AN ACCOUNT OF HENRY HUDSON’S VISIT TO NOVAYA ZEMLYA.
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 [[266]]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. [[267]]
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 [[268]]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 [[269]]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.