In 1612, Sir Thomas Button, accompanied by Bylot and Pricket of Hudson’s crew, entered Hudson strait through the channel between Cape Chidley and Button islands. Having passed the strait, he continued westward, passing the south end of Coats island, which he named Cary’s Swan’s Nest, and reached the western side of the bay, to the northward of Chesterfield inlet, where he named the land ‘Hopes Checked,’ because his progress westward was thus arrested. Turning south, he followed the coast to the mouth of the Nelson river, where he wintered. His crew suffered greatly from scurvy, but an abundant supply of birds and fish in the spring recruited the strength of the men sufficiently to allow them to continue the voyage. This is memorable as the first instance of a crew wintering in the north and being sufficiently healthy to remain the following summer. This year’s voyage ended in latitude 65°, near Whale point in Roes Welcome. On the homeward voyage Button passed close to a large island south of Southampton, which he called Mansell, and not Mansfield, as it is now written.
The following extract from Prince Henry’s instructions for Button, dated 5th of April, 1612, shows the accurate knowledge of Hudson strait possessed at that early date: 8. ‘Being in; we holde it best for you to keep the northern side, as most free from the pester of ice, at least till you be past Cape Henry; from thence follow the leading ice, between King James and Queen Anne’s Foreland, the distance of which two capes observe if you can, and what harbour or rode is near them, but yet make all the haste you maie to Salisbury island, between which and the northerne continent you are like to meet a great hollowe billowe from an opening and flowing sea from thence.’
In the same year, James Hall and William Baffin went to the west coast of Greenland in search of a gold mine, at Cunningham fiord near the Arctic circle, which was reported to have been worked by the Danes. No ore was found, but traces of old workings were discovered.
Baffin, accompanied by Bylot, sailed through Hudson strait in 1615. He then passed north by Mill island and traced the northeast shore of Southampton island, from Sea-horse point to Cape Comfort, the last being according to his observations in latitude 65° N., longitude 85° 22´ W. Doubling this cape, the tide was found to set differently from what had been expected, and gave no hope of a passage in that direction, so he turned back. The following extract from Baffin’s journal gives his opinion as to the possibility of a passage westward being found leading from any of the channels entering Hudson bay:—‘And now it may be that some expect that I should give my opinion concerning the passadge. To those my answere must be, that doubtless there is a passadge. But within this strayte, whome is called Hudson’s straytes, I am doubtfull supposinge the contrarye. But whether there be or no, I will not affirme. But this I will affirme, that we have not been in any tyde than that from Resolutyon Iland, and the greatest indraft of that cometh from Davis’ straytes; and my judgment is, if any passadge within Resoluyton Iland, it is but som creeke or inlett, but the maine will be up fretum Davis.’
In accordance with this opinion, in 1616, Baffin sailed up Davis strait, his instructions being to reach if possible the 80th parallel before turning westward. By following the Greenland coast he was able to reach Horn sound in latitude 74° before being greatly embarrassed by ice. Here he met a band of Eskimos, with whom he traded for narwhal horns and walrus teeth. Being liberated from Horn sound, Baffin continued northward past Cape Digges, in latitude 76° 35´, and across the entrance of Wolstenholme sound to Whale sound, where he was again beset in the ice during a gale. After being released, he passed Hakluyt island and reached the offing of a great sound extending northward of the 78th parallel of latitude; this he named after Sir Thomas Smith. This was the northern limit of the voyage. He now turned south, passing Cary islands, and on the 10th of July anchored at the mouth of Alderman Jones sound, where a great number of walrus were seen, but no natives. On the 12th Sir James Lancaster sound was discovered, but could not be entered on account of the ice across its mouth. Baffin could not penetrate these sounds owing to the strong westerly winds blowing out of them. Finding the ‘middle pack’ immediately south of Lancaster sound, thickly jammed on the western shore, Baffin stood across to the Greenland coast, in more open water, and so returned home. In his report Baffin says that after having coasted nearly all the way round, he considers it nothing but a great bay, and draws attention to the importance of the whale fishery, which soon after was begun, and lasts to the present day.
About this time a Danish expedition, under the command of Jens Munck, sailed into Hudson bay and wintered in the mouth of Churchill river. The ships were unprepared for a winter in the north, and, consequently, the crew suffered terribly from the ravages of scurvy, so that in the spring, out of fifty-two persons only Munck and two others survived. These fortunately procured some grasses from under the snow, and as the water opened killed ducks and fish enough to give them strength to repair the smaller vessel, in which they reached home.
The Muscovy Company, in 1631, again decided to send out an expedition to search for a passage from Hudson bay, and entrusted the command to Captain Luke Fox. Having passed through Hudson strait he landed at Cary’s Swan Nest, and then rounded the southwest point of Southampton island, and proceeded to explore the channel between that island and the mainland, up to latitude 64° 10´, where he saw an island near the mainland, which he named Sir Thomas Roe’s Welcome, a name now applied to the channel as a whole. Fox’s instructions limited him to the coast south of latitude 63°, so he now stood to the south along the shore, passing Marble island, which he called Brooke Cobham, and the mouth of the Churchill river, and reaching Nelson river on the 10th of August. Keeping a southerly course for a fortnight longer, he fell in with Captain James near Cape Henrietta Maria. Having convinced himself that there was no opening to the west between latitudes 65° 30´ and 55° 10´, Fox turned northward and explored Fox channel to the east of Southampton island, naming the prominent points on the west side of Baffin island, King Charles his Promontory, Cape Maria, Lord Weston’s Portland and Point Peregrine, the last being the most northerly point reached.
Captain James was in command of a rival expedition, fitted out the same year, with instructions to explore to the south of the track taken by Fox. After parting with Fox, he sailed southward along the west coast, thoroughly examined it, and after several narrow escapes from shipwreck through grounding on shoals, finally ran his ship aground on Charleton island, and there passed the winter. James gives a woeful tale of the hardships caused by cold, lack of food and scurvy. He states that the cold was so intense that wine, sack, oil, vinegar and even brandy froze solid; that the cook soaked his salt meat near the fire to prevent it from freezing, and that the side near the fire was found to be warm while the opposite side was frozen an inch thick. This is a sample of James’ report, and shows what reliance may be placed on his other statements.
From the time of Charles I. to that of George I. England was convulsed with civil war and revolutions, and was at war with other nations abroad, so that for nearly a century after Fox no maritime discoveries were undertaken, and nothing would have been done in the north but for the foundation of the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Two French Canadian fur traders, named Radisson and Chouart dit Groseilliers, had for a number of years traded and lived with the Indians in the country north and west of Lake Superior, learning much about the great sea to the north, and the canoe routes leading to it. They visited its southern shores in 1659, and on their return to Quebec endeavoured to enlist prominent merchants there in a scheme to establish permanent trading posts on the bay, to be supplied by ships from Canada or France. Being unsuccessful, they crossed to Paris, where they found no one to advance the capital necessary to start the project. The English ambassador, hearing of their scheme, sent them to London, where they interested Prince Rupert and several influential men of the court and city.[*] These advanced sufficient money to outfit a small vessel, under the command of Zachariah Gillam, a New England captain, who, accompanied by Groseilliers and Radisson, sailed through Hudson strait and down the bay to the mouth of Rupert river. Here friendly intercourse was held with the natives, and a small fort was built, in which the party successfully wintered.