Henry Hudson, having tried in vain to find a sea route to China through the ice fields which stretched across his path all the way from Greenland to Spitzbergen or Willoughby Land, transferred his services in the winter of 1609 from the English Muscovy Company to the Dutch East India Company. He started to make a further trial of the Northeast passage, but while off the coast of Novaya Zemlya, his crews refused to go further in that direction. Abandoned by his consort, Hudson persuaded the men on his own ship, the Half Moon, to cross the Atlantic and try their luck in America. They made land on the Nova Scotia coast, and after beating about over the fishing banks and looking at the shores of Maine and southeastern Massachusetts, went on to another landfall in the latitude of Virginia. Turning northward, they sailed up the coast and into the river which has since borne their leader’s name.
The surviving log-book or journal of Hudson’s third voyage was kept by Robert Juet, who had been his mate during the second voyage, and who took a leading part in the mutiny which ended when the leader was turned adrift in a small boat in Hudson’s Bay in 1611. It was printed in the third volume of “Purchas his Pilgrimes,” London, 1625.
THE THIRD VOYAGE of Master Henry Hudson, Written by Robert Juet, of Lime-House.
THE twelfth of July was very foggie, 1609 July we stood our course all the morning till eleven of the clocke; at which time we had sight of land, which is low white sandie ground, right on head off us; and had ten fathoms. Then we tackt to the southward, and stood off foure glasses: then we tackt to the land againe, thinking to have rode under it, and as we came neere it, the fog was so thicke that we could not see; so wee stood off againe. From mid-night to two of the clocke, we came sounding in twelve, thirteene, and fourteene fathoms off the shoare. At foure of the clocke, we had 20 fathoms. At eight of the clocke at night, 30 fathoms. At twelve of the clocke, 65 fathoms, and but little winde, for it deeped apace, but the neerer the shoare the fairer shoalding.
The thirteenth, faire sun-shining weather, from eight of the clocke in the fore-noone all day after, but in the morning it was foggie. Then at eight of the clocke we cast about for the shoare, but could not see it; the wind being at south by our true compasse, wee steered west and by north. At noone we observed, and found our height to bee 43 degrees, 25 minutes; so we steered away west and by north all the afternoone. At foure of the clocke in the afternoone we sounded, and had five and thirtie fathoms. And at sixe of the clocke wee had sight of the land, and saw two sayles on head off us. The land by the waters side is low land, and white sandie bankes rising, full of little hils. Our soundings were 35, 33, 30, 28, 32, 37, 33, and 32 fathoms.
The fourteenth, full of mysts flying and vading, the wind betweene south and south-west; we steered away west north-west, and north-west and by west. Our soundings were 29, 25, 24, 25, 22, 25, 27, 30, 28, 30, 35, 43, 50, 70, 90, 70, 64, 86, 100 fathoms, and no ground.
The fifteenth, very mystie, the winde varying betweene south and south-west; wee steered west and by north, and west north-west. In the morning we sounded, and had one hundred fathoms, till foure of the clocke in the afternoone. Then we sounded againe, and had seventie-five fathoms. Then in two glasses running, which was not above two English miles, we sounded and had sixtie fathoms, and it shoalded a great pace untill we came to twentie fathoms. Then we made account we were neere the islands that lie off the shoare. So we came to an anchor, the sea being very smooth and little wind, at nine of the clocke at night. After supper we tryed for fish, and I caught fifteene cods, some the greatest that I have seene, and so we rode all night.