Introduction to John Davis the Navigator

Home , Emery Molyneux, Hakluyt Society, Henry Hudson, Humphrey Gilbert, John Davis (explorer), John Davis (sealer)

THE V O Y A G E S A N D W O R K S

OF J OH N D AV IS

THE NAVIGATOR.

Edited, with an Introduction and Notes,

ALBERT HASTINGS MARKHAM,

CAPTAIN R.N., F.R.G.S.,

AUTHOR OF “ A WHALING CRUISE IN BAFFIN’S BAY ”, “ THE GREAT FROZEN SEA ”, AND “ NORTHWARD HO ! ”

“And Davis three times forth that for the north-west made, Still striving by that course t’enrich the English trade; And as he well deserved, to his eternal fame, There, by a mighty sea, immortalized his name.”

D RAYTON’S Polyolbion.

LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY.

MDCCCLXXX

[ F A CSI M I L E ] INTRODUCTION

Markham, Albert Hastings. Introduction to The Voyages and Works of John Davis, the Navigator. The Hakluyt Society, No. LIX, London, 1880: i– lxxxiv.

AMONG the distinguished English seamen of the sixteenth century, John Davis of Sandridge stands out conspicuously as the one who, more than any other, united the qualities of a daring adventurer with those of a skilful pilot an d a scientific navigator. Several were his equals in steady perseverance and desperate gallantry. Som e, such as Richard Haw- kins and William Baffin, resembled him in their devotion to the scientific branches of his noble profession. But as a seaman c ombining scientific knowledge and skilled pilotage with the qualities of a fearless and determined explorer, John Davis stands foremost among the navigators of the great Q u een . He had ot her q u alit ies w hic h are n eeded to complete the character of a perfect sea captain. H e k n e w h o w t o w i n t h e l o v e o f t h e m e n w h o served him, and the undoubting confidence of those who gave him their trust. He was as genial and c o n s i d e r a t e , a s h e w a s c o n s c i e n t i o u s a n d h o n e s t . This is high praise, but the perusal of all that is known of his career will show that it is deserved. Voyage after voyage did Mr. Sanderson and other merchants entrust D avis with their wealth ; and such men as John Jane left their homes and occupa- ii I N TRO DUCTI O N tions, and went on long and perilous voyages, for the love of Master Davis, and “for his sake”. Westcote, according to Prince, tells us that John Davis was born at Sandridge, 1in the parish of Stoke Gabriel. But there is no rec ord of his baptism in the parish registers of Stoke Gabriel, which begin with the 30th year of Hen ry VIII. Westcote was, however, a contemporary. He describes Sandridge a s “ a h e a l t h y , p l e a s a n t s e a t . I t i s l i f t e d u p o n a s m a l l h il l o n t h e e a s t s i d e o f t h e r i v e r D a r t , w h ic h c o m p a s s e t h n e a r t h r e e p a r t s t h e r e o f o n i t s w a y t o D a r t m ou t h, from w hic h it s t a n d s b y w a t e r n o t t w o m i l e s , b y l a n d n e a r f o u r ” . B u t o f t h e p ar e n t a ge o f D a v i s w e a r e t o l d n o t h i n g . W e m a y a s s u m e t h a t h i s c h i l d h o o d w a s p a s s e d o n t h e b an ks o f t h e D a r t , a n d t h a t h e w e n t t o s e a a s a b o y , a n d t h u s r e c e i v e d a thorough nautical education. The words of Chaucer are, therefore, applicable to our hero : — “ A s c h i p m a n w a s h e , w o n y i n g f e r b y w e s t e , F o r o u g h t I w o o t h e w a s o f D e r t e m o u t h . " I t i s q u i t e c e r t ai n t h a t , i n a f t e r l i f e , D a v i s h e l d p r o p e r t y at S a n d r i d ge . H e a l w ay s s i g n e d h i m s e l f of Sandridge, and in a letter written to Mr. Sander- son, on his return from his second voyage in 1586, he writes:—“Surely it shall cost all my hope of welfare, and my portion of Sandridge, but I will, by God's mercy, see an end of these businesses.” This may be regarded as proving, beyond a doubt, that Davis shared in the ownership of Sandridge. In the 1 “ H e r e w a s b o r n t h a t e x c e l l e n t p i l o t a n d s k i l f u l n a v i g a t o r , a n d f o r t u n a t e d i s c o v e r e r o f u n k n o w n c o u n t r i e s , M r . J o h n D a v i s .” INTRODUCTION iii charter granted by Queen Elizabeth, Adrian Gilbert is also named as of Sandridge Westcote and Prince tell us that, after 19 Edward III, Sandridge became the inheritance of the ancient and honourable family of the Pomeroys, 1 and when Westcote wrote, in 1630, it still remained in that honourable name. 2 Thus we have three families re- siding at or owning Sandridge at the same time—the Pomeroys, the Gilberts, and the Davises. The probable explan at ion is, t hat Sandridge was a property on w hic h t w o or t hree hou ses had been bu ilt by t he Pom eroys, an d r e n t ed or sold to t he fam ilies of D avis an d of Adrian Gilbert. 3 On the 29th of September 1582 John Davis was married to Mistress Faith Fulford, 4 said, by Prince, to have been a daughter of Sir John Fulford of Fu l- ford, High Sheriff of D evon in 1535, by t he L ady 1 I n t h e t i m e o f H e n r y I I , o n e S t e p h e n d e S a n d r i d g e h e l d t h r e e p a r t s o f a k n i g h t ' s f e e t h e r e , o f t h e B i s h o p o f E x e t e r . H i s d e - s c e n d a n t s h e l d S a n d r i d g e f o r a p e r i o d o f 2 0 0 y e a r s . N e x t c a m e P o m e r o y , p r o b a b l y a y o u n g e r s o n o f P o m e r o y o f B e r r y C a s t l e , i n 1 9 E d . I I I . 2 S i r H e n r y P o m e r o y o f B e r r y C a s t l e , h a v i n g n o c h i l d r e n , s e t t l e d h i s l a n d s o n h i s n e p h e w - i n - l a w , S i r T h o m a s P o m e r o y o f S a n d r i d g e . T h i s S i r T h o m a s h a d m a r r i e d J o a n , d a u g h t e r o f S i r T h o m a s C h u d l e i g h , b y J o a n P o m e r o y , s is te r o f S i r H e n r y o f B e r r y C a s t l e . I n t h e t i m e o f P r i n c e , S a n d r i d g e b e l o n g e d t o R o g e r P o m e r o y , w h o s e d a u g h t e r m a r r i e d H u m p h r e y G i l b e r t o f C o m p t o n , T h e G i l b e r t s s o l d i t t o J o h n D u n n i n g , L o r d A s h b u r t o n , i n 1 7 7 0 . I t c a m e t o L a d y A s h b u r t o n , w h o l e f t i t t o h e r n i e c e t h e B a r o n e s s d e V e r t e , t h e p r e s e n t p o s s e s s o r o f S a n d r i d g e . 3 T h e r e a r e n o w t w o g e n t l e m e n ' s h o u s e s a t S a n d r i d g e , t h e “ G r e a t H o u s e ” a n d t h e “ F a r r H o u s e ” . 4 P a r i s h R e g i s t e r a t S to k e G a b r ie l. iv INTRODUCTION

Dorothy Bourchier, a daughter of the Earl of Bath. 1 The issue of his marriage was a son, Gilbert, baptised at Stoke Gabriel, on March 27th, 1583; a daughter, Elizabeth, who died in infancy; and three other sons, Arthur, born in 1586; John, born and died in 1587; and Philip. 2 It will be well here to say something of the Gil- berts, the neighbours and friends of Davis, who evidently exercised a great influence on his after life. Sandridge was in the parish of Stoke Gabriel, which adjoins that of Brixham, and the Gilberts had been seated at Greenway, in Brixham parish, for some centuries. Westcote says that “Greenway is very pleasantly and commodiously placed, with a most delightsome prospect to behold the barks and boats to pass and repass upon the river flowing from Totnes to Dartmouth”. Here dwelt Otho Gilbert in the early part of the sixteenth century, who had also inherited Compton, near Torbay, from an ances- tress in the time of Edward II. 3 By his wife Kath- 1 W e s t c o t e ' s D e v o n s h i r e , p . 6 1 3 , q u o t e d b y P r i n c e . T h e m a r r i a g e w i t h F a i t h F u l f o r d i s r e c o r d e d i n t h e S t o k e G a b r i e l P a r i s h R e g i s t e r , b u t t h e r e i s s o m e d o u b t w h e t h e r s h e w a s a d a u g h t e r o f S i r J o h n F u l f o r d o f F u l f o r d . I n t h e H e r a l d ' s V i s i t a t i o n o f 1 5 6 4 , t h e c h i l d r e n o f S i r J o h n F u l f o r d a r e g i v e n , a n d a g a i n i n t h e V i s i t a t i o n o f 1 6 2 4 . T h e y w e r e J o h n , h i s h e i r ; A n d r e w ; E l i z a b e t h , m a r r i e d , f i r s t t o A r u n d e l l , a n d s e c o n d l y , t o T . G a r y ; a n d C e c i l i a , m a r r i e d t o W i l l i a m o r N i c h o l a s A d a m s . T h e r e i s n o m e n t i o n o f a F a i t h , o r o f a D a v i s m a r r i a g e i n e i t h e r V i s i t a t i o n . W e s t c o t e w r o t e i n 1 6 3 0 , a f t e r b o t h V i s i t a t i o n s ; a n d t h e i r s i l e n c e s e e m s t o c a l l f o r s o m e o t h e r t e s t i m o n y i n c o r r o b o r a t i o n o f W e s t c o t e ' s s t a t e m e n t , w h i c h I h a v e f a i l e d t o d i s c o v e r . 2 P a r i s h R e g i s t e r s a t S t o k e G a b r i e l , a n d W i l l o f J o h n D a v i s . 3 J o a n , h e i r e s s o f W i l l i a m C o m p t o n o f C o m p t o n . INTRODUCTION v arine, daughter of Sir Philip Champernoun of M o d - b u r y , h e h a d t h r e e s o n s , J o h n , H u m p h r e y , a n d A d r i a n . H e d i e d w h e n h i s c h i l d r e n w e r e s t i l l v e r y y o u n g , a n d h i s w i d o w m a r r i e d , s e c o n d l y , W a l t e r R a l e i g h o f F a r d e l , b y w h o m s h e h a d t w o m o r e sons, named Carew and Walter. The youngest, afterwards the famous Sir Walter Raleigh, was born in 1552. J o h n D a v is w a s p r o b a b l y b o r n i n a b o u t 1 5 5 0 . T h e G il b e r t s w e r e , t h e r e f o r e , h is s e n i o r s b y s o m e y e a r s ; J o h n h a vi n g b e e n b o r n i n 1 5 3 7 , H u m p h r e y in 1539, an d Adrian a year or t w o lat er. Sir Walt er R a l e i g h w a s t w o y e a r s y o u n g e r t h a n D a v i s . T h e e l d e s t , Si r J o h n G i l b e r t , r e m a i n e d a t h o m e , w a s highly respected in the county, and, dying childless, was buried in Exeter Cathedral. Humphrey Gilbert, the second son, was educated at Et on an d Oxford ; and devot ed him self t o t he st u dy of n avigat ion an d t he art of war. He w as in - t rodu c ed t o c ou rt by his au n t, M rs. Katherine Ash- ley, an d became kn ow n t o t he Q ueen in 1 5 7 1 . In 1563 he had served w it h dist in c t ion un der t he Earl of Warw ic k at New haven, an d on New Y ear's day of 157 0 , 1 he w as kn ight ed by Sir Hen ry Sidn ey at D r ogheda for his gallan t service in Irelan d. In 1572 he w en t t o Flu shing t o help t he Zeelan ders in t heir gloriou s fight again st Span ish t yran n y. Bu t his t hou g h t s w ere m ain ly tu rn ed t o the im prove- ment of navigation, and the discovery of unknown c ou n tries. His disc ourse, t o prove a Nort h-West 1 N o t 1 5 7 7 , a s s t a t e d b y P r i n c e i n h i s W o r t h i e s o f D e v o n . vi I N TRO DUCTI ON

Passage, c on c ern in g w hic h it w ill be nec essar y t o say m ore presen t ly, w as prin t ed in 1576. 1 T w o years aft erw ards he received let t ers pat en t t o d is- c over t he nort h part s of Am eric a, an d he m ade his first voyage to Newfoundland in 1579. The Queen had given him a jewel, consisting of a small anchor of beaten gold with a large pearl on the peak, which he everm ore w ore on his breast. He sailed on his last expedition in 1583, with five vessels. In August he took possession of Newfoundland in the name of the Queen, and commenced an examination o f i t s c o a s t s . O n e v e s s e l , t h e R a l e i g h , h a d p u t b a c k early in t he voyage ; t he D elight w as lost in a st orm ; an d he w as left w it h on ly t he G o lden Hind, of f o r t y , an d t he Squirrel, of ten t on s. It bec am e n ec essary t o ret u rn hom e, an d he was en treated t o c om e on board t he G o lden Hind. Bu t, as commander, he declared he would share the dangers of t h e l i t t l e S q u i r r e l . T h e r e s t o f t h e s t o r y w a s t o l d b y t h e m a s t e r o f h i s c o n s o r t , M r . H a y e s . G i l b e r t was last seen in the evening of September 9th, sit- ting in the stern of the Squirrel with a book in his hand. His last w ords were, crying out to the men on board the Hind, “We are as near to Heaven by sea as by lan d”. 2 That night the little boat was swallowed up by the waves. Adrian Gilbert, the youngest brother, was a man of varied accomplishment. Besides being an enthus-

1 S e e H a k l u y t ( 2 n d e d i t i o n ) , i i , p p . 3 3 t o 4 7 . 2 H a k l u y t , P r i n c i p a l N a v i g a t i o n s , p . 6 9 5 . T h e R e p o r t o f t h e V o y a g e b y M r . E d w a r d H a y e s . I N TRO DUCTI O N vii siastic promoter of voyages of discovery, he was skilled in mineralogy, and, for some time, had the management of silver mines at Combe Martin on t h e n o r t h c o a s t o f D e v o n . T h e c h i l d r e n o f S i r Humphrey continued the line of Gilberts. 1 These gallant youths of Greenway were the neighbours and friends of Davis, who, however, must have taken to a seafaring life very early, for he first appears in history as a high authority respecting the practicability of a north-west passage to China. The fact of his being thus consulted was not, however, entirely due to his skill in navigation and experience as a seaman. It was partly owing to his friendship with the Gilberts and their half-brother, Sir Walter Raleigh, and especially with Adrian Gilbert. T h e f i r s t m e n t i o n o f J o h n D a v i s t h a t I c a n f i n d i s i n t h e y e a r 1 5 7 9 . I t o c c u r s i n t h e p r i v a t e d i a r y o f D r . J o h n D e e , 2 t h e a s t r o l o g e r , a n d “ e m i n e n t

1 S i r H u m p h r e y G i l b e r t m a r r i e d A n n e , d a u g h t e r o f S i r A n t h o n y A g e r o f K e n t , a n d h a d f i v e s o n s ( n o t n i n e , a s s t a t e d b y P r i n c e ) a n d o n e d a u g h t e r . T h e e l d e s t , S i r J o h n G i l b e r t , m a r r i e d a d a u g h t e r o f S i r R i c h a r d M o l y n e u x o f S e f t o n , b u t d i e d c h i l d l e s s . T h e y o u n g e s t , S i r R a l e i g h G i l b e r t , a l o n e h a d i s s u e . H e d w e l t a t G r e e n w a y i n 1 6 3 5 ( s e e P o l e , p a g e 2 8 2 ) . H i s s o n , A g e r G i l b e r t , m a r r i e d a d a u g h t e r o f E d w a r d W a l r o n d o f B o v e y , a n d h a d a s o n H u m p h r e y G i l b e r t , w h o s o l d G r e e n w a y a n d w e n t t o l i v e a t C o m p - t o n , n e a r T o r q u a y . H e m a r r i e d J o a n , d a u g h t e r o f R o g e r P o m e r o y . 2 J o h n D e e w a s b o r n i n L o n d o n o n J u l y 1 3 t h , 1 5 2 7 . H e w a s e d u c a t e d a t C a m b r i d g e , a n d a F e l l o w o f T r i n i t y . H e r e s i d e d t w o y e a r s a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f L o u v a i n , a n d a f t e r w a r d s a t R h e i m s , a n d w a s a v e r y l e a r n e d m a t h e m a t i c i a n a n d c o s m o g r a p h e r . H e a l s o p r a c t i s e d a s t r o l o g y , a n d w a s t r i e d o n a c h a r g e o f w o r k i n g a g a i n s t Q u e e n M a r y ' s l i f e b y e n c h a n t m e n t . O n t h e a c c e s s i o n o f E l i z a b e t h , h e c a m e i n t o f a v o u r , a n d s e t t l e d a t M o r t l a k e , w h e r e h e c a l c u l a t e d viii INTRODUCTION philosopher of Mortlake”. Dr. Dee appears to have made his notes principally on the margins of old almanacs, in a diminutive and almost illegible hand- w r i t i n g . T h e s e s c r a p s w e r e f o u n d i n t h e l i b r a r y o f t h e A s h m o l e a n M u s e u m a t O x f o r d , a n d , b e i n g c o l l e c t e d t o g e t h e r , w e r e p r i n t e d f o r t h e C a m d e n S o c i e t y i n 1 8 4 2 . I n t h i s d i a r y , a g a i n st t he dat e O ctob e r 1 8 , 1 5 7 9 , w e r e a d : “ M r . A d r i a n G i l b e r t a n d J o h n D a v y s r e - c o n c y l e d t h e m s e l v e s t o m e , a n d d i s c l o s e d s o m e o f Emery his most unhonest, hypocriticall, and devilish dealings and devises agaynst me and other, and likewise of that errant strompet her abominable wordes and dedes ; and John Davis sayd that he might curse the tyme that ever he knew Emery, and so much follow ed his wic ked c ou n sayle an d advyse, so ju st is God”. T his c an be n o ot her t han Em ery M olyn eu x, w ho c on st ruc t ed t he t w o globes— on e c elest ial an d t he other terrestrial— w hic h w ere made by order of Mr. Wm. Sanderson, and dedicated to Queen Elizabeth. What he had done to incur the wrath and dis- pleasure of Davis and Dr. Dee I have been unable to discover. We also read in t he sam e jou rn al t hat on Ju n e 3, h o r o s c o p e s a n d n a t i v i t i e s . H e w a s i n t i m a t e w i t h m o s t o f t h e g r e a t n a v i g a t o r s o f h i s t i m e . H e w a s a b r o a d f r o m 1 5 8 4 t o 1 5 8 9 , w h e n h e v i s i t e d t h e E m p e r o r R u d o l p h I I a t P r a g u e . H e w a s C h a n c e l l o r o f S t . P a u l ' s C a t h e d r a l , a n d d i e d a t M o r t l a k e i n 1 6 0 8 . S e e a n o t i c e o f h i s w o r k o n n a v i g a t i o n i n A p p e n d i x A . H i s p r i v a t e d i a r y w a s e d i t e d f o r t h e C a m d e n S o c i e t y b y M r . H a l l i w e l l i n 1 8 4 2 . I N T R O D U C T I O N i x

1580, “M r. A. Gilbert an d J. D avys rode hom ew ard in to D evon shire. ” T his w ou ld lead u s t o in fer t hat D avis w as t hen livin g at San dridge, an d t h at t he t w o frien ds were ridin g hom e t ogether for m u t ual prot ection an d c om pan ion ship. T he next m ent ion of t he nam e o f John D avis in D r. D ee's jou rn al is t hree years subseq u en t t o t he dat e of t he above ext rac t . He w rites : “Jan . 23, 1583. T he R yght Hon orable M r. Sec ret ary W al- sin gham c am t o m y h o w s e , w here by good lok he found Mr. Awdrian Gilbert, and so talk was begonne of North-west Straights discovery. Jan. 24. I, Mr. Awdrian Gilbert, and John Davis, went by appoint- ment to Mr. Secretary to Mr. Beale his howse, where onely we four were secret, and we made Mr. Secre- tary privie of the N.W. passage, and all charts and rutters were agreed upon in generall.” A lit t le furt her on w e read: “ M a r c h 6 . I an d M r. Adrian Gilbert and John D avis did m ete w it h Mr. Alderman Barnes, 1 Mr. Tounson, 2 and Mr. Yong, 1 S i r G e o r g e B a r n e s o r B a r n e w a s o n e o f t h e m o s t i n fl u e n t i a l D i r e c t o r s o f t h e M u s c o v y C o m p a n y . H e w a s L o r d M a y o r o f L o n - d o n i n 1 5 5 2 , a n d d i e d i n 1 5 5 8 . H i s d a u g h t e r , A n n i e , m a r r i e d , f i r s t A l e x a n d e r C a r l e y l l , a n d s e c o n d l y , S i r F r a n c i s W a l s i n g h a m ; a n d h i s s o n , a l s o S i r G e o r g e B a r n e , w a s L o r d M a y o r i n 1 5 8 6 . T h i s i s t h e A l d e r m a n B a r n e s o f D e e * s d i a r y . H e d i e d i n 1 5 9 2 , a n d i s t h e a n c e s t o r o f t h e p r e s e n t C o l o n e l F . S t . J o h n B a r n e , M . P . , o f S o t t e r l e y P a r k . 2 P r o b a b l y T o w r s o n o r T o w e r s o n , a n a m e m u c h c o n n e c t e d w i t h v o y a g e s o f d i s c o v e r y . M r . W i l l i a m T o w r s o n , m e r c h a n t o f L o n d o n , m a d e v o y a g e s t o G u i n e a i n 1 5 5 5 , 1 5 5 6 , a n d 1 5 5 7 ( H a k l u y t ' s P r i n c i p a l N a v i g a t i o n s , p p . 9 8 t o 1 2 9 ) . G a b r i e l T o w e r s o n w a s i n t h e I n d i a n v o y a g e s o f C a p t a i n S a r i s , a n d w a s a f t e r w a r d s p u t t o x I N TRO DUCTI O N and Mr. Hudson 1 about the N.W. passage. March 17. Mr. John Davys went to Chelsey with Mr. Adrian Gilbert to Mr. Radforth's, and so the 18th day from thence toward Devonshyre.” Although Dr. Dee lived for many years after the above extrac t from his diary was w rit t en , an d con - t in u ed t o m ake n ot es of import an t even t s as t hey occurred, and although we have direct evidence that he was interested in all matters connected with the discovery of a North-west Passage, we find no allu- sion in his journal to the despatch of any of the expeditions that ensued, or any further reference made to those who were engaged in them. 2 His name, however, together with that of Adrian Gilbert and John Davis, appears in a memorial pre- sented to Queen Elizabeth, an abstract of which is given in the Calendar of State Papers. 3 d e a t h b y t h e D u t c h i n t h e m a s s a c r e o f A m b o y n a i n 1 6 2 3 . H e m a r r i e d t h e w i d o w o f C a p t a i n W . H a w k i n s . ( S e e H a w k i n ’ s V o y a g e s , p . x l v i . ) 1 T h i s w a s T h o m a s H u d s o n , s o n o f H e n r y H u d s o n , o n e o f t h e f o u n d e r s o f t h e M u s c o v y C o m p a n y , a n d p r o b a b l y a n u n c l e o f H e n r y H u d s o n , t h e n a v i g a t o r . T h o m a s H u d s o n l i v e d a t M o r t l a k e , a n d D r . D e e h a s a n e n t r y o n F e b r u a r y 1 1 t h , 1 5 8 3 , t h a t t h e Q u e e n s t o p p e d a t h i s d o o r , a n d “ s o I w e n t b y h e r h o r s e s i d e a s f a r a s w h e r e M r . H u d s o n d w e l t . ” ( D i a r y , p p . 1 8 , 1 9 . ) 2 T h i s m a y b e a c c o u n t e d f o r b y t h e f a c t t h a t D r . D e e w a s a b r o a d f r o m 1 5 8 4 t o 1 5 8 9 . 3 D o m e s t i c . E l i z a b e t h , A d d e n d a , I t i s a s f o l l o w s : — “ A d r i a n G y l b e r t e , h a v i n g h e r e t o f o r e g r e a t l y t r a v e l l e d , a n d c o n - t i n u i n g t o h i s g r e a t c h a r g e s t o t r a v e l t o d i s c o v e r t h e n o r t h e r l y p a r t s o f A t l a n t i s , c a l l e d N o v u s O r b i s , n o t i n h a b i t e d o r d i s c o v e r e d b y a n y C h r i s t i a n s h i t h e r t o , b u t b y h i m , r e q u e s t s t h e Q u e e n ' s l i c e n c e f o r h i m s e l f a n d h i s a s s o c i a t e s , t o b e n a m e d i n a s c h e d u l e , I N TRO DUCTI O N xi

In t he sam e volu m e t here is an ab s t r a c t of t he provision s in t he L et t ers Pat en t gran t ed by t he Q u een , w hic h, how ever, I give in an appe n d i x i n t heir ent iret y, as prin t ed by Haklu yt . O ne art ic le w as n ot in clu ded in t he pat en t , w hic h gives t h e names of Gilbert's associates as follows:—“The said A d r i a n G i l b e r t , W a l t e r R a y l e y , a n d J o h n D a v y s t o be c u st om free for t heir proper goods durin g t he space of 60 years, which they shall bring from those lands to be discovered.” 1 Here the name of Sir Walter Raleigh is substituted for that of Dr. John Dee. In the Letters Patent a right of search for passages by the north, north-east, and north-west to China is granted to a company, presided over by Mr. Adrian G i l b e r t . T h e r e s u l t o f t h e g r a n t o f t h i s c h a r t e r w a s t h e d e s p a t c h o f t h e t w o v e s s e l s S u n s hi n e a n d w i t h s h i p p i n g , m e n , a n d a l l n e c e s s a r i e s , t o d e p a r t t o a n y o f t h e n o r t h e r l y p a r t s b e t w e e n t h e E q u i n o c t i a l L i n e a n d t h e N o r t h P o l e ; w i t h l i b e r t y t o i n h a b i t a n d e n j o y a l l s u c h p l a c e s s o d i s - c o v e r e d . A f i f t h p a r t o f a l l g o l d , s i l v e r , p e a r l s , e t c . , t o b e l o n g t o H e r M a j e s t y . C o m m o d i t i e s f r o m t h e n c e t o b e b r o u g h t t o L o n d o n a n d D a r t m o u t h . T o h o l d a l l t h o s e n o r t h e r l y p a r t s t o h i m , h i s h e i r s a n d a s s i g n s f o r e v e r . P o w e r t o c o n f i s c a t e t h e s h i p s a n d g o o d s o f o t h e r s t r a f f i c k i n g i n t h o s e p a r t s . T o s u e , i f n e e d b e , a n d t o b e i n c o r p o r a t e d u n d e r t h e n a m e o f ‘ T h e C o l l e g i a t e o f t h e F e l l o w s h i p o f n e w N a v i g a t i o n s A t l a n t i c a l a n d S e p t e n t r i o n a l ’ . P o w e r t o m a k e l a w s i n t h o s e c o u n t r i e s , n o t b e i n g c o n t r a r y t o t h o s e i n t h i s r e a l m . A d r i a n G y l b e r t e , J o h n D e e , a n d J o h n D a v i e s , h a v i n g b e e n t h e c h i e f e s t t r a v e l l e r s t o f i n d o u t t h i s n o r t h e r l y v o y a g e , a n d b e i n g o f t h a t c o m p a n y , t o b e s p e c i a l l y e x e m p t e d f o r e v e r f r o m p a y m e n t o f c u s t o m o u t w a r d s o r i n - w a r d s . ” 1 C a l e n d a r o f S t a t e P a p e r s , D o m e s t i c , E l i s . x i i I N T R O D U C T I O N

Moonshine, under the command of John Davis, in 1585. 1 The expenses of this voyage were defrayed by “divers worshipfull merchants of London and of the w est country”. The former were represented by Mr. William Sanderson, who, we are told, “was so foreward therein that, besides his travail, which was n ot sm all, he bec am e t he great est adven t urer w it h his purse.” Mr. Sanderson was an important person in all t hat c on c erns t he n ort hern voyages of D avis, which he steadily and munificently supported ; and he was, moreover, a patron of geographical knowledge, as well as an influential merchant. 2 Some account of him is therefore necessary in a life of his friend, John Davis the navigator. Mr. Sanderson's great grandfather, Richard Sander- son, was living at Pontefract in Yorkshire, in 1480. Richard's son Stephen removed to London in 1495, and married Alice, the heiress of Henry Skime, alias Castilion, descended from a Gascon of that name who had a coat of arms resembling those of Castille, dou bt less a cant in g shield. St ephen had brot hers 1 I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g t o n o t e i n t h e l a t t e r p a r t o f t h i s C h a r t e r , t h e i n s t r u c t i o n s r e l a t i v e t o t h e p u n i s h m e n t o f o f f e n d e r s . T h e p o w e r o f i n f l i c t i n g o r a w a r d i n g p u n i s h m e n t s w a s , i t w i l l b e s e e n , v e s t e d n o t s o l e l y i n t h e h a n d s o f t h e c o m m a n d e r , b u t i n t h o s e o f a t r i b u n a l c o m p o s e d o f t w e l v e o f t h e c o m p a n y s e l e c t e d b y t h e l e a d e r — i n o t h e r w o r d s , a C o u r t M a r t i a l . — S e e A p p e n d i x . 2 H a k l u y t i n s e r t s a l e t t e r f r o m M r . H e n r y L a n e t o t h e w o r s h i p - f u l M . W i l l i a m S a n d e r s o n , c o n t a i n i n g a b r i e f d i s c o u r s e o f t h a t w h i c h p a s s e d i n t h e n o r t h - e a s t d i s c o v e r y f o r t h e s p a c e o f t h i r t y y e a r s — 1 5 5 3 - 1 5 8 3 . T h i s l e t t e r w a s p r e p a r e d a t t h e r e q u e s t o f M r . S a n d e r s o n . — H a k l u y t ( 2 n d e d i t i o n ) , i , p p . 5 2 3 t o 6 2 6 . I N TRO DUCTI O N xiii settled in Scarborough and Newcastle-on-Tyne. His son William Sanderson was a merchant of London, who lived to the age of 86, dying in 1570. He married Jane, heiress of T. Wall of London, by Alice Langston, another heiress, and had several children. The eldest was William Sanderson, 1 the munificent m erc han t adven t u rer an d frien d of D avis, a c it iz en of L on don , of t he Fishm on gers' Com pan y. He m arried M argaret , daughter of Hu gh Sn edale of C orn w all, by a sist er of Sir Walt er R aleigh, an d had numerous children:—Raleigh, Cavendish, Drake, William, Thomas, Hugh, Anthony, and Jane, wife of Mr. Wolley of the Privy Chamber. 2 He bore his own arms (paly of six azure and argent on a bend sable, three mullets or) quarterly with Skirne, Wall, and Langston, as depicted on the famous globe of Emery Molyneux. T here is a m emoir of William San derson am on g the Harleian MSS., which I insert in the accompany- ing foot note. 3 It appears to have been written by a f r i e n d i n t h e t im e o f C h a r l e s I , in a n s w e r t o s o m e 1 W illiam S an d erson h ad b roth ers an d sisters. S t e p h e n S a n d e r s o n , h i s n e x t b r o t h e r , h a d t w o d a u g h t e r s : — M a g d a l e n , m a r r i e d t o G e o r g e C h a m b e r s , a m e r c h a n t a d v e n t u r e r , w h o d i e d i n 1 6 2 1 ; a n d J a n e , m a r r i e d t o J . P u n t o f M a n n i n g t r e e . T h e o t h e r b r o t h e r s w e r e M i c h a e l a n d T h o m a s . T h e s i s t e r s w e r e J a n e , m a r r i e d t o E d w a r d s ; a n d M a g d a l e n , w i f e o f J o h n A r c h e r , a m e r c h a n t o f L o n d o n . 2 T h i s a c c o u n t o f t h e f a m i l y o f W i l l i a m S a n d e r s o n i s f r o m t h e V i n c e n t M S S . , 1 1 9 , p . 2 9 2 , i n t h e H e r a l d s ' C o l l e g e . 3 T h e f o l l o w i n g a c c o u n t o f W i l l i a m S a n d e r s o n i s e x t r a c t e d f r o m t h e H a r l e i a n M S S . 5 2 0 8 , f o l . 5 0 5 2 ( n e w f o l . , 2 9 , 3 0 ) : — “ W i l l i a m S a n d e r s o n , a l s S a n d e r z o n , b o r n e a g e n t , b r e d a M e r - x i v I N TRO DUCTI O N at t ac k, an d show s t hat t he subjec t o f it w as a m erc han t of L on don of great wealth an d high posi- c h a n t A d v e n t u r e r u n d e r t h e w o r t h y T h o m a s A l l i n , E s q u i r e , M e r - c h a n t u n t o Q u e e n E l i z a b e t h f o r h e r M a r i n e c a u s e s ; a s w a s S y r T h o m a s G r e s h a m , K t . , h e r M e r c h a n t f o r h e r M i l i t a r y c a u s e s ; w h i c h s a i d S a n d e r s o n w a s f o r h i m s e l f a n d h i s s a i d M a i s t e r , i n D e n m a r k e , S w i t h l a n d , a n d P o l a n d . A n d i n F r a u n c e , G e r m a n y , a n d N e t h e r l a n d s i n t r a v a i l e a n d t r a d e t h e r e a n d e l s e - w h e r e m a n y y e a r e s . A n d i n r e s p e c t o f h i s m a s t e r ' s o f f i c e a n d s e r v i c e f o r h i m w a s w e l l k n o w n e i n C o u r t i n t h e d a y e s o f t h e D u k e o f N o r f f o l k , a n d a f t e r w a r d s i n t h e t i m e o f t h e L o r d B u r - l e i g h a n d L e i c e s t e r . A n d i n t h a t t y m e m a r r y i n g w i t h S i r W a l t e r R a l e i g h h i s n i e c e ( b e i n g h i s s i s t e r ' s d a u g h t e r ) d i d — m a n n a g e h i s a f f a i r e s a l l t h e t y m e o f h i s p r o s p e r i t y ; a n d d i d ( a t s e v e r a l l 4 t y m e s ) s t a n d b o u n d f o r t h e s a i d S i r W a l t e r R a l e i g h f o r m o r e t h e n a h u n d r e d t h o u s a n d p o u n d s s t e r l i n g ; a n d a l s o f o r m e e r e d e b t m o r e t h a n s i x t e e n e t h o u s a n d p o u n d s a t o n e t y m e , t a k e n u p i n L o n d o n , m o s t p a r t t h e r e o f a t u s u r y u p o n h i s o w n e b o n d s , s u c h w a s h i s c r e d i t e a n d r e p u t a t i o n i n t h o s e d a y s , a s t h e r e c a n b e m a d e g o o d p r o o f e t h e r e o f . “ H e e i n v e n t e d , m a d e , p r i n t e d , a n d p u b l i s h e d t h e g r e a t S p h e a r e s a n d G l o b e s , b o t h C e l l e s t i a l l a n d T e r r e s t r i a l l , b e i n g t h e f i r s t s o e p u b l i s h e d i n C h r i s te n d o m e , f o r t h e h o n o u r o f h i s c o u n t r i e , a n d g o o d o f t h e S c h o l l e r s , G e n t r y s , a n d M a r r i n e r s o f t h e s a m e . “ H e e s e n t s e v e r a l l v o y a g e s t o s e a r c h a b o u t t h e N o r t h - w e s t P a s s a g e u n t o C h y n a , M o l u c c a , P h i l l i p i n a , a n d J a p a n i n t h e S o u t h S e a . “ A n d a l s o s e v e r a l l A d v e n t u r e s u n t o V i r g i n i a w i t h S i r W a l t e r R a l e i g h a t t h e f i r s t d i s c o v e r y t h e r o f : a l l u n t o h i s o w n e v e r y g r e a t c o s t a n d c h a r g e o f s o m e t h o u s a n d p o u n d s s t a r l i n g . “ A n d a l s o h e e w a s b y t h e Q u e e n e s M a j e s t i c s p e c i a l l a p p o i n t - m e n t p u t i n G r e a t T r u s t i n t h e B u s i n e s s e o f b o t h t h e C a r r i c k ' s g o o d s t h a t c a m e t o L o n d o n i n t o L e a d e n H a l l b o t h b e f o r e a n d a t h i s M a j e s t i e ' s c o m i n g t o t h e C r o w n e o f E n g l a n d . “ A n d a l s o h e d i d b r i n g u n t o t h e Q u e e n e s M a j e s t i c i n y e l a t t e r d a y e s o f h e r R a y n e a P r e s e n t , o r P r o j e c t , b y w h i c h t h e l a t e K i n g ' s M a j e s t i c h a t h r e c e i v e d i n t o h i s C o f f e r s m o r e t h a n £ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 s t e r - l i n g . A n d n e v e r a s y e t a s k i n g a n y o n e p e n n y i n r e c o m p e n s e ( f o r I N T R O D U C T I O N x v t i o n . M r . S a n d e r s o n ' s n a m e a p p e a r s i n t h e o l d e s t b o o k o f t h e F i s h m o n g e r s ' C o m p a n y , d a t e d 1 6 1 0 , t h a t h i s s e r v i c e d o n e ) o f h e r n o r h i s l a t e M a j i s t i e , n e i t h e r w i l l h e e v e r d o e ( a s h e i n t e n d s ) u n t i l l h e h a t h d o n e h i s M a j i s t i e t w i c e b e t t e r s e r v i c e t h a n t h a t w a s , w h i c h s t i l l c o n t i n u e t h a n d b r i n g e t h u n t o h i s M a j i s t i e a y e a r l y r e v e n u e o f m a n y t h o u s a n d p o u n d s s t o c k . “ A n d l a t e l y i t p l e a s e d h i s l a t e M a j e s t i c t o c o m a n d h i m , w i t h o t h e r s , t o m a k e a R e m o n s t r a n c e o f t h e b u s i n e s s o f E x c h a n g e w i t h t h e a u n c i e n t u s e , m o d e r n e a b u s e , a n d t h e i r c o n c e i v e d r e m e d y e s , t o b e d e l i v e r e d t o h i s M a j i s t y i n w r i t i n g w i t h a l l c o n v e n i e n t s p e e d e , w h i c h w a s p ’ f o r m e d a c c o r d i n g l y b y t h e s e p e r s o n s s o e c o m a n d e d . “ T h e L o r d V i s c o u n t M a n d e v i l l e . “ S i r R o b e r t C o t t o n , K n i g h t a n d B a r o n e t . “ S i r R a l p h M a d i s s o n , K n i g h t “ M r . W i l l i a m s , h i s M a j i s t i e s G o l d s m i t h . “ W m . S a n d e r s o n , M e r c h a n t A d v e n t u r e r . “ G a r r i t M a l e r i e s , M e r c h a n t S t r a n g e r . “ I t i s w i t h h i s M a j i s t i e s p l e a s u r e t h a t t h e s e b u s i n e s b e e c o n - s i d e r e d o f a n d r e p o r t e d t o h i m ; t h e r e f o r e l e t t h o s e h a v e n o t i c e t o b e e w i t h m e e a W e d n e s d a y a t t w o o f t h e c l o c k e , v i i i i t h A p r i l 1 6 2 2 . H . M a n d e v i l l e . “ A l l t h e s e a f o r e s a i d a r e t r u e r e p o r t s a n d s u f f i c i e n t l y t o b e p r o v e d s o e , a g a i n s t a n y o b j e c t i o n m a d e t o t h e c o n t r a r y b y E n v y , M a l i c e , o r I g n o r a n c e , t h e e n e m i e s o f a l l W i s d o m , V e r t u e , a n d V e r i t y . “ A n d , l a s t l y , n o w a t t h i s t i m e , h e h a t h p r e s e n t e d u n t o h i s M a j i s t i e , N o b i l i t y , a n d M a g i s t r a c y , w i t h o t h e r s o f t h e P r i v y C o u n c e l l , a M a n u s c r i p t a n d T r a t i s e o f E x c h a n g e a n d R o y a l l E x - c h a n g e r s * i n h i s E m i n e n t p l a c e o f d i g n i t y , t h e w h i c h t h o s e s a i d l a s t t h r e e U n c r e a t e d E v i l l s d o e i m p u d e n t l y o p p o s e a n d m a l i g n e w i t h m a n y a s s e r t i o n s a n d d i s g r a c e s , w h i c h c a u s e d t h e s e p r e m i s s e s t o b e e w r i t t e n b y a f f r i e n d . ”

* “ A n d G o d s a w a l l y t h e m a d e , a n d l o , i t w a s v e r y g o o d . ” — G e n e s i s i , 3 5 . xvi I N TRO DUCTI O N an d in several su bseq u en t years, an d he appears t o have died in ext rem e old age in the year 1638. 1 Mr. William Sanderson took the lead in furthering the despatch of an expedition, among the merchants of London. The west countrymen were represented in the undertaking by Mr. Adrian Gilbert, the whole project being under the patronage of Sir Francis Walsingham, Secretary of the most honourable Privy Council We are tol d b y t h e hist orian of t he voyage t hat “t he set t in g fort h of t his ac t ion w as com m it t ed t o t he c are of M r. William Sanderson”, an d t hat “hee c om m en ded u n t o t he rest of t he c om pan y on e M r. John D avis, a m an very w ell grou n ded in t he principles of the arte of navigation, for captaine and chief pilot of this exployt”. Davis must, therefore, at this time have been an experienced mariner, and one who had doubtless made many voyages. There are several in t erest in g en t ries, which refer t o t he arc t ic voyages of D avis in t he m in ut e book of the Elizabethan guild of the city of Exeter. 2 The following minute was recorded at a court of that Corporation, held on January 6, 1585 :— 1 I a m i n d e b t e d f o r t h e a b o v e i n f o r m a t i o n t o t h e o b l i g i n g k i n d n e s s o f M r . W . B . T o w s e , t h e C l e r k o f t h e F i s h m o n g e r s ’ C o m p a n y . M r . T o w s e o b s e r v e s t h a t , a t t h e t i m e o f W . S a n d e r - s o n ' s d e a t h i n 1 6 3 8 , h e t h e n o w e d t h e C o m p a n y 1 6 y e a r s ' q u a r - t e r a g e , f r o m w h i c h i t i s i n f e r r e d t h a t , b e i n g a n o l d m a n , h e w a s u n a b l e t o a t t e n d t h e m e e t i n g s o f t h e C o m p a n y d u r i n g t h a t p e r i o d , o r s i n c e 1 6 2 2 . 2 F r o m t h e w o r k o f M r . W i l l i a m C o t t o n , A n E l i z a b e t h a n G u i l d o f t h e C i t y o f E x e t e r . I N TRO DUCTI O N xvii

“ A t th is C o u rte th e re w e re ce rta in e A rticles b ro u gh t in b y o ' d e p u tie , w hich w e re d e live re d to m e b y M r. C a rew e Rawleigh, 1 touchinge a pretended voyage to W yngandacoia, and a noate of the m archantable and other com odities there founde, which being published and reade, o’ deputie did m oue the Com panie to be venturers that waie. W hereunto the Com panie did answere that forasm oche as they were adventurers already with M r. Adrian Gilberte in a voiage unto China they will not adventure anie m ore in anie suche voiages untill they see that voiage ended or som e successe thereof.” This voyage to China was of course the one about to set forth under the command of Davis. The pretended voyage referred to in the above minute was one that was being fitted out by Sir Walter Raleigh, and which sailed from Plymouth shortly afterwards. It had for its object the colonisation of Virginia, but resulted in failure. The Exeter merchants were too wary to be tempted into embarking their wealth in two expeditions, both so hazardous and involving great risk. The account of Davis’s first voyage is written by one John Jane or Janes, a merchant who accompanied the expedition, and who appears to have performed the duties of clerk, supercargo, or secretary, on board D avis's ship, t he Sunshine. He w as also a n ephew of Mr. William Sanderson, already alluded to as one of the chief promoters of the enterprise. 2 D avis at t his tim e w as n ot on ly a sailor, but also 1 T h e eld er b ro th e r o f S ir W a lte r R a le ig h . 2 A t l e a s t h e s p e a k s o f S a n d e r s o n a s h i s u n c l e ( s e e p . 4 0 ) , b u t t h e n a m e o f J a n e s d o e s n o t a p p e a r i n t h e S a n d e r s o n p e d i g r e e a t t h e H e r a l d ' s C o l l e g e . I n t h e C o r n w a l l V i s i t a t i o n o f 1 6 2 0 , a J o h n x v i i i I N TRO DUCTI O N a su rveyor, for w e fin d t hat du rin g t he t w elve days t h a t h i s v e s s e l s w e r e d e l a y e d b y s t r e s s o f w e a t h e r at the Scilly Islands he visited in a boat the numerous islands that compose this group, and “did platte out and describe the situation of all the Ilands, rockes, and harboroughs to the exact use of Navigation, with lynes and scale thereunto convenient.” After leaving the Scilly Islands, land was not again sighted until the 20th of July, 1585, which, as Jane says, “was the most deformed, rocky, and mountain- ous land that ever wee sawe.” Davis himself writes : “The lothsome view of the shore and irksome noyse of the yce was such as that it bred strange conceites among us, so that we supposed the place to be wast, and voyd of any sensible or vegitable creatures, whereupon I called the same Desolation.” 1 This must not be confounded with Cape Desola- t ion on t he sou t h c oast of Green l a n d , whic h w as n ot passed u n t il t he 24t h. In all probability t he lan d first seen by D avis w as t o t h e n ort hward of C ape D isc ord, on t he east coast of Green lan d, for aft er sight in g it he c oast ed alon g t he shore t o t he sou t hw ard for t w o or t hree days, an d then to t he west-south-west. Coasting to the north, he entered and named Gilbert’s Sound, in lat. 64 deg. 15 min.; then, crossing the strait, which bears his name, he sighted land on the west side, along which he sailed J a n e o f S t . D o m i n ic k , i n C o r n w a l l , i s m e n ti o n e d a s m a r r y i n g E l i z a b e t h , d a u g h t e r o f E d w a r d S c a w e n , w h o d i e d i n 1 5 9 8 . 1 S e e p a g e 2 0 6 . INTRODUCTION xix as far north as lat. 66 deg. 40 min., naming the different places of prominence as he went along after old friends, and old familiar haunts. Thus we have Mount Raleigh, Cape Walsingham, Gilbert Sound, Totnes Road, and Exeter Sound. After exploring some distance up Cumberland Gulf, where they “sawe many fayre sounds, whereby we were persuaded that it was no firme land, but islands”, the season being far advanced, it was resolved to return to England, having first of all thought what was best for the “safeguarde of their credites and satisfying of the adventurers”; and they arrived at Dartmouth on the 30th of September. O n his r e t u r n from t his voyage D avis w rot e a let ter 1 “To t he R ight Honorable S r Ffran c es Wal- sin gham, K n ight , on e of her M a t y ’ s m ost hon orable Pryvy C oun syle, ” w hich ru n s as follow s : —

“ R i g h t h o n o r a b l e m o s t d u t y f u l l y c r a v i n g p a r d o n f o r t h i s m y r a s h e b o l d n e s , I a m h e r b y , a c c o r d i n g t o m y d u t y , t o s i g n y f y v n t o y o r h o n o r t h a t t h e n o r t h - w e s t p a s s a g e i s a m a t t e r n o t h i n g d o u b t f u l , b u t a t a n y t y m e a l m o s t t o b e p a s s e d , t h e s e a n a v i g a b l e , v o y d o f y s e , t h e a y r e t o l l e r a b l e , a n d t h e w a t e r s v e r y d e p e . I h a v e a l s o f o u n d a n y l e o f v e r y g r a t e q u a n t y t i e , n o t i n a n y g l o b e o r m a p d y s c r y b e d , y e l d i n g s u f f i c i e n t t r a d e o f f u r r e a n d l e t h e r , a n d a l t h o u g h t h i s p a s s a g e h a t h b i n e s u p p o s e d v e r y i m p a s s i b l e , y e a t t h r o u g h G o d s m e r c y , I a m i n e x p e r i e n c e a n n e y w y t t n e s t o t h e c o n - t r a r y , y e a i n t h i s m o s t d e s p e r a t e c l y m a t e ; w h i c h , b y G o d s h e l p , I w y l l v e r y s h o r t l y m o s t a t l a r g e r e v e l e v n t o y o r h o n o r s o s o n e a s I c a n p o s s i b l e t a k e o r d e r f o r m y m a r y - n e r s a n d s h i p p i n g . T h u s d e p e n d i n g u p n y o r h o n o r s g o o d

1 I n t h e L a n s d o w n e M S S . , x l v i , f o l . 4 1 . x x I N TRO DUCTI O N f a v o r , I m o s t h u m b l y c o m y t t y o u t o G o d t h i s t h i r d o f O c - t o b e r . “ Y o r h o n o r s f o r e v e r m o s t d u t y f u l l , “ J O H N D A V Y S . “ 3 0 c t . 1 5 8 5 , “ J o h n D a v y t o M r . S e c . W a l s i n g h a m . ” This letter, a facsimile of which is produced as a frontispiece to the present work, was written three days after Davis s return to England. It will thus be seen that the energetic explorer set to work almost immediately on his arrival to induce people to join with him in fitting out another expedition for the disc overy of t he Nort h-West Passage. So well did he succeed, that in six months' time he had obtained a considerable sum of money, besides the requisite number of ships, to enable him with a greater chance of success to carry out his enterprise The merchants of the west country appear in this instance to have been the largest contributors to the venture, besides being the owners of the vessels, for, quoting from Mr. Cotton's work, 1 previously referred to, we read the following entry in the minute book of the Exeter Guild :— “ 1 9 t h A p r i l 1 5 8 6 . — H e r e f f o l l o w e t h t h e n a m e s o f t h o s e p e r s o n s t h a t d i d a d v e n t u r e t h e i r m o n e y w i t h M r . A d r i a n G i l b t e a n d M r . J o h n D a v i e s i n a V o i a g e f o r t h e d i s c o v e r y o f C h i n a , t h e s i v e n t h d a i e o f A p r i l l , i n t h e x x v i i j y e a r e o f t h e r a y n e o f o r s o v e r a y n e L a d i e E l i z a b e t h . “ T h e m e r c h a n ts o f E x e t e r c o n t r i b u t e d - - £ 4 7 5 0 ” ” T o t n e s ” - - 3 7 5 0 ” ” T o t n e s ” - - 1 6 2 1 0 ” ” T o t n e s ” - - 2 5 0 1 An Elizabethan Guild of the City of Exeter. INTRODUCTION xxi

“ T h e m e r c h a n ts o f C h a r d e c o n t r i b u te d - - 3 7 0 ” ” T i v e r t o n ” - - 2 5 0 R i c h a r d , D u c k e o f H e v i t r e e ” - - 1 2 1 0 S y m o n S a u n d e r s o f T a u n t o n ” - - 1 2 1 0 J o h n Y o n g e o f A x m i n s t e r ” - - 2 5 0 T h o m a s S o u t h c o t t o f C a l v e r l e y ” - - 1 2 1 0 C h r i s t o p h e r B r o d e r i d g e o f T o t n e s ” - - 1 2 1 0 £ 1 1 7 5 0 . ” It w ill be seen that for t his voyage t he m erc hant s of Devonshire contributed a very much larger share than those of London, in addition to which, according to Mr. Cotton, the following merchants of Exeter owned the ships, 1 which we find were the Mermmayde of 120 “tunnes”, the Sunneshine, of 60, and the Mooneshine, of 35, with “a pynace of 10 tunnes, named the North Starre” :—

M r . J o h n P e r y a m , “ J o h n A p p l y n , ” R ic h a r d D o r c h e s t e r , ” R ic h a r d J u r d e n , ” W i l l ia m E a s t o n . * The little squadron sailed from Dartmouth on the 7t h of M ay, 1586, bu t aft er c rossin g t he sixt iet h parallel of latitude Davis divided his fleet, sending a couple of the ships under Capt. Pope to explore on 1 I a m i n c l i n e d t o t h i n k t h a t t h i s s t a t e m e n t i s i n a c c u r a t e ; f o r D a v i s , i n h i s " W o r l d e ’ s H y d r o g r a p h i c a l l D e s c r i p t i o n " , e x p r e s s l y t e l l s u s t h a t t h e M o o n e s h i n e w a s o w n e d b y M r . W i l l i a m S a n d e r s o n . T h e M e r m a i d a n d S u n s h i n e w e r e p e r h a p s t h e p r o p e r t y o f t h e E x e t e r m e r c h a n t s . 2 W i l l i a m E s t o n w a s m a s t e r o f t h e S u n s h i n e i n D a v i s ’ s f i r s t e x - p e d i t i o n , a n d s a i l e d w i t h h i m a l s o i n t h e f o l l o w i n g o n e . xxii I N TRO DUCTI O N t he east side of Green lan d, w hile he him self, w it h t he Mermaid an d Moonshine, proc eeded u p D avis Strait. After sighting Cape Farewell, Davis reached the harbour, on the west coast of Greenland, which he had discovered the previous year, and called Gilbert Sound. Here a pinnace, which had been conveyed across the Atlantic on board the Mermayde, was hoisted out and equipped, a small vessel being considered necessary for the exploration of the variou s sou n ds a n d bays it w as t hou ght probable t hey w ou ld disc over. At this place they met a great number of natives, with whom they had friendly intercourse. Davis, who is himself the historian of this voyage, says that as many as a hundred canoes or kayaks would come off to the ship at one time. We cannot help being struck at the innocent and unsuspecting nature of these Eskimos, who for the first time came into contact with Europeans, and with the friendly feeling t hey displayed. We read t hat t hey were “very diligen t t o at t en d u s, an d to helpe u s u p the roc ks, an d likew ise dow n e. At l e n gt h I w as desirou s t o have our m en leape w it h t hem , w hic h w as don e ; but our men did overleape them. From leaping they went to wrestling. We found them strong and nimble, and to have skill in wrestling, for they cast some of our men that were good wrestlers.” These natives, in spite of the friendship that appeared to animate them, could not divest themselves entirely of their thievish propensities, which at last reached s u c h a h e i g h t a s n e a r l y t o c a u s e a r u p t u r e o f t h e INTRODUCTION xxiii friendly union that existed between them and the English. When he departed, Davis committed an unjustifiable act in kidnapping one of the Eskimos. It may be presumed that the poor fellow did not long survive his captivity, for in a marginal note to the narrative, inserted either by Hakluyt or by Davis himself, we read : “One of the natives taken, which afterwards died.” An interesting discovery was made during the stay of the ships in Gilbert Sound, n a m e l y , a g r a v e o v e r w h i c h a c r o s s h a d b e e n l a i d . I t i s p o s s ib l e t h a t t h i s s p o t w a s t h e l a s t r e s t i n g place of some of the old Norman colonists of South Greenland, those settlers in the East and West Bygd, whose fate, to this day, is involved in mystery. In consequence of some of the men growing sick and feeble, and, as Davis expresses it, “withal hope- lesse of good successe”, he determined to send the Mermaid home, while he, in the Moonshine, would “proceed in this action as God should direct me”. Anchoring in a large fiord near old Sukkertoppen, on the coast of Greenland, his ship was revictualled from the Mermaid, which short ly after sailed for England, where she arrived safely in due course. Davis sailed to the westward, and made the land on the opposite side of the strait, near Exeter Sound ; but, curiously enough, he fails to recognise that this was the land he had discovered during his previous voyage, or, if he does, he makes no mention of the fact. Sailing to the south-west, he sighted “a fayre p r o m o n t o r y i n 6 5 d e g r e e s , h a v i n g n o l a n d t o t h e xxiv I N TRO DUCTI O N south”. This could be no other than the headland c alled by him in t he prec eding year t h e C a p e of God’s Mercy. He continues, “ Heere we had great hope of a through passage,” meaning the North-West Passage, the “hope” being, without doubt, Cumber- land Gulf, up which he had sailed the previous year, yet he makes no mention of having been here before, nor does he attempt to search for “the passage” up this gulf, but, continuing his course to the southward, he landed on some of the numerous islands on the north side of Frobisher Bay. He then sailed southwards, passing the entrance into Hudson Strait, but without observing it, and sailed along the coast of Labrador. Here they succeeded in catching an immense number of cod, 1 great quantities of which they salted, and took home to England. Some were sent as a sample to the Lord High Treasurer. They arrived in the beginning of October, finding that the Sunneshine, which vessel Davis had sent to explore along the east coast of Greenland, had arrived some few days before them ; but the unfortunate little pinnace, the North Starre, which had been placed under the orders of the captain of the Sunneshine, h a d b e e n l o s t s i g h t o f i n a g r e a t s t o r m o n t h e n ight of t he 3rd of Sept ember, an d w as n ever seen again . Davis, in his letter to Mr. Sanderson reporting his arrival in England, states that the Sunneshine, after going to Iceland, had been to Greenland, and thence 1 B e i n g u n p r o v i d e d w it h f i s h i n g t a c k l e o f a n y d e s c r i p t i o n , h o o k s w e r e m a d e f r o m l o n g s p i k e n a i l s . INTRODUCTION xxv to Estotiland, which was the name then given to L abrador. Bu t aft er a very c areful peru sal of M r. M organ 's n arrative of the c ru ise of t he Sunne- shine, I cannot but think that Davis must have been labouring under some error when he made the statement ; for in Morgan's account it is very clearly recorded that after leaving Iceland they sighted G r e e n - l a n d , a n d , s a i l i n g a l o n g t h e c o a s t o f D e s o l a t i o n , eventually anchored in Gilbert Sound. Here they remained until they took their final departure for England. Had they crossed Davis Strait and reached Labrador, some mention of it would assuredly have been made. There is another point on which I c a n - n o t r e c o n c i l e t h e t w o d o c u m e n t s . D avis says, in his l e t t e r j u s t q u o t e d , t h a t t h e S u n n e s h i n e a r r i v e d a t D a r t m o u t h o n t h e 4 t h o f O c t o b e r , w h e r e a s M r . M o r g a n , w h o w a s a c t u a l l y o n b o a r d t h e s h i p , concludes his narrative as follows : “ The 3 (of Oct- ober) we coasted all along the shore, and the 4 and 5. The 6 of the sayd moneth of October we came into the river of Thames, as high as Ratcliffe in s a f e t i e , G o d b e t h a n k e d .” Surely if they had touched, even for a few hours, at Dartmouth, such an important event would have been recorded. The indefatigable Davis, immediately on his return from this voyage, renewed his advocacy for the dispatch of another expedition. He was encouraged in this by the Lord High Treasurer and Sir Francis Walsingham, besides being supported by his former friends, Mr. Wm. Sanderson, Mr. Adrian Gilbert, a n d a f e w o f t h e L o n d o n m e r c h a n t s . B u t , a s h e xxvi I N TRO DUCTI O N tells us, “all the westerne marchant adventurers fell from the action". T hat it was proposed t o these lat t er i s e vi d ent , from the following minute of the court of the Eliza- bethan Guild at Exeter. “ 1 6 D e c . 1 5 8 7 . — A l s o a t t h e s a m e C o u r t e t h e r e w a s m a d e a c o p p i e o f c e r t a i n e a r t i c l e s u n d e r d i v e r s o f t h e C o m p a n i e s h a n d e s c o n c e r n i n g e a n e w e a d v e n t u r e w i t h M r . A d r i a n G i l b e r t e a n d M r . J o h n D a v y e s t o C h i n a a n d C a t h a y , w h e r e - u p p o n M r . G o v e r n o ' d i d m o v e t h e w h o l e C o m p a n i e w h a t t h e y i n t e n d e d t o d o t h e r e i n , a n d p r a i e d t h e r e r e s o l u t e a n s w e r e , w h o a g r e e d t h a t M r . N i c h o l a s M a r t y n , M r . N i c h o l a s S p i c e r , M r . S a m p f o r d e , M r . H a c k w e l l , a n d M r . J a s p e r H o r s s e y , s h a l l c o n s i d e r o f a l l t h e a c c o m p t e s o f t h e v o i a g e h e r e t o f o r e m a d e b y t h e s a i d A d r i a n G i l b t e a n d J o h n D a v i e s , a n d s h a l l a l s o s e t d o u n e w h a t t h e y t h i n k f i t t o b e a n s w e r e d t o t h e s a i d a r t i c l e s w i t h a s m u c h s p e a d e a s c o n - v e y n i e n t l y t h e y m a i e , w h i c h s a i d a r t i c l e s a n d l ' r e s w e r e b y M r . G o v e r n o ' d e l i v e r e d t o M r . S a m p f o r d e i n o p e n C o u r t e . ” The unprofitable result of Davis's second voyage, together with the loss of a bale of cloth, mentioned in the following minute, would, in all probability, account for the withdrawal of the Exeter merchants from venturing their money in a third expedition. The minute runs as follows :— “ 1 5 F e b . 1 5 8 8 . — I t i s o r d e r e d b y t h e c o m p a n i e t h e n p r e s e n t e , t h a t M r . N i c h o l a s S p i c e r , J o h n H a c k w e l l , R i c h a r d D o r c h e s t e r , a n d J a s p e r H o r s s e y , s h o u l d d e a l e w i t h M r . W i l l i a m M a r t y n f o r t h e e x a m i n a t i o n o f t h e a c c o m p t e s o f t h e l a s t v o i a g e i n t h e M a r m a i d e t o C h i n a , a n d t h a t t h e s a m e b e b r o u g h t i n o r d e r l y m a d e a t t h e n e x t C o u r t e ; a n d a l s o t o e n q u i r e o f a b a l l e t o f c l o t h r e p o r t e d t o b e m i s s i n g e , t h a t r e s t i t u c i o n m a i e b e m a d e u n t o e v e r y a d v e n t u r e r a c c o r d i n g e t o t h e p ' p o r c o n o f t h e s a m e . ”

INTRODUCTION x x v i i

The successful capture of fish made by Davis during his last voyage off the coast of Newfound- land was, no doubt, used as an incentive for the despatch of another expedition, the adventurers being unwilling a third time to risk their money without seeing a fair prospect of gain. A third voyage was therefore ultimately decided upon, and the conduct of it was again entrusted to Davis, who had under his orders three ships, in one of which he was himself to proceed on his voyage of discovery, whilst the two others were to be employed entirely for fishing. The value of their cargoes, it w as hoped, w ou ld be n ot on ly su fficien t t o defray t he expen ses of t h e e xpedit ion, bu t also realise a sm all profit t o the c om pan y. T he ships em ployed w ere t he Elizabeth of D art m ou th, t he size o r t on - n age of whic h is n ot m ent ioned ; t he Sunneshine of London, presumably t he on e ow ned by Mr. Sander- son , an d t herefore bet w een 50 and 60 t on s ; and a litt le pin n ac e c alled t he Ellen of L on don. Alt hou gh w e have t w o differen t ac c ou n t s of this voyage, one w rit t en by Davis him self, and on e by Mr. Sanderson’s nephew, John Jane, we are not told in w hic h vessel D avis saile d , a n d w hic h were t he t w o ordered t o fish. I am inclined, however, to think that Davis elected to proceed on his adventurous cruise in the Ellen, the smallest of the three, as he concluded she would be the handiest and best for ice navigation. From various allusions made to this vessel in Jane’s narra- xxviii INTRODUCTION tive, it seems more than probable that she did not exceed 20 tons burthen ! Sailing from Dartmouth on the 19th of May, the little squadron sighted land on the 14th of the following month. This must have been the coast of Greenland, between the present Danish settlements of Frederikshaab and Fiskernaes. Cape Farewell and the south coast of Greenland had therefore been rounded without being seen. Steering to the northward the three ships came to an anchor, “among many low islands”, in latitude 64 deg. on the 16th of June. Although not mentioned, their anchorage appears to be, from the position and description, no other than the Gilbert Sound that had been visited by D a v i s d u r i n g h i s t w o p r e c e d i n g v o y a ge s . H e r e t h e y h a d a l i t t l e t r o u b l e w i t h t h e E s k i m o s ; but this seems to have been caused by the imprudent conduct of the master of the Sunshine, who made a prison er of one of t hem, an d c arried him on board his ship. What bec am e of him is n ot relat ed. On the 21st they sailed from this anchorage ; Davis on his voyage of discovery northwards, the other two vessels to prosecute the fishery, the appointed place for which was to be on the west side of the strait, bet w een t he 54t h an d 55t h p a r allels of lat it u de. T he t w o vessels sen t t o fish sailed for En glan d sixteen days after parting company with their leader, although the captains had faithfully promised Davis t h a t t h e y w o u l d n o t d e p a r t u n t i l h i s r e t u r n , a n d INTRODUCTION xxix that they would at any rate remain for him until the end of August. Experiencing “very hot weather”, Davis sailed northwards, in a “free and open sea”. In latitude 67 deg. the land was visible on both sides of the ship, that is, to the eastward and westward, so that Davis was under the impression that h e w a s s a i l i n g u p a g u l f . He was then abreast of the present Danish settlement of Holsteinborg. Sail- ing onwards, however, the passage increased in width, so that he could not see the western shore. Off the Island of Disco they communicated with a number of Eskimos, thirty of whom came out to them in their kayaks, bringing skins, fish, and birds, which they bartered for nails, bracelets, and knives. With scarcely any hindrance from the ice Davis continued to sail in a northerly direction along the Green lan d c oast , u n t il he reac hed t he lat it u de of 72 deg. 12 min. N., where he found “ the sea all open to the westwards and northwards”. The natives here c om e off in great nu m bers, as m an y as a hu n dred at a t im e, all eager t o exc han ge t heir c om m odit ies for English goods. The wind coming from the northward, compelled Davis to leave this coast and sail to the westward, w hic h he was of c ou rse t he m ore in c lin ed to do, as his great objec t was t he disc overy of a n ort h-west passage. T he highest poin t of lan d reac hed on the Green - lan d c oast w as n am ed by Davis, aft er his frien d an d p a t r o n , “ S a n d e r s o n , h i s h o p e , ” a s i t w a s t h e r e h e xxx I N TRO DUCTI O N h a d t h e g r e a t e s t h o p e o f a p a s s a g e . S a n d e r s o n ’ s Hope, the lofty headland near Upernivik, is a place well known to modern Arctic voyagers. The lamented Sherard Osborn, the warm and steady friend to northern enterprise, thus described the scene, as the squadron in which he served passed Sanderson’s Hope: 1— “June 24th, 1850.—The squadron was flying north in an ope n se a , o ve r w hich t h e b e rgs of e ve r y size a n d sha pe floated in wild magnificence. The excitement, as we dashed through the storm, in steering clear of them, was delightful fr om i ts n o v e l t y . Ha r d a sta r boa r d ! Ste a dy ! P or t ! P or t y ou ma y ! — a n d w e f l e w pa st some huge ma ss ove r w hich the g r e e n sea s w e r e fr uitle ssly tr yin g to d ash the m- selves. Then we hauled in for the land, and, passing into a channel some four miles in width, we found ourselves running past the remarkable and lofty cliffs of ‘Sanderson his Hope’—a quaint name given to the point by the ‘right worthie Master Davis’, in honour of his patron, a merchant of London. Well worthy was it of one whose liberality had tended to increase England’s maritime fame ; and the Hope’s lofty crest pierced through the clouds which drove athwart its breast, and looked afar to see ‘whether the Lord of the Earth came not’. Under its lee the water was a sheet of foam and spray from the fierce gusts which swept down ravine and over headland, and against the base of the rocks flights of innumerable wild fowl marked a spot famous among Arctic voyagers.” We, in H.M.S. Alert, passed the Hope on the 21st of July, 1875, and boats full of eager sportsmen were some hours under the steep precipitous cliffs, on w h i c h m y r ia d s o f l o o m s w e r e c o n gr e g a t e d . 2 I t i s 1 S t r a y L e a v e s f r o m a n A r c t i c J o u r n a l , ( 2 n d e d . ) , p p . 2 9 , 3 0 . 2 S e e m y G r e a t F r o z e n S e a , p . 4 5 . INTRODUCTION xxxi truly a well known spot, this extreme northen point of brave John D avis, w hic h he reac hed on t he 30t h of Ju ne, 1587. St eerin g t o t he Westw ard, the sou t hern ext rem e of the middle pack of Baffin’s Bay was encountered, “a mighty banke of yce”, as described by both Davis and Janes. They were beset in it for several days. Eventually the little vessel was forced through the pack, and Mount Raleigh, on the Western side of the strait, was sighted on the 19th of July. On reaching this land Davis reports that “there was no yce towards the north, but a great sea, free, large, very salt, and blu e, an d of an unsearchable depth”. Sailing along the c oast to the southward, they reached the rendezvous that had been appointed, where the ships were to assemble, but failing to find them, they shaped a course for England, arriving at Dartmouth on the 15th of September, “giving thanks for God for our safe arrival.” Thus ended Davis’s last and most memorable voyage for the discovery of a north-west passage. That is failed in its object is not to be wondered at, considering the circumstances under which is was undertaken, indeed the marvel is that he succeeded in doing so much. Enterprising as were the merchant adventurers of those days, they did not feel justified in despatching another expedition, after the failure of three successive voyages, and Davis had therefore to remain inactive, thought not content with the lau rels he had gain ed du rin g his t hree trips t o t he xxxii INTRODUCTION

Arctic regions. He, of course, had to experience a certain amount of captious criticism and ill-natured abuse from “the stay-at-home-at-ease party”, regardin g t he failu re of his en t erprise. He an sw ers t hese det rac t ors in his Worldes Hydro graphical Descrip- tion pu blished in 1595, as he says, “t o st ay this objection, why hath not Davis discovered this passage, being thrice that wayes imploied ?” It is evident, from a letter written by Baffin, that Davis was blamed by some for his want of success. This letter was written in 1616, on Baffin's return f r o m h i s a d v e n t u r o u s an d m e m o r a b l e v o y a g e t o t h e h e a d o f t h e b a y w h i c h n o w b e a r s h i s n a m e . I t i s a d d r e s s e d t o “ t h e R i g h t W o r s h i p f u l J o h n Wostenholm, Esqre,” etc., and in it Baffin magnani- mously defends his brother navigator from the impu- tations that had been cast upon him. He says, a l l u d i n g t o D a v i s S t r a i t , “ w e f o u n d i t t o b e n o o t h e r t h a n a g r e a t B a y , a n d n o h o p e s o f a P a s s a g e ; h o w e v e r M r . D a v i s w a s n o t t o b e b l a m e d f o r h i s Report, the Sea being open, and of an unsearchable depth, as far as Hope Sanderson.” All honour to noble William Baffin for this gene- rous sentence. We can, in these days, fully appre- ciate the desperate and almost reckless gallantry which Davis displayed in navigating his little bark amidst unknown and constantly recurring dangers, and the skill and seamanship which enabled him to bring her home in safety across the Atlantic. This last voyage of his stands out conspicuously as a m a s t e r l y a n d d a r i n g f e a t t h a t i n a f t e r y e a r s b o r e I N TRO DUCTI O N xxxiii good fruit. It was a guide to others, and it undoubtedly lighted Master Hudson “into his strait”. 1 D avis's Traverse Book, given in its en t i r e t y from page 49 t o 58, is a det ailed rec or d of t he voyage from his ow n pen , an d is t he m odel on w hic h t he log books of ships have sin ce been form ed. O n his retu rn it bec am e t he du t y of Davis t o re- concile his geographical discoveries with the previous work of Frobisher, and, if possible, with the old map of the Zeni, which was still esteemed as an authority. Unfortunately the large scale map which was prepared by Davis is now lost. We only have the results, as delineated by himself on the Molyneux globe, 2 and on the “new map”of the world, prepared under the superintendence of Wright. 3 The latter is reproduced in the present volume. Davis had to harmonise his work with universally received errors. Frobisher had taken with him the old map of the Zeni, which was first published in 1558. When he sighted Greenland he assumed that it was the Frisland of the Zeni. Davis, when he reached the Greenland coast, in 61 deg. N., at once 1 L u k e F o x s a y s “ D a v i s d i d , I c o n c e i v e , l i g h t H u d s o n i n t o h i s S t r a i g h t s .” 2 D a v i s f a t h e r s t h e d e l i n e a t i o n o f h i s d i s c o v e r i e s o n t h e M o l y - n e u x G l o b e i n h i s “ W o r l d ' s H y d r o g r a p h i c a l D e s c r i p t i o n ” . S e e p a g e 2 1 1 . 3 O n t h e “ N e w M a p ” , t h e d i s c o v e r i e s o f D a v i s a r e s h o w n e x a c t l y a s o n t h e G l o b e . D a v i s e v i d e n t l y h a d a h a n d i n b o t h . A p a s s a g e i n t h e “ C e r t a i n E r r o r s ” o f W r i g h t , c o m p a r e d w i t h t h e d e s c r i p t i v e t i t l e o n t h e M a p , j u s t i f i e s t h e i n f e r e n c e t h a t W r i g h t w a s t h e a u t h o r o f t h a t M a p o f t h e W o r l d , w h i c h i s t h e f i r s t t h a t x x x i v I N TRO DUCTI O N s a w t h a t i t w a s n o t t h e F r i s l a n d o f t h e Z e n o m a p , w hile it w as t oo far sou th t o be the En groen lan d of the Zeni. So he named it Desolation, and the more northern part he called the London Coast. But the narrators of Frobisher's voyages gave no indication of longitude, so Davis assumed that the discoveries of his predecessor were on this coast. He therefore made Frobishers strait pass through Greenland, leaving an island to the south. He would the more readily do this because he himself did not see the land between 61 deg. 30 min. N. and 64 deg. 15 min. N. On the north side of this imaginary strait he placed “Meta Incognita”, of Frobisher, as well as his own “Desolation” and “London Coast”. On the island he has only one name, “Reg. Elizabeth Fore- land”, in the place of Cape Farewell. Owing to the w a s d r a w n i n E n g l a n d o n t h e p r o je c t i o n , t h e p r in c i p l e o f w h i c h W r i g h t d i s c o v e r e d a n d m a d e k n o w n . T i t l e o f “ N e w M a p ” . W r i g h t ’s “ C e r t a in E r r o r s in “ T h o u h a s t h e r e , g e n t l e N a v i g a t i o n ” . r e a d e r , a t r u e h y d r o g r a p h i c a l “ S u p p o s e a s p h e r i c a l s u p e r - d e s c r i p t i o n o f s o m u c h o f t h e f i c i e s w i t h m e r i d i a n s , p a r a l l e l s , w o r l d a s h a t h b e e n e h i t h e r t o r h u m b e s , a n d t h e w h o l e h y d r o - d i s c o v e r e d , a n d i s c o m e t o o u r g r a p h i c a l d e s c r i p t i o n d r a w n e k n o w l e d g e , w h i c h w e h a v e i n t h e r e f r o m , t o b e i n s c r i b e d o n a s u c h s o r t p e r f o r m e d , yt a l l p l a c e s c o n c a v e c y l i n d e r , t h e s e a x e s h e r e i n s e t d o w n h a v e t h e s a m e a g r e e i n g i n o n e . . . I n t h i s n a u - p o s i t i o n a n d d i s t a n c e s t h a t t h e y t i c a l p l a n is p h e r e t h u s c o n c e i v e d h a v e i n t h e g l o b e , b e i n g t h e r e i n t o b e m a d e , a l p l a c e s m u st n eed e s p l a c e d i n s a m e l o n g i t u d e s a n d b e e si t u a t e i n t h e sa m e lo n g i t u d e s l a t i t u d e s w h i c h t h e y h a v e i n t h i s a n d d i r e c t i o n s o r c o u r se s, a n d c h a r t , w h i c h , b y t h e o r d i n a r y u p o n t h e sem e m erid ia n s, p a ra lels, s e a c h a r t , c a n n o w i s e b e r u m b es t h a t t h ey w e r e i n t h e p e r f o r m e d , ” g l o b e . ” I N TRO DUCTI O N xxxv small scale of the Molyneux globe there was not space for all the names given by Davis in his narrative. The names inserted on the Greenland side are, from north to south : 1 — Hope Sanderson, 72̊ 41' N. London Coast. Lord Darcie's Islands. Desolation. Meta Incognita. Frobisher Strait. Reg. Elizabeth Foreland, 61̊ 30' N. The latitudes are from the “Index Geographicus,” m ade for t he globe by R obert Hues. T he m ist ake of placing “Meta Incognita” and “ Frobisher s Strait” on the Greenland side was repeated on the map of Hudson in 1612, and others. Frisland is placed in 62 deg. N., east of Desolation ; but the west side of Greenland, up to Hope Sanderson, which had been surveyed by Davis, was shown correctly on the Molyneux globe, and so passed into all maps. On the west side of Davis Strait, which is also shown correctly by Davis, the following names are given on the Molyneux globe :— C. Bedford. Sanderson's Tower. Mount Rawleigh, 66̊ 40' N. Cumberland Isles. 1 G i l b e r t S o u n d , m e n t i o n e d i n t h e n a r r a t i v e , i s n o t o n t h e G l o b e . 2 C a p e W a l s i n g h a m , T o t n e s R o a d , E x e t e r S o u n d , D y e r , C a p e G o d ’ s M e r c y , C a p e C h i d l e y , a n d D a r c i e s I s l a n d a r e g i v e n i n t h e n a r r a t i v e t o p l a c e s o n t h e w e s t s i d e o f D a v i s S t r a i t a r e n o t o n t h e G l o b e . xxxvi I N TRO DUCTI O N Lumley’s Inlet. Warwick Foreland. “A furious overfall,” 60̊ N. The “furious overfall” of Davis, which is not, however, mentioned by that name in his narrative, is clearly the entrance to Hudson Strait. In the n arrat ive of t he t h i r d v oyage is the follow in g passage: “We passed by a v e r y g reat gu lfe, t he w at er w hirlin g a n d r o r in g, as it w ere t he m eet in g o f t ides” (p. 47). T his of c ou rse is the “f u r i o u s overfall” of the Molyneux globe, and both are Hud- son's Strait. Davis, like Frobisher, uses the nomen- clature of the Zeno map, and both Estotiland and Frislan d are on the g l o be. Est ot ilan d is plac ed sou t h of Hu dson St rait . T hus w ere t he disc overies of D a vi s p lac ed on perm anent rec ord on t he glob e , a n d on t he “n ew m ap”, w hile an at t em pt w as made by the half light of t he kn ow ledge of t hose days t o harm on ise t he n ew w ork w it h t he assu m ed resu lt s of previou s voyages. T he n arrat ives of t he n ort hern voyages of Davis were first printed in 1589 in Hakluyt's Princi- pall Navigations. We next find Davis joining the squadron of the Earl of Cumberland off the Azores in August 1589. His history, from his return from the Arctic regions until this date—a period of about two years—remains a blank. Nor can it be satisfactorily ascertained how it came about that he joined his fortunes to those of the Earl. In t he ac c ou n t of t he voyage at page 65, w e read t hat “M ast er John D avis, with shippe, pin - I N TRO DUCTI O N xxxvii n esse an d boat e, join ed the fleet. “By this it w ou ld appear t hat D avis w as himself in c omm an d o f a c ou ple of vessels, for t he “boat e”, it m ay be pre- su m ed, w as on ly suc h as c ould be c arried on board o n e o f t h e s h i p s . I a m i n c l i n e d t o t h i n k t h a t t h e s e v e s s e l s w e r e t h e p r o p e r t y o f M r . S a n d e r s o n , w h o w a s e v e r a f i r m f r i e n d a n d p a t r o n t o D a v i s . Moreover, it is stated that with Davis was a Captain Markesburie, in command of a ship belonging to Sir Walt er R aleigh, n am ed t he Barke of Lime, and as it is well known that a great friendship existed between Raleigh and Sanderson, who were connections by marriage, it is more than probable that their ships were sent to sea together, to act in concert one with the other. Be this as it may, it is quite certain that they attached themselves to the squadron under the Earl of Cumberland, and participated in the various actions fought by that nobleman—an account of which will be found from pages 65 to 92 of this volume. How or when D avis return ed t o En glan d is not mentioned, but that those serving in the fleet endured great hardships, from a scarcity of fresh water, is evident from the narrative, which was written by Mr. Wright, 1 the hydrographer. 1 E d w a r d W r i g h t w a s b o r n a t G a v e s t o n i n N o r f o l k , i n a b o u t 1 5 6 0 . I n 1 5 8 9 h e a c c o m p a n i e d t h e E a r l o f C u m b e r l a n d i n h i s e x p e d i t i o n t o t h e A z o r e s , w r o t e t h e n a r r a t i v e o f t h e v o y a g e , a n d c o n s t r u c t e d s o m e n e w c h a r t s . H e w a s a v e r y e m i n e n t m a t h e m a - t i c i a n , a n d d i s c o v e r e d t h e t r u e m e t h o d o f p r o j e c t i n g c h a r t s b y i n - c r e a s i n g t h e d i s t a n c e b e t w e e n m e r i d i a n s , w h i c h i s e r r o n e o u s l y a t t r i b u t e d t o M e r c a t o r . I n 1 5 9 9 h e p u b l i s h e d a b o o k e n t i t l e d xxxviii I N TRO DUCTI O N

T his is t he on ly voyage ou t of t w elve s e n t f ort h by the Earl of Cumberland that Hakluyt gives room for in his work. Purchas, in his Pilgrimes, supplies an abstrac t of all the t w elve voyages. His ac c ou n t of this particular expedition agrees in the main with that given in Hakluyt, and reprinted in this volume. Still he supplies some additional information, which Hakluyt h as failed t o pu blish. For in st an ce, t he lat t er au t horit y m akes n o m ent ion w hat ever of a severe fight , whic h seem s t o have follow ed short ly after the engagement at the Island of St. Mary's, 1 in w hic h tw o m en w ere killed an d sixt een w ou n ded. R evert in g t o t his ac t ion , Pu rc has t ells u s: “Bu t a great er losse follow ed, w hile t he Earle in perso n sought to get the other ship, Captaine Lyster rashly disvaluing the enemies force, the barre also detayn- in g t hem on grou nd, in t he m i d s t o f dan ger from t he en em ie, t o t he losse an d hu rt o f eight ie m en . His lordship received t hree shot s upon his t arget , an d a fou rt h on t he side, n ot deepe ; his head also broken with stones, that the bloud covered his face, both it and his legs likewise burned with fire balls.” 2 C e r t a i n E r r o r s i n N a v i g a t i o n D e t e c t e d a n d C o r r e c t e d , t h e s e c o n d e d i t i o n a p p e a r i n g i n 1 6 1 0 . H e a l s o , i n c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h H e n r y B r i g g s , t h e P r o f e s s o r o f G e o m e t r y a t O x f o r d , p r o m o t e d t h e i n t r o - d u c t i o n o f t h e u s e o f l o g a r i t h m s , a n d t r a n s l a t e d N a p i e r ' s L o g a - r i t h m o r u m D e s c r i p t i o i n t o E n g l i s h . H e w a s p r e c e p t o r t o H e n r y P r i n c e o f W a l e s , a n d h a d a v e r y e l a b o r a t e c e l e s t i a l g l o b e c o n - s t r u c t e d f o r h i s u s e . I n 1 6 1 6 h e r e c e i v e d a n a p p o i n t m e n t f r o m t h e E a s t I n d i a C o m p a n y t o p e r f e c t t h e i r c h a r t s , w i t h a s a l a r y o f £ 5 0 a y e a r ; b u t d i e d i n L o n d o n a f e w m o n t h s a f t e r w a r d s .

1 S e e p a g e 7 7 . 2 P u r c h a s I N TRO DUCTI O N xxxix

T his was a very seriou s loss, and on e of su c h a c harac t er that it is diffic u lt t o form an y idea as t o the reason of it s om ission from t he accou n t written by M r. Wright . Pu rc has also, in desc ribin g t he ext rem ities t hey w ere redu c ed t o from t he sc arc it y of w at er, t ells u s t hat t en or t w elve died every n ight ; w hilst du rin g the tempestuous weather encountered on the passage home 1 we are told in the same account that, presumably by a heavy sea, “His lordship's cabin, the dining roome, and halfe decke became all one, and his lordship was forced to make a new lodging in the holde.” Thirteen prizes altogether were captured by the squadron during this cruise, the most valuable of which, however, was wrecked off the coast of Corn- wall, and only a portion of the goods on board was saved. D avis, w e m ay su ppose, part ic ipat ed in t he profits derived from t he voyage, bu t w het her he re- m ained on shore for t he n ext eight een m on ths, enjoying the fruits of his labour, or whether he kept the sea, is uncertain. It is more than probable that the latter was the case, for in the State Papers of 1592 we find the following statement. A ship called the Uggera Salvagnia had been seized by vessels com- m an ded by T . M iddlet on , Erasm u s Harvey, an d J o h n D avis. She c on t ain ed goods belongin g t o Philip Corsini and other Italian merchants. T here w a s a l a w s u i t . S i r W a l t e r R a l e i g h a c t e d o n b e - 1 S e e p a g e 8 6 . x l I N TRO DUCTI O N h a l f o f D a v i s , a n d a c o m p r o m i s e a p p e a r s t o h a v e b e e n a r r i v e d a t i n F e b r u a r y 1 5 9 1 . O f c o u r s e t h i s m ay have been on e of t he vessels c apt u red by D avis w hilst servin g u nder t he Earl of C u m berlan d, bu t by Sir Walt er R aleigh appearin g for D avis it w ou ld seem t h a t t he lat t er w as absen t from En glan d du rin g t he law su it , and if absent , t hen probably en gaged in som e seafarin g ent erprise. {? } T he n ext w e h e ar of D avis is oc c u pyin g an im - port an t posit ion as C apt ain of t he Desire 1 on e of a sq u adron dest i n ed for a voyage t o t he Sou t h Sea under the command of Thomas Cavendish, who had rec en t ly retu rned from a su c c essf u l voyage rou n d t he w orld. D avis him self gives his reason for join - in g t his expedit ion . H e s ays t hat su c h w as his vehement desire for t he performance of the passage rou n d Am eric a t hat t his m ot ive alon e in du c ed him t o g o w ith Caven dish. He adds t hat C aven d i s h prom ised t hat w hen t hey reached C aliforn i a , he should have a pinn ac e, w it h his own bark, t o search for the passage on the back parts of America. 2 Thus this voyage also, so far as Davis was concerned, may be looked upon as an attempt to achieve the great en terprise which the gallan t n avigat or had so muc h at heart . D avis's old friend an d follow er, w ho had ac c om - pan ied him in t w o ou t of his t hree Arc t ic voyages, sailed in t he Desire, an d w r o t e t h e hist ory of t he voyage. The little fleet, numbering five ships, sailed 1 T h e s a m e v e s s e l i n w h i c h C a v e n d i s h h a d c i r c u m n a v i g a t e d t h e g l o b e . 2 P r e f a c e t o t h e S e a m a n ' s S e c r e t s . I N TRO DUCTI O N xli from Plym ou t h in Au gu st 1591. It c o n s i s t ed of t h e A d m i r a l ' s s h i p t h e g a l l e o n L e i c e s t e r ; t h e R o e Bucke, Captain Cocke ; the Desire, Captain Davis ; the bark, Daintie, Captain Cotton ; and the Black Pinnace, Captain Tobie ; carrying in all a force of abou t 4 0 0 m en . T he bark w as t he propert y of D avis an d Adrian Gilbert . T he year 1591, in w hic h t h is fleet sailed from Plym out h, w as m em orable in t he an n als of n aval en t erprise, f or it w as t he sam e year in w hic h t he first En glish voyage t o t he East Indies w as u n der- t aken , led by R aymon d an d L anc ast er. In spit e of the brilliant su c c ess of C aven dish in his voyage of circumnavigation, in 1586-88, he does not appear to have been gifted with the qualities which the leader of a great enterprise should possess. In his second expedition, after sacking several places along the coast of Brazil, the Strait of Magellan was entered on the 14th of April 1592, from which time commenced the series of disasters that eventually t erm in at ed in t he t ot al failu re of t he expedit ion . The men suffered from scurvy, cold, and the want of good provisions, to such an extent that many died, and to add to their misfortunes the Admiral parted company with the rest of the squadron. The Desire and Black Pinnace were lost sight of during the night, whilst the Roebucke shortly afterwards deserted him. Although Cavendish, with almost his dying breath, accuses Davis of having basely deserted him, there is really no reason to suppose that such w as the c ase ; for it is very c learly rec orded by t he xlii I N TRO DUCTI O N chronicler of Davis’ voyage that the Admiral was lost sight of in the night ; but “whether we lost them or they us we protest we know not”. It is, however, very evident that they remained in the Straits of Magellan and visited the different rendezvous in full confidence of again meeting their Admiral, and t hat D avis at t em pt ed n o less t han t h ree t im es t o sail in t o t he Sou th Seas, bu t w as in variably driven back by strong north-westerly gales, in one of which the Black Pinnesse was lost sight of and never afterwards seen. It was not until the end of the year 1592 that Davis relinquished all hope of prosecuting his voyage to the westward, and that he sailed from Port Desire, shaping his course homewards. Caven- dish had long ere this abandoned all idea of sailing into the South Sea, and had died, probably of a broken heart, some eight or ten degrees to the northward of the Equator on his way home. Davis’ troubles did not end with his departure from the St rait of M agellan , for several of his men w ere killed by t he Port u gu ese on t he C oast of Brazil, whilst others were lost in a boat that never returned. To add to their miseries, the stock of dried penguins that had been laid in “began to corrupt”. In this wretched state they at length arrived at Berehaven in Ireland on the 14th June 1593. Out of the seventy-six that sailed in the ship from England two years before, only Captain Davis and fifteen men lived to return. Purchas, in a high-flown peroration, immediately prec edin g M ast er C aven dish’s own ac c oun t of his I N TRO DUCTI O N xliii voyage, refers to the supposed desertion of Davis in the following words. “ So me pa ssio n ate spee che s of Maste r Ca n d ish a ga inst some pr ivate pe r son s n ot e mploye d in this a ction , I ha ve suppr esse d, so me o the r s I ha ve let pa sse ; not tha t I cha r ge Captaine Davis or others, but that it may appeare what the Generall thought of them. Master Hakluyt hath published Master Jane’s report of this voyage, which makes more favourable on Captaine Davis his side. If hee did deale treacherously, treacherie found him out, as in his last voyage before is declared. If any thinke the Captaine here to conceive amisse, I shall be willing to have the most charit- a b l e c o n c e i t , a n d t h e r e f o r e r e m i t t he R e a d e r t o M a s t e r H a k l u y t ’s R e l a t i o n a f o r e s a i d , f o r h i s a p o l o g i e . ” Cavendish's account of the voyage appears to have been written on his death-bed and is addressed to Sir Tristram Gorges, whom he names as his executor. It is only necessary here to allude to that part of his narrative which has a distinct reference to Davis. After complaining in the most bitter and querulous manner of the unfortunate issue of the enterprise, he goes on to say— “ T h e Roe-bucke l e f t m e i n t h e m o s t d e s o l a t e c a s e t ha t e v e r m a n w a s l e f t i n ; w h a t i s b e c o m e o f h e r I c a n n o t i m a g i n e : i f s h e e b e e r e t u r n e d i n t o E n g l a n d , i t i s a m o s t admirable matter ; but if shee bee at home, or any other of my goods whatsoever returne into England, I have made y ou o n e l y P osse sso r of the m. An d now to come to tha t villa in e tha t ha th b e e n e the d e ath of me, a n d the d eca y of this whole action—I meane Davis,—whose onely treacherie in running from me, hath beene an utter ruine of all ; if any good returne by him, as ever you love mee, make such friend as he of all othe rs may reape least gaine. I assure m y s e l f y o u w i l l b e e c a r e f u l l i n a l l f r i e n d s h i p o f m y l a s t xliv I N TRO DUCTI O N r e que sts. M y d e b t s w h i c h b e o w i n g b e n o t m u c h , e t c . But I ( m o s t u n f o r t u n a t e v i l l a i n e ) w a s m a t c h e d w i t h t h e m o s t a b j ect minded and mutinous compa nie tha t e ve r w a s car r ie d o ut o f En gla n d b y a n y ma n livin g.'' After describing the voyage t o Port Desire and the Strait of Magellan, he relates, in the following words, the desertion of Davis . “We were beaten out of the Strait with a most monstrous storme at West-South-West, from which place we continued together, till we came in the latitude of fortie-seven, in which place Davis in the Desire, and my Pinnesse lost me in the night, after which time I never heard of them, but (as I since understood) Davis his intention was ever to run away. This is Gods will, that I should put him in trust, that should be the end of my life, and the decay of the whole action. For, had not these two small ships parted from us, we would not have miscarried on the coast of Brasile ; for the onely decay of us was, that wee could not get into their barred Harbours. What became of these s m a l l s hi p s , I a m n o t a b l e t o j u d g e ; b u t s u r e , i t i s m o s t l i k e , t h e y w e n t b a c k e a g a i n e f o r P o r t D e s i r e , a pl a c e o f r e l i e f e , f o r t w o s o s m a l l s h i p s . F o r t h e y m i g ht l y e o n g roun d ther e without d a n g e r , a n d b e i n g s o f e w me n , t h e y m i g h t r e l i e v e th e m s e l v e s w i t h S e a l e s a n d B i r d s , a n d s o t a k e a g o o d t i m e o f th e y e e r e , a n d p a s s e t h e S t r e i t s. T h e m e n i n t h e s e s m a l l s h i p s w e r e a l l l u s t i e , a n d i n h e a l th : wherefore the likeliest to hold out. The short of all is this: Davis his onely intent was utterly to overthrow me, which he hath well performed.” Before his death, which occurred on the voyage home, Cavendish made his will, bequeathing among other items the Desire, the ship commanded by Davis, to Sir George Gary. This is mentioned in t h e f o l l o w i n g w o r d s , i n h i s l e t t e r t o S i r T r i s t r a m I N TRO DUCTI O N xlv

Gorges—“ I have given Sir George Cary the Desire, if euer shee returne, for I alwayes promised him her, if shee returned, and a little part of her getting, if any such thing happen. I pray you see it performed.” By this it would appear that the Desire was the property of Mr. Candish ; 1 the Daintie belonged partly to Mr. Adrian Gilbert and partly to Davis, but we are not told who owned the other two ships ; they either belonged to Cavendish or were the property of a company of adventurers, who had sub- scribed together in order to equip and dispatch this expedition. I am inclined to think that the Roe- buck was the property of Sir George Cary, as also were some of the guns in the galleon, for in the latter part of his letter, Cavendish says he has given instructions to his master “to see his peeces of ord- nance delivered unto him (Sir George) and if the Roebucke be not returned, then I have appointed him to deliver him two brass peeces out of this ship.” He concludes his letter—“Beare with this scribling, for I protest I am scant able to hold a pen in my hand." There is no date to this letter, but it must have been written during the homeward passage, and to the northward of 8 deg. N. latitude, where he mentions the death of “his most dearest cousin” John Locke. Cavendish himself must have died a few days afterwards. There is another narrative of this voyage, written xlvi I N TRO DUCTI O N by one “Anthonie Knivet”, who appears to have been one of the crew of Cavendish's ship. The account of his wonderful adventures is so exagge- rated, that little or no reliance can be placed in the accuracy of his statements ; but he testifies, at the very commencement of the voyage, to the mutinous spirit displayed by the men, and the general laxity of discipline that prevailed in the squadron. The only reference made to the desertion of Davis is as follows : “That day that we departed from Port Desire, the Generall sent for all the masters of the ships and commanded them that till midnight they should keepe their course with him, and that when he should shew them two lights, then they should cast about and beare in with the shoare, but Davis which was Captain of the Desire, and Tobie, Master of the Pinnasse, did deceive us, and went for the Straits, as I was enformed afterwards.” 1 The way in which this man Knivet was separated from his ship does not speak much in favour of the humanity of Captain Cavendish. After having thrice narrowly escaped being thrown overboard as dead, and having lost three toes from one foot and four from the other from frost bite, he was reduced to such a miserable state from scurvy that on the arrival o f t h e s h i p a t t h e I s l a n d o f S t . S e b a s t i a n , 2 o n t h e 1 T h i s i s n o t a t r u e s t a t e m e n t ; f o r , a c c o r d i n g t o C a v e n d i s h ' s o w n a c c o u n t , a n d a l s o t h a t o f J o h n J a n e s , t h e s h i p s w e r e s e p a r a t e d o n t h e i r r e t u r n v o y a g e t o P o r t D e s i r e , a n d n o t t h e d a y a f t e r t h e i r d e p a r t u r e f r o m i t . 2 A b o u t f i f t y m i l e s s o u t h - w e s t o f R i o d e J a n e i r o . I N TRO DUCTI O N xlvii c oast of Bra z i l , h e t ells u s, “T he first thin g t hat w as don e t he sic ke m en w ere set on shoare t o shift e for themselves ; twentie of us were set on shoare ; all were able to go up and downe, although very weakly, but (I alas !) my toes were raw, my body was blacke, I could not speake nor stirre. In this case I was layed by the shoare side, and thus I remayned from five of the clocke in the morning, till it was betweene eleven and twelve of the clocke, that the sunne came to his highest, and the extreme heate of the sunne pierced through my body, whereby I came to my- selfe, as a man awaked from sleepe, and I saw them t hat we r e s e t on shore w it h m e, lye dead an d a dyin g roun d abou t m e ; t hese men had eat en a kin d of pease, t h a t d i d grow by the sea-side, w hic h did poyson t hem . ” It is u n n ec essary t o follow t his man in his w on derfu l adven t u res am on gst savages an d c an n ibals, an d his n u m erou s hair-breadt h esc apes both on land and by sea ; suffice it to say that, after twelve years' wanderings in South America, he eventually reached his native country, where he published an acount of his travels, in comparison to which the adventures of Baron Munchausen are as every day occurrences. His name has only been introduced here as bearing upon the supposed desertion of Davis, and also because his statements regarding the discontent of those engaged in this expedition are fully corroborated, not only by the historian of Davis's voyage, but also by Cavendish himself. I b e l i e v e t h a t t h e t r u e v e r s i o n o f t h e a p p a r e n t xlviii I N TRO DUCTI O N disloyalty of Davis is not that he wilfully abandoned his chief, but that being separated from him in the fog off Port Desire, he did not use his utmost endeavours to rejoin him, knowing that Cavendish had relinquished all further ideas of prosecuting the voyage into the South Seas. From Davis’s sub- sequent actions no one can, for one moment, accuse him of not zealously attempting to carry out the object of the expedition, having, in spite of great hardship and suffering, and adverse winds and cur- rents, thrice attempted to push his way into the South Seas. He gives his own account of the separation in his dedication to the Seaman’s Secrets. 1 Davis evidently anticipated that a charge of desertion would be brought against him, otherwise he would not have proposed the signing by the ship's company of a testimonial acquitting him of having purposely and designedly abandoned his general. 2 It is a curious fact that John Jane, the author of the account of the expedition, a tried and trusty friend of Davis, who had accompanied him in most of his voyages, did not sign this paper. It bears only forty signatures, out of the seventy-six that composed the crew of the Desire when she left England ten months before. That Davis himself wrote an account of this voyage, together with a description of the Strait of Magellan, is evident from allusions made to it in his “Worlde's Hydrographical Description”. It is much

1 S e e p a g e s 2 8 0 a n d 2 8 1 . 2 S e e p a g e 1 0 3 . I N TRO DUCTI O N xlix to be regretted that this account and his survey are nowhere to be found. A c c o rdin g t o D avis, Port D esire w as n am ed as o n e of t he ren dez vou s where t he ships w ere t o assemble in c ase of separation , an d t hit her D avis immediately went on losing his chief, but Cavendish s t o o d o n f o r B r a z i l . H a d h e g o n e t o P o r t D e s i r e he would have found two of his missing squadron, the Desire and the Black Pinnace. Taking every thing into consideration, Davis cannot, with justice, be accused of having wilfully deserted his commanding officer. He lost him in a thick fog, and afterwards did his utmost, according to his own judgment, to rejoin him. It w as du rin g t his period t hat D avis disc overed t he Falklan d Islan ds, an hon ou r t hat has also been ac c redit ed t o Sir R ichard Hawkin s, w ho, how ever, did n ot sight t hem u n t il 1594, or t wo years after they had been discovered by John Davis. 1 Admiral Burney adopted the name of “Davis's Southern Islands” for the Falkland Isles. 2 John Davis, after his return from the unfortunate voyage to the Straits of Magellan in 1593, was engaged in the preparation of two important nautical w orks ; on e en tit led t he Seaman’s Secrets, 3 t he first 1 S e e n o t e 2 , p a g e 1 0 8 . 2 S e e B u r n e y ’s a c c o u n t o f t h e s e c o n d v o y a g e o f C a v e n d i s h , i n h i s V o y a ges to th e S o u th S ea , v o l . i i , c h a p , v i i , p a g e s 9 8 t o 1 0 7 . 3 E n t e r e d a t S t a t i o n e r s ’ H a l l o n S e p t e m b e r 3 r d , 1 5 9 4 , b y t h e p r i n t e r , T h o m a s D a w s o n . S e e S t a t i o n e r s ’ R e g i s t e r , i i , p a g e 3 1 2 . N o c o p y o f t h i s f i r s t e d i t i o n h a s b e e n f o u n d . I h a v e u s e d t h e s e c o n d e d i t i o n o f 1 6 0 7 f o r t h e r e p r i n t i n t h i s v o l u m e . l I N TRO DUCTI O N edit ion of w hic h appeared in 1594, an d the ot her the Worlde’s Hydrographical Description, which was published in May 1595. 1 When the age of discovery was commenced with the voyages of Columbus and Vasco da Gama, the practical importance of astronomical studies became apparent; and the demand for instruction in the art of navigation kept increasing, as the thirst for maritime enterprise extended from the Iberian peninsula to France, England and Holland. Regiomontanus, 2 whose real name was Johann Muller, a native of K oen isgberg in Fran c onia, an d a pu pil of Pur- bach 3 of Vienna, c om pu t ed t he astronomical Ephe- m erides for t he years 1475 t o 1506, w hic h w ere u sed by D a Gama an d C olu mbu s. M art in Behaim of Nuremburg, who invented the application of the 1 T h e r e i s a c o p y i n t h e G r e n v i l l e L i b r a r y a t t h e B r i t i s h M u s e u m , a n d a n o t h e r i n t h e L e n o x L i b r a r y a t N e w Y o r k . I t w a s r e p r i n t e d i n t h e s e c o n d e d i t i o n o f H a k l y u t i n 1 8 1 2 .

2 R e g i o m o n t a n u s w a s b o r n i n 1 4 3 6 , a n d s t u d i e d a s t r o n o m y u n d e r P u r b a c h a t V e i n n a . H e c o m p l e t e d t h e t r a n s l a t i o n o f P t o l e m y ’ s A l m a g e s t , w h i c h h a d b e e n b e g u n b y P u r b a c h . I n 1 4 6 1 , R e g i o m o n t a n u s w e n t t o I t a l y , a n d r e m a i n e d t h e r e u n t i l 1 4 6 4 , w h e n h e s u c c e d e d h i s o l d m a s t e r a s P r o f e s s o r o f A s t r o n o m y a t V i e n n a . W h i l e i n I t a l y h e c o m p o s e d h i s w o r k o n t h e s o l u t i o n o f p l a n e a n d s p h e r i c a l t r i a n g l e s , w i t h a t a b l e o f n a t u r a l s i n e s . S i x t u s I V , w h o c o n t e m p l a t e d a r e f o r m a t i o n o f t h e c a l e n d a r , m a d e R e g i o - m o n t a n u s A r c h b i s h o p o f R a t i s b o n . H e t h e n w e n t t o R o m e , w h e r e h e d i e d i n 1 4 7 5 . 3 G e o r g e P u r b a c h w a s b o r n i n 1 4 2 3 . H e w a s P r o f e s s o r o f A s t r o n o m y a t V i e n n a , c o n s t r u c t e d s e v e r a l a s t r o n o m i c a l i n s t r u - m e n t s , a n d c o m m e n c e d t h e c a l c u l a t i o n o f a t a b l e o f s i n e s a n d t h e t r a n s l a t i o n o f t h e A l m a g e s t , w h i c h w a s c o m p l e t e d b y h i s p u p i l . H e d i e d i n 1 4 6 1 . I N T R O D U C T I O N l i astrolabe to navigation, and constructed the earliest globe now extant, was a pupil of Regiomontanus. Span ish stu den t s o f n avigat ion w ere req u ired t o st u dy t he works of Pu rbac h an d his pupils, for t he n ex t t w o hun dred years ; 1 an d it was n ot u n t il t he m iddle of t he sixt een t h c en tury t hat a gen eral work on navigation was complied for the use of seamen. T he first prac t ic al book on n avigat ion 2 w as wri- t t en by Ped r o d e M edin a, an d pu blished at Valla- dolid, wit h the t it le Arte de Navegar, in 1545 ; an d t he sec on d appeared at Seville, in 1556, bein g t he w ork of M a r t in C ortes, en t it led “a brief com pen - diu m of t h e s p here an d of the art of n avigat in g, w it h new in stru m en t s an d ru les. ” 3 T he books of 1 I n 1 6 3 6 t h e c o u r s e o f i n s t r u c t i o n o r d e r e d t o b e g i v e n b y t h e C o s m o g r a p h e r o f t h e I n d i e s w a s a s f o l l o w s : — H e h a d t o d e l i v e r t h r e e y e a r l y c o u r s e s o f l e c t u r e s , w h i c h w e r e a t t e n d e d b y y o u n g o f f i c e r s a n d p i l o t s . T h e c o u r s e f o r t h e f i r s t y e a r w a s a r i t h m e t i c a n d t h e D e S p h o e r a M u n d i o f S a c r o b o s c o . T h e s e c o n d y e a r ’ s c o u r s e c o m p r i s e d t h e s i x b o o k s o f E u c l i d , a r c s a n d c h o r d s , r i g h t s i n e s , t a n g e n t s , a n d s e c a n t s , t h e A l p h o n s i n e T a b l e s , P u r b a c h ’s t h e o r y o f t h e p la n e t s , a n d t h e b o o k o f s p h e r ic a l t r i a n g l e s b y R e g i o - m o n t a n u s . T h e t h i r d y e a r ’ s c o u r s e i n c l u d e d t h e A l m a g e s t o f P t o l e m y , c o s m o g r a p h y a n d t h e a r t o f n a v i g a t i o n , t h e u s e o f t h e a s t r o l a b e a n d i t s m e c h a n i s m , t h e u s e a n d a d j u s t m e n t s o f o t h e r i n - s t r u m e n t s , a n d t h e m e t h o d o f o b s e r v i n g t h e m o v e m e n t s o f t h e h e a v e n l y b o d i e s . S e e t h e O r d e n a n z a s d e l C o n s e j o R e a l d e l a s I n d i a s p o r e l R e y F e l i p e I V 1 6 3 6 , c c x x v i i i t o c c x l i i i . A l s o R e c o p i l a c i o n d e l o s l e y e s d e l o s r e y n o s d e l l a s I n d i a s , C a r l o s I I , t o m . I , p . 1 8 5 ( L i b . i i , t i t u l o X I I I , L e y e s a 5 ) . 2 T h e S u m a d e G e o g r a f i a o f E n c i s c o i s s c a r c e l y e n t i t l e d t o r a n k a s a p r a c t i c a l b o o k f o r o r d i n a r y u s e , a l t h o u g h i t c o n t a i n s t a b l e s o f d e c l i n a t i o n . 3 B r e v e c o m p e n d i o d e l a S p h e r a , y d e l a A r t e d e N a v e g a r , c o n n u e v o s i n s t r u m e n t s y r e g l o s : p o r M . M a r t i n C o r t e s ( S e v i l l a , 1 5 5 5 6 ) . lii I N TRO DUCTI O N

M edin a and C ort es c on t ain ed an ac c ou n t of t he Pt olem aic hypot hesis ; a c alen dar an d ru les t o fin d t he prim e an d epac t , t he m oon’s age, a n d t i m e of t ides ; u se of t he c om pass; tables of t he su n ’s dec li- n at ion for five years ; a n d desc ription s of the sea c hart , ast rolabe, an d c r o s s st aff. C on t em porary w it h t hese w orks w er e t he labou rs of Gemm a t he Frisian at An t w erp, w ho am o n g other im prove- ments, invented a new cross staff in 1545, and pub- ished his De Principiis Astronomiae. The great demand for instruction in all the maritime coun- tries of Europe, led to numerous translations of the first Spanish books on navigation. Italian and French editions of Medina came out at Venice and Lyons in 1554, and a Flemish edition at Antwerp in 1580. 1 It was also translated into Dutch by Martin Everart Brug at Amsterdam in 1598, 2 and into English by J. Frampton in 1581. But the work of Cortes was more popular in England. At the suggestion of Stephen Burrough, the Arctic navigator and distinguished pilot, Richard Eden published an English translation of Cortes in 1561, of which there were several editions. 1 T h e e d i t i o n o f M e d i n a , w h i c h w a s p u b l i s h e d a t A n t w e r p i n 1 5 8 0 , h a s a s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t ; f o r a c o p y o f i t w a s t a k e n u p t o t h e A r c t i c R e g i o n s b y B a r e n t s i n t h i s t h i r d v o y a g e , a n d w a s f o u n d b y C a p t a i n C a r l s e n a t I c e H a v e n i n 1 8 7 1 , h a v i n g b e e n l y i n g t h e r e s i n c e 1 5 9 6 . I t i s n o w i n t h e N a v a l m u s e u m a t t h e H a g u e . I t i s a q u a r t o v o l u m e , c o n t a i n i n g t h e A r t o f N a v i g a t i o n , b y P e d r o d e M e d i n a , w i t h t h e n e w i n s t r u c t i o n s o f M i c h e l C o i g n e t . 2 T h i s n e w e d i t i o n , b y M a r t i n E v e r a r t B r u g , w a s p u b l i s h e d i n 1 5 9 8 b y C o r n e l i s C l a e s z a t A m s t e r d a m . I t a l s o c o n t a i n e d t h e n e w i n s t r u c t i o n s b y C o i g n e t . I N T R O D U C T I O N l i i i

When M art in Frobisher u n dert ook his first voyage in 1576, he w as of c ou rse su pplie d w i t h t he best in st ru m en ts an d w orks of n avigat io n t hen in existen c e. A list of t hem has been preserved. He had a Fren c h book on c osmography by An dreas Thevet, a Spanish edition of Medina, a great globe in blank, a nautical sphere, a clock, an astronomical rin g, a n d an ast rolabe, a c ross st aff, t w ent y c om - passes of sort s, eight een hou r glasses, a great c hart of n avigat i o n , the gen eral m ap by M erc at or, an d t hree sm all prin t ed c hart s. T he best En glish n avigat ion book, w hen D avis w rote, was t he Regiment of the Sea by William Bou rn e, w hic h w as design ed as a su pplem en t t o t he w ork of C ort es. Am on g other n ew m at t ers it gives t he plac es an d dec lin ation s of thirty-two prin c ipal s t a r s , a n d d e s c r i b e s t h e l o g a n d l i n e . 1 T h e f i r s t 1 T h i s i s p r o b a b l y t h e e a r l i e s t a c c o u n t o f t h e l o g a n d l i n e . B o u r n e s a y s : — “ T o k n o w e t h e s h i p p e s w a y s o m e d o e u s e t h i s , w h i c h ( a s I t a k e i t ) i s v e r y g o o d . T h e y h a v e a p e e c e o f w o o d , a n d a l i n e t o v e r e o u t o v e r b o o r d , w h i c h t h e y m a k e f a s t a o n e e n d e d ; a n d a t t h e o t h e r e n d e , a n d i n t h e m i d d l e , t h e y h a v e a p e e c e o f a l i n e w h i c h t h e y m a k e f a s t w i t h a s m a l l t h r e a d t o s t a n d l i k e u n t o a c r o w f o o t e : f o r t h i s p u r p o s e , t h a t i t s h o u l d d r i v e a s t e r n e a s f a s t a s t h e s h i p p e d o t h g o a w a y f r o m i t , a l w a i e s h a v i n g y e l i n e s o r e a d y t h a t i t g o e t h o u t s o f a s t a s t h e s h i p g o e t h . I n l i k e m a n n e r , t h e y h a v e a n h o u r e g l a s s e o f a m i n u t e , s o t h a t t h e l i n e b e i n g o u t m a y b e s t o p t j u s t w i t h t h a t t i m e t h a t t h e g l a s s i s o u t . W h i c h d o n e , t h e y h a l e i n t h e l o g g e o r p i e c e o f w o o d , a n d l o o k e h o w m a n y f a d o m t h e s h i p p e h a t h g o n e i n t h a t t i m e . T h a t b e i n g k n o w n , t h e y m u l t i p l y t h e n u m b e r o f f a t h o m s b y t h e p o r t i o n o f t h e t i m e , o r p a r t o f a n h o u r . W h e r e b y y o u m a y k n o w h o w m a n y l e a g u e s t h e s h i p p e g o e t h i n a n h o u r . ” — B o u r n e ’ s R e g i m e n t o f t h e S e a , H o o d ’ s e d i t i o n o f 1 5 9 6 , p . 4 8 . l i v I N T R O D U C T I O N e d i t i o n o f B o u r n e a p p e a r e d i n 1 5 7 7 , a n d l a t e r e d i t i o n s w e r e b r o u g h t o u t , w i t h a d d i t i o n s b y D r . Hood. Discoveries and improvements were followin g eac h ot her rapidly in En glan d i n t hose days. R obert Norm an , t he hyd r ographer, observed for the variation of the compass, and discovered the dip of t he n eedle in 1576. Edw ard Wright show e d t h e t ru e m ethod of projec t in g a c hart on t he plan at t ri- bu t ed t o M erc at or ; an d Briggs labou red t o int rodu c e t he use of logarit hm s. 1 M an y t reat ises on t he u se of globes and in st rum en ts w ere pu blished, as w ell as on n avigat ion ; an d t he s u b jec t appears t o be so interesting that I have endeavoured to enume- rate the works relating to navigation which were written during the age of Elizabeth. This list is printed in the Appendix. The object of Davis in the publication of his Seaman’s Secrets was to furnish a practical guide to the sailor, and to impart the amount of scientific knowledge which is necessary for the due comprehen- sion of t he art of n avigation . O ther w orks w ere m o r e e l a b o r a t e , a n d g a v e a s m u c h s p a c e t o t h e 1 H e n r y B r i g g s , a Y o r k s h i r e m a n , w a s b o r n i n 1 5 5 6 , a n d b e c a m e P r o f e s s o r o f G e o m e t r y a t O x f o r d i n 1 5 9 6 . H e p r o m o t e d t h e u s e o f l o g a r i t h m s e x p l a i n e d b y N a p i e r i n 1 6 1 4 , a n d w e n t t o E d i n b u r g h t o c o n f e r w i t h N a p i e r o n t h e s u b j e c t . I n 1 6 2 4 h e p r i n t e d A r i t h - m e t i c a L o g a r i t h m i c a . H e a l s o b r o u g h t o u t t h e f i r s t s i x b o o k s o f E u c l i d , a n d w r o t e a t r e a t i s e o n t h e N o r t h - w e s t P a s s a g e . H e w a s a p r o m o t e r o f t h e v o y a g e s o f S i r T h o m a s B u t t o n a n d L u k e F o x . H e d i e d o n J a n u a r y 2 6 t h , 1 6 3 0 , a t O x f o r d . F o x , w h o s a i l e d i n 1 6 3 1 , n a m e d a g r o u p o f i s l a n d s i n H u d s o n ’ s B a y , “ B r i g g s h i s M a t h e m a t i c k e s ” . I N T R O D U C T I O N l v t h e o r e t i c a l a n d a b s t r a c t s e c t i o n s a s t o p r a c t i c a l i n s t r u c t i o n , w h i l e t h e a i m o f D a v i s w a s t o b r i n g t oget her a brief relat ion of su ch prac t ic es as in his several voyages he had, from experience, collected. T he t reat ise gives an exac t an d c om prehen sive idea of the state of the scientific knowledge of navigation at the time when some of the most memorable maritime enterprises were undertaken. The information is arranged in the form of dialogues. The Seaman’s Secrets supplanted the translations of Cortes, and was very popular, passing through eight editions between 1594 and 1657. Davis was certainly one of the most accomplished seam en o f h is age. Sir R obert Du dley and Sir William M on son sp e a k o f him as a m ost learned mariner and a good mathematician. 1 Davis invented 1 “ C a p i t a n o G i o v a n n i D a v i s I n g l e s e e r a d o t t i s i m o m a r i n e r o e b u o n m a t e m a t i c o . ” ( A r c a n o d e M a r e , l i b . I I , c a p . v ) . T h i s s u p e r b w o r k , i n t h r e e f o l i o v o l u m e s , w a s f i r s t p u b l i s h e d a t F l o r e n c e i n 1 6 4 6 , w i t h t h e f o l l o w i n g t i t l e , D e l l ’ A r c a n o d e M a r e d i D . R u b e r t o D u d l e o , D u c a d i N o r t u m b r i a e C o n t e d i W a r w i c k . L i b r i S e i . T h e f i r s t b o o k i s o n l o n g i t u d e , t h e s e c o n d o n g e n e r a l c h a r t s a n d p o r t o l a n i , t h e t h i r d o n d i s c i p l i n e a t s e a a n d n a v a l t a c t i c s , t h e f o u r t h o n n a v a l a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d f o r t i f i c a t i o n , t h e f i f t h o n n a v i g a t i o n a n d s p i r a l a n d g r e a t c i r c l e s a i l i n g , a n d t h e s i x t h c o n t a i n s a n a t l a s o f s p e c i a l c h a r t s . T h e p l a t e s a r e v e r y f i n e , a n d i n c l u d e e l a b o r a t e f i g u r e s o f a l l t h e i n s t r u m e n t s t h e n i n u s e o n b o a r d s h i p . T h e s e c o n d e d i t i o n o f t h e A r c a n o d e M a r e , a p p e a r e d a t F l o r e n c e i n 1 6 6 1 , t w e l v e y e a r s a f t e r t h e a u t h o r ’ s d e a t h . R o b e r t D u d l e y , t h e a u t h o r o f t h e A r c a n o d e M a r e , w a s a v e r y r e m a r k a b l e m a n . H e w a s t h e s o n o f R o b e r t D u d l e y , E a r l o f L e i c e s t e r , b y L a d y D o u g l a s H o w a r d , d a u g h t e r o f L o r d H o w a r d o f E f f i n g h a m a n d w i d o w o f L o r d S h e f f i e l d . H i s l e g i t i m a c y w a s u n j u s t l y d i s p u t e d , a n d a t l a s t h e r e t i r e d t o I t a l y . B e f o r e h e l e f t E n g l a n d h e h a d s e e n s e r v i c e a t s e a , w a s g e n e r a l o f a f l e e t w h i c h lvi I N TRO DUCTI O N a n ew in st ru m en t c alled t he bac k st aff, design ed t o be an improvement on the old cross staff, for observing the altitude of heavenly bodies ; and he was foremost in the adoption of all new inventions in the science of navigation. Davis dedicated the Seaman’s Secrets to Lord How ard Effin gham , t he L ord high Adm iral , w ho, six years before, had defeated t he Span ish Arm ada. In t he dedicatory let t er he alludes t o his t hree Arc t ic voyages, and says t hat t he at t em pt s t o dis- c over a passage w ere aban doned ow in g t o t he deat h of their c hief pat ron , Sir Fran c is Walsin gham . He t hen refers t o his voyage in t he fleet of C aven dish, w hic h he u n dert ook ow in g t o his vehem en t desire t o at t em pt t he pas sage from t he Sou th Sea. He defen ds him self again st t he c harge of havin g de- sert ed C aven dish, briefly an d w ith dign it y. In conclusion he refers to the excellence of Englishmen in mathematics and map-making, in engraving and shipbuilding, and, above all, as navigators and seamen, in which art of seamanship, he declares, “wee are n ot t o be m atc hed by an y n at ion of t he eart h”. w e n t t o t h e W e s t I n d i e s i n 1 5 9 4 , a n d w i t h E s s e x a t t h e s a c k o f C a d i z . H e w a s g i f t e d w i t h e x t r a o r d i n a r y t a l e n t , a n d w a s s k i l l e d i n v a r i o u s s c i e n c e s . T h e E m p e r o r F e r d i n a n d I I c r e a t e d h i m a D u k e i n 1 6 2 0 , a n d h e c a l l e d h i m s e l f D u k e o f N o r t h u m b e r l a n d . H e d i e d i n 1 6 4 9 a t F l o r e n c e . S i r W i l l i a m M o n s o n , i n h i s N a v a l T r a c t s , w h e n h e a d v o c a t e s t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a l e c t u r e o n n a v i g a t i o n , s a y s : “ W h a t m a d e J o h n D a v i s s o f a m o u s f o r n a v i g a t i o n b u t h i s l e a r n i n g , w h i c h w a s c o n f i r m e d b y e x p e r i e n c e . T h i s l e c t u r e n o d o u b t i n a l i t t l e t i m e w i l l m a k e m e n a s f a m o u s a s D a v i s , t o t h e h o n o u r a n d b e n e f i t o f t h e c o m m o n w e a l t h . ” — M o n s o n i n C h u r c h i l l ’ s V o y a g e s , i i i , p . 4 0 2 . I N TRO DUCTI O N lvii

Hen c e he c on c eives t hat t he know ledge of navigation is a matter of great moment, and that every man is bound “to give his best furtherance thereunto, among whom, the most unmeet of all, I have published this short treatise, naming it the Seaman’s Secrets.” The World’s Hydrographical Description appeared i n t he followin g year. It is con c eived in the s a m e spirit as the discourse of Sir Hu m phrey Gilbert , 1 a w ork w hic h m u st have been w ell kn ow n t o D avis, havin g been prin t ed in 1576, yet the Description is not a plagiarism, for it contains different arguments, and information derived from greater experience. Davis first states the arguments that have been used against a north-west passage, and then answers 1 “ A d i s c o u r s e w r i t t e n b y S i r H u m p h r e y G i l b e r t , K t . , t o p r o v e a p a s s a g e t o C a t a y a a n d t h e E a s t I n d i e s ” , i s p r i n t e d i n H a k l u y t ( 2 d e d . ) , i i , p a g e s 3 2 t o 4 7 . I t i s d i v i d e d i n t o t e n c h a p t e r s . T h e f i r s t i s t o p r o v e b y a u t h o r i t y t h e e x i s t e n c e o f a p a s s a g e , i n t h e s e c o n d i s a p r o o f f r o m r e a s o n , a n d t h e t h i r d s h o w s t h a t A m e r i c a i s a n i s l a n d f r o m t h e r e p o r t s o f v a r i o u s t r a v e l l e r . T h e f o u r n e x t c h a p t e r s d i s c u s s t h e t r a d i t i o n s t h a t t h e p a s s a g e h a s b e e n s a i l e d t h r o u g h ; a n d i n t h e e i g h t h c h a p t e r t h e r e a s o n s o f M r . A n t h o n y J e n k i n s o n f o r a n o r t h - e a s t p a s s a g e a r e c o n t e s t e d . I n t h e n i n t h c h a p t e r i t i s s h o w n t h a t t h e n o r t h - w e s t p a s s a g e i s m o r e c o m m o - d i o u s f o r t r a f f i c , a n d i n t h e t e n t h t h e m a n i f o l d a d v a n t a g e s o f t h e d i s c o v e r y a r e s e t f o r t h . A t t h e c l o s e o f t h e d i s c o u r s e , S i r H u m - p h r e y e x c l a i m s : “ H e i s n o t w o r t h y t o l i v e a t a l l w h o f o r f e a r o r d a n g e r o f d e a t h s h u n n e t h h i s c o u n t r y ’ s s e r v i c e o r h i s o w n h o n o r , s i n c e d e a t h i s i n e v i t a b l e , a n d t h e f a m e o f v i r t u e i m m o r t a l . ” T h e g l o r i o u s d e a t h o f S i r H u m p h r e y G i l b e r t t o o k p l a c e o n l y t w o y e a r s b e f o r e D a v i s s a i l e d o n h i s f i r s t A r c t i c v o y a g e . S i r W i l l i a m M o n s o n , i n h i s N a v a l T r a c t s , w r o t e a d i s c o u r s e c o n c e r n i n g t h e n o r t h - w e s t p a s s a g e , w h i c h i s i n t e n d e d a s a r e p l y t o G i l b e r t a n d D a v i s ( C h u r c h i l l , i i , p . 3 9 2 ) . lviii INTRODUCTION all objections. He next, like Sir Humphrey Gilbert, appeals t o t he au t horit y of m any au t hors, an c ien t an d m odern, t o show t hat Am eric a is an islan d. In t his part of his disc ou rse he refers t o his o w n experien ces, an d fu rn ishes q u ain t desc ript ion s of scenery, and some n ew particulars having reference t o his t hree Arc t ic voya g e s . T here are also som e in terest in g rem arks on t he flot at ion of ic e, and t he formation of icebergs ; and Davis concludes with an enumeration of the great advantages to be derived from the discovery of the passage. His reasoning, h o w e v e r far-fet c hed it m ay appear t o be at t he presen t day, su fficien t ly proves t he z ealou s en t hu - s i as m w hic h an im at ed t his en erget ic explorer. I n som e passages, t ow ards t he en d of t he t reat is e i t rises t o eloq u en c e. I c an not help expressin g t he wish that there were more such men now, to awaken England to a sense of the advantages to be obtained, and the honour to be gained, through Arctic enterprise. In the World’s Hydrographical Description, mention is made of the fam ous “globe w h i c h M r. San derson t o his very great c harge hat h pu blished, for t he w hic h he deservet h g r e a t favou r an d c om - m en dat ion s”. 1 D avis says t hat it w as t hrou gh him t hat Em ery M olyn eu x w as em ployed t o c on st ru c t t he g l obe, an d t his his n ort hern disc overies w ere delineat ed u pon it . T he r e w e r e tw o globes, on e celestial and the other terrestrial, which were the first

1 P a g e 2 1 1 . I N TRO DUCTI O N lix ever constructed in this country,1 and are now in the Library of the Middle Temple. Upon the terres- t rial globe are t he arm s of San derson , q u art erin g Skirn e, Wall, an d L an gst on , w it h a L at in in sc rip- t ion , an d t he follow in g En glish ren derin g : “ W I L L I A M S A N D E R S O N , “ t o y e G e n t l e R e a d e r . “No t i n t h e l app e of l e arn e d ski l l I e ue r w as up broug h t, No r i n t h e st udy o f t h e S tarre s (w i t h gri f f e I g raun t ) was t aug h t , Ye t w h i l st on t h i s si de art s, o n t h at sy d e ve rt ue s h on o r, My m i n d e ad m i ri n g vi e we d , an d re st f i xt vp o n h er ; Lo o , at my ch arg e t h o u se e st y e e ue r w h i rl i n g sp h ere , T h e e n d l e s re ac h e s o f t h e l an d an d se a in sig h t ap p eare F or c o un t ri e s g o o d , f o r w o rl d s b e h o ofe , f o r l e arn i n g s f urt h e ran c e , W h e rb y o ur ve rt o us En g l i sh m e n , t h e i r act i on s m ay advãce T o vi si t e f o rrai n e l an d s w h e re f art h e st c oaste s d o l y e , I h aue t h e se w orl d e s t h us f o rm e d , an d worlde s go o d app l y . W i t h w o rd, I p ray y o u f auo r t h e m , an d f urt h e r t h e m w i t h w i l l T h at arts an d ve rt ue m ay b e d e ckt , w it h t h e i r d ue h on o r st i ll, B ut y f t h at an y b e t t e r h aue , l e t t h e m t h e b e tt e r sh e we F o r l e rn in g s sake , I w i l l n ot sp are y e c h arg e s t o be st o w e .”

“No n m e susce p i t g rem i o Mat h e si s...... “F ro b . , Drake, P et t , an d J ac kman .

“J o an n e s Daui s An g l us an n i s 15 85 , 8 6 , 8 7 , l i t t o ra Am e ri c æ c i r c i u m s p e c t a n t i a a q u i n q u a g e s i m o q u i n o t g r a d u a s 7 3 s u b - p o l are m sc ut an do p e rl e g i t .” T he c elest ial globe bears the dat e 15 9 2 . T he t errest rial w as fin i s h e d at t he sam e t im e, bu t t he original date has been omitted. Some additions were s u b s e q u e n t l y m a d e . I t n o w s h o w s , n o t o n l y t h e 1 T h e o l d e s t e x i s t i n g g l o b e w a s m a d e b y M a r t i n B e h a i m i n 1 4 9 2 , a n d i s s t i l l i n t h e p o s s e s s i o n o f h i s f a m i l y a t N u r e m b u r g . T h e g l o b e o f M e r c a t o r , p u b l i s h e d a t L o u v a i n , d a t e s f r o m 1 5 4 1 . l x I N T R O D U C T I O N d i s c o v e r i e s o f D a v i s , b u t a l s o t h o s e o f W i l l e m Baren t s, t he D u t c h n avigat or, t he rec ord of w hose voyage did not reach Holland until 1598. The date 1603 was put on the globe when the discoveries of Baren t s w ere draw n u pon it . The globe is t w o feet in diam et er. Haklu yt , in t he address t o the reader, i n h i s Principal Navigations, pu blished in 1589, w as t he first t o an nou nc e t he c on st ru c t ion of these fam ou s globes, in t he follow in g words : “A very lar g e a n d most exact terrestrial globe, collected and reformed according to the newest, secretest, and latest discoveries, both Spanish, Portugall, and English, composed by M . Em errie M ollin eu x of L am beth, a rare gen t lem an in his profession, bein g t herin divers yeeres greatly supported by the purse and liberalitie of the worshipfull marchant M. William Sanderson.” Hakluyt adds that he has contented himself with givin g, in his volu m e, on e of t he best gen eral maps of the world (namely, one by Ortelius) to serve until the globe shall come out. This was in 1589. The globe came out in 1592. A manual for the use of the Molyneux globes was published in 1592, by T. Hood, of Trinity College, C am bridge ; an d an ot her m an u al by R obert Hu es, 1 1 R o b e r t H u e s ( o r H u s i u s ) w a s b o r n n e a r L e o m i n s t e r , i n 1 5 5 3 , a n d e n t e r e d a s a s e r v i t o r a t B r a z e n o s e C o l l e g e , O x f o r d . W h e n h e t o o k h i s d e g r e e , h e w a s c o n s i d e r e d a g o o d G r e e k s c h o l a r , a n d a s o b e r a n d s e r i o u s s t u d e n t . H e a f t e r w a r d s b e c a m e s k i l l e d i n m a t h e - m a t i c s a n d g e o g r a p h y ; a n d i n 1 5 9 3 h e p u b l i s h e d t h e T r a c t a t u s d e g l o b i s e t e o r e m u s u , a c c o m m o d a t u s i i s q u i L o n d o n i e d i t i s u n t : a n . 1 5 7 3 , s u m p t i b u s G u l i e l m i S a n d e r s o n i : C i v . , L o n d . H u e s d i e d a t O x f o r d o n M a y 2 4 t h 1 6 3 2 , a g e d 7 9 . lxi I N TRO DUCTI O N appeared in 1593. It is in L at in, en t it led Tractatus de Globis et eorum usu ; and w as t ran s l a t ed in t o D u t c h by Hon diu s in 1596. Bu t t he best desc rip- t ion of t he globes w ill be fou n d i n B lu n derville’s Exerc ises. 1 He c om pares t he t errest ria l globe of M olyn eu x w it h t hat of M erc at or (1541), an d explain s all t he a ddit ion s an d c orrec t ion s t hat have been m ade on the former, including the disc overies of Frobisher and Davis, t he n ew plac es in t he East and West Indies, which were unknown to Mercator ; and the two lines, one red and the other blue, which show the circumnavigating rout es of D rake an d C aven dish. It has been su pposed t hat M olyn eux w as also t he constructor of the “New Map” which illustrates this volume. But it is m ost c ert ain t h a t t h e map w as drawn by that great mathematician Edward Wright. T he delin eat ion of t he disc overies of D avis on t he globe an d on t he m ap, is iden t ic al. T his goes far t o prove that Davis himself assisted in the preparation both of the globe and the map. There are two notices of John Davis, in the corre- spondence at the State Paper Office, which relate to this period (1593 to 1596). One is in a letter from Sir Walter Raleigh to Sir Robert Cecil, dated March 3rd, 1594 (1595). In it Sir Walter mentions that Captain Davis is accused of some notorious villany by one Milburne, but that the matter has been ex- amined by some of the best gentlemen in Devonshire, 1 M . B l u n d e r v i l l e , H i s E x e r c i s e s , c o n t a i n i n g E i g h t T r e a t i e s ( 4 t h e d i t i o n ) , 1 6 1 3 , p . 5 1 3 . T h e f i r s t e d i t i o n a p p e a r e d i n 1 5 9 4 . lxii INTRODUCTION and nothing was proved, yet Davis had been sent up to London in charge of a pursuivant. Raleigh asks favour for Davis and leave for him to depart. He adds that Milburne, who accuses him, had seduced his wife during his absence, that he is a dissolute person with nothing to lose, and like to be hanged for coining. The other is a letter from Sir Robert Young to Sir Robert Cecil, dated March 15th, 1596. Sir Robert reports that the diligence, fidelity, and intelligence of John Davis, in Allfield's matter, have been very g r eat ; that he t ook all Allfields books t h a t w ere in t he West C oun try, w hic h w ere ver y evil and seditious, and sent them to Sir R. Young ; and that Davis's bonds have been taken, with surety for his appearance in twenty days after warning given at Blackaller's house in Dartmouth. These letters refer to transactions of little importance, the clues to the full history of which are lost. They are only referred to in order to enume- rate all the existing sources of information respecting the life of Davis. During the years 1596 and 1597 there is reason for the belief that John Davis was serving under the Earl of Essex in the expedition to Cadiz and the voyage to the Azores. It appears that he took service with the Dutch in their voyage to the East Indies in 1598, at the suggestion of Essex, and that he had previously become acquainted with the Earl. We find also, from a passage in his account of the Dutch voyage, that he had certainly seen active service under Essex, and this could only have been INTRODUCTION lxiii during 1596 or 1597. He says that he and an English comrade “undertook to order these Fellowes, f r o m t h a t e x c e l l e n t m e t h o d e w e e h a d s e e n e i n y o u r L o r d s h i p ’ s m o s t h o n o u r a b l e A c t i o n s ” . 1 M o r e - o v e r , Sir William Monson, who was Captain of the (the) Earls ship at Cadiz, and also served in the voyage to the Azores, tells us that he often had con- versations with Mr. John Davis. 2 It may, therefore, be considered as almost certain that Davis was serving in the expeditions commanded by the Earl of Essex during the years 1596 and 1597, probably as a Pilot. There is a letter in the State Paper Office which proves, beyond doubt, that Captain Davis was at sea in 1596 or 1597. A Mr. Honyman, a merchant of London, who frequently supplied Sir Robert C ec il w i t h n e w s f r o m R o c h e l l e a n d S p ai n , wrot e t o h i m o n M a r c h 9 t h , 1 5 9 7 , e n c l o s i n g a l e t t e r f r o m T . B a k e r a t P l y m o u t h , s ay i n g — “Y ou have hea r d o f t h e t a k i n g o f y o u r s h i p i n w h ic h C a p t ai n D a v i s w e n t , b u t y o u r l o s s w a s n o t m u c h , a s t h e y l e f t t h e s h i p an d c o n t e n t e d t h e m s e l v e s w i t h t h e g o o d s ” . H o n y m a n a d d s t h a t t h e e n e m y ' s s h i p s h a d b e e n s e t f o r t h f r o m B r it t a n y b y t h e D u e d e M e r c œ u r . W e n e xt f in d J o h n D av i s a c c e p t i n g an e n g ag e - ment as Chief Pilot in a Dutch ship, destined to form part of a fleet intended for the East Indies, evidently a t t h e s u g g e s t i o n o f t h e E a r l o f E s s e x . A t t h a t time the spirit of maritime enterprise was very strong in Holland, more especially amongst the merchants

1 S e e p a g e 1 3 6 . 2 N a v a l T r a c t s , C h u r c h i l l , i i i , p a g e 3 9 2 . lxiv INTRODUCTION of Amsterdam, to whom belongs the credit of origi- nating and despatching the memorable expedition in which the gallant Barents laid down his life, as well as the first Dutch voyage to the East Indies, in 1595. The townsmen of Middleburg and Veere, in Zeeland, n ot to be behind their compatriots in Amsterdam, likewise displayed the same eagerness to embark in ventures involving risk an d danger, with the prospect of commensurate profits. Thus it was that Middleburg despatched the second Dutch voyage to the East Indies. The expedition in which Davis served was undertaken by the merchant family of the Moucherons, an account of whom will be found in a note at page 132. The Company of the Moucherons, formed more especially for the East India trade, consisted of several members of that family besides other merchants. In December 1597, Balthazar de Moucheron, as head of the Company, informed the States General that it was in tended to send three ships and a yacht, 1 during the forthcoming year, to the East Indies, to t rade in spices, and requested that they might be furnished with guns and ammu- n ition, and be exempted from tolls, as were t he ships that had been previou sly sent out by the Amsterdam and Rotterdam Companies. This request was gran ted, instructions being given to the Admiralty at M iddleburg to carry it into effect. B a l t h a z a r , e v e r a n x i o u s t o p r o m o t e t h e w e l f a r e

1 O n l y t w o s a i l e d . INTRODUCTION lxv and insure the success of the enterprise, succeeded in inducing several of the seamen who had been employed in the previous voyage to join his undertaking. Am ong these were the two brothers de Houtman, to the eldest of whom was entrusted the command of the expedition, in spite of the ill success of his recent voyage, by which he had fallen con- siderably in the estimation of the merchants of Amsterdam. In order, however, to obtain the services of these men, Moucheron was obliged to offer them higher salaries than they were receiving from their former employers. The ships for the Zeeland voyage were De Leeuw (the Lion) and De Leeuwin (the Lioness). In the former were the following officers :- Cornelia de Houtman, Chief. Pieter Stockman, Captain. Gayon Lefort, Treasurer. John Davis, Steersman or Pilot. Jacques Baudeus, Cashier. Jan van den Aertbrugge Assistants Jacqaus Sanders  In the Lioness were— Frederik de Houtman, Captain. Thomas Coymans, Cashier. Bus Abbing Assistants. Thomassen The only account of this voyage, which (so far as the owners and principal officers of the ships were concerned) terminated so disastrously, is the one w r i t t e n b y D a v i s , a n d p u b l i s h e d b y P u r c h a s in h i s lxvi INTRODUCTION

Pilgrimes. Cornells de Houtman was killed in the t reac herou s at t ac k m ade on t he ships by t he K ing of Ac hen , an d F r e d e rik de Hou tm an w as at t he sam e t ime t aken prison er. He rem ain ed in c ap- t ivit y for t w en t y-six m on t hs, durin g w hic h t im e he c om piled a dic t ion ary of t he M alay lan gu age, an d t ook several observa t i o n s of m an y st ars in t he sou t hern hemisphere, w hic h, w it h his diction ary, w ere published aft er his ret u rn t o Holland. For the information regarding the Company of the Moucherons, and the equipment of this expedition, I am indebted to Mr. J. K. J. de Jonge's admirable work, ent itled The Rise of the Dutch power in the East Indies. 1 Mr. de Jonge's opinion respecting the conduct of Davis during this voyage, must have been formed from a perusal of the English seaman's own narrative, for no other account of the expedition is extant. This narrative is certainly not flattering to the Dutch, by whom Davis appears to have been very harshly t reat ed. M r. de Jon ge says, “If M ouc heron made a m ist ake in t hinkin g t hat in C orn elis de Hou t man he had sec u red a skilfu l leader, he m ade a great er mistake in engaging the English Pilot, John Davis ; for he seems to have entered the service of Moucheron with the sole object of being a spy, commissioned as such by the Earl of Essex, as appears by his own words written three days after his return from India,

1 D e O p h o m s t v a n k e t N e d e r l a n d s c h G e z a g i n O o s t . I n d i e , d o o r J h r . M r . J . K . J , d e J o n g e . P u b l i s h e d b y M a r t i u u s N i j h o f f . ' s G r a v e n h a g e . F r e d e r i c k M u l l e r , A m s t e r d a m , 1 8 6 4 . INTRODUCTION lxvii to Essex. “According to those directions which your Lordship gave me in charge at my departure, when it pleased you to employ me in this voyage, for the discovering of these Eastern parts of the world, to the service of Her Majesty and the good of our country." I cannot but think that Mr. de Jonge has adopted a mistaken view of the case. Davis was employed by the Dutch as chief pilot, and as such he undoubtedly performed his duty to the best of his ability, and successfully navigated the vessels entrusted to his pilotage to their destination in the East Indies, and thence home. Not only did he do this, but he saved both ships from capture, 1 after the elder de Houtman had been killed and his brother taken prisoner. Mr. de Jonge makes no mention of the other Englishman, Master Tomkins, who was serving on board the Lion, and who with Davis so bravely defended the poop of the vessel when she was treacherously attacked off Achen. A s f o r t h e l e t t e r s e n t b y D a v i s t o t h e E a r l o f E s s e x o n h i s r e t u r n f r o m t h i s v o y a g e , t h e E n g l i s h P i l o t d i d n o m o r e , i n f u r n i s h i n g a r e p o r t t o t h a t n o b l e m a n , t h a n w e s h o u l d e x p e c t o f a n y l o y a l a n d pat riot ic m an , n o m at t er of w hat n ation , em ployed on a like servic e. As w ell might it be said t hat t he foreign offic ers who ac c om pan ied Sir Allen Y ou n g in his rec en t Arc t ic voyages in the Pandora, or Pro- fessor Nordenskiold, in the Vega, were spies because t h e y v e r y p r o p e r l y f o r w a r d e d r e p o r t s o f t h o s e voyages to their several governments! 1 Sec page 144. lxviii INTRODUCTION

D avis, alt hou gh servin g u n der the Du t ch flag, had n ot sw orn allegian c e t o t hat nat ion , bu t had m e r e ly given his servic es t o assist in a m erc an t i l e en t erpris e , an d he w as in n o w ay bou n d t o keep s i l e n c e r e s p e c t i n g t h e e v e n t s o f t h e v o y a g e . I t must be remembered that Davis, when employed by the Moucherons, was a man of eminence, and one who had greatly distinguished himself as a n avi- gator. He had already written the ac c ou nts of former voyages, and had published two learned treatises. It could not, therefore, have been supposed that he would not write some account of his voyage to the East Indies. Fortunately there is direct contemporary evidence that he w as not ex- pected by his employers to remain silent respecting the events of the voyage. William Walker, who translated the journal of the Dutch voyage under Jacob Neck in 1601, preceded it with a letter addressed to Sir Thomas Smith, the Governor of the E a s t I n d i a C o m p a n y . 1 I n t h i s l e t t e r h e s a y s t h a t the Dutch had “special assistance in their late navigations by t he meanes of Master John Davis and other skilfull Pylots of our nation ; and in return the Dutch doe in ample man ner requite us; acquainting us with their voyages, discoveries and dangers, both outward and homeward, with their negotiations and traffique at Java, the Maluco, and other places, and likewise with the quantitie and value of spices and other comm odit ies which they brought home”. Thus the Dutch themselves freely 1 M S . i n p o s s e s s i o n o f t h e H a k l u y t S o c i e t y . INTRODUCTION lxix communicated information to their English allies in those early days, so that it is a total misapprehension to suppose that an English pilot, serving in a Dutch ship, could in any sense be a spy. The narrative of t he second Dutch voyage to India, by John Davis, is the more valuable because, a s I h a v e a l r e a d y s a i d , i t i s t h e o n l y o n e e x t a n t . H e r e t u r n e d t o M i d d l e b u r g o n t h e 2 9 t h o f J u n e 1 6 0 0 , a n d f o r w a r d e d h i s r e p o r t , w i t h a c o v e r i n g letter, to the Earl of Essex, on the 1st of August. M e a n w h i l e t h e E n g l i s h E ast In dia C om p a n y h a d b e e n f o r m e d , an d p r e p ar a t i o n s w e r e b e i n g b u s i l y made for the despatch of the first venture under the command of Captain James Lancaster, who was appointed General of the Fleet on the 10th of Decem- b e r 1 6 0 0 . D a v i s w a s t h e o n l y E n g l i s h P i l o t w h o had m ade a voyage t o t he east , an d, on his ret u rn t o

T h e R e d D r a g o n

E n g l a n d i n A u g u s t 1 6 0 0 , h i s s e r v i c e s w e r e e a g e r l y s o u g h t f o r a n d s e c u r e d . H e w a s a p p o i n t e d P i l o t l x x I N T R O D U C T I O N

M a j o r o n b o a r d t h e R e d Drag o n , L a n c a s t e r ' s s h i p , with the understanding that he was to have £500 if the voyage yielded two for one ; £1,000 if three for one ; £1,500 if four for one ; and £2,000 if five for one. The expedition sailed from Woolwich on the 13th of February 1601 (1600 after the English ac- compt), and returned on the 11th of September 1603. T he origin al man usc ript jou rnals of t his m emora- ble voyage are lost ; bu t t he n arrative, as given by Pu rc has, has been re print ed an d edit ed for this Soc iet y by M r. Clem en ts M arkham . 2 D avis is on ly m en t ion ed onc e, and quite incident ally. When t he fleet w as at Ac hen it is sai d t h at C apt ain L an - c ast er w as not a lit t le grieve d a t C apt ain John Davis, his principal Pilot, having told the merchants before sailing from London, that pepper was to be had at Achen much cheaper than proved to be the case. 3 This identifies Lancaster's chief Pilot with the John Davis who was Pilot in the Dutch fleet ; for no one, who had not been in India before, could have spoken with authority on such a subject as the price of pepper at Achen. Davis prepared the second edition of his Seaman's Secrets for the press after his return with C aptain L an cast er. It w as pu blished in 1607. Bu t he had 1 T h e R e d D r a g o n w a s f o r m e r l y a s h i p b e l o n g i n g t o t h e E a r l o f C u m b e r l a n d , c a l l e d t h e M a l i c e S c o u r g e . S h e w a s b o u g h t b y t h e E a s t I n d i a C o m p a n y f o r £ 3 7 0 0 , a n d r e - c h r i s t e n e d t h e R e d D r a g o n , a s h i p o f 6 0 0 t o n s , w i t h a c r e w o f 2 0 2 m e n . 2 T h e V o y a g e s o f S i r J a m e s L a n c a s t e r , K t , t o t h e E a s t I n d i e s , e d i t e d b y C l e m e n t s R . M a r k h a m , C . B . , F . R . S . ( H a k l u y t S o c i e t y , 1 8 7 7 ) , p a g e s 5 7 t o 1 0 7 . 3 P a g e 8 4 . INTRODUCTION lxxi not been many months on shore, before he was in- duced to accept service again under Sir Edward Michelborne, a gentleman pensioner of King James I. Great interest had been made to get Michelborne the command of the East India Company's first fleet, in place of Lancaster. The L ord Treasurer is said to have used much persuasion with the Company to accept of his employment, as principal commander of the voyage ; but the merchants announced that they were resolved not to employ any gentleman in any place of charge in the voyage, desiring “to sort their business with men of their own quality”. In the Charter of Incorporation of the East India Company, privileges are granted to George Earl of Cumberland and 215 knights, aldermen, and merchants. In this list the name of Sir Edward Michelborne comes third; but in July 1601 a minute records that Sir Edward, with two others, were “disfranchised out of the freedom and privileges of this fellowship, and utterly disabled from taking any benefit or profit thereby”. No reason is given for this expulsion, but soon afterwards we find Michelborne preparing an expedition on his own account. It is evident that Sir Edward Michelborne had a good deal of influence at Court. We have seen the Lord Treasurer pressing the Company to appoint him to command their first voyage. On June 25th, 1604, James I, regardless of the Charter giving ex- clusive rights to the East India Company, granted a license to Michelborne, one of his gentlemen p e n - s i o n e r s , t o d i s c o v e r a n d t r a d e w i t h C a t h a i a a n d lxxii INTRODUCTION

Japan, notwithstanding any grant or charter to the contrary. Accordingly the courtly adventurer e q u i p - p e d a v e s s e l c a l l e d t h e T i g e r , o f 2 4 0 t o n s , w i t h a p i n n a c e n a m e d t h e T i g e r s W h e l p ; a n d J o h n D avis ac c ept ed t he appoin t m en t of Pilot . T his w as his second voyage t o the East In dies in an En glish vessel, 1 t he third c ou n t in g his Du t c h servic e. B e f o r e h e s a i l e d o n h i s l a s t v o y a g e , J o h n D a v i s m a d e h i s W i l l . I t w o u l d a p p e a r t h a t h i s w i f e w a s dead, an d t hat he w as en gaged t o be m arried t o on e Judit h Havard, if he s h o u ld be spared t o ret u rn hom e on ce more. Bu t t his w as not t o be. T he Will is as follow s : — “ In the n a me o f Go d Ame n. B e in g n owe boun d e to the seas for the coaste of China in the Tigar of London, and un- certaine of my retume, I doe committ my bodye to God's favourable direction and my sowle to his euerlastinge mercie, and for my worldly goods, whatsoever lands, leases, m'chan- dizes, or money, either in my possession or in due com- mynge unto me, as by specialities or otherwise shall appeare, my will is that it shall be devided and parted into fower equall parts or porc'ons ; that is to say, I give and bequeath th' one foureth parte thereof to Judith Havard, unto whom I have given my faithe in matrimony, to be solempnized at my returne. The other foureth parte I give to Gilbert Davis, my eldest sonne. The third foureth parte I give to Arthur Davis, my second sonne ; and the last foureth parte to Phillip Davis, my thirde youngest sonne n ow living. Soe my will is, that my goods be e qua lly divided betweene my three sonnes and Judith Havard, my 1 A s s t a t e d b y P u r c h a s o n t h e h e a d i n g o f t h e n a r r a t i v e . S e e p a g e 1 5 7 . S i r W i l l i a m M o n s o n , i n h i s N a v a l T r a c t s a l s o s a y s t h a t C a p t a i n D a v i s w a s s l a i n i n h i s s e c o n d v o y a g e t o t h e E a s t I n d i e s ( C h u r c h i l l , i i i , p a g e 3 6 9 ) . INTRODUCTION lxxiii espowsed love, and to b e delivered after my deathe, ys manifestlie knowne. But if any of them shall dye before they receive their parte, then it shall be equally devided betweene those that live. If they all dye before it be devided, then I give th’ one haulf to the poore and th' other haulf to my brother Edward Davis and to his children : and soe, commyting my soule to God, I desire that this my Wyll may be faithfully p'formed, and to testifie that this is my deede and desire, I doe hereunto sett my hande and seale this 12th of October, 1604. By me, John Davis. 1 So the brave old navigator arranged his earthly affairs, and bade farewell to his three sons and his e s p o u s e d l o v e ; w h o m h e w a s n e v e r t o s e e a g a i n . H i s a ge w a s a b o u t 5 5 . T h e T i g e r s e t s a i l f r o m C o w e s o n t h e 5 t h o f D e c e m b e r 1 6 0 4 , an d m a d e a p r o s p e r o u s v o y a g e t o t h e w e s t c o a s t o f S u m a t r a . T h e n a r r a t i v e a s g i v e n b y P u r c h a s , w a s n o t w r i t t e n e i t h e r b y M i c h e l b o m e o r b y D a v is , f o r b o t h a r e m e n t i o n e d s e v e r a l t im e s i n t h e t h i r d p e r s o n . T h e w r i t e r u s e s t h e f i r s t pers o n p l u r a l , an d l a t t e r l y t h e f i r s t p e r s o n s i n g u l a r . H i s n a m e d o e s n o t a p p e a r , b u t h e w a s a p p a r e n t l y t h e M a s t e r o f t h e s h i p , Michelbome being the General, and Davis the Pilot. Davis wrote sailing directions for the Sumatran coast from Achen to Tiku and Priaman, based on e x p e r i e n c e o b t a in e d d u r i n g t h r e e v o y a g e s . T h e y are printed in the present volume for the first time, 2 and in justice to the great navigator, it must be borne in mind that they only exist in the form of an

1 E x t r a c t e d f r o m t h e p r i n c i p a l r e g i s t r y o f t h e P r o b a t e , D i v o r c e , a n d A d m i r a l t y D i v i s i o n o f t h e H i g h C o u r t o f J u s t i c e . I n t h e P r e - r o g a t i v e C o u r t o f C a n t e r b u r y . 2 P a g e 1 8 5 . lxxiv INTRODUCTION uncorrected draft. 1 These directions are mentioned in the Journal of Ralphe Crosse during the tenth voyage of the East India Company, in 1612, 2 who says that the Master of the Hoseander shaped his course by them. In O c t ober 1605, t he Tiger arrived at B an t am , an d t hen ce a c ou rse w as shaped for Pat an i, a plac e on t he east ern side of t he M alay Pen in su la. W hile on t he voyage t o Pat an i, t he Tiger fell i n w it h a vessel fu ll of Japan ese pirat es. Havin g lost t heir ow n jun k, t hey had seiz ed an ot her, an d w ere making the best of their way to their native country. But contrary winds had driven them to leeward, which was the cause of this most ill omened en- counter. They were crowded together, ninety men in a small craft of seventy tons, and there seemed little likelihood of their ever reaching Japan. Michel- borne and Davis imprudently opened friendly intercourse with these ruffians, who immediately conceived the idea of massacring the English and seizing their ship. The two vessels remained at anchor for two d a y s , u n d e r t h e l e e o f a s m a l l i s l e t n e a r B i n t a n g , a t t he east ern en t ran c e of t he St rait of M alac c a. T he En glish “en tert ain ed t hem w ith good u sage, ” intending in return to obtain information from them 1 A m o n g t h e S l o a n e M S S . , 3 , 6 6 8 , f o l . 1 5 7 . T h e p a p e r i s h e a d e d “ M r . J o h n D a v e s , h i s o b s e r v a t i o n s , v o y a g i n g f r o m A c h e a u e t o T e c o e a n d P r i a m a n . " 2 “ T h e M a s t e r o f t h e H o s e a n d e r s h a p e d h i s c o u r s e f o r T e c o e b y t h e d i r e c t i o n s o f C a p t a i n K e e l i n g e a n d D a v e s , t h e r j o u r n a l l e s ” . — L a n c a s t e r ' s V o y a g e s , p . 2 6 0 ( H a k l u y t S o c i e t y ' s s e r i e s ) . I N TRO DUCTI O N lxxv w hic h w ou ld be u sefu l hereafter. Oc c asion ally as m an y as five or six and t w en ty Japan ese at a t im e, " u pon m u t u all c ou rt esies, wit h gift s and feast in gs bet w een e u s", w ere allow ed t o c ome on board t he Tiger. O n on e of t hese oc c asions, when t here w ere English and Japanese in both vessels, t he pirat es gave t he sig n a l t o fall upon their un su spec t in g hosts. In the junk the Japanese easily killed or drove overboard all the English that were on board. At the same time the Japanese on board the Tiger rushed out of the cabin, where they were being en- tertained. The first person they met was Captain Davis, who was coming out of the gun room. They pulled him back into the cabin, gave him several wounds, and then thrust him out before them. His wounds were mortal, and he died as soon as he came into the waist. There was then a desperate hand to hand fight, and even after the pirates had been driven back into the cabin, they fought for at least f o u r h o u r s . A t l a s t t h e M a s t e r o f t h e T i g e r h a d t w o demi-c u lverins loaded wit h bu llet s, c ase shot , and cross-bars, and fired them into the cabin, blowing the pirates to pieces. It was a very narrow escape for the whole crew, and, as it was, the death of the Pilot was an irreparable loss. Michelbome, after capturing and pillaging two Chinese vessels, gave up his enterprise and returned home, arriving at Portsmouth on July 9th, 1606. The grant of a license for this voyage was resented by the Company, and there were several complaints o f t h e il l c o n s e q u e n c e s ar i s i n g f r o m t h e p i r a t ic a l lxxvi INTRODUCTION acts of Sir Edward Michelborne, the first of the interlopers. The Will of John Davis was proved by his son Gilbert on the 10th of January 1607 (1606 old style), six months after the return of the Tiger with the news of his death. 2 Thus ended the life of this great explorer and accomplished seaman. The date of his death was the 29th or 30th of December 1605, and his body was probably committed to the deep near the eastern entrance of the Straits of Malacca. All he has written, of which I have been able to obtain a knowledge, 3 and full accounts of all the voyages in which 2 “ D e c i m o d ie m e n s i s J a n u a r i j A n n o D o m i n i i u x t a c u r s u m e t c o m p u t a c ō n e m E l c c l ’i e A n g l i c a n e m il l e s im o s e x c e n t e s i m o s e x t o e m a n a v i t c o m 'is s io G i l b 't o D a v i s f i l i o n r ā l i e t 'I ti m o d i c t i d e f u n c t i a d a d m i n i s t r a n d u b o n a i u r a e t c r e d i t a d ic t i d e f u n c t i ju x t a t e n o r e m t e s t i h m ō i e o q u o d i d e m d e f u n c t u s n u l l u m i n e o d e m n o d a v c r i t e x e c u t o r e m d e b e n e e t f i d e l 'r a d m i n is tr a n d o e a d e m A d S a n c t a D e i E v a n g e l i a ju r a t . ” I h a v e o n l y b e e n a b l e t o f i n d o n e i n c i d e n t a l m e n t i o n o f t h i s G i l b e r t D a v i s . A m o n g t h e l i s t s o f p e r s o n s a d m i t t e d “ f r e e b r e t h r e n o f t h e E a s t I n d i a C o m p a n y ” , I f i n d , o n N o v e m b e r 1 0 t h , 1 6 2 4 , t h e n a m e o f S i m o n W h e t t c o m b e , w h o h a d s e r v e d h i s a p p r e n t i c e s h i p t o G i l b e r t D a v y s , a n d w a s t h e r e f o r e e l i g i b l e f o r a d m i t t a n c e o n p a y - m e n t o f t e n s h i l l i n g s t o t h e p o o r b o x . 3 T h e w r it i n g s o f J o h n D a v i s a r e : — 1 . — T h e n a r r a ti v e o f t h e s e c o n d A r c t i c v o y a g e . 2 . — T h e t r a v e r s e b o o k o f t h e th i r d A r c t i c v o y a g e . 3 . — A l e tte r t o S i r F r a n c i s W a l s i n g h a m , 1 5 8 5 . 4 . — L e t t e r t o M r . S a n d e r s o n , 1 5 8 6 . 5 . — L e t t e r t o M r . S a n d e r s o n , 1 5 8 7 . 6 . — T h e S e a m a n 's S e c r e ts a n d D e d i c a t io n . 7 . — T h e W o r l d 's H y d r o g r a p h ic a l D e s c r i p t i o n . 8 . — A l e tte r t o t h e E a r l o f E s s e x . 9 . — H i s v o y a g e t o I n d i a , a s P il o t in a D u t c h s h i p . 1 0 . — O b s e r v a ti o n s i n v o y a g e s f r o m A c h e n to P r i a m a n .

INTRODUCTION lxxvii he was engaged, except that with Lancaster, which has already been printed for the Hakluyt Society, have now been brought together; and I sincerely trust that their perusal will have the effect of taking the name of the famous discoverer, John Davis, out of the list of England's forgotten worthies. M y t han ks are du e t o D r. R in k, t he D irec t or of t he R oyal Green land T rade at C open hagen , for kin dly exam ining t he list of Eskim o w ords given by D avis ; t o M r. A. H. A. Ham ilt on of Exet er, w ho su pplied m e w it h all t he in form at ion regardin g t he c on n ec t ion of D avis wit h t h a t c it y ; an d t o M r. Coote of the British Museum for the ready aid which h e w a s a t a l l t i m e s a n x i o u s t o g i v e m e i n m y researc hes, for man y u sefu l suggest ion s, a n d for t he m em oir on the “ New M ap” wit h w hic h he has kin dly fu rn ished me, for insert ion in t his volu m e. I have also t o of f e r m y spec ial t han ks t o m y friend Commander Hull, R.N., the Superintendent of Charts at the Admiralty, for kindly revising the sheets of the Seaman's Secrets, and illustrating the text by several valuable notes. [A.H. M A R K H A M ] NOTE ON

THE PREVIOUS BIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNTS

O F C A P T A IN JO H N D A V IS

B E S I D E S the famous Captain John Davis of Sandridge there was a contemporary Captain John Davis of Limehouse, and it will presently be seen how important it is that there should be no confusion between the two men. The hist ory of C apt ain John D avis of Lim ehou se is briefly as follow s. He ser v e d i n t he fleet of C apt ain L an c ast er during the first voyage set fort h by t he East In dia C o m p a n y , from February 1601 t o Sept em ber 1603. It is c lear t hat he w as in this fleet , bec au se in 1615 he state s t h a t he had been fift een years in t he c om pan y 's servic e. C aptain John D avis of San dridge w as also servin g u n d e r L an cast er in t he sam e voyage as Pilot M ajor. T he sec on d voyage of John D avis of L im ehou se t o India w as in Sir Hen ry M iddleto n 's fleet , from 1604 t o 1606, as Pilot of t he Ascension. His t hird v o y a g e w as with C apt ain D avid M iddleton , as Pilot of t he Expedition, from 1606 t o 1609. He was n ext w it h Captain Marlowe, as Master of the James, from F e b - r u a r y 1 6 1 1 t o A u g u s t 1 6 1 5 . 1 M a r l o w e d i e d , a n d 1 H e s a y s h i m s e l f , i n h i s R u t t e r , t h a t h e w a s i n t h e J a m e s. C o n s e q u e n t l y h e m u s t b e t h e “ J o h n D a v y e " , a n a b s t r a c t o f w h o s e j o u r n a l o f t h e v o y a g e o f t h e J a m e s i s g i v e n b y P u r c h a s . NOTE lxxix

Davis came home as commander, but he was guilty of riot in g an d ext rem e dru n ken n ess. H i s fift h voyage t o In dia w as as m ast er in t he Swan, u nder Captain Courthorp, in 1616. The Swan was seiz ed by t he D u t ch off Ban da in 1617, an d D avis w as de- tained a prisoner. His wife petitioned the Company against the Dutch, and they eventually released him, and advanced him money for his homeward v o y a g e . H e r e t u r n e d h o m e in 1 6 1 8 , a n d t h e n wrote some sailing directions, which are printed in Purchas. 1 The title is “A ruter or briefe direction for re a d ie sailin gs int o t he East In dia, digest ed into a plaine method by Master John Davis of Lime- house, upon experience of his five voyages thither and home againe.” He found some difficulty in getting re-employed, but on June 18, 1619, was appointed gunner of the Bull. He changed from her into the Lesser James. The master of this ship, named John Wood, was a regular drunkard, and Davis was addicted to the same vice. In 1621 Wood was superseded, and the death of Davis was reported from Batavia on March 6, 1622. On August 27, 1622, the wills of John Davis and all other dead men were sent home. T h u s i t i s c l e a r t h a t J o h n D a v i s o f L im e h o u s e was quite a different person from the great navigator of Sandridge, and that the former, and not the latter, made five voyages to India and home again, and wrote a “Ruter for sailing into the East Indies.” 2 1 P i l g r i m e s , i , p p . 4 4 4 t o 4 5 1 . 2 T h e n a m e o f a t h i r d J o h n D a v i s , a f o l l o w e r o f t h e E a r l o f lxxx NOTE

The importance of tracing out the history of John D avis of L im ehouse lies in the fact that w r it e r s, from Prince to Froude, have confused him with John Davis of Sandridge. Prince, in his Worthies of Devon, 1 was the first to write a notice of the life of Captain John Davis of Sandridge. He says, quoting from Westcote, that he was born at Sandridge, and married Faith, d a u g h t e r o f S i r J o h n F u l f o r d . H e a d d s t h a t h e was the first pilot who conducted the Zeelanders to t he East In dies ; t hat he m ade n o less than five voyages t o t he East In dies, and ret u rn ed home safe again , and t hat he w rot e a “R ut er” for sailin g in t o India. T he ac c ou n t s of t he voyages, he says, “are t o be seen , I su ppose, in Haklu yt 's w ork, t o w hic h I refer the curious”. Prince thus concludes his notice, “When or where this eminent person died I do not find.” Here t he tw o m en are hopelessly m ixed u p. John D avis of San dridge m ade on e voyage t o t he Eas t Indies with the Zeelanders, and two in English ships, and he only returned home twice, being killed on his second English voyage. The accounts of these voyages are not in Hakluyt, as Prince supposes, but in Purchas. The next notice of John Davis of Sandridge is in the Biographia Britannica, by Dr. Kippis, published in 1793. Following Prince, it is here again stated E s s e x , a l s o f r e q u e n t l y o c c u r s i n t h e c o r r e s p o n d e n c e o f t h e t i m e . B u t h e w a s a s o l d i e r . 1 P r i n c e ' s W o r t h i e s o f D e v o n ( n e w e d i t i o n ) , 1 8 1 0 , p a g e 2 8 5 . NOTE lxxxi t h a t D a v i s m a d e n o l e s s t h a n f i v e v o y a g e s t o t h e E a s t I n d i e s a s a p i l o t , a n d a n a c c o u n t i s g i v e n o f the murder of Davis during the Michelborne voyage, quoted from Harris. Dr. Kippis was the first to perceive that there must have been two John Davises. He points out that either John Davis of Limehouse, w ho w rot e t he “R u t t e r ”, w as not iden t ic al w it h John D avis of San dridge, or else t he lat t er w as n ot killed i n 1 6 0 5 , for t he “Ru tt er” w as w rit t en in 1618. Bu t t his hin t w as lost u pon s u bseq u en t writers, who continued to follow Prince, although it was clear, on his own showing, that Prince had never himself read the voyages. Sir John Barrow 1 uses Prince as his authority, and consequently makes all the same mistakes. He says that Davis of Sandridge wrote a “Rutter” or brief description of sailing into the East Indies ; that he made several voyages in the service of the Dutch, some of which have been published, two of them in P u r c h a s ; t h a t h e m a d e n o t l e s s t h a n f i v e v o y a g e s t o t he East In dies, an d ret u r n e d h o me safe ; an d that posterity must remain in ignorance of the place of his death. The mistakes in Sir John Barrow's ac c ou n t are as follow s. John D avis of Sandridge did n ot w rit e a “R u t t er” fo r s ai lin g t o t he East Indies , h e only m ade on e voyage in t he service of the Dutch, consequently the accounts of several have not been published, and there are not two in Purchas. H e d i d n o t m a k e f i v e v o y a g e s t o t h e E a s t I n d i e s , 1 A C h r o n o l o g i c a l H i s t o r y o f V o y a g e s i n t o t h e A r c t i c R e g i o n s ( 1 8 1 8 ) , p p . 1 1 3 t o 1 2 5 . lxxxii NOTE and return safe home, and posterity is not in ignorance of the place of his death. In an sw er t o s om e in q u iries pu blished by M r. John Pet heram in Notes and Queries, 1 M r. B o l t on Corney pointed out most of these mistakes in 1853, bu t he is n ot q u it e ac c u rat e him self. He begin s by sayin g, “de spit e Prin c e's assert ion , I q u est ion w hether D avis m arried a dau ght er of Sir John Ful- ford”. Bu t Prin c e does n ot m ake t he assert ion , he m erely q u ot es from W e st c ot e— a good aut hority. M r. C orn ey also fin ds fau lt w it h Prin ce for sayin g t hat D avis w as the first pilot w ho t ook t he Du t c h t o t he East In dies. Prin c e, how ever, does not say so. He st at es t hat D avis w as t he first t o t ake t he Zeelanders, which is quite correct. Mr. Corney then points out that the journal of the Dutch voyage is not in Haklu yt ; t hat Davis of San dridge did n ot m ake five voyages t o t he East In dies ; t hat he did n ot ret u rn safe home ; an d t hat he did n ot w rit e a Rutter. But Mr. Corney does not explain this com- plication of errors by poin tin g ou t t he exist en ce of an ot her John Davis. I n 1 8 5 2 M r . F r o u d e p u b l i s h e d a n a r t i c l e i n t h e 1 1 s t S e r i e s , v , p . 4 8 8 . M r . P e t h e r a m , i n t h e A t h e n œ u m f o r J a u u a r y 1 8 5 2 , n o t i c e d t h e e x i s t e n c e o f a c u r i o u s m a n u s c r i p t a t t h e e n d o f t h e c o p y o f t h e “ W o r l d ' s H y d r o g r a p h i c a l D e s c r i p t i o n ” i n t h e L e n o x L i b r a r y a t N e w Y o r k . I t i s e n t i t l e d “ M o t i v e s f o r o r d e r i n g a p r o j e c t f o r t h e d i s c o v e r i e o f t h e N o r t h P o l e t e r r e s t r i a l , t h e S t r a i g h t s o f A n i a n i n t o t h e S o u t h S e a a n d c o a s t s t h e r e o f ” . M r . P e t h e r a m a f t e r w a r d s p r i n t e d t h i s m a n u s c r i p t i n h i s B i b l i o g r a - p h i c a l M i s c e l l a n y , N o . 1 ( N o v . 1 5 t h , 1 8 5 3 ) a u d N o . 3 ( J a n . 2 0 t h , 1 8 5 4 ) , w i t h a c o m m e n t a r y . N O T E lxxxiii

Westminster Review , entitled “England's Forgotten Wort hies”. He repeat ed all t he old m ist akes abou t D avis, an d added fresh on es. Y et M r. F r o u d e re- pu blished his art ic le in 1868, in a volu me en t it led “Short Stu dies on Great Su bjects”. His ac c ou n t of John Davis is that he was a sailor boy of Sandwich ; that Sandwich (meaning Sandridge) is the adjoining parish to Greenway ; that Davis is known to have commanded trading vessels in the eastern seas ; that he returned five times from India ; that the details are lost ; that he took out Sir Edward Michellthorne to India ; and that he fell in with a crew of Japanese, who murdered him in a few hours. Here t he tw o nam esakes are m ixed u p in sad c on - fu sion . Jo h n D avis w as not a sailor boy of San d- w ic h, an d San dridge is not the adjoinin g parish t o Green w ay, for i t is n ot a parish at all. D avis of San dridge n ever c om m an ded a t rading or an y ot her vessel in t he East ern seas, t ho u g h D a vis of L im e- house once had a temporary command, owing to the death of his captain. It was John Davis of Lime- house, not he of Sandridge, who returned from India five times. The details of none of the voyages made by either Davis are lost. Michellthome is not the name of the general to whom John Davis of Sand- ridge was pilot ; and, finally, the Japanese did not murder Davis in a few hours after he fell in with them. They were upwards of two days in his company. Of which Davis can Mr. Froude be said to have w r i t t e n ? H e m i x e s u p t h e e v e n t s o f t h e l i v e s o f lxxxiv NOTE both, and some of his statements are wrong, as a p p l i e d t o e i t h e r o f t h e m . S u r e l y t h i s i s n o t t h e way to preserve England's Worthies from being forgotten ! The latest author who has written on Davis is Mr. Fox Bourne, in his work entitled English Seamen under the Tudors (1868). His account is brief, but accurate so far as it goes, with the exception of the statement that Davis took service with Cavendish after his return from a voyage to the East Indies with the Dutch. 1 But this is evidently an oversight, for Mr. Fox Bourne subsequently gives the correct date of Davis's engagement with the Dutch. 2 1 P a g e 1 3 7 . 2 P a g e 1 4 6 . The third voyage Northwestward, made by J o h n Davis, as chiefe Captaine and Pilote generally, for the discoverie of a passage to the Isles of the Molucca, or the coast of China, in the yeere 1587.

Written by John Janes, servant to the aforesayd M. William Sanderson.

M A Y [ 3 R D V O Y A G E ] The 19 of this present moneth, about midnight, we weighed our ankers, set saile, and departed from Dartmouth with two barkes and a Clincher,1 the one named the Elizabeth of Dartmouth, the other the Sunneshine of London, and the Clincher, called the Ellin of London : thus, in Gods name, we set forwards with the wind at Northeast, a good fresh gale. About 3 howers after our departure, the night being somewhat thicke with darknesse, we had lost the pinnace, the captaine imagining that the men had runne away with her, willed the master of the Sunneshine to stand to Sea- wards, and see if we could descrie them, we bearing in with the shore for Plimmouth. At length we descried her, bare with her, and demanded what the cause was : They answered, that the tiller of their helme was burst. So, shaping our course West southwest, we went forward, hoping that a hard beginning would make a good ending, yet some of us were doubtfull of it, falling in reckoning that she was a Clincher; neverthelesse, we put our trust in God. The 21 we met with the Red Lion of London, which came from the coast of Spaine, which was afraid that we had 1 A s h i p o r b o a t i s s a i d t o b e c l i n c h e r b u i l t , w h e n t h e o u t s i d e p l a n k s lap one over the other. T he sides of a boat so constructed do not present the sam e sm ooth surface as those of a carvel, or diagonal, built boat. 40 MUTINOUS SPIRIT DISPLAYED BY CREW OF “SUNSHINE” bene men of warre, but we hailed them, and after a little conference we desired the master to carie our letters for London, directed to my unckle Sanderson, who promised us safe deliverie. And after we had heaved them a lead and a line, whereunto wee had made fast our letters, before they could get them into the ship, they fell into the sea, and so all our labour and theirs also was lost, notwithstanding they promised to certifie our departure at London, and so we departed, and the same day we had sight of Sillie. The 22 the wind was at Northeast by East, with faire weather, and so the 23 and the 24 the like. The 25 we laied our shippes on the Lee1 for the Sunneshine, who was a rommag- ing for a leake, they had 500 strokes at the pumpe in a watch, the wind at Northwest. The 26 and 27 we had faire weather, but this 27 the pinnaces foremaste was blowen over-boord. The 28 the Elizabeth towed the pinnace, which was so much bragged of by the owners report before we came out of England, but at Sea she was like to a cart drawen with oxen. Sometimes we towed her, because she could not saile for scant wind. The 31 day our captaine asked if the pinnace were stanch. Peerson answered that she was as sound and as stanch as a cuppe. This made us something glad, when we sawe she would brooke the Sea, and was not leake.

JUNE. The first 6 dayes we had faire weather : after that, for 5 dayes we had fogge and rayne, the wind beyng South. The 12, we had cleare weather. The Mariners in the Sunneshine and the master could not agree : the mariners would goe on their voyage a fishing, because the yeere began to waste : the master would not depart till hee had the companie of the Elizabeth, whereupon the master told our captaine that he was afrayd his men would shape some contrarie course while he was a sleep, and so he should 1 The same as to “heave-to”. THE NATIVES TROUBLESOME 41 loose us. At length, after much talke and many threat- nings, they were content to bring us to the land, which we looked for daily. The 13 we had fogge and raine. The 14 day we discovered land at five of the clocke in the morning, being very great and high mountaines, the tops of the hils being covered with snow. Here the wind was variable, sometimes Northeast, East Northeast, and East by North : but wee imagined ourselves to be 16 or 17 leagues off from the shore. The 15 we had reasonable cleare weather. The 16 we came to an anker about 4 or 5 of the clocke after noone, the people came presently to us, after the old manor, with crying, Il y a oute, and shewing us Seale skinnes. The 17 we began to set up the pinnace that Peerson framed at Dartmouth, with the boords which hee brought from London. The 18, Peerson and the Carpenters of the ships, began to set on the plankes. The 19, as we went about an Island, were found blacke Pummise stones, and salt kerned on the rockes very white and glistering. This day, also, the master of the Sunneshine tooke one of the people, a very strong lustie yong fellow. The 20, about two of the clocke in the morning, the Savages came to the Island where our pinnace was built readie to bee launched, and tore the two upper strakes, and caried them away onely for the love of the iron in the boords. While they were about this practise wee manned the Elizabeth's boate to goe a shore to them : our men being either afrayd, or amazed, were so long before they came to shore, that our captaine willed them to staie, and made the Gunner give fire to a Saker,1 and laied the piece 1 A s a k e r w a s a p i e c e o f a r t i ll e r y f r o m e i g h t to t e n f e e t i n l e n g t h , th ro w in g sh o t v a r y i n g fr o m 4 to 7 l b s . w e i g h t . A lth o u g h s o m e a u t h o r- i ti e s a s s e r t t h a t i t s n a m e w a s d e r i v e d fr o m t h e F r e n c h o a th sa c re t h e r e c a n b e l i t t l e d o u b t b u t t h a t i t w a s r e a l l y c a l l e d , l i k e t h e f a l c o n a n d 42 THE ESKIMOS DISPERSED levell with the boate which the Savages had turned on the one side, because we should not hurt them with our arrowes, and made the boate their bulwarke against the arrowes which wee shot at them. Our Gunner having made all things readie, gave fire to the peece, and fearing to hurt any of the people, and regarding the owner’s profite, thought belike hee would save a Saker's shot, doubting we should have occasion to fight with men of warre, and so shot off the Saker without a bullet, we looking still when the Savages that were hurt should run away without legs, at length wee could perceive never a man hurt, but all having their legges could carie away their bodies : we had no sooner shot off the piece, but the master of the Sunneshine manned his boate, and came rowing towards the Island, the very sight of whom made each of them take that he had gotten, and flie away as fast as they could to another Island about two miles off, where they tooke the nayles out of the timber, and left the wood on the Isle. When we came on shore and saw how they had spoiled the boate, after much debating of the matter, we agreed that the Elizabeth should have her to fish withall : whereupon she was presently caried aboord and stowed. Now after this trouble, being resolved to depart with the first wind, there fell out another matter worse then all the rest, and that was in this maner. John Churchyard, one whom our captaine had appointed as Pilot in the pinnace, came to our Captaine and master Bruton1, and told them o t h e r o r d n a n c e i n u s e a t th a t p e r i o d , a ft e r a b i r d . I n f a l c o n r y t h e sa k er w a s a h a w k , a p p r o p r i a t e d t o t h e u s e o f k n i g h t s , a s w a s a f a l c o n t o a duke, a gerfalcon to a king, a peregrine to an earl, and a m erlin to a lady. I n H u d ib ra s, P a r t I , C a n t o 2 , a r e t h e f o ll o w i n g l i n e s : — “Of warlike engines he was author, Devis'd for quick dispatch of slaughter : The cannon, blunderbuss, and saker, He was th' inventor of, and maker.” 1 W i l l i a m B r u t o n w a s c a p t a i n o f t h e S u n sh in e i n D a v i s ’s f i r s t e x p e d i - t i o n t o t h e N o r t h - w e s t . DAVIS SAILS NORTHWARD 43 that the good ship which we must all hazard our lives in, had three hundred strokes at one time as she rode in the harbour.1 This disquieted us all greatly, and many doubted to goe in her. At length our captaine, by whom we were all to be governed, determined rather to end his life with credite then to returne with infamie and disgrace, and so being all agreed, we purposed to live and die together, and committed our selves to the ship. Now the 21, having brought all our things aboord, about 11 or 12 of the clocke at night, we set saile and departed from those Isles, which lie in 64 degrees of latitude, our ships being now all at Sea, and wee shaping our course to goe, coasting the land to the Northwards upon the Easterne shore, which we called the shore of our Merchants, because there we met with people which traffiked with us, but here we were not without doubt of our ship. The 22 and 23 we had close fogge and raine. The 24 being in 67 degrees and 40 minutes, we had great store of Whales, and a kinde of sea birdes which the Mariners called Cortinous.2 This day about sixe of the clocke at night, we espied two of the countrey people at Sea, thinking at the first they had bene two great Seales, untill we sawe their oares glistering with the Sunne : they came rowing towardes us as fast as they could, and when they came within hearing they held up their oares, and cried Il y a oute, making many signes : and at last they came to us, giving us birdes for bracelets, and of them I had a darte with a bone in it, or a piece of Unicorn's horne, as I did judge. This dart he made store of, but when he saw a knife he let it go, being more desirous of the knife then of his dart ; these people continued rowing after our ship the space of 3 howers. The 25 in the morning at 7 of the clocke we descried 30 1 T h i s m e a n s t h a t i t r e q u i r e d t h r e e h u n d r e d s t r o k e s a t t h e p u m p d u r i n g a w a t c h o f f o u r h o u r s , t o k e e p t h e s h i p f r e e o f w a t e r . 2 I a m u n a b l e t o e x p l a i n t h i s w o r d , a n d b e l i e v e i t t o b e a m i s p r i n t . 44 SANDERSON, HIS HOPE.

Savages rowing after us, being by judgement 10 leagues off from the shore : they brought us Salmon Peales, Birdes, and Caplin, and we gave them pinnes, needles, bracelets, nailes, knives, bels, looking glasses, and other small trifles, and for a knife, a naile or a bracelet, which they call Ponigmah,1 they would sell their boat, coates, or any thing they had, although they were farre from the shore. Wee had but few skinnes of them, about 20, but they made signes to us that if wee would goe to the shore, wee should have more store of chichsanege; 2 they staied with us till 11 of the clocke, at which time we went to prayer, and they departed from us. The 26 was cloudie, the wind being at South. The 27 faire with the same wind. The 28 and 29 were foggie with clouds. The 30 day we tooke the heigth and found our selves in 72 degrees and 12 min. of latitude both at noone and at night, the Sunne being 5 degr. above the horizon. At midnight the compasse set to the variation of 28 degr. to the Westward. Now having coasted the land, which we called London coast, from the 21 of this present till the 30, the sea open all to the Westwards and Northwards, the land on starboord side East from us, the winde shifted to the North, whereupon we left that shore, naming the same Hope Sanderson, and shaped our course West, and ran 40 leagues and better, without the sight of any land. JULY. The second we fel with a mighty banke of Ice West from us, lying North and South, which banke we would gladly have doubled out to the Northwards, but the winde would not suffer us, so that we were faine to coast it to the Southwards, hoping to double it out that we might have run so farre West till wee had found land, or els to have bene thorowly resolved of our pretended purpose. 1 A c c o r d i n g t o D a v i s , P a n igm a h m e a n s a n e e d l e . S e e p a g e 2 1 .

2 T h i s i s , i n a l l p r o b a b i l i t y , a n E s k i m o w o r d ; it s m e a n in g I a m u n - a b le t o e x p l a i n . THE MIDDLE PACK 45

The 3 we fell with the Ice againe, and putting off from it, we sought to the Northwards, but the wind crossed us. The 4 was foggie : so was the 5 also, with much wind at North. The 6 being very cleere, we put our barke with oares through a gappe in the Ice, seeing the Sea free on the West side as we thought, which, falling out otherwise, caused us to returne after we had staied there betweene the Ice. The 7 and the 8 about midnight, by God's helpe, we recovered the open sea, the weather being faire and calme, and so was the 9. The 10 we coasted the Ice.1 The 11 was foggie, but calme. The 12 we coasted againe the Ice, having the wind at West northwest. The 13 bearing off from the Ice, we determined to goe with the shore and come to an anker, and to stay five or 6 daies for the dissolving of the Ice, hoping that the sea continually beating it, and the sunne, with the extreme force of heate which it had alwayes shining upon it, would make a quicke dispatch, that we might have a further search upon the Westerne shore. Now when we were come to the Easterne coast, the water something deepe, and some of our company fearefull withall, we durst not come to an anker but bare off into sea againe. The poore people seeing us goe away againe came rowing after us into the Sea, the waves being somewhat loftie. We truckt2 with them for a few skinnes and dartes, and gave them beads, nailes, pinnes, needles, and cardes, they point- ing to the shore as though they would shew us great friendship : but we litle regarding their curtesie, gave them the gentle farewell, and so departed. The 14 we had the wind at South. The 15 there was some fault either in the barke, or the set of some currant,

1 T his ice, that so thw arted the intentions of D avis, w as, undoubtedly, the so-called m iddle pack of Baffin’s Bay. 2 To truck, w as a com m on expression signifying to barter or exchange one com m odity for another. 46 SAIL PASS CUMBERLAND GULF. we were drivē 6 points out of our course. The 16 we fell with y e banke of Ice west from us. The 17 and 18 were foggie. The 19, at one a clocke after noone, we had sight of the land which we called mount Raleigh, and at 12 of the clocke at night wee were thwart the streights which we discovered the first yeere. The 20 wee traversed in the mouth of the streight, the winde being at West, with faire and cleare weather. The 21 and 22 we coasted the Northerne coast of the streights. The 23, having sayled 60 leagues Northwest into the streights, at two a clocke after noone, we ankered among many Isles in the bottome of the gulfe, naming the same the erle of Cumberlands Isles, where, riding at anker, a Whale passed by our ship and went West in among the Isles. Here the compasse set at 30 degrees Westward variation. The 24 we departed, shaping our course Southeast to recover the Sea. The 25 we were becalmed in the bottome of the gulfe, the aire being extreme hote. Master Bruton and some of the Mari- ners went on shore to course dogs, where they found many Graves and Trane1 spilt on the ground, the dogs being so fat that they were scant able to runne. The 26 wee had a pretie storme, the wind being at South- east. The 27 and 28 were faire. The 29 we were cleare out of the streights, having coasted the South shore, and this day at noone we were in 64 degrees of latitude. The 30 in the afternoone we coasted a banke of Ice which lay on the shore, and passed by a great banke or inlet, which lay betweene 63 and 62 degrees of latitude, which we called Lumleis Inlet.2 We had oftentimes as we sailed along the coast, great rootes, the water, as it were, whirling and over- falling, as if it were the fall of some great water through a bridge. The 31, as we sayled by a head land, which wee named Warwikes Foreland, we fell into one of those over- fals with a fresh gale of wind, and bearing all our sailes, we looking upon an Island of Ice betweene us and the 1 T rain oil. 2 T his position agrees w ith that of Frobisher Strait. D EER CH ASIN G N EAR C APE C H ID LEY 47 shore, had thought that our barke did make no way, which caused us to take markes on the shore : at length we perceived our selves to go very fast, and the Island of Ice, which we saw before, was caried very forcibly with the set of the currant faster then our ship went. This day and night we passed by a very great gulfe,1 the water whirling and roring, as it were the meetings of tides. AUGUST. The first having coasted a banke of Ice which was driven out at the mouth of this gulfe, wee fell with the Southermost Cape of the gulfe, which we named Childleis Cape,2 which lay in 60 degrees and 10 minutes of latitude. The 2 and 3 were calme and foggie : so were the 4, 5, and 6. The 7 was faire and calme: so was the 8, with a litle gale in the morning. The 9 was faire, and we had a litle gale at night. The 10 wee had a frisking gale at West North- west. The 11 faire. The 12 we sawe five Deere on the top of an Island, called by us Darcies Island. And wee hoised out our boate, and went a shore to them, thinking to have killed some of them. But when we came on shore and had coursed them twise about the Island, they tooke the Sea and swamme towards Islands distant from that 3 leagues. When wee perceived that they had taken the Sea, we gave them over, because our boat was so small that it could not carie us and rowe after them, they swamme so fast : but one of them was as big as a good pretie Cowe and very fat, their feete as big as Ox feete. Here upon this Island I killed with my peece a grey hare. The 13 in the morning we saw 3 or 4 white Beares, but durst not goe on shore to them for lacke of a good boat. 1 H u d s o n S t r a i t ? 2 N a m e d a f t e r J o h n C h u d l e i g h o r C h i d l e y , w h o d ie d i n t h e S t r a i ts o f M a g e ll a n w h i ls t o n a v o y a g e t h a t h a d f o r i t s o b je c t t h e c i r c u m n a v i g a - t i o n o f t h e g l o b e . H e was a D evonshire man, and a great friend of John D avis. See note, 19, Lancaster's Voyages, published by this Society. 48 SHAPE A COURSE FOR ENGLAND

This day we stroke a rocke, seeking for an harborow, and recieved a leake, and this day we were in 54 deg. of lati- ude. The 14 we stopt our leake in a storme, not very outra- gious, at noone. The 15, being almost in 51 degrees of latitude, and not finding our ships, nor (according to their promise) any kind of marke, token or beacon, which we willed to set up, and they protested to doe upon every head land, Island, or Cape, within 20 leagues every way off from their fishing place, which our captaine appointed to be betweene 54 and 55 degrees. This 15, I say, we shaped our course homewards for England, having in our ship but little wood, and halfe a hogshead of fresh water. Our men were very willing to depart, and no man more foreward than Peerson, for he feared to be put out of his office of Stewardship : he was so unsaciate that the allowance of two men was skant sufficient to fill his greedie appetite : but because every man was so willing to depart, and considering our want, I doubted the matter very much, fearing that the seething of our mens victuall in salt water would bring diseases, and being but fewe (yet too many for the roome, if any should be sicke) and likely that all the rest might bee infected therewith, wee consented to returne for our owne countrey, and so we had the 16 faire, with the wind at Southwest. The 17 we met a shippe at Sea, and as farre as wee could judge, it was a Biskaine : we thought she went a fishing for Whales, for in 52 degrees or thereabout, we saw very many. The 18 was faire, with a good gale at West. The 19, faire also, but with much wind at West and by South. An thus, after much variable weather and change of windes, we arrived the 15 of September in Dartmouth, Anno 1587, giving thanks to God for our safe arrival. Note: Pages 49–58: Traverse Book entries for the 3rd Voyage are omitted here. According to the latter (page 53) the northernmost latitude reached during this voyage was 72̊12 minutes on June 30, 1587; see also page 44 above.

LETTER TO MR. SANDERSON 59

A letter of the sayd M. JOHN DAVIS, written to M. SANDERSON, of London, concerning his forewritten voyage.

Good M. Sanderson, with Gods great mercy I have made my safe returne in health, with all my companie, and have sailed threescore leagues further then my determination at my departure. I have bene in 73 degrees, finding the Sea all open, and forty leagues between land and land. The passage is most probable, the execution easie, as at my comming you shall fully know. Yesterday, the 15 of September, I landed all wearie, therefore I pray you pardon my shortnesse. Sandridge, this 16 of September, anno 1587.

Yours equall as mine owne, which by triall you shall best know, JOHN DAVIS.

D a v is , J o h n . T h e V o y a g e s a n d W o r k s o f J o h n D a v i s t h e N a v i g a t o r , T h e H a k l u y t S o c ie t y , N o L I X , L o n d o n , 1 8 8 0 :3 9 – 4 8 , 5 9 ( “ T h e T h ir d V o y a g e N o r t h w e s t w a r d f o r t h e D is c o v e r ie o f a p a s s a g e t o t h e I s l e s o f t h e M o l u c c a , o r th e c o a s t o f C h in a , i n t h e y e e r e 1 5 8 7 , " w r it t e n b y J o h n J a n e s , s e r v a n t o f M . W il l ia m S a n d e r s o n ) . J o h n D a v i s t h e N a v ig a t o r : Seaman’s Secrets, (Dedication & Book I). Seaman’s Secrets, (Book II). The Worlde’s Hydrographical Description. Material transcribed & transformed from the GOOGLE Digital PDF/JPG version of The Voyages and Works of John Davis, the Navigator. The Hakluyt Society, No. LIX, London, 1880. Spirasolaris.ca 2011–12