The Three Voyages of William Barents to the Arctic Regions (1594, 1595, and 1596)Veer, Gerrit de
History
The Three Voyages of William Barents to the Arctic Regions (1594, 1595, and 1596)
Veer, Gerrit de
Barentsz, Willem, approximately 1550-1597; Northeast Passage
“June 26. We had the wind north, made sail, and steered S. ¼ E., 40
miles. At noon we arrived between the mountainous cape and the
terra firma, thinking that the mountainous cape was an island. We
sailed within S. ¼ E. and S., and being a little distance inside
the cape, we found the depth 12 and 10 fathoms good sandy bottom,
and being entered, 32 miles; there was a depth of 50 fathoms stony
bottom, and the land was all covered with snow. Entering about 20
miles between the cape and the coast of the terra firma, we found
that the cape, which we thought to be an island, was attached by a
sand-bank to the land; for we found a depth of 5 fathoms. There was
ice on the shallows, so that we were obliged to return. That cape,
which we thought to be an island, lies at 79° 5′ latitude; we
called it ‘Cape Bird’, because there were so many birds upon it and
in the neighbourhood.
“June 27. It was calm, so that we remained floating, without being
able to advance between Cape Bird and the land.
“June 28. We rounded it, and then sailed S.S.W., 24 miles, always
keeping along the land, which was very mountainous and sharp, with
a beautiful shore. We sailed south and S. ¼ E., 24 miles, and
afterwards S. ¼ W., 12 miles. Found, at noon, the latitude to be
78⅓°, and we were then in the neighbourhood of ice. Sailed same
distance seaward, to keep clear of the ice, and sailed thus along
the edge of the ice and in the neighbourhood of the land S.E. ¼ S.,
28 miles. And then we were close to a large bay, which extended
itself in the land E.N.E., and was on both sides high and
mountainous. Sailed with N.N.E. wind abaft till night all along the
coast, S.S.E. and S. ¼ W., 20 miles. Then again there was a large
bay, in which was much ice under the land. To keep out of the ice
we steered a little W.S.W., and sailed S. ¼ W., 16 miles. Came into
the ice, for which reason we sailed S.W. 12 miles.
“June 29. Continued, with a north wind, to sail S.E. ¼ E. and
S.S.E. 20 miles. All along the coast, till noon, south 16 miles,
and found at noon the latitude of 76° 50′. Sailed south and S.S.E.
without finding land, until we saw Bear Island, on the first of
July.”
This is all that Hessel Gerritsz has copied out of the log of Barendsz
himself, as he earnestly assures us.
Dr. Beke, speaking in his introduction of this extract, says:—
“Want of time and space prevents us from giving the subject any
lengthened consideration. But from what we have been able to make
out, our impression decidedly is, that it was never written by
Barendsz, but was attributed to him solely for the purpose of
giving to it an authority which it might otherwise not have
possessed.”
Dr. Beke then gives his arguments in support of this opinion, and in
order to refute them Mr. Muller makes the following remarks:—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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