Extracted from “A Second Voyage or Employment of Master Henry Hudson,
for finding a Passage to the East Indies by the North-East: written by
himselfe.” Printed in Purchas his Pilgrimes, vol. iii, pp. 577–579.
[June, 1608.] The sixe and twentieth, faire sun-shining weather, and
little wind at east north-east. From twelue a clocke at night till
foure this morning we stood southward two leagues, sounding wee had
sixtie sixe fathome oaze, as afore. From four a clocke to noone,
south-east and by south foure leagues, and had the sunne on the
meridian on the south-east and by south point of the compasse, in the
latitude of 72 degrees 25 minutes, and had sight of Noua Zembla foure
or five leagues from vs, and the place called by the Hollanders Swart
Cliffe bearing off south-east. In the after-noone wee had a fine gale
at east north-east, and by eight of the clocke we had brought it to
beare off vs east southerly, and sayled by the shoare a league from it.
The seuen and twentieth, all the fore-noone it was almost calme. Wee
being two mile from the shoare, I sent my mate Robert Iuet and Iohn
Cooke my boat-swaine on shoare, with foure others, to see what the land
would yeeld that might bee profitable, and to fill two or three caskes
with water. They found and brought aboord some whales finnes, two
deeres hornes, and the dung of deere, and they told me that they saw
grasse on the shoare of the last yeere, and young grasse came up
amongst it a shaftman long, and it was boggie ground in some places;
there are many streames of snow water nigh, it was very hot on the
shoare, and the snow melted apace; they saw the footings of many great
beares, of deere, and foxes. They went from vs at three a clocke in the
morning, and came aboord at a south-east sunne; and at their comming we
saw two or three companies of morses in the sea neere vs swimming,
being almost calme. I presently sent my mate, Ladlow the carpenter, and
sixe others ashoare, to a place where I thought the morses might come
on the shoare; they found the place likely, but found no signe of any
that had beene there. There was a crosse standing on the shoare, much
driftwood, and signes of fires that had beene made there. They saw the
footing of very great deere and bears, and much fowle, and a foxe; they
brought aboord whale finnes, some mosse, flowers, and greene things,
that did there grow. They brought also two peeces of a crosse, which
they found there. The sunne was on the meridian on the north
north-east, halfe a point easterly, before it began to fall. The sunnes
height was 4 degrees 45 minutes, inclination 22 degrees 33 minutes,
which makes the latitude 72 degrees 12 minutes. There is disagreement
betweene this and the last obseruation; but by meanes of the
cleerenesse of the sunne, the smoothnesse of the sea, and the neerness
to land, wee could not bee deceiued, and care was taken in it.
The eight and twentieth, at foure a clocke in the morning, our boat
came aboord, and brought two dozen of fowle, and some egges, whereof a
few were good, and a whales finne; and wee all saw the sea full of
morses, yet no signes of their being on shoare. And in this calme, from
eight a clocke last eeuening till foure this morning, wee were drawne
backe to the northward as farre as wee were the last eeuening at foure
a clocke by a streame or a tide; and wee choose rather so to driue,
then to aduenture the losse of an anchor and the spoyle of a cable.
Heere our new ship-boate began to doe vs seruice, and was an
incouragement to my companie, which want I found the last yeere.
The nine and twentieth, in the morning calme, being halfe a league from
the shoare, the sea being smooth, the needle did encline 84 degrees; we
had many morses in the sea neere vs, and desiring to find where they
came on shoare, wee put to with sayle and oares, towing in our boat and
rowing in our barke, to get about a point of land, from whence the land
did fall more easterly, and the morses did goe that way. Wee had the
sunne on the meridian on the south and by west point, halfe a point to
the wester part of the compasse, in the latitude of 71 degrees 15
minutes. At two a clocke this after-noone we came to anchor in the
mouth of a riuer, where lieth an iland in the mouth thereof foure
leagues: wee anchored from the iland in two and thirtie fathomes blacke
sandy ground. There droue much ice out of it with a streame that set
out of the river or sound, and there were many morses sleeping on the
ice, and by it we were put from our road twice this night; and being
calme on this day, it pleased God at our neede to giue vs a fine gale,
which freed vs out of danger. This day was calme, cleere and hot
weather: all the night we rode still.
The thirtieth, calme, hot, and faire weather: we weighed in the
morning, and towed and rowed, and at noone we came to anchor neere the
ile aforesaid in the mouth of the riuer, and saw very much ice driuing
in the sea, two leagues without vs, lying south-east and north-west,
and driving to the north-west so fast, that wee could not by twelve a
clocke at night see it out of the top. At the iland where wee rode
lieth a little rocke, whereon were fortie or fiftie morses lying
asleepe, being all that it could hold, it being so full and little. I
sent my companie ashoare to them, leauing none aboord but my boy with
mee; and by meanes of their neerenesse to the water they all got away,
saue one which they killed, and brought his head aboord; and ere they
came aboord they went on the iland, which is reasonable high and
steepe, but flat on the top. They killed and brought with them a great
fowle, whereof there were many, and likewise some egges, and in an
houre they came aboord. The ile is two flight-shot ouer in length, and
one in breadth. At midnight our anchor came home, and wee tayld aground
by meanes of the strength of the streame; but by the helpe of God wee
houed her off without hurt. In short time wee moued our ship, and rode
still all night; and in the night wee had little wind at east and east
south-east. Wee had at noone this day an obseruation, and were in the
latitude of 71 degrees 15 minutes.
The first of July wee saw more ice to seaward of vs, from the
south-east to the north-west, driuing to the north-west. At noone it
was calme, and we had the sunne on the meridian on the south and by
west point, halfe a point to the westerly part of the compasse, in the
latitude of 71 degrees 24 minutes. This morning I sent my mate Eueret
and foure of our companie, to rowe about the bay, to see what riuers
were in the same, and to find where the morses did come on land, and to
see a sound or great riuer in the bottome of the bay, which did alwaies
send out a great streame to the north-wards, against the tide that came
from thence: and I found the same, in comming in from the north to this
place, before this. When, by the meanes of the great plenty of ice, the
hope of passage betweene Newland and Noua Zembla was taken away, my
purpose was by the Vaygats to passe by the mouth of the river Ob, and
to double that way the north cape of Tartaria, or to giue reason
wherefore it will not be: but being here, and hoping by the plentie of
morses wee saw here to defray the charge of our voyage; and also that
this sound might for some reasons bee a better passage to the east of
Noua Zembla than the Vaygats, if it held according to my hope conceiued
by the likenesse it gaue: for whereas we had a floud came from the
northwards, yet this sound or riuer did runne so strong, that ice with
the streame of this riuer was carried away, or anything else, against
the floud: so that both in floud and ebbe, the streame doth hold a
strong course, and it floweth from the north three houres, and ebbeth
nine.
The second, the wind being at east south-east, it was reasonable cold
and so was Friday; and the morses did not play in our sight as in warme
weather. This morning at three of the clocke, my mate and companie came
aboord, and brought a great deeres horne, a white locke of deeres
haire, foure dozen of fowle, their boat halfe laden with drift wood,
and some flowers and greene things, that they found growing on the
shoare. They saw a herd of white deere of ten in a companie on the
land, much drift wood lying on the shoare, many good bayes, and one
riuer faire to see to, on the north shoare, for the morses to land on;
but they saw no morses there, but signes that they had beene in the
bayes. And the great riuer or sound, they certified me, was of breadth
two or three leagues, and had no ground at twentie fathoms and that the
water was of the colour of the sea, and very salt, and that the stream
setteth strongly out of it. At sixe a clocke this morning, came much
ice from the south-ward driuing upon us, very fearefull to looke on;
but by the mercy of God and his mightie helpe, wee being moored with
two anchors ahead, with vering out of one cable and heauing home the
other, and fending off with beams and sparres, escaped the danger:
which labour continued till sixe a clocke in the euening, and then it
was past vs, and we rode still and tooke our rest this night.
The third, the wind at north a hard gale. At three a clocke this
morning wee weighed our anchor, and set sayle, purposing to runne into
the riuer or sound before spoken of.
The fourth, in the morning, it cleered up with the wind at north-west;
we weighed and set sayle, and stood to the eastwards, and passed ouer a
reefe and found on it fiue and a halfe, sixe, sixe and a halfe and
seuen fathoms water: then wee saw that the sound was full and a very
large riuer from the north-eastward free from ice, and a strong streame
comming out of it; and we had sounding then, foure and thirtie fathoms
water. Wee all conceiued hope of this northerly riuer or sound; and
sayling in it, wee found three and twentie fathomes for three leagues,
and after twentie fathomes for fiue or sixe leagues, all tough ozie
ground. Then the winde vered more northerly, and the streame came downe
so strong, that we could doe no good on it; we come to anchor, and went
to supper, and then presently I sent my mate Iuet, with fiue more of
our companie, in our boat with sayle and oares, to get up the riuer,
being prouided with victuals and weapons for defence, willing them to
sound as they went, and if it did continue still deepe, to go untill it
did trende to the eastward or to the southwards; and wee rode still.
The fift, in the morning, we had the wind at west: we began to weigh
anchor, purposing to set sayle, and to runne vp the sound after our
companie: then the wind vered northerly upon vs, and we saued our
labour. At noone our companie came aboord vs, having had a hard rought;
for they had beene vp the river sixe or seven leagues, and sounded it
from twentie to three and twentie, and after brought it to eight, sixe,
and one fathome, and then to foure foot in the best: they then went
ashoare, and found good store of wilde goose quills, a piece of an old
oare, and some flowers, and green things which they found growing: they
saw many deere, and so did we in our after-dayes sayling. They being
come aboord, we presently set sayle with the wind at north north-west,
and we stood out againe to the south-westwards, with sorrow that our
labour was in vaine: for, had this sound held as it did make shew of,
for breadth, depth, safenesse of harbour, and good anchor ground, it
might haue yeelded an excellent passage to a more easterly sea.
Generally, all the land of Noua Zembla that yet wee haue seene, is to a
mans eye a pleasant land; much mayne high land with no snow on it,
looking in some places greene, and deere feeding thereon; and the hills
are partly covered with snow, and partly bare. It is no maruell that
there is so much ice in the sea towards the Pole, so many sounds and
riuers being in the lands of Noua Zembla and Newland to ingender it;
besides the coasts of Pechora, Russia, and Groenland, with Lappia, as
by proofes I finde by my trauell in these parts: by means of which ice
I suppose there will be no nauigable passage this way. This eeuening
wee had the wind at west and by south: wee therefore came to anchor
under Deere Point; and it was a storme at sea, wee rode in twentie
fathomes, ozie ground: I sent my mate Ladlow, with foure more ashore,
to see whether any morses were on the shoare, and to kill some fowle
(for we had seene no morses since Saturday, the second day of this
moneth, that wee saw them driuing out of the ice). They found good
landing for them, but no signe that they had been there: but they found
that fire had beene made there, yet not lately. At ten of the clocke in
the eeuening they came aboord, and brought with them neere an hundred
fowles called wellocks; this night it was wet fogge, and very thicke
and cold, the winde at west south-west.
The sixt, in the morning, wee had the wind stormie and shifting,
betweene the west and south-west, against us for doing any good: we
rode still, and had much ice driuing by vs to the eastwards of vs. At
nine of the clocke, this eeuening wee had the wind at north north-west:
we presently weighed, and set sayle, and stood to the westward, being
out of hope to find passage by the north-east: and my purpose was now
to see whether Willoughbies Land were, as it is layd in our cardes;
which if it were, wee might finde morses on it; for with the ice they
were all driven from hence. This place vpon Noua Zembla, is another
then that which the Hollanders call Costing Sarch, discouered by Oliuer
Brownell: and William Barentsons obseruation doth witnesse the same. It
is layd in plot by the Hollanders out of his true place too farre
north: to what end I know not, unlesse to make it hold course with the
compasse, not respecting the variation. It is as broad and like to
yeeld passage as the Vaygats, and my hope was, that by the strong
streame it would haue cleered it selfe; but it did not. It is so full
of ice that you will hardly thinke it.