The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 06: Madiera, the Canaries, Ancient Asia, Africa, etc.Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 06: Madiera, the Canaries, Ancient Asia, Africa, etc.
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
towardes the South wee saw an incredible number of birds: hauing diuers
fishermen aboord our barke they all concluded that there was a great skull
of fish, we being vnprouided of fishing furniture with a long spike nayle
made a hooke, and fastening the same to one of our sounding lines, before
the bait was changed we tooke more than fortie great Cods, the fish
swimming so abundantly thicke about our barke as is incredible to bee
reported, of which with a small portion of salt that we had, we presented
some thirtie couple, or thereaboutes, and so returned for England. And
hauing reported to M. Secretarie Walsingham the whole successe of this
attempt, he commanded me to present vnto the most honourable Lord high
Treasurour of England, some part of that fish: which when his Lordship saw,
and heard at large the relation of this second attempt, I receiued
fauourable countenance from his honour, aduising me to prosecute the
action, of which his lordship conceiued a very good opinion. The next yere,
although diuers of the aduenturers fell from the Action, as all the
Westerne marchants, and most of those in London: yet some of the
aduenturers both honorable and worshipfull continued their willing fauour
and charge, so that by this meanes the next yere two shippes were appointed
for the fishing and one pinnesse for the discouerie.
[Sidenote: The 3 voyage.] Departing from Dartmouth, through Gods mercifull
fauour, I arrived at the place of fishing, and there according to my
direction I left the two ships to follow that busines, taking their
faithful promise not to depart vntill my returne vnto them, which should be
in the fine of August, and so in the barke I proceeded for the discouerie:
but after my departure, in sixteene dayes the two shippes had finished
their voyage, but so presently departed for England, without regard of
their promise: my selfe not distrusting any such hard measure proceeded for
the discouerie, and followed my course in the free and open sea betweene
North and Northwest to the latitude of 67 degrees, and there I might see
America West from me, and Desolation, East: then when I saw the land of
both sides I began to distrust it would prooue but a gulfe: notwithstanding
desirous to know the full certainty I proceeded, and in 68 degrees the
passage enlarged, so that I could not see the Westerne shore: thus I
continued to the latitude of 73 degrees, in a great sea, free from yce,
coasting the Westerne shore of Desolation: the people came continually
rowing out vnto me in their Canoas, twenty, forty, and one hundred at a
time, and would giue me fishes dryed, Salmon, Salmon peale, Cod, Caplin,
Lumpe, Stonebase and such like, besides diuers kinds of birds, as Partrige,
Fesant, Guls, Sea birds and other kindes of flesh: I still laboured by
signes to know from them what they knew of any sea toward the North, they
still made signes of a great sea as we vnderstood them, then I departed
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