Sir Martin Frobisher was born at Doncaster, Yorkshire, of humble
parentage, and brought up to the sea, and in early life displayed the
talents of a great navigator, and was the first Englishman who attempted
to find a northwest passage to China. Under the patronage of Ambrose
Dudley, Earl of Warwick, he fitted out two barks of twenty-five tons,
and a pinnace of ten tons, and sailed from Deptford, January 8, 1576,
and on July 11th discovered Freeseland and the strait which still bears
his name, and after making numerous discoveries he returned to England,
arriving at Harwich 2d October of the same year. On this voyage he took
possession of the country in Queen Elizabeth’s name and brought back
with him specimens of gold ore. This circumstance raised prodigious
expectations, and the Queen lent him a ship of two hundred tons for his
next expedition, on which he sailed accompanied with a party of one
hundred and forty persons (also two barks of thirty tons each) from
Gravesend, May 26, 1577. He made numerous discoveries, but his
instructions were to search for ore, and being in the Countess of
Warwick Island he took a lading of it and arrived in England the end of
September, 1577, and was most graciously received by the Queen, who
fitted out another fleet of twelve vessels which sailed from Harwich May
31, 1578, and sighted Freeseland June 20th, and took possession of the
country in the Queen’s name, calling it West England, and after
collecting much ore sailed for and arrived in England after a stormy and
dangerous passage in the beginning of October. In 1588 he commanded the
_Triumph_ in the engagement against the Spanish Armada and received the
honor of knighthood for his valor at sea by the Lord High Admiral, 26
July of the same year. In 1590, he commanded a squadron to the Spanish
Coast, and in 1594 he was sent with four men-of-war to the assistance of
Henry IV. of France, against a body of leaguers and Spaniards then in
possession of part of Brittany, who had fortified themselves very
strongly at Croyzon near Brest. Here, in an assault upon that fort,
November 7th he was wounded by a ball in the hip, of which he died soon
after he had brought the fleet safely back to Plymouth, and was buried
in that town.