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 [[270]]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 [[271]]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 [[272]]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. [[273]]
III.
WRITINGS OF WILLIAM BARENTS, PRESERVED BY PURCHAS[1].
[Purchas his Pilgrimes, vol. iii, pp. 518–520.]
I thought good to adde hither for Barents or Barentsons sake, certaine notes which I have found (the one translated, the other written by him (amongst Master Hakluyts Paper).
This was written by William Barentson in a loose paper,
which was lent mee by the Reuerend Peter Plantius in
Amsterdam, March the seuen and twentieth, 1609.[2]
The foure and twentieth of August, stilo nouo, 1595, wee spake with the Samoieds, and asked them how the land and sea did lye to the east of Way-gates. They sayd, after fiue dayes iourney going north-east, wee should come to a great sea, going south-east. This sea to the east of Way-gats they sayd was called Marmoria, that is to say, a calme sea.[3] And they of Ward-house haue told vs the same. I asked them if at any time of the yeere it was frozen ouer? They sayd it was. And that sometimes they passed it with sleds. And the first of September 1595, stilo nouo, the Russes of the lodie or barke affirmed the same; saying, that the sea is sometimes so frozen, that the lodies or barkes going sometimes to Gielhsidi from Pechora, are forced there to winter; [[274]]which Gielhsidi was wonne from the Tartars three yeeres past.