Henry Hudson the Navigator

The Original Documents in which his Career is Recorded

G.M. Asher, G.M. Asher

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781317122616
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Geschichte
• Subtopic: Frühneuzeitliche Geschichte

'Collected, partly Translated, and Annotated, with an Introduction'. The supplementary material includes the 1860 annual report. This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volume first published in 1860.

DIVERS VOYAGES
AND
NORTHERNS DISCOVERIES.

DIVERS VOYAGES AND NORTHERNE DISCOVERIES OF
THAT WORTHY IRRECOVERABLE DISCOVERER,

MASTER HENRY HUDSON.

HIS DISCOVERIE TOWARD THE NORTH POLE, SET FORTH AT THE CHARGE OF
CERTAINE WORSHIPFULL MERCHANTS OF LONDON, IN MAY 1607.
WRITTEN PARTLY BY JOHN PLAYSE, ONE OF THE COMPANY,
AND PARTLY BY H. HUDSON.

___________________

ANNO 1607, Aprill the nineteenth, at Saint Ethelburge, in Bishops Gate street, did communicate with the rest of the parishioners these persons, seamen, purposing to goe to sea foure dayes after, for to discover a passage by the North Pole to Japan and China. First, Henry Hudson, master. Secondly, William Colines, his mate. Thirdly, James Young. Fourthly, John Colman. Fiftly, John Cooke. Sixtly, James Beubery. Seventhly, James Skrutton. Eightly, John Pleyce. Ninthly, Thomas Baxter. Tenthly, Richard Day. Eleventhly, James Knight. Twelfthly, John Hudson,¹ a boy.

May.

The Iles of Shotland.

No variation: 61 degrees 11 minutes

The inclination of the needle

The first of May, 1607, we wayed anchor at Gravesend, and on Tuesday, the sixe and twentieth day, in the morning, we made the Iles of Shotland,² and at noon we were in 60 degrees 12 minutes, and sixe leagues to the eastward of them : the compass had no variation. We had sixty-foure fathomes at our sounding, blacke, ozie, sandie, with some yellow shels. Our ship made more way than we did suppose. On Saturday, the thirtieth of May, by our observation we were in 61 degrees 11 minutes. This day I found the needle to incline 79 degrees under the horizon. For foure dayes space we made very little way by contrary winds.

June.

On Thursday, the fourth of June, we were, by our observation, still in 61 degrees and 14 minutes, eight and twentie or thirtie leagues from the norther part of Shotland : the land bearing by our accompt east and by north off us. I found variation in five degrees westerly.

The seventh of June, wee were in 63 degrees 25 minutes. The eighth, all the forenoone we had a fresh gale southerly; we steered away north and by west: and by observation we were in 65 degrees 27 minutes.

65 degrees 27 minutes.

67 degrees 30 minutes.

The eleventh, wee saw sixe or seven whales neere our shippe : we were in sixtie-seven degrees, thirtie minutes. About five of the clocke, the winde came up at north-east and by east; we steered away north north-west with a fresh gale all the night at east. The twelfth, the winde was at east north-east, a stiffe gale ; wee steered away as afore, and accounted wee had runne by this day noone thirtie leagues. In the after-noone we steered away north and by west fifteene leagues; all the night proved a great fogge with much wind.

Youngs Cape.

The Mount of Gods Mercie.

The thirteenth, betweene one and two in the morning, we saw some land¹ on head of us, and some ice; and it being a thicke fogge we steered away northerly, and having much wind, wee stood away south and by east six or eight leagues. Our sayle and shroudes did freeze. At eight in the morning it cleered up, the wind being at north-east and by east, with much wind wee were hardly able to maintayne a sayle. This was a very high land, most part covered with snow. The neather part was uncovered. At the top it looked reddish, and underneath a blackish clay, with much ice lying about it. The part which we saw when wee cast about, trended east and west; and the norther part which we saw, trended north-east and by north and north-east; and the length which wee saw was nine leagues : wee saw much fowle. Also wee saw a whale close by the shoare. Wee called the head-land which we saw Youngs Cape ; and neere it standeth a very high mount, like a round castle, which wee called the Mount of Gods Mercie. All the after-noone and all the evening it rained. At eight in the even- Mercie. ing we cast about, and steered all night north and by west, and sometimes north north-west.

Snow.

The fourteenth, being neere the land, we had snow. At snow, foure in the morning, the wind vering northerly, we cast about and stood south-east and by south. This day wee had much wind and raine : we shorted sayle, being neere the land. The fifteenth, in the morning, it blowed so much wind at north-east, that wee were not able to maintayne any sayle; wee then strooke a hull, and let our ship drive, wayting for a fitter wind: this night was very much raine. The sixteenth was much wind at north-east. The seventeenth, we set sayle at noone, we steered away east and by south, and east south-east. The eighteenth, in the afternoone, a fine gale southeast, which toward the evening increased, and we steered north-east three watches, twelve leagues. The nineteenth, we steered away north north-east sixteene leagues. At noone wee had raine with fogge. From twelve to foure we steered north north-east eight leagues, and did account ourselves in seventie degrees neerest hand, purposing to see whether the land which we made the thirteenth day were an iland or part of Groneland.¹ But then the fogge increased very thicke, with much wind at south, which made us alter our course and to shorten our sayle, and we steered away northeast. Being then, as we supposed, in the meridian of the same land, having no observation since the eleventh day, and lying a hull from the fifteenth to the seventeenth day, wee perceived a current setting to the south-west. This day wee saw three whales neere our ship, and having steered away north-east almost one watch, five leagues, the sea was growne every way: we supposed wee were thwart of the north-east part of that land which we made the thirteenth day, and the current setting to wind-ward. The reason that mooved us to thinke so, was, that after we had sayled five or sixe leagues in this sea, the wind neither increasing nor dulling, wee had a pleasant and smooth sea. All this night was foggie with a good gale of wind; we steered away northeast untill the next day at noone, and sayled in that course twentie leagues.

Note.

Land on their larboord.

Many fowles.

Much drift ice. To loofe is to keep close to the wind: roomer, cont[rary].

The twentieth, all the morning was a thicke fogge, with the winde at south ; wee steered north-east till noone. Then we changed our course, and steered away north north-east, hoping for an open sea in our course to fall with the bodie of Newland.¹ This day, at two in the afternoone, it cleered up, and wee saw the sunne, which wee had not seene since the second of this moneth. Having steered north north-east two watches and a halfe, fifteene or sixteene leagues, wee saw land on our larboord, about four leagues off us, trending, as wee could ghess, north-east and south-west. Wee steered away east north-east, the wind at south a good gale, but reasonable cleere: wee saw many birds with blacke backes and white bellies, in forme much like a ducke, we saw also many pieces of ice driving at the sea. We loofed for one and went roomer for another. And this morning, about foure, a thicke fogge we saw ahead of us.

The one and twentieth, in the morning, we steered north-east and east north-east two watches, five or sixe leagues. Then it grew thicke fogge. And we cast about, and steered north-east and east north-east two watches, sixe leagues, finding wee were embayed. The wind came at east southeast a little gale : we tacked about and lay south. All this night was a thicke fog with little winde, east we lay with the stemme.

Land not covered with snow.

The two and twentieth, in the morning, it cleered up, being calme about two or three of the clocke : after, we had a prettie gale, and we steered away east and by north three leagues. Our observation was in 72 degrees 38 minutes; and changing our course wee steered north-east, the wind at south-east, a prettie gale. This morning, when it cleered up, we saw the land, trending neere hand east north-east and west south-west, esteeming ourselves from it twelve leagues. It was a mayne high-land, nothing at all covered with snow; and the north part of that mayne high-land was very high mountaynes, but we could see no snow on them. We accounted, by our observation, the part of the mayne land lay neerest hand in 73 degrees. The many fogs and calmes, with contrary winds and much ice neere the shoare, held us from farther discovery of it. It may bee objected against us as a fault, for haling so westerly a course. The chiefe cause that moved us thereunto, was our desire to see that part of Groneland, which (for ought that we know) was to any Christian unknowne ; and wee thought it might as well have beene open sea as land, and by that meanes our passage should have beene the larger to the Pole; and the hope of having a westerly wind, which would be to us a landerly wind if wee found land. And considering wee found land contrarie to that which our cards make mention of, we accounted our labour so much the more worth. And, for ought that wee could see, it is like to bee a good land, and worth the seeing.

On the one and twentieth day, in the morning, while we steered our course north north-east, we thought we had embayed ourselves, finding land on our larboord and ice upon it, and many great pieces of drift ice : we steered away north-east, with diligent looking out every cleere for land, having a desire to know whether it would leave us to the east, both to know the bredth of the sea, and also to shape a more northerly course. And considering wee knew no name given to this land, wee thought good to name it Hold-with-Hope, lying in 73 degrees of latitude.

The land of Hold with Hope 73 degrees.

The sunne was on the meridian on the south part of the compasse, neerest hand. Heere it is to bee noted, that when we made the Mount of Gods Mercic and Youngs Cape, the land was covered with snow for the most part, and extreame cold, when wee approached neere it: but this land was very temperate to our feeling. And this likewise is to be noted, that being two dayes without observation, notwithstanding our lying a hull by reason of much contrary wind, yet our observation and dead-reckoning were within eight leagues together, our shippe being before us eight leagues. This night, untill next morning, prooved little winde.

The three and twentieth, in the morning, we had an hard gale on head of us, with much rayne that fell in very great drops, much like our thunder-showers in England; wee tacked about and stood east northerly with a short sayle ; to our feeling it was not so cold as before we had it. It was calme from noone to three of the clocke with fogge. After the winde came up at east and east south-east, we steered away north-east with the fogge and rayne. About seven or eight of the clocke, the wind increased with extreame fogge, wee steered away with short sayle east north-east and sometimes east and by north. About twelve at midnight the wind came up at south-west; we steered away north, being reasonable cleere weather.

The four and twentieth, in the morning, about two of the clocke, the masters mate thought he saw land on the lar-boord, trending north north-west westerly, and the longer we ranne north the more it fell away to the west, and did thinke it to bee a mayne high land. This day, the wind being westerly, we steered away north, and by observation we were in 73 degrees nearest hand. At noone we changed our course, and steered away north and by east; and at our last observation, and also at this, we found the meridian all leeward on the south and by west, westerly part of the compasse, when we had sayled two watches, eight leagues.

The five ajid twentieth, the wind scanted and came up at north north-west; we lay ...