280 
A VOYAGE 10 SPITZBEBGEN. 
they sailed back through the Waigatz Both outward 
and homeward, the ships under Nay went through the 
passage south of Waigatz Island, to which the Hol¬ 
landers, gave the name of Nassau Strait. 
It is exceedingly curious, that encouragement should 
alike have been found for a north-west and for a north¬ 
east passage to India, and on authority equally ques¬ 
tionable. Whilst a fabulous Strait of Anian was pro¬ 
vided for the north-west passage, the mountain Tabin, 
on the uncertain reports transmitted from the ancient 
Greeks, was assumed as the northern promontory of 
Asia, beyond which the land was to decline southward 
to the Indian Seas. It is so represented in the maps 
of the best geographers of the latter part of the 16 th 
and of the 17 th century. 
The 26 th of September the four vessels returned to 
Amsterdam. 
It appeared in this expedition, that it was less diffi¬ 
cult to pass through the Waigatz than to go by the 
North of Nova Zembla; that the voyagers had not 
failed of making the proposed discovery from obstruc¬ 
tion by ice or land ; and that if they had arrived more 
early in the sea east of Nova Zembla, there would have 
been a good probability of their making the passage. 
* “ Premiere Partie de la Navigation par le Nord.” Amsterdam, 
1598, p. 7. 
