The lands of silence : $b A history of Arctic and Antarctic explorationMarkham, Clements R. (Clements Robert), Sir
History
The lands of silence : $b A history of Arctic and Antarctic exploration
Markham, Clements R. (Clements Robert), Sir
Polar regions -- Discovery and exploration
The greatest English navigator in the Spitsbergen quadrant during the
first century of the renewal of Arctic discovery was Henry Hudson.
Scarcely anything is known of the personal history of this famous
sailor previous to the last four years of his life, during which his
four voyages were undertaken.
Hudson was a servant of the Muscovy Company, he had a house in London,
was married and had children. His selection is a proof that he was an
experienced seaman. It has been conjectured that he was a grandson of
another Henry Hudson who died when he was an Alderman of London in
1555[70]. There is also some reason for the belief that Thomas Hudson,
a merchant of London who had a house at Mortlake and was a promoter of
the voyage of John Davis, was his uncle and guardian[71].
Our first introduction to him is sufficiently striking. After morning
service on the 19th April, 1607, a party of sailors might have been
seen to issue from the door of St Ethelburga’s church in Bishopsgate
Street, where they had partaken of the Holy Communion with the
parishioners, and to wend their way to the river side. At the head of
the little procession was the master, Henry Hudson, with his little son
John by his side, followed by William Collins the mate, John Colman
the boatswain, and James Young, most vigilant of look-out men. Then
came the men, John Cooke, James Benbery, James Scrutton, John Playse,
Thomas Baxter, Richard Day, and James Knight. These eleven men and a
boy formed the crew of the little _Hopewell_ of 80 tons, waiting for
them at Ratcliffe, for in four days she was to sail on her great
enterprise. The intention was to find the passage to Cathay by sailing
due north from Spitsbergen, instead of north-west.
Hudson had studied the accounts of the voyages of Stephen Burrough,
Arthur Pet, and William Barentsz. He was led to the conclusion that
the attempts to the eastward had offered small hope of success, so he
reverted to the advice of Master Thorne to shape a course northward and
make boldly for the Pole itself. It was then thought that ice did not
form on the open sea, but only on the coast in bays and inlets.
On the 1st May, 1607, the _Hopewell_ sailed from Gravesend, was off
the Shetlands on the 26th, and on 13th June was in sight of very high
land. James Young was the first to report it, so it received the name
of Cape Young. Soon a coast-line was visible extending for 9 leagues.
It was the east coast of Greenland. Hudson always calls it Groneland,
while the name of Greenland (or Newland) is given to Spitsbergen in
accordance with the belief of Barentsz. He got the first name from the
misleading Zeno map[72].
Behind Cape Young a high mountain, like a round castle, received the
name of the Mount of God’s Mercy. On the 22nd, Hudson found himself in
72° 38′ N., and high land was again sighted in 73° N., which received
the name of Hold-with-Hope.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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