Sir Martin Frobisher
Lock’s father was an Alderman of London, and Michael was born in 1532. The father, Sir William Lock, was a mercer, and was also Agent-beyond-the-seas in divers affairs for Henry VIII. After keeping his son at school until he was 13, he sent him to France and Flanders to learn the language. Michael afterwards passed through nearly all the countries of Christendom, had command of a large ship in the Levant trade for three years, and then settled in London as a merchant. He was an ardent geographer, and had made a large collection of books, maps, and instruments. He became an enthusiastic partner of Frobisher, and they together began to sell shares in the venture, and succeeded in raising £875 for the projected voyage. This sum was quite inadequate, but Lock patriotically came forward and guaranteed the rest on his own personal security.
Two small vessels, the Michael of 25 tons, and the Gabriel of 20 tons, were fitted out in the Thames, with a small pinnace of 7 tons to be used in going ahead to sound and look out, and to explore bays and inlets. Michael Lock’s maps and charts were diligently examined and discussed, and frequent councils were held at which Frobisher and Lock were assisted by Stephen Burrough, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, and the learned Dr Dee. The master and mate of the Gabriel, Christopher Hall and James Best, also received instructions from Dr Dee in the use of instruments and in computation. At length all was ready. On June 17th, 1576, the little squadron anchored off Greenwich Palace, and fired a salute. The Queen stood at an open window and waved her hand, also sending the adventurers a gracious message that she had “good liking of their doings.” Proceeding down the river the crew received the Sacrament at Gravesend, and on the 18th Harwich was left astern and the voyage began.
Passing the Shetland Islands on June 26th a furious gale was encountered and the little pinnace foundered with the loss of four men. The Michael, commanded by one Owen Gryffyn, deserted soon afterwards and returned with a report that the Gabriel was lost. Frobisher held resolutely on his way and sighted the south coast of Greenland, which was supposed to be a (fabulous) land shown on the fanciful Zeno chart with which he was supplied and called Frieslanda. The little Gabriel continued her westward course with 18 men all told, amidst drifting icebergs and dense fogs. Another gale sprang up with a fearful sea, coming on so suddenly that there was no time to shorten sail. Her canvas pressed the ship down until she was on her beam ends, and the men were seized with despairing panic. The captain rushed up with an axe in his hand, ran along the channels on the weather side, and cast off the foretack, relieving her of pressure from the foresail. He then ran aft and cut away the mizzen mast. The ship slowly began to right herself, and was got before the wind. Seeing this the affrighted crew made a rush to cut away the main shrouds, thinking further relief from pressure would complete what their captain had done. But Frobisher drove them back, ordering them to desist. As it was, the mainmast was sprung, and had to be fished.
On the 28th July high land was sighted, receiving the name of Queen Elizabeth’s Foreland. But the ice was floating in masses, and a huge iceberg split up close to the little craft as she drifted past. A landing was effected on an island, which was named after Christopher Hall, the master. The men brought back grass and flowers, and a piece of black stone which was destined to have a malign influence on Frobisher’s project of discovery. He sailed up a channel with land on either side, which received the name of Frobisher’s Strait, and succeeded in establishing apparently friendly traffic with the Eskimos. But the traffic ended in a catastrophe. The boat, with five men, went away and, contrary to orders, pulled out of sight of the ship to barter for skins. Neither men nor boat were ever heard of again. It was a great calamity, for there was no other boat and the men were a serious loss. Frobisher succeeded in capturing one savage, with his kayak, but this was poor consolation. On the 26th August the return voyage was commenced and by the 9th October the Gabriel was once more in the Thames.
Owing to the false report of the Michael, Frobisher and his people had been given up for lost. They had a hearty welcome and the gallant leader was well received at court. All would have proceeded satisfactorily for the resumption of the work of discovery, if it had not been for the black stone. Michael Lock got hold of it, forgetting that “all that glisters is not gold.” He took it to the Assay Master of the Tower who pronounced it to be iron pyrites. Then he went to another assayer named Wheeler, who made the same report. Next he appealed to an Italian named Aquello, who was more complaisant. He produced a little gold dust. When he was asked how he had found gold where the other assayers declared there was none, his cynical reply was “Bisogno sap ere adulare la natura.”
Lock then spread the report that there were rich gold mines in Frobisher Strait. There was great excitement. A gold-mining company was formed called the “Cathay Company,” and a charter was granted on the 17th March, 1577. The Queen took shares to the amount of £1000, and lent one of her ships, the Aid of 200 tons. She named the newly discovered land “Meta Incognita.” The subscriptions came in rather slowly, but Lock guaranteed the balance, and became Governor of the Company.
Frobisher took command of the second expedition on May 25th, 1577. It consisted of three vessels. The Aid, the Queen’s vessel, was Frobisher’s flag-ship, with George Best as his lieutenant, Christopher Hall as master, and 30 gentlemen volunteers and soldiers. The Gabriel of 20 tons was commanded by Edward Fenton and had a crew of 18 men, with William Smyth as master. Gilbert Yorke, possibly a cousin of Frobisher, had the Michael of about 25 tons, with a crew of 16 men. They sailed from Blackwall on the 26th May, and next day the Vicar of Gravesend came on board the Aid and administered the Sacrament to officers and men.
On July 7th land, which was believed to be the Frieslanda of Zeno, was sighted, and an attempt was made to cross or get through the ice and land, but it proved impracticable. This was of course Greenland. Sailing onwards the Michael lost her topmasts in a gale but succeeded in regaining her consorts, and a few days afterwards the land discovered during the first voyage was reached. The object of the expedition was to load the ships with the black micaceous stones which were supposed to be gold ore, and had nothing to do with Arctic discovery. The gallant admiral, however, thought far more of rescuing the men who were believed to have been captured by the Eskimos on his former voyage than of the imaginary gold ore. He tried every means, attempted negotiation with the savages, and made searches, but all in vain. Some of their clothes were found in the Eskimo tents, and there can be little doubt that they were murdered. The ships returned with their cargoes of black stones, and the voyagers received just praise from the Queen. Her Majesty “rejoiced at their great forwardness in this so dangerous toiling and faithful attempt, especially she praised so good order of government, so good agreement, every man so ready in his calling to do whatsoever the General should command.” Elizabeth had rightly formed a very high opinion of the ability and capacity of Martin Frobisher.