The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of The English Nation — Volume 12: America, Part IHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of The English Nation — Volume 12: America, Part I
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
It is as likely that they came by the Northwest, as it is vnlikely that
they should come, either by the Southeast, Southwest, Northeast, or from
any other part of Africa or America, and therefore this Northwest passage
hauing bene alreadie so many wayes prooued, by disproouing of the others,
&c. I shall the lesse neede in this place, to vse many words otherwise then
to conclude in this sort, That they came onely by the Northwest from
England, hauing these many reasons to leade me thereunto.
1 First, the one halfe of the windes of the compasse might bring them by
the Northwest, bearing alwayes betweene two sheats, with which kind of
sayling the Indians are onely acquainted, not hauing any vse of a bow line,
or quarter winde, without the which no ship can possibly come either by the
Southeast, Southwest or Northeast, having so many sundry Capes to double,
whereunto are required such change and shift of windes.
2 And it seemeth likely that they should come by the Northwest, [Marginal
note: True both in ventis obliquè flantibus, as also in ventis ex diamentro
spitantibus.] because the coast whereon they were driuen, lay East from
this our passage, And all windes doe naturally driue a ship to an opposite
point from whence it bloweth, not being otherwise guided by Arte, which the
Indians do vtterly want, and therefore it seemeth that they came directly
through this our fret, which they might doe with one wind.
3 For if they had come by the Cape de buona Sperança, then must they (as
aforesaid) haue fallen vpon the South parts of America.
4 And if by the fret of Magellan, then vpon the coasts of Afrike, Spaine,
Portugall, France, Ireland or England.
5 And if by the Northeast, then vpon the coasts of Cerremissi, Tartarji,
Lappia, Island, Terra de Labrador, &c. and vpon these coasts (as aforesaid)
they haue neuer bene found.
So that by all likelihood they could neuer haue come without shipwracke
vpon the coastes of Germanie, if they had first striken vpon the coastes of
so many countries, wanting both Arte and shipping to make orderly
discouery, and altogether ignorant both in the Arte of Nauigation, and also
of the Rockes, Flats, Sands or Hauens of those parts of the world, which in
most of these places are plentifull.
6 And further it seemeth very likely, that the inhabitants of the most part
of those countries, by which they must haue come any other way besides by
the Northwest, being for the most part Anthropophagi, or men eaters, would
haue deuoured them, slaine them, or (at the least wise) kept them as
wonders for the gaze.
So that it plainely appeareth that those Indians (which as you haue heard
in sundry ages were driuen by tempest vpon the shore of Germanie) came
onely through our Northwest passage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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