172 
JS T O R T H 
of i a tons, was called the Cat. The fame admiral, Lin- 
denau, was appointed to commanded this fecond expedi¬ 
tion ; and the three natives carried off by Cunningham 
were put on-board to ferve as interpreters and guides. 
On the 29th of May, 1606, the fleet failed from Elfi- 
neur; and, before they reached the northern fhore of 
Labrador, about Cape Chidley as it would appear, though 
no name is mentioned, two of the captive Greenlanders 
died. From hence they flood north-weflerly towards the 
coafl of Greenland ; and about 63. 45. found themfelves 
encompaffed with “ mightie bankes of ice,” w'hich with 
great difficulty they got clear of. Having reached the 
latitude 64. they faw land, which they fuppofed to be 
part of the coaft of America, but which was probably the 
land to the northward of Frobiffier’s Strait, the ffiips 
having been fet over by a flrong weflerly current. On 
the 25th they had fight of Greenland, about ten leagues 
to thefouth of Queen Anrte’s Cape, the Frofl having on 
the preceding day been feparated from the Lion and 
Giiliflower. They put into Cunningham’s Fiord, where, 
it feems, they had found a filver-mine the year before, of 
which ore they had fworn to his majefly to bring home a 
fufficient quantity; accordingly “ they all landed to fee 
•the filver-myne, where,” fays Hall, “ it was decreed that 
we ffiould take in as much thereof as we could.” This, 
in fa£l, appears to have been the grand objefl of the ex- 
tenfive equipment furniffied by the king of Denmark : it 
was the difcovery of gold and filver, and not of the left 
colonics, that adluated the framers of an expedition on a 
fcale unnecefiarily large for the purpofes of fcientific dif¬ 
covery ; for, in fafil, no fearch nor even mention is made, 
either of a north-well paffage, or of the old colonies of 
Greenland. See that article, vol.ix. p. 3. They rowed 
in their boats up the found, paffing. “ many green and 
pleafant iflands,” and after fome days came to the mouth 
of a river which they named after the pilot of the Eagle, 
Fos-river; the latitude of which is 66. 25. On the bank 
of this river was fituated the winter-village of the natives, 
confifling of about forty houfes “ budded with whales’ 
bones, the balkes being of whales’ ribbes; the tops were 
covered with earth ; and they had certaine vaults or fellers 
under the earth foure-fquare, about two yards deepe in 
the ground.” In the burying-place they oblerved the 
bodies wrapt in feal-fkins, “ and llones laid in manner of 
a coffin over them.” Here they leized five natives, to 
carry with them to Denmark, in lieu of whom they put 
on-ffiore an unfortunate Dane to be left behind for having 
committed fome crime which is r.ot fpecified. They 
learned from their new captives that the country was 
named Secanunga ; and that the great king, who lived in 
the interior, was carried upon men’s fhoulders. 
It was now the 10th of Auguft; the weather began to 
be very flormy; and, finding themfelves exceedingly 
hampered among the numerous iflands and rocks and 
floating ice, they refolved to retun) to the fouthward, 
and after a long paffage arrived in' Copenhagen roads on 
the 4th of Oflober. 
This fruitlefs expedition, it feems, was followed up by 
another the next year, equally fruitlefs. It confifled of 
two ffiips, the command of which was entrufted to a 
Danifli captain-of the name of Karflen Richardifen, a na¬ 
tive of Holflein, who engaged fome failors from Norway 
and Iceland, as belt acquainted with navigation among 
ice; but they proceeded no farther than Cape Farewell, 
as the Danifh Chronicle fays, from mountains of ice ob- 
flrufting their paffage; but Hall gives a more probable 
reafon. “ I have alfo,” fays Purchas, “ Mafler Hall’s 
vovage of the next yeere 1607, to Greenland from Den- 
rrdrke, written, and with reprefentations of land-fights 
curioufly delineated by Jofias Hubert of Hull; but the 
Danes (envious perhaps that the glory of the difcovery 
wouid be attributed to the Engiiffi pilot), after the land 
faluted, mutinied, and in fine forced the fliip to returne 
to Ifiahd. For which caufe I have here omitted the whole.” 
Peyrere gives, from the Danifh Chronicle, alongac- 
P O L E. 
\ 
count of the treatment and behaviour of the Greenlanders 
in Denmark ; of the feats they performed on the water 
with their canoes ; of their manner of feeding on raw 
fleffi and fifh ; and their fixed melancholy, and pining 
away till they finally died of grief. This account, which 
is copied in the introduction to Hans Egede’s Defcription 
of Greenland, lately re-publiffied, flrikingly demonflrates 
the unconquerable attachment of the inhabitants to their 
native foil, and irreliflibly recalls thofe inimitable lines 
of Goldfmith : 
Dear is that Hied to which his foul conforms, 
And dear that hill which lifts him to the llorms; 
And as a babe, when fearing founds moleft. 
Clings clofe and clofer to the mother’s bread, 
So the loud torrent, and the whirlwind’s roar. 
But bind him to his native mountains more. 
“ The king of Denmark caufed particular attention to 
be paid to the three favages who had furvived the preced¬ 
ing, and the five who had been imported by the lad, expe¬ 
dition to Greenland. They were fed upon milk, butter, 
and cheefe, as well as upon raw fleflr and raw filh, to 
which they had been accuflomed at home. They appeared 
to have an invincible repugnance to our baked bread and 
dreffied meat; nor did they relifli any kind of wine fo 
much as the oil and greafe of the whale. They often 
turned a wiffiful and defponding look to the North; and 
fighed fo anxioufly to return to the place of their nativity, 
that, whenever they were watched with lefs vigilance than 
■ufual, thofe who had an opportunity feized any boat that 
was at hand, and put to fea, regardlefs of the dangers 
they had to encounter. A llorm once overtook fome of 
thefe intrepid adventurers at ten or twelve leagues front 
the Sound, and forced them back to the coaft of Schonen, 
where they were made prifoners by the peafantry, and 
conveyed back to Copenhagen. This caufed the.m to be 
guarded with more rigour, and kept under greater reftraint. 
But three of them fell fick and died of grief. Five of 
thefe favages were alive and well when a Spanifii ambafia- 
dor made his appearance in Denmark ; and the Danifli 
monarch, in order to divert this ftranger, caufed thefe 
native Greenlanders to exhibit their manoeuvres in their 
little canoes upon the fea. The Spanifii ambaftador was 
quite delighted with the addrefs which they difplayed, 
and with the extraordinary celerity with which they 
glided over the waves. He made a prelent in money to 
each of the favages, which they expended in equipping 
themfelves in the Danifli fafhion. They were accordingly 
feen booted and fpurred, with large feathers in their hats ; 
and in thefe habiliments they propofed to ferve in the 
cavalry of the Danifli king. But thefe high fpirits of the 
Greenlanders lafted only for a lhort time; for they foon 
relapfed into their ufual melancholy. They became en¬ 
tirely abforbed with the idea of returning to their native 
country; and two of them, having obtained pofleffion of 
their little boats, put out to fea. They were purfued, 
but only one of them was taken, and the other probably 
periffied in the waves ; for it cannot be fuppofed that he 
ever returned to the land of his Fathers. With refpeCt to 
one of the favages, it was remarked, that he flied tears 
whenever he beheld a child at the breaft ; from which it 
was fuppofed, that he had left a wife and children at 
home. Of thefe furviving favages, two pined away with 
regret. The two others lived ten or twelve years in Den¬ 
mark after the deceafe of their companions. No pains 
were fpared to reconcile them to their condition, but 
without fuccels. One of them died of an illnels brought 
on by being employed in diving for the pearl-mufcle 
during the depth of winter. His companion, who was 
incor.folable for his lofs, again feized a boat and made an 
effort to efcape from captivity. He had palled the Sound 
before he could be retaken, but he lived only a fliort time 
after this laft attempt to recover his liberty.” 
While the king of Denmark was fetting forth his fe¬ 
cond grand expedition for exploring “ the myne of filver,” 
and 
