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
Whereupon, about the ende of May, hee is determined to saile from
the Baie of S. Nicholas eastward, by the maine of Ioughoria, and so
to the easterly parts of Pechora, to the island which is called
Dolgoia. And here also hee is purposed to obserue the latitudes, to
suruey and describe the countrey, to sound the depth of the sea,
and to note the distances of places, where and so oft as occasion
shall be offered. And forasmuch as the Baie of Pechora is a most
conuenient place both for harbour and victuall, as well in their
going foorth as in their returne home, in regard of ice and
tempest, he is determined to bestow a day in sounding the flats,
and in searching out the best enterance for ships: in which place,
heretofore, he found the water to be but fiue foote deepe, howbeit
he doubteth not but that there are deeper chanels: and then he
intendeth to proceed on along those coasts for the space of three
or foure leagues, leauing the island called Vaigats almost in the
middle way betweene Vgoria and Noua Zembla: then also to passe by a
certaine baie betweene Vaigats and Ob, trending southerly into the
land of Vgoria, whereinto fall two small riuers, called Marmesia
and Carah, [98] vpon the which riuers doe inhabite an other
barbarous and sauage nation of the Samoeds. He found many flats in
that tract of land, and many cataracts or ouerfals of water, yet
such as hee was able to saile by. When hee shall come to the riuer
of Ob, which riuer (as the Samoeds report) hath seuentie mouthes,
which, by reason of the huge breadth thereof, containing many and
great islands, which are inhabited with sundry sortes of people, no
man scarcely can well discouer; because he will not spend too much
time, he purposeth to search three or foure, at the most, of the
mouthes thereof, those chiefly which shall be thought most
commodious by the aduise of the inhabitants, of whom hee meaneth to
haue certaine with him in his voyage, and meaneth to employ three
or foure boates of that countrey in search of these mouthes, as
neere as possibly he can to the shore, which, within three dayes
iourney of the sea, is inhabited, that he may learne where the
riuer is best nauigable. If it so fall out that he may sayle vp the
riuer Ob against the streame, and mount up to that place which
heretofore, accompanied with certaine of his friends, he passed
vnto by land through the countrey of Siberia, which is about twelue
dayes iourney from the sea, where the riuer Ob falleth into the
sea, which place is in the continent neere the riuer Ob, and is
called Yaks Olgush, borowing his name from that mightie riuer which
falleth into the riuer Ob; then, doubtlesse, hee would conceive
full hope that hee had passed the greatest difficulties: for the
people dwelling there about report, which were three dayes sayling
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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