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
The aforesaid Anthonie Marsh sent one Bodan, his man, a Russe
borne, with the aforesaid foure Russes and a yong youth, a Samoed,
which was likewise his seruant, vpon the discouery of the riuer of
Ob by land, through the countrie of the Samoeds, with good store of
commodities to trafficke with the people. And these his seruents
made a rich voyage of it, and had bartered with the people about
the riuer of Ob for the valew of a thousand rubles in sables and
other fine furres. But the emperour hauing intelligence of this
discouery, and of the way that Bodan returned home by, by one of
his chiefe officers lay in waite for him, apprehended him, and
tooke from him the aforesaid thousand markes worth of sables and
other merchandises and deliuered them into the emperours treasurie,
being sealed vp, and brought the poore fellow Bodan to the citie of
Mosco, where he was committed to prison and whipped, and there
detained a long while after, but in the end released. Moreouer, the
emperours officers asked Anthonie Marsh how he durst presume to
deale in any such enterprise. To whom he answered, that, by the
priuileges granted to the English nation, no part of the emperours
dominions were exempted from the English to trade and trafficke in:
with which answere they were not so satisfied, but that they gaue
him a great checke, and forfeited all the aforesaid thousand markes
worth of goods, charging him not to proceede any further in that
action: whereby it seemeth they are very iealous that any Christian
should grow acquainted with their neighbours that border to the
north-east of their dominions; for that there is some great secret
that way, which they would reserue to themselves onely. Thus much I
vnderstood by Master Christopher Holmes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account