The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 13: America, Part IIHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 13: America, Part II
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
2. The seconde testimonie to prove this north west passage is in the
preface of the aforesaide Ramusius before his thirde volume, where he
alleageth, in manner followinge, that which Sebastian Gabote wrote unto
him concerninge this matter: Many yeres paste I was written unto by
Sebastian Gabote, our contryman, a Venecian, and a man of greate
experience, and very singuler in the arte of navigation and in the
knowledge of cosmographie, whoe sailed alonge and beyonde Nova Francia, at
the chardges of Kinge Henry the seaventh, Kinge of England; and he
signified unto me, that havinge sailed a longe tyme west and by northe
beyonde those ilandes unto the latitude of 67. degrees and [an half] under
the north pole, on the xj’th day of June, and findinge the sea open and
withoute any manner of ympedymente, he thoughte verely that he mighte have
passed by that way unto Cathaia, which is in the Easte; and he woulde have
done yt, if the mutinie of the shipmaster and unruly mariners had not
inforced him to returne homewardes from that place. But it semeth (saith
Ramusius), that God doth yet reserve to some greate prince the discoverie
of this voyadge to Cathaio by this way, which, for the bringinge of the
spicerie from India into Europe, woulde be the moste easie and shortest of
all others hitherto founde oute. And surely this enterprise woulde be the
moste glorious and of moste importaunce of all other that any coulde
ymagine, to make their name moche more eternall and ymmortale amonge all
ages to come, then these so greate tumultes and troubles of warres, which
are to be seene contynually in Europe amonge the miserable and unhappy
Christians.
3. Thirdly, the reporte which the people of Hochelaga made to Jacques
Cartier, in the xiij’th. chapter of his seconde relation, of the river
three monethes navigable to the southewarde, dothe not a little confirme
the same.
4. Fourthly, the relation of the people of Canada in the xij’th. chapiter,
followinge on this manner: Moreover they tolde us, and gave us to
understande, that there are people cladde with clothe as wee are, and that
there are many inhabited townes and goodd people, and that they have
greate store of golde and redd copper, and that upp into the lande,
beyonde the river firste above mentioned, even to Hochelaga and Saguynay,
there is an ile environed aboute with that and other rivers, which beyonde
Saguenay entereth into twoo or three greate lakes; also that there is
founde a sea of freshe water, the heade and ende whereof there was never
man founde that had throughly searched, as farr as they have hearde say of
them of Saguenay, for they (as they signified unto us) had not bene there
themselves.
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