Some years before, Messrs Anthony Gibbs & Co. employed Mr T. W. Tayler, a chemist and an enthusiast who believed in the lost colony, to form a settlement on the east coast in 63° N. He made two attempts, in 1863 and 1864. The failure to penetrate through the ice in 1863 was attributed to the vessels being unsuitable. In 1864 Mr Tayler had the _Erik_ whaler of 412 tons, a well-fortified ship. She forced her way through the ice for some distance, but eventually had to give up the attempt and the project was abandoned. About 1870 and following years eight British whalers frequented the Spitsbergen seas, and occasionally approached the east coast of Greenland. The most enterprising whaling captains on this side were David Gray in the _Eclipse_ of 295 tons, and his brother John Gray in the _Hope_ of 350 tons; both steamers built by Messrs Hall of Aberdeen. The _Active_ 380 tons, _Jan Mayen_ 337, _Mazanthien_ 408, and Windward 320 tons, were old sailing vessels converted into screw steamers; while the _Pole Star_ and _Queen_ were sailing vessels. Captain David Gray was especially zealous in his efforts to combine geographical work with his whaling. CHAPTER XXXI SPITSBERGEN EXPEDITIONS BEFORE 1872 We have seen how flourishing the Spitsbergen whale fishery became and how admirably its history was written, the Dutch by Zorgdrager, and the English by Scoresby. But when the annual slaughter began to make these animals scarce there was eagerness to discover new fishing ground. Theunis Ys was one of the most experienced navigators in the ice to the eastward, and one of the first who sought for whales in that direction. Captain Willem de Vlamingh followed him in 1664 and even rounded the northern point of Novaya Zemlya, reaching a latitude of 82° 10′ N. Along the north coast of Spitsbergen the Dutch whalers never went east of the Seven Islands, which they discovered, or of Hinlopen Strait. This is conclusive from the evidence of Martens in 1671, a most reliable authority as regards the seventeenth century. But early in the eighteenth century, two Dutch captains, Cornelis Giles and Outger Rep, went far to the eastward and Giles or Gillis sighted what has since been called Gillis Land. He also found that what is now known as Hinlopen Strait was not an inlet as had been supposed but a navigable strait[138].