To trie and make the better sale of Brimstone by shewing the vse. Candles of Waxe to light. A painted Bellowes. For that perhaps they haue not the vse of them. A pot of cast iron. To try the sale, for that it is a naturall commoditie of this Realme. All maner of edge tools. To be sold there or to the lesse ciuil people by the way where you shall touch. What I would haue you there to remember. To note specially what excellent dying they vse in these regions, and therefore to note their garments and ornaments of houses: and to see their Die houses and the Materials & Simples that they vse about the same, and to bring musters and shewes of the colours and of the materials, for that it may serue this clothing realme to great purpose. To take with you for your owne vse. All maner of engines to take fish and foule. To take with you those things that be in perfection of goodnesse. For as the goodnesse now at the first may make your commodities in credite in time to come: so false and Sophisticate commodities shall draw you and all your commodities into contempt and ill opinion. * * * * * A letter of Gerardus Mercator, written to M. Richard Hakluyt of Oxford, touching the intended discouery of the Northeast passage, An. 1580. LiterŠ tuŠ (vir humanissime) 19. Iunij dem¨m mihi redditŠ fuerunt: vehementer dolui visis illis tantam, non modo temporis, sed mult˛ magis tempestiuŠ instructionis iacturam factam esse. Optassem Arthurum Pet de quibusdam non leuibus ante suum discessum prŠmonitum fuisse. Expeditissima sanŔ per Orientem in Cathaium est nauigatio: et sŠpŔ miratus sum, eam foeliciter inchoatam, desertam fuisse, velis in occidentem translatis, postquam plus quÓm dimidium itineris vestri iam notum haberent. [Sidenote: Ingens sinus post Insulam Vaigats et Nouam Zemblam.] Nam post Insulam Vaigats et Noua Zembla continu˛ ingens sequitur Sinus, quem ab ortu Tabin immane promontorium complectitur. In hunc medium maxima illabuntur flumina, quŠ vniuersam Regionem Sericam perluentia vtque existimo in intima continentis vsque magnis nauigijs peruia, facillimam rationem exhibent quaslibet merces ex Cataio, Mangi, Mien, cŠterÝseque circumfusis regnis contrahendi, atque in Angliam deportandi. CŠter¨m c¨m non temerŔ cam nauigationem intermissam crederem, opinabar ab Imperatore Russorum et MoscouiŠ obstaculum aliquod interiectum fuisse. Quod si ver˛ cum illius gratia vlterior illac nauigatio detur, suaderem profecto non prim¨m Tabin promontorium quŠrere, atque explorare, sed Sinum hunc atque flumina, in ijsque portum aliquem commodissimum, stationÚmque Anglicis Mercatoribus deligere, ex quo deinceps maiore opportunitate, minorib˙sque periculis Tabin promontorium, et totius Cathai circumnauigatio indagari posset. [Sidenote: Tabin promontorium ingens.] Esse autem ingens in Septentrionem excurrens promontorium Tabin, non ex Plinio tant¨m, ver¨m et alijs