 
having the roote upon it.” The air was moderate, like 
April-weather in England ; and it was cold only when 
the wind blew from the land or ice, but, when it came 
over the open fea, “ it was very hote.” 
From this coaft they flood off again to the north-weft - 
ward for four days, when they faw land in latitude 64.15. 
the weather Hill being temperate and the fea free from ice. 
It was an archipelago of iflands, “among which were 
many faire founds and good roads for lhipping;” to that 
in which they anchored Davis gave the name of Gilbert's 
Sound. A multitude of natives approached in their ca¬ 
noes ; on which the muficians began to play, and the Tai¬ 
lors to dance and make tokens of friendmip. The fimple 
and harmlefs natives foon underftood their meaning; and 
were fo delighted with their treatment and the mufic, 
that they flocked round them in vaft numbers, not lefs than 
thirty-feven of their boats being atone time aloiiglide their 
fmall barks. The failors fhook hands with them, and won 
fo far on their good will that they' obtained from the 
“ falvages” whatever they wiflied ; canoes, clothing, 
bows, fpears, and in fhort whatever they aiked for. 
“ They are very tradable people,” fays the narrator, 
“ void of craft or double dealing, and eafie to be brought 
to any civilitie or good order ; but we judge them to be 
idolaters, and to vvorlhip the lunne.” 
The drift-wood was brought to thefe iflands in great 
abundance. The cliffs are defcribed to be of “fuch oare 
as M. Frobifher brought from Meta Incognita;” and they 
had “ divers ftiewes of ftudy, or Mulcovy glafle, fhining 
not altogether unlike chriftall.” They found a red 
fruit growing on the rocks, which was “ fweet, full of 
red juice, and the ripe ones like ’corinths.” 
On the ilt of Auguft our adventurers flood farther to 
the north-weft, and on the 6th difcovered land in 66. 40. 
the fea altogether free from ice. Here they anchored 
their barks, “ in a very faire rode, under a brave mount,” 
to which they gave the name of Mount Raleigh , “ the 
cliffs whereof were as orient as gold. The foreland to¬ 
wards the north they called Dior's Cape, that towards 
the fouth Cape Waljingliam ; and to the great bay be¬ 
tween them they gave the name of Exeter Sound, and to 
their anchorage Totnefs Road. On their firft landing they 
met with “ four white beares of a monftrous bignefie,” 
one of which they killed. 
On the 8th of Auguft they returned to the fouthward ; 
and on the nth came to the next foutherly cape of" the 
land they had coafted, which they named the Cape of 
God's Mercy, “ as being the place of our firft entrance 
for the difcovery.” Keeping this land to the northward 
of them, they failed to the weftward, and had a fine 
open paflage, from twenty to thirty leagues in width, 
entirely free from ice; “ and the water of the very colour, 
nature, and quality, of the main ocean, which gave u> 
the greater hope of our paflage.” Having proceeded fixty 
leagues, a clufter of iflands was obferved in the midft of 
the paflage. Here, the weather becoming thick and 
foggy, and the wind from the fouth-eaft, and no appear¬ 
ance of amendment, they remained fix days, at the end or 
which they determined on returning homew’ards, and ac¬ 
cordingly let fail on the 2d of Auguft, and arrived fafe in 
Dartmouth on the 30th of September, 1585. 
The important difcovery of the free and open paflage 
U u to 
