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Former expeditions to the northward: have been chiefly made with a view to the discovery of a passage into the Pacific Ocean. Of these, ‘or of expeditions to the Pole, there have been 16 or 17. The first which history records, was made between the years 1553 and 1536, by Sir Hugh Willoughby, Richard Chandler, and Stephen, Burroughs, in quest of a North east passage #0 India. They reached Nova Zembia and the strait of Waigats, but could proceed no farther on account of immense Shoals of ice. “This Expedition led to the establishment of the Russian Company, with valuable exclusive prigneses. In 1576, Martin Fro bisher, who was afterwards knighted for his courageous repulse of the Spanish Armada, sailed from Blackwall with two barks, the Gedriv, of 25 tons, and the Michael, of ®, and a pinnace of 10. On the lst of July he saw freenland “ rising like pinnacles of steeples, and all co vered with sno.” The pinnaces was lost in a storm; the Michael, disheartened by’ the prospect, sailed home and reported ‘that the Gabriel foundered at sea. ‘But Fro bisher returned home on the 7d of October, not being able to advance farther than’ Greenland ‘+ for the mon strous ice which lay about it.” The passion for adven ture was kept alive by a foolish story about the existence of a gold mine, and in 1577 was again sent out by a sub scription made among’ the Gentlemen at Court. He sailed ‘in the Aid, a ship of 200 tons, and was again stopped by the ice at Greenland, where he met, with islands of ice, rising thirty or forty fathoms above the surface of the sea.In 1585 John Davis sailed with the Sunshine, of, London, a bark of fifty tons, and the Moonshine, of Dart mouth, of thirty-five tons; he “discover to the Strait which bears his name, but was obliged to return..after be ing enclosed between fields of ice of Greenland. ‘The’ highest latitude he reached was 68. 537 -in 1605, the King of Denmark ‘sent out John Cunningham, a Scotch man, and James Hall,an Englishman ; they only reached the latitude of 63. $3.,and encountered many perils for immense shoals of ice. In the same year, a company of Lomlon merchants sent‘out only Hudson, who reach ed the very high latitude of 614, where his progress’, was completely barred by a frosen set. 4 1612, Captain Thomas Batton reached the latitude of 65, when ‘he was finally stopped’y a barrier of ice. About the same pe riod the Muscovy Company sent out Jénas Pasle, who could only reach the latitude of 80. In the same year Captain Hall pushed northwards to the parallel of 82. In 1614, Robt. Fotherbye was embayed in ice in the latitude of 79. 54. In 1615, R. Bileth and Basfin were stopped in the latitude of 79. 14. In 1616, Baffin penetrated to the latitude of 81 ; in 1751, Capt. M‘Callum sailed with out obstruction from Hackluyts Headland,as high as the late of 833. It is remarkable that about this period the sea was very open, for both Capt. M‘Callam and Capt. Wilson, so high as 833, found the sea open, and were de terred from sailing further only by their responsibility to their owners, as their destination was merely to Green land. In 1746, other attempts were ineffectually made, but the navigators wintered in Hudson’s Bay. Dr. Mar kelyne states, that a Mr. Stephens, in 1754, reached the latitude of 844. Several attempts were made to reach a higher latitude, without effect, between 1630 and 1720, chiefly by the Hudson’s Bay Company. In 1720, Knight and Barlow were sent out, but they were never afterwards heard of. In 1776 and 1777 the Admiralty sent out Lieutenants Pickersgill and Lane, but theseaval officers made very little progress, and effected no discovery whatever. Captain Cook explored the expanse beyond Behring’s Strait, between the parallels of 70 and 71 de grees, where they were stopped by the ice.
Newspaper Details
Courier
London, Middlesex, GB
Mon, Oct 19, 1818
Page 4
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CA 07 Jul 2026
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