#
I
NIVERSITY OF CUIFORNIt
LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
LI6RAR
nVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
DIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
NIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
^=^^M
mvERsn
•IIERSII
(
NIVERSIT
^'
Tn
?
W 0 R K S I S S U E D •] Y
Cl^e %}nliliijit 00titti).
A COLLECTION OF DOCUMENTS ON
SPITZBERGEN AND GREENLAND.
>r.i)ro(;.r,v.
A COLLECTION OF DOCUMENTS
ON
SPITZBERGEN & GREENLAND,
COMPRISING A TRANSLATION FROM
F. MARTENS' VOYAGE TO SPTIZBERGEN :
A TRANSLATION FROM
ISAAC DE LA PEYRERE'S HISTOIRE DU
GROENLAND :
GOD'S POWER AND PROVIDENCE IN THE
PRESERVATION OF EIGHT MEN IN
GREENLAND NINE MONETHS
AND TWELVE DA YES.
EjirrED v.Y
ADAM WHITE, ESQ.
OF THE BRITISH MUSECJI.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY,
51 IiCCC.t-V.
0^
(r\
LONDON
T. RICHARDS, 37 GREAT QUEEN STREET.
THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY.
SIR RODERICK IMPEY MURCHISON, G.C.St.S., F.R.S., Corr. Mem. lust, Fr.,
Hon. Mem. Imp. Acad. So. St. Petersburgh, <to., Ac, President.
The earl OF ELLESMERE. \
[ Vice-Presidents.
Capt. C. K. DRINKWATER BETHUNE, B.N., C.B. )
DAVID BAILLIE, Esq.
Rear-Admiral Sir FRANCIS BEAUFORT, K.CB., F.R.S.
Rt. Hon. LORD BKOUGHTON.
WILLIAM DESBOROUGH COOLEY, Esq.
The Right Rev. LORD BISHOP OF ST. DAVID'S.
CHARLES WENTWORTH DILKE, Esq., F.S.A.
Rt. Hon. Sir DAVID DUNDAS.
Sir henry ELLIS, K.H., F.R.S.
JOHN FORSTER, Esq.
R. W. GREY, Esq., M.P.
JOHN WINTER JONES, Esq., F.S.A.
His Excellency the COUNT de LAVRADIO.
P. LEVESQUE, Esq., F.S.A.
The EARL SOMERS.
Sir GEORGE STAUNTON, Bart. D.C.L., F.R.S.
W. STIRLING, Esq., of Keir.
The Rev. W. WHEWELL, D.D.
K. H. MAJOR, Esq., F.S.A., Honorary Secretary.
107178
REPORT FOR 185 5.
Since the last Annual Meeting of the Hakluyt Socikty,
there has been little or no change in the number of its
Members, or in the state of its Balance Sheet, to call for
special remark from the Council, in meeting the Members
at the expiration of this, the eighth year of the Society's
existence.
As regards the funds of the Society, it will be seen by the
statement of accounts at the foot of this Report, that it con-
tinues to maintain a healthy and prosperous condition, with
an adequate balance to meet the expenditure required for
the average annual publications of the Society. That the
number of Members should not have increased during the
past year, is, perhaps, not to be wondered at. The list has
been diminished by the death of several members ; and the
special character of the Society's publications, as alluded to
in the last year's Report, may, in itself, be considered a fair
reason why but few new members should have been added
to it; while, at the same time, the number is sufficiently
large to meet the current expense of publishing as many
books as may fairly be considered a suitable return for each
member's subscription. Another incidental cause may also
have existed in the pressure of political events during the
past year, calculated, as they have naturally been, not only
to engross attention, but to restrict expenditure, A hindrance
also has existed in the unwillingness expressed by new
subscribers to pay so large a sum as the accumulated sub-
scriptions for all the years of the Society's existence would
amount to ; although it is highly satisfactory to state, that on
the very occasions when from the death of members, or
otherwise, some of the Society's volumes have fallen into the
hands of booksellers, they have been sold, even under these
circumstances, at prices higher than the ordinary terms of
subscription would cover. That such a difficulty as that
referred to might not stand in the way of an object, which
experience has shown to have such strong claims upon the
attention of the literary world, it has been resolved by the
Council to allow all new subscribers during the ensuing
year to purchase complete sets of the Society's publications
for the sum of Five Guineas, including the current year's
subscription.
Meanwhile, the Council are happy to state that the main
objects of the Society are being successfully carried out.
2
During the past year the following books have been issued
to subscribers :
" The World Encompassed by Sir Francis Drake", 1577-80,
■written by Francis Fletcher, preacher, etc., collated with
an unpublished manuscript by the same writer, with ap-
pendices of various other elucidatory MSS. and printed
documents, which together form a most interesting collec-
tion in illustration of the voyage in question. Edited by
W. Sandys Vaux, Esq., M.A. The volume is accompanied
by a copy of a most interesting cotemporaneous and supposed
unique map of the world in hemispheres, by Hondius,
indicating the track of Drake and Candish. This valuable
map, which was purchased by the British Museum as unique,
is especially remarkable for its extreme beauty, when the
date at which it was constructed is taken into consideration.
" The History of the Two Tartar Conquerors of China,
including the two journeys into Tartary of Father Ferdinand
Verbiest, in the suite of the Emperor Kang-Hi": from the
French of Fere Pierre Joseph D'Orleans, of the company of
Jesus. With the addition of Father Pereira's Journey into
Tartary in the suite of the same Emperor, from the Dutch
of Nicolaas Witsen. Translated and Edited by the Earl of
Ellesmere. With an Introduction by the Secretary of the
Society.
Meanwhile, the following works are in progress : —
A Collection of Early Documents on Spitzbergen
AND Greenland, consisting of a translation from the German
of F. INIarten's important work on Spitzbergen, now very
rare. A translation from Isaac de la Peyrere's Relation de
Groenland, first printed in 1647, with a small tract on
Greenland, entitled, " God's Power and Providence shewed
in the miraculous preservation and deliverance of eight
Englishmen, left by mischance in Greenland, anno 1630,
nine moneths and twelve days, faithfully reported by Edward
Pelham." Edited, with Notes, by Adam White, Esq., of
the British Museum.
A Collection of Embassies to Russia in the reigns
OF Queen Elizabeth and King James I : comprising,
'' The Russe Commonwealth by Giles Fletcher", suppressed
by order of Queen Elizabeth. Sir Thomas Smithe's " Yoiage
and Entertainment in Rushia"; London, 1605 ; and Trades-
cant's " Viagc of Ambassad", now first printed entire from
the MS. in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Edited by
E. A. Bond, Esq., of the British Museum.
The East India Voyage of Sir Henry Middleton.
To be Edited by Bolton Corney, Esq.
IxDiA IX THE Fifteenth Century. A collection of
documents, comprising, in the first place, a translation of
the travels of Abd-er-Rizak, ambassador from Shah-E,okh in
the years 1441-2-3, translated from the Persian into French
by M. de Quatremere, and published in the " Notices des
Manuscrits", tome xvi, 1843. And, secondly, " The travels
in India of the Venetians Nicolo de' Conti and Giorgio di
San Stefano." Translated from the Latin and Italian by
J. Winter Jones, Esq., of the British Museum. The former
of these last two documents will be translated from the ori-
ginal Latin, first printed in Paris in 1723, by Dominicus
Georgius, in the fourth book of his edition of Poggio
Bracciolini's " Historiae de varietate fortunae libri quatuor".
Ramusio, in his " Navigatione et Viaggi", states that he
made great efforts to discover the original, but without
success, and was obliged to content himself with a Portuguese
translation, full of inaccuracies, which he again translated
into Italian for his great collection. The original Latin,
apart from the important quality of being authentic, renders
easy and intelligible many passages which are full of obscurity
in the Italian of Ramusio. And, thirdly, " The travels of
the Russian traveller Anastasius Nikitin." Translated by
Count Wielhorsky, late Secretary to the Russian Legation
at the Court of St. James's, from the Russian MS. procured
for the Society by Sir Roderick Murchison from the cele-
brated and wealthy monastery called the Laura of St. Sergius,
under the Invocation of the Blessed Trinity, near Moscow.
The work to be edited by J. Winter Jones, Esq., F.S.A.,
of the British Museum.
The Travels of Girolamo Benzoni, in America, in
1541 ; the first traveller (as such) in the New World, and
whose w^ritings form the basis of the American portion of
the great collection of travels compiled by Theodore de Bry.
To be translated and edited by Admiral W. H. Smyth.
A Collection of Documents on the Early Dis-
coveries IN Australia. To be edited by Captain C. R.
Drinkwater Bethune, R.N., C.B.
Other works promised by Editors are : —
A Collection of Early' Documents, to form a Supple-
ment to the " Narrative of Voyages towards the North
West", by T. Rundall, Esq.
Sofalah. The History of Eastern Ethiopia, by J. dos
Santos, 1607. To be Translated and Edited, with Notes,
by W. Desborough Cooley, Esq.
The following six Members retire from the Council :
Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort.
Bolton Corney, Esq.
R. W. Grey, Esq., M.P.
Sir Charles Lemon, Bart., M.P.
Sir John Richardson, M.D.
Rev. AV. Wiiewell, D.D.
Of this number —
Sir Francis Beaufort
R. W. Grey, Esq.
Rev. Dr. Whewell
are recommended fo7-
re-election.
And the followinir are proposed for election, viz.
David Baillie, Esq., F.R.S.
Lord Broughton.
C. W. Dilke, Esq., Jun.
Statement of the Accounts of the Society for the year 1854.
£. s. d.
£. s. d.
Balance at last Audit:
At Bankors' 190 15 7
In Petty Cash -i 10 5
Received by Bunkers "during the
year iSr 16 0
Mr. Uichards for Printing and
Binding 150 0 0
Spalding and Hodge for Paper .. 42 10 0
Translations 7 15 3
Transcriptions 15 3 1
Indexes 4 10 0
Advertisements 5 10 U
Gratuity to Agent's Koiemnn 5 0 0
Stationary, I'arcels, Postages, and
Sundries 4 ~ !i
Present Balance :
At Bankers 104 tl
In Petty Cash 3 1?
235 2
Examined aud Apjirovcd, 2Sth Feb., 1855.
JOHN BARROW,
A. B, BECHER.
INTRODUCTION
The first work, in the following volume of Arctic
Miscellanies, is that of Frederick Martens, of Ham-
burg, describing a voyage which he made to Spitz-
bergen in 1671, with a description of that great
Arctic island, or rather archipelago, and the produc-
tions he observed on its shores or in the seas around.
The book of Martens was translated from the Ger-
man into English, and published in 1694 in a col-
lection of voyages, entitled, " An account of several
late Voyages and Discoveries to the South and North,
towards the Streights of Magellan, the South Seas,
the vast tracts of land beyond Hollandia Nova, etc.,
also towards Nova Zembla, Greenland or Spitzberg,
Groynland or Engrondland, etc., by Sir John Nar-
borough" and others. This translation and the other
narratives were dedicated by the publishers (who
were " Printers to the Royal Society") to the cele-
brated " Samuel Pepys, Esq., Secretary of the Admi-
ralty of England." It seems, on the whole, to be a
very exact translation of Martens' book. The plates,
which in most cases are very rude, it has not been
h
11 INTRODUCTION.
considered advisable to reproduce, althrmgh some
of them are graphic and intelligible enough. And
here it may not be unacceptable to quote what
the author himself says respecting his production,
in his address to the reader in the original Ger-
man edition, — which address was left untranslated
in the English version of the work now reprinted.
" When," he says, " I undertook some years ago
an expedition to Spitzbergen, I resolved to com-
mit to paper an account of my voyage, and to make
drawings of any objects that admitted of pictorial
illustration. On my return, I showed my notes and
drawings to several distinguished friends, and among
others to Dr. Kirstenius and to Dr. Fogel, who not
merely expressed their satisfaction at the result of
my labours, but recommended that my work should
be published.
" When, however, I applied myself to my task,
Dr. Fogel gave me a translation of the list of queries
inserted in the 29th No. of the " Philosophical Trans-
actions," by Mr. Oldenburg,^ upon points especially
requiring elucidation with regard to Spitzbergen, and
hence I was led to enlarge my account of my travels
to the extent of one half, and that not from other
books, but entirely from my own experience. Nor
do I doubt that, though I have not been able to answer
every question, I have at least in some cases satisfied
the desires of the eminent curiosi above mentioned ;
for I have not only noted day by day the weather,
' Henry Oldenburg, secretary of the Royal Society and editor of
the " riiilosophical Transactions" from 1665 to 1677.
INTRODUCTION. Ill
and, whenever possible, the latitude, but 1 have also
given in four divisions a copious account of Spitz -
bergen as regards the land, the sea, the ice, the
air, the wind, the snow, the rainbows, and also the
plants and animals, and more especially the whales
and the whale fishery.
" Dr. Fogel's numerous inquiries have also in-
creased the work, by eliciting a great amount of
information upon points which would otherwise have
escaped me. Dr. Fogel has also arranged the work
in proper order, and in such a manner that any point
can be found without the need of an index. He has
also identified several plants, and determined the
classes to which they belong, and has invented
several appropriate designations for plants and ani-
mals, which had previously had no German name.
For all which services I now publicly offer him the
thanks which are so justly his due."
The following are the queries in the " Philosophical
Transactions" above referred to : —
" INQUIRIES FOR GREENLAND.
" To discharge our promise made in the last " Trans-
actions," we shall subjoin the following queries, which we
also purpose to recommend in due season, to some of those
English masters of ships and other fit persons that shall sail
into Greenland for the whale-fishing : intreating withall, as
many as have convenicncy, to assist us in these recommen-
dations.
" The inquiries are : —
" 1. What and how much is the heat of the sun there in
IV INTRODUCTION.
the midst of the summer, compared with the heat of it in
England ? to be observed with a seal'd thermometer.
" 2. What is the most constant weather there in summer,
whether clear, cloudy, rainy, foggy ? etc.
" 3. What weather is most usual at such and such times
of the year ?
" 4. What constancy or unconstancy there is of the ivind
to this or that quarter of the horizon, or to this or that part
of the year ?
" 5. What the temperature of each particular wind is ob-
serv'd to be ? and particularly whether the north-tcind be
the coldest ? If not, what wind is ? whether is the colder,
the east or west, etc.
" 6. What wind is observed to bring most ice, and what
to make a clear water at sea ?
" 7. What currents there are ? How fast, and which way
they sett ? Whether those currents are not stronger at one
time of the moon than at another ? Whether they always
run one way ?
*' 8. What is observable about the tydes, spring or neap ?
How high the high-water is above the loio-water ? which
way it fioweth ? Avhich way it ebbeth ? what time of the
moon the spring-tides fall out ?
" 9. Whether the ice that floats in the sea be of salt water
or fresh ?
" 10. What r iters there are in the summer, and what
fresh water can be had ?
"11. What fowl are found to live there, and what beasts?
How they arc thought to subsist in winter? How they
breed and feed their young ?
" 12. What vegetables grow there, and whether they yield
any flowers or fruits, etc. ?
" 13. Whether there have been any thunder or lightning
observed in those parts ?
" 11. How deep the cold penetrates into the earth ?
INTRODUCTION. V
Whether there be any wells, pitts, or mines, so deep that
the cold does not touch the bottom thereof ?
" 15. How the land trends ? and whether the parts under
or near the Pole be by those that have gone furthest that
way thought to be sea or land ? How near any hath been
known to approach the Pole ; and whether the cold m-
creaseth with the increase of latitude ?
" 16. To make, if possible, some experiments or observa-
tions about the magnet or needle ; and particularly, how
much the declination is there ? and whether they doe ex-
actly observe the degrees of declination in their course ?
Likewise to make observations about the height of the sun
and other celestial bodies, and their diameter, refractions ?
etc.
" 17. What is their opinion concerning the North-east
passage ?
" 18. What fish do most frequent those seas, besides
tuhales ? Any thing observable in their fishing ? as the
usual or unusual bigness, strength, and the several sorts of
lohales ; and particularly to observe whether that kind of
ichales they call Trompa, have in their heads the sperma
ceti, and in their entrals the amhergreese, looking like coivs-
dung, as was alledged out of Purchas, in numb. 28, pag.538 ?
" 19. To give in an exact relation of the whale-Jishing ,
throwing the harp-irons, following the fish, etc.
" 20. To describe the wliole manner of making the oyl of
tohales."
Martens' work was the first published on Spitz-
bergen, and in its description of the ice and ani-
mals especially, seems to be very correct and graphic,
and it gives a very good account of the mode pur-
sued by the Dutch, in the capture of the whale
and the wakus, more than a century and a half ago ;
VI INTRODUCTION.
and this account was not superseded till Capt. (now
the Ilev. Dr.) Scoresby published his account of the
Arctic Regions, and his history and description of the
Northern \Miale Fishery in 1820. In this excellent
work, section 1 of chapter ii is devoted specially to
an account of Spitzbergen and the islands immedi-
ately adjacent. One of the plates contains a survey
of Spitzbergen, the west coast being laid down from
the author's own observations. In the appendix to
this edition of Martens', a few extracts are given
relating to the animals of Spitzbergen and the sur-
rounding seas, from Dr. Scoresby's volumes. In another
of Dr. Scoresby's works, that in which he describes his
discoveries on the east coast of Greenland in 1822, he
gives some pictures of the " highly striking, interest-
ing, and indeed magnificent" scenery of Spitzbergen.^
The voyage towards the North Pole by Captain
riiipps (afterwards Lord Mulgrave) in 1773, contri-
buted a good deal to our knowledge of the natural
history of Spitzbergen and the surrounding seas.
His journal of this voyage was published in the fol-
lowing year, and in the introduction he mentions the
assistance he derived from Sir Joseph Banks : " To
Mr. Banks I was indebted for very full instructions
in the branch of natural history, as I have since been
for his assistance in drawing up the account of the
productions of that country." In the appendix, there
' " Journal of a Voyage to the Northern Whale Fishery, includ-
mg researches and discoveries on the eastern coast of West Green-
land, made in the siuunier of 1822, in the ship Batiin, of Liverpool."
Edinburgh, 1823.
INTRODUCTION. VU
is given a catalogue of fifty-one subjects of the ani-
mal kingdom ; some of these were there described and
figured for the first time. In the appendix to the fol-
lowing edition of Martens' Spitzbergen, the whole of
these are included. In the same appendix, twenty-
seven plants are recorded, one of which, a grass
[Agrostis algida) described there for the first time, was
subsequently described by Mr. Brown, as the type of
a new genus named Phippsia, in honour of the brave
commander of the expedition. The immortal Nelson,
then a mere youth, went on this expedition with his
uncle Captain Lutwidge, and we learn from Southey's
life of the naval hero, that on two occasions, at least,
the young midshipman contended both with the
Polar bear and the unwieldy walrus. A number of
the latter animals had attacked a boat ; they " were
with difficulty prevented from staving or oversetting
her, but a boat from the Carcass joining ours", says
Captain Phipps, " they dispersed".^ Southey informs
us that this boat was commanded by Horatio Nelson.^
Another celebrated name in Arctic enterprise and
discovery acquired his first experience of Arctic
dangers in the Spitzbergen seas. Sir J. Franklin was
lieutenant and commander of the Trent, in the " voy-
age of discovery towards the North Pole performed
in His Majesty's ships Dorothea and Trent, under the
command of Captain David Buchan, R.N.", in 1818.
Captain (now Admiral) F. W. Beechey published the
narrative of this voyage in 1843. He has given a
' Phipps, Voyage toAvards North Pole, p. 58.
2 Life of Nelson, p. 10.
Vlll INTRODUCTION.
most graphic account of Spitzbergen and the sur-
rounding seas. In this book are many excellent
remarks on the animal productions of this inhospitable
land, with some admirable views and sketches. In
the appendix to this edition of Martens', some valu-
able extracts from this work are included in the list
of the animals. The following descriptive extract
from Admiral Beechey's volume, conveys a striking
picture of a fine summer day in these generally wintry
climes. The voyage of the Dorothea and Trent was
not more successful than that of the Racehorse and
Carcass forty-five years before ; but it served, at all
events, as the nursery of three great Arctic explorers,
— the lamented Franklin, and the present Admirals
F. W. Beechey and Sir G. Back ; while it afforded
a subject for one of the most pleasing of all the Arctic
narratives, the book from which the following interest-
ing extract is derived.
" In cloudy or misty weather, when the hills are
clothed with newly-fallen snow, nothing can be more
dreary than the appearance of the shores of Spitzber-
gen ; whereas, on the contrary, it is scarcely possible
to conceive a more brilliant and lively effect than that
which occurs on a fine day, when the sun shines forth
and blends its rays with that peculiarly soft, bright
atmosphere which overhangs a country deeply bedded
in snow ; and with a pure sky, whose azure hue is so
intense as to find no parallel in nature. On such an
occasion the winds, near the land at least, are very
liglit, or entirely hushed, and the shores teem with
living objects. All nature seems to acknowledge the
INTRODUCI ION. IX
glorious sunshine, and the animated part of creation
to set no bounds to its delight.
" Such a day was the 4th of June, and we felt most
sensibly the change from the gloomy atmosphere of
the open sea, to the cheerful glow that overhung the
hills and placid surface of Magdalena Bay. Although
surrounded by beds of snow and glaciers, with the
thermometer scarcely above the freezing point, there
was no sensation of cold. The various amphibious
animals, and myriads of birds which had resorted to
the place, seemed to enjoy, in the highest degree, the
transition thus occasioned by a few bright hours of
sunshine. From an early hour in the morning until
the period of rest returned, the shores around us re-
verberated with the merry cry of the little auk, wil-
locks, divers, cormorants, gulls, and other aquatic
birds ; and wherever we went, groups of walruses,
basking in the sun, mingled their playful roar with the
husky bark of the seal.
" There was certainly no harmony in this strange
din ; but it was at least gratifying to know that it
arose from a demonstration of happy feelings. It was
a pleasure of the same character as that which must
have been experienced by every traveller, who, on
some fine bright evening in a tropical climate, has
listened to the merry buzz of thousands of winged
insects which immediately succeeds the setting of the
sun ; and here we cannot fail to notice the manner
in which the great Author of Nature has varied His
dispensations. In the burning region of the torrid
zone, the descent of the sun calls into action myriads
of little beings which could not exist under the fierce
X INTRODUCTION.
glare of his meridian ray ; whereas here, on the con-
trary, it is the signal for universal repose.
" This period of the day had no sooner arrived in
Magdalena Bay than there was a stillness which bor-
dered on the sublime — a stillness which was inter-
rupted only by the bursting of an iceberg, or the
report of some fragment of rock loosened from its
hold. These sounds, indeed, which came booming
over the placid surface of the bay, could hardly be
considered interruptions to the general silence, for,
speedily dying away in the distance, they left behind
a stillness even more profound than before.
" In the daytime, the presence of our expedition
was not disregarded. The birds shunned us in their
flight, and every noise which was occasionally made,
sounding strange to the place, sent to a greater dis-
tance the seagulls that were fishing among the rocks,
and kept on the alert whole herds of animals, many
of M"hich would otherwise have been lost in sleep ;
causing them to raise their heads when anything fell
upon our deck, and to cast a searching look over the
bay, as if to inquire whence so unusual a disturbance
proceeded. These little alarms, which would have
passed unheeded in situations frequented by man,
proved, more than any other incident, how great a
stranger he was in these regions ; a feeling which, I
must confess, carried with it an agreeable sensation,
arising, no doubt, from the conviction that Ave were
treading on ground which had been but rarely visited
before."^
' \'uya<fc of Discovery towards the North Pole, performed in his
Majesty's ships Dorothea and Trent, under the command of Captain
l^'TROI)UC•Tl()N. XI
On the 11th May, 1823, Captain Claveiing in the
Gripci\ accompanied by Captain (now Colonel) Sabine,
sailed for Spitzbergen. The chief object of the expedi-
tion was the continuation of a series of observations
on the length of the second's pendulum. They landed
on a small island, the same as that on which Captain
Phipps made his observations, in 1773. Captain
Chivering left Captain Sabine and a party to make
observations, while he pushed to the northward ; but
in lat. 80° 20', his further progress was arrested, like
that of Lord Mulgrave, by the ice, along the margin
of which he sailed in a westerly direction for about
sixty miles ; perceiving no opening, he returned to
Captain Sabine's station, and afterwards visited the
coast of Greenland.
In 1826, Admiral Sir Edward (then Captain) Parry
proposed to the Admiralty, to attempt to reach the
North Pole by means of travelling with sledge-boats
over the ice or through any spaces of open water that
might occur. This proposal was referred to the Pre-
sident and Council of the Royal Society, wdio recom-
mended strongly its adoption, and on the 25th of
March, H.M.S. Hecla sailed for Spitzbergen. Al-
though the primary object of the expedition was
frustrated. Captain Parry succeeded in reaching a
point nearer to the North Pole than had been or has
yet been attained, and his admirable narrative with
its views and charts has added much to our acquaint-
ance with the appearance and geography of the
northern part of Spitzbergen ; while, to say nothing
David Buchan, R.N., 1818, and by Capt. F. W. Eecchcy, ll.N'.,
F.ll.S., pp. 52-55.
XU INTRODUCTION.
of the valuable meteorological and magnetic observa-
tions of himself and Captains Foster and Crozier,
there is a very interesting Zoological Appendix by
Captain Sir James C. Ross, and an equally valuable
Botanical Appendix by Sir William Hooker. Of
mammalia, 9 species are recorded ; and the numbers
of the other orders are as follows : birds, 21 ; fishes,
4; insects, 1; radiata, 5; Crustacea, 14; and mol-
lusca, 2. Of the plants, 40 belong to the phsenoga-
mous division ; while 50 are recorded which belong
to the cryptogamic section of plants.
In the appendix too, is given by the late Professor
Jameson, an enumeration of the rocks of Spitzbergen
and the neighbouring islands. From this we learn,
among other interesting mineralogical facts, that
some mould from " Hecla Cove ", a place where the
soil is good and covered with a tolerably abundant
vegetation, contains 70 per cent, of silica ; the other
ingredients being water, 12 per cent. ; carbonate of
lime, 8 per cent. ; carbonate of iron, 3 per cent. ; and
a slight portion of vegetable debris. Ross's Islet, the
most northern known land on the globe, seems to be
a primitive rock, the specimens of it brought consist-
ing of grey and reddish granite-gneiss with imbedded
precious garnets. So that of all the gems, the precious
garnet seems to have the widest geographical range.
In a letter to Sir John Barrow, published in " Voy-
ages of Discovery and Research within the Arctic
Regions from the year 1818 to the present time"
(1846), Sir Edward Parry observes : " It is evident that
the causes of failure in our former attempt in the year
1827 were principally two ; first and chiefly, the broken,
INTRODUCTION. Xlll
rugged, and soft state of the surface of tlie ice over
wliich we travelled ; and secondly, the drifting of the
whole body of ice in a southerly direction. On mature
reconsideration of all the circumstances attending this
enterprise, I am induced to alter the opinion I gave
as to its practicability in my journal, p. li'l ; because
I believe it to be an object of no very difficult attain-
ment if set about in a different manner. My plan is
to go out with a single ship to Spitzbergen, just as
we did in the Hecla, but not so early in the season ;
the object for that year being merely to find secure
winter quarters as far north as possible. For this
purpose it would only be necessary to reach Hakluyt's
Headland by the end of June, which would aiford
ample leisure for examining the more northern lands,
especially about the Seven Islands, where, in all pro-
bability, a secure nook might be found for the ship,
and a starting point for the proposed expedition, some
forty or fifty miles in advance of the point where the
Hecla was before laid up. The winter might be
usefully employed in various preparations for the
journey, as well as in magnetic, astronomical, and
meteorological observations of high interest in that
latitude. I propose that the expedition should leave
the ship in the course of the month of April, when
the ice would present one hard and unbroken surface,
over which, as I confidently believe, it would not
be difficult to make good thirty miles per day without
any exposure to wet, and probably without snow-
blindness. At this season, too, the ice would probably
be stationary, and thus the two great difficulties which
wc formerly had to encounter would be entirely obvi-
XIV INTRODUCTION.
ated. It might form a part of the phm to push out
supplies previously to the distance of a hundred miles,
to be taken up on the way, so as to commence the
journey comparatively light ; and as the intention
would be to complete the enterprise in the* course of
tlie month of May, before any disruption of the ice or
any material softening of the surface had taken place,
similar supplies might be sent out to the same dis-
tance to meet the party on their return." — I. c. pp.
313-314.
The last scientific voyage made to Spitzbergen was
that of the French naval officer, Captain Gaimard.
A portion only of the narrative of this voyage has
been published. Among the plates are some striking
views of the scenery and illustrations of the natural
history. The celebrated Danish zoologist, Kroyer,
seems to have been on this expedition, so that when
completed, a fuller account than has yet been pub-
lished of the animal and vegetable productions, may
be expected, as well as of the geological structure of
the parts of the island which they visited. In the
list of animals appended to this edition of Martens',
are included such as have been described by Kroyer
in his " Naturhistorisk Tidskrift", as found for the
first time by the French expedition in the bays of
this Arctic land.
The reader who wishes to know the history of
Arctic discovery in Spitzbergen, must consult Dr.
Forster's learned work on the History of the Voyages
and Discoveries made in the North, the two excellent
works of the late Sir John Barrow, and Captain
Bcechey's narrative, already alluded to. It is to be
INTRODUCTION. XV
liopcd that, at no very remote period, such parts of
the coast of Spitzhergen as have not been visited,
may be explored by some of our steamboats in favour-
able seasons, as the results of Captain Gaimard's ex-
pedition shew that there are yet many " gleanings"
to be gathered in the natural history, as we know
there are in the geography, of that finest and most
accessible of the islands within the Arctic circle.
The second document in the volume is a translation,
now newly made, from the " Relation du Greenland"
of Isaac de la Peyrere, so celebrated for his strange
opinions on the subject of men existing on the globe
before Adam. It was during a residence in Denmark
in 1644, with M. de la Thuillerie, ambassador from
France to Copenhagen, that he compiled his " Rela-
tion de ITslande" published with his name in Paris,
1663 ; and at the same time collected the mate-
rials for his " Relation du Greenland," the work
now translated, which he dates from the Hague,
1646, but which likewise remained unprinted till
1663, when it appeared anonymously. Niceron, in
his " Memoire pour servir a I'histoire des Hommes
illustres", in referring to these two works, with justice
remarks, " Elles sent toutes les deux curieuses et
estimees, et La Peyrere n'y paroit nuUement vision-
naire, comme il I'a paru dans ses autres ouvrages. II
les ecrivit pour faire plaisir a M. la Mothe le Vayer,
son ami, que aimoit ces sortes de livres." The
" Relation du Greenland" was reprinted in the first
volume of the " Recueil des Voyages au Nord," and a
translation was given in Churchill's Collection. As a
XVI INTRODUCTION.
compendious account of the early expeditions to that
country, as well as of the habits and manners of the
people, it has been deemed, especially in its new
shape, an appropriate document for insertion in this
collective volume.
We may here take occasion to insert a curious
epitaph, indited after the death of the author, apropos
of the instability of his religious opinions: —
"La Peyrere ici git, ce bon Israelite,
Huguenot, Catholique, enfin Preadamite,
Quatre religions lui plurent a la fois,
Et son indifference etoit si peu commune
Qu'apres quatre-vingt ans qu'il eut a faire un clioix,
Le bon-homme partit et n'en choisit pas une."
We find, however, from an extract from the registers
of the parish of Ambervilliers, where he was buried,
that he abjured all his heresies at the feet of Pope
Alexander VII, and died " muni de tons ses sacre-
mens" on the 31st of January 1676, at the venerable
age of eighty-three.
The interesting document which closes the volume,
entitled, " God's Power and Providence, showed in
the Miraculous Preservation and Deliverance of eisrht
Englislnnen left by mischance in Greenland, anno
1630, nine moneths and twelve dayes," is now very
scarce. A copy, with the map, which is frequently
wanting, is quoted by Lowndes as being sold for four
pounds. Hence, although reprinted in Churchill's
Collection, it has, from its interesting character and
intimate connection with the subject, been considered
a fitting document to insert in the present volume.
VOYAGE
INTO
SPITZBEKGEN AND GREENLAND.
PART THE FIRST.
CONTAINING THE PASSAGES OF THE WHOLE VOYAGE, TOGETHER WITH SOME
ACCOUNT OF THE WEATHER, FROM THE 15tH OF APRIL,
TO THE 21st OF AUGUST, ANNO 1071.
VOYAGE INTO SPITZBERGEN,
CHAP. I.
Of the Voyage from the Elbe to Spitzbergen.
AVe set sail the 15tli of April 1671, about noon, from the
Elbe. The wind was north-east ; at night, when we came by
the Hilge-land,^ it bore to north-north-east. The name of the
ship was Jonas in the IV/uile,^ Peter Peterson, of Friscland,
master.
The 2Tth, we had storms, hail and snow, with very cold
weather, the wind north-east and by east; we were in
seventy-one degrees, and came to the ice, and turned back
again. The Island of JoJwi Maien bore from us south-west
and by west, as near as we could guess within ten miles.
We might have seen the island plain enough, but the air
was haizy, and full of fogs and snow, so that we could not
see far. About noon it blew a storm, whereuj)on we took
down our topsails, and, furling our mainsail, drove with the
missensai] towards south-east.
The 29th, it was foggy all day, the wind north-east, and
l)y north ; we came to the ice, and sailed from it again.
^ " Heilige-land," the " Heligoland" of British maps.
^ In the original German there is given here a portion of the log of the
" Jonas im Walfsch'" ; similar passages are occasionally omitted in the
translation.
VOYAGE I^^TO
The 30th, the first Sunday after Easter, was foggy, with
rain and snow, the wind at north ; at night we came to the
ice, biit sailed from it again ; the sea was tempestuoiis, and
tossed our ship very much.
The 3rd of May was cold, snowy, with hail, and misty
sunshine ; the wind north-west and by west ; the sun set no
more, we saw it as well by night as by day.
The 4th, we had snow, hail, and gloomy sunshine, with
cold weather, but not excessive ; the wind at north-west ; the
weather every day unconstant. Here we saw abundance of
scales ;^ they jum^^ed out of the water before the ship, and,
which was strange, they would stand half out of the water,
and, as it Avere, dance together.
The 5th, in the forenoon, it was moderately cold, and sun-
shine, but toward noon darkish and cloudy, with snow and
great frost ; the wind north-west and by north. We saw
daily many ships, sailing about the ice ; I observed that as
they passed by one another, they hailed one another, crying
Holla, and asked each other how many fish they had caught ;
but they would not stick sometimes to tell more than they
had. When it was windy, that they could not hear one
another, they waived their Hats to signifie the number caught.
But when they have their full fraight of ichales, they put up
their great flag as a sign thereof : then if any hath a message
to be sent, he delivers it to them.
The 7th, we had moderate frosts, clouds and snow, Avith
rain. In the evening we sailed to the ice, the wind was
quite contrary to us, and the ice too small, Avherefore we
sailed from it. In the afternoon we saw Sjntzhergen, the
south point of the North Foreland : we supposed it the true
Harbour. The land appeared like a dark cloud, full of white
streeks ; we turned to the "West again, that is, according to
the compass, which is also to be understood of the ice and
harbour.
' "Sec lluiulc" — seals. (Phoca Gnvnlandica ? ) Sec A})pcndix.
SPITZBERGEN AND GREENLAND. 5
The 9th Avas the same weather, and cold as before, the
Avind south-M'est and by west. In the afternoon a fin-fish^
swam by our ship, which we took at first to be a ichale,
before ^\e saw the high fins of his tail and came near to it.
AVc had let down our sloop from the ship, but that labour
Avas lost, for he was not worth taking. From the 25th of
April to this day we had not taken the sun's altitude ; we
Avere then in seA'enty degrees and three minutes, and sailed
towards the north and the ice. It may seem strange that we
so often sailed to the ice and from it again, but I shall giA^e
you a reason for that hereafter.
The 12th, it AA^as stormy and excessiA^e cold, the wind
North, and aa'c had the greatest frosts in this Month of 3Iay.
On the 14th, the wind Avas north-west, fine weather with
sunshine ; we were Avithin seventy-fiA^e degrees and twenty-
two minutes. We told twenty ships about us ; the sea was
A-ery even, and we hardly felt any AA'ind, and yet it was very
cold. In this place the sea becomes smooth presently again
after a storm, chiefly AAdien the Avind bloAVs from the ice ; but
Avhen it blows ofl" the sea, it alAA'ays makes a great sea. The
same day we saw a ichale, not far off from our ship ; Ave put
out four boats from on board after him, but this labour was also
in A'ain, for he run under the water and we saw him no more.
On the 19th, Ave had a dull sunshine, the Avind was north,
and it was so calm that we could hardly feel it ; we rowed
in the ship-boat to the ice, and killed tAA^o sea-hounds (or
scales); there were so many on the ice they could not be
numbered.
On the 20th, it was exceeding cold, so that the very sea
was all frozen over ; yet it was so calm and still that we
could hardly perceive the Avind, Avhich was north ; there
Avere nine ships in our company, which sailed about the ice ;
Ave found still, the longer we sailed the bigger the ice.
^ " Fimien-fish." {Bolo:na Physalus, 0. Fabr., Physalus Antiquorum ?
of modern authors.)
b VOYAGE INTO
On the 21st (which was the fourth Sunday after Easter),
we sailed into the ice in the forenoon, with another Ham-
burg her -ship, called the Lepeler, with eight Hollanders. We
fixed our ship with ice-hooks to a large ice-field, when the
sun was south-west and by south ; we numbered thirty ships
in the sea; they lay, as it were, in an harbour or haven.
Thus they venture their ships in the ice at great hazard.
On the 30th, it was fair weather in the morning, snowy
about noon, the wind was south-west and very calm. We
rowed in the great sloop, before the ship, farther into the
ice. In the morning Ave heard a whale blow when the sun
was in the east, and brought the xohale to the ship when the
sun was at south-west and by east ; the same day we cut the
Fat from it, and filled with it seventy barrels (which they call
kardels). By this fish we found abundance of birds, most of
them were mallemucks^ (that is to say, foolish gnats), which
were so greedy of their food, that we killed them with sticks.
This fish was found out by the Birds, for we saw everywhere
by them in the sea where the whale had been, for he w\as
wounded by an harpooning iron that stuck still in his
flesh, and he had also spent himself by hard swimming ; he
blowed also very hollow, he stank alive, and the birds fed
upon him. This tvhale fermented when it was dead, and the
steam that came from it inflamed our eyes and made them
sore. This same night, Cornelius Seaman^ lost his ship by
the squeezing and crushing together of the ice ; for in this
place are very great sheets or islands of ice, and the seamen
call it West-ice, because it lieth toward the west.
On the 2nd June, we had a severe frost in the forenoon,
and in the night we saw the moon very pale, as it used to
look in the daytime in our country with clear sunshine,
whereupon followed mist and snow, the wind north-east and
by north.
^ " Mallomik'koii." The Fulmar Petrel {Piocdluria glacialis.)
^ " Scman," orig-.
SPITZBERGF.N AMI ORKl'.NT.AND, 7
In the morning, June 4tli, we were a-hunting again after a
whale, and wc came so near unto one, that the harpoonier
was just a going to fling his harpoon into her, but she sunk
down behind* and held her head out of the water, and so
sunk down like a stone, and we saw her no more ; it is very
like that the great ice-field was full of holes in the middle, so
that the ichale could fetch breath vinderneath the ice. A
great many more ships lay about this sheet of ice ; one hunted
the ivhales to the other, and so they were frighted and became
very shy. So one gets as many fishes as the other, and
sometimes they all get one. We were there several times
a hunting that very day, and yet we got never a one.
On the 8th, it was foggy, and snowed all day ; we saw
that day very many sea-dogs (or seales) on the ice about the
sea-side^ so we set out a boat and killed fifteen of them.
On the 12th, it was cold and stormy all day, at night sun-
shine I he that takes not exact notice, knows no difference
whether it be day or night.
On the loth, in the afternoon, it was windy and foggy;
we were in seventy-seven degrees ; we sailed along by the
ice somewhat easterly towards Spitzbergen. That night we
saw more than twenty whales, that run one after another
towards the ice ; out of them we got our second fish, which
was a male one ; and this fish, when they wounded him with
lances, bled very much, so that the sea was tinged by it
where he swam ; we brought him to the ship when the sun
was in the north, for the sun is the clock to the seamen in
Spitzbergen, or else they would live without order, and
mistake in the usual seven weekly days.
On the 14th, it was cold and windy, the night foggy, the
wind blew west ; that day we came to Hans Lichtenherg.
We arrived at Spitzhergen June the 14th. First we came to
the Foreland thereof, then to the seven Ice-hills or mountains,
then we passed the harbours (or bays) of the Hamhurghers,
Magdalens, of the English men, and Danes, and sailed into
8 - VOYAGE INTO
the South Bay : we M^ere followed by seven ships, three
Hamhurghers and four Hollanders. For here it is just the
same as when they will sail into the ice, if more than one is
there ; for nobody cares to be the first, because<*they do not
know in what condition the harbour or the ice is within. In
our voyage thither we saw no ice at all, until we came to
Sjntzhergcn, for the wind has bloAvn it all away ; in the night
we did cut off the fat of the fish, and filled Avith it sixty-five
kardels or vessels.
That night we sailed with three boats into the English
harbour or bay, and saw a whale, and flung into him three
harpoons, and threw our lances into him ; the whale ran
underneath the small ice, and remained a great while under
water before he came up again, and then ran but a very
little way before he came up again ; and this he repeated
very often, so that we were forced to wait upon him above
half an hour before he came from underneath the ice. The
harpoons broke out at length, and we lost him. On the ice
we saw two great sea-horses or morses^ that were got uijon
the sheet of ice, through a hole that was in it, and were
asleep ; we cut off their retreat by covering the hole with a
piece of ice ; then we awakened them with our lances, and
they began to defend themselves for awhile before they were
killed. We saw also many white fish.
On the 22nd, we had very fair Aveathcr, and pretty warm ;
we were by Rehenfelt f Deersjield J , where the ice stood firm.
We saw six whales, and got one of them that was a male and
our third fish ; he was killed at night when the sun stood
westward : this fish was killed by one man, who flung the
harpoon into him ; and killed him also, while the other boats
were busy in pursuing or hunting after another whale. This
fish run to the ice, and before he died beat about with his
tail ; the ice settled about him, so that the other boats could
not come to this boat to assist him, till the ice separated
^ " Walrosse " — the walrus ( Trichechus ros)iiarus). See Appendix.
SriTZDKKOEN AND OnT.KXLANn. y
again that they might row, when they tied one boat behind
the other, and so towed the lohale to the great ship, where
they cut him up into the vessels, and filled with him forty-
five barrels. This night the sun shined very brightly.
On the 29th, we had fair weather, sunshine, and calm. On
the same day we sailed before the wide harbour or bay, where
wc found a great quantity of the fat of a xoliale, three vessels
full, together with the image of St. Nicholas, which stood
behind a ship that was lost driving in the sea : there Avas
also here and there still much ice.
On the 1st July, about noon, two ivhales came near to our
ship ; we saw that they had a mind to couple together ; we
set our boat for them, and the harpoonier hit the female,
which when the other found, he did not stay at all, but made
away. The female run all along above the water, straight
forward, beating about with her tail and fins, so that we
durst not come near to lance her ; yet one of our harpooniers
was so foolhardy to venture too near to the fish, which
saluted him with a stroke of her tail over his back so vehe-
mently, that he had much ado to recover his breath again.
Those in the other boat, to show their valour also, has-
tened to the fish, which overturned their boat, so that the
harpoonier was forced to dive for it, and hide his head
underneath the water ; the rest did the same ; they thought
it very long before they came out, for it was cold, so that
they came quaking to the ship again. In the same morning
a tchale appeared near our ship, before the wide harbour :
we put out four boats from our ship after him, but two Hol-
land ships were about half a league from us ; one of them
sent a boat towards us ; we used great diligence and care to
take him, but the fish came np just before the Dutchman'' s
boat, and was struck by him -with the harpoon. Thus he
took the bread out of our mouths.
On the 2nd of July we had sunshine all day and night
long, and it M'as pretty warm withall ; about midnight M'e
10 VOYAGE INTO
went a hunting, and caught the fifth fish, who was a male ;
we cut the fat off and flung it into the forecastle. This is
done when they are very busy in whale catching, that they
may not lose time ; then they cut great pieces off the lohale,
that they may have done the sooner, for it doth not harm the
fat if it should lie so for several days ; nay, some reckon it
to be the better for it, but that cannot be, for the fat runs
away from it.
On the 4th, we had sunshine all day and night. We still
were whale hunting, and that night we got the sixth fish, a
male also ; he held forty-nine kardels of fat.
On the ord and 4th day of July, we saw more lohales than
we did in all our voyage.
On the 5th July, in the forenoon, it was bright sunshine
and pretty warm ; in the afternoon it was foggy ; at night
sunshine again, which lasted all the night. We hunted all
that day long, and in the morning we struck a whale before
the Wcigatt ; this fish run round about under the water,
and so fastened the line whereon our harpoon was about a
rock, so that the harpoon lost its hold, and that fish got
away. This lohale did blow the water so fiercely, that one
might hear it at a league's distance.
The same day, about noon, the wind south and svmshine,
we got the seventh fish, which was a female, and had forty-
five kardels of fat ; this we cut also into the hold, and so we
sailed from IVeigatt, a little toward the west, before the
Muscle-harhotir , where we dropt our anchor ; we were em-
ployed in cutting the great pieces of fat into lesser pieces, to
fill our kardels with them ; in the mean while the wind
turned to the north-west and west, and the single anchor
was dragged by the ship, so we dropped another, and would
have weighed up the former, but our cable broke, the anchor
being fastened to a rock.
On the 6th, we had the same weather, and warm sunshine
all night. Hard by us rode a Hollander, and the ship's crew
SPli/.BI'RGKN ANMJ GREENLAND. 11
basic in cutting the fat of a icJiale, Avlicn the fish burst with
so great a bounce as if a cannon had been discharged, and
bespattered the workmen all over.'
On the 8th, the wind turned north-west, with snow and
rain. We were forced to leave one of our anchors, and
thank'd God for getting off from land^ for the ice came on
fiercely upon us ; at night the wind was laid, and it was
colder, although the sun shined.
On the 9tli, we got another male icliale, being the eighth,
■which was yellow underneath the head ; we filled with him
fifty-four kardels of fat ; the sun shined all night.
On the 12th, we had gloomy sunshine all day, at night we
sailed with three boats into the ice before the JVcigatt, and
got three white bears,^ an old one and two young ones, they
swam in the water like fish. On the ice lay abundance of
sea-horses, and the further we came into the ice there were
the more of them ; we rowed up to them, and when we came
near to them Ave killed ten of them ; the rest came all about
our boat, and beat holes through the sides of the boat, so
that we took in abundance of water ; we were forced at
length to row away because of their great number, for they
gathered themselves more and more together ; they pursued
us as long as we could see them, very furiously. Afterwards
we met with another very great one, Avho lay in the Avater
fast asleep, but when he felt our harpoon Avithin him he Avas
very much frightened, and ran aAvay before the boat again,
where he Avas soon eased of his fright by our lances. We
saw but very few ivhales more, and those Ave did see Avere
quite Avild, that Ave could not come near them. That night
^ Putrefaction had commenced. Captain (now the Rev. Dr.) Scoresby
tells us, that at such a time " the whale svrells to an enormous size, until
at least a third of the carcase appears above water, and sometimes the
body is burst by the force of the air generated within." — Arctic Regions, \,
p. 466.
^ The Polar bear ( Thnlassarctos maritimus), the despot of the Arctic
regions. See Appendix.
12 VOYAGE INTO
it was so dark and foggy, that we could hardly see the ship's
length ; wc might have got sea-horses enough, but we were
afraid of loosing our ships, for we had examj)les enough of
them that had lost their ships, and could not come to them
again, but have been forced to return home in other ships.
When after this manner any have lost their ships, and cannot
be seen, they discharge a cannon from the ship, or sound
the trumpets, or hautboys, according as they arc provided
in their ships, that the men that are lost may find their ship
again.
On the 13th, we had cloudy sunshine, the wind tow'rds
night turned to north-east and by east. The ice came afloat-
ing down apace, we sailed from the south-east land to the
west, and we could but just get through by the north side
from the Bear Ilarhcmr or Bay. "We sailed on to the
ReJienfelt (or Deer Field J, where the ice was already fixed
to the land, so that we could but just get through ; we sailed
further to the Vogelsanck ( BircV s-song ) . Then we turned
to the east with a north-east wind, in company with twelve
ships more, to see whether there were any more ivhales left,
with George and Cornelius Mangelsen, and Michael Appel,
who sailed in four fathoms water, and touched upon the
wreck of a ship that was lost there.
On the 14th, in the morning, we sailed still among the ice,
the wind being north-cast and by east ; we had a fog all that
day with sunshine, with a rainbow of two colours, white and
pale yellow, and it was very cold, and we saw the sun a
great deal lower.
On the 15th, it was windy, cold, and foggy the whole day ;
the wind turned north-west, and the ice came on in abund-
ance, so that Ave could hardly sail, for it was everywhere full
of small sheets of ice. At this time there were many ships
beset with ice in the Deer or Muscle Bay. We sailed all
along near the shear ; at night we entered the Soufh-harhour,
where twenty-eight ships lay at anchor, eight whereof were
SPITZBERGEN AND GREENLAND. 13
Hamburgers, the rest Dutchmen. From that time when we
sailed out of the South-haccn we kept always within sight of
the land, and saw it always, except it was foggy ; and so long
the skippers stay by the ice to see if there arc any more
tcltales to be had. That night we fetched water from the
land, near the Cookery of Harlingen, out of a hole.
On the 16th, in the morning, we saw the moon, and after-
wards it was windy, with abundance of snow.
On the 18th, we had fair weather, with sunshine, and we
were also becalmed that we could not sail, wherefore we
towed with a boat into the Danish-karhour to gather some
herbs from the rocks. In the South-haveyi rode thirty ships
at anchor.
On the 19th, we had warm sunshine and fair weather, but
in the night stormy and rain.
On the 20tli, storms, rains, and a great deal of snow, the
wind south-west.
On the 21st, rain all day long.
CHAP. II.
Of our home voyage from Spitzbergen to tJie Elbe.
On the 22nd day of July, in the morning, when the sun was
north-east, we waied our anchors, and sailed out of the South-
haven. "We had a fogg all day long, and sunshine at night;
in the night we saw abundance oi fin-fishes.
On the 2-lth, it was so warm with sunshine, that the
tarr wherewith the ship was daubed over melted ; wc
14 VOYAGE INTO
drove, it being calm, before the haven or Bay of Mag-
dalen.
On the 25th, it was cloudy and sunshine, but cold withal ;
at night we came to the Forelands, the night was foggy, the
wind south-west.
On the 26th, we had the very same weather all day, the
sun was very low in the night.
On the 28th, we turned from the side of the North Fore-
land towards the west, when the sun was south-east ; and Ave
did sail south-west and by west towards the sea ; then we
changed our course southwards and stood south-east.
On the 29th, 30th, and 31st, we sailed south-east and by
south all along by the land, the south side of the Foreland
was eight leagues from us, bearing north-east ; then Ave sailed
south-Avest and by south, it Avas very cold, Avith a north-west
Avind. We saAV daily abundance of fin-fishes, but no more
whales.
On the 9th of August it was Avindy all day, with a gloomy
sunshine in the forenoon ; it cleared up towards noon : the
Avind was south-east Avhen we took the meridian height of
the sun, and were at sixty-six degrees forty-seven minutes ;
we sailed south-westward all along the northern shear of the
country.
On the loth, being Sunday, in the morning the Avind Avas
north-Avcst, stormy, Avith rain and Avest Avinds. In the night
Ave had very clear moon and starlight. In the morning we
saw the northern part of Hitland, we sailed southAvard ; after
the rain Ave saAv Fair Isle, and sailed in betwixt Hitland and
Fair Isle, first south-Avcst, and afterAvards south-west and by
south, and then soutliAvard.
On the 20th, it was fiiir Avcather, Avarm sunshine, and
somcAvhat Avindy ; Avhcn the day began to appear avc saw
Hilgcland, south-eastAvard of iis, Avhen Ave sailed south-east ;
there Ave took in a pilot, on purpose chosen by the magis-
trates of Hamburg.
SVITZnF.UOEN AND OREKNLAND. 15
On the 29th, it was fair weather, and warm sunshine all
(lay ; we sailed before the Elhe, and lay at anchor by the first
buoy (called the Red Buoy J. In the afternoon we weighed
our anchor, and sailed to Kuclis-havcn : in the night we had
thunder and lightning and rain.
THE END OF THE FIRST TART.
PART THE SECOND.
CONTAINING THE DESCRIPTION OF SPITZBERGEN.
CHAP. I.
Of the External Face and Appearance of Spitzbergen.
The lowermost parts of these countries, that are called
Spitzbergen, from the sharp or pointed hills or mountains
(for Sjyitz is pointed), are situated under seventy-six degrees
and thirty minutes. We sailed to the eighty-first degree,
and no ship ventured farther that year ; but how far this
country is extended to the north, is still unknown.
It seemeth, because the ice stands firm and floats not, as
that in the sea doth, that there should be land not far behind
it. As the highest countries arc surrounded by mountains,
as a fortification is with walls and works, so are these coun-
tries naturally surrounded with high hills.
The inward condition of this country we do not know,
but it seemeth, since we sec one hill behind another, that it
is so throughout the whole country. At the 3Itiscle-Jiaven
or 3IuscJc-Bay, we find plainer or leveller ground ; and the
farther we sail toward the east, the ground groweth the
lower, yet it is all stony, and with prospects of smaller hills ;
it doth not look at all as if it could be inhabited by men.
I believe also the land there must of necessity be lower
and lower, for else we should sec it higher above the other,
as wc do the other mountains.
SriTZnEUGEN AND GREENLANn. IT
Concerning the beasts that live on this land, I believe they
come over the ice in the spring, when the ice stands firm,
into these coimtries, and that the same way they go away
from thence again, when the long nights begin. ^
Concerning the birds, ■sve have partly a good account of
them ; their places and food are known, as I shall mention
wlien I come to write about them.
AV'hen, on the 18th of June, on a Simday, in the forenoon,
we first came to the Foreland of Spitzhergcn, the foot of these
mountains looked like fire, and the tops of them were covered
with foggs ; the snow was marbel'd, and looked as if it were
boughs and branches of trees, and gave as bright and glori-
ous a gloss or shining to the air or skies as if the sun had
shin'd. AMien the mountains look thus fiery, a hard storm
generally ensues.
These countries are in the winter encompassed with ice
from divers places, according as the winds blow ; as, if it be
east, from Nov:a Zemhla, if north-west, from Greenland and
the island of Jolin Maycn : it also happeneth sometimes that
the land is begirt with ice in summer, as they have often
seen that go thither every year. But when the ice comes
floating on too hard, or in too great a quantity, then the
ships make to the harbours, havens, bays, or rivers, as they
call them, that run up into the country ; the wind useth to
receive us something unkindly when we sail into them, roar-
ing over the dry hills with small whirl-winds. The water
in these rivers is salt.
W^e meet here with no fresh streams or rivulets ; nor did I
ever see a spring there. Of some rivers we know their be-
ginning, of others it cannot be found out, because of the
danger of the ice, which they are never free from ; some,
because of the hidden rocks underneath the water, which
are discovered by the vehement breaking of the sea, or by
^ This applies to tlie Reindeer, but not to the Arctic fox :iud Arctic
hare, which are constant inhabitants of the island.
3
18 VOYAGE INTO
great quantity of white foam. The names of the havens yoii
find all in order one after another in the map of Spitzhergen,
as far as we have been.
These havens they reckon to be the safest, viz., the Safe
Harhour, and the South and North Bay, which arc the most
known of any in Sjntzhcrgen.
The other havens, of what name soever, we commonly
sail by, because they lie open to the sea. Others we pass by
because of the constant ice that is in them, and the hidden
rocks.
In the South or North Haven or Bay, ride commonly the
most ships ; I told several times ten, twenty, nay thirty ships
that lay at anchor.
Concerning the birds, we saw abundance more of them by
and on the land than among the ice, chiefly when they hatch
their eggs : we do not find they make up their nest with far
fetcht things, neither do they gather anything for them from
Norway, Schetland, or the like.
The seeds of several herbs might grow in Spitzhergen, but
the herbs nature hath bestowed on those countries are such
as are fit for the diseases and distempers that are common
there.
We saw abundance of sea-horses by Spitzhergen on the
low land, and upon the ice ; but we saw very few scales on
the ice thereabout.
The country (as is aforesaid) is stony, and quite through-
out it are high mountains and rocks.
Below, at the feet of the mountains, stand the hills of ice
very high, and reach to the tops of the mountains ; the cliffs
are filled up with snow, wherefore the snoAV mountains show
very strange to those that never saw them before ; they ap-
pear like dry trees with branches and twigs, and when the
snow fallcth upon them they get leaves, as it were, which
soon after melt, and others come in the room of them.
There are seven larae Ice-mountains in a line in these
srirziJEUOEN and Greenland. 19
countries, that lye between the high rocks, which look a
glorious blew colour, as also is the ice, with a great many
cracks and holes in them ; they are hollowed out, melted
away, and cut in grooves by the rain and snow water that
runs down ; they are encreased greatly by the snow, as the
other ice that swimmeth in the sea is also: they are aug-
mented likewise by the melted snow from the rocks, and
from the rain that falls on them.
These seven mountains of ice are esteemed to be the high-
est in the country ; indeed they shewed very high as Ave
sailed by them underneath : the snow look'd dark from the
shades of the skies, which shewed very neat and curious,
with the blew cracks where the ice was broken off.
About the middle of the mountains some foggy clouds
hovered over ; above these the snow was very bright, the
true rocks looked fiery, and the sun shin'd pale upon them,
the snow giving the air a bright reflection : they were covered
with clouds, so that you could scarce see the tops of them.
Some of these rocks are but one stone from the bottom to
the top, appearing like an old decayed wall ; they smell very
sweet, as the green fields do in our country in the spring-
when it rains.
These stones for the most part are vein'd differently, like
marble, with red, white, and yellow : at the alteration of the
weather the stones sweat, and by that means the snow is
stained or coloured ; and also if it raineth much, the water
runs down by the rocks, and from thence the snow is tinged
red.
On the foot of the mountains where no mounts of ice
stand, lye great loose rocks, as they chance to be fallen one
upon the other, with caves and holes, so that it is very
ticklish walking upon them : both great and small stones or
rocks are mixt together : these stones are of a grey colour,
or grey with black veins, they glister like silver-oar. Most
of the rocks that are at the bottom of the mounts are like the
20 VOYAGE INTO
pebles we pave our streets withal. On these rocks grow all
sorts of licrbs, grasses, and moss very plentifully ; they grow
up in the two months of June and July, from the seed to
bear seed again.
The herbs grow thickest where the water runs or falls
down from the hills (and also where they are defended from
the north and east winds), from whence always some dust or
moss is carried down with it, which after a long time becomes
earth (yet it is rather dung than a true earth), and the birds
do contribute by their dung towards it.
These mountains seem as if they were earth at top by rea-
son of the height, but when you are at the top of them, they
arc rock as well at the top as at the bottom, which we also see
when great pieces of them fall down. If stones are flung down
from these mountains, it sounds as if it thundred with an
echo and rattling in the valleys, as if very great pieces
were thrown off from the top of them.
.The mountains are also full of cracks, wherein the birds
make their nests ; they all fly down from the mountains to
seek their food in the water ; some eat the carrion of fishes,
others eat small fishes and shrimps, as I shall say when I
treat of the birds. There are also white bears, deer,' and
foxes ^ in these countries. The bear liveth upon dead whales
or dead men, the fox feeds upon birds and their eggs, and
the deer eat the herbs.
One may conjecture at the height of these mountains by
this ; when the skies are not very clear, the mountains stand
to about the middle in the clouds ; some of them look as if
they were a coming down every moment.
The reason why the lowermost hills do not seem so high,
is because so very great ones stand near them. A ship, with
its mast and rigging, is no more to be compared with these
mountains, than a small house Avith a high steeple. The
' Reindeer (Rangifer Tarandus).
^ Arctic fox (Canis Lagopus. L.)
SriTZBERGEN AND GRKKNl.AXD. 21
miles seem also to be very short, but when you go to Avalk
them upon the land, you find it quite another thing, and you
will soon be tired ; and also because of the roughness and
sharpness of the rocks, and for want of a path, you will
soon get warm be it never so cold : a new pair of shoes will
not last long here.
A\^e went in the night, when it was very clear sunshine,
upon one of the rocks near the Eiiglish haven, about a mile
long, to look after a icliale that had got away from iis : in the
middle of this harbour others were a rowing in their long-
boats, which we could hardly discern ; a great part fell down
from one of these mountains, which sounded very loud. The
mountains look'd black, strip'd with veins of snow. It was
so calm that we could hardly perceive any breeze of wind,
and not very cold; the shear was very full of sea-horses,
Avhich roared so that we could hear them a great way off, as
if some bulls had bellowed.
In the country we travel thus : we take along with us two
or more guns and lances, to resist the highway-men the
bears ; but one is soon tired, as I said before, because of the
stones and the loose ice, whereon it is very troublesome to
walk.
As many as I have seen of these mountains are situated
thus : the highest are from the Foreland to the Muscle Haven
(or Muscle BayJ, after the Foreland follow the seven Ice-
mounts, which are very high mountains, and they are called
so from the ice-hills that fill up the valleys, or lye between
the rocks. These mountainous rocks are not so sharp or
pointed at the top as the two foremost rocks at the Haven of
Magdalen are. Then cometh the Haven of the Hamburgers,
Magdalen, the English and Danish Harbour, and, at last, the
South Hacen. At the Magdalen Haven the rocks lye in a
round or semicircle ; at each side, by one another, stand two
high mountains that are hollow within, as if they were dug-
out after the fashion of a breast-work, with points and cracks
22 VOYAGE IJJTO
at the top, like battlements ; at the bottom, within the hill,
stands a snow-hill, that doth reach to the very top of the
mountain, like a tree with branches and twigs ; the other
rocks look rudely.
In this South Haten the ships ride at anchor, between
high mountains ; on the left as we sail into it is a hill, called
the Beehive ; called so from its resemblance to a hechicc ;
close to it lieth a large and high mount, called the DerAVs
Huck, commonly covered with a fogg, and if the wind
bloweth over it, it darkeneth the haven, and seemeth as if it
smoaked, filling the haven therewith : on the top thereof are
three small white hills covered with snow, two of them stand
near to one another. In the middle of this harbour is an
island, which is called the Deadman'' s Island, because they
bury the dead men there after this manner : they are put
into a coffin, and covered with a heap of large stones, and
notwithstanding all this they are sometimes eaten by the
white bears.
I have seen no other sort of ground but great stones at
Spitzhergen, so that the frost cannot penetrate far into such
ground. I admired that the snow was at that time all melted
away, and in the cliffs between the great rocks was no more
snow to be seen, although the holes were very deep. I
fancy that abundance of rain had fallen in the spring, and
that the Aveather had been tolerable, or else we must have
seen more snow there.
There are also more small islands here and there in this
harbour, that have no particular names, but are called Birds'
Islands, because we gather thereupon the eggs of mountain
ducks and kirmcums}
Then you come to Schmeremburg, so named from schmer,
which signifieth <7rea5e ; there are still houses standing, for-
merly built by the Dutch, Avhere they used to boil their
1 " Kirmcwcn,"' a species of gull f Lai^mj or tern (Sterna).
SPITZnEKfJKN AND GKF.RNT.ANP. 23
train-oil. Some Dtitchmxm once attempted to stay there all
the winter, but they all pcrisht.
It is observable that a dead carkase doth not easily rot or
consume ; for it has been found, that a man buried ten years
before, still remained in his perfect shajje and dress, and
they could see by the cross that was stuck upon his grave,
how long he had been buried ; these houses are now from
year to year destroyed and burnt. This year -w'ere yet
standing several houses, like a little village, some whereof
were then burnt.
Over against Schmeremhurg were also several houses stand-
ing, and a kettle or boylcr ; they call that place the Coohertj
of Harlem. This year four houses remained, wdiereof two
were Avarehouses, in the others they dwelt : they are built
after this fashion, not very large : there is a stove before with
a ceiling at top, and behind a chamber taking in the whole
breadth of the house : the warehouses are something larger ;
therein were still several barrels or kardels that were quite
decayed, the ice standing in the same shape the vessels had
been made of. An anvile, smith's tongs, and other tools
belonging to the cookery, were frozen up in the ice. The
kettle was still standing as it was set, and the wooden troughs
stood by it. From thence you may go to the English- Have7i ;
on the other side is the place where the dead are buried ;
this is something even, like earth, but it is levelled on pur-
pose. Behind these houses are high mountains ; if one
climbcth upon these, as we do on others, and doth not mark
every step with chalk, one doth not know how to get down
again. When you go up you think it to be very easie to be
down ; but when you descend it is very difficult and dan-
gerous, so that many have fallen and lost their lives.
The river there is called the South Harbour, or Baij ; and
if the ships suffer any damage at the sea they refit there.
At the entry into the Sonth Harhour, in the valley between
the mountains, is collected great quantities of fresh water
24 VOYAGE INTO
from the snow and rain ; upon the shoar stand abundance of
kardels or barrels ; we use this water for our victuals, and
other occasions. It is also found in the clifts of the icy-hills
on shoar, but true springs out of the ground I never saw in
Spitzhergen.
The shoar there is uot very high, but the water is deep ;
there was no ice at all to be seen in it, from whence I con-
clude that it had not been a severe winter ; for it is impos-
sible that the ice could have been melted in so short a time,
not only here, but also in the Eiiglish Haven or Bay, where
the ice stood firm still, and hardly lay above half a fathom
under water.
The ice doth melt much sooner in salt water than in fresh
river water, but yet it is impossible that so thick ice could
have melted in so short a time. We saw also that the snow
melted on the tops of the high rocks, and the water ran
down, although it was there much colder than below ; yet
above and below it melted alike, differently from what I ob-
serv'd since in /Spcwi in the month of Dcce7nber 1672, the wind
being north-west, when the rain fell below about a quarter
of a league, yet above it the mountains were all covered with
snow, all in the streight line, one not higher than the other,
as if they had been levell'd.
In the Northern Bay or Haven lyeth a very large moun-
tain, flat at top ; this island is called the Bird's Sony, from
the great number of them that build and hatch there : for
when they fly up, they make so great a noise, that one can
hardly hear his own words.
Besides these, there are more islands named in the map,
as the CUfied Rock, and such other.'
The Mchenfeld is a low land, and it is called so from the
deer commonly seen there.
I was informed that it is all slats, that stand up edgewise,
so that it is very troublesome to go on : it is all overgrown
with moss. There is a hill upon it that looketh like fire.
SPTT/HKUGKN AM) GT^KRM.WO. .i-)
Behind the Rehenfeld vive high mountains again, they arc not
pointed at top, they lye as it were in a line ; by the Rehenfeld
runs up a river into the country, it is called the Half-moon Boij
from its shape. On the other side of the river is a mountain,
flat at the top, and full of cracks all filled up with snow.
Then conieth the Liefde Bay f Bay oi LoveJ, where two hills
stand together very like unto Sjntzhergcn at Macjdalcns Bay,
and those two harbours are very much like one another.
Then we come to the lower ground behind the Muscle-
harbour, where the grass was so high that it covered our
ankles as far as we went.
Next is the Weighatt, or the Straights of Hindelopen. The
IVeighatt is so called from the winds (for iceihen signifieth
hloichuf), because a very strong south wind bloweth out of
it. Ou the Bear Haven, upon the land, are all red stones.
Behind the Weighatt followeth the South-west Land, which
is also low ; it seemeth as if it was adorned with small hills ;
then follow the seven Islands which we could see.
AVe saw no ships go any farther, neither could I understand
that ever any ships did go farther, nor can they go so far every
year towards the east, because of the danger of the ice that
swimmeth, and is brought from thence by the wind and stream.
In May and June is the best fishing in the ice between the
Island of John Maxjen and Spitzbergen. In July and August
the whales run eastward by Spitzbergen, we saw at the latter
end many lohales that run to the Weigatt. It is unknown
whether the haven of this Weigatt goeth through the coun-
try or no. But this is not that Weigatt whereof so many
things are written.^
More I do not know of this country ; rocks and snow and
ice-hills Ave find in abundance there, and the creatures that
live upon them I shall describe hereafter.
^ The "Weigatt whereof so many things are written," is the strait
separating Nova Zembla from the continent. See Gerrit de Veer^s " Three
Voyages hy the North-East,'''' edited for the Ilakluyt Society by Dr. Beke
(passim). ■*
26 VOYAGE INTO
CHAPTER II.
Ofthe^e^.
The waves begin to raise themselves at first from a small
breeze of wind, and by the increase and continuance of tlie
breeze they grow longer, higher, and bigger.
The sea is not immediately made rough in the beginning
of high winds, but the waves swell by degrees and slowly,
until they come to be as bigg as mountains ; then they ex-
pand and break themselves, and fall over with dashing.
Then the following wave from behind raiseth it again with
much curled and foaming scum, neatly spotted with the white
foam, looking like marble. This breaking and foaming of
the waves is successively repeated.
So the swelling waves continually follow one another,
moving before the wind with a quick motion ; but when
these waves are short, they dash over the ship and break
much, so that the ship is hardly able to live.
In stormy weather little waves curl upon the top of the
great ones, and lesser again upon them.
The ships do not feel these smaller waves, but only the
great ones, that are called sea-mountains, which heave and
mount the ship with them, but nevertheless she always keeps
her straight way through these unpathed waves, which is
wonderful to behold.
In a hard storm the froth of the sea drives like dust, and
looked as when the wind driveth the snow along upon the
ice, or as the dust of the earth does in dry weather, and you
see the sea everywhere to look like curled ice, that when it
is freezing is hindred from it by the wind, all covered with
a white foam, and one wave blows over th<3 precedent, with
Sl'lT'/HEROKTs^ AND ORKKNLAM). 27
a great roaring and noise, as if a watermill were agoing ;
and this same noise the ships make likewise when they cut
through the sea.
It is also to be observed, that the waves dash against one
another aaIicu the wind changeth, and cross over through
one another, with great clashing over the ships, before they
move all one and the same way.
I did not observe here the sea water so clear, nor found it
so salt as near the ice ; it may be by reason of the shallow
ground or bottom, and the many fresh rivers that now run
into it, or because the frost clcareth the water more.
Concerning the manner of their sailing, they sail and
change their ways and sails according as they think fit. If
there be a fresh gale, they make use of all their sails ; whereof
they call the first the foch or foresail, the middlemost
sclnunfer or mainsail, and the third the hasan or mizen-
sail.
In hard storms they furl the foresail, and sail with only
mainsail and mizensail. In the greatest storm of all, with
these sails reefed or half tied in, as they call it, or with the
mizensail half furled up ; this they do because the ship goeth
the stedier by reason of the wind, or else it would rowle too
much up and down in the sea, and the water would dash in
too much on the sides thereof.
One man stands always at the helm to steer the ship, but
in hard weather ten men can hardly hold the helm, where-
fore they fasten it with a tackle, and so let it go to and fro
as the compass directs them.
In and after a storm we have oftentimes strangers come to
visit us in our ships, viz., hlackhirds, starlings, and all sorts
of small birds, that have lost their way in a storm from the
land, and fly to the ships to save themselves and prolong
their lives, when others fly about till they are spent, and
then fall into the sea and are drowned.
The lumhs and other water-fowl come not near us, which
28 VOYAGE INTO
I mention on purpose to confute the erroneous opinions of
some, that believe that the before-mentioned birds come to
the ships as messengers, to bring the ill news of bad
weather.
Yet notwithstanding, these following signs or marks com-
monly fortell a storm or hard weather : when great fish
come near to the ships in great numbers, when they play,
dance, rowl about, and leap out of the water, which is not
always playing in them, but rather their bodies are afflicted
with some pain or other. We saw several whales in the
sea that threw themselves about as if they were sick or
dying.
When the sea is tempestuous, it is not to be thought that
it doth proceed from the sea only, but a hard and tempestu-
ous storm and wand followeth upon it, that sendeth the waves
like messengers before it, until it arriveth itself with a tem-
pest ; but this is not to be understood of the North Sea, but
only of the sea betwixt Ilitland and Spitzbergen.
When the air is so disposed, as the stars do not only look
bigger, but as if they were more in number also, it is a great
prognostication, and often proveth true also ; it is a sign that
the air is full of mist, which causeth, upon changing of the
frost, great foggs, and a high wind follows soon after.
At night, when the sea dasheth very much, it shines like
fire ; the seamen call it burning. This shining is a very
bright glance, like unto the lustre of a diamond.
But when the sea shines vehemently in a dark night and
burns, a south or west wind followeth after it.
At the stern of the ship where the water is cut through,
you see at night, very deep under water, bubbles rise and
break, then this shining or lustre is not there.
Hitherto we have discoursed of the North Sea, but next
of the waves between Hitland and Sjntzhergo) ; near Ilitland
the stream runneth very swift towards the north, and it grows
daily colder.
SriTZHERGEN AND GKEENI,AXI). 29
It is to be observed that here the waves of the sea run
hunger, ahnost as they do before the narrow channel between
England and France in the Spanish Sea (and what hath been
observed heretofore of the rowling and tossing of the sea,
belongeth properly to this), with a continual tossing of the
ships, which maketh the men sea-sick.
The vomiting and sickness is attributed to the sea water ;
but it really proceedeth from the great and continual motion
of the body, when oftentimes we are forced to creep on all
four.
Neither meat nor drink tasts well, the head akes and is
giddy, and they are always reaching to vomit. Costiveness
of the body doth generally accompany this distemper, and
the urine is highly tinged. I reckon it no more than if one
is not used to ride in coaches or waggons ; only that it is
always accompanied by a bad stomach and restlessness.
The best remedies for this distemper, I believe, are aro-
matics chewed in ones mouth, as cinnamon, cloves, galengal,
ginger, nutmegs, and the like. Many think to drive this
distemper away with fasting, but they will find themselves
mistaken. Some drink sea-water, and believe that will make
them vomit, which notwithstanding is not occasioned by the
sea-water, but by the loathsomeness thereof.
To take away the ill-taste out of ones mouth, in my opinion,
the best means is to eat ancV drink plentifully, it easeth
qiuckly ; neither ought one to sleep too much, but keep in
the air, and look into the wind, and to walk up and down in
the ship is also very proper.
But now let us return to the waves again : they rise, al-
though it be not windy, as high as mountains, very smooth,
and run away as far as one can discern them, which is to be
understood when the sea is turbulent, whereupon quickly a
hard gale of wind followeth. In a storm the waves run after
the same manner as is just now said, but with many curling
and foaniiug whirls, as is described in the storm of the North
30 VOYAGF, INTO
Sea. These waves run a great way, so that you may sec
between them at a great distance.
If any ships be in your company, oftentimes you cannot
see them.
These waves are a great deal larger than in the North Sea,
and have also greater power when they fall over, but do not
dash so easily over the ships as they do in the North Sea.
The waves in the North Sea are presently lay'd after a
storm, but the commotion of these lasteth often to the third
day ; if it be never so calm, the ships are moved very vio-
lently, that you cannot walk, sit, or lie ; it is best to keep in
the middle of the ship, for before and behind the sea beats
hard against them. The sails are driven against the masts,
and have no steadiness from the wind. If, in a brisk gale
of a full wind, the sails are all full and round, the ship sails
best upon the sea.
There is as great difference in ships as to sailing, as there
is in horses concerning easiness and swiftness ; the motion of
the ships is therefore different : the stilness and quietness,
when nothing is tumbled up and down in the ship, further-
ing also the sailing very much.
The ships swim something higher in the sea than they
do in fresh water, for there is almost a foot difference in a
ship with the same loading. 'Tis generally agreed upon,
that one may see a ship in a calm sea three, or three and a
half German miles off, and beyond that distance the sea loseth
itself in the air, and the air in the sea. If a ship saileth on
the main sea at one and a half German miles' distance, you
have lost the sight of half the ship ; at two miles, you see
only the uppermost mast ; at three miles, you see only the
flagg ; and when it goeth farther, you have quite lost it. Land
and mountains may be seen at a great distance at sea ; we saw
Spitzhergen at twelve miles' distance off at sea ; the country
look'd like a black cloud full of white streaks. Near the ice
of this sea it is coldest whore the waves arc quiet, and the
SPITZBERGEN AM) GKKF.MANn. 31
sea- water so clear, that at twelve and more fathoms deep you
may see the bottom. There is no ground to be found near
the ice to drop an anchor.
It is also to be observed, that according to the colour of
the skies the colour of the sea is changed. If the skies be
clear, the sea looks as blew as saphire : if it is covered some-
what with clouds, the sea is as green as an emerald ; if there
be a foggy sunshine, it looketh yellow ; if it be quite dark,
like unto the colour of Indico ; in stormy and cloudy wea-
ther, like black sope, or exactly like unto the colour of black-
lead.
If the wind be quite calm, one may hear beating or knock-
ing at a great distance on the sea, by which we also observe
the ichale hears, as shall be mentioned in its proper place.
Among the ice the stream runs southwards, which we
observed by our driving back a great way. At the Muscle
Haven the stream ran northwards. Those that sail yearly to
those places cannot give any certain information concerning
ebbing and flowing ; only they have observed the water to
be higher about the land, when the winds have been higher,
than at other times. And this I have also observed, that if
there was an orderly or continual ebbing and flowing, the
eggs of the birds would be drowned upon the islands.
Certain information concerning ebbing and flowing is not
easily to be had ; I know no more of it then what I have
"wi'itten.
VOYAGK INTO
CHAPTER III.
Of the Ice.
In the months of April and Maij, the west ice breaks, be-
cause it lyeth westward, which drives dispersed in the sea,
by the Island of John Mayen, and reacheth to Spitzhergen,
where at that time it was firm still.
The difference between the ice of Spitzbergen and that of
our country is, that it is not smooth there, so as to slide
upon it.
Neither is it so clear nor transparent, nor so sharp and
cutting, but a great deal harder, and is not easily broke or
split ; but it looketh likest unto the ground-ice of the rivers
in our country, or like unto loaf-sugar.
Where the ice is fixed upon the sea, you see a snow-white
brightness in the skies, as if the sun shined ;' for the snow is
reflected by the air, just as a fire by night is ; but at a dis-
tance you see the air blew or blackish : where there is many
small ice-fields, that are as meadows for the scales, you see
no lustre or brightness of the skies.
The sea dasheth against these ice-fields, which occasioneth
several fine figures ; not that they are naturally framed so,
but just as ice-flowers on our glass-windows get all sorts of
figures : for these are framed by the dashing of the sea, like
unto mountains, steeples, chappels, tables, and all sorts of
beasts.
These ice-fields are a great deal deeper under water than
they are high above it, and are of a paler colour under water
than above ; the top of them might be called the kernel and
marrow of the ice, because the colour is much deeper than
that of the other.
' This is called "Ice-bliiik" by wlialcrs and Arctic voyagers.
SPITZUEllGEN AND GRKEiM.AND. o'o
The highest colour is delicate blew, of the same colour
with the blewest vitriol, somewhat more trausparcnt, yet not
so clear as that in our country, which you may see through
let it be never so thick ; it is as hard as a stone, and it is not
easily split or cleav'd, because it is spungy, like unto pumice
stone. Among the ice the ships sail up and down until they
come to bigger ice-fields, for the small ones encumber the
sea, that the ships sail often against them and perish ; for
when the winds arise the waves drive against the ice-fields,
as it was against rocks, and beat the ships to pieces.
When we are passed by these small ice-fields, that swim
at a great distance from one another, then we sail in between
them and draw a small ice-field behind the stern of our ship,
that it may be the sooner stopt and kept from swift sailing
•without letting the sails strike, or else it might easily run
against an ice-field. Every ship's master is left to his free
will whether he will sail into the ice, because in the spring
the whales are in great numbers seen there in the JVest-ice,
as they call it.
The masters do not willingly sail in amongst the ice when
it is dark or foggy or stormy, which must be expected in the
spring, and the small sheets of ice swim up and down in the
sea, which the skippers must avoid lest they lose their ships.
It may seem something strange that they sail so often to
the ice and back again, but there is the same reason for it as
hunting after deer, if we do not find tvhales in one place, we
must seek them in others ; for the fortune in ketching of
whales is like the chances of gaming, and there is no great
i;nderstanding required to find them : some see and catch
more than they desire, and others but at a half mile distance
from them see not one, which is very common.
AV'hen they go in among the ice, the men stand ready with
great ice-hooks to keep them off, that the ship may not run
against them.
The farther you sail into and amongst the ice, the greater
34 VOYAGE INTO
ice-fields you shall see ; so that you cannot look over them ;
for about the west, as they call it, are larger ice-fi.elds to be
seen than about Sjntzhergen, quite white at the top, covered
with snow, so that there is but ill walking upon them, be-
cause you fall deep in the snow.
The prints of the hears footing we saw on the shoar of the
ice-fields, for they seek their prey in the water, which is the
dead cai-kases of the whales ; the foxes generally accompany
them, for their choicer food of birds is here scarcer than at
Spitzhergen, for they flock not together, but fly singly.
When they sail some miles into the ice, where there is
pretty large ice-fields, they joyn their ships to them with
great ice-hooks, fastened to strong cables, where they lie at
anchor, several ships about the same ice-field, but they rather
chose to be alone, because they are an hindrance to one
another in ?t'7^a/e-catching, and the hunting of them one to
another maketh them shie.
Amongst the ice we find no great waves, but it is pretty
smooth, even when it is somewhat stormy. All the danger
is from one ice-field being bigger than the other, and the
little ones swiming faster than the great ones, which often
causeth a stoppage, so that they crowd upon one another,
not without great danger of the ships, which are ofteii
catcht between, and broken by them.
The seamen hinder the pressing on of the ice, as much as
in them licth, with great ice-hooks ; but what small help this
aftbrdeth them daily experience testifies sufficiently. In
fair weather the mischief is as soon done as in tempestuous,
because the ice drives in the sea either Avith the stream or
wind, as either of them is the more prevalent, crashing and
grinding against each other, whence the danger arises to
the ships, for after such a manner many ships perish.
They say that a dead ivJiale, tied to the ship, is the best
defence against the ice. Others hang the tails and fins about
their ship, which way is not to be rejected, for it is of great
SIMTZBERGEN AND GREENLANJ). o5
use to them to prevent the danger of the squeezing of the
ice ; they have examples, that in such squeezing of the ice a
dead xohale hath preserved them.
The ice rises out of the sea as high as a mountain ; the
striking of them together makes so great a noise, that one
can hardly hear his own words ; and from this joyning
together of the ice the great ice-hills are made, that drive up
and down in the sea.
Other great ice-fields are not so high as the ice-hills, yet
notwithstanding they are hardly ever quite plain and without
a hill ; you sec the ice under water as deep as you can see.
It is all of a blew colour, but the deeper you look the purer
a blew you see ', which beautiful colour changes with the
air, for if it be rainy weather this colour groweth j^aler. I
also have often seen the ice under the water very green, the
occasion thereof was the troubled air, whence the sea as-
sumeth this colour.
I wonder that upon the largest ice-fields no high moun-
tains are seen, as are seen where the ice grinds and dashes
one against the other.
I am of opinion, that the ice melts towards the bottoms,
for one may see it spvmgy, for else if one would compute
from the beginning, it must have reached the very ground
even in the middle of the depth of the sea. I have seen in
Spitzhergen white ice that was frozen quite curled, it look'd
just like sugar-candy, was very hard and thick, and swam
even with the seas surface. The shi^^s are not always in
this danger of squeezing, for oftentimes there is little or no
ice to be seen there, although you are a great way in the
place where it usually is ; but as soon as a wind arises, you
would admire from whence so great a quantity of ice should
come in less than an hour's time.
At the greatest ice-fields of all, ships do not always ride
the safest ; since by reason of the bigness and motion of the
sea, these icefields break not without danger.
36 VOYAGE INTO
When such ice-fields break they part asunder, M'hich
causeth a whirlpool in the sea, where all the out-parts press
to the centre, and by that means the pieces of the ice-fields
raise themselves up, and dash and grind themselves against
each other.
When we came to seventy-one degrees in the month of i
April, we saw first the ice, and so we sailed up and down by
the ice until that month was spent, for so early in the year
nobody dares venture himself into or amongst the ice, by
reason of the stormy winds ; and sometimes the ice is still
fixed and stands firm, and therefore there is but a few whales
seen, for underneath the ice they cannot breathe.
Into the ice Ave sailed at seventy-seven degrees and twenty-
four minutes, and drove with that sheet of ice towards the
south. In this month, and also in the following month of
May, are the most iclialcs seen here, which run towards the
cast, and we follow them all along by the ice to Spitzhergeii.
Near to the land smaller ice-fields are seen, because the
ice cannot give way by reason of the land, which causeth
greater grinding and breaking, and upon that account smaller
ice than is in the open sea. Yet, for all this, some greater
ice mountains are seen there that stand firm on the shear,
and never melt at bottom, but increase every year higher and
higher, by reason of the snow that falls on them, and then
rain freezes, and then snow again alternately ; and after this
manner the icy-hills increase yearly, and are never melted
by the heat of the sun at the top.
These ice mounts change their first colour in time by the
air, by rain, and by tlie clouds ; and the fairest blew that
can be seen is in the cracks of these ice-hills. From these
same ice-hills oftentimes break off great pieces, that swim in
the sea, and is more compact than the other ice by far. I
once saw one of these pieces that Mas curiously worked and
carved, as it were, by the sea, like a church Avith arched
windows and pillars, the doors and windows hung full of
SPITZIJEIIGEN AND GREENLAND. 37
icikles ; on the inside thereof I saw the delicatcst blew that
can be imagined ; it w^as bigger than our ship, and some-
what higher than our stern, but how deep it was under w^atcr
I cannot exactly tell. Near unto the Muscle-hat en, a great
ice-hill came driving towards our ship, that was as high as
our poop, and went so deep under water that it took up our
anchor, which lay fifteen fathoms deep.
I have also seen several others, and of other figures, viz.,
round and four square tables, wdth round and blew pillars
imderneath : the tables was very plain and smooth at the
top, and white with the snow ; at the sides hung down a
great many icikles close to one another, like a fringed table
cloth ; I believe that near forty men might have sat about it.
I have seen of tables these with one foot, and wdth two or
three pillars, and abundance of scales swarm about. The
dishes that furnisht this table, were a piece of ice like an
horse's head, and a swan ; I doubt they were but salt. You
must observe that this ice bccometh very spungy by the
dashing of the sea, and from thence grows salt, like sea-
water, and thence also changeth its colour, viz., from the
sea and rain-water mix'd with it ; for you shall commonly
see the water look blew or yellow, if you walk under water
with your eyes open and look upwards.
The other ice, as far as it is above water, is of a taste like
other ice, but that below the sea, salt, like the sea- water.
^\ hen we arrived at Spitsbergen, the ice at Relienfelt was
as yet fixed, but a few days afterwards it was driven away
by the winds.
The ice begirts these countries on all sides ; as the Avind
sets either from the Island of Jolin Maijen, Old Greenland,
and Nova Zemhla. We found at this time that the ice
reached from the other side of Spitzbergen, and the ships
sailed between the ice and the land as if it were in a river.
As soon as this ice is drove thither by the winds, the ships
must give way or go into the harbour, until the winds have
38 VOYAGE INTO
blown or driven the ice away, or else they are lost ; but if
there be other ships that escape, the men are saved.
On this ice I did not see many sea-hounds, but a great
many sea-horses, and many birds and fowls.
We sailed still on till we saw the Seven Islands, hxxt could
ao no farther.
CHAPTER IV.
0/ the Air.
The frost is unconstant in our country, but it is not so in
Spitzbergen. In the month of April at seventy-one degrees,
it was so cold that w^e could hardly keep warmth within us.
They say that in this month as also in May, the hardest
frosts happen every year.
All the rigging, by reason of its being wet, is covered over
with ice, and stiff.
They do not send their ships so soon as they did a few
years ago, and yet they come time enough there, for if they
ra'rive too early, there is nothing for them to do, because the
ice is not yet dissijiated, and therefore but few ivhales to be
seen.
In the two first summer months of Spitzbergen, their teeth
chatter in their heads commonly, and the appetite is greater
than in any other countreys.
The sun sets no more after the third day of May, and we
were about seventy-one degrees, when we could see as well
by night as by day. I cannot say much of constancy of the
weather in these two first months, for it changed daily; they
say also, if the moon appears cloudy and misty, with a streaky
SPITZBERGEN AM) GREENLAND. 39
sky, that then there commonly follows a storm. Whether
the moon doth prognosticate such storms, I cannot tell,
because we have observed, that after we have seen the moon,
in a clear sky, the air has grown foggy, which happeneth
often, chiefly if the wind changes. When the hills show
fiery, it is from fogs, which after spread themselves every-
where, and the cold increaseth : these foggs looks blew, like
Indico, and black afar off, which upon changing of the
weather are driven along by the wind, so that in less than
half an hour, the sea is so covered with thick fogg, that you
can hardly see from one end of the ship to the other.
On the 14th of Maij the air was bright and clear, and yet
very cold ; we could see the whales farther oif in the sea,
than usually at this time. We could not distinguish the air
from the sea, for it shewed as if the ships danced in the air
like naked trees or poles.
After the same manner Spitzbergen looks at a distance like
a cloud ; the movintains are so reflected by the sea, that he
that knows not the country very well, cannot easily discern
it from air, and so other countries very often appear.
The other three months, June, July, and August were
very calm.
Concerning the cold, it is much according to the quality
of the winds ; so north and east winds cause very intense
frosts, so that one can hardly keep alive, especially if the
wind blows hard.
West and south winds, when somewhat constant, cause
much snow, sometimes rain also, and moderate cold.
The other winds of the thirty-two according to the com-
pass, whatever names they have, are changed by the clouds,
so that sometimes when the wind was south-west and by
south in one place, at a few miles distance there blows quite
another wind.
What heat the sun oftentimes affords we saw by our eyes
watering, and the tears that ran continually down our cheeks.
40 VOYAGE INTO
Yet this severe cold is not always, as is already mentioned ;
for if it were, how could any herbs grow there.
Neither is there every year a constancy of winds or wea-
ther ruled by the moon, but an alteration, as in other places,
sometimes a milder, and sometimes a severer, winter.
Skilful ship-masters and harpooncrs commend those years
for li'hale catching that have not many foggy and cloudy days.
Whether, according to the new and full moons, the spring-
tides happen, cannot be know^n.
Such clear skies as we have sometimes in a summer's day,
with pleasant curled clouds, I have not seen at Spitzbergen ;
but, on the contrary, several dark and foggy ones. Rising
thunder-clouds I have not seen, nor ever heard of anybody
that had seen them.
Above the ice the air appears white, from whence we know
where the firm or fixed ice lies, as I have before observed in
the chapter on ice.
In the two last summer months, chiefly in July, before the
Weigatl, the sun shin'd so warm that the tarr of the ship,
between the searaes, where the wind could not come at it,
melted.
There is hardly any difference of cold between night and
clay, yet at night, when the sun shineth, it seemeth to one
that rightly considereth it, as if it was only clear moonlight,
so that you may look upon the sun as well as you can upon
the moon ; so that thereby one may distinguish night and
day from each other. Increase of cold, and changing of the
compass, we did not observe as far as we w'cnt. It is also to
be observed that the frost does not let a dead body be con-
sumed easily in the ground, as is already observed in the
chapter of the description of Spitzhergcn.
The 2nd day of August, in our voyage homeward, we ob-
served the sun first to set.
Concerning the meteors generated in the air, I observed
the rime fell down, in the shape of small needles of snow, into
SPITZBERGEX AND GRKENLAMD. 41
the sea, and covered it as if it was sprinkled all over Avitli
dust. These small needles increased more and more, and lay
as they fell, cross one over the other, and look'd very like a
cobweb ; they are formed by the cold of the air, and increase
to that degree that the sea seemed covered by them as with
a skin, or a tender ice, which had the taste of fresh water ;
as also the sea water that is taken up into the high air is
changed, and falleth down again in sweet or fresh rain.
This hapneth in clear sunshine and intense cold weather,
and it falleth down as the dew doth with us, at night, invi-
sibly, in dull weather ; when the sun doth not shine, you
cannot see this, but you see it plainly if you look when the
sun shines towards a shady place, for then it sparkles as
bright as diamonds, shows like the atoms in sunshine ; all
day long it flilleth in so small particles that nothing sticks or
hangs on your cloaths of it to make them wet. At noon,
Avheu the sun shines very warm, these small needles melt in
the air and fall down insensibly, like dew.
Sometimes we see, in our country, something a little like
these small needles, which is what we call rime, and falleth
from the trees in atoms, like dust. This is small snow, and
may be seen as well in the shade as in the sun. These needles
are not the exhalation or vapour that uses in cold weather
to stick to the hair of men and beasts. I must not forget
that we see in these falling needles a bow, like a rainbow, of
two colours, white and a pale yellow, like the sun reflected
by dark shadows of the clouds.
After this, I proceed to the description of another bow,
which I call a sea-bow. This is seen when the sun shines
clear and bright, not in the great waves, but in the atmosphere
of the sea-water, which the wind blows up, and which looks
like a fog. Commonly we see this before the ship, and some-
times also behind, to the lee-ward (so they call that side of
the ship toward the sea), over against the sun, where the
shadow of the sail falleth. It is not the shadow of the sail,
6
42 VOYAGE INTO
but a bow, showeth itself in the shadow of the sail. We see
this pleasant reflexion in the small drops of the salt water,
in several colours, like the rain-bows in the skies, that are
seen over against the dark clouds.
This brings to my mind another phenomenon, viz., that in
the clouds near the sun a very bright light is seen, like a
parelion or mock-sun. These lights are called Weathergalls
by the sea-men.
This bright light we find in the lowermost air, in the dark
shady clouds, that are not unlike to a cloud of rain, because
it is full of drops, wherein the sun is represented, as things
are in a looking-glass.
This clearness of the sun causeth a heat, which drives from
it a rainbow, figured by the sun, which bow are the drops
that by the heat of the sun are changed into a vapour or fog ;
and this vapour shews like snioak in the air, when the cold
remits, wherein these colours are no more seen.
But in these raised drops, as aforesaid, the sun represents
itself, and causeth these colours, which are truly distinct, and
represent blew, yellow, and red, which are the three primary
colours of the bow.
Concerning the bigness thereof, I did consider and minded
the bow that I saw in Sjntzhergeyi, and found that it moved
about with the sun by day and by night, and that it appeared
much bigger in the morning, evening, and at night, than in
the day-time.
I will not mention the whirlwinds, which are unknown in
these cold countries, that used to take up the water into the
air ; but yet I will not omit the small whirlwinds that proceed
from the high mountains, from whence the wind recoils, and
so turueth round about.
We see, farther in Spitzhergen, that the sea, as well as other
waters, sends forth a vapour when the cold encreases, which
vapour is turned into rain in the air, or into snow, and it
suicUeth like a fo"- or stcamin"; water.
SPITZBKRGEN AM) (i K KKN I,AM). 43
It is likewise an observation there, that when \vc sec great
vapours or fogs in the air, and that such a vapour riscth
ahnost every moment, in a clear sunshiny clay, without wind
or other causes, the cold weather is about to remit ; but when
the air is overburdened by these vapours the clouds are dis-
sipated, and they last a great while, with constant wind.
Such vapours as we see in the air stick to our deaths and
hair like sweat.
Out of these small vapourous drops the snow is first gene-
rated. First of all you see a small drop, as big as a single
sand. This is augmented or increased by the fog, until it
cometh to be like unto a shield or plate, with six corners, as
clear and transparent as glass ; to these six corners sticks
the fog like drops ; then it freezes and splits asunder, so
that you see the figure of a star, which yet is still frozen
together, until in time it is quite parted or divided asunder
one from the other ; and then you see a star with six points,
which points are not yet quite frozen, because there are still
hanging some wet drops between the points ; until it at
length assumes the perfect form of a star, with points serrated
at the sides, like feme, on the points whereof still hang
some drops, as you see at e, which are lost at last ; and so it
is turned into an exact and perfect star, and this is the
formation of the snowy star, which is seen in the severest
frosts so long until at last it looseth all its points. As to the
many sorts of snow that fall in S/ntzbcrgcn, and in what
weather, I have made these following observations and dis-
tinctions. Fig. 1, in the plate, showeth the snow that fiilleth
when it is tolerably cold and rainy withal ; then it falls like
vuito small roses, needles, and small corns : when the cold
weatlicr doth remit, the snow falleth like stars, with many
points, like the leaves of feme (fig. 2.) If it be only a fog,
and it snoweth much, it looketh as you see fig. o ; if it is
very cold and windy, like fig. 4 ; when it is very cold, and
not windy withal, the snow falleth like stars, in a cluster,
44 VOYAGE INTO SPITZREKGEN, ETC.
because the wind cannot blow tbem asunder, like fig. 5.
When the wind was north-west, or the skies were thick of
clouds, and it was stormy withal, there fell hail that was
round and oblong, all over full of prickles, and of the same
bigness you see it at fig. 6.
There is many sorts of starry snow to be seen, with more
points, and some like unto a heart ; but they are all generated
after the same manner, by the eastern and northern winds.
The needly snow is generated by westerly and southerly
winds. If the snow is not dispersed by the wind, it falleth
down in clusters.
But when the wind driveth it, stars or needles only fall,
every piece by itself, like the atoms in the sun.
This much have I observed hitherto of the snow, and find
also that when it is cold, and a north wind blows, all sorts of
snow, both starry and of other shapes, fall as well in these
countries as in Spitzhergen.
THE END OF TTTE SECOND PAKT.
C/foham . Sf
PAliT THE THIRD.
CHAP. I.
Of th£ Plants of Spitzbergen.
Generally tlie figures of the plants I here present you with,^
were all drawn by the life, upon the place, when they were
fresh and of their natural size, except the rock-plant with
but one leaf, and the plant like horse-tail, that stands by it,
which, because of their largeness, could not be well drawn
so big as the life. All the herbs and mosses grow upon the
grit and sand of the stones, where the water falleth down,
and on that side of the hill which the east and north winds
cannot easily come at. The plants owe much of their growth
to the dung of the birds.
There were a great many small herbs, which for Avant of
time I could not delineate, but I propose to do it hereafter,
if God blesseth me with life and health when I make my
second voyage thither.
I omitted the white poppy, whereof we stuck the flowers
in our hats ; the whole plant was about a sj)an long.
Besides I have not mentioned the red sorrel, I mean that
which was shewed to me at Bremen by the Dutch gardener,
which was of the same size, but the leaves of that of Spitz-
hergen are red.
I desire the courteous reader to accept at present of these
for a sample, to show him that on these rough, barren, and
^ The author here refers to the nvimerous illustrations given in the
original work, most of which it has been deemed unnecessary to repro-
duce,
46 VOYAGE INTO
cold mountains, there yet grow some plants for the nourish-
ment both of man and beast. The herbs grow to their per-
fection in a short time, for in June, when we first arrived at
Spitzbergen, we saw but very little green, and yet in Jidy
most of them were in flower, and some of them had their
seeds already ripe, whence we may observe the length of
their summer. I proceed to the description of those plants
which I had time to delineate, and begin with those that put
forth their leaves only at and about their roots, and have but
few or no leaves on their stalks.
Then shall follow those that have single leaves on their
stalks, then those that have pairs of leaves or opposite ones,
afterwards those with three leaves, and then conclude with
the imperfect plants.
CHAP. II.
Of a riant loith Aloe-Leaves.
It is a very pretty herb, and puts forth thick prickly and
sad green leaves, like those of aloes ; a brown naked stalk,
about half the length of your finger, whereon hang round
heads of flesh-coloured flowers in bunches, which are hardly
to be discerned by the naked eye, one flower close above
another, and near to another.
Sometimes two stalks shoot out of one plant, one bigger
than the other. Yet each stalk has two of these bunches of
flowers.
I could not delineate its seed for want of time. The root
consists of many small fibres. We gathered it in great
plenty on the 17th of July, behind the cookery of Harlem,
in the running water. I know not well to what kind this
' This seems to be Saxifraga trictispidata (see Appendix).
SPITZHKHGEN AND GREENLAND. 47
may be referred. Caspar Bauhin maketli mention of an
herb in his Prodromns of his Amphitheater of plants in
the 5th book and 15th chapter, which he calls Limonium
Maritimtim, which he describeth with small, roundish, and
thick leaves, like house-leek, between which spread small
stalks with pale red flowers ; but the root doth not agree with
our plant, for his is long, red and parted at top, whereas this
root consists in many small fibers, and is not red.
CHAP. III.
Of snudl House-Leek.
The leaves of this are indented and very like those of our
dasies, for which I should have taken it also, had it not been
for the flow^er, only the leaves are thicker and more juicy,
like those of house-leek, or as we call it, those of the lesser
house-leek : the leaves grow round about the root, betwixt
them is a small stalk of the length of your little finger, which
is round and hairy, and generally without leaves, save only
where it divides into another stalk, at which place is a small
leaf.
The flowers grow in scaly heads (like unto the flowers of
Stcschas), are of a brown colour, and have fine pointed leaves,
as I think with five small chines within, like unto the flowers
of wall-pepper or stone-croj). I found only the flowers, for
the seed was not yet ripe. The root is somewhat thick and
strait, with many strong and thick fibers from the sides of
it ; it may be referred to the house-leeks, and called small
indented or crenated house-leek, with scaly heads.
This plant I found in the Danish harbour or bay on the
18th oi JaJij.
^ Api»;ircutly the Saxifraga nivalis.
48 VOYAGE INTO
CHAPTER IV.
Of Crow's-Foot}
Some of these plants are figured in the plates, see Nos. T,
8, 9, and 10.
These four following plants are all crows-feet, only dis-
tinguished by their leaves. The first and fourth are very
like one another as to their leaves, whereof they have both
two sorts, the undermost broader and not so much cut, and
the uppermost smaller and deeper divided ; yet they diff'er
in this, that the first does not grow so high, and puts out
many leaves out of one and the same root ; but the fourth
hath but one long stalk, whereon sprouted out one single
leaf at a place. The fourth hath yellow flowers, but whether
the first hath yellow ones (which I suppose) I cannot well
remember. The flowers of the fourth hath five leaves,
broader at the ends and smaller at the bottom ; they grow
out of a rough perianthium or cup that is split into five also.
The flowers of the first have six leaves, they are small, and
the seed-vessels are like one another.
The roots are differing, that of the first hath many small
fibers, and the fourth hath a thicker and longer, with tender
and small fibers. The fii'st burns the tongue like persicaria
or flea-bean, but somewhat less than in our countries : the
leaves of the fourth do not burn so.
I found them both in the Danish haven, the first in great
quantities ; they flower in July.
The second hath somewhat diflfering leaves from the two
former, for though the lowermost leaves agree with them of
the first, yet they arc less ; and those that grow higher, and
' IiaiiuHCidus salj)/iufeus {H^. 10). Iiaiiuncidus sceleratus {&g. 7).
"MV'^
1/ L(\N
CieanaiV!,^!'
Or ^
SriTZBERGEN AND GREENLAND. 49
come up after the lowermost, are in two places deeper cut,
so that the first part of the leaf that stands out hefore is not
very unlike a tongue, but the two sides are but a little in-
dented.
There is also a difference in the leaves of this plant, as well
as in the two before mentioned ; for the leaves that are
nearest to the flowers are small and deeply cut, and that
with two incisions, and it burns the tongue. The flower is
small, and hath six, and sometimes seven leaves ; the seed-
vessel is like unto the former, only it is less. The root is
like that of the first, only it hath more fibers ; there is also
a kind of thick sheath that surroundeth the stalk, as is also
to be seen in the fourth. I found this plant near the first,
in the Dajiish haven, the 16th of July ; the third is yet
smaller, but fuller of leaves, only they are less and not so
deep cut, although they have also four incisions like the
second ; in this I did not find that difference, in the leaves
between the lowermost and those that are nearer the flower.
The flower is of five white leaves, its seed-vessel I could
not yet see. Its roots are small fibers ; I found it in the
South Harc7i, on the IGth of July ; it burns the tongue ; the
leaves are thick and j uicy .
I found in the same place another small plant, exactly like
to these, only the flowers thereof were of a purple colour,
and the leaves not so juicy ; wherefore I did not draw it.
CHAPTER V.
Of Scurvy-grass. ^
This scuny-yrass sends forth a great many leaves from
one root, that spread themselves round about upon the
' Cochlearia (one of the variable species of the genus). Sec Apjicndix.
50 VOYAGE INTO
ground. The stalk grows out of the middle of these leaves,
which is a great deal lower than in our country, with a few
leaves underneatli the sprouts. The flowers are of four
white leaves, they grow many on the same stalk one above
the other ; when one flower fades, another cometh in its
room when the flower is past ; tlie seed appears in a longish
box, as you may see in the figure ; when, on the contrary,
in ours the seed is found in a round one. The root is white,
somewhat thick and streight, with some small fibers below.
A great quantity of this plant is found on the rocks, where
they are not much exposed to the east and north winds ; I
found it most in the South, E)2fjlish, and Danish havens, the
earth was quite covered with it in the Danish.
It was the first herb I found in Spitzhergen, when we
landed the first time ; it was so small I could hardly discern
it to be scurvy-grass, but afterwards we found it in its full
perfection, and it seeded in the month of July. It is ob-
servable, that the leaves of this herb have but little sharpness
at Spitzhcrgen, and therefore is much weaker than the scurvy-
srrass of our countries, so that we eat it instead of salad at
Spitzbergcn, which we could not do our scurvy-grass. My
figure is like that cut given in the 3rd book, ootli chap., of
the German Herhal of Matthiolus.
CHAF. VI.
Of an Ilerh like Stone-Crap.
This plant is doubtless a kind of stone-crap, but the leaves
are rough or hairy, not so thick nor so juicy as ours are,
neither doth it burn or bite like unto ours,
Ijcfore the fiower fully appears, it looks like unto that of
f.sula. ; but when it is quite blown and opened, it is of a
SIMTZHBKGEN AND GKKENl.AM). 51
purple colour, and hath sometimes five, sometimes six, and
sometimes I have seen nine leaves ; the stamina of the flower
I did not tell, neither did I ever see the seeds thereof. The
root thereof is very small, and one plant grows close to the
other. We found this herb on the low lands of the English
Haven, afterwards we found abundance of it amongst the
mosses on the ^6tli of June.
CHAPTER VII.
Of a Snake-weed.
This is a small snake-ioeed , and is found very rarely in
Spitzhergen ; the undermost leaves of this plant are the
biggest, but they are not above the breadth of ones nail ;
they grow singly on the stalk, yet not above three of them,
except the lowermost : the nearer the flower, the smaller
they are; they have within, not far from the edge, many
small knobs or spots, answering to the points of the leaves,
wherein the veins or nerves are terminated ; besides the
leaves are not quite plain, but somewhat rumpled at the
brims. Out of the root sprouts forth, sometimes single and
sometimes double stalks, as you may see in the cut, and this
by-stalk is always somewhat lower than the chief stalk.
The flower grows in a close spike, -with many small flesh-
coloured flowers, it was so small that I forgot to tell the
leaves thereof; the seeds were not then come to maturity.
The root sheweth of what kind the plant is, and wherefore it
may be called historta or snahe-weed, for it lieth twisted in
the ground ; it is about the thickness of your little finger
where thickest, hath small fibers, is brown without and flesh-
coloured within, and of an astringent taste.
^ Saxifraga oppositifolia.
'^ Evideutly a Poli/t/onum,and the species described in the next chapter.
52 VOYAGE INTO
I found this herb in the Danish Harbour, on the 18th of
Jaly. INIy iiguie agrees most with that which Camerarius
hath given in the fourth book and third chapter of Mat-
thiolus.
CHAP. VIII.
Of an Herb like unto Mouse-ear. ^
This herb bringeth forth smooth-edged leaves by pares,
they are rough and like mouse-ear. The stalks are smooth
at their first putting out, but they afterwards grow rough,
where the uppermost leaves grow : they are roundish at the
bottom. At the end of the stalk groweth a white fiower out
of its perianthium, the number of its leaves I did not tell,
nor had I time enough to observe the seed. The root is
round and slender, with small and tender fibers.
It seemeth this plant should belong unto the hairy or
rough Alsine, and perhaps it may be the third or fourth kind
of the hairy Alsine of Dodoneus, in the fifth book and tenth
chapter of his first Latin Herbal, if the leaves of his Avere
not cut, as these are not. I gathered this plant in the South
Haven, on the 17th of July.
CHAP. IX.
Of a Plant like unto Periwinkle.
Tjiis plant runneth upon the ground, and bringeth forth
roiuulish leaves by pairs on creeping stalks.
The leaves as I think are like those oi pcrixoinkle, but they
' Evideutly a Cerasliuiii or Stellaria.
SrnZBElUJEN AND GREENLAND. 53
are somewhat rounder, and the hirgest of them are bent in
before. The stalk is somewhat knotty and woody.
The flower apjiearcth at first wrapt up like a leaf, but after
it is grown out a little more, one may see it to be a flower ;
it grows out between the leaves on the same stiilk.
The colour and shape of these flowers I could not at that
time observe, because they were not yet blown, much less
could I gather the seed.
The root is long, slender, round, woody, and knotty, it
hath small branched fibers at the bottom : I found it in the
South Bay, behind the cookery of Harlern, on the 19th of
Ju7ie and the 17th of July. Since I saw neither the flower
nor seeds, and in probability it would have put forth more
leaves, I cannot determine whether it be the pyrola mininia,
whereof Clusius giveth us a cutt and description in the fifth
book of his rare plants, in the twentieth chapter ; or whether
it maybe the Pseudochamce Buxus oi \he Hortus Echstetensis ,
which is given by Clusius, in the 72nd chapter of the before-
mentioned book, by the name of Anonymos Colutecs Jlore,
and accurately described ; and Camerarius, in his Hortus,
giveth it us under the name of Anonymos Pervincce folio.
CHAP. X.
Of an Herb like a Strawberry.^
This agrecth in its leaves with the straw^berry, for it hath
three cut leaves on the end of the stalks, and its flower hath
commonly five leaves (seldom but four) and is like a straw-
berry flower ; the stalks are round and rough, and so are the
leaves.
On the stalk you see two leaves one against the other, of a
diflcring figure and bigness, for one looketh like a hand and
^ Potentilla (^species).
54 VOYAGE INTO
the other like a finger ; the size also is different, for some
have but three fingers, and others have more.
The flower is yellow, the leaves of the flower are roundish,
how many I observed not : the root is woody, somewhat
thick, with small fibers, a little scaly at the top ; it tastes dry
and astringent like tormentil.
In the herbals I could find none liker it than that which
Lohelius calleth Fragaria Si/hes(ris mhiime Vesca sive ste-
rilis, and in the universal Iferdumish Herbal, in the 70th
chapter of the 17th book, by the name of Fragaria non
fragisera vel non Vesca ; yet it differs in the flower and leaf,
for the leaf in my flowers is cut deeper, and the flower of
his is white.
CHAPTER XL
Of the Rock Plant.
This plant belongeth to those called icier by the Dutchmen,
and fucus in Latin.
It has a broad flat stalk like a leaf, and yet there sprout
out of it many equally broad leaves like it, as twiggs out of
a tree ; at the top of the stalks there are little narroAV longish
leaves, some have five, others seven of these, of a yellow
colour, as the herb is also, and they are transparent like glew ;
I know not whether one may take them for its flowers. Close
to these grow other oblong leaves, that are hollow, and as it
was blown up and fill'd with wind, and many lesser bladders
round about close to one another. The leaves that are blown
up have nothing in them but wind, for when I pressed them
together they gave a little bounce ; whether these small
bladders have seeds in them or no I could not observe.
The seamen informed me, that from the seeds of that plant
the small sea-snails are produced ; but I am not satisfied
SriTZHERGEN AND GHKKNLAM). 55
whether they proceed from these bladders or from eggs, as
our snails do. It may be after the same manner as we find
on many leaves in onr country, bladders filled up with the
seeds of worms or caterpillars, yet I dare not assert it,
because I have no opportunity to search narrowly into the
matter ; the root groweth out of the rocks, wherefore I call
it a rock plant ; it hath some fibers, and is sometimes round.
I found this herb in great plenty, first in the South Bay,
near the Cookery of Harlem, where we take up the water ;
then in the Mussel Haven, at Spitzhergen ; then at Calcs, in
Spai7i.
When this herb is dried, it looketh brown and blackish ;
it gives and groweth w^et again when a south or south-west
wind blows, because of the salt that penetrates it, but when
the wind is east or north it is stiff and dry.
Among all the figures that I have seen, I find none liker
than that given in the 39th book and 50th chapter of the
Iferdumish Herbal, by the name of Alga Marina Platyceros
perosa, only that this is porous or spongy, and white. ^
The leaves of the great rock herb are very like unto a
man's tongue; it is on each or both sides curled, but plain
before and not curled ; through the middle of it run tAvo
black streaks or nerves to the stalk, and on the outside of
them appear many black spots, within the black stroaks, on
each side, to the middlemost plain stroak ; the herb is
adorned with small curies ; in the middle it is quite smooth
to the stalk ; on the end of the leaf next the stalk are two
white stroaks, almost to the middle of the leaf, bending
round outwards ; if they were quite closed they would make
an oval.
The leaf is above six foot long, and yellow, and the stalk
yet longer ; the stalk is round and smooth, and of a yellow
colour, like unboiled glew ; nearer the root it is thicker than
at the leaf, and it smells of mussels.
^ Fucus digitatvs ?
56 VOYAGE, ETC. _
The root hath a great many branches, that are divided again
and stick very close unto the rock underneath the water.
The Avhole pLint groweth under water several fathoms :
when we wayed our anchor, we pulled it up in great quantity
from the ground.
Together with this herb we pulled up the hairy plant that
stands by it, about six foot long, and it is very like an
horse's tail, only that here and there it hath some small
knobs like nitty hair, or such as are split at the ends ; the
whole plant was browner of colour than the former, and its
roots were fixed unto the former.^ In these plants were
some redish worms, wrapt or folded up like caterpillars,
with many legs.
The herb was like dodder, Avherefore it may be called
water or rock silk. Amongst all the Icons that I have seen
in printed herbals, I find it comes nearest to that hairy plant
which Antony Donat, in his book of plants growing about
Venice, called in his second book Muscus argenteus Marinus,
similis Plmnce, only this is not as white as silver, but rather
yellow or brownish. Of these two herbs we found great
plenty in the South Haven, on the 20th and 21st oi July.
There is another sea-plant, which I called sea-grass,
whereof there is plenty in the English Haven, underneath
the water, above eight foot long. The leaves were about
two or three fingers broad, of a yellow colour like glew, and
transparent, ending in a blunt point ; at the top smooth
edged, without nicks or prickles, everywhere plain and even ;
the leaves grew from the root round about it, as it Avere out
of one hole.^
^ Cafrella (species). ^ Laminaria saccharina ? or Alaria escidenta ?
THE END OF THE THIRD PART.
THE FOURTH PART.
OF THE ANIMALS OF SPITZBERGEN.
THE PREFACE OF THE ANIMALS, BUT CHIEFLY OF THE
BIRDS IN GENERAL.
The animals of Spitzbergen here described, are either those
tcith two or tcith four legs. Ahout Spitzbergen also are some
creatures that live only in the water, and hate no legs (except
one icould tahe their fins that are ahout their breast for legs,
because, as hereafter shall be sheion, their fins are jointed like
legs underneath the shin J. Some live in the water, and also
upon the ice and land, and have either two or four legs.
We icill begin tvith them that have tioo legs, or with the
birds, ivhereof the most live upon the water, and but feio of
them upon the ice or land.
CHAP. I.
Of Birds witli Toes or Divided Feet.
Of land-birds I observed but one sort, viz. :
Of a Snite.i
This snite, which, is also called the strand runner (because
it keepeth about the strand], is no bigger than a lark.
^ Tringa maritima ; the purple sandi)iper.
58 VOYAGE INTO
Its bill narrow, thin, and corncr'd withall. Our snites*
bills are at the farther end broader and roundish, and cut in
with cross notches like a rasp to rasp wood withall ; so that
the whole upper jaw and bill looketh exactly like a rasp with
its handle. Onr snites are also bigger than those of Sjritz-
hcrgen, otherwise they are very like one another in shape and
colour ; this bill, both above and below, is four square, of a
brownish colour, and about two inches long. The head is
roundish, and of the same thickness with the neck.
Their feet are made of three divided claws before, and one
behind, which is very short ; their legs are not very long. It
is of the colour of a lark ; but when the sun shines upon it,
it shews blewish, very like those two colours observed on our
ducks' necks when the sun shines upon them : they feed
upon the little gray worms and shrimps. We shot some of
them in the South Harbour, near the cookery of Harlem :
they had not the taste of fish at all.
2. Of the Snow-Bird.i
The snotV'hird is no bigger than a sparrow, and like a
linnet in his shape, bill, and colour. The bill is short and
pointed, its head of the same thickness with its neck. The
legs are also like linnets' ; their feet are divided into three
fore-claws, with longish crooked nails ; the hinder claw is
somewhat shorter, but hath a long bended spur or nail. The
legs are grayish, and not very long.
From their head over all their belly to the tail they are
white, like snow, but all over their backs and wings they
are gray. Some of them are gray all over, but these are
little ones.
I can tell nothing of its singing, only that it whisseleth a
little, as birds use to do when they are hungry.
^ riectrophanes nivalis; the snow buuting. (See Appendix.)
Sl'lTZBERGKN AND GRKKM.AM). 59
When we sailed near tlie ice, they came in great flocks to
us in our ship, near the Island oi John Mayen, and were so
tame that you could take them up with your hands. They
run upon the ice, where I only saw them, and not upon the
land, which is the reason that they are called snow-birds.
They kept with our ship till we catch'd the first lolidle,
and after this the other birds frightened them away.
We fed them with oatmeal, hut when their bellies were
full, they would not suffer themselves to be taken up. We
put some of them in a cage, and hung them up in the cabin,
but thev did not live lonsr.
We eat some of them, and they were not of an unpleasant
taste, but very lean. If I may give my opinion why the
bii'ds flie to the ships, I believe that they are stray'd from
the island, so that hunger compels them to the ships for
food.
3. Of the Ice-Birds.
I saw also in the English Haven a very beautiful ice-bird,
which was so tame that we might have taken him up almost
with our hands ; but we would not go too near him with our
gun, for fear that we should shoot him all in pieces, and so
spoil his curious feathers; so we missed him, and he flew
away.
The sun shined at that time upon him, which made him
look like gold, so as it dazled our eyes almost. He was as
big as a small pigeon. I would willingly have delineated
him, if we could have catched him. I saw but this one of
the kind.
60 VOYAGE INTO
CHAP. II.
Of the Broad or Web-Footed Birds.
There are several sorts of these about Spitzbergen. Some
of them have thin pointed bills, others have thick and broad
ones. Some of these thick-billed ones have them divided or
parted, as the mallemucken (mad gnats in English) ; others
have undivided one, as the parret so called.
There is also considerable difference in the heels of these
birds, for some of them have heels, as the mountain- duck,
kirmeic, and mallemucks ; others have them not at all, as the
hur germeister, rathsher, strimdjager, kutyegehf , parret , lumh,
pigeon, and the red-goose ; no water sticks to their feathers,
no more than on the swans and other water-fowl, for it runs
off from them as if they were oiled all over. Some are birds
of prey, others not. There is also a difference in their flying.
Some flie like unto a partridge, as that called the pigeon ;
others, like swallows, as the lumbs and red-geese / others,
like the mews, as the 7nallemucke, rathsher, and strimdjager ;
others, like the stork, as the hurgcrmeistcr.
The birds of prey are, the hurgermeister, rathsher, strimd-
jager, kutyegehf, and mallemucke. There is also a great dif-
ference in their flesh ; the birds of prey are not so good to
eat as the others, except you hang them up by the legs for
some days, that the train-oil may run out of them, and the
air blow through them ; and then you do not taste the train-
oil so strong, for else it would make you vomit. The pigeons,
parrots, red-geese, and ducks are the most fleshy ; the old
lumbs have a very rough and dry flesh, not to disparage the
rotges, kermews, and young lumbs when boiled, and the fat
taken away from them, and afterwards fryed in butter ; for
then one may make a shift to cat them ; but if you should
cat their fatj it would vomit nnd disorder the stomach very
SPITZBERGEN AND GREENLAND. Gl
mucli. These birds, except the strwidjager, kirmeio, and
mountain- d uch , all make their nests upon the high rocks,
where they arc secured from the foxes and bears ; but some
of them make their nests higher than others.
They sit in so great numbers or flock? upon the rocks,
chiefly at the time when they hatch their young ones, which
is about the latter end of June or beginning of July, that if
they flie up when the sun shineth, they shade the ground
like a cloud, and make so great a noise that one man can
hardly hear the other.
The kirmeics and mountain- ducks, and also the strund-
jagers, make their nests on low grounds (that one would
think the high water must needs run over them), on the small
islands, where they are secure from the foxes ; but not from
the white bears, for they swim in the water from one island
to the other. We took up great store of their eggs.
The uests of these birds are not all made after the same
manner. For the mountain-duck makes its nest of the
feathers of its own belly, mixing them with moss.
The feathers of these nests are not the edder down brought
us from Island, for that cometh from great birds (that the
inhabitants there call edder), and costeth, when it is cleansed
from the moss, a crown a pound, as I have been informed ;
but the feathers of the mountain- ducks of Spitzhergen, which
they call down, the seamen put into their pillows and straw
sacks, which if they should be cleansed would be more worth. ^
The kirmew layeth their eggs upon moss, and so do the
rotges. The nests of the rest of the birds were too high for
us, so that we could hardly, and not without great difficulty,
reach them. If it be never so dark by reason of a mist, yet
every bird knoweth how to find their own nest again, and
flyeth directly to it.
^ The eider duck is the Somateria mollissima of naturalists, found in
Spitzbergen, Iceland, and tbc northern parts of the British Islands. (See
Appendix.)
62 VOYAGE INTO
Concerning the names of the birds, I have made use of
those that the seamen have given them formerly, according
to their own fancy, that he that hearcth them called by these
names, may also know how to find them by them in this
book. Some of these birds, as lumhs, strundjagers, malle-
mucks, kirmeics, and the mews called kutijegehfen, I have
also seen about England, Scotland, and Ireland ; and also in
the Sj)anish Seas, nay even upon the Elce by Hamburg. I
have heard the kinnew and kutyegehfcvy ; but there is a dif-
ference, as well beween the beasts as men of other countries.
1. Of the Rathsher.i
First of the rathsher (or alderman, in English), for this is
the first of the thin-billed birds that have three claws, and is
called so by the seamen because he is a very stately and
handsome bird, but less than that which they call hurger-
mcister (or mayor, in EnglisJi).
This bird hath a sharp, narrow, and thin bill, and hath
only three claws or toes, that are joined together by a black
skin, but he hath no claw behind. His legs are not very
long, and black, as the eyes are also.
The bird is whiter than the snow, for when you see him
upon the ice, you may distinguish him from the snow ; he
shews very beautiful with his white body, his black bill and
eyes, black legs and feet ; and besides he is very well shaped.
His tail is pretty long and broad, like a lady's fan.
His cry is somewhat lower than the little kirmews, as if he
did say kar, when she cries kir : he spreads his wings and
tail out when he flies, as the strnndjager or crow doth. He
doth not willingly swim in the water as the other birds do,
nor doth he much care for wetting his feet, but he stays
rather where it is dry, yet he loves fish mightily ; and so the
proverb that we commonly say of the cat is true of him, —
' The ivory gull (Pagopldla eburiiea). (Sec Appendix.)
SPIT/HKRGEN AMD OUEKNT,AM). 63
The cat lores to catjish, hut does not love to tvet her feet. I
have seen him upon the ice feed on the dung of a sea-horse,
ujion whose body he will rest when he is alive, as crows
will do in our countries. He flieth commonly alone by him-
self, but where there is a prey they flock in great numbers.
I did delineate them in the Shallow Corner (called Shallow
Point), in Sj)itzber(/c)i, on the 10th of Jult/ ; when we shot
him he was not wild at all, so that I could have knock'd him
down with the gun.
2. Of the Pigeon. '
The pigeofi, or rather the piffeon-dtoer, is also one of the
beautifullest birds of Sj)?tzbergen ; it is of the bigness of a
duck ; the bill is somewhat long, thin, and sharp-pointed ;
at the point the upper bill is somewhat crooked, about two
inches long, and hollow within. It hath but three red toes
on its feet, with crooked claws ; it hath short redish legs,
and a short tail. Some of these birds are black all their
body over, but others, and so was that which I delineated,
about their wings ; and in the middle they are white pyed
with black, but underneath the wings they are quite white ;
others are in the middle of their wings quite white : their
bill is red within ; the tongue M also red and hollow ; they
cry like young pigeons, whence they have their name, for
they are in nothing else like them. In their crops I found
shrimps or prawns, and small sandstones.
They do not flie high over the sea, and their flight is very
like the partridges : they do not flie many together as the
lumbs, but usually by pares, and sometimes one alone by its
self.
They can keep a great while under water, wherefore they
may be called diving pigeons.
^ The black guillemot ( ?7nrt Grylle) ; called "Tystie" in Shetland.
(Sec Appendix.)
64 VOYAGE INTO SPITZnERGF.X, ETC.
But chiefly when they are pursued by men, or if their
wings be hurt by a shot, they will dive and keep a great
while under water ; and sometimes they get underneath the
ice, and there they are suffocated ; they were as nimble and
quick under water (if their wings or feet are not quite shot
off) as we could row with our boat. Their flesh is good to
eat when the fat is taken away from it, if afterwards it be
fryed in butter. The first diving pigeon I got on the 23rd
of May on the ice, and afterwards at Sjntzhergen, where they
are seen more frequently.
3. Of the Lumb.i
This bird is likest in his bill unto the diving pigeon, only
it is somewhat stronger and crookeder.
He hath black feet with three black toes, and as many
black nails ; his legs are black also and short.
He is quite black at the top, but underneath his belly,
even to the neck, he is snow white ; his tail is short. His
cry is very unpleasant, most like that of a raven, and they
cry more than all the other birds, except the rotger-divers ;
he is bigger than the diving pigeon, as big as a middling
duck. In their crops I find small fish and prawns, and also
some sandstones : and one t»f them flying over our shij),
dropp'd a large red prawn into the ship. I also delineated
it in the mentioned place. They say likewise that small
fresh river fish are their prey ; but this I cannot relate for
certain.
AVhen they have young ones, they commonly sit by the
old ones, one or two on the Avater, who teach them to dive
and swim. After the old ones have brought their young in
their bill from the rocks to the water, the preying bird called
hur germeister sometimes catches the young ones when the
^ The common guillemot ( Uria Troih), and also the Uria Bntnnichii
may be included under this head.
SPirZBEKtJKN AND GREE>fLAND. 65
old ones arc not present, and sometimes when they are also,
for they are not able to resist them.
They love their young ones so well, that they will be
killed before they will leave them (and will defend them as
a hen doth her chickens, swimming about them) ; at other
times they are very hard to be shot ; for as soon as they see
the fire, they are immediately under water or fly away. They
fly in great flocks, with pointed wings like swallows, and
move their wings much in their flight. One can hardly
know the young lumhs from the old ones at the first sight,
if you do not take exact notice of their bills ; for the upper
part turns beside the under part at the point, and the under-
most beside the uppermost, as you see in the Cross-bill ; yet
not so much in these ; and it is commonly done in the fif-
teenth, sixteenth, to the twentieth year of their age. The
old ones are full of flesh, but it is very dry and tough, and
therefore unpleasant to eat.
They boil them like the pigeons, and scum off the fat when
they boil, then they fry them in batter. I did not see them
upon the ice, but abundance of them upon the mountains :
they go waddling from one side to the other, like the diving
pigeons. I have seen many thousands of them together in
the Danish harbour, on the mountains, on that side where
the east and northern winds could not blow hard or not fully
upon them (and so do all other birds chuse such places on
the mountains for their habitations), where the herbs do grow.
But I saw not so many by the haven of Magdalen, where I
drew my figure on the 25th of July. Afterwards I saw some
of them in the Spanish and Noi^th Sea, not far from the Heilg-
land.
4. Of the Mew called Kutge-gehef}
This is a beautiful metv, and is called kutge-gehef because
it crycth so. He hath a bill somewhat bent, as the Burger -
^ The Kittiwake gull (Rissn tridactyla).
« Y
66 VOYAGE INTO
meister ; on the undermost part of its bill is a small knob or
rising : about his black eyes he hath a red circle, as the
Burgermeistcr ; and he hath but three claws, joy ncd together
with a black skin.
The legs are also black, and but short ; the tail is some-
what long and broad, like a fan.
All the belly is as white as snow ; the wings and back are
grey, and the point of the wings black. He is almost as big
as an ordinary meio, but something less than the Strunt-jager.
When we cut the fat off from the whales, we saw abundance
of them fly by the ship, and heard them cry.
When the seamen have a mind to catch some of them, they
bait their hooks with a piece of whales fat, and so tye the
hooks to a line, and fling it into the sea, and so they catch
not only these but all the other birds of prey. He flieth with
small wings as a common mew, and dives not. His food is
the fat of the whale. He is hunted by the Strunt-jager (in
English dung -hunter^, who leave him not till he dungs, which
the Strunt-jager eats.^
This I could hardly believe at first, until afterwards I saw
it my self very often. That which I drew was catched by
our ship-boys with a hook, in the South Haven. I did pecu-
liarly observe in this bird that it used to swim upon the water,
and hold its head up against the wind if it was never so great
a storm ; and so we found whole flocks of them swim upon
the water together.
This is not only to be understood of this bird, but also of
all the rest, for they look against the wind that their feathers
may not be blown asunder and opened ; for if they should sit
or swim with the wind, their feathers M'ould be blown asunder
by the cold wind, and so the cold would get in between them
to their skin; which perhaps might prejudice their health, for
birds are covered with their feathers as men are with their
clothes.
■"•'""'■■'*""'"""■"■■'■ (
SPITZBERGEN AND GREENLAND. 67
And so, when they fly up, they press against the wind with
their bodies and expand their M'ings, and so fly away very
swiftly ; also their feathers would be entangled, so that they
could not have a sure and steddy flight, but faulter in their
flying like birds that learn to fly. There is but little meat
upon them ; we eat but the legs and the breast, for the wings
are nothing but skin and bone. Wc have a proverb and say :
Thou art as light as a mew. This we may very well say of
these mews. I have seen them since in the SjJatiish Sea, and
also in the North Sea, but yet they differ from these ; and so
do the beasts of all countries.
5. Of the Burger meister}
The Burgermeister (in English Major), is the biggest of all
the birds of Spitzbergen, wherefore this name is given him as
being the chief of them. His bill is crooked, of a yellow
colour, narrow and thick ; his under-bill is somewhat rising
or knobby at the point or end, a great deal more than the
Jiiitge-gehefs, which looketh very pretty, as if he had a chery
in his mouth ; he hath longish nostrils, and a red ring about
his eyes, as I mentioned when I spoke of the kutge-gehef;
he hath but three claws of a grey colour ; his legs are grey,
and not quite so long as those of a stork, yet he is almost
equally big with him.
His tail is broad, like a fan, and white, which is chiefly to
be understood of these birds when they fly ; his wings are of
a pale colour, and so is also the back, but the wings are white
at the tip, and so is the whole body. He builds his nest very
high in the clifts of the rocks, where you can neither shoot
nor catch them any other way ; which was the reason I could
not see their nests. I have seen sometimes two, three, and
four of their young ones together ; we shoot most of them
when we draw a dead whale behind our ship, where they
flock in great numbers, and bite off" great pieces of the fat of
^ The Glaucous Gull or Burgomaster {Larus fjlaucus).
68 VOYAGE INTO
the whale ; at other times we must shoot at them a great
distance, as at other wild birds, such as ravens, herns, and
the like.
His cry is like the cry of some ravens that I have some-
times heard ; he flyeth in the air like a stork ; he preys upon
young lumbs as the hawk doth upon all sorts of birds ; he
feeds also upon the fat of the whale, whereof he doth swallow
down pieces as big as ones hand whole.
The Mallemucks are mightily afraid of him ; they will lye
down before him (when they are upon the carcass of a dead
whale) ; then he bites them about the neck, which I believe
doth not hurt them much, because they have a very thick
skin, for else they would oppose and resist him, or fly away;
but they do not matter it, neither will they leave their meal
for his biting. I have seen him also about the sea-horses,
whose dung he eats. He flyeth commonly single, except
when they meet at their prey. He loves to rest on the
water, but doth not care much for diving ; we shot one before
the JVeihegat on the 10th day of July.
6. Of the Rotges.i
This bird is a diver, and might be rather called the diving
rotge. His bill is crooked but short, somewhat thick, of a
black colour ; his feet have but three claws, with as many
black nails, and are joyned by a black skin ; his legs are
short and black ; he is almost all over black, except his belly,
which is white.
Some of this kind have their wings spotted with white and
black, like the diving pigeon ; no water sticketh to their
feathers, no more than to a swans ; they are most of them
like hair on a very thick skin : their tail is short.
They are very much like a swallow in their shape ; I took
them at first to be swallows, for they fly like them ; they arc
' The little Auk or commou Rotche {Arctica alle).
SMTZBERGEN AND GRKENI.AXD. 69
in great flocks together, as the swallows arc when they arc
about to hide themselves against the winter.
They go wabbling from side to side as the divers do ; they
cry very loud : Rottet, tet, tet, tet, tet, at first high, and so by
degrees lower and lower ; and this their calling or crying is
the occasion of their name. They make more noise than
any other bird, because their voice is shriller ; but the lumhs
in this are not much inferiour to them, although they cry
lower ; the burgcrmeister, rathsher, and the whole crew of
birds of Spiizhergen, strike in with them, so that one can
hardly hear another's words.
The calling or crying of the rotges amongst one another
sounds almost, at a distance, as if you hear a great many
women scolding together : they are somewhat bigger than a
starling.
They build their nests in the clifts of the rocks, yet not all
of them, for some make their nests upon the hills or moun-
tains, of moss, Avhere we found them, and we killed abund-
ance of their young ones with sticks. They feed upon the
grey worms that are like crawfish, which are delineated
hereafter : they also eat the red shrimps or prawns.^ AVe
got the first of them on the ice on the 29th day of JMay, and
afterwards more of them by Spitzhergen.
They are very good food, and the best next the strand-
runner; are fleshy and fattish ; we boyl and then roast them.
7. Of the Strunt-jager, or Dung-hunter.^
This bird hath a bill somewhat blunt before, and crooked,
and is thick ; if I remember, it is black.
He hath but three claws, which are joyned together with
a black skin ; his legs are not very long ; his tayl, which is
like unto a fan, hath this mark, that one feather thereof
stands out before all the rest : he is black on the top of his
^ Cramjon Boreas. - The Arctic Skua {Stercorarius parasiticus) .
70 VOYAGE INTO
head: his eyes are black; about his neck he hath a dark yellow-
ish ring or circle ; his wings, as well as his back, are brown ;
underneath his belly he is white ; he is somewhat bigger
than the mew called kutge-gehef; he hunts and flies in the
air after the mew kutge-geJief, so long torments her until she
avoideth her dung, on which this bird feeds, which he catches
dexterously before it falls down into the water ; and this is
the reason Avhy they call him Strunt-jager, in English the
dung -hunter.
He flyeth with the mews called Kutge-gehef, which do not
fear him in the least, and they are both equally swift in their
flying, but when he intends to make them dung, he hunts
them and makes them cry out very loud, but he himself sel-
dom cries. He generally keepeth but to one mew, but if
two or three of the mews be together, and one makes her
escape from him, then he hunts the other two, and flyeth
sometimes above and sometimes underneath them. I could
never see him hunt after any other birds, but once I saw him
fly after a mallemuck ; but I saw him soon leave her, per-
haps because her dung did not please him. I am of opinion
that this dung, because it is thin, serves him instead of drink,
for else he eats the fat of the whale for his food : he builds
his nest not very high.
He goes upright upon his legs, like the Biirger-meister ,
Ratsher, or Kutge-gehef. It is a rare bird, and I saw but very
few of them. He flies commonly alone ; I saw very seldom
two or three of them together ; he flies like the ratsher, or
like a crow, but his wings are somewhat more pointed at the
ends.
He hath a loud voice, when he cries it sounds as if he did
say, / Ja. To some it seemeth, if it be at a distance, as if he
cried, Jo han. His flesh is not better than that of the other
birds of prey. I got him on the 11th oiJuhj near to the Dear-
haven, or Dear-hag, in Sjjitzhcrgen ; afterwards I saw this
bird, behind Scotland, hunt after the mew kutge-gehef.
SPITZBEllGEN AND GREENLAND. 71
8. Of the Diving Parret.^
This is commonly called the P arret. Amongst all the web-
I footed birds that have three claAvs, this hath a peculiar bill ;
' and because it seem'd to those that gave him this name to be
like that of a parret, therefore they called him also a parret ;
but in truth his bill is not at all like that of a parret ; its bill
is broad, and full of slender strokes of several colours, viz.,
red, white, and the broad part thereof is black ; the upper-
most as well as the undermost are both pointed ; the upper-
most arch is red, and his upper bill hath a thin bended hook ;
the undermost hath a yellowish arch, and is towards the end
downwards cut off somewhat sloaping. The upper part of
its bill, as well as the lower part, is about three fingers broad,
and about the same length, if you measure the upper and
undermost together : he hath on the upper bill four arched
or bended oblong pitted holes, and on the lower he hath as
many, although the furthermost is not altogether so plain.
These holes or pits of the upper and lower bill make toge-
ther a half-moon ; and the parts that are elevated make in
the same manner, as well as the pitted or hollow ones, a half-
moon.
By these holes are as many raised or elevated parts ; the
uppermost of them is as broad as the three furthermost ones
together, and hath underneath on each side a longish hole,
which without doubt are his nostrils ; but the uppermost on
the under bill is about a straws breadth broader ; the upper
broad part is blackish, and sometimes blew.
On this broad part of the Tipper bill that is thus elevated
above the rest, is towards the eye a long whitish piece of
cartilage that is full of holes, whereon you see towards the
inner part of the mouth something like a nerve, which also
reacheth towards the under part, and there endeth itself,
whereby the bill is opened and shut.
1 The Puffin or Coulterneb {Fratercula Arctica).
n
VOYAGE INTO
His feet have also but three claws, joined with a red skin
between them, with three short and strong nails ; the legs
are but short, and of a red colour ; he walks wabbling.
About his eyes he hath a red ring, and above this ring
stands upright a little horn, and underneath the eyes lyeth
another little, longish, black horn cross over.
His tail is short : the head is black at the top unto the
horn ; but his cheeks are white ; about his neck he hath a
black ring ; all his back and wings also, at the top or the
outside, are black, but underneath the belly is white. They
fly either singly or by pairs, and have sharp-pointed wings
like the lumbs. He will keep a great while under water.
He eats like the rest, red shrimps or prawns, small fish and
worms, and also the sea-spiders and star-fish, for I found
something in his stomach that looked like pieces thereof, but
they were almost digested.
He hath more flesh upon him than the diving pigeon, and
is very good to eat. I never saw him among the ice. This
whereof I show you the draught was shot at Schmerenherg in
Spitzhergen, on the 20th day of June, but afterwards we got
several more.
9. Of the Mountain Duck.i
Hitherto we have described the web-footed birds that have
three claws that are not divided, that I saw and got about
Spitzbergen ; I must now describe those that have undivided
feet with four claws, whereof I found three sorts, mz., the
mountain duck, kirmeiv, and mallemucke.
The mountain duck is a kind of our wild duck, or rather
wild goose ; for she is of the bigness of a middling goose
and is more like a goose about the bill. It is a very hand-
some bird, because of its delicate spotted feathers. They
dive under water as other ducks do. The drake hath black
and white spotted feathers, and the duck hath feathers of the
' The Eider-Duck {Somateria mollissima) .
SPITZBEKfiEN AMI GRF.E\T,AXn. to
colour of a partridge. The liindmost claw is broad and short,
with a short nail ; the tail is bobb'd, like that of other ducks.
I could find nothing- in their maws or gizzards that could
make me certain of their food, but only sand-stones. They
fly a great many of them in flocks like other wild ducks ;
when they do see any men, they hold up their heads and
make a very long neck. They make their nests upon the
low islands ; they make them of the feathers of their bellies,
which they mix with moss ; but these are not the same fea-
thers which are called the edder-down.
We found their nests with two, three, or four eggs in
them, the most whereof were rotten when we came to Sjntz-
hergen, but some of them were good to eat ; they are of a pale
green, somewhat bigger than our duck-eggs ; the seamen
made an hole at eacli end, and so blew the white and the
yolk out, and strung the shells upon a packthread. I would
have brought some of them to Hamburgh, but they began to
stink, so that I was forced to fling tliem away, although the
shells were entire. These clucks have a very good flesh ; we
boyl'd and roasted them as we did tbe other birds, but the
fat of them we flung away, for it tasted of train-oyl, and
made us vomit.
The ships that arrived at Spitzhergen before us got a great
many of them.
These mountain ducks are not at all shy or afraid of men
when we first arrive there, but afterwards they grow quite
wild, so that you can hardly come near enough to shoot them.
That which I have drawn here was shot in the South Bay
(in Spitzhergen), on the 18th o^ June.
10. Of the Kirmew.i
The hirmew hath a thin sharp-pointed bill, as red as blood;
she shews very large, especially when she stands upright,
^ The Arctic Tern {Sterna macroura, or Arctic(i).
10
74 VOYAGE INTO
because of her long wings and feathers of her tail, hut when
the feathers are off there is no more meat than upon a spar-
row. It is peculiar to this bird to have very sharp-pointed
wings, and its tail is longer than that of a swallow, and as
long as the longest feather of the wings. Because of these
long and sharp-pointed feathers in her wing and tail, she
might very properly be called the swalloio-mew, but it is
commonly called Mrmew from its cry. The claws, as well as
the skin between them, are as red as blood ; the nails are
black on all the four claws ; the hindmost claw is very little ;
the legs are short and red ; it shews veiy brisk and pert when
it stands upright on its legs. The head at the top is black,
like a black cap ; the sides of the head are snow white, and
the whole body is of a silver colour, or white enclining to
grey ; the wings and tail are white underneath ; one side of
the feathers of the wings are black. All these differing
colours, together with the blood-red bill, red legs and feet,
make her very beautiful : her feathers are thready or hairy ;
she flies singly, for so I saw her always in the Sotith Haven,
and in other places where we were. Where their nests are
they fly in great numbers ; these they make of moss. One
can hardly discern their eggs from their nests, for both of
them are of a dirty white, but the eggs have black specks ;
they are of the bigness of a pigeon's egg ; I eat of them at
Spitzhergen, and found them very good, they tasted like the
lapwings eggs ; the yolk was red, and the white blewish ;
they are very sharp-pointed at one end. She defends her
nest and eggs, and flies directly at a man, biting and crying.
It is the same with her as what we say of the lapwing ; she
endeavours to defend all the meadow, and yet cannot defend
her own nest.
I brought about thirty of their eggs with me to Hamburgh,
but they were rotten and stunk. It is a kind of a hawk, and
throws herself into the water as other mcAvs do,
I am of an opinion that she feeds on the small grey Avorms,
SPITZBERGEN AND GREENLAND. 75
and perhaps on shrimps and prawns, for I found no other
food they coukl get.
I shot but one single bird of them flying, which I did not
eat of, because the Large shot had torn it very much.
This bird is quite grey in our countries, which diflfers
much from that of Spitzhergen, whose feathers are much finer.
That here delineated was shot by the Birds Sotuj in Sjntz-
bergefi, on the 20th of June.
11. Of the Mallemucke.i
This bird hath a remarkable bill, which is severally di-
vided : the uppermost bill hath next to the head oblong and
small nostrils ; underneath them groweth out as it was a new
bill, that rises up, is crooked, and very sharp-pointed.
The under part of the bill consists partly of four pieces,
two whereof meet in a point together downwards, the other
two gape upwards ; the two undermost that meet in a point,
meet exactly with the point of the upper bill. The hinder
claw of the feet of this bird is very small, of a grey colour,
and so are the other claws and the skin between them. The
tail is somewhat broad, the wings are longish, after the man-
ner of the kirmew. They are not always of the same colour;
some are quite grey, which we take to be the oldest, others
are grey on their back and wings, but their head and belly
are white, which are the young ones. This is generally
thought, but I am of opinion that this difference of colour
proceeds rather from a difference in kind than from a differ-
ence in age ; for the grey ones I only saw about Sjnfzbergen,
but the grey and white ones, although I have seen some few
of them at Spitzbergen, yet we saw abundance more about
the North Cape, and also about Hitland and Engla7id. He
flies like a great mew, hovers near the water with a very
small motion of his wings.
^ The Fulmar Petrel {P rocdlaria glacialis).
76 VOYAGE INTO
They do not avoid a storm as our mews do, but they take
good and bad together, as it happens ; ours bend themselves
like an ear of corn Avith the wind, which the mallemucks do
not. They do not much care for diving, but when they wash
themselves they sit upon the water, and put their wings
a-cross one over the other. They fly singly ; when they go
to fly up they wabble a great way before they can raise
themselves upon the wind, but the Lumbs and Parrets that
have but small wings do it more. When they ran upon the
deck of the ship, they could not fly up before they came to
a place where a step went down, or from some advantageous
rise. They flock in great numbers when we catch whales,
and light down upon the live whales, bite them in their
backs, and pick out great pieces of his fat, even when he is
yet alive ; and when we cut vip the dead whales, there came
so many of them about us, that we could not imagine from
whence they could all come, so that we w^ere forced to kill
them with sticks and with broad nets in frames, such as they
use in the Tenis Court, to be rid of them. They are so bold,
that they would not fly away although they saw us come
upon them ; but suffered themselves to be killed in great
numbers, which we hung upon the tackle of our ship.
But after they began to be more shy of us, and would not
stay so long. They flock in so great numbers after the
whales, that many of them are discovered by them ; where-
fore I fancy that he flings up some fat when he blows the
Avater out, which the mallemucks cat. But a great many
more, Avhen the whale is wounded, follow^ the bloody track
left in the Avater, for then they are numberless. They also
often discover a dead Avhale, and so we get them sometimes
Avithout any great trouble.
His name is given him because he is so silly or mad
(Avhich the Dutch call mall) to suffer himself to be so easily
killed, Avhereunto is put the Avord muckc, Avhich signifies a
gnatt, because they are as numerous as gnatts ; so that the
I SriTZlJEUGEN AND GREENLAND. 77
name mallemiicke significth as much as silly gnatts, or mad
gnatts.
They eat so much of the fat of the whales till they spew it
•up again, and tumble themselves over and over in the water
until they vomit up the train oyl, and then they begin to eat
afresh, until they grow weary of eating. They bite one
another, and fight together, which is very good sport, about
a piece of fat, fiercely, although there is enough for them all
and to spare.
When they are full they rest upon the ice or water. I
really believe it is the most devouring bird of all, for he eats
till he can stand no longer, but falls down. He bites very
hard, but the Burgermeister bites yet harder, to whom he
submits himself, and lies down before him to be bit by the
Burgermeister, which he does very severely, yet the malle-
mucke feels little or nothing of it, his feathers are so thick ;
which I conclude because he is not easily shot, but will en-
dure a great blow ; nor is it easie to kill him with a stick at
one blow. AVhen they steer themselves in the water with
their legs, they have continually an eye upon their prey, yet
they mind both the man and their prey; but if you have a
long stick, they cannot get up so soon or swift but you may
have a blow at them. He is the first and commonest bird
of all you see in Greenland ; they cry all together, and it
sounds afar off as if they were frogs. He walks but ill upon
the land and ice, like a child that just learns to go, but he
understands better to fly ; you see him always near unto the
surface of the water, for he is very light. Of all the birds of
prey, I believe, he hath the least meat on him. He builds
his nest high on the mountains, yet not so very high as
the Burgermeister ; yet it was too high for me, I could not
come at them. His breast and legs only are to be eaten ;
they are tough and taste strong of train oyl ; when you will
eat them you must hang them up by the legs (that the fat of
tlie whales, or the train oyl, may run out of them) fur two or
78 VOYAGE INTO
three days, and that the wind may blow through them, and the
frost pierce them also ; then you lay them into fresh water,
that the rankncss may be drawn out, afterwards boil and fry
them in butter. They are every where seen in the North
Sea, as I have said before, yet they are differing.
CHAP. III.
Of some other Birds that I did not Catch or Delineate.
Amongst these are the red gees, which were shewn unto me
as they were flying. They are geese with long legs, that fly
in flocks ; there is many of them in Russia, Norway, and
Jutland.
Then I saw another bird flying singly with broad feet, a
very handsom bird, called John of Ghent; it is as big as a
stork and of the same shape, with white and black feathers ;
he hovers in the air, and moveth his wings but very little ;
when he cometh to the ice he turns back again. It is a kind
of a hawk, and I have reason to believe that he hath a very
sharp sight, for he shoots down from a great height into the
water. They say that the brains of this bird are in great
esteem, but for what I could never learn.
He is also seen in the Sjjanish Sea, and every where in
the North Sea, but most commonly he is seen where they
catch herrings.
I Avas also informed that a black crow was seen in Sj^itz-
hergen; other birds are not seen there, except it may be now
and then a single one that strays and so cometh thither, as
the crow did. All these birds come at certain times, and
abide at this place as long as the sun shines ; afterwards,
when the cold begins to encrease, and the nights lengthen,
every one of them returns to its own place again. AVhen
SPlTZr.ErvOEN AND GREENLAND. 79
they arc going from thence tliey gather all together, and
when they arc all met they fly away, every kind by them-
selves, which hath been very often observed : whence I con-
clude they cannot live in this intolerable cold place in the
winter. They rest as well upon the Mater as the land (and
when they fly up they look against the wind), for else they
would be quite tired in this long journey.
Whether the mew called ratJisher, that does not love the
water, performs its journey in one day, I cannot tell ; or whe-
ther necessity compels him to rest upon the water.
Which way those birds that have divided claws on their
feet, as the snite, the snow-bird, and the ice-bird, get over
the water, I know not.
CHAP. IV.
Of the Four-Footed Creatures.
1. Of the Hart or Deer.'
This is not very unlike unto the hart ; it hath cloven feet
like it, and its horns are also like unto a hart or elJce ; they
have three or four branches on each side, which are about
two inches broad and about a foot long ; their ears are long,
and tail very short : he is of a greyish yellow colour, like an
hart or deer. When they see a man they run away ; if you
stand still they stand also, then you must immediately fire at
them if you have a mind to hit them. They eat the herbs
and grass. They are every where about Spitzbergen, but
above all in the Rene-Jield (or Deers-field), that hath its
name from thence, where they'r very plentiful, and also
upon the Foreland near the Muscle Haven. I never saw
* The Rein-Deer [Tarandus Rangifer).
80 VOYAGE INTO
them swim in the water. As I was informed, some men did
kill fifteen or twenty of them on the Vogcl-song {Birds-sotig) ,
the meat thereof roasted is of a very pleasant taste. We
killed some of them presently, at our first arrival in the
spring, that were very lean ; wherefore we may conclude,
that they remain in this barren and cold country of Sjntz-
hergeti all winter long, and are contented with what they
can get.
2. Of the Fox.i
Between our foxes and those of Spitzbergen there is no
great difference ; one of them I saw run by our ship, very
near it, his head was black and body white. They make
such a noise, as afar off it sounds as if a man laugh'd. We
saw them also run on the ice. Their food falls but short
there, they live upon birds and eggs.
They go not at all into the water ; we were hunting one
of them in the South Haven, and had surrounded him with
twenty men, the water was on one side of him, and we
endeavoured to drive him into it, but he M'ould not, but
jumped through one man's legs and ran up into the moun-
tains, where we could not follow him.
The ships crew inform'd me, that when he is hungry he
lies down as if he was dead, until the birds fly to him to eat
him, which by that trick he catches and eats. But I believe
that this is a fable.
3. Of the ^Yhite Bear.^
These hears are quite otherwise shaped than those that are
seen in our country ; they have a long head like unto a dog,
and a long neck, and they bark like dogs that are hoarse,
and all their whole body is much otherways shaped than
^ The Arctic Fox (Vulj)es Lagopiis).
^ The Polar Bear {Thalassarctos maritimus).
SPITZBRHGKX AM) f;REKXT,\Xn. 81
ours. They arc slenderer in the body, and a great deal
swifter.
Their skins are brought to us, which are very comfortable
to those that travel in the winter ; they prepare or dress the
slvins at Spitzhergen after this manner : they heat sawdust,
and tread these skins in it, which sucks up the fat, and the
skins become to be dry, after the same manner as we use to
take out spots of fat out of fine linnen or other clothes, when
we hold it against the sun : they are of the same bigness as
ours, great and small : their hair is long, and as soft as wool :
their nose and mouth are black before, and their talons also
black. The fat of their feet melted out, is used for pain of
the limbs ; it is also given to women in travail, to bring away
the child ; it causes also a plentiful sweat. The said fat is
very spongy, and feels very soft ; it is best to try it up there
presently ; I strove to keep it until I should come home,
but it grew foul, rancid, and stinking. I believe it would
be very good to try it up with orris-root, for then it would
remain the longer good and smell well.
The other is like suet when it is tryed up, it becometh thin
like train-oyl, or the fat of whales ; but this is not to be com-
pared to the other for vertue and goodness, it is only used in
lamps, where it does not stink so much as the train-ovl : the
skippers melt it out there, and bring it home with them to
sell it for train-oyl. Their flesh is -whitish and fat, like that
of a sheep, but I did not care to try how it tasted, for I was
afraid that my hair would turn grey before its time, for the
seamen are of opinion, that if they eat of it, it makes their
hair grey. They suckle their young with their milk, which
is very white and fat, as I observed, when we cut up an old
suckling she one. They say our bears have a very soft head,
but I found the contrary in these at Spitzhergen, for we
struck them with large and thick cudgels upon their heads,
with such blows that would have knock'd doAvn a bullock,
and yet they did not matter it at all. When we had a mind
82 A'OYAGE INTO
to kill them, we were forced to run tliem through with our
launces.
They swim from one sheet of ice to the other, they also
dive under water ; when they were at one side of our long-
boat they did dive, and came up again on the other. They
also run upon the land. I did not hear them roar so as ours
do, but they only bark.
We could not discern the young ones from the old ones,
but only by the two furthermost long teeth, which in the
young were hollow within, but those of the old ones were
close and solid. If you burn their teeth and powder them,
and give them inwardly, it disperseth coagulated blood. The
young ones keep constantly close to the old ones ; we observed
that two young ones and an old one would not leave one ano-
ther, for if one ran away, it turned back again immediately as
soon as it did hear the others, as if it would come to help them.
The old one run to the young one, and the young one to the
old one, and rather than they would leave one another, they
would suffer themselves to be all killed.
They feed upon the carcasses of whales, and near them we
killed the most : they also eat men alive when they have an
opportunity to master them. They remove or roll away the
stones of the burial places, open the coffins, and eat the dead
men, which many have seen ; and we can also conclude it
from hence, because we find the dead mens bones lye by the
coffins that are opened. They also eat birds and eggs. AYe
kill them with guns, or any other Avay we can. We caught
three of them, one -whereof I drew after the life, on the loth
of July.
What bccomcth of these hears and foxes in the winter-
time I do not know ; in the summer they have in some
places, for a few months, provision enough, but in the
winter, when the rocks and hills are covered with snow,
there is but very little to be had for them ; yet being it is
supposed that the deer stay also there all winter long, I be-
lieve that these beasts do the same.
SPITZBERGEN AND GREENLAND. 83
4. Of the Sea- Dogs, called Rubbs and Scales.^
I have still two more beasts to describe, that live as well
in the water as on the land and ice, and they have also on
their feet five claws like fingers, that are joyned together
with a thick skin, like unto the feet of a goose. The most
known of these is the scale, which they also call salldogg and
rubhe in the German language ; the head thereof is like unto
a dog's head, \vith crept ears. Their heads are not all alike,
for some are rounder, and others longer or leaner : he hath
a beard about his mouth, and hair on the nose and the eye-
lids, yet seldom above four ; the eyes are very large, hollow,
and very clear : their skin is grown over with short hair.
They are of several colours, spotted like tygers, some are
black with white sjDots, some yellow, some grey, and others
red : their teeth are sharp like a dogs, wherewith he can
bite off a stick as thick as ones arm. On their toes they have
black, long, and sharp nails or claws ; their tail is short ;
they bark like hoarse dogs ; their little or young ones mew
like cats ; they go lame behind ; they can climb upon the
high ice, whereon I saw them sleep, chiefly when the sun
shiued, wherein they take great pleasure, but when it is
stormy weather they must march off and leave it, for the
waves of the sea beat with great violence against it, as if it
were against rocks, as I have mentioned already in the chap-
ter of ice.
We saw most of them upon the ice about the west side
near to the shear, where there was an incredible number of
them, that if the master of the ship should not catch whales
enough, they might lade their ships with scales only; and
we have examples that little ships have taken their lading
only of them, but it is very troublesome to flea them : nor
are they all alike fat at the time when we arrive there.
^ Phoca (jrijenlmulica •A.w^i Ph. foetida.
84 VOYAGE INTO
By Spitzhergen we see but a few of them, but instead of
them there is plenty of sea-horses. Where many seales are
seen, that is not a good place to catch whales in. It seem-
eth as if they leave but very little for the whale to live upon,
because there is so great a number of them. They feed upon
small fishes, as far as I could understand ; we cut open
several of them, and found nothing in their stomachs but
great and long whitish worms of the thickness of ones little
finger. We come up to them where they lye upon the large
sheets of ice ; we make a great noise with shouting, which
astonisheth them perhaps, or else out of novelty they hold
up their noses very high, and make a long neck, as our
grey-hounds do, and bark. In this fright of theirs we strike
them with half-pikes, or long poles upon their noses, and
knock them down half dead, but for all that they recover
themselves and rise again. Some of them stand upon their
defence, bite at, and run after the men ; and they run as fast
as a man, and their lame way of going doth not hinder them
at all, for they shove themselves along just like an eel. Some
run from the ice to the water, and leave a yellow dung be-
hind them, which they squirt out at their hunters, as the
hern does : they stink naturally abominably. Others stand in
the water with half their belly, and look about them to see
what is done upon the ice. When they are going to dive
under the water, they hold up their noses and make a long
neck : when they jump from the ice under water, and also
when they make a dance of seales, as they call it, about the
ships, they constantly dive with their heads under water.
They have their young ones by them, one whereof we took
away with us to the ship alive, but it would not eat anything,
but did mew just like a cat, and if we touch'd him he would
snap at us, so we killed him. The biggest of them that I have
seen were from five to eight foot long, out of which we cut
so much fat, that we filled half a barrel with it. Their fat is
about three or four fingers thick, it covers the fiesh just under
SriTZUERGEN AND GREENLAND. 85
the skin, and we do flea it off as a skin : this fat yields the best
train-oyl; the flesh is quite black. They have abundance of
blood, as if they were only filled up with it. They have
great livers, lungs, and hearts, which we eat after we have
drawn out the rankness with water ; we boil them, but this
dish is very loathsora, so that I could not eat it, it tasted so
of train-oyl. He hath abundance of guts, which are very
small : I found no fat within them ; their parts of generation
is a hard bone, like imto that of a dog, about a span long,
covered with sinews ; some were hardly so long as your little
finger, and yet they were not young ones neither. The
crystal of their eye is not of the same colour always, for some
•were like a crystal, others white, others yellowish, others
reddish ; they are bigger than a pea ; if one will keep them
he must let them dry gently, or one may wrap them in linnen
rags, and so lay them in a moist place, for else they fly or
crack to pieces. I am informed, that when they couple they
are very fierce, so that a man dares not come near them upon
the ice, then they bring their long boats near the ice, and so
kill them out of the boats. They do not quickly dye when
the blood is almost all run out ; after they have been mortally
wounded and flea'd, they still live, and it looks ill to see
them tumble themselves about in their own blood. AVe had
an example of that in him that was eight foot long, for when
he was flea'd, and most of the fat cut ofl", notwithstanding all
the blows he had had vipon his head and nose, he would still
snap at us and bite about him, and took hold of a short pike
with his teeth, after such a rate as if nothing ailed him.
Then we run a short pike through his very heart and liver,
and there ran out as much blood as if it had been a bullock.
The masters of the ships will not suffer these nasty doings in
their ships, for it fouls them mightily. Not only this was so
vivacious, but all the rest are the same, for when we thought
that they lay dead in our long boats, they snapt about them,
so that we were forced to kill them.
86 VOYAGE INTO
For sports sake I went once along with them upon the ice
and run one through the body with my sword several times
which he did not matter at all ; I fell into the snow up to
my knees, and he barked at me, and offered to bite me, which
I avoided, and when I got up again I ran after him and gave
him several wounds more, which he was not concerned at,
but ran swifter than I could, and flung himself off from the
ice into the sea, and went down to the bottom.
5. Of the Sea-Horse, called by some the Morse.^
The sea-horse is not unlike unto the seale in the shajje of
the body, only is much bigger than the other : he is as
big as an ox. Their legs are also like those of the seale, for
they have five claws as well on the fore as the hinder feet,
but they have only short nails : their head is thicker and
rounder, and also much stronger. Their skin is an inch
thick, chiefly about the neck, covered with short mouse-
coloured hair, some reddish, some grey, some have but little
hair, and are mangy, and full of scars that are bitten, and
look as if they were flea'd ; every where about their joints
their skin is full of lines, as the inside of a man's hand: they
have two great and long teeth in their upper jaw-bone, that
hang down below their under lips, that are about a foot and
two foot long, sometimes they are longer : the young ones
have no great teeth at all, but they grow in time as they
grow older. All the sea-horses have two firm long teeth ;
yet I have seen old ones that had but one ; it may be that
sometimes they loose them when they fight, or otherwise
they may fall out of themselves, for I observed that some of
them had foul, hollow, rotten teeth. These two long teeth
are esteemed beyond ivory, because they are so very white,
and are dearer ; they are close and firm Avithin, and heavy,
but the root thereof is hollow. Of their teeth are made
knife-hafts, boxes, &c. The Jutlanders make buttons for
^ The Walrus or Morse {Trichecus Rosmarus).
SPITZBERGEN AND GREENT,AN1). 87
their clothes of the other teeth. Their mouth is very broad
before, like a bullocks, whereon grow above and underneath
several bristles that are hollow within, and of the bigness of
a straw : of these bristles the seamen make rings, which they
wear on their fingers for the cramp. Above the uppermost
beard they have two semicircular nostrils, whereout he blows
the water, like the whale, yet with a less noise. Their eyes
are at a good distance from the nose ; they have eyelids as
other fourfooted beasts have ; his eyes are naturally as red as
blood when he doth not turn them, and I could see no differ-
ence when they were moved ; for they always turn'd their
eyes when they did look upon me, and then they look much
uglier, though they are never handsom. Their ears are some-
what higher than the eyes, but very near to them, which are
like those of the seales. Their tongue is at least as big as a
neat's ; when it is but newly boiled it may be eaten, but if it
is laid by for two or three days, it becomes rank like train-
oyl. Their neck is very thick, wherefore he does not readily
turn his head about, and this is the reason why he turneth
his eyes generally. Their tails are short, like those of the
scale.
From their flesh we cut no fat, it is all mixed together like
unto hogs-flesh, to which it is the likest : their heart and
liver we did eat ; they taste well enough, chiefly where we
have no great variety of dishes. Their yards are of a hard
bone, about two foot long, thick at the bottom, and less be-
fore, somewhat bent in the middle ; at the side towards their
belly it is flat, but it is round without, and it is every where
covered over with sinews. They turn also knife-hafts and
other things out of this bone. What their food is I cannot
certainly tell, they may perhaps eat both herbs srndfsh; that
they eat herbs I conclude from hence, that their dung looks
like horse-dung : that they ent fish I judge, because when
we cut the fat off a whale one of them did often take the skin
Avith him under water ; he did also fling it up and catch it
88 VOYAGE INTO
again. The hur germeister doth eat his dung, as is said before
when I writ of the birds. The sea-horses keep generally
about Spitzbergen, for amongst the ice-hills I saw none.'
They lye upon the ice, as I have already mentioned in the
first part, by the 12th of July, very nastily, as the scales in
great numbers, and roar most terribly. They dive with their
head under the water before, like the scales. They sleep
and snore, not only upon the ice, but also in the water, so
that we take them several times for dead ones.
They are very stout and undaunted creatures ; they stand
by one another as long as they have life, and if any of them
be wounded they make to the long-boat, notwithstanding
that the men strike and cut and push at them ; some will
dive under the water near unto the long-boats, and cut holes
in them with their great teeth under water ; and others with-
out any fear at all make to the boat, and stand up with half
their body out of the water, and endeavour to get into the
boat.
In such a battel a sea-horse did once strike with his teetJi
or tushes into the boat, and took hold of our harponier with
his long tooth, between his shirt and the waistband of his
breeches, so that the waistband broke, otherwise he had
pulled him under water.
When they roar, if they are imitated, they strive which
shall get underneath the water, and fall a fighting and biting
one another till they fetch blood : others strive to set at
liberty the sea horses taken by the men, striving before each
other to get to the boat, biting and gnashing with their teeth,
and roaring terribly. They never give over so long as one
of them is alive, and if you are forced to fl}'' because of their
unspeakable number, they will follow the boat till you lose
them out of sight, for they cannot follow far, their great
number hindring one another. This we found by Weihegat
by Spitzbergen, where they got together in great numbers
and made our boat take in water, so that we were forced to
RPITZBERGEN AND GREENLAND. 89
flee ; yet tliey followed us as long as Ave could see them, on
the l.'2tli day oiJidy. We take them only for their teeth : you
shall see almost a hundred of them before you find one that
hath good teeth, for some of them are but small, others have
but one, and others none at all.
I saw one in the English Haven, lying on a sheet of ice ;
at first we took him to be a seale, but we found it was an old,
bald, and mangy sea-horse. We gave him some blows, which
he took, and dived under water. When they see them lye
upon the ice, or hear them roar, they row with their boats
to them, where they lye in great numbers ; but I believe one
of them keeps watch, for I have several times observed that
one of them did strike him that was next to him with his
tooth, and so it went on. When they awake they rise up
and stand upon their fore-foot, look terribly, and roar, and
strike with their long teeth into the ice for madness, and so
draw themselves along by the help thereof, when they run
apace, or climb upon the ice, as the scales do. Their greatest
strength lyeth in their head, and their skin is thickest about
the neck ; it is thicker than that of an elk, and it is also a
great deal firmer ; wherefore if they were dressed like an
elk's skin, they would serve instead of the best buflf coat.
"WTien great multitudes of them lye upon a sheet of ice, and
they do awake and fling themselves into the sea, you must
keep ofi" your boat at a distance from the ice, until the greater
part of them are got ofi"; for else they would jump into the
boat to you and overset it, whereof many instances have
been ; then the harponier runs after them on the ice, or he
darts his harpoon out of the boat at the sea-horse, who runs
on a little till he is tired, then the men draw- on the rope or
line again, and fetch him to the boat, where he begins to
resist to the utmost, biting and jumping out of the water, and
the harponier runs his launcc into him until he is killed.
AVhen they dart the harpoon at them, they always take the
opportunity to do it when he is precipitating himself from
90 VOYAGE INTO
the ice, or when he diveth with his head under water, for
then his skin is smooth and extended, and therefore the har-
poon striketh through the skin on his back the better : but
when he lyeth and sleepeth his skin is loose and wrinkled, so
that the harpoon doth not pierce the skin, but falls off. The
harpoon for a sea-horse, and the laimce also, are short, of the
length of one span, or one and a half, and an inch thick, and
the wooden staff thereof is about six foot long ; the harpoon
for a whale is much too weak to pierce his thick skin withal,
yet both of them are very well temper'd and of good tough
iron, and not much hardened. When the sea-horse is killed,
they take the head only and leave the rest ; this they carry
on board, where they cut out the teeth ; the two great ones
belong to the owners or merchants of the ship, but the small
teeth are not esteemed. I cannot but mention that we went
by a field of ice, where so many sea-horses lay, that the
weight of them made the ice even with the water ; but when
they jumped off into the sea, we could hardly step out of our
boat upon it, so high was it risen out of the water. It was re-
lated to me, by them that iised this Greenland trade every
year, as a certaine truth, that once when they had no good
fortune to catch whales, they rowed with their boats to the
Miifs Island, which was full of sea-horses ; they ventured
upon them couragiously with cutting, striking, pushing, and
shouting, so that they killed a great many of them ; but when
they saw that still more and more of them got together, they
laid the dead sea-horses round about them, and stood in the
middle of them as in a castle, leaving a place open where
the others might come into them, as through a gate ; and after
this manner they have killed several hundreds of them, and
made a good voyage of it ; for some years ago their teeth
have been in greater esteem than now.
Sl'lTZlJEKGEN AND (i RKKiN'LAiM). 91
CHAP. V.
Of the Crustaceous Fish tluit I Observed.
I FOUND two sorts of them, viz., craicjish and starfish; of
the craicfsh I saw four sorts, the sea-spider, as the French-
men call them ; the red praion ; the small prawn, or the little
small shrimp ; and the xchale's louse.
The starjish I put to them also, because they have their
arms or legs, wherewith they move themselves, and are in-
crustated with shells.
1. Of the Sea Crawfish without a Tail, or Sea Spiders.^
This sort of craicjish has no tail, but six feet and two
claws : they are else very like lobsters in the shape of their
body. They are of a dark brownish colour, somewhat prickly
on their backs, and hairy all over their body. I have seen
many of this kind with six feet and two claws in my voyage
to Spain, whereof I have also made a draught in my voyage
into Spain (which I shall, God willing, communicate to the
curious), but they differ from these of Sjiitzhergen in their
bigness and head ; this of Spitzbergen hath a head like a
lobster, but the male of them that I saw in my voyage to
Spain, made, with its head and tail, just the shape of a lute.
I did not eat any of the Spitzbergen sea crawfish, neither
have I drawn them at Spitzbergen for want of time, for I
thought to have brought them along with me, but they were
carried away by the rats. I got them in English Haven on
the 19th oi June ; I afterwards saw them in the North Sea,
not far from England, where we bought from the Hilgeland
fishermen a great tarbut, in whose stomach we found a sea
crawfish two spans long, Avhen its feet were spread out.
^ This may he Lithodes arctica.
92 VOYAGE INTO
2. Of the Garnels or Prawns,^
Betwixt our 2)r<t'ions and those of Spitzbergen is no differ-
ence, only that those of Spitzbergen are red before they are
boiled. Their head is peculiar, consisting of two parts, with
several horns ; the whole head is broad ; at the end of the
head are the eyes, which stand out as crawfishes do ; he doth
not look downwards, but streight before, and sidewards.
The scale of his back is like a back piece of armour, which
also behind the head, in his neck, is somewhat bended in,
and behind it is a prickle. After that follow six plates, like
the armour for the arms and legs, and about the brims thereof
are small black spots, as if they were the nails of the armour.
These plates lye exactly round one upon the other. The
tail consisteth also of five parts ; when he expands it, it is
like the tail of a bird. He hath two claws before, the fur-
ther part whereof looks somewhat like the phangs of a tooth-
drawer. He hath eighteen legs, whereof those that are
nearest to the claws are the shortest : the first eight legs have
four joints, whereof the uppermost is the longest, and the
undermost the shortest : they are not hairy at all. The ten
hindermost legs, whereof the furthermost are the longest,
and the uppermost joint is much thicker and shorter than
the lowermost long ones, have but two joints, the feet whereof
are somewhat bended under and are hairy. On these hind-
most and undermost joints grow out two shoots below, on the
rest but one. He shoots very swiftly along in the water : he
was as big as I have delineated him, according to the life.
They are food for the birds, as I have mentioned before.
^ Crangon Boreas. This prawn, like all the Decapod Crustacea, has
but ten legs. Martens includes other appendages in his numeration of
its legs. There is an excellent figure of it in Phipps' Voyage.
SriTZBERGKX AX]) GREENLAND. 93
3. Of the Lesser Garnels or Shrimj^s.^
I have also taken notice, in my voyage to Spitzbergcn, of a
sort of shrimps that are like worms ; the head thereof is like
the head of a fly ; it hath on the foremost part of its head
two horns standing out ; it hath scales like the Jwg-louse; its
back is round, and broad downwards ; it hath twelve legs ;
on each side of the foremost scale it hath three legs ; after
you have told four scales more, there is on each side three
legs more ; they are no bigger than I have drawn them : the
birds eat them as their best food, being always in great num-
bers where these worms were. I found great plenty of them
in the Danish Harbour, between and underneath the stones
in the water ; afterwards, on the eighth of July, I found
them in the Mussel Haven. I have also found them in the
seed of the whales that swam upon the water.
4. Of the Louse of the Whale.^
The lohale's louse hath no resemblance at all to our lice,
except in the head, and therefore it belongs rather to the
crustaceous animals : their scales are as hard as those of the
prawns ; they have a head like a louse, with four horns ; the
two short horns that stand out before have two knobs, like
kettle drumsticks ; the two other bended horns are sharp
before. Its head hath almost the shape of an acorn ; is cut
very deep behind. It hath two eyes, and biit one nostril.
The neck is not made of stifi" scales, but its skin is like that
between two scales or plates of a lobster. It hath six plates
on the back ; the foremost of them is shaped like a weaver's
shuttle. The tail might be compared unto a shield, but it is
very short. On the foremost plate it hath feet shaped like a
scythe ; they are round before and bent, like the first quar-
ter of the moon ; but on the inside they are toothed like a
^ Probably the Anoiiijx Amindlu, figured in Phi[)iis. ^ Ct/amus ceti.
94 VOYAGE INTO
saw, and at the end thereof there is a sharp point. On each
side of the second and third plait grow out four legs, that are
his oars ; they have a short joint below, wherein these oars
are moved ; these they lay in a cross one over the other upon
their back, when they feed upon the whale ; or they put them
upwards together, as the vaulters do when they jump over
swords ; the six hindmost legs are like those of a craivfish;
they have three joints on each leg, the foremost whereof are
crooked like a half-moon, but before, or on the ends they
are very sharp-pointed, so that they can take firm hold of the
skin of men as of that of the whale, so that you must cut
them in pieces before you can pull them from the skin. He
that will have them alive, must cut the skin of the whale out
with them.
They sit on certain places of the whale's body (as between
his finns, on his pudenda, and on his lips), where he cannot
easily rub himself, and bite pieces out of his skin, as if the
birds had eaten him. Some whales are full of lice, and
others have never a one ; the warmer the weather is, the
more lice they get, as I am informed.
5. Of the Starfish.i
I have seen but two sorts of these in my voyage, the first
of them have five points or rays, like legs ; it is quite other-
wise shaped than those I have seen in the North, Spanish,
and Mediterranean Seas. It is of a red colour. Above, upon
the plain of its body, it hath five double rows of sharp knobs
or grains ; between each of these double rows is a single
row of the same knobs, so that in all there is fifteen rows of
knobs on the whole plain. These fifteen rows together make
a star of five outward bended points.
As for the rest, this plain looketh like the back of a spider,
^ A species of Ophiolepis, the Asterias Ophiura of Linnojus, Syst. Nat.,
1,1100.
SPITZBERGEN AND GREENLAND. 95
but if he is turned he looketh neatly ; and in this posture is
seen in the middle a five-corner'd plain star, which I take to
be its mouth, which he can open and draw together like a
purse. Round about this star are small black spots in rows,
of the shape of a star. Further forwards, about the middle
star or his mouth, a broader one is, like unto the flower of
the crowsfoot. From the middle star proceed five legs or
arms, which have no knobs where they begin, but begin first
to have some behind the flower-like shaped star, on both
sides to the end. The knobs between the legs are soft to the
touch, like the skin of an egg ; their legs are scaly, about
three fingers' breadth long, broader at their beginning, where
they have knobs, and afterwards by degrees they grow nar-
rower. Between the scales on both sides the knobs come
out commonly three or four together, and look like warts.
When he swims in the water, he spreads out these knobs on
each side, just as a bird doth his feathers when it is going
to fly.
Of the Second Starfish.^
Besides this, another fine starfish came to my hands, which
rather ought to be called the coralfish, because he is like
twigs of coral, for which I took them also, before I perceived
that he was alive. This is of a brighter colour than the
other, for the other is dark red. Its body hath ten corners,
and it hath a star above with as many rays ; each of these
one may compare unto a sail of the windmills that the chil-
dren run against the wind withall, or to a piece of such
crosses that are broad before, and narrow where they meet
together ; that is to say of the shape of a dovetail. It feeleth
rough : the lower part of the body is very neat ; in the mid-
dle thereof is a star with six points, which I take to be his
mouth. About the mouth he is soft, to the place where his
^ Astrophjjtonarborescens ("The Medusa's Head"), the Asterias Ccqmt
Meduscc of Linnaeus, Sjst. Nat., i, 1101.
96 VOYAGE INTO
legs begin ; between the beginning of his legs he had soft
cavities.
His legs are, where they begin, thick, and have in the mid-
dle a longish hollow or gutter, which feeleth soft ; on the
brim they are adorned with scales, that lye one over the
other, no otherwise than if they were a row of coral, but
underneath the scales are twisted, and have in the middle
forwards small black strokes, but the scales lye over one
another like unto the plaits of the crawfish. Besides, where
the legs come out of the body, they spread themselves double
into twigs, and are, as is said before, hollow in the middle,
until the place where they divide themselves into several
branches, and so grow slenderer by degrees.
The undermost small branches are scaley all round, but
not twisted like ropes ; they are sharp-pointed on their ends
like unto the feet of a spider, wherefore the seamen call them
sea-spiders. When they swim in the water they hold their
legs together, and so they row along. I had one of this sort
that was a span long, from the extremity of one foot to the
other ; but this I have delineated is less. The biggest are
the handsomest for colour. They dye soon after they are
out of the water, and when they are dying they bend their
legs towards the mouth. The body, when it is dead, soon
breaks to jiieces, which is the reason that I could not keep
the great ones. Hondeleiius, in his book of fish, hath deli-
neated one of this shape, but the same is not the same species,
for his is black ; neither do I find the plaits in his, except
he that drew it did not observe them.
Some of both these sorts I got on the fifth of July, before
the Weihegat, when a whale made his escape from us, be-
cause the line whereunto the harpoon was fastened was
entangled about a rock : on this they hung, and so I got
them alive.
Sl'lTZBKRGEN AND GREENLAND. 97
CHAPTER VI.
Before I come to treat of the whale, I think it convenient
to say something of some finn'd fishes, which I met withal
in my voyage to Sjiitzhci'gcn, some whereof are propagated
by the shooting of their Eow,^ and others bear and bring forth
their young alive.
I will begin with the first kind, whereof the first that I
met withal was the fish that we call macarel.
1. Of the Macarel.2
This fish is like unto a lierring in his shape, but hath on
his back a large fin, and some what below it a very small
one. Then lower there is another greater and broader one,
but not so high as the uppermost. Underneath this are five
small ones, that arc all of the same bigness, and at equal
distances from one another. Very near to the tail there is
another less one ; so that on the whole back there is two
great ones and seven little ones. Near unto the gills is a finn
on each side. Underneath the belly there are again on each
side one almost of the same bigness of that that is near to
the gills. Underneath, towards the tail, is one of the same
bigness of the third on the back. Behind this there are
again five of an equal bigness ; and below that a still less
one ; so that those of the lower part of the back are equal to
those of the lower part of the belly. Their head is like unto
that of a herring. He hath a great many small holes on the
cover of his gills, and also underneath the eyes. They have
a great variety of colours, that look more glorious when they
are alive than when they are dead, for when they are dying
the colours fade and grow pale. From his back towards the
side he hath black stroaks. The uppermost part of his back
^ Roe. 2 Sco'inher scomhrvs, the common mackarel.
IS
98 VOYAGE INTO
is blue till to the middle, and the other half underneath it is
green, as if some blue did shine through it. Underneath
his belly he is as white as silver, and his finns are white every
where. All the colours of this fish shine like unto a silver
or golden ground, done over with thin transparent or illu-
minating colours. Their eyes are black. It is the beauti-
fulest fish of all that I ever saw. This that I describe here
was catched in the North Sea, afterwards, on the 2Tth day
of June 1673. We did catch some macarels behind Scot-
land, by the Island of aS'^. Kilda, which were half blind ; it
is occasioned by a black skin that groweth over their eyes
in the winter, and cometh off again in the beginning of the
summer. We do not see them in the winter, for they run
toward the north ; in the summer we see them in the North
Sea, and I have seen them also in Spain. We caught them
after the following manner : we fastened a bullet, that weighed
about two or three pounds, to a line, about a fathom distance
from the end, whereon we had fastened a hook ; this hook we
baited with a piece of red cloth, and so we flung it into the
sea, and towed it behind our ship ; then when the 7nacarel
doth swiff,ly shoot at it, he bites upon the hook and so is
hung, which you presently perceive by its pulling, as you
do when you catch any other fish, notwithstanding that the
rope of its own accord doth pull or draw very hard, by rea-
son of the sea, so that if you should rowl it about your hand
it would benumb your hand in a little time to that degree
that you would not be sensible if one should cut it ; where-
fore they tye their ropes to the carved work on the stern of
the ship, so that sometimes many of them are tyed to the
ship by one another, where the ships sail apace ; but this
doth hinder the ship very much in its sailing, and I dare
say two such ropes draw as much as a man's strength. They
catch them also with herring, with a piece whereof they bait
the hook, at which they bite sooner than at a red piece of rag
or cloth. They eat best if you boil, or broil, or roast them
SPITZBERGEX AND GKKENI.AND. 99
fresh as they arc caught, or dry them : they arc hard to be
digested.
2. Of the Dragon-Fish.i
It is peculiar to this fish to have two finns on his back,
the foremost whereof hath very long strings, about two
inches high above the back : the hindmost finn of the back
is not so high, but yet it goeth a great way all along the
back, and hath no such strings. He hath no gills ; in the
room of them he hath two blowing holes in his neck, and
on each side of these holes are two short finns, and under-
neath these on each side a broad one ; underneath his belly
he hath a long very narrow finn, that reaches to the tail.
His head is oblong, composed of many bones; he hath before
on his nose a rais'd part ; his tail is about an inch broad ;
his body is long, thin, and roundish, of a greyish silver
colour and shining ; his shape is likest to that of a young
hay, as well the head as the rest of the body. They are
caught between the Bears Island and Spitzhergen. We got
one ofif of Ilitland, when our cook flung out his bucket for
water, in which he took up one, with some small fish of the
shape of an herring, but they were not bigger than a joint of
your little finger. Our seamen informed me of some other
small fish, that are in the deep holes between the high moun-
tains, in the South Haven.
3. Of the Dolphin.^
This is also a common fish, because we see them in
great numbers every where in the sea, chiefly before a storm
or hard weather, for then they jump in great numbers out of
^ This may be a youug specimen of the Chimara tnonstrosa, a cartila-
ginous fish allied to the shark ("hay"), with which IMartens conifjares it.
^ The dolphin {Delphinus Delphis). For detailed accounts of the
different species of Cetacea, see Dr. Gray's "Catalogue of the Mammalia
in the British Museum," part i.
100 VOYAGE INTO
the sea, like seales. The head of it, chiefly the nose, is very
like that of the place's head. Its mouth is full of little sharp
teeth. He hath a finn on the middle of his back, which is
hollow'd out towards the tail, like an half-moon. On its
belly are two Anns, like those of the whale ; these finns are
not like those of small or little fishes, that are bony, join'd
together with a thin skin, but they are all over fleshy, and
covered with a thick skin, and made of jointed bones within.
The tail is broad, and of the same shape as that of the whale,
but it is not cut in, and is crooked from one end to the other,
like a sickle. He hath two small round eyes. The greatest
part of the body is of a black colour, but the belly is white.
They are five or six feet long. They run very swift against
the wind, as an arrow : they are generally caught by chance.
Because figures thereof are in other books, I did not think it
convenient to delineate him.
4. Of the Butskopf, or Place's Head.^
The hutskopfs head is blunt before, where on is a bill or
beak of an equal bigness all along, which distinguishes him
from the dolpldn, which is thicker behind and more pointed
before. The finns are like those of the dolphin, but the fore-
most on his belly are likcr those of the Avhale ; its tail is also
liker a whale's. He hath a sjJout hole above in his neck,
whereout he spouts the water, but not with such strength
nor so high as a whale dotli. There is also a difference in
the sound of the fishes ; for this, when he bloweth out the
water, makes but a small noise ; but the blowing of a whale
roareth that you may hear it afar off". His eyes are very
small in proportion to his bigness. I have seen them six-
teen, eighteen, and sometimes twenty feet long ; their back
is of a brown colour ; the head brown and marbled ; under-
neath their belly they are white. They run very near unto
^ This may be the llijperoodon But::kopf ; the Eottle-hcad, a small
wluilc, which has once or twice bccu stramlcd on our coasts.
Sl-ITZHEKGEN AND GREENLAND. 101
the ships, so that one may push at them with a stick ; and
they keep up with a ship for a long time, which other fishes
do not, for when they see the ships they are afraid of them :
they all swim against the wind, as iohalc8,jinnjisli, and dol-
phins. I am of ojiinion that they endeavour to run away
from the storm, and that they find some pain or other in
their bodies some days before, for you shall see some fish
tumble about strangely in the water, which I do not take to
be playing, and this generally continues until their tor-
mentor, the east ivind, ceases. We saw another sort of great
fishes, that might rightly be called bntskoj)/, for their head
is quite blunt before, and have a finn that stands up three
times higher than the' other buts/cojjf has ; they are some-
what of a dark brown colour, but of the same bigness. We
saw them tumble several times out of the water ; one might
easily take them, because of their high finn that stands on
the top of their back : they are not sicord-Jish, nor of the
same kind we call tumblers, which we see between the Elbe
and Hihjeland.
5. Of the White-Fish.i
I do not by this name mean the fish we call so here in our
country, that are but small, but I mean a bigger sort, as large
as a butshopf, in shape like a whale, and without finns on his
back ; he hath two finns on his belly, as I am informed by
others that have caught them. The tail is like unto a whale's :
he hath a spout hole on his head : he hath also an hoffel on
his head like a whale. He is of a yellowish white colour.
He hath fat enough in proportion to his bigness : I was told
by them that had caught one, that they did fill a barrel of
fat from one ; but this fat is very soft, and the harpoon
easily breaks out, wherefore they do not care to catch them.
^ The Beluga Catodon Gray ; the uortheru Beluga, a species which
Init seldom visits the British seas.
102 VOYAGE INTO
When we see plenty of them, the skippers say it is a sign of
a good year for catching of whales, for if these find good
food, the whales find the same also. We saw on the 19th of
June some hundreds of them.
6. Of the Unicorn.i
The unicorn is but seldom seen in these parts, neither had
I the good fortune to meet with one in all my voyage ; and
yet sometimes many of them are seen. I do not find that
the cuts that I have seen in some books agree with the de-
scription that I have heard thereof; for I was informed that
he hath no finn on his back, as he is drawn ; he hath also a
spout hole in his neck. When they swim swiftly in the M-ater
they say that they hold up their horns, or rather teeth, out
of the water, and so go in great shoals. The shape of their
body is like a seal; the undermost finns, and the tail, are like
unto those of the whale. The skin of some of them is black,
some like a grey dappled horse ; underneath their belly they
are white. They are from sixteen to twenty feet long. They
swim very swiftly, that although they are seen, yet they are
but seldom caught.
7. Of the Saw -Fish, sometimes called the S word-Fish.^
This fish has his name from a saw, which is a long broad
bone fixed to his nose, that hath on each side many pointed
teeth or peggs, like a comb. He hath two finns on his back,
the uppermost of them is like the hutshopfs, the undermost
hath behind, towards the tail, a hollowness like unto a sickle.
Underneath his belly he hath four, on each side two, the
uppermost thereof towards the head are the broadest and
longest, but the lowermost are somewhat shorter and nar-
^ The Narwhal {Monodon monoceros).
^ I'ristin antiquorum ; the Saw-fish, a fish belonging to the same order
as the sharks.
SPITZnF.UGEX AND GREENLAND, 103
rower ; they stand directly iindcrneath the uppermost fmns
-tf the back. The tail is like unto a piece of board whereon
the dyers widen or stretch their stockins, which is pointed
lichiud and underneath : the tail is not divided, etc. To-
wards the undermost finn of the back the tail is thinner.
Tlie other shape from the top to the tail is like a man's naked
arm ; the nostrils are oblong ; the eyes stand high out of his
head : their mouths are just directly underneath the eyes ;
they are in bigness from two to twenty foot.
These saw or stoord-jisli are great enemies to the lohale
a.ndjinji-^sh. ]\Iany of them gather about him, and they do
not leave the ichalc until they have killed him ; then they
eat of him only the tongue, all the rest they leave behind
them, as doth appear by the w^hales that are killed by the
sword-fish. I saw myself, in our home-voyage or return, a
fight between a xchale and a sicord-fsh, where both of them
made a great bustle, beating and jumping about ; and I
understood that in calm weather the seamen let them alone
until the whale be killed, where they take him without any
trouble. But if they set out their long boats after the ivhale,
they frighten the sword Jish, and so the ivhale escapes.
8. Of the Hay.i
There are several sorts of them : they have two finns on
their backs, the highest whereof is like to the uppermost of
the hutshojjf, but the lowermost is of an equal breadth at the
top and bottom, but it is hollowed out like a sickle : he hath
six finns underneath his belly, whereof the foremost two are
the longest and shaped like a tongue, but the t"wo middle-
most are somewhat broader than those towards the tail, and
of the same shape ; the two last, underneath by the tail, are
^ Shark : the species most abundant in the Arctic regions seems to be
the Dalatias borealis or Northern Shark. What Scoresby figures as an
appendage of the eye, is a parasitic crustacean of the family Lerneidae.
104 VOYAGE IXTO
of an equal breadth from top to bottom, something shorter
than the middle ones. The tail is of a peculiar shape, like
unto one halfpart of that of the sioord-fish, but it is split be-
low, and the other part is like a leaf of a lilly. He hath a
long nose. The whole fish is long, round and thin, and he
is thickest towards the head ; his mouth is shaped as that of
the sword-fish ; it is full of sharp teeth, three upper and
three under rows, one by the other : his eyes stand some-
thing more out before than behind, after the same fashion as
those of the sword-fish; they are oblong, and very clear:
he hath five gills on each side, as the sicord-fish ; his skin is
hard and thick, and rough if you touch it or strike it up-
wards ; it is of greyish colour ; they are from one fathom
long to three ; it is a very devouring fish, and bites great
pieces from the tohalc, as if they had been dug out with
shovels. They devour of many whales all the fat underneath
the water, and this is the reason the seamen say. They have
caught half a whale that was dead. And the birds do help
them also, and what is not taken away underneath ferments
out of the top. They have a large liver, whereof they make
oyl. Out of their backs we cut the flesh, which we hung up
for some days in the open air ; then we boil and roast it, and
this tasts very well when we have nothing that is better.
They do not fling away the hays in Spai?i, but sell them :
the little ones are the best : they are very eager after man's
flesh, and eat many a man that goeth to swim or wash in
the sea, whereof we have many instances. They are easily
caught after the following manner : we take a great hook
fastened to a strong iron chain, baited with a piece of flesh,
and let it hang down into the sea ; the hay, as soon as he
doth perceive it, snaps it, and is catch'd ; but when the hay
perceives that he is fast, he doth i;se his utmost endeavour to
bite off" the hook, which he cannot for the iron.
SPITZBERGEN AND GREENLAND. 105
CHAPTER VII.
Of the Whale.i
The fisli properly called the tohale, for whose sake our ships
chiefly undertake the voyage to Spitzhcrgen, is differing from
other tfhalcs in his finns and mouth, which is without teeth,
but instead thereof long, black, somewhat broad and horny
flakes, all jagged like hairs : he differs from the finn-fish in
his finns, for the finn-fish hath a great finn on his back, but
the whale, properly so called, hath none on his back : and
there is two finns behind his eyes of a bigness proportionable
to the whale, covered with a thick black skin, delicately
marbled with M'hite strokes ; or as you see in marble, trees,
houses or the like things represented. In the tail of one
the fishes was marbled very delicately this number, 1222,
very even and exact, as if they had been painted on it on
purpose. This marbling on the whale is like veins in a piece
of wood, that run streight through, or else round about the
center or pith of a tree, and so go both white and yellow
strokes, through the thick and the thin strokes, that is like
parchment or vellam, and give to the whale an incomparable
beauty and ornament. When these finns are cut up, you
find underneath the thick skin bones that look like unto a
man's hand, when it is opened and the fingers are expanded
or spread ; between these joynts there are stiff" sinews, which
flye up and rebound again if you fling them hard against the
ground, as the sinews of great fish, as of a sturgeon, or of
some four footed beasts generally do. You may cut pieces
of these sinews of the bigness of your head ; they squeeze
together when thrown on the ground, and so rebound very
high, and as swift as an arrow from the string of a bow. The
^ Baltena mysticetus; the Right Whale.
106 VOYAGK INTO
whale hatli no otlier finns but tliese two wherewith he steers
himself, as a boat is rowed with two oars.
Their tail doth not stand up as the tails of almost any
other fish, but it doth lye horizontal, as that of the Jirm-Jisli ,
hutshopf, dolphin, and the like, and it is three, three and a
half, and four fathoms broad. The head is the third part of
the fish, and some have bigger heads ; on the upper and
under lip are short hairs before. Their lips are quite plain,
somewhat bended like an S, and they end underneath the
eyes before the two fins. Above the uppermost bended
lip he hath black streaks, some are darkish brown, and they
are crooked as the lips are. Their lips are smooth, and
quite black, round like the quarter of a circle ; when they
draw them together they lock into one another. "Within, on
the uppermost lip is the whale-bone, of a brown, black, and
yellow colour, with streaks of several colours, as the bones
of ?ifnn-Jish. The whale bones of some of the whales are
blew, and light blew, which two are reckoned to come
from young whales. In the other cutt, where the mouth is
shut up, you do not see the whalebone. Just before, on the
under lip, is a cavity or hole, which the upper lip fits exactly
into, as a knife into a sheath. I do really believe, that he
draws the water that he bloweth out through this hole, and
so I have been informed also by seamen. Within his mouth
is the whalebone, all hairy as horse's hair, as it is also in the
finn-jish, and it hangs down from both sides all about his
tongue. The whalebone of some whales is bended like unto
a cimeter, and others like unto a half-moon.
The smallest whalebone is before, in his mouth, and be-
hind, towards his throat, and the middlemost is the greatest
and longest ; it is sometimes about two or three men's
lengths, from whence you may easily conjecture hoAv large
this fish must be. On one side, all in a row, there is two
hundred atid fifty pieces of whalebone, and as many also on
the otlier side, which maketh five hundred in all ; and there
Sl»lTZBr:RGEN AND GKEKNLAND. 107
is more over and above this number, lor they let the least
•whalebone of all remain, because they cannot well come at it
to cut it out, because it is very narrow where the two lips
iiicct together. The whalebone is in a fiat row, one piece by
tlic other, somewhat bended within, and towards the lips
every where like a half moon. The whalebone is broad at
the top, where it stickcth fast to the upper lip, every where
over grown with hard and white sinews towards the root, so
that between two pieces of whalebone you may put in your
hand. These white sinews look like boiled sea-catts or
hlack-Jish (in Spanish called Cattula la Mar) ; they are of a
pleasant smell, so that we might eat of them ; they are not
tough at all, but break as easily as cheese, but they did not
taste so well ; when they putrify or rot they smell horribly,
just like unto a foul or rotten tooth. Adhere the whalebone
is broadest, as underneath by the root, there groweth small
whalebone, the other greater, as you see small and large
trees one amongst the other in a wood. I believe the small
whalebone doth not grow bigger, as one might think that
some of the great pieces thereof might come out, and that
so this smaU whalebone might grow up again in the room
thereof, or as in children the hair grows again when cut off ;
but it is not so, for this whalebone is quite another sort, for
it is from one end to the other of an equal thickness, and full
of long jacks like horses hair. The whalebone is underneath
narrow and pointed, and all over grown with hair, that it
may not hurt that that is young : but without the whale-
bone hath a cavity, for it is turned just like unto a gutter,
wherein the water runs, where it lyeth one over the other,
as the shields or plaits of craiojish, or the pantiles of an
house that lye one over the other, for else it might easily
wound or hurt the under lips. I am of opinion that one
might use whalebone in any thing that we use boards for,
for they make of whalebone, boxes, knife-hafts, walking-
sticks and the like. I should think that out of the hair of
108 VOYAGE JNTO
the fish might be made something, as the Sjianiards do out
of the wikl Scmpertwc aloes (by them called Savild) ; they
prepare it like flax or hemp, and so make packthread, cloths,
and the like manvifactures of it.^
To cut the whalebones out is also a peculiar trade, and
abundance of iron tools belong thereunto. The lower part
of the whale's mouth is commonly white : the tongue lyeth
amongst the whalebones ; it is very close tyed to the under-
most chap or lip ; it is very large and white, with black
spots at the edges. It is a soft spongy fat, which cannot
easily be cut ; it makes a great deal of work to the cutter
(for so they call the man that doth cut the fat into small
pieces with a large knife, which cannot be well done with
other knifes, because it is tough and soft), wherefore they
fling the tongue away, else they might get five, six, or seven
barrels of train-oyl out of it ; but as I said before, they fling
it away because of its softness ; and this is the most pleasing
food for the sioord-Jish. Upon his head is the hovel or
bump before the eyes and Anns : at the top of this bump on
each side, is a spout-hole, two over-against one another,
which are bended on each side like an S, or as the hole that
is cut on a violin, whereovit he doth blow the water very
fiercely, that it roars like a hollow wind which we hear when
the wind bloweth into a cave, or against the corner of a
board, or like an organ-pipe. This may be heard at a league's
distance, although you do not see him by reason of the thick
and foggy air. The whale bloweth or spouts the water fiercest
of all when he is wounded, then it sounds as the roaring of
the sea in a great storm, and as we hear the wind in a very
hard storm. Behind this bump the tohale is somewhat more
bended in than \\\e Jinn-fish, yet when they swim you cannot
well discern one from the other, except you observe it very
exactly, for it is only the finn on the Ji/ui-fishe's back, that
^ See Dr. Gray's " Catalogue of Cetacea in tlie British Museum," pp.
10, 11, 12, for much valuable information on whalebone.
SPITZBERGEN AND GKKENI.AND. 109
distinguishes him from the whale. The head of the lohale
is not round at the top, but somewhat flat, and goeth down
sloaping, like unto the tyling of an house, to the under lip.
The under lip is broader than the ichale is in any part of his
body, and broadest in the middle ; before and behind it is
something narrower, according to the shape of the head. In
one word, all the whole fish is shaped like nnto a shoemakers
last, if you look upon it from beneath. Behind the knob or
bump where the finns are, between that and the finns, are
his eyes, which are not much bigger than those of a bullock,
with eyelids and hair, like men's eyes. The crystal of the
eye is not much bigger than a pea, clear, white, and trans-
parent as crystal ; the colour of some is yellowish, of others
quite white. The scale's are three times as big as those of
the whale. The eyes of the lohale are placed very low, al-
most at the end of the upper lip. Some bring along with
them from Spitzbergen some bones, which they pretend to be
the ears of the whale ; but I can say nothing to this, because
I never saw any ; but thus much I do remember, that I have
heard them say that they lye very deep. The lohale doth
not hear when he spouts the water, wherefore he is easiest
to be struck at that time. His belly and back are quite red,
and underneath the belly they are commonly white, yet some
of them are coal black ; most of them that I saw were white.
They look very beautiful when the sun shines upon them,
the small clear waves of the sea that are over him glisten
like silver. Some of them are marbled on their back and
tail. "Where he hath been wounded there remaineth always
a white scar. I understood one of our harpooniers that he
once caught a ivhale at Spitzbergen that was white all over.
Half white I have seen some, but one above the rest, which
was a female, was a beautiful one : she was all over marbled
black and yellow. Those that are black are not all of the
same colour, for some of them are as black as velvet, others
of a coal black, others of the colour of a tench. AVhen they
110 VOYAGE INTO
are well they are slippery as an eel, but one may stand upon
tliem, because they are so soft that the flesh thereof giveth
way to our weight : and the outward skin is thin, like parch-
ment, and is easily pulled off with ones hands when the fish
grows hot. I know not whether the skin is thus burnt by the
inward heat of the fish when he lies dry a floating upon the
water. The sun beams seem not to have so great power as
to dry the skin so. We found our flrst xoliale so much heated
by his hard swimming that he stunk alive ; we could pull
off" great pieces of the skin of the length of a man, which we
could not do to other fishes that were not so much heated :
but from whales that have been dead some days and are dry,
where also the sun shines upon them, or when it doth not
rain, one may pull off" a great deal of the skin, but it stinks
basely of train-oyl or fat, that ferments thro' the pores of the
skin. I know not what use to make of this skin, but I have
seen women tye their flax with it about the distaff.
The toJiale loseth its beautiful colour when it groweth dry,
for before there is more black amongst it, which niaketh the
white shew the better ; neither doth the black look so well
after it is dry, for it groweth then brownish. When you
hold the skin against the light you see many small pores in
it, where the sweat comcth through.
The yard of the whale is a strong sinew, and according as
they are in bigness, six, seven, or eight foot long, as I have
seen myself. Where this yard is fixed the skin is doubled,
so that it lies just like a knife in a sheath, where you can see
nothing of the knife but only a little of the haft. The part
of generation in the female is just shaped like as that of four
legged beasts. At the sides oi 'pudendum stand out the two
breasts, with nipples on them like unto those of cows : some
of these breasts are quite white, some are speckled with black
and blew spots, like a lapwing's egg. When they have no
young ones they have but small breasts. I am informed,
when they couple together they stand upright, close to one
SPITZBERGEN AND GREENLAND. Ill
I another, with their heads out of the water ; which seemeth
very probable, because they cannot keep long under water,
and chiefly in such a heat. They say, that they have but
two young ones at a time, for they have never found more
than two young ones within them. How long they. carry
their young is not easily determined; some say they go
as long as a cow; but it is very uncertain, he that will be-
lieve it may. The sperm of a lolicde, when it is fresh, smells
like wheaten flour when it is boiled in water ; when it is still
hot it is very white, one may draw it out in threads like hot
sealing-wax, glow, or the like; when it groweth cold it turns
to a musk-colour and smells strong, and little red worms
grow in it. I have try'd several ways to keep this sperm
sweet and fresh, but I could never make it like the sperma-
cceti which the apothecaries sell in their shops. One may
dip of this sperm whole pails full out of the water, for as well
this, as that of the sea-Jiorses and seals, swim upon the sea
like fat, and we see abundance of it in calm weather, so that
it doth make the sea all foul and slimy. I try'd to dry this
sperm of a xcliale in the sun, and it look'd like snot, and
when the thin slime was dry^d away from it, look'd like unto
F'lla metcorica, save only that they are thicker and more
heavy. Another parcel I boil'd in sea-water, just as I took
it out of the water, until the water was evaporated from it ;
then I had some sea-salt and a nasty brown slime. The
third parcel I boil'd in fresh water, and afterwards again in
sea-water, the longer I kept it afterwards the more it stunk
and the harder it grew. The fourth parcel I intended to
keep in the salt water with an intention to carry it along
with me to Hamburgh, but it dissolved in the water like
glow, and the water became foul and stinking, so that I
could by no means make it like the sperma-ccBti of the apothe-
caries. Where the yard cloth begin it is four-square, con-
sisting of many strong sinews ; if you dry them they are as
transparent as fish glow ; out of these sinews the seamen
112 VOYAGE IXTO
make twisted whips. Their bones are hard, like unto them
of great four-footed beasts, but porous, like unto a spunge,
and filled with marroAv ; when that is consumed out, they
will hold a great deal of water, for the holes are big, like
unto the wax of a honey-comb. Tavo great and strong bones
hold up the under lip, they lye one against the other, and
both of them make a figvire like unto an half-moon, but one
alone by itself maketh a figure like to the quarter of the
moon. Some of these bones I saw at Spitzhergen lying on
the strand, about twenty foot long, of a very white colour, as
if they had been calcined. Our seamen bring some of these
along with them home, to shew us how big some ichales are,
which are already whitened to their hands ; for those that
come fresh from a whale stink abominably, because of the
marrow that is in them. Their flesh is coarse and hard, and
it doth look like that of a bull : it is intermix'd with many
sinews ; it is very dry and lean when it is boiled, because
their fat is only between their flesh and skin : some looks
green and blue as our powder'd beef, chiefly where the
muscles meet together ; if one lets it lye a little, it grows
black and stinking. The flesh of the tail boils tendcrest,
and is not quite so dry as that of the body. When we have
a mind to eat of a whale, we cut great pieces ofl^ before the
tail where it is four-square, and boil it like other meat ;
good beef I prefer far before it, yet rather than be starv'd I
advise to eat whale's flesh, for none of our men dyed of it,
and the Frenchmen did eat almost daily of it ; they fling it
sometimes on the tops of their tubs, and let it lye until it is
black, and yet they eat it for all that. The flesh of the ichale,
as well as that of the seales, is alone by itself, and the fat at
the top thereof, between the flesh and skin. It is about
six inches thick on the back and belly, but I have also seen
it a foot thick upon a finn, according as they are great or
little fish. The fat of their under lip is thicker than two
foot, and is the thickest of all the ichale. The tongue, as I
SPIT/HEROEN AND (JREENLAND. 113
hiave said before^ is fastened to it, but very soft ; but it costs
too much labour to cut it out. The fat of some whales is
much thicker than that of others, as it is with other animals
Dr men, where one is much leaner than another. In the fat
are little sinews interspers'd, which hold the oyl, as a sponge
doth water, which one may squeeze out. The other strong
sinews arc chiefly about the tail, where it is thinnest, for
with it he turns and winds himself as a ship is turn'd by the
rudder ; but his finns are his oars, and according to his big-
ness he rows himself along with them as swiftly as a bird
flies, and doth make a long track in the sea, as a great ship
doth when under sail, so that it remains divided for a while.
The whales of the North Cape (they are so called because
they are caught between Spitzhcrgeti and Norway) being
not so big, therefore do not yield so much fat as those of
Spitsbergen, for of those of the North Cape you shall not All
above ten, twenty, or thirty cardels of fat ; the middling sort
of those of Sjntzbergen yield commonly seventy, eighty, or
ninety, and they are about fifty or sixty foot long. Our
biggest ivhale was fifty- three foot long, and we cut off" him
as much fat as filled seventy cardels ; his tail Avas about three
fathoms and a half broad. The skipper, Peter Peterson,
of Frieslancl, informed me that they found a dead whale,
whereof they did cut as much fat as fill'd one hundred and
thirty cardels ; his tail was three fathom and an half broad,
but he was not much longer than our biggest, as one may
guess by the tail also, yet much thicker and fatter ; from
whence one may infer that they do not grow much longer,
but only in thickness or fatness, as we daily see. Nor did I
ever hear that a bigger or fatter whale was ever caught, and
even those but seldom, for if there were many such our ships
could not hold so much as is cut from ten, fifteen, or twenty
whales, as some of them have sometimes taken in.
Over the fat is, besides the uppermost thin skin already
described, another skin of about an inch thick, proportion-
114 VOYAGE INTO
able to the bigness of the ivhale; it is color'd according to
tlie colour of the fish ; if the fish be black, this undermost
thick skin is so ; if the outmost skin that is like parchment
is white or yellow, the thick one underneath it is of the same
colour. This thick skin is not stiff nor tough at all, so that
one might dress it like leather, but it dries just like unto the
fungus that grows on elder, which we call Jews-ears, which
are thick and turgid when they are green and fresh, but
brittle when they are dried ; wherefore this skin is not
esteemed at all. This and the uppermost skin that covers
this, are the occasion that the tcliale, which I take to be
strongest and biggest of all creatures in the water, cannot
make use of his strength, because they are too soft to do much.
I have nothing to relate of the inward parts of the ivhale ,
but only that his guts seem to be of a flesh colour; they were
full of wind, and the dung that was within them was yellow.
The food of the whale, as it is believed, are the small sea
snails, whereof I have made mention in another place, which
some take for spiders •} whether these aff"ord such great nou-
rishment I cannot exactly tell. Some say that they live only
by the wind, but then methinks they must have nothing in
them but wind, which I found otherwise. I was informed
by others, that about Hitland a small whale was caught, that
had about a barrel of herrings in his belly. They are smaller
whales than those we catch at Spitzbcrgen, but there is more
danger in catching of them, they being less and nimbler
than the great ones, to Avhom the water does not so easily
give way as to these, for they jump and play in the water,
and keep their tail commonly above water, so that one dare
not come near them to launce them. Concerning the whalers
valour, we do find that he is not very courageous, according
to his strength and bigness ; for if he sees a man or a long-
boat he goeth under water and runs away. I did never see
nor hear, that out of his own malice he endeavour'd to hurt
^ Clio lorealis and Limocina arctica.
SP1T/,15KKGEN AND GRKENLANl). 115
any man, but when he is in danger ; what then he dolh is of
necessity, and then he doth not value a man no more than a
sand nor a long-boat, for he doth beat them all into splinters.
His strength may be guessed by the fishermen that catch
with great nets other fishes, when they are going to draw
their nets toAvards the land, what a great strength they must
use, which is nothing at all to be compared to his strength.
The whale doth swim sometimes away with some thousand
fathoms of rope-line, swifter a great deal than a ship can sail,
or a bird can fly, so that it makes their heads giddy ; yet a
great ship is too many for him, for although he should strike
against it with his tail, yet it doth him more hurt than he
doth the ship.
The ichales keep in the spring westward from Spitzhergcn,
near Old Greenland and the Island of John Majcn, then they
run eastwards to Spitzhergen : after them come the ^nn-^sh,
and then there is no moi'e ivhcdes seen. It is probable they
go after a tolerable cold place ; for after that I have seen
jinn-jish in the Spanish Sea, in the year 1671, in the month
of December, and in the year 1672 in January, and also
afterA\ards in the year 1673 in the Straights of Gihr alter in
March, and also in the Mediterranean.
He swims against the wind, as all other tohales or great
fish do. The sicord-fish is his mortal enemy ; he might
rather be called comh-jish, because his long tooth is on each
side full of teeth or prickles, most like a comb. In our
home-voyage to Hamburg I saw an example of this enmity
of a Nortli-caper lohale and a sicord-Jish, near to Uitland ;
they fought and struck at one another so vehemently that
the water flew about like dust, sometimes one, sometimes the
other was uppermost ; the Aveather Avas a little stormy, or
else we had stay'd to see the end of the battel, so Ave were
forc'd to leave them. The dead lohale kill'd by the sicord-
fsh stinks at a great distance, but not presently, and those
that have been Avounded some days before they are caught
116 VOYAGE INTO
smell the worst, and drive high above the sea water, when
others drive even with the water, and some sink.
The ivhales have, as well as other beasts, their peculiar
distempers and ailments, but I can only write of what I
know by hear-say. An ancient and experienced harpoonier
informed me, that he did once catch a whale that was very
feeble, and that all his skin, but chiefly near unto the tail
and finns, hung like films, as if they were old rags dragg'd
along behind him, and that he was quite lean ; so they made
but very little train-oyl of his fat, for the fat was quite white,
and light withal as an empty honey-comb. Before a tempest
they beat the water, that it doth fly about like unto dust,
with their tail ; but they have the greatest strength when
they strike sidewards as if they did mow, so that one might
think that they were in a great agony and a dying. They
are mightily tormented by the lice,^ whereof I have treated
more at large above. The wounds that are given unto the
loJiale by the harpoons, into the fat, heal up again of their
own accord, for the salt water cannot stick on it. Many
such jishes are caught that have been struck by others with
a harpoon, and are heal'd up again, and so have white scars.
CHAP. VIII.
How they Catch the Whale.
First, it is to be observed, that when it is like to be a good
year to catch lohales in, there is many white jish to be seen
before ; but where we see many scales, there we do not ex-
pect to meet with many whales ; for they say that they eat
up the food of the whale, Mdiercfore the whales will not stay
in such empty places, but go to find out better, and so come
^ Cyamus Ceti.
SPITZBElUiKN AND GREENLAND. 117
to Spitzbergen ; for there, at the shoar, we see great plenty
of the small sea-snails, and perhaps some other small fish.
They are caught after the following manner. When they
see whales, or when they hear them blow or spout, they call
in to the ship, " FallifalV; then every body must be ready
to get into the long-boat that he doth belong to, commonly
six men go into every long-boat, and sometimes seven,
according as the long-boats are in bigness ; they all of them
row until they come very near unto the icliale ; then doth
the harpoonier arise, who sits always before in the boat,
where the harpoon, or the sharp iron made like unto an
arrow fixed to a stick, doth also lye on the foremost board of
the long-boat, which the seamen call the staffcn, that is, the
broad piece of wood that cometh up from before the boat
from the bottom, and stands up higher than all the rest.
But v.'hen the ichale runs streight down towards the bottom
underneath the water, then he doth draw the rope very hard,
so that the upper part of the long-boat is even with the sur-
face of the water ; nay, he would certainly pull it down to
the bottom if they should not give him rope enough. This
he doth commonly where the sea is deepest ; and this doth
require an incredible force to draw so many hundred fathoms
of rope under water. This gives me occasion to remember,
that when we, on the 27th oi April 1672, did fling out our
lead near St. Kilda, behind Scotland, into the sea, where it
was one hundred and twenty fathom deep when the weather
was calm, and when Ave would pull it up again it was so
heavy that twenty men had much to do to heave it. The
harpoonier taketh his harpoon, and holds the point or the
iron thereof, together with the fore-runner, towards his left
hand ; this is a rope or line of five or seven fathom long,
about an inch thick, and is laid up round like a ring, that
it may not hinder the harpoon when it is flung ; for as soon
as he doth fling or dart the harpoon this line follows, for it is
more plyable than the rest that are fastened to it, wherewith
118 VOYAGE INTO
they pursue the icJiale. It is made of the finest and softest
hemp, and not daub'd with tarr, but it doth swell in the
water, and so it grows hard. The harpoonier darts his har-
poon with the right hand at the fish. When the \ohale is
hit with the harpoon, all the men that are in the long-boat
turn themselves about and look before them, and they lay
their oars nimbly upon the sides of the long-boat. There is
a man in the long-boat, whose business it is to look after the
rope ; for in each of these long-boats there is a whole heap
of lines, between the two seats or benches ; this heap is
divided into three, four, or five parts, and each of them is of
eighty, ninety, to one hundred fathoms long ; the first of
them is ty'd to the fore-runner or small line ; as the whale
runs under the water, they tye more and more line to it, and
if in one boat there should not be enough, they make use of
those that are in the other long-boats. These ropes or lines
are thicker and stronger than the fore-runner, and are made
of strong and tough hemp, and are tarr'd over. The line-fur-
nisher, or the man that doth look after the ropes, and also
the other men that are in the long-boat, must have great care
that the ropes or lines may not be entangled when they run
out so swift, or that they may not run towards the side of the
long-boat, for then the long-boat would be overset and many
lose their lives, if other long-boats were not near to their
assistance. The line must run just before, in the middle of
the long-boat, that is called the state by the seamen, and by
reason of this strong and violent motion the wood and rope
would be set on fire ; but to prevent this the harpoonier hath
a wet rag tied to a stick (like unto a mop) ready at hand,
wherewith he wets the wood without ceasing. The other
three men that are in the long-boats take also care of the
lines, as well when they are let out as when they are taken
in again ', and when they cannot hold it with their hands,
they wind it about the staves of the boat, and so they do stop
it from going any further. Another, that is called the steers-
Sl'lTZHEKGEX AND GIIEENLAND. 119
man, stands behind in the long-boat, and steers the boat ■with
an oar, and he takes great care and minds the rope to see
which way it runs out ; for if it doth go towards either side,
and doth not run just before over the stave, he so guides the
boat that it may run exactly out before. The whale runs
away with the long-boat as swift as the wind. If the har-
poonier can, he doth dart the harpoon just behind the spout-
hole of the whale, or in the thick fat of his back, where they
also do launce him, for that makcth him spout blood sooner
than if wounded in any other place, and dye sooner than if
you should launce them into their belly or through the guts.
The first lohale we caught spouted blood in such a quantity,
that the sea M-as tinged by it wherever he swam, whereunto
the maUemucJiS flock'd in great numbers, as I have men-
tioned before. They also launce the ichales near their privy-
parts, if they can come at it, for if they are run in there it
doth pain them very much ; nay, even when they are almost
dead, if you run in your launce thereabouts, it causeth the
whole body to tremble. For the most part they do not much
mind where they launce or push them, for there is no time
to take great deliberation, but they strike at him as well as
they can. But about the head the harpoon can do him no
hurt, because the fat is but very thin there upon the bones,
which the ivhales know as well as we ; for when they find
themselves in danger, so that they cannot escape the har-
poon, they rather leave their head than their back unde-
fended, for there the harpoon breaks out easier, and so the
v:hale gets away, like one that hath no mind to fight any
longer. The use of the harpoon is to tye, as it were, the
whales with them, that they may not run away. It is shaped
like an arrow before. It hath two sharp beards; they are
sharp at the edge and have a broad back, like a hatchet, that
is sharp before and blunt behind or on the back, so that it
may not cut with its back, for else it would tear out and all
your labour would be lost. The iron handle is thicker be-
120 VOYAGE INTO
hind than before, and it is hollow, whereinto they put the
stick. Before this hollow part the fore-goer is fastened or
tyed, that is to say the foremost rope. Those are the best
harpoons that are made of clean and fine steel and are not
hardened too much, so that you may bend it without snap-
ping ; for oftentimes two hundred pounds are lost (for a
midling tohale is esteem'd at so much) in a minutes time for
want of a good and well temper'd harpoon. The wooden
stick is fastened within the iron collet or funnel of the har-
poon with packthread, wound all about the iron ', somewhat
higher up, about two spans off, there is a hole made through
the stock. The harpoon is light behind, and heavy towards
the point or before, like an arrow, that is made heavy before
with iron and light behind with feathers, so that fling it
which way you will it doth always fall upon the point.
Through this hole cometh a piece of packthread, wherewith
the end of the fore-runner is fastened to the handle or stock
of the harpoon, but this is soon torn off, and it serveth for
nothing more after the harpoon sticks in the body of the
whale ; neither is the wooden handle of any further use, and
so it doth soon come out from the iron.
When the whale is struck with the harpoon, all the other
long-boats row out before, and take notice which way the
line doth stand, and sometimes they pull at the rope or
line. If it is stiff and heavy, the ichale doth draw it still
with his might ; but if it hang loose, so that the long-boat is
before and behind equally high out of the water, then the
men pull in the rope again, and the rope-giver laycth it
down in very good order, round, and one row above the
other, that if the whale should draw on again, he may have
it ready to give him without being entangled. Here is also
this to be observed, that if the ichale runs upon the level
they must not give him too much rope, for if he should turn
and wind liimsclf much and often about, he might easily
wind the rope about a rock or heavy stone and so fasten it to
SPITZBERGEX AM) GRKKXI.AND. 121
it, and so the harpoon would come out and all the labour
would be lost ; which hath often happened, and we ourselves
lost one that way. The other long-boats that are towed be-
hmd, wherein the men look all before them, and sit still and
let the ichale draw them along : if the whale doth rowl upon
the ground, so that the long-boats or sloops do lye still, they
draw their lines in again by degrees, and the ropemaster
doth lay them down again in their proper jjlaces as they had
been laid before. ^Vhen they kill the toJiale with launces
they also pull their lines in again, until they come near to
the xcliale, yet at some distance, that the others may have
room to launce : but they must have great care, that all the
lines of every sloop may not be cut off together, because
some whales sink, and others do swim even with the water
when they are dead, which nobody can tell beforehand whe-
ther they will do one or the other. The fat ones do not sink
presently after they are fresh killed, but the lean ones sink
immediately after they are dead, but after some few days they
come up again and swim on the water : but it would be too
long a while for a man to stay till he cometh up again, and
the sea is never so quiet that one can stay long in the same
place, and where the sea is quiet and without waves, there
the stream doth carry the ships and the ice along together,
so that we should be forced to leave the lohale unto others,
that would find him dead some days after. 'Tis true this is
the easiest way to catch whales, but it is very nasty and
stinking work, for long and white maggots grow in their
flesh ; they are flat, like nnto worms that breed in men's
bellies, and they smell Avorse than anything I ever smelt in
my life. The longer the ichale lies dead in the water, the
higher he doth swim above it ; some swim a foot high above
the water, others to their middle, and then they do burst
easily, and give a very great report. They begin imme-
diately to stink, and this encreascs hourly, and their flesh
boils and ferments like unto beer or ale, and holes break in
16
122 VOYAGE INTO
their bellies that their guts come out. If any man is en-
clined to sore eyes this vapour enflames them immediately,
as if quicklime was flung into them. But when the live
whales rise and swim again, some of them are astonished,
others wild or stark mad : to those that are wild we come
softly or gently from behind, as we do when we are going to
trapan them ; for when the wind is down, the weather calm,
and air serene, so that the sea doth not foam or roar, the
whales hear immediately the striking of the oars.
If many small-ice sheets lay near to one another, so that we
cannot follow the whale with our sloops or long-boats, we
fetch in our line with all might and strength, and if Math one
or more pulls we can fetch out the harpoon it is well, if not
we chop off the rope or line. The whale is best and surest
struck with a harpoon when he spouts water, as is already
said above ; for we do observe, when they lye still and
very quiet, that they then listen, and are sometimes under
and sometimes above water, so that their back doth not quite
dry, and before we are aware of it he flings up his tail be-
hind out of the sea, and so bids us good buy. The lohales
may easily be caught when the air is very serene and clear
and the sea quiet, and where there float neither great nor
small ice-sheets, so that we may go in between them with our
boats or sloops to follow them; for at the ice-fields the xohales
do commonly lye and rub themselves at them, perhaps by
reason of the lice that bite them. Besides, against the ice-
sheets the sea beats, dashes, and foams, with small curling
waves, so that the whales do not observe nor mind the strik-
ing of the oars, and so they are easily struck with the har-
poon. It is very dangerous to kill a female, chiefly when
she is big with young, for they defend themselves very long,
and are harder to be kill'd than a male one. Oftentimes the
long-boats wait six or seven hours, nay, a whole day, for a
whale before they see one.
Where great quantity of small ice is crowded together,
SPITZBEllGKX AND GREEXLAXD. 123
there it is also very dangerous and hard to come to the ichale,
for he is so cunning- that when he perceives where the ice is
he retires thither immediately. The harj)oonier stands at
the head of the long-boat, and doth draw on the rope, to try
whether it is heavy or light ; if it feels heavy, so that we are
afraid it will pull the boat under water, then wc give him
more rope, if he runs streight out before, he draweth the
sloops after him. If he doth run underneath a great ice-
field, the harpoonier taketh a knife in his hand, which they
call a chopping-knife, and if the ice-field be hollow, or
spongy, or full of holes in the middle, so that the ichale can
fetch breath underneath it, and the rope is not long enough
to follow him, and if the ice be several miles long, they draw
the rope in as much as possibly they can until it be streight,
and then he chops it off, loosing the piece of the rope whereon
the harpoon is fastened, that sticketh in the body of the tvhale,
yet not without great loss, for oftentimes they run away with
the lines that belong to five and more sloops. It happens
very often that they run to the ice wdth the long-boats, so
that they dash against it as if they would break it into pieces,
which also very often happens. But Avhen the ichale rises
again they oftentimes fling one or two more harpoons into
him, according as they find he is tired more or less : then he
dives under water again. Some swim or run even all along
on the Avater, and they play with their tail and finns, so that
wc must have great care that we may not come too near them.
AV'hen the ichales fling their tails about after this manner,
they wind the line about their tail, so that we need not to
fear the harpoon tearing out, for then they are ty'd strong
and firm enough with the rope. After they are wounded
they spout with all their might and main, so that you may
hear them as far ofi" as you may a cannon ; but when they
are quite tired it cometh out only by drops, for he hath not
strength enough to force the water up, and therefore it
sounds as if you held an empty mug or bottle under water,
124 VOYAGE INTO
and the water runs into it. And this sound is a certain sign
of his feebleness and that he is going to expire. Some tchalcs
blow blood to the veiy last after they have been woimdcd,
and these dash the men in the long-boats most filthily, and
dye the sloops as if they were painted with a red colour ;
nay, the very sea is tinged red all along where they swim.
Those ichales that are mortally wounded, heat themselves
that they reek while they are alive. When the xohales blow
up the water, they fling out with it some fattish substance
that floats upon the sea, like sj^erm, and this fat the malle-
mucJies devour greedily, of which several thousands attend
him, so that a whale often hath more attendants than a king
hath servants.
Sometimes also the harpoons break out ; then often long-
boats of other ships attend, and as soon as they see that the
harpoon is come out, they fling their own into him, and the
whale is theirs, although the first harpoon hath almost killed
the ichale ; j&t if he doth get loose the second party claims
him, and the first must look for another. Sometimes at the
same time two harpoons, belonging to two several ships, are
struck into the whale ; such ones are divided equally, and
each one hath half; the other two, three, or more sloops, as
many as there is of them, wait for the xchale's coming up
again, and when they see that he is tired they kill him out-
right with lauuces. In doing this is the greatest danger, for
the first that do fling the harpoon into him are drawn along
by the tcliale, and are at a good distance from him, but those
that kill him with launces are as well upon his body as at his
sides, according as the ivhale turns and winds himself, and
they receive many and severe blows. Here the steersman
must take care to observe how the xchale runs and turns
himself about, that the harpoonier may reach him with his
launces : all the other men in the sloops row diligently,
sometimes forwards and sometimes backwards, which they
call rowhuf on and strihing, and when the irhale lifts up him-
SPITZBERGEN AND GRKENLAXD. 125
self out of the water, he eommonly doth strike about with his
tail and finns, that the water dasheth up like dust. A long-
boat he values no more than dust, for he can beat it all into
shatters at a blow : but a great ship is too hard for him, and
if he strikes against it with his tail, he feels it more than the
ship, for he doth so paint the ship with his own blood that it
maketh him very feeble. A good steersman is next iinto the
harpoonier most useful in the sloop ; he steers with one oar,
and doth look out before : the other four men turn their back
to the head and look towards the stern, therefore doth the
steersman and harpoonier always cry, "Rgic on^'' or "Strike,"'''
that is to say, row near to the ichale, or else keep farther off.
The launces have a wooden stick or handle above two fa-
thoms long, or somewhat shorter than a pikestaff; the iron
thereof is commonly a fathom long, and pointed before like
unto a pike : it is made of steel or tough iron, that it may
bend without breaking. For after you have made a deep
hole in his body with your launces, you poke into it with
them one way and the other way, as they do when they poke
for eels ; but if he doth get one or more out of your hands,
you take another, for every sloop hath at least five, six, or
seven, and yet sometimes he has them all out of three, four,
or more boats sticking in his body.
CHAP. IX.
What tliei] do vnth the Dead Whale.
After the ivhale is killed they cut off his tail ; some keep
the tail and finns, and hang them up at the outside of their
ship, for that defends them from the ice when it presseth
upon the ship ; the tail hinders the boat and its course, be-
126 VOYAGE INTO
cause it doth lye across, and that is the reason why they cut
it off. Before the tail they fasten a piece of a rope, and the
other end at the stern of the last sloop. There is in all four
or five sloops fastened to one another behind, and so they
row one behind the other to the great ship. When they
have brought the whale to the ship, they tye it with ropes
fast to the ship ; that part where the tail is cut off they fasten
to the forepart of the ship, and the head towards the stern,
about the middle, near the great shrouds of the mainmast on
the larboard side of the ship. It is seldom that a whale doth
reach farther than from the poop to the middle of the ship,
except the vessels are very small.
By the larboard is to be understood that side of the ship
that is at your right hand as you go from before towards the
stern ; but that side of the ship that is on your right hand as
you go from the stern towards the forepart is called the star-
board, because you go from the steer forward.
Whoever of the ships crew sees a dead whale, cries out
" Fish m{7ie" and therefore the merchants must pay him a
ducat for his care and vigilance. Many of them climb often
up into the mast in hopes to have a ducat, but in vain.
When the dead tvhale is thus fastened to the ship, two
sloops hold on the other side of the fish or whale, and in
each of them doth stand a man or boy, that has a long hook
in his hands, wherewith he doth hold the boat to the ship ;
and the harpoonier stands before in the sloop, or upon the
whale, with a leathern suit on, and sometimes they have
boots on. Underneath the hook are some sharp nails fixed,
that they may be able to stand firm, for the whale is very
slippery, so that one may easily fall, as upon slippery ice.
These two men that cut the fat off have their peculiar wages
for it, viz., about four or five rix dollars. First, they cut a
lai'ge piece from behind the head, by the eyes, which they
call the henter-piece, that is as much as to say the winding-
piece; for as they cut all the other fat in rows from the whale
Sl'ITZRKKOEN AND GREENLAND. 127
towards the end, so they cut this great kenter-piece larger
and wider than all the rest. This piece, when it is cut round
about from the whale, reaches from the water to the cradle
(that is, tlie round circle that goeth round about the middle
of the mast, and is made in the shape of a basket), from
whence you may guess at the bigness of a whale. A strong
and thick rope is fix'd to this kenter -piece , and the other end
is fixed underneath the cradle, whereby the whale is as it
was borne up out of the water that they may come at it, and
by reason of the great weight of the whale the ship leans
towards that side. One may judge how tough the fat is,
for in this piece an hole is made through which the rope is
fastened, yet not deep into the fat, wherewith they turn the
fish at pleasure. Then, as is before said, they cut another
piece hard by this, that is also hailed up to the ship ; and
then in the ship they cut it into less pieces, about a foot
square. These two men have in their hands, as well as those
that stand on the whale, long knives, wherewith they cut
these square pieces. These knives, with their hafts, are about
the length of a man ; and the more the fat of the whale is
loosened, — just as the hide is flea'd from an ox, the higher
must they pull up the fat with their pulleys, that they may
cut it the easier.
And when they have drawn up this fat, the men take it into
them into the ship, and loosen the rope that it was fastened
unto. The rope is fastened with a ring, whereinto they put
a great iron hook, which is fastened to a strong tackle, and
also sometimes, before in the ship, are fix'd two other tackle,
wherewith all the fat is drawn up into the ship. In the ship
stand two men, with hooks as long as a man, wherewith they
hold the great piece of fat, which the two men cut into square
pieces with their long knives. By them stands another that
has a short hook with a ring in his hands, which he thrusts
into the pieces of fat that are cut square, and puts it on the
bench or dressing-board, where it is cut by others into less
128 VOYAGE IJvTO
pieces. The two first men with their long knives, that cut
the large pieces of fat, stand near the larboard of the ship, at
that side where the whale is fix'd, and the otlier men that
afterwards cut it into less pieces, stand on the other side
ciillcd starboard. When it is a good time to catch whales,
and they will not lose it, they tow sometimes several fish be-
hind their ship and catch more ; and they cut only the great
pieces of fat of them, and fling them underneath into the
ship. But when they have no more vessels to put their fat
into, they sail into an harbour, or if it be calm weather and
not windy, they stay in the sea, and fasten themselves to a
sheet of ice, and so they drive along with the stream. The
other men cut the fat into small pieces on a table ; on the
further side of the tail is a nail fastened, whereunto they
fasten a hook, which they put into the fat, that it may lye
steddy when they cut it into small pieces : the fat is tough
to cut, wherefore it must lye firm. That side whereon the
skin is they lay undermost, and so cut the fat from it by
pieces. The knives wherewith they cut the fat into small
pieces are less than the other, about three foot long with
their hafts. They all cut from them that they may not be
bedaubed with the fat, which might occasion a shrinking up
and lameness of the sinews of their hands and arms. One of
them cuts the soft and tough fat into small pieces with a long
knife ; this man they call the chopper, and he is mightily
daubed, wherefore he doth hang about him all sorts of rags
and clouts he can get. The fat of some whales is white, of
others yellow, and of some red : the white fat is full of small
sincAvs, and it doth not yield so much oyl as th^ yellow : the
yellow fat that looks like butter is the best. The red and
watery fat cometh from dead lohales, for in the place where
the fat runs out the blood settles in its room, and yields the
worst and least oyl. Before the table is a gutter, made of two
boards nailed together, whereinto the small or minced fat is
flung ; by it stands a boy, that shuffles the fat by degrees into
.SPITZHKKGKX AMI GKKF.Nl.AXn. 129
a bag tliat is fixed to the end of the gutter, and is like unto
a pudding-bag, so that it reaches down into the ship ; out of
this bag the fiit runs down into a tub or Avoodeji funnel,
which they put upon empty vessels or cardels, as they call
them, and tlie men that are below fill them up with it, and
so it is kept until they try it up into train -oyl. When the
fat is cut off from one side of the ichale, before they turn
him, they cut out the whale-bone in one entire 2:)iece, and
this is so heavy that all the ship's crew hath enough to do to
pull it up. They make use for that purpose of a peculiar
sort of hooks, two whereof they fix on the sides and one on
the middle of it, very well provided with strong tackle ; and
afterwards they cut out the whalebone of the other side of the
fish, and draw it up also with pulleys into the ship, where it
is cut into such pieces as they bring it hither in.
The Avhalebone doth only belong to the owners of the ship
and the others that run their hazard, whether they catch few
or many ichales. The rest, Avhich take their pay by the
month, receive their money when they come home Avhether
they have caught many or none, and the loss or gain falls
upon the merchants.
The hooks that they crane up the whalebone withal are
made on purpose for it, like a beam of a pair of scales ; on
each end are two sharp points, which they knock in between
the Avhalebone ; in the middle of the beam is fastened a long
handle with a ring, whereon the ropes are fastened ; on this
handle there are fixed two other crooked hooks, like birds
claws ; in the ring where the ropes are fastened is another
crooked hook, at the top fastened by a ring, such a one as
Ave make use of here when we wind anything up by a crane;
but in the middle between these two hooks is fastened ano-
ther rope, which keeps the lowermost hook steddy ; the two
hindmost points are knock'd into the whalebone behind and
the two foremost short ones before, which hold the whale-
bone fast between them when it is wound or pulled up.
130 VOYAGE INTO
The dead lohales, when the fat is cut off of them, .they let
float, and are the food of birds of prey when they are hun-
gry ; but they had rather have dead whales that have still
their fat left on them. The white bear is generally not far
oif, whether there be any fat left on them or no, and look
like dogs that only feed on carrion ; and at that time their
white furr is turned into a yellow colour, and at the same
time they shed their haii-, and their skins are worth very
little. Where a dead lohale is near we see it by the birds,
whereof are many, and also the white bears discover it,
chiefly in the spring, when but a few whales are caught, for
then they are greedy of their prey ; afterwards, when many
whales float on the sea, they have their bellies full, and we
do not find so many by a inhale, because they are dispersed.
CHAP. X.
Of the Trijing o\it of the Train-Oyl from the Fat.
Formerly the Dutch did try out their train-oyl in Spitz-
hcrgen at Smerenherg , and about the Cookery of Harlimjcn,
where still, for a remembrance, all sorts of tools belonging
thereto are to be seen, whereof I have made mention before.
The FrencJi-mcn try up their train-oyl in their ships, and by
that means many ships arc burnt at Sjjf'fzhcrgcfi : and this was
the occasion of the burning of two ships in my time.
They try out their train-oyl at Spiizbergen that they may
load the more fat in their ships ; and they believe it to be
very profitable, for they go their voyage upon part, that is to
say, they receive more or less according to what they catch ;
but I do not account it -wisdom to fill up the room of the ship
with wood where they might stow vessels. But our country-
SPlTZr.KIUiKN AND GHKICNLAND. 131
men, as I told you before, put the fat into the vessels, where-
in it doth ferment just like beer; and I know no instance
that ever any vessel did fly in pieces, although they are stop't
lip very close, and so it becometh for the greatest part train-
oyl in them. Of the fresh fat of whales, when it is burnt
out, you lose tAventy in the hundred, more or less according
as it is in goodness. At the place where they try up the
jfat into train-oyl, near Hai7ihurg, they put the fat out of the
[vessels into a great wooden trough or tub, and out of this
!two men empty it into a great kettle that stands near it, that
doth hold two cardels of fat, that makes one hundred and
twenty, one hundred and thirty, and sometimes one hundred
and forty gallons. Underneath this copper, that is made up
with bricks, they put the fire ; and so they boil it and try it
up into train-oyl, as you try up other fat. This copper is
very well secured, as the dyers coppers used to be : it is very
broad and flat, just like a frying-pan made of copper. When
the fat is well tryed or fryed out, they take it out of the pan
with small kettles into a great sieve, that the liquid only may
run through ; the rest is thrown away. This sieve stands
over a great tub, which is above half filled with cold water,
that the hot train-oyl may be cooled, and that what is
unclean and dirty of the blood and other soil may fall to
the bottom, and only the clear train-oyl swim at the top of
the water, like other oyl. In this great tub or trough is
a small spout or tap, which doth run out over another as big
as a tub, out of which the train-oyl runs into another tub
when it is almost ready to run over ; which is also filled with
cold water to the middle, wherein it is more cooled and be-
comes clearer, and more refined than it was before. In
this trough is another spout, through which the trayn-oyl
runs into the warehouse into a vatt, whercout they fill it into
cardels or vessels. Some vessels have but two tubs. A car-
del or hogshead holds sixty-four gallons. A true trayn-oyl
barrel doth hold thirty-two gallons. The greaves they try
132 VOYAGE INTO
up the second time and make brown train-oyl out of it ;
others, that think it not worth their vrhile, fling them away.
CHAPTER XI.
Of the Finn-Fish}
The Jiiin-Jish is of the length of a icJiale, but in bulk the
whale is three times as big. They know the Jinn-Jish by the
iinns that are upon his back, near unto his tail, and also by
his vehement blowing and spouting up of the water, Avhich
the whale doth not do. His knob on the head is split in
length, that is at his blowing hole, through v.'hich he forces
up the water higher than the whale, and with more fierce-
ness, which is not so high as that of the ichale, neither
is the back bended or dented in so much. His lips are of a
brownish colour, and like a twisted rope. On his upper lip
the whalebone hangs as it doth on the lohale ; but w^hether
he doth open and shut his mouth there are different opinions:
some believe that he cannot open his mouth, yet this is not
true ; but he doth not always run open mouth'd, that the
whalebone may not hang out of his mouth at the sides as it
doth in whales, or else he can open his mouth if he pleases.
Within his mouth, between the whalebone, he is all over
hairy, like unto horse's hairs, which grow within to the
whalebone that is new growing, and it is of a blew colour ;
the other whalebone is of a brown colour, and dark brownish
Avith yellow streaks, which are esteemed to be the oldest ;
the blew whalebone cometh from young whales and finn-fishes.
He is not as black as velvet, as the whale is, but like a tench.
The shape of the body is long and small : neither is he so
^ Pkjsalus a/Uiquorum, Gray ; the Razor-back of the whalers.
srrr/iiERGKx and gukeni.am). loo
"fat as a -whale, wherefore M'e do not much care to catch him,
for ho doth not pay ns for our hahour. It is much more
dangerous to kill him than to kill a whale, hccause he moves
quicker and beats about him Avith his tail, and from him
with his {inns, so that we dare not come near unto him with
our sloops or long-boats, for the launces kill him soonest. I
was informed that once some, before they were aware of it,
did fling, by a mistake, their harpoon into a finn-fish, where-
upon he drew both boat and men, all on a sudden, under-
neath a large ice-sheet before they were aware of it, and not
one of them escaped. His tail lies flat, like unto that of the
whale. When the finn-fishes appear, Ave see no more whales.
The train-oyl of the Avhale is used by several, viz., by the
frize- makers, curriei's, cloth-workers, and soap-hoilers, but the
greatest use that is made of it is to burn it in lamps instead
of other oyl.
The Greenland ships carry thirty or more men, and some-
times more, chiefly the great ships, that have six sloops be-
longing to them : such ships hold from eight hundred to one
thousand cardels of fat ; the less ships have commonly fewer
cardels or vessels, from four hundred to seven hundred, and
have commonly five sloops or boats belonging to them.
There also go galliots to Spitzhergen to catch whales ; they
have three or four sloops belonging to them. Some put the
sloops upon the deck of the ships, others hang them over-
board, as they do at Spitzhergen when they are amongst the
ice, that as soon as they call " Fall, fall,'''' they may imme-
diately let down their sloops into the water. Then there
remains on board in the ships the steersman, the barber,
the chyrurgion, the cooper, and a boy, to look after the ship;
the skipper or commander himself goeth out with the rest of
the men, for they are all obliged to go a whale-catching.
In each ship there are sixty launces, six sea-horse launces,
forty harpoons, ten long harpoons, wherewith they strike the
whales under water, six small sea-horse harpoons, thirty lines
134 VOYAGE INTO
or ropes, and each of them is about eighty or ninety fathoms
long. When they go a hunting they take along with them
into each sloop, two and sometimes three harpoons, six launces,
two or three sea-horse launces, three lines, and five or six
men, according to the bigness of the sloops ; therein is the
harpoonier, line-keeper or giver, and the steersman : they
all row equally until they come near to the ichale, except
the steersman, for he guides the boat with his rudder ; they
also have in each sloop a chopping-knife, to cut off the rope
when they cannot follow the ivhale, and a hammer and other
instruments, as hatchets, drags, and several sorts of knives,
wherewithal they cut the ivhales. Meat and drink is also
given them according to the usual custom ; he that will have
better must take it along with him.
Lazy fellows are in this voyage troubled with the scurvy,
but those that fear neither air nor wind and bestir themselves
escape pretty well ; else scurvy is the common distemper in
this voyage, besides fevers, imposthumes and other accidental
distempers, and therefore the chyrurgion must take care to
provide himself.
CHAP. XII.
Of Rotz-fishes and Sea-qualms}
RoTZ-FisH (or slimc-Jishes) I call these, that in themselves
are nothing else but slime, and they are transparent. I have
observed several kinds of thct^e, some whereof have parts
like finns, as that same which I call the sea May-Jlie. Others
are like unto the flat snails, only instead of finns they have
stalks like unto feathers. Besides these, I have seen four
other sorts that are quite differing in shape from the others,
^ Tlic AcalepJui' or Meclusie.
SPITZBERGKN AM) G IIKEN LAN11. 135
and arc called sea-qualms by the seamen, as if they were a
thick scum of the sea coagulated together. They are also
called after the Latin name sea nettles, because they cause
a burning pain like unto nettles. I have formerly had some
thoughts that the rotz or slime-fishes might be a seed flung
out and so putrefied, and that they did cause this burning
pain by reason of their putrefaction ; and so I did think
they received their shape or form according to the several
kind of fishes from whence they came, and that some did
take after thornhacks, others after whales, and the like ; but
this doth not seem to be agreeable to reason, for I have
considered it better since, and find life to be a far more
noble thing than that it should ^^I'oceed from putrefied seed
cast away.
They cleanse the sea mightily, for all the filth and un-
cleanness sticks to them just as a burr doth unto cloth.
1. Of the Sea May-flye.^
These small fish are very like unto the sea-nettles, because
of their transparent body, and they also dissolve like the
same, if you hold them in your hand. They have two finns
underneath about the neck, which are likest unto those
of the ichale. They are in their shape like unto our white
rowls, broad and thick in the middle, and thin and pointed
at each end. As for the rest of the body, it is very like
unto our May-fiye, save only that the tail or body is all
along thicker, and only begins to be pointed towards the
end. The head is broad and round, split in the middle ;
it hath small horns about the breadth of a straw ; on his
head before it hath two rows of six little red knobs, three of
them in each row ; whether they be eyes or no I cannot
exactly tell. Its mouth is divided or split. From his mouth
down into his belly are its guts, which one may easily see
^ Clio lorealis; the Clio limacina of Phipps. Voyage, App., p. 95.
136 VOYAGK IX TO
because of its transparency. It is of a yellow and black
colour^ but the colour of the whole fish is like unto the white
of an egg ; he moves in the water just like a sea nettle.
I have drawn him here in his proper bigness. I am of
opinion, that the birds feed upon them, because the lambs,
pigeo7i-divers, and parret-diters are plentifully seen in those
places where these fish or sea insects are seen. The same
that I have delineated here I found in the South Bay in
Spitzhergen, on the 20th of June.
2. Of the Snail Slime-fish.i
These are also quite transparent, like unto the sea nettles,
but they are flat and wound about like a snail ; and so we
find upon the land the shells of such flat snails. It is very
remarkable, that out of the utmost part of him come two
stalks, like unto the beam of a pair of scales, hairy or rough
on each side, like unto a feather. With these stalks he
moves himself up and down like the sea nettle. They are
of a brown colour. They swim in great numbers in the sea,
as numerous as the dust in the sun. It is believed that the
whales feed upon them, but I cannot believe that they can
be so nourishing a food for the whales as to make them so
fat ; I rather believe that the lumhs, jiigeon-dhers, and
parret-divers feed upon them. We saw many of them in
the South-harbour at Spitzbergen, on the 20th day of June.
Amongst the ice I saw none. The seamen take these small
fish for sjyiders, and I should also have taken them to be
such, if I had not had them in my hand and looked more
curiously upon them, and found that they had no affinity
with the spiders.
3. Of the Hat Slime-fish.
Its upper part is like the fungusse or toadstools, for it is
^ Limacinn arctica ; the Clio helicina of Phipps. Ai)p. p. 19.5.
SP1TZBP]HGEN AND GREENLAND. 137
as it were a round and thick stalk that goes just into the
middle of the head. It hath a blue button or knob, that is
as thick again as the stalk, and this upper part may also be
compared unto such a straw hat as our women wear. From
the stalk downwards it doth grow thick again and round,
yet it is a great deal less than the button. I have seen them
force themselves up from below, and then from the top down
again, just as a stick that is forced down underneath the
water reboundeth up again. I got them in the North-Sea,
between Holhj-Land and the Elbe, where the sea-water
mingles with that of the Elbe. I have also seen them at
Kuclh s-haten in the Elbe ; and I am also informed that
sometimes they come as far down as to Freyhurg. By reason
of its shape, it may be called the hat slime-Jlsh, or stalk
slime-Jish.
4. Of the Roselike- shaped Slime-fish.
This Slime-fish is as round as a circle, yet in his circum-
ference between his double strokes a little indented, the rays
spring out single from the middle of the body, and there are
sixteen of them in number, but they divide themselves into
two branches, where they run somewhat closer together, and
are split in two. The body thereof is white and transparent,
as is mentioned before ; he draws it together, and oj)ens it
again as he pleaseth ; but the rays or spokes are brownish
red. On the end of these spokes, towards the outer circum-
ference, are several sj^ots, thirty-two in number. In the
middle of this plate is another small circle, and from the
circumference of that the before-named spokes begin. It
is hollow within, which cavity may perhaps be his belly,
wherein I found two or three of the small shrimps.^ Round
about did hang down seven brown small threads, like spun
silk, or like unto the threads that flye in the air about
^ Probalily Metoecus medusarum or a Phronima.
18
138 VOYAGE INTO
autumn ; he cannot move these ; I believe he weighed about
half a pound ; he was about half a span broad ; the threads
were about a span long. This sort we got about Hitland.
One might very well call him the j'^Zrt^e or rose-liJie slhne-Jish,
by reason of his figure and shape. I have heard some re-
late that the macarels do suck their colour out of these two,
but I cannot affirm it, but leave it undecided until I can
assert it by my own experience. These three first sea-qualms
are numerous in the North Sea as atonies in the air, but about
Spitzhergen we do not find many of them. I have seen them
swim at top only in calm weather, but in stormy weather
they sink to the bottom.
5. Of the Slime-Fish like a Cap.'
At Spitzhergen, near the Muscle- Harbour, on the 8th of
July, when the weather was calm, I saw two sorts of slime-
jjsh, whereof one had six, the other eight corners ; that with
six corners had also six purple streaks, with blew brims. Be-
tween these streaks the body is divided like unto a pumpkin,
into six ribs. From the middle of his body hang down two
threads, that are red like vermillion, and rough, of small
hairs ; they are shaped like unto the letter V. I did not see
him move them when he swam. Within his body he hath
other broader streaks, of a purple colour, and on the edges
or brims of a lightish blew one ; they represent themselves
like unto a great W. The whole body is as white as milk,
and not so transparent as the body of that that cometh next.
It is shaped just like a cap with corners, wherefore one
might call it the cap-lihe fish.
It weighed about two ounces. I did not perceive, when I
had him in my hand, that he did burn me ; but it dissolved
like snot or slime.
^ Beroe pilciis.
SPl IZISKUGKN AND Ci IIKKNI, AM). 139
(). Of the Slime-Fish like- a Fountain.'
The sixth and last is a very notable fish ; it hath a hole at
the top like unto the qnill of a goose (that may perhaps be
his mouth), which goes into a cavity like a funnel, Avhere-
fore we might call him ?i funnel-fish. From this hole come
down four strokes, two and two exactly opposite to one
another : two of them are cut transversedly, and two are not
cut. Those that are not cut are about half the breadth of a
straw, and the others, that are like unto the backbone of a
snake, are as broad as a straw ; both of them come down
beyond the middle of the Avhole body. From the middle of
the funnel come down four others, like unto the backbones
of a snake, and they come down lower than the others ; so
that all of them make eight in number : they chang'd their
colour, as we look'd upon them, into blew, yellow, and red,
with such delicate colours as a rainbow. They look'd in
my eyes to be like unto a fountain, with eight streams or
spouts, wherefore we might call it ^fountain-fish with eight
streams.
Within him came down from the end of the funnel some-
thing like a cloud, that divided itself into rows, which I take
to be his intrails. "Where the before-mention'd outward
streaks end themselves, the body is first bent in somewhat,
then it turns round, and then it hath many small streaks.
The whole body is as white as milk. I believe it weigh'd
about four ounces. I did not perceive that he did burn ones
skin, but he did, like him I mentioned before, dissolve like
slime. Since, I have seen other sorts of these sea-nettles in
the Spanish Sea, that weigh'd several pounds, and they were
^ Medusa Infundibulum. Gmel. Syst. Nat. 3152-.3. Cuvier thinks it
another species, and to belong to another division (Regne animal).
140 VOYAGE INTO SPITZBERGEN, ETC.
of a blew, purple, yellowish, and white colour, that burn
more violently than those of the North Sea ; they suck them- ■
selves so close to the skin that they raise blister, and cause
sometimes St. Anthonifs fire.
APPENDIX.
APPENDIX.
LIST OF THE ANIMALS OF SPITZBERGEN.
3fA3IMALIA.
White Bear. Page bO.
TiiALASSAKCTOs MARiTiMTjs — The Polar Bear.
Ox Phipps' voyage many were killed, " and the seamen ate
of their flesh, though exceeding coarse". On Parry's expe-
dition, the flesh of the bear proved a timely and valuable
addition to their stock of provisions, and served materially
to restore the strength of the party during their journey over
the ice towards the North Pole. The commander in his
narrative (p. 114) relates, that " a fat she-bear crossed over
a lane of water to visit us, and approaching the boats within
twenty yards was killed by Lieut. Koss. The scene which
followed was laughable, even to us who participated in it.
Before the animal had done biting the snow, one of the men
was alongside of him with an open knife, and being asked
what he was about to do, replied that he was going to cut
out his heart and liver to put into the pot, which happened
to be then boiling for our supper. In short, before the bear
had been dead an hour, all hands of us were employed, to our
great satisfaction, in discussing the merits, not only of the
said heart and liver, but a pound per man of the flesh ; be-
144 APPENDIX.
sides which some or other of the men were constantly frying
steaks during the whole day, over a large fire made of the
blubber. The consequence of all this, and other similar in-
dulgences, necessarily was, that some of them complained for
several days after of the pains usually arising from indiges-
tion; though they all, amusingly enough, attributed this effect
to the quality, and not the quantity of meat they had eaten.
The fact however is, that the flesh of the bear is just as
wholesome, though not quite as palatable as any other ; and
had they eaten moderately of it, as the officers did, they
would have suflfered no inconvenience whatever. However,
notwithstanding these excesses at first, we were really thank-
ful for this additional supply of meat ; for we had observed
for some time past that the men were evidently not so strong
as before, and would be the better for more sustenance."
Capt. Beechey gives an instance of the cunning displayed
by this arctic tyrant, which he witnessed on the shores of
Spitzbergen in 1818. " One sunshiny day a Avalrus, of nine
or ten feet length, rose in a pool of water not very far from
us, and after looking around drew his greasy c,?rcass upon
the ice, where he rolled about for a time, and at length laid
himself down to sleep. A bear, which had probably been
observing his movements, crawled carefully upon the ice on
the opposite side of the pool, and began to roll about also,
but apparently more with design than amusement, as he pro-
gressively lessened the distance that intervened between him
and his prey. The walrus, suspicious of his advances, drew
himself up, preparatory to a precipitate retreat into the
water, in case of a nearer acquaintance with his playful but
treacherous visitor ; on which the bear was instantly motion-
less, as if in the act of sleep ; but after a time began to lick
his paws and clean himself, and occasionally to encroach a
little more upon his intended prey. But even this artifice
did not succeed ; the wary walrus was far too cunning to
allow himself to be entrapped, and suddenly plunged into
I.I.ST OF ANIMALS OF SPITZBERGEN. 145
the pool ; which the bear no sooner observed than he threw
off all disguise, rushed towards the spot, and followed him
in an instant into the water, where I fear he was as much
disappointed in his meal as we were of the pleasure of wit-
nessing a very interesting encounter." — Vorjage of Dorothea
and Trent, p. 82 ; see also p. Ill for other particulars of the
habits of the bear.
Fox. Page 80.
VuLPES Lagopus — Arctic Fox.
Not very abundant apparently in Spitzbergen. On Phipps'
expedition it was met Avith, but not very frequently, on the
mainland and the adjacent islands. The commander re-
cords that " it smells very little", and that his party ate of
the flesh of one, and found it good meat. On Parry's ex-
pedition several were seen near Hecla Cove, and one was
shot on the western shore of Waygatz Straight.
Sea Dogs. Page 83.
Callocephalus fcetidus, Phoca foetida Miiller — the Rough or
Ringed Seal.
Sir J. C. Ross mentions, that on Parry's expedition two
young animals of this species were shot during the jour-
ney over the ice, and were found to be excellent food,
and that some were seen as far north as lat. 82° \. '' The
meat of these young animals is tender and free from oili-
ness, but it certainly has a smell and a look which would
not have been agreeable to any but very hungry people like
ourselves. We also considered it a great prize on account
of its blubber, which gave us fuel sufficient for cooking six
hot messes for our whole party, though the animal only
weighed thirty pounds in the whole. These animals ....
are, when very small, best procured by shooting thcni in
the head with small shot ; but if quite killed at once, they
are apt to sink immediately and be lost." — Parry, Narrative,
p. 91.
19
140 ATPEXDIX.
Callocepiialus vitulinus — Common Seal.
Seems to be met with on the coast of Spitzbergen.
Pagophilus Grcenlandicus — Harp Seal.
This sjjecies, on Parry's expedition, was occasionally seen
on the loose ice of the pack to the northward and westward
of Spitzbergen, and also at the Seven Islands of Phipps.
For an account of the seal fishery in the seas around Spitz-
bergen and Jan Mayen Island, see Scoresby's Arctic Regions,
i, 512-517.
Cystophora cristata — Hooded Seal.
This seems to be a common species near Spitzbergen.
Scoresby says that it often returns the attacks of its enemies,
and being defended by its hood from the stunning effect of a
blow on the nose, sometimes inflicts severe wounds on the
person attacking it. {Arctic Regions, i, 511.) For an ex-
cellent account of the whole family of the seals, see Dr.
Gray's Catalogue of Mammalia in the British Museum, part
ii (1850) ; fig. 13, p. 36, of that work, represents the skull
of this species.
Sea Horse or Morse. Page 86.
Trichecus Rosmarus — Walrus or Morse.
Very numerous on the "western coast of Spitzbergen, and
the Low Island of Phipps. On Parry's expedition none
were seen to the northward of Waldcn Island. It is a gre-
garious animal, not generally inclined to attack, but danger-
ous if attacked, as the M'hole herd resents any injury received
by an individual. These herds consist occasionally of up-
wards of a hundred animals each. When a herd of these
animals is asleep on the ice, they appear to take the precau-
tion of havina: a sentinel to warn them of anv dansrer to
which they may be liable. Admiral Beechey has given,
with his usual graphic powers, a good history of the habits
of this species [Voyage of Dorothea and Trent, pp. 89-97),
I
LIST OF ANIAIAI.S OF SPITZBEROF.N. 14T
and of the formidable nature of its attack. He gives an
account of the affectionate conduct of the walrus to its
young (p. 80). " In the vast sheet of ice which surrounded
the ships, there were occasionally many pools ; and, when
the weather was clear and warm, animals of various kinds
would frequently rise and sport about in them, or crawl
from thence upon the ice to bask in the warmth of the sun.
A walrus rose in one of these pools close to the ship, and
finding everything quiet, dived down and brought up its
young, which it held to its breast by pressing it with its
flipper. In this manner it moved about the pool, keeping
in an erect posture, and always directing the face of the young
toward the vessel. On the slightest movement on board, the
mother released her fliipper and pushed the young one under
water ; but, when everything was again quiet, brought it up
as before, and for a length of time continued to play about
in the pool, to the great amusement of the seamen, who gave
her credit for abilities in tuition, which, though possessed of
considerable sagacity, she hardly merited."
Scoresby, in the Arctic Regions, i, pp. 502-508, treats of
the walrus as inhabiting the seas around Spitzbergen. A
small specimen was brought alive to this country by a whal-
ing captain in the autumn of 1853 ; it lived but a short time.
Dr. Gray secured the specimen for the British Museum.
Myodes Hudsonids — Hudson's Bay Lemming.
On Parry's expedition the skeleton of one of these animals
was found in a floe of ice to the northward of Spitzbergen,
in north latitude 81° i^, at about sixty miles from the nearest
known land. The peculiar formation of the fore -claws,
which were quite perfect, pointed out the species.
Hart or Deer. Page 79.
Rangifer Taraxdus — the Reindeer.
Found, both on Phipps' and Parry's expeditions, abun-
dantly. Sir James Ross, in the appendix to the narrative of
148 APPENDIX.
the latter, says, that it was very numerous along the northern
shore of Spitzbergen and near the Low Island of Phipps.
Seventy were killed near Treurenberg Bay on this expedi-
tion (p. 191). They were not in good condition till the
middle of August (p. 134). On Captain Buchan's expedition,
Admiral Beechey records that the islands about Fair Haven
are covered with lichens and other rich pasturage for rein-
deer, which are so abundant, " upon Vogel Sang in particu-B
lar, that that island supplied us with forty carcasses. They
were at this time (the end of June) in such high condition,
that the fat upon the loins of some measured from four to
six inches, and a carcass, ready for being dressed, weighed
two hundred and eighty-five pounds. In August, however,
they were so lean, that it ^vas rare to meet with any fat upon
them. From the wary disposition and the very keen scent
of these animals, we found it extremely difficult to get within
gunshot of them, especially from to windward ; and were
obliged either to separate into two or three parties, and to
harass them until they took to the water, where they were
easily overtaken by the boats, or to secrete ourselves behind
large stones contiguous to one of their walks, and there wait
until they approached. They Avere at this time in pairs, and
when one was shot the other would hang over it, and occa-
sionally lick it, apparently bemoaning its fate ; and if not
immediately killed, would stand three or four shots rather
than desert its fallen companion. . . , Their sympathy must
indeed have been very strong to have induced them to re-
main so long by their wounded ; for if at other times our
shots missed, the panic occasioned by the discharge of the
guns was so great that they fled in all directions, and there
was no chance of getting near them again. "When pressed,
they readily took to the water to swim to islands that were
three or four miles distant." — Vorjage of Dorothea and Trent,
pp. 98-100.
LIST OF ANIMVT.S OF SPITZBKROKX. 149
The Whale. Page 104.
Balj:xa MTSTTCETrs — the Right Whale or Common Whale.
For much valuable information on its history, see Scoresby's
Arctic Regions, vol. i, pp. 449-4T8 ; and for an account of
the modern mode of taking it as conducted at Spitzbergen,
see vol. ii, pp. 187-381. In Dr. Gray's Catalogue of Cetacea
in the British Museum, \}\). 5-14, much valuable information
is also given.
BALiExopTERA KOSTKATA — the Pike Whale.
Scoresby [Arctic Regions, i, 486) mentions one of this
small species having been killed near Spitzbergen in 1813.
He describes the whalebone of this specimen as being thin,
fibrous, of a yellowish white, and semi-transparent, almost
like lantern-horns. It is curved like a scimitar, and fringed
with white hair on the convex edge and point. Its length is
nine inches, and its greatest breadth two inches and a quarter.
The Finn-Fish. Page 132.
Physalus axtiquorum — the Razor Back.
Scoresby says this is " the longest animal of the whale
tribe, and probably the most powerful and bulky of created
beings". From its speed and activity it is difficult and dan-
gerous to attack it, and from the smallness of its whalebone
and the small quantity of inferior oil it affords, it is seldom
pursued by the whaler. It is found not uncommonly in the
Spitzbergen Seas.
Butskopf or Place's Head. Page 100.
Htperoodon Butzkopf — the Bottle Head.
Apparently found in the seas of Spitzbergen.
The Unicorn. Page 101.
MoxoDON MoxocEROS — the Narwhal.
The long prominent tusk is considered a horn by the
whales, and hence its name of " the unicorn". See Scoresby,
150 APPENDIX.
vol. i, pp. 486-495. On Parry's expedition several of these
animals were seen amongst loose ice in north latitude 81° 40',
on the return of the party from the attempt to reach the
North Pole over the ice. " They are seldom to be seen far
within the edge of a ' pack', and their appearance was con-
sidered by the Greenland sailors as indicative of our ap-
proach to open w^ater, which proved to be the case much
sooner than was expected." — J. C. Ross, App., p. 192.
The White Fish. Page 101.
Beluga Catodox — the Northern Beluga.
This is called " white Avhale" by the whalers. On Parry's
expedition this species was frequently seen pursuing a small
fish (the Mcrlangus polaris) along the shores of Hecla Cove,
and in the shallow water at the head of Treurenberg Bay.
Dolphin. P. 99.
Delphinus — Species.
There are many species of this genus and the allied genera,
descriptions of which are given by Dr. Gray in the Zoology
of the Erebus and Terror, and in the Catalogue of Mammalia
in the British Museum, part i, Cetacea.
BIRDS.
Snow Bird. Page 58.
PLECTROPnANES NIVALIS — the Suow Bunting.
On Phipps' expedition met with on Spitzbergen and on
the ice adjacent to it in large flocks (p. 188).
Fringilla Linaria — the Lesser Redpole,
This, or perhaps F. borcalis, an allied species, was met with
by Dr. Scorcsby on his approach to Spitzbergen. The birds
alighted on different jiarts of the ship, and were so wearied,
LIST OF ANIMALS OF Sl'lTZliKRGEN. 151
apparently with being on the wing, though the ship was not
above ten miles from the shore, that they allowed themselves
to be taken alive. [Arctic Regions, i, p. 5oT.)
1 Lagopus ALDUS — the Ptarmigan.
!
On Parry's expedition several were shot on the shores of
Treurcnberg Bay. It was also met with on the late French
expedition ; it is figured in the Voyage en Scandinavie, etc.,
as the " Lagopus alpina var. hyperborea".
CuARADRius HiATicuLA — the Ringed Plover.
A single specimen shot in ITccla Cove on Parry's expe-
dition (p. 193).
Tkingoides hypoleucus — Common Sandpiper.
Scoresby mentions it as seen in considerable flocks on the
beach of Spitzbergen [Arctic Regions, i, 537).
Snite. Page 57.
Tringa maritima — the Pui-ple Sandpiper.
On Parry's expedition found abundantly on the shores of
Hecla Cove.
Bernicla Brenta — the Brent goose.
On Parry's expedition this species was seen in large flocks
about AValden and Little Table Islands ; a nest with two
eggs was brought on board from Ross Islet, in latitude
80^ 48' N., on the 16th of June. It was not seen to the
northward of that place. [Aj)j)., p. 196.)
Mountain Duck. Page 72.
SoMATERiA MOLLissiMA — Eidcr-Duck.
Scoresby says that the variety found at Spitzbergen is not
so large as generally described, and that in size it very little
exceeds the domesticated duck [Arctic Regions, i, 527). On
Parry's expedition this species was only occasionally met
\\'\\\\ alon^r the coast and on the islands to the northward.
152 APPENDIX.
A few Mxrc shot at Hecla Cove {Ajjp., p. 197). Scoresby
mentions that it is met with solitary, or in pairs near the ice
at very great distances from land, and that, when met with in I
great numbers, the presence of these birds is an intimation of '
the proximity of land.
SoMATERiA SPECTABiLis — King Eidcr-Duck.
On an islet in Fair Haven this species was very abundant
in the summer of 1818. Captain (now Admiral) Beechey
gives the following very interesting account of its habits as
observed on this occasion. They were so numerous that it
was scarcely possible to walk without stepping on their nests.
" Could we have divested ourselves of all consideration for
the young birds, we might have filled sevei'al sacks with that
valuable commodity, eider-down, of which their nests were
composed. It was the period of incubation ; and we had
many opportunities of witnessing the determined manner in
which they defended their nests, frequently remaining upon
them until they were knocked over with sticks. Even the
burgermeister, strontj agger, sea-swallows, and other birds,
which were always hovering about and watching for oppor-
tunities of devouring the eggs or the young birds, dared not
molest the ducks whilst upon their nests, and could only
secure their prey when foxes or some of the larger animals
drove them into the sea. A practice, common to these birds, ■
which I have not seen mentioned in their history, marks the
provision which nature has made against some of the casual-
ties to which their species are liable, and from which the
young might be destroyed in their embryo state by the
parents being kept away from their nests in so cold a cli-
mate. A^^hen immediate danger compelled them to seek
their own safety in flight, they hastily drew the down of the
nest over the eggs, and glued it there with a yellow fluid,
which they deposited as they arose. This precaution not
only kept in the warmth of the eggs, by interposing between
LIST OF ANIMALS OF SPIT/IiKlUiF.X. 15-)
them anJ tlio air a thick covering, wliicli tlic cold m-ou1c1 ic-
qnire some time to penetrate, but it was otherwise useful
from its being of so very offensive a nature that the foxes
i would not touch the eggs that were tainted with it. If it
i happened that they were suddenly surprised, and compelled
I to take wing without making this provision for the safety of
ij their young, they flew to a short distance only, and unless
■ the danger was very imminent, would return almost imme-
diately and cover up their nests, after which they took flight
with apparently less solicitude. In Norway, these birds
make their nests and lie amongst the juniper bushes ; but
here they build them amongst the rocks and loose stones
upon the small islets off" the coast. The down is of that
tenacious character that it adheres to every rough substance
it touches, and thus eflcctually prevents the nests being over-
turned or blown away by strong winds. The quantity of
down required for one of these nests deprives the parent of
a great portion of the down upon its breast, which is in con-
sequence left nearly bare for a considerable time ; and it is
quite pitiable to observe the condition of those which have,
probably, been obliged to make a second nest. The males
may also be seen occasionally with their breasts denu.ded of
down, from their having contributed to the formation of the
nest. They are the constant attendants upon the ducks
whilst they are sitting, and frequently procure food for them ;
they also assist in the defence of the young, and may some-
times be seen keeping the eggs warm whilst the ducks have
gone to a distance to procure food. Here, however, their
attentions appear to end for the season, for toward the close
of the summer the drakes assemble and take their selfish de-
parture, leaving the ducks to find their own way, and to help
their young along in the best manner they can. In due time,
however, they also take their departure, and immense flocks
of adults and young may be met a hundred miles or more
from land, slowly migrating to the southward, some of the
154 APPENDIX.
young birds being quite weak upon the wing." — Voyage of
H. M. SS. Dorothea and Trent, pp. 100-103.
CoLYMBUs GLAciALis — the Great Northern Diver.
On Phipps' expedition found on the coast of Spitzber-
gen (p. 187).
CoLYMBUS SEPTENTRiONALis — the RcdThroated Diver.
Spitzbergen (Parry^s Expedition, p. 197).
Alca Torda — Razor-Bill,
Spitzbergen. On Parry's expedition this species and the
puffin were found in considerable numbers, breeding in the
high acclivities of Walden and Little Table Islands. They
were not met with to the northward of these points.
Diving Parret. Page 71.
Fbatercula arctica — the Puffin.
Abundant in Spitzbergen.
The Lumb. Page 64.
'U^lA Troile — the Common Guillemot.
Uria Brunnichii — Brunnich's Guillemot.
Called " looms" by the sailors. Scoresby says that the
guillemots cannot rise on the wing in any direction except-
ing to windward. If they attempt to fly to leeward, they
have to run for a considerable distance along the surface of
the water, and at length they fall into it. They swim and
dive well, and evade shot when fired at, although not so cer-
tainly as the next species. Their feet compensate for the
shortness of the tail in flying, and are used as a helm. (Arc-
tic Regio7iS, i, 533.)
The Pigeon. Page 63.
Uria Gkylle — the Black Guillemot.
This is called ** dovekie" or " doveca" by the whalers. It
is remarkably watchful and quick in diving, and when
diving uses its Avings under water. Its flesh, which is very
LIST OK ANI.MALS OF SlML'ZHKUCiKN. 155
*' dark-coloured, tastes, according to Dr. Scorcsby, a little
i like the liver of some animals, and is not unpleasant eating.
I (1. c. 532.)
Rotge. Page 68.
AacTiCA AiiLE — the Little Auk or Common Rotche.
, This species is very abundant in Spitzbergen, and' was
'\ seen and heard as far north as Sir Edward Parry and his
party travelled. Admiral Beechey, in his narrative, speaks
{ of a high pyramidal mountain of granite in ]\Iagdalena Bay,
" termed Rotge Hill, from the myriads of small birds of that
name which frequent its base, and which appear to prefer its
environs to every other part of the harbour. They are so
numerous, that we have frequently seen an uninterrupted
line of them extending full half way over the bay, or to a
distance of more than three miles, and so close together that
thirty have fallen at one shot. This living column, on an
average, might have been about six yards broad and as many
deep ; so that, allowing sixteen birds to a cubic yard, there
must have been nearly four millions of birds on the wing at
one time. . . When it is told that the little rotges rise in such
numbers as completely to darken the air, and that their
chorus is distinctly audible at a distance of four miles, the
estimate will not be thought to bear any deduction." — V^oy-
age of Dorothea and Trent, pp. 46, 47. Dr. Scoresby says
they feed on shrimps, and are found in greatest numbers in
the turbid dark-green coloured sea. On the approach of
thick weather, he remarks, they are particularly noisy (1. c.
p. 528).
Mallemucke. Page 75.
Procellauia GiiAciALis — the Fulmar Petrel.
Abundant around Spitzbergen. Sir J. C. Ross {A^jp. to
Parn/s Nar., p. 196) says it was one of the few birds which
were found at the northernmost latitude attained by the ex-
pedition. This bird is the constant companion of the whale-
156 APPENDIX.
fisher, and as soon as a whale is about to he Jlensed, " they
rush in from all quarters and frequently accumulate to manv
thousands in number. ... It is highly amusing to observe the
voracity with which they seize the pieces of fat that fall in
their way ; the size and quantity of the pieces they take at a
meal ; the curious chuckling noise which, in their anxietv
for dispatch, they always make ; and the jealousy with which
they view, and the boldness with which they attack, any of
their species that are engaged in devouring the finest mor-
sels."— Scoresby, 1. c, p. 530.
Stercorarids pojiarinus — Pomarine Skua.
On Parry's expedition to Spitzbergen, one flew past the
boats in lat. 82" N. (J. C. Ross, 1. c, p. 106.)
Strunt-jager. Page 69.
Stercorarius parasiticus — Arctic Skua.
Spitzbergen. (Abundant at Walden Island, etc.) It not
only feeds at the expense of other birds, but preys also on
their eggs and young. The " Larus crepidatus — Black -toed
Gull or Boatswain," mentioned by Scoresby (i, 534), is the
young of this species.
RnoDOSTETHiA Rossii — Cuneate tailed Gull.
" Several were seen during our travels over the ice, and
as far north as the expedition went. Lieutenant Foster also
found them in Waygatz Strait, where it is probable that
they breed." — J. C. Ross, 1. c, p. 195.
Burgermeister. Page 67.
Larus glauccs — Glaucous Gull or Burgomaster.
" It may with propriety be called the chief magistrate of
the feathered tribe in the Spitzbergen regions, as none of its
class dares dispute its authority, when, with unhesitating
superiority, it descends on its prey, though in the possession
of another." (Scoresby, 1. c, i, 535.) When without other
LIST OF ANIMALS OF SPITZBEKGEN. 157
food, Scovesby says that it falls upon the smaller species of
birds and cats them.
Xema Sabini — Forked-tailed Gull or Sabiue's Gull.
" Several individuals were seen by liieutcnant Foster in
"\\'aygatz Strait." — J. C. Ross, in Pam/s Narrative, p. 195.
Kutge-gehef. Page 65.
RissA TRiPACTYLA — the Kittiwake Gull.
On Parry's expedition this gull was observed feeding on the
Merlangus polaris and Alpheus polaris,as far as the expedition
went to the northward ; it was very abundant in the autumn
along the shores of Spitzbergen, on Ross Islet, and on Low
Island. (J. C. Ross, 1. c, p. 195.) It feeds eagerly on the
blubber of the Mdiale, but generally seizes its morsel on the
wing (Scoresby, i, 534).
Rathsher. Page 62.
Pagophila ebubnea — Ivory Gull or Snow Bird.
First described scientifically in Phipps (p. 187). It was
found as far north as Parry's expedition travelled, and very
abundantly in the neighbourhood of Hecla Cove (J. C. Ross
in Parry, p. 194). Although '^ so delicate in its appearance,
it is almost as ravenous as the Fulmar, and as little nice in
its food. It is, however, more cautious. It is a constant
attendant on the flensing operations of the fishers, where it
generally seizes its portion on the Mang. It rarely alights
in the water, but often sits on the ice, preferring the most
elevated situations. Its voice is a loud and disagreeable
scream." — Scoresby, i, 535.
KiRMEW. Page 73,
Sterna macroura or arctica — the Arctic Tern.
On Parry's expedition, this species was found breeding in
gi'eat numbers on a small islet in the centre of a lagoon near
the south end of the Low Island of Phipps (J. C. Ross, 1. c.,
p. 194).
158 APPENDIX.
FISHES.
Scomber scombrus — Common Mackarel.
Mentioned by Martens (p. 97).
MuLLus BARBATus ? — Red SuTmullet ?
Scoresby {Arctic Regions, i, 541) refers to this as having
been taken by a seaman out of the mouth of a seal near
Spitzbergen. The body was wholly red ; the length about
twelve inches. " It was boiled/' he adds, " for our officers,
and proved an excellent dish."
Stomias ferox.
Spitzbergen. (Kroyer, Nat. Tidsk, 1847, 253 ; Voy. en
Scand.,i. 16 b, f. 1.)
Cyclopterus spinosus — Si^iny Lump-Sucker,
Spitzbergen. (Kroyer, Nat. Tidsk, 1847, 202.)
LiPARis COMMUNIS — Unctuous Sucker.
(Liparis Fabricii, Kroyer, Voi/. en Scand., t. viii, f. 2.)
Seven Island Bay (Phipps) ; westward of Low Island
(J. C. Eoss) ; Bell Sound (Kroyer, Nat. Tidsk, 1847, 274).
jMerlangus POLARIS — Arctic Coal-fish.
Abundant in small bays, where streams of fresh water run
into the sea (J. C. Ross).
Ophidium Parrii, or a closely allied Species.
Amongst sea-wccd on the shore of AValden Island (J. C.
Ross, 1. c, 199).
Dragon fish — Martens. Page 90.
Spitzbergen,
Ilay. Page 103
Dalatias microcephalus — Northern Shark.
(Squalus borealis — Greenland Shark. Scoresby.)
Spitzbergen : " One of the foes of the whale. It bites it
I,1ST OV ANIMALS OK Sl'ITZHEHG EN. 159
and annoys it while living, and feeds on it when dead. It
scoops hemispherical pieces out of its body, nearly as big as
a person's head ; and continues scooping and gorging lump
after lump, until the whole cavity of its belly is filled. It is
so insensible of pain, that though it has been run through
the body with a knife and escaped, yet, after a while, I have
seen it return to banquet again on the whale, at the very
spot where it received its wounds" (Scoresby, 1. c, i, 539).
The same author has never heard of this shark attacking
the whale-fisher, although he frequently slips into the water
where they abound. It uses its tail only in swimming, the
other fins are spread out to balance it, and are never observed
in motion but when some change of direction is required.
Sawfish. Page 102.
Pristis antiquorum — Saw-fish,
jSIr. Laing gives an instance of its insensibility to injury ;
it occurred on a whaling voyage at Spitzbergen. " During
X\ie Jlinching of the whales, ... a saw-fish, . . . more voracious
than the rest, approached close to the side of the whale's
carcase, and seized a large piece of blubber, which was ready
to be hoisted on board. Before he could make his escape,
however, he was struck by a harpoon, and, his flight being
thus obstructed, he was attacked with spears ; a tackle was
immediately fastened to his jaws, and being hoisted on deck,
his belly was ripped open and the blubber recovered. The
carpenter, too, stripped a considerable quantity of skin from
his tail. Notwithstanding this rude treatment, he was no
sooner let down than he swam away with great agility." —
Accotmt of a Voyage to Spitzbergen, pp. 139, 140.
IGO APPKM11X,
CR USTA CEA.
LiTIIODES ARCTICA.
This seems to be the sea-spider ? mcutionod in INIartcng.
See page 91.
Garnels or Prawns. Page 92.
CrANGON BoilEAS.
Abundant in Spitzbergen seas : first described and figured
by Phipps (p. 190, tab. 12, f. 1), from a specimen found in
the stomach of a seal. It was found very abundantly on
Parry's expedition in the shallow water to the westward of
the Low Island of Phipps. Kroyer {Nat. luhk, iv, 218, 2-31,
t. iv, f. 1-14) has given a detailed description and figures of it.
Sabinea septemcarinata.
Found on Parry's expedition in considerable numbers off
Ked Beach and the Low Island of Phipps. Kroyer has also
described and figured this {Nat. Tidsh, iv, 244, tab. 4, f
34-49; tab. 5, f. 41).
HiPPOLTTE GaIMARDI.
Spitzbergen. (Kroyer, Nat. TidsJc, iii, 572.)
HiPPOLYTE GIBBA.
Spitzbergen. (Kroyer, Nat. Tidsk, iii, 572.)
HiPPOLYTE SOV/ERBEI.
A British species also found in Spitzbergen. (Kroyer,
Nat. Tidsk, iii, 573.)
HiPPOLYTE TURGIDA.
Spitzbergen. (Kroyer, Nat. Tidsk, iii, 575.)
HiPPOLYTE PhIPPSII.
Spitzbergen. (Kro^-or, Nat. Tidsk, iii, 575 )
i
LIST OF ANni V],S OF SPITZIJEHC KX. 161
IIlPPOLYTE POLARIS.
Low Island of Phipps in great numbers : some individuals
were found as far north as 82° on Parry's expedition. (Ross,
Appendix, p. 20(5 ; Kroyer, Tidsk, iii, 577.)
HiPPOLTTE BOREAIilS.
Spitzbergen. (Kroyer, Tidsh, iii, 577.)
HiPPOLYTE ACDLEATA.
Spitzbergen, westward of Low Island. (J. C Ross, 1. c. 206.)
Calantis Spitzbekgensis.
Spitzbergen. (Kroyer, Tidsk, ii, 531.)
Calancs hyperborecs.
North Coast. (Kroyer, 1. c., p. 542.)
Calands mixutus.
West Coast. (Kroyer, 1. c., p. 543.)
Calanfs apfinis.
Spitzbergen. (Kroyer, 1. c., p. 544.)
Cetochilus arcticus.
Spitzbergen. (Figured by Scoresby, pi. 16, f. 15.)
Talitrus Edvardsii.
Found abundantly on Parry's expedition : some dead speci-
mens are mentioned by Sir James Ross as having been found
on the loose ice to the northward of the Seven Islands in
lat. 82° N.
Anonyx Ampulla.
Spitzbergen. First described and figured in Phipps' Voy-
age, p. 191, tab. 12, fig. 3, from a specimen found in the
stomach of a seal. It would seem to form a favourite por-
tion of the seal's food, as on Parry's expedition specimens
were found also in the stomach of a young seal.
Lysiaxassa nugax.
First found near Moffen Island on Phijops' expedition, p.
31
162 APPENDIX.
192, tab. 12, fig. 2, On Parry's expedition it was taken off
Low Island and in Hecla Cove abundantly.
ACANTHONOTUS INFLATUS.
Bell Sound. (Kroyer, Tidsh, iv, 161.)
Gammarus Sabixi.
Found on Parry's expedition in latitude 81° 6' N.
Gammarfs loricatus.
On Parry's expedition found on the shores of AValden
Island amongst sea-weed.
Gammarus Boreus.
Found on Parry's expedition abundantly on the shores of
Low Island and in Hecla Cove. A dead specimen was found
on the ice in latitude 8:^^^ \ N.
Gammarus arcticus.
This species is figured in Scoresby's Arctic Regiotis, pi. 16,
f. 14. In that work (i, p. 541) the author observes, " the
actions of this species suggest as a familiar name, the mounte-
Ixinh shrimp. It frequently turns over when in the water
with singular celerity, and swims with equal ease in every
position. The four feet raised in the figure above the back,
are made use of in that position whenever its back comes in
contact with any solid substance. This species occurs in all
parts of the Spitzbergcn sea, and at the greatest distance
from land; it inhabits the superficial water, and aff'ords food
for whales and birds."
Gammarus ?
Scorcsby alludes to another small amphipod remarkable for
the largeness of its eyes, large quantities of which were found
in the stomach and mouth of a whale ; so that these crea-
tures, it is evident, feed also on small Crustacea.
LEUCOTnOE GLACIALIS.
Pell Sound. (Kroyer, Tidsh, iv, 159.)
l.IST OF AXIMVI.S OF SlMTZiJERGEN. 16-3
Met(ecus Medusabum.
It is either this or M. cyan.J5, which Martens alludes to as
found in the cavities of one of the sea-blubbers {medusa).
As INIr. Gosse observes of an allied species found on the
Devonshire coast, this singular aniphipod " makes these
chambers his residence, dwelling in them as in so many
spacious and commodious apartments, of which he takes pos-
session, without asking leave of the landlord, or paying him
even a peppercorn rent. There, however, he snugly en-
sconces himself and feels himself so much at home, that he is
not afraid to leave his dwelling now and then to take a swim
in the free water, returning to his chamber after his exer-
cise."— Naiuralisf s Rambles, p. 367.
Caprella Scolopendroides.
Taken to the northward of Low Island on Parry's ex-
pedition.
Cyamus ceti — Whale-louse.
Found on the whale principally under the fin, or in situa-
tions where it is not likely to be dislodged. Scoresby refers
to a similar animal, but smaller, being sometimes found on
the body of the narwhal {Arctic Regions, i, 543).
Arcttjrus Baffini.
Taken abundantly off the west side of Loav Island, on
Parry's expedition (App., p. 203).
Tanais gracilis.
Spitzbergen. (Kroyer, Tidsk, iv, 182.)
Lernceopoda eloxgata.
Attached to the eye of the Greenland shark. Scoresby,
in his Arctic Regions, i, p. 538, pi. 15, fig. 5, describes and
figures this as a portion of the eye of the shark ; he says,
" to the posterior edge of the pupil is attached a white
vermiform substance, one or two inches in length. Each
164 APPENDIX.
extremity of it consists of two filaments ; but the central
part is single :" this substance is the Lernocopoda.
Lernoea cyclopterina.
This seems to be the species found by Phipps in the gills
of the " Cycloptcrus Liparis," and not the " L. branchialis,"
a parasite apparently confined to the species of the cod and
haddock family.
NyMPHON GllOSSIPES.
Spitzbergen. {Pamfs Expedition.^
Nymphon hirsutum.
Found abundantly on Parry's expedition in the Polar Sea
to the northward of the Seven Islands.
CIRRIPEDIA.
Balanus Tintinnabulum. \
Smeerenberg Harbour (Phipps, 197). '
This species is mentioned by Phipps as having been
picked up on the beach of Smeerenberg Harbour ; it was
much worn and broken, and he was uncertain whether it
was a native of these seas, or had been brought there by
accident. In the Arctic seas this, or an allied Balanus of
equal size, has been subsequently met with alive.
INSECTS.
Scoresby says {Arctic Regiojis, i, 131), " the only insect I
saw was a small green fly, which swarmed upon the shingle
about the beach"; this was near Mitre Cape.
Sir J.C. Ross (Appendix, Pcirrifs Narratice, p. 201) refers
to '' the only insect that was obtained during the voyage";
it was a species of aphis or plant-louse, described by Mr.
I,IST OF AXniALS OF SlMTZnEKGEN. 165
Curtis as Aphis borealis. Sir James remarks : " The circum-
stance of the Aphis horcalis having been found on floating
floes of ice in the Polar Sea, at one hundred miles distance
from the nearest known land, and as far north as 82° |-j ren-
ders it in a more than ordinary degree interesting. Its very
near resemblance to the Aphis Piece, which feeds on the silver
fir {Pinus Picca, L), whence it derives its name, would in-
duce the belief that the floating trees of fir, that are to be
found so abundantly on the shores and to the northward of
Spitzbergen, might possibly be the means by which this
insect has been transported to the northern regions. It was
never seen on the wing, and the few specimens that were
obtained were in a very languid state, but revived by the
heat of the hand."
ANNELIDA
Serpula triquetba.
Smecrenberg Harbour, adhering to dead shells (Phipps,
p. 198).
Spirorbis spirorbis.
Smeerenberg Harbour, abundant, sticking to the stones
and dead shells.
Sabella frustulosa.
North side of Spitzbergen fPhipps, p. 198).
MOLL use A.
Clio borealis — Sea May-Flye. Martens, p. 135.
This species occurs, according to Dr. Scoresby, " in vast
numbers in some situations near Siiitzbergcn, but is not
166 APPENDIX.
found generally throughout the arctic seas. In swimming it
brings the tips of its fins almost into contact, first on one side
and then on the other, I kept several of them alive in a
glass of sea water for about a month, when they gradually
wasted away and died." — Arctic Regions, i, 544. Phipps
remarks : " Our fishermen call them by the name of whale
food, and are of the same opinion " with Martens, who
says they are the chief food of the whalebone whale (App.,
p. 196).
LiMACiNA AKCTicA — Snail Slime-Fish. Martens, p. 136.
Found in immense quantities near the coast of Spitz-
bergen, but seems to be rare, according to Dr. Scoresby, out
of sight of land. Sir James Clarke Ross remarks that, on
Parry's Polar expedition, this species and the preceding
were very numerous " as far as 81° f N., towards the end
of August, affording abundance of food for the numerous
water fowl which, at this season, are preparing to migrate
with their young to the southward" (App,, p. 206). In
Greenland, according to Otho Fabricius {Faun. Grcenl., p.
389), it forms the food of whales, and when eaten by the
Cottus Scorpio, renders the fish insipid as food to the natives.
That author gives the following account of its habits, the
translation is that of Dr. Johnston, in his Introduction to
Conchology. " The shell is its boat, which the snail rows
admirably through the water by the regularly timed strokes
of the raised fins. In this act the open extremity of the shell
is the prow, the opposite end occupies the place of a poop,
and the margin of the body whorl resembles and performs
the office of the keel. I have often seen it with admiration
and pleasure. He can move in a retrograde manner. When
weary with rowing, or when touched, the little boatman con-
tracts its oary fins, and drawing itself within the shell, sinks
to the bottom, where it rests a short space, cither upon the
keel, or the prow, or the vertex, but never on the umbilicus.
I,IST Ol'' ANI^LALS OF SI'lTZKEUnEN. 1()7
Then again it rises upwards, rowing- obliquely until the sxm.*-
face has been gained, where its course is held in a straight
line over the trackless surge." He adds, that when taken
out of the shell, although without injury and in the water, it
immediately dies" {Fauna Grcenlandica , pp. 388, 389).
BCCCIXTTM CARINATUM.
First described and figured in Phipps' Voyage, from
specimens found on the beach at Smeerenberg Harbour
(App., p. 197).
BCCCINUJI GLACIALE.
Spitzbergen : found too, occasionally, off the coast of Shet-
land (Fleming's Brit. Animals, p. 343).
Margarita helicina.
North side of Spitzbergen (Phipps, p. 198).
Chiton ruber.
" Coat of mail shell", taken in the trawl on the north side
of Spitzbergen (Phipps, p. 197).
Mttilus rugosus.
Beach at Smeerenberg (Phipps, p. 197).
Mya truncata.
Beach in Smeerenberg Harbour (Phipps, 1. c. 197).
Pandora glacialis.
Spitzbergen (Leach, App. to Ross's Voyage, ii, 174).
Macoma tenera.
Spitzbergen (Leach, 1. c. ii, 175).
Crassina semisulcata.
Sjiitzbergen (Leach, 1. c. ii, 175).
NicAxiA Banksii.
Spitzbergen (Leach, 1. c. ii, 175).
168 APPENDIX.
Terebratula caput-serpentis.
Spitzbergen.
Terebratella spitzberoexsis.
Spitzbergen (Dr. Gray? C'a^. of Mollusca in Brit. Mus.,
p. 91).
Synoicum tukgens.
North side of Spitzbergen, taken up in tlie trawl. This
new genus and new species, belonging to the Tunicated
mollusca, was found on Phipps' expedition. It is described
and figured in the appendix of the narrative of that voyage
(pp. 190, £00, tab. 13, f. 3). For a more detailed account of
this curious genus, with dissections, see Savigny's Memoires
8ur les animaux sa?is vertehres, ii, pp. 180, 181, pi, xv.
ASCIBIA GELATIA'OSA & A. rustica.
North side of Spitzbergen (Phipps, pp. 194, 195).
RAD I AT A.
ECHINODERMATA.
Asterias papposa.
Found during the expeditions of Phipps and Parry.
Asterias bubens.
North side of Spitzbergen (Phipps, 196).
Asterias glacialis.
During Parry's expedition some verj^ fine specimens of
this sea-star were taken in a drag net, from a depth of eighty
fathoms in lat. 81° 6' N. (Sir J. C. Ross. App., p. 203.)
OpHIOLEPIS FRAGILIS.
North side of Spitzbergen. This seems to be one of the
species described in Martens.
LIST OF ANIMALS OF SnP/.BKlUi KX. 1(59
COMATULA PECTIN ATA.
North side of Spitzbcrgen ; taken iu the trawl (Phipps,
p. 196).
ASTUOPHYTON ARBORESCENS.
Sjiitzbcrgen. " The Second Star -fish," described and
figured by Martens.
ENTOZOA.
ECHINORHYXCHUS POLYMORPHUS.
This species (figured and described in Phipps, p. 194, tab.
13, f. 1, under the name of Sipunculus Lendix), " was found
adhering by its small snout, to the inside of the intes-
tines of an eider duck. Mr. Hunter, who at my request
dissected it, informed me that he had seen the same species
of animal adhering to the intestines of whales." Other
species of intestinal worms have been met with in these seas
(see Scoresby, i, p. 543).
ACALEPHiE.
Cydippe (Beroe) PILEtrS.
" Slime Fish like a Cap." Martens, p. 138.
This species is found in great abundance as far north as 82 .
Cydippe ovum.
This species was seen abundantly on Parry's expedition
amongst the loose ice to the northward of Spitzbcrgen, and
as far north as the expedition went (p. 202).
Medusa Infuxdibulum, or an allied species.
" Slime Fish like a Fountain." Martens, p. 138.
There seem to be other species of Acalephse in the Spitz-
bergen seas. Some of these are roughly figured in plate 16
of Dr. Scoresby's work. Most of them are very small and
very abundant. They are found chiefly in the sea water, of
an olive-green colour, and also occur, but in smaller quan-
tities, in the blueish green water. Dr. Scoresby remarks :
ITO APPKN11IX.
" The number of medusa; in the olive-green sea was found
to be immense. They were about one-fourth of an inch
asunder. In this proportion, a cubic inch of water must
contain 64 ; a cubic foot 110,59.^ ; a cubic fathom 23,887,882;
and a cubical mile about 23,888,000,000,000,000 ! From
soundings made in the situation where these animals were
found, it is probable the sea is upwards of a mile in depth ;
but whether these substances occupy the whole depth is un-
certain. Provided, however, the depth to which they extend
be but two hundred and fifty fathoms, the above immense
number of one species may occur in a space of two miles
square. . . . What a stupendous idea this fact gives of the im-
mensity of creation, and of the bounty of Divine Providence,
in furnishing siich a profusion of life in a region so remote
from the habitations of men" (p. 179). " The economy of
these little creatures . . . constitutes the foundation of the
subsistence of the largest animals in the creation . . . The
common whale feeds on medusa^, cancri, actiniae, sepise,
etc., and these feed probably on the minor medusse and ani-
malcules. The iin whales and dolphins feed principally on
herrings and other small fishes ! These subsist on the smaller
cancri, medusa;, and animalcules. The bear's most general
food is probably the seal ; the seal subsists on the cancri and
small fishes ; and these on lesser animals of the tribe, or on
the minor medusa? and animalcules. Thus the whole of the
larger animals depend on these minute beings . . . and thus
Ave find a dependent chain of existence, one of the smaller
links of which being destroyed, the whole must necessarily
perish. It is not a little interesting to trace the physiology
of the preservation of these smaller animals. As the mean
temperature of the atmosphere in the Spitzbergen Sea is ten
or twelve degrees below the freezing point of salt water, it is
evident, that, were the water of the sea stationary, it must, in
the course of ages, be frozen to the bottom, and along with
it, as a matter of course, all the smaller animals, not having
LIST ()!•• AM.MAI.S Ol' ST f 1 ZHKKGEN. 171
sufficient instinct or power of motion to enable tlieni to retire
into a more southern region. Now, such an event is pro-
vided against, by the constant prevalence of a current setting
towards the south-west, Avhich carries away the ice into a
parallel where it can be dissolved, and occasions a circulation
of water into the frozen regions from a warmer climate.
And this circulation of the water is beautifully accomplished;
for, while the superficial current is jierforming its office, in
carrying away a portion of ice, an under-current setting to
the noi'thward, is acting an equally important ji^^i't in afford-
ing warmth to the seas of the higher latitudes, and prevent-
ing the too great accumulation of the ice. But how is it, it
might be asked, when a current in the waters, inhabited by
the minor medusae, is constantly setting to the southward,
that these animals are not carried away into a southern re-
gion altogether ? This question, if we may be allowed to
argue hypothetically, admits of an easy solution. Animals,
Ave find, when possessing any power of moving, though they
be of the most imperfect kind of organization, generally em-
ploy that power by a sort of instinctive faculty, as may best
serve the purposes for which they were called into existence.
Now, it would be no stretch of commonly received prin-
ciples, to suppose, that Avhenever the minor medusas, etc.,
are carried to a certain extent southward, they may sink in
the water as far as the stream of the under-current, and by
it be conveyed back again into their proper element. The
fact of the olive-green coloured sea Avater maintaining a great
similarity of position, for many years together, Avhile surface
after surface of ice is carried aAvay by the current and dissi-
pated, is in support of this conjecture. Thus, by a most
beautiful contrivance, a large portion of tbe surface of the
globe is rendered habitable, Avhich Avould otherAvise be a
solid mass of ice, and by the Avarmth of the loAver stratum of
the Polar Sea it is rendered congenial to many tribes of
animals Avhicli must^ othcrAvisc, have incumbered other re-
172 APPENDIX.
gions, noAv affording products useful for the subsistence of
man" (Scoresby, Arctic Regions, \, 546-548).
POLYPI.
MiLLEPORA POLYMORPHA.
Smeerenberg Harbour (Phipps, p. 198).
Cellepora pumicosa.
Smeerenberg Harbour (Phipps, p. 199).
AXXULIPORA PILOSA.
Smeerenberg Harbour, adhering to stones (Pliipps, p. 200).
Flustra membranacea.
Smeerenberg Harbour (Phipps, p. 200).
17^
LIST OF THE PLANTS OF SPITZBERGEN.
Chief y from the Catalogue given hy Sir W. J. Hooker in
the Appendix to Parry's Voyage.
DiCOTTLEDONES.
Ranunculus nivalis
„ sulphureus
,, sceleratus
Papaver nudicaule
Draba alpina
„ lapponica
„ hirta
Cochlearia fenestrata \
„ Danica
„ Groculandica
Platypetalum purpurascens
Pairya arctica
Cardamine bellidifolia
Silene acaulis
Lychnis apctala
Cerastium alpinum
Stellaria la5ta
„ humifusa
„ Edwardsii
Spergula saginoides
Arcnaria rubella
Saxifraga oppositifolia
„ llagellaris
,, aizoides
„ rivularis
„ caespitosa
„ foliolosa
„ nivalis — " Small Ilouse-
leek." Martens, p. 47
„ cernua
„ tricus})idata i " Plant
with aloe leaves.' Martens, p. 46
Dryas octopetala
Potentilla pulchella
,, nivea
Leontodon palustre
Andromeda tetragona
Pedicularis hirsuta
„ arctica
Polygonum viviparum
Oxyria reniforrais
Salix herbacea
MoNOCOTYLEDONES.
Luzula hyperborea
Carex fuligiuosa
Eriophorum capitatum
Poa abbreviata
„ arctica
Phippsia algida
A small grass, the Agrostis al-
gida of Phipps, p. 200, 201, con-
stituting the type of a new genus,
named by Mr. Brown in honour of
Captain Phipps (Lord Mulgrave).
Festuca brevifolia
Dupontia Fisheri
Ilierochloe pauciflora
ACOTYLEDONES.
Lycopodium Selago
Equisetum variegatum
Bryum palustre
„ turgidum
„ crudum
„ ccespititium
„ turbinatum
" ."^P ■
Cynclidium stygium
Hypnum nitons
„ aduncum
174
APPENDIX.
Hypnum cuprossiforine
„ uncinatum >.
Trichostomum lanuginosum
Dicranum virens
„ fuscescens
Weissia crispula
Conostomum boreale ?
Polytrichum septeutriouale
„ alpinum
Splachnum Adamsianum
Voitia hyperborea
Jungerraannia miuuta ■
„ scalaris
Gyrophora tesselata
„ cylindrica
„ erosa
„ deusta
„ vallea
Lecauora tartarea
,, elegans
Parmelia saxatilis
„ recurva
., miniata 1
Cetraria nivalis
„ cucullata
„ islandica. " Iceland moss."
" Immense quantities (of this
lichen) are gathered in Iceland,
not only for sale, but for their
own use as an article of common
food. The bitter and purgative
quality being extracted by steep-
ing in water, the lichen is dried,
reduced to powder, and made into
a cake, or boiled and eaten with
milk, and eaten with thankful-
ness, too, by the poor natives, who
confess that a bountiful Provi-
dence sends them bread out of
the very stones." — Hooker, Ung-
lish Flora, v, 221.
Peltidea aphthosa
„ canina
Cenomyce alcicornis
„ pyxidata
„ gracilis
Cladonia rangiferina, the Reindeer
moss. " It is this lichen which,
for the greater part of the year,
and esijecially in Avinter, is the
sup25ort of the vast herds of rein-
deer, wherein consists all the
wealth of the Laplanders
Whatever may be the depth of
snow during the long winters of
that climate, these creatures have
the power of penetrating it and
obtaining their necessary food."
— Hooker, English Flora, v, p.
235.
Cladonia vermicularis
Isidium oculatum
Stereocaulon paschale
Sphgerophoron fragile
„ coralloides
Alectoria jubata
Cornicularia jubata
„ odontella ?
„ ochroleuca
„ lanata
Ulva crispa
Ptilota plumosa
Protococcusnivalis, the "Red Snow."
Sir W. Hooker, in reference to
this most curious production re-
marks, that on Capt. Parry's ex-
pedition it was found " in greater
abundance, i^erhaps, than on any
former occasion, and in a situation
still more remarkable ; for it was
upon the floes of ice extending
nearly to the utmost limit of the
journey, and there, too, in such
abundance, and so completely
imbedded in the snow, that dis-
tinct red lines were left by the
tracks of the boats or sledges on
the surface; thus vegetating in the
most northern regions to which
man has yet been able to pene-
trate, and flourishing most in an
clement (or rather a state of an
element) in which no other vege-
table that we are acquainted with
can exist."
Fucus digitatus
llalymeuia palmata 1
Lamiuaria sp .'
b E P TK N T H I O N .
Groenland
"^
% S^ v^,
% ,1 r^^
JDAN KMAK'C
, A^^CEAN DEVCALED ONIEN . .^M
J .var - ^ " / l%Es.s^>
} I'KLLE
j;h-b ■ p »
26() 270
B ■ ■ )linl B TTHT W ■ g 1 B .jTBTl W 1 p'B'M'IM M jB BT W^m'W ■ irill wm ir'Tll
28" ^^-^^ 300 3/0 320 330 j/o
iiiirTirMrTMniMn»rTinii-im^^^
c;\E
imrTr
530
Midi
550
.360
40
DESCRIPTION
GREENLAND.
#1,
fa
C
A M E R I Q A^
500
j'O
DESCRIPTION
GREENLAND
RELATION
DU
GHOENLAND.
A PARIS:
Chez THOMAS JOLLY, dans la petite Salle
des Merciers, au Palais, a la Palme, et aux Armes
de Hollande.
m.dc.lxiii.
Avec privilege du Roy.
NOTE ON THE 31 AP OF GREENLAND.
I may say that 31. Chajjclain is the real author of this map,
because he gace it as his opinion that it teas absolutely neces-
sary fur the illustration of my narrative, and I could not do
^L'rong in folloicing the advice of a jjcrsort ivho has attained
such high and universal approbation. I have draicn this map
on four elevations tohich loere well-knoivn to 7ne, viz.. Cape
Farewell, Iceland, Spitzbergen, and that part of the Christian
Sea where the ice arrested the progress of Captain Munch,
which is here laid dozen and called Port of MuncWs Winter.
I have taJcen the longittides of all these places upon the me-
ridian of the Island of Ferro, in the Canaries, by the advice
of M. Foberval, a mathematicicm of great fame, and of M.
Sanson, an excellent geographer, whom I have consulted upon
the construction of this map. I have ascertained the longitude
of the Port of Munches Winter more precisely than the others,
from an eclipse of the moon, lohich is mentioned in the cap-
tain''s oxen account, tvhich states, that being at this p)ort, he
saio it at eight o''cloch in the evening, December 20fh, 1619.
It must have appeared at Paris, according to the tables of the
movements of the heavenly bodies, at three o'' clock in the morn-
ing, or thereahouts, on the 21s^ of the same month ; but as
this eclipse lasted three hours or more, and as Captain Munch
does not say tchcther he saio it at the commencement, middle,
or end, M. Gassendy {to lohom I had recourse touching this
difficulty, and whose capability is knoivn among all those who
p>rofess a regard for belles-lettres) advised me, for the sake of
ensuring an approximation to truth in my conjectures, and in
order not to fall into the one or other extreme, to suppose that
180 DESCRirXION OF GREENLAND.
this eclipse ivas apparent at Munches Port hettveen its com-
mencement and its end, that is to say, towards the middle of
the time that it lasted and at the hour, or thereabouts, that it
should have been seen at Paris ; whence it will result, that
ivhen it is three o'clock in the morning at Paris, it is only
eight o'clock in the evening of the preceding day at Munck''s
Port, and that there are seven hours difference between one
place and the other.
Now, by taking Jif teen degrees for each hour, according to
the rides of science, it will folloic also that the meridian of
Munck''s Port will be distant from the meridian of Paris
one hundred and jive degrees ; and that, placing Paris in the
ticenty-third degree and a half of longitude, MuncMs Port
shoidd be placed in the two hundred and seventy -eighth de-
gree and a half, that is to say, eighty-one degrees and a half
beyond the meridian of the Canaries. And it will be evident
by the same reasoning, that if we reckon twelve common
French leagues to each degree of this parallel, the degrees of
lohieh are smaller by about half than the degrees of the great
circles, this port will be distant from Paris one thousand two
hundred and sixty leagues. I have divided the southern j^art
of Greenland, taken at Cape Farewell, into two islands, in
the manner in which they are here represented. This I have
done, not from the Danish accounts, of which I have made
use for my history, for they do not speak of it, but from a
map in the library of Cardinal Mazarin, which M. Naude
{ivho is the soul of the great collection of excellent books and
curious researches of which that distinguished library is com-
j)osed) did me the favour to show me. At the bottom of this
map the folloioing words are written : —
FTcec delineatio facta est per Martinum jilium Arnoldi
natum in Hollandia, Civitafe dicta den Briel qui bis naviga-
tionem ad insidam dictam antiquam Groenlandiam, instituit;
tanquam supremus Gubcrnator, ano. 1G24 ^' 1C25.
2'his Martin, son of Arnold, calls Greenland an island,
NOTE ON THE U\V. 181
although it is not yet /mown lohcthcr it be an island, or a con-
tinent, m' a group of islands. He sags that it is the map of
Old Greenland ; he might say of the Old and of the New, for
no other is known ; and that which toe know ought rather to
he called New than Old. The reason is, that ivhilst Old
Greenland has certainly heen placed in some part of the land
here described, and to the west of Iceland, yet they have never
been able to determine its locality, which is not now known
even by the Norwegians, although their fathers discovered it
and inhabited it for whole centuries ; as will be more parti-
cularly shown in this history.
That which is here represented of the junction of Cape
Fareivell with the Christian Strait and the Christian Sea and
the Port of MuncUs Winter, has been taken from a map that
Captain Munck caused to be constructed on his voyage, and
which is reprinted with his narrative. I have followed it the
more icillingly that it agrees with the map of Captain Hud-
son himself, who first discovered this strait and sea, which
31. Chapelain, a man ivhose courtesy equals his research, lent
me from his own cabinet, that I might compare it at leisure
with Captain MuncMs map.
I dare not assert that all the coast of the Christian Sea,
as ivell as the JVest Coast as here described, between Davis
Gulf and the Port of Munck'' s Winter, is part of Greenland,
because it may be that there is some considerable river or
some strait ivhich I do not know of, that intersects this land
and separates Greenland from America. What renders me
more undecided upon this 'point is, that I have not heard in
Denmark that all this coast was part of Greenland, as I have
heard it stated of all the north-east coast between Cape Fare-
well and Spitzbergcn. I leave the solution of this doubt to
those icho will knoio more about it from English and Dutch
narratives, as my present design is only to write xohat I have
learned of this land from Danish books and from conversa-
tions that I have had in Denmark.
M. DE LA MOTHE LE VAYEE.
Sir, — I see plainly that I must not content myself "svith
having written you a long letter on Iceland : but I must also
keep my promise, and send you a description of Greenland.
Do not be astonished at the length of time I have allowed to
elapse between the two ; for if you consider the difficulties
and the perils that have to be encountered in that naviga-
tion, you will find that I was right in not hurrying, but
informing myself at leisure of the route I must take to find
this northern country, which better merits the name of un-
known than Australia does, not but what the Norwegians
have dwelt there and for the space of five or six hundred
years have carried on commerce and established colonies
therein. Let me not, however, confuse the order of my
narrative by putting at the head of this work that which
should constitute the body of it. I will tell you what I have
learned of this land, with all the information I could gather
from what has been told me, and what I could understand
from writings of a very confused character, not that I can say
that I read them myself, but they were explained to me from
a language that I do not understand; such as the Danish books
Avhich M. Rets, a Danish gentleman, has had the kindness
to read and explain to me. You will sec him soon at Paris,
for the king of Denmark has appointed him, on account of
his worth and deserts, to be his ambassador to France, and
he will confirm what I am going to write.
DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
Greenland is that northern hand which runs from south
to cast, extending- northwards from Cape Farewell in the
Deucalcdonian Ocean, along the coasts of the Arctic Sea
which trend towards Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla. Some
say that it extends so far as to join the regions of Tartary;
hut this is uncertain, as you will hereafter perceive. It has,
then, on the east the Arctic Sea ; on the south the Deucalc-
donian Ocean ; on the west, Hudson's or Christian Straits,
and the Sea of Hudson or Christian which separates it from
America. Its length on the northern coast is unknown. The
Danish Chronicle on this head states, that it forms the north-
ern extremity of the world, and that beyond it there is no
more northern land to be found. There are some who think
that Greenland is part of the American continent, since the
time when the English, in an attempt to pass through Davis
Straits with the view of discovering a passage into the East
by that route, found that what Davis had taken for a strait
was a gulf. I have, however, a Danish narrative, by a Danish
captain named John Munck, who tried this passage to the
East by the north-west of the Gulf of Davis, and according
to what he says there is great probability that this land is
entirely separated from America. This I shall show you in
due time when I come to speak of that voyage.
The elevation of Greenland taken from Cape Farewell,
which is its most southerly point, according to the calculation
184 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
of Captain Munck, a most intelligent navigator^ is sixty de-
grees thirty minutes. The other parts are much more elevated
as they approach nearer the Pole. I have no fixed datura as to
the elevation of Spitzbergen, which the Danes reckon as part
of Greenland, and say that it is in seventy-eight degrees or
thereabouts. I say nothing of the longitude of this country,
because my accounts do not mention it, and because I have
learned nothing more definite than Avhat our maps tell us.
It will suffice for me to remark, that Cape Farewell is be-
yond the Canaries and our first meridian, I have chiefly
used for the history of Greenland two chronicles, the one
Icelandic and the other Danish ; the former ancient, the
latter modern ; the former in prose, the latter in verse, and
both in the Danish language. The original of the Icelandic
one, however, is in Icelandic, composed by Snorro Storlu-
son, a native of Iceland, who was Nomophylax, as Angrimus
Jonas calls him, that is, sovereign judge of Iceland in the
year 1215. This is the same who compiled the Edda, or
the fables of Icelandic poetry, of which I have at other times
spoken to you. The Danish Chronicle was composed in
Danish verse, by a priest named Claudius Christopherson, who
died fifteen years ago or thereabouts. This chronicle states
that some Armenians, driven by a tempest, Avere carried into
the Northern Ocean, and landed by chance in Greenland,
where they remained for some time and passed from thence
into Xorway, where they inhabited the rocks of the Hyper-
borean Sea. That, however, is only founded on fable, and
the old habit of making people come from remote countries
to establish colonies. A more authentic and certain account
is that the Norwegians discovered Greenland, and that they
went over thither and dwelt there in the manner described.
A gentleman of Norway named Torwald, and his son Eric,
surnamed the E.ed, having committed murder in Norway,
fled to Iceland, where Torwald died. His son Eric, who
was of an impatient and fiery temper, shortly after killed
DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND. 185
another man in Iceland, and not knowing whither to flee to
escape the severity of the judges who pursued him, resolved
to seek a land which a man named Gundebiurne told him he
had seen to the west of Iceland. Eric found this country
and landed thereon at an opening formed by two promon-
tories, one of which was at the end of an island facing the
continent of Greenland, and the other on the continent itself.
The promontory on the island is called Huidserken ; that
on the continent, Huarf ; and between the two there is a
good roadstead, called Sandstafin, where vessels may ride in
great safety in bad weather. Huidserken is a prodigiovisly
high mountain, beyond all comparison higher than Huarf ;
Eric the Red called it at first " Mukla Jokel", that is to
say, the great icicle. It has since been called " Bloscrken",
which is as much as to say, blue shirt. And, again, " Huid-
serken", which signifies white shirt. The reason for these
two last changes of name is probably this, that the snow, by
melting and freezing at the same time, composes at first an
ice, which is the colour of moss or grass, or of the little trees
which grow upon these rocks ; but as after repeated falls
of snow, heaping themselves in layers one upon the other,
the ice becomes extraordinarily thick, it resumes its pristine
colour and the whiteness which is natural to it. This ob-
servation is based upon my experience of what occurs in
Sweden, where I have seen rocks which from the same cause
appeared first a pale blue and afterwards white. I can posi-
tively assure you, and the ambassador will confirm the truth
of what I say, that in returning this very winter from Swe-
den to Denmark, and passing in a sledge over the sea be-
tween Elsinore and Copenhagen, we saw large blocks of ice
heaped up in different places, Avhole piles of which appeared
to us, some very white, others as if tinted with the most
beautiful azure that could be seen. We could find no ex-
planation for this phenomenon, for they were all formed
from the same water, and we saw them all from a point of
24
186 DESCRirTION OF GREENLAND.
view which did not seem to us sufficiently different with re-
spect to each to cause this difference of colour. It reminds
me of those lines of Virgil, where he speaks of the frozen
zones in the following words : —
"Coerulea glacie concretfe, atque imbribus atris."
But I think that Ccrvilea glacies ought to be taken in this
place for black ice, such as Virgil has figured to himself in
the black and dark countries ; as where the poet says in ano-
ther j^lace : —
" Olli coeruleus supra caput adstitit imber."
And also : —
'' Stant manibus ara3
" Cocruleis msesta; vittis atraque cupresso."
To return to our subject. Before undertaking anything
upon the continent, Eric the Ked thought fit to recon-
noitre the island and landed there. He gave it the name of
Ericsun, which means the Island of Eric, and remained
there all the winter. When spring came he left the island
for the continent, which he called Groenland, that is to say,
Greenland, because of the verdure of its pasturage and of its
trees. He landed at a port which he called Ericsfiorden,
that is to say, the Port of Eric, and not far from this port he
constructed a dwelling, which he named Ostrebug, or the
building of the East. The following autumn he went to the
western coast, where he built another dwelling and called
it Vestrebug, or building of the West. But, either because
the climate of the continent appeared to him colder and more
severe than that of his own island, or that he found less
safety there, he returned the next winter to Ericsun. In the
summer following he again went to the continent, and pro-
ceeded to the north coast to the foot of a large rock, which
he called Snefiel, or rock of snow. And discovered a port,
to which he gave the name of Ravensfiord, that is, the port
of the crows, from the number of crows he found there.
DESCllIPTION OF GREENLAND. 187
Ravensfiord answers on the north side to Ericsfiordcn on the
south. And one may cross from one to the other by an arm
of the sea which connects them. Eric returned again to his
ishmd at the end of autumn, and there passed the third
winter. On the return of spring he determined to go him-
self to Iceland, and in order to induce the Icelanders, with
whom he had made peace, to follow him to Greenland, he
proclaimed the wonders of the land he had discovered. He
reported that it abounded in oxen and sheep, in excellent
pasturage, and in all kinds of hunting and fishing ; and so
effectual were his persuasions, that he returned to his con-
quered country with a great number of vessels and a large
retinue of Icelanders. The son of Eric, named Leiffe, hav-
ing passed over from Greenland to Iceland with his father,
proceeded thence to Norway, where, according to my Ice-
landic Chronicle, he found the king Olaus Truggerus, and
told him of the excellencies of the country which his father
had discovered. This king of Norway, who a short time
before had become a Christian, caused LeiiFe to be instructed
in Christianity, and after having him baptised, persuaded
him to remain the ensuing winter at his court. He sent him
back the next summer to his father in Greenland, and gave
him a priest to instruct Eric and the people who were with
him in the Christian religion. Upon Leiffe's return to his
father, he received from the inhabitants of Greenland the
name of Leiffdenhepne, which means LeiiFe the happy, be-
cause he had escaped great dangers in his voyage. He met
with a cold reception from his father for having brought some
strangers with him. These were some poor sailors whom he
had found on the keel of their own vessel, which had been
struck by a storm and completely overturned upon some rocks
of ice out in the open sea. Leiffe, moved with compassion
for these poor wretches, having himself suffered from the
same tempest, received them into his ship and took them to
Greenland. Eric was angry because, as he said, Leiffe had
188 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND,
shown to strangers the road to the country which he had
wished to keep secret from all the world. But the generous
son softened the fierce spirit of his father. He told him of
those duties of humanity which constitute a man, and then
spoke to him of that charity which constitutes a Christian, and
begged him to listen to the priest whom the king of Norway
had given him. The result was so successful, that he pre-
vailed upon his father and his followers to be baptized.
This is all that I have been able to learn of Eric the Red
and his son Leiffe, and the first Norwegians who inhabited
Greenland.
The Icelandic Chronicle places the departure of Torwold
and of Eric his son from the Port of Jedren, in Norway, at
the time of Earl Hakon, called the Rich, which is the com-
mencement of this chronicle, and in the reign of Olaus
Truggerus, king of Norway, about the year 982. The
Danish Chronicle goes further back and places it in 770. I
have shown you in my history of Iceland that this latter
supposition is more probable than the former, by a bull of
Pope Gregory IV, about the year 835, addressed to Bishop
Ansgarius for the propagation of faith in all the northern
countries, and especially in Iceland and Greenland. I shall
not dwell on this dispute, but shall only make two remarks
on the subject. The first is, that the same Danish Chronicle
states, that the kings of Denmark becoming Christians in the
reign of Louis le Debonnaire, from that time a great stir was
made about Greenland. Secondly, that M. Gunter, secre-
tary to the king of Denmark, a learned man of excellent
understanding and an intimate friend of mine, told me he
had seen in the archives of the archbishop of Bremen an old
manuscript chronicle, in which was a copy of the bull which
constituted the archbishop of Bremen metropolitan of all
the North, especially of Norway and its dependent islands,
Iceland and Greenland. He did not exactly remember the
date of the bull, but was certain it Avas before the year of
grace 900.
DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAXD. 189
The Danish Chronicle says, that the successors of Eric
the E,ccl having multiplied in Greenland, went higher up
the country, and found amongst the mountains, fertile lands,
meadows, and rivers. They divided Greenland into east
and west, according to the division that Eric had made by
the two buildings of Ostrebug and Vestrcbug. They built
in the east a town, which they called Garde ; to which, says
the Chronicle, the Norwegians every year brought different
sorts of merchandise, which they sold to the inhabitants of
the country in order to attract them thither. Their children
went still further and built another town, which they called
Albe ; and as religious zeal was increasing among Chris-
tians, they erected a monastery on the sea coast in honour of
St. Thomas. The town of Garde was the residence of their
bishops, and the church of St. Nicholas, the patron of sailors,
built in this town, was the dome or cathedral of Greenland.
You will find the list of these bishops and their order of suc-
cession in the "Specimen Islandicum" of Angrimus Jonas,
where he speaks of Greenland, from the time of their esta-
blishment to the year 1389. Pontanus, in his history of
Denmark, remarks, that in the same year, 1389, a bishop of
Garde, named Henry, gave assistance to the states of Den-
mark which were in Nieuborg, in Funen, on the shores of
the Great Belt. Whilst Greenland elevated the kings of
Norway in temporal things, the bishops of Drontheim, in
Norway, improved them in spiritual things, and the bishops
of Greenland went over frequently to Norway to consult the
bishops of Drontheim on the difficulties which they expe-
rienced. Greenland practised the laws of Iceland under
the viceroys whom the kings of Norway established there.
You can learn the names of these viceroys, and the exploits
of the like Icelandic heroes on the plains of Greenland, in
the " Specimen Islandicum", where the good Angrimus,
who was a zealous compatriot, has not forgotten them ; and
to his work I refer you, because, as these gallant deeds have
190 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
already been described in print, I have not thought it neces-
sary to write about them now to you.
The Danish Chronicle states, that in the year 1256 Green-
land revolted, and refused to pay tribute to Magnus, king of
Norway. Eric, king of Denmark, at the request of king
Magnus, who had married his niece, fitted out a naval arma-
ment for this expedition. The inhabitants of Greenland,
seeing the red standards of the Danes and their arms glitter-
ing in the vessels, were so terrified that they cried for mercy
and sued for peace. The king of Denmark would not take
advantage of the weakness of the king of Norway, and left
him Greenland for the sake of his niece and grand-nephews.
This peace was made in 1261, and Angrimus Jonas, who
mentions it, gives the names of the three principal inhabitants
of Greenland who signed the treaty in Norway. " Decla-
rantes," says Angrimus, " suis factum auspiciis ut Graenlandi
perpetuum tributum Norvcgo denuo jurassent."
The Icelandic Chronicle, which is a collection from other
histories, contains a chapter entitled, "Description of Green-
land", and this description would seem to refer to the most
flourishing period of the Norwegian sway in that country.
I will give you word for word what is written in this chap-
ter, as it has been translated to me from the Danish; but
you must not ask me for dates or chronological order in this
history, for I cannot guarantee the one or the other.
The most eastern town in Greenland is called Skagefiord,
where there is an uninhabitable rock ; and further in the sea
is another rock, which prevents vessels from entering unless
the tide is high ; and at high tide, or whenever there is a
violent storm, this port is filled with whales and other fish,
which may then be taken in great abundance. A little fur-
ther towards the east, there is a port called Funchebudcr,
from the name of a page of St. Olaus, king of Norway, who,
with many others, suffered shipwreck there. Still higher
and in the neighbourhood of the icebergs, there is an island
DESCRIPTION OF GKEENLAND. 191
called Roanscn, where there is much hunting of all kinds
of beasts, and among others an abundance of white bears.
Nothing is to be seen beyond but ice both by sea and land.
On the west coast is Kindelfiord, which is an arm of the sea,
and all the coast of which is inhabited. On the right coast
is a church, called Ivorskirke, or a church built in the form
of a cross, which extends to Petresuik, where also is Van-
dalbug ; and beyond is a monastery, dedicated to St. Olaus
and to St. Augustine : this monastery extends as far as
Bolten. Near Kindelfiord is Rumpesinfiord, where there is
a convent of nuns and several little islands, in which are
found a great number of hot-water springs, which are so hot
in winter that they cannot be approached. The heat is
moderated in the summer. These waters are very whole-
some, and many disorders are cured by them. Near here is
Eynetsfiord. Between Eynetsfiord and Rumpesinfiord there
is a royal residence, called Fos, and a large church, dedi-
cated to St. Nicholas. In Lunesfiord is a promontory named
Klining, and further on an arm of the sea called Grantevig.
Beyond is a house called Daller, which belongs to the cathe-
dral of Greenland.
The cathedral possesses the whole of Lunesfiord, and par-
ticularly the large island beyond Eynesfiord, called Reyatsen,
on account of the reindeer which inhabit it. In this island
is a stone called talguestein, so strong that fire cannot con-
sume it, and so soft, that they make of it drinking vessels,
cauldrons, and tubs, which contain ten or twelve tuns.
Continuing onwards towards the west is an island called
Langen, in which there are eight farms. All this island be-
longs to the cathedral. Near the church of Eynetsfiord there
is a royal house called Hellestad ; near that is Ericsfiord,
and at the entrance of that arm of the sea is an island called
Herrieven, which signifies the Island of the Lord, one half
of which belongs to the cathedral, the other half to the
church called Diurnes, which was the first church in Green-
19^ DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
land. And this was to be seen on entering Ericsfiord. The
country from Ericsfiord north-west to Midfiord, belongs to
Diurnes. Near here is Brudefiord on the north, and on this
northern coast there are a great number of islands and ports.
The country is uninhabited and barren between Ostrebug
and Vestrebug. Near this desert there is a church called
Strosnes, which was formerly the metropolitan and the resi-
dence of the bishop of Greenland. The Skreglinguer or
Skreglingres hold possession of all Vestrebug. Horses,
goats, cattle, and all kinds of wild beasts are found there,
but no inhabitants either Christian or Pagan. Iver Bert
states this fact: he was for a long time maitre d'hotel to the
bishop of Greenland, and saw all this, being one of those
whom the judge of Greenland appointed to drive away the
Skreglingres. On arriving there they found no j^eople,
but a great number of beasts, and they took away as many
as their vessels could hold. Beyond Vestrebug is a large
rock, called Himmelradsfield ; and farther than this no one
dares to navigate, on account of the whirlpools which exist
in this sea.
These are the contents of the whole chapter, which I have
copied as correctly as I could. Not having a special map of
Greenland, or any other history by which to confirm or con-
tradict these statements, I am unable to give any opinion
upon it, and therefore give it you as I have received it.
What surprises me in it is, that the church of Strosnes, built
in the wilds of Ostrebug and Vestrebug, should, since the
very beginning of the colonization of Greenland, have been
the metropolitan church and the residence of the bishop ;
for it has never been called in question that it was the
town of Garde which had from the first possessed this privi-
lege. The Danish Chronicle, regretting the loss of this
country, which cannot now be found, asserts that if the town
of Garde, the residence of the bishop, were still standing,
and one could visit it, there would be found a great number
DESCRIPTION OF CJ REENLAXl). 193
of memoirs for a true and extensive history of Greenland.
Angrimus Jonas, also an Icelander, in speaking of this resi-
dence says expressly : " Fundata in Bordum (which must be
read, in Garden) episcopal! residentia, in sinu Eynatsfiord
Grocnlandiic Orientalis." I think the author of this account,
though a very good maitre d'hotel, was but a bad writer, for
he has not explained who these Skreglingres were against
whom he was sent. I will tell you what Doctor Vormius,
the most learned of all the doctors in northern researches,
told me both verbally and in writing. He says they were the
original savages of Greenland, to whom this name was pro-
bably given by the Norwegians ; but I do not know why.
They inhabit, apparently, the other coast of the arm of the
Sea of Kindelfiord, on the western side of Greenland, one
of the coasts of which was inhabited by the Norwegians.
And when this writer says that the Skreglingres possessed
all Vestrebug, he only meant the western coast, it not
being credible that he should mean the eastern, which was
occupied by the Xorwegians. Now it is to be presumed
that some Norwegian adventurers had passed Kindelfiord
in a small number, and were beaten by these Skreglingres.
The viceroy of Norway, whom the history, after the Ice-
landic mode of speaking, calls the " Judge of Greenland" ,
w^ishing to obtain satisfaction for this affront, sent out a
stronger party and fitted out a good ship for this purpose.
But the savages seeing the vessels coming, did as was their
custom when they felt themselves to be the weaker party,
and fled and hid themselves in the woods, or in rocks and
caves. The Norwegians, finding no one on the shore, took
all the booty they could lay hands on, and carried it away in
their ship. This is what had led this innocent writer to
relate, that in the country of the Skreglingres are to be found
horses, goats, cattle, and sheep, etc., but no people, either
Christian or Pagan. M. Vormius thinks the locality of these
Skreglingres was not far from the Gulf of Davis, and that
25
194 DESCrvIPTION OF GREENLAND.
they might have been Americans, or possibly the aborigines
of New Greenland, discovered by the Danes in the reign of
Christian IV, king of Denmark, and of whom I shall speak
hereafter. He also thinks that their country bordered on
Old Greenland, which the Norwegians inhabited, and that
they occupied one part of Vestrebug before Eric the Red
took possession of the other.
To tell you my own notion upon the subject, there was no
need of bringing Americans here at all; and the latter con-
jecture of M. Vormius is very judicious and correct ; to
which I will add, that by the same reason that Vestrebug
had its original inhabitants when the Norwegians arrived
there, Ostrebug had them also, and that as the eastern part
was nearer the Arctic Sea, was not so fertile, and conse-
quently less inhabited than the west, the Norwegians, who
met with less resistance on that side than on the other, took
possession more easily of Ostrebug than of Vestrebug. And
this is why I do not find in my histories that they made any
very persevering attempts at advancing by the westwards ;
but that they did so to the north, in which direction I ob-
serve that they marched eight whole days without discover-
ing anything but snow and ice, of which the valleys were
full.
By this you may judge, that the tract of country which
the Norwegians took possession of in Greenland was en-
closed between the southern and the eastern seas, the moun-
tains of the north, which are inaccessible on account of the
ice, and the Skreglingres, who arrested their progress on
the side of Vestrebug. You will also notice on this subject,
that the Icelandic Chronicle affirms as an undoubted truth,
that the Norwegians held such small possessions in Green-
land, as to have been only reckoned in Denmark equal to
the third part of a bishopric, and the bishoprics of Denmark
are not larger than those of France.
M. Vormius thinks the Skreglingres were not far from
DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND. 195
Davis' Gulf, and that they might have been Americans, or
perhaps that they were the aborigines of New Greenland,
which the Danes discovered in the reign of Christian IV,
king of Denmark, and of whom I shall speak hereafter. He
thinks that they were on the confines of Old Greenland,
which the Norwegians inhabited, and they occupied one part
of Vestrebug before Eric the Red seized upon the other.
The Danish Chronicle makes the same observation in the
following terms : — viz., that the whole of Greenland is one
hundred times larger than the portion which the Norwegians
possessed, that it is inhabited by a variety of races, and that
these races are governed by different lords, of whom the
Norwegians never knew anything.
The Icelandic Chronicle speaks in different ways of the
fertility of this land, according to the different histories of
which it is composed. It states in one place that finer wheat
grows there than can be found in any other part of the world,
and oaks so vigorous and strong, that they bear acorns the
size of an apple. In another place it says, that nothing
whatever that is sown will grow in Greenland, on account of
the cold, and that the inhabitants do not know what bread
is. This agrees in some measure with the Danish Chronicle,
which says, that when Eric the Red entered this country he
lived entirely by fishing, in consequence of the sterility of
the ground. This same Danish Chronicle, however, states
in another place, that the successors of Eric, who went far-
ther into the country after his death, found among the moun-
tains, fertile lands, meadows, and rivers, which Eric had not
discovered ; and the Icelandic Chronicle, which contradicts
itself, is not to be believed in the statement it made before,
that nothing grew in Greenland on account of the cold. The
reason it assigns makes me doubt what it says ; for it is cer-
tain that that part of Greenland which the Norwegians inha-
bited, is of the same elevation as Lapland, which is the most
fertile province of Sweden, and it is certain a great deal of
196 DESCKirxiON or greext.akd.
*
fine and good wheat grows there. Added to which, the same
chronicle says, and very truly, that for the same reason, viz.,
that of its elevation, it is not so intensely cold in Greenland
as in Norway. Now, it is unquestionable that very fine corn
grows in Norway ; and what I shall say on this subject may
appear strange to you, but persons whose opinions may be
depended on have certified it to me. There are places in
Norway where they have double harvests in three months,
for the reasons which you shall now hear. These places are
plains opposite rocks, upon which the sun strikes continually
during the glowing heats of the months of June, July, and
August ; and so intense a heat is reflected from the rocks
upon these plains, that in the course of six Aveeks they
plough, sow, and gather in the ripe corn. And as these
lands are very fat and moist, from the quantity of melted
snow with w^iich they have been watered, and which the
sun has hardened, they begin to sow again, and at the end
of another six weeks they do not fail to reap a second har-
vest as good as the first.
It is probable that the land of Greenland, like all other
lands, is both good and bad in different parts, that it has
both plains and mountains, some fertile and others barren.
It is certain that there are a great number of rocks, and
the Icelandic Chronicle says especially that marbles of all
colours are found there. It is agreed that the grass of the
pasturage is excellent, and that there are great quantities of
sheep and oxen, as well as of hares, horses, stags, reindeer,
wolves, lynxes, foxes, and bears in great numbers, both white
and black. The Icelandic Chronicle also states that beavers
have been caught there, and martens as fine as the sables of
Muscovy. A great number of white and grey falcons are
found there, more than in any other part of the world. For-
merly they used to take these birds, as a great rarity and on
account of their extreme value, to the king of Denmark,
Avho made presents of them to kings and princes, their
DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND. 197
nciglibours and friends ; for hawking is not at all practised
in Denmark any more than in the other parts of the north.
The sea round Greenland abounds in fish ; it is full of sea-
Avolves, seals, and walruses, and contains an incredible num-
ber of whales. I do not know wdiether I ought to class the
great white bear of Greenland with the land or water ani-
mals ; for, Avhilst the black bear remains on the land and
lives only upon flesh, the white bear remains in the sea and
only lives upon fish : they are much larger and more savage
than the black. They go in quest of sea-wolves and seals,
who give birth to their young upon the ice for fear of the
whales. They are very eager for young whales, and find
them daintier food than other fish. They do not go willingly
into the open sea when the ice is melted, not because they
do not swim and cannot live in the water as fish, but from a
natural antipathy they fear the whales, who scent and pur-
sue them to devour their young. This is why, when the
ice becomes detached from North Greenland and is carried
southward, the white bears who are upon it dare not leave
it, and by the time they are landed in either Iceland or Nor-
way, wherever the ice carries them, they become furious
with hunger.
Heu male turn solis Norvegum erratur in oris.
Strange stories are told of the ravages these animals have
made in these countries. Greenland has always been very
productive in horn, which they call unicorn-horn. In Den-
mark many are seen whole, and an infinite number of ends
and pieces, so that they are very common in this kingdom.
You will ask me what animals these are that have these
horns. I must tell you, Sir, that these horns, impro-
perly so called, have nothing in common with real horn,
rightly so called, of any kind whatever. And as the name
of the horns is doubtful, there are those "who also doubt whe-
ther the animals who bear them are flesh or fish. You will
198 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
observe that the unicorn-horn which we saw in Denmark,
whether whole or in pieces, is of the same composition, the
same form, and has the same properties as those which are
seen in France and other parts. That beautiful entire horn
of which I once spoke to you, and which I saw at Frederiks-
burg in the possession of the king of Denmark, is decidedly
larger than that of St. Denis. It is true that it is not straight,
but bent at two or three feet from the point ; but as for the
rest, it is of the same colour, shape, and weight as that at St.
Denis. As for the pieces of horn which we saw in different
places in Copenhagen, it is a fact that they were regarded
as antidotes against poison, the same as those are which are
seen in Paris or elsewhere. It being taken for granted that
all the kinds of horn which are seen in Denmark are exactly
like those of France, and that those of Denmark come from
Greenland, the question arises, what are these animals which
bear these horns in Greenland? M. Vormius first told me
that they were fish ; upon which I must tell you that I had
great disputes with him when we were at Christianople,
because it overturns the opinion of all the ancient naturalists
who have treated of unicorns, and who have described them
to us as land animals, and with four feet ; and that it clashes
with several passages of holy scripture, which can only be
understood as having reference to unicorns with four feet.
The good M. Vormius, accurate and learned in the curiosi-
ties of the north, wrote me this account from Copenhagen,
which I will give you from his letter. " Some years since,"
says he, " I was staying with M. Fris, high chancellor of
Denmark, predecessor of M. Thomassen, the present chan-
cellor. I complained to this great man, who all his life was
an ornament and support to his country, of the little curiosity
our merchants and sailors had who visited Greenland, not to
have ascertained what the animals arc that bear the horn
they bring in such abundance, and not to have taken a piece
of their flesh or of their skin bv which to "ain some informa-
DESCllll'TION OF GREENLAND. 199
tion. 'They have more curiosity than you think/ answered the
chancellor ; and he immediately sent for a large dried skull,
to which was attached a stump of this kind of horn four feet
long. I was delighted to hold in my hand so rare and pre-
ciovis a thing, and could not look at it enough, for at first it
was out of my power to comprehend Avhat it was. I begged
the chancellor to allow me to take it home and consider it
more at my leisure, which he Avillingly permitted me to do.
I found that this skull bore a correct resemblance to that of
a whale, that it had two holes at the top, and that these holes
pierced the palate. These were doubtless the tAVO apertures
through which the animal threw out the water that it drank.
And I may remark, that what they call its horn, was fixed
to the left part of the upper jaw. I invited my most intelli-
gent friends and the best scholars of my audience, to come
and see this rarity in my cabinet. A painter whom I had
sent for came, and, in the presence of the assistants, made a
drawing of this skull, with the horn just as it was both in
shape and size, in order that they might be witnesses that my
copy had been taken from a true original. My curiosity did
not stop there : having heard that a similar animal had been
taken and caught in Iceland, I wrote to the bishop of Hole,
named Thorlac Scalonius, who was formerly my pupil at
Copenhagen, and begged him, as my friend, to send me the
picture of this animal. This he did, at the same time telling
me that the Icelanders called it narhiial, signifying a whale
which feeds on carcases ; because liual means a whale, and
nar, a dead body. It was indeed the portrait of a genuine
fish which resembled a whale, and you have my promise to
show it you when you return from Christianople, together
with that of the skull that I had from the chancellor Fris."
M. Vormius did not fail, on our return, to fulfil his pro-
mise ; and, more than that, was not satisfied that I should
see merely the pictures of the fish, but he took me into his
cabinet, where I saw upon a table the original skull, with the
200 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
horn of the animal which M. chancellor Fris had lent him.
He had had it on the faith of his promise from a gentleman
of Denmark, son-in-law to M. Fris, to Avhose portion it fell,
and who valued it at eight thousand rix-dollars. He had
sent for it from a distance of twenty leagues from Copen- '
hagen, in order to show it to the ambassador. I confess I
could not leave off admiring so exquisite a curiosity, and hav-
ing brought it to the ambassador. His Excellency examined
it with great interest, and begged M. Vormius to lend it
him in order that he might have an exact painting made of
it; which he did, and took to Paris. This great man, who
is always ready to show every kindness and attention to
connoisseurs, will be delighted to show this picture, and to
exhibit all the most curious things that he will carry with
him from the north. He has a particular regard for you, sir,
and to all the gentlemen who compose the illustrious Mercu-
riale of the library of INI. Bourdelot. I know that his cabinet,
which he is anxious to complete, if God grant him to arrive
safe in France, will be thrown open with great pleasure to
you and all these gentlemen.
It is certain that the name of unicorn is equivocal, and that
it belongs to many kinds of animals, such as the onix and the
Indian ass, which Aristotle mentions, and the ferocious beast
described by Pliny, which has the head of a stag, the body
of a horse, and a solid foot like that of an elephant, with in-
comparable swiftness and strength. It is, in fact, the same
unicorn of which the holy scripture speaks in many places ;
so agile, that it is written as a marvel and wonder, that God
would cause Scirion, a mountain in Lebanon, "to leap like a
young unicorn"; and so strong, that the strength of God him-
self is compared to it. "Deus fortis," said Moses, " Eductor
Judseorum, vires ejus ut monocerotis." Now there is no
reason for classing our northern unicorns, which we know to
be aquatic, with that species of unicorn which is believed to
be in the south or the east, and which we well know to be a
DESCRIPTION OF GKEENI.ANI). f301
land animal. The prophet Isaiah, foretelling that God would
drive out the Jews from Jerusalem, speaks of their kings as
unicorns. " Descendent," says he, " Unicornes cum eis,"
which could only have had reference to a terrestrial descent,
and if the prophet had believed the unicorns to be fishes, he
would have rather said "natabunt" instead of "descendent".
I shall lay down, therefore, a species of sea unicorn in the
same manner as there have been laid down species of sea
dogs, sea calves, and sea wolves ; and this will be no novelty,
as Bartolin, a Danish author, in his treatise on unicorns, has
written a chapter expressly on sea unicorns. There arises,
however, a difficulty in opposition to this mode of classifica-
tion, for it is a question whether the sea unicorns of which we
are here speaking are really unicorns, and whether what we
call their horns are really horns or teeth. The solution of
the first doubt depends on that of the second ; for, if they
are teeth, these fish cannot be called unicorns, because they
would have no horns ; if, on the other hand, they are horns,
they would evidently be unicorns, because they would have
only one horn. M. Vormius affirms that they are teeth and
not horns, and I see that Angrimus Jonas calls them teeth,
in that part of his " Specimen Islandicum" where he speaks
of a remarkable shipwreck that befel a bishop of Greenland,
named Arnaud, on his way to Norway, whose vessel was
dashed in pieces by a storm within the isthmus of Western
Iceland. This shipwreck happened a. d. 1126. In the survey
that was taken of the things saved from the wreck, " Reperti
sunt," says the good Angrimus, " dentes balenarum, pre-
tiosi, et potiores, maris estu in siccum rejecti, ac Uteris Ru-
nicis, indelebili glutine rubescentis coloris, inscripti, vt
Nautarum quilibet sues, peracta aliquando navigatione, re-
cognosceret."
Now it is certain that what Angrimus Jonas here calls
" Dentes balenarum prctiosos", is understood in Denmark,
and ought to be understood of these horns, which we call
26
202 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND,
unicorn's, and of which we are now speaking. What makes
me think they are teeth and not horns, is, that Aristotle tells
us for true and certain, that all unicorns had their horns in
the middle of their forehead, in the usual place where horns
grow ; whilst these fish have what we call a horn at the end
of their jaw and gum, at the place where teeth usually grow.
Horns are fastened on the forehead by symjihysis, while
teeth go deep into the jaw hj yomphosis ; and we saw clearly
in the skull which M, Vormius showed us, that what we had
taken for a horn, was buried in the jaw about a foot deep,
and that it extended outwards like a lance in rest, just in the
same manner as the fish pristes carries its saw, and the other
fish xiphias its sword.
I have read a fine argument in Aristotle, or rather, I
should call it, an excellent remark, upon the single horned-
ness of unicorns: he says, that all animals which have two
horns have the hoof divided into two, and that all unicorns
have the nail undivided and solid ; that nature has made the
same union and consolidation of hoofs and horns at the feet
and head of unicorns, as it has made a similar division of
hoofs and horns at the feet and head of other animals. From
which it results, that the only distinction between the uni-
corn and other animals, consists in the unity and solidity of
their hoofs and horns ; and by the same rule that unicorns
have their hoofs similarly placed Avith those of other animals,
they have their horns in the same place in the head, namely,
the forehead. Again, as other animals which have two horns,
have them one on either side of the forehead, unicorns,
which have only one, have it in the middle of the forehead.
But, in the same manner as the fish of which we are speak-
ing, having neither hoofs nor feet, cannot have horns in the
head ; so it follows that the so-called horns, being buried in
their jaw and not fixed in their forehead, cannot be horns,
and therefore must be teeth.
This was not my opinion ;it the first, but whilst I was dis-
DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND. 203
putiug the point with INI. Vormius, jNI. le Grand Muitrc of
Denmark, of whose high birth, eminent virtue, and exalted
dignity in Denmark (that of the person next in absolute
power after tlic king) you have heard in my letters, — this
great man, who has honoured me with particular marks of
his goodwill, and who took great pleasure in satisfying my
curiosity as far as it was possible to do so, told me a circum-
stance relating to this subject, which confirmed me in my first
opinion that they were horns and not teeth : he said, that
the king of Denmark his master, wishing to make a present
of a piece of this sort of horn, and wishing it to be parti-
cularly beautiful, directed him to saw an entire horn which
he had at the stump of the root, where it is thickest and
finest. Having sawn one part of the horn, which he thought
was solid, he came to a cavity, and was astonished to find
within a small horn, of the same shape and composition as
the large one. He continued cutting the large one all round
without touching the small one, and found the little horn, as
well as the cavity inside the larger horn, extended a foot in
length ; the rest of the large horn being solid. On hearing
this, I formed the idea that the animals which have these
horns change them like stags, and that their large horns fall
off and others grow in their place. I thought that this was,
without doubt, the reason that so many horns detached from
the head were brought by the floating ice of Greenland to
Iceland ; but when I saw the skull of which I have spoken
to you, and had duly examined the long root which was fixed
in the jaw, I could not help changing my opinion. Even
what M. le Grand Maitre told me, made me suppose that it
was a tooth and not a horn that he had sawn. It may be
that these teeth fall and are renewed in the case of these
fish, as they are in the case of children, and sometimes of
men ; and we often see that these teeth which fall are pushed
out and made to fall by other new teeth, which come before
the old have gone. A similar circumstance could not happen
204 DE.SCKIPTIOX OF GKEENLAM).
to stags which cast their horns ; their heads remain bare as
though they never had horns, until the new ones begin to
grow again and to take shape.
But as so long a discourse about horns may be very
wearisome, I shall terminate it with the conclusion we must
come to respecting the horn, called a unicorn's, which is at
St. Denis. I have said that it is in all respects perfectly
similar to those of Denmark. To this I shall add, that the
Danes consider it a certain flict, and engage to prove it, that
all those species of horn which are seen in Muscovy, Ger-
many, Italy, and France come from Denmark, where this
kind of traffic was much in vogue when the passage from
Norway to Greenland was free and known, and when regu-
lar passages were made from one to the other every year.
The Danes, who sent them to different parts for sale, did not
care to say that they were the teeth of fish, but stated that
they were the horns of the unicorns, wishing by that means to
sell them at a higher price. Having done this formerly, they
continue to do it still. It is not long since the New Green-
land Company at Copenhagen sent one of their partners to
Muscovy with several large pieces of this kind of horn, and
among others one of very considerable size, to sell to the
Grand Duke of Muscovy. It is said that the Grand Duke
thought it very fine, and had it examined by his physician.
He knowing more about it than the others, told the Grand
Duke that it was the tooth of a fish, and the envoy returned
to Copenhagen without selling anything. When he gave an
account of his voyage to his partners, he threw all the blame
of his misfortune on the wickedness of the physician, who
had depreciated his merchandise by saying that all that he
had brought was only the teeth of fish. " You managed
badly," replied one of his partners, who afterwards told me
the story. " Why did you not give two or three hundred
ducats to this physician, to persuade him that they were
from unicorns?" You may therefore be quite sure that the
DESCllirnON OF GllEENLAND. 205
horn at St. Denis came originally from the same place, and
was sold in this manner. I am afraid to say how long it is
since I have seen it ; but if I am not mistaken in the faint
recollection I still have of it, it is a tooth like those we saw
in Denmark, for it has the same root as the others. Its root
is hollow and decayed at the end, like a bad tooth. If this
be the case, I maintain that it is a tooth, which has fallen
naturally from the jaw of the fish which the Icelanders call
narhual, and that it is not a horn.
To return to Greenland. The Icelandic Chronicle states,
that the air there is softer and more temperate than in Nor-
way, that it snows less, and that the cold is not so severe.
This does not mean that it does not sometimes freeze very
hard, and that there are not very violent storms ; but that
severe cold and those tremendous storms happen very sel-
dom and do not last long. The Danish Chronicle remarks
as a strange thing, that in the year 1308 fearful claps of
thunder were heard in Greenland, and that fire from heaven
fell upon a church called Skalholt, which was entirely burnt ;
and that after the thunder and fire there arose a severe tem-
pest, which hurled down the tops of several rocks, and ashes
flew out from these broken rocks in such abundance, that
they thought God had sent them to punish the people of the
country. This tempest was followed by so severe a winter,
that there was never known one to equal it in Greenland,
and the ice remained for a whole year without melting.
When I related the wonder of this shower of ashes to the
ambassador, he told me that, being at La Rochelle, a sea
caj)tain who had returned from the Canaries assured him,
while they were at anchor six leagues from these islands,
there was a similar shower of ashes fell on the roads where
they were lying, and that his vessel was covered with them
just as though snow had fallen on it ; that this terrific storm
was caused by an earthquake, which shook some volcanos
which are in the Canaries, and the wind had thrown the
206 DESCKIPTION OF GREENLAMD.
cinders from them into the sea to a distance of six leagues.
There is a probability that the ashes which came from these
rocks in Greenland proceeded from a like cause, and that
there are in this country burning mountains and subterrane-
ous fires, as in the Canaries and elsewhere. Doubtless this
may be the case, and is not inconsistent, judging from the
example, and, indeed, the proximity of Mount Hecla in Ice-
land, which is much more to the north than that part of
Greenland, as also from the instances of other volcanoes
which are in the higher parts of Laj)land and very far be-
yond the Arctic circle. The idea is confirmed also by what
we have remarked before in the old description of this land :
that there are baths there, so hot that they cannot be borne
even in winter.
The summer of Greenland is always fine, day and night,
if the perpetual twilight which lasts the whole night in the
summer may be so called. As the days are very short in winter,
the nights, by way of compensation, are very long ; and nature
then produces such a wonder, that I should not have dared
to write it to you had it not been mentioned by the Icelandic
Chronicle as a miracle, and if I had not entire confidence in
M. Kcts, who read it to me and faithfully explained it. There
rises in Greenland a light with the night when the moon is
new, or on the point of becoming so, which lights up all the
country as if the moon were full, and the darker the night
the brighter this light shines. It takes its course on the north
coast, on account of which it is called the Northern Light.
It looks like flying fire, and stretches up into the sky like
a high and long palisade. It passes from one place to ano-
ther, and leaves smoke in the places it leaves. None but
those who have seen it could give any idea of the quickness
and agility of its movements; it lasts all night and disappears
at sunrise. I leave it to those learned men who are better
versed than I in natural philosophy to discover the cause of
this meteor, and whether there arises any vapour from the
DESCRiniox or Greenland. 207
ground, which may become heated and ignited by its own
movement, the rapidity of which may resemble that of those
long rockets or tongues of fire, which fall through or across
the air, or of the lights which flutter about churchyards. I was
assured that this northern light was seen distinctly from Ice-
land and Norway, when the sky was calm and the night was
not troubled with any clouds. It not only lights the peo-
ple of the Arctic World, it even extends as far as our
own climates. And this light is doubtless the same that
our well-known friend, the learned and judicious philo-
sopher Monsieur Gassendy, told me he had observed several
times, and to which he gave the name of Aurora Borealis.
The most remarkable he had ever seen was that which ap-
peared to all France, silent e lund (for it was only one day old),
during the night of the twelfth and thirteenth of September
1621. He has given a summary of it in the life of M. Peresc,
but it is fully and Avonderfully well described in the learned
observations made by him at the close of his Exercitation
against Dr. Flud. To this I must refer you, not wishing to
engage myself still more deeply in this subject, but to take
up the thread again of my history of Greenland.
The Danish Chronicle states, that in the year 1271, a
strong wind from the north-west carried to Iceland so large
a quantity of ice, laden with such a number of bears and so
much wood, that they thought what they had discovered at the
west of Greenland was not the whole of Greenland, and that
this land extended farther north-west. This induced some
Icelandic sailors to attempt this discovery : they found, how-
ever, nothing but ice. The kings of Norway and Denmark
had for a long time entertained the same idea and the same
design, and had sent there many vessels, and even had gone
themselves, but without any better success than the Icelandic
sailors. Probably the sailors were induced to make the trial,
cither from report, or from the opinion received and founded
on some report that there were in that country several mines
208 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
of gold, silver, and precious stones ; or perhaps this passage
in Job made some impression on their mind : " Aiirum ab
aquilone venit." I will mention what the same chronicle
relates on this subject. It states that some time ago mer-
chants returned from this voyage with vast treasures ; and it
says also that in the time of St. Olaus, king of Norway, the
mariners of Fricsland undertook the same voyage with the
same result, and they were overtaken by a violent storm, which
cast them on the rocks of this coast, and they were obliged
to take refuge in certain insecure ports. It adds, that having
hazarded a descent, they saw rather near the shore some miser-
able looking huts hollowed out in the ground, and around these
cabins heaps of iron ore, in which a quantity of gold and silver
was shining ; this tempted them to go and take some of it.
And each took as much of it as he could carry away. But
as they returned to their vessels, they saw coming out from
these covered holes deformed men as hideous as devils, with
bows and slings and large dogs following them. The ter-
ror that seized these sailors obliged them to double their
speed, that they might save themselves and their burdens :
but unfortunately one idler amongst them fell into the hands
of these savages, who tore him in pieces in a moment before
his companions' eyes. The Danish Chronicle goes on to say,
that the country is full of riches, from which the account has
arisen that Saturn hid his treasures there, and that it is only
inhabited by devils.
There is a chapter in the Icelandic Chronicle entitled,
Road and Passage from Norivay to Greenland. The text
runs thus. The true route to Greenland, according to what
the well-informed pilots tell us who were born in Greenland
or have come from thence a short time since, is this : From
Nordstaten Sundmur in Norway, bearing straight towards
the west as far as Horensunt on the eastern coast of Iceland,
the navigation is seven days. From Suofuels Jokel, which
is a sulphur mountain in Iceland, to Greenland, the shortest
DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND. 209
navigation is toM'iirds the west. Halfway between Green-
land and Iceland is Gundebiurne Skecr : such was formerly
the route before the ice came from the north and rendered
this navigation perilous. It then writes, but in a separate
article, that northwards from Languencs, the most north-
ern extremity of Iceland, there are eighteen leagues to Ostre-
horn, which means eastern horn. From Ostrehorn to Hualls-
bredde the voyage takes tAvo days and nights.
I do not pretend to say that any one undertakes the
voyage to Greenland by this route, but all that I could
understand is, that the navigation of this sea has always been
difficult and perilous. You may have noticed the same thing
from what I told you of the return of Leiffe into Greenland
to his father, Eric the Red, and from the shipwreck which
befcl the bishop Arnaud, and fi-om what I have just told you
of the mariners of Greenland.
There is also in the same Icelandic Chronicle a chapter
headed, Trcmscrihed from an old hook, entitled, Specidum
Regale, touclnng the ajfairs of Greenland. The text of
it is much more clear than that of the former. Some
time ago, it states, there were seen in the sea of Greenland
three sea monsters, of enormous size. The first, which
the Norwegians saw from the waist upwards out of the
water, they called haffstramh : it was like a man about the
neck, head, face, nose, and mouth, with the exception of the
head being very much elevated and pointed towards the top.
Its shoulders were broad, and at their extremity were two
stumps of arms without hands. The body was slender
below, but they have never been able to sec its form
lower than the waist. Its look was chilling. There were
heavy storms each time that this phantom appeared on the
water. The second monster has been called marguguer.
It was formed down to the waist like a woman. It had large
breasts, dishevelled hair, and huge hands at the end of the
stumps of the arms, Avith long fingers, webbed like the feet
27
210 DESCRIPTION OF GREEXLAXD.
of a duck. It Avas seen holding fish in its hand and eating
them : this i:>hantom always preceded some terrible storm.
If it plunges in the water with its face towards the sailors it
is a sign they will not be shipwrecked, but if it turns its
back to them they are lost. The third monster has been
called liafgierdingucr , which was not, properly speaking, a
monster, but three large heads or mountains of water which
the tempest brought up ; and when the vessels unfortunately
find themselves surrounded by the triangle formed by these
mountains they nearly all perish, and few escape. This
so-called monster was engendered by the sea currents and
contrary and impetuous winds, which overtake vessels and
swallow them up.
This book states, also, that in this sea there are large
masses of ice standing up like statues, of singular shape. It
advises those who wish to go to Greenland to go towards
the south-west before landing in the country, on account of
the quantity of ice Avhich on this sea floats much before it, even
in the summer. It advises, also, those who arc in any peril in
tliis ice, to do what others have done in similar encounters,
which is, to put their sloops on the thickest part of this ice,
with as much food as they have, and to wait there until the
ice carries them to land ; or, supposing it begins to melt, to
try and save' themselves in their sloops.
Here finishes the history of ancient Greenland ; and the
history of Denmark quotes precisely the year 1348, in which
a terrible pestilence, called the black pestilence, carried off a
great part of the people of the north. It killed the principal
sailors and merchants in Norway and Denmark, who com-
posed the companies of Greenland in the two kingdoms. It
has also been remarked, that from this time the voyages and
commerce with Greenland were interrupted and began to
fall ofif. However, M. Vormius assures me, that he read
in an old Danish manuscript, that about the year of grace
1484, in the reign of king John, there still were in the town
DEScuirrioN of greknland. 211
of Bergen, in Norway, more than forty sailors, who went e^•ery
year into Greenland, bringing back costly merchandise ; that,
not being- willing to sell that year to some German mer-
chants who had gone to Bergen to buy, these Germans did
not say anything, but invited the sailors to svipper and killed
them all in one night. The account has little appearance
of truth, from the manner in which it is written ; for it is not
likely that at that time they went so freely from Norway to
Greenland. This is altogether at variance with the narration
Mdiich I am about to give you, and which is unquestionable,
of the fall and entire ruin of the commerce which Norway
and Denmark had with Greenland.
You will be aware, sir, that the tributes of Greenland were
anciently destined and employed for the table of the kings of
Norway, and that no sailor dare go to Greenland without leave,
at the peril of his life. It happened that in the year 1389,
daring the time that Henry, bishop of Garde, was in Den-
mark assisting in the states of the kingdom which were in
Punen, in the reign of Queen Margaret, who had united the
two crowns of Norway and Denmark, that the merchants of
Norway, Avho w^ere gone to Greenland without leave, were
accused of having taken the taxes which were due to the
table of the queen. The queen dealt very severely with
these merchants, and they would have been hanged but for an
oath which they took upon the Bible, that they had not gone
to Greenland intentionally, but had been carried there by a
tempest ; and that they had brought nothing away but some
purchased merchandise ; neither had they in any way med-
dled with the tributes of the queen. I^pon this oath they
Mere released, but the danger they had escaped, and the
severe prohibitions given out against their going to Green-
land without leave, so intimidated the others, that from that
time neither merchants nor sailors dared to hazard it. The
queen some time after sent some ships which were never
seen again, and it was known that they had perished, by the
212 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND,
very fact that they never could learn where nor how they did
perish. The old Norwegian sailors were so terrified at these
accounts, that they dare not return on this sea. The queen,
who was engaged in wars with Sweden, did not press them,
and thought no more of Greenland.
The Danish Chronicle, which gave me this information,
states, that about the year of grace 1406, the bishop Eskild,
of Drontheim, wishing to have the same care of Greenland that
his predecessors had had, sent them a bishop named Andrew,
to succeed Henry, bishop of Garde, in case he were dead, or
to bring news of him if he were alive ; but from the time
that Andrew went on board his vessel and had set sail, nothing
more was heard of him ; and notwithstanding the great exer-
tion made, it was impossible to discover what had become of
him or of the bishop Henry. This was the last bishop sent
from Greenland ; the same chronicle enumerates all the
kings of Denmark, from queen Margaret to king Chris-
tian IV noAV reigning, to show, either the little progress
that the one made in Greenland, or the desire others had to
find this land again. And it is also important, sir, that you
should be informed of this succession of fatalities and misfor-
tunes which have made us lose sight of a celebrated country,
which was formerly known, inhabited, and frequented by
people of our own world.
King Eric, of Pomerania, succeeded queen Margaret,
and being a foreign king and having just come to Den-
mark, he did not even make himself aware of the fact that
there was such a country in the world as Greenland. Chris-
topher of Bavaria, who succeeded Eric, employed all his
reign in making war on the Vandals, who are Pomeranians.
The family of Oldenbourg, which now reigns in Den-
mark, began to reign in the year of grace 1448. The
king Christian, the first of his name and line, instead of
turning his attention to the north turned it to the south,
made a pilgrimage to Rome, obtained from the Pope the
DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND. 5^13
country of Dittniarscn for the crown of Denmark, and per-
mission to establish an academy at Copenhagen. Chris-
tian II succeeded Christian I, and solemnly promised when
he was made king to do all in his power to recover Green-
land. But so far from regaining the land that his prede-
cessors hacJ lost, he was obliged to give up even the states
which he possessed. His cruelties caused him to be driven
Irom Sweden, M'hich queen Margaret had united to the two
crowns of Norway and Denmark, so that the three only made
one. He retired to Denmark under the influence of the same
furious spirit which had possessed him in Sweden, and the
Danes, who were no more able to endure him than the Swedes,
deprived him of the kingdom ; in consequence of which he is
represented among the kings of Denmark with a broken
sceptre in his hand. His chancellor, Eric Valkandor, a Danish
gentleman of great virtue and talent, was created, after the
disgrace of his master, archbishop of Drontheim. He retired
to his archbishopric, and then he gave his attention to the plan
of making another search for Greenland, and the means of
reaching that country. He read all the books which spoke of
it, C[uestioned all the merchants and sailors of NorAvay who
knew anything about it, and drew up a map of the route it
would be necessary to take. But in 1524, as he was about
to execute this design, a nobleman of Norway quarrelled
with him, and made him quit both the archbishopric and the
kingdom. He took refuge at Rome, and there died. Fre-
derick I, Christian's uncle, had now taken possession of the
kingdoms of Denmark and Norway ; and as the faction of
Christian was not yet extinguished, Frederick, who sus-
pected and feared Valkandor, banished him from Nor-
way, and dispersed the companies he had formed for the
discovery of Greenland. Christian III succeeded Frede-
rick I. He had the passage to Greenland tried, but those
whom he sent there were not able to discover it. This com-
pelled the king to repeal the laws which the kings, his pre-
214 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
clccessors, had levied, that no one should go to Greenland
Avithout leave. He allowed any one who wished to go with-
out requiring his special permission ; but the Norwegians
had so few sailors, and so poor also were they, that they had
not the means to make preparations for a voyage attended
with such difficulty and danger.
King Frederick II followed out the wish of his father. Chris-
tian III, and sent out a man named Magnus Heigningsen to
the discovery of Greenland. And if it is as the chronicle states,
there is an unknown secret and a hidden cause, which visibly
oppose the designs that may be formed for gaining a know-
ledge of this land. Magnus Heigningsen, after many errors
and mishaps, discovered Greenland ; but was not able to get
near it, because, before he had seen the land, his ship stopped
short : at which he was much astonished, and with reason ;
for it was in the open sea and in great depth of water, there
was no ice, and the wind was fresh. Unable to proceed he
Avas obliged to return to Denmark, where he reported what
had happened to him, and told the king that there were
loadstones at the bottom of the sea which arrested his vessel.
If he had known the history of the Remora, perhaps he
would have given that also as a reason as well as the load-
stone. This adventure occurred in the year 1588, in the
reign of Frederick II ; and our Danish Chronicle, which is
connected with the chain of events, lias inserted between the
reigns of Christian and Frederick, a long account of a voyage
that INIartin Frobisher, an English captain, made to Green-
land in 1577. This narration throws much more light on
Greenland and the people than the history we have used
thus far ; therefore I have thought proper to send you a
version of what is there said.
Martin Frobisher left England for Greenland in 1577, as
I have already said. He discovered it, but could not land
that year on account of the night and the ice ; for winter had
surprised them on their voyage. Having returned to Eng-
DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND. 215
land and reported what he had seen to queen Elizabeth, she
thought, from the accounts, that she had gained that un-
known land. Accordingly the following spring she gave Fro-
bisher three vessels, with which he set out, and having found
the country, landed on the east coast. The inhabitants
of the part where he landed took to flight on seeing the
English, and left their houses to conceal themselves wher-
ever they could. Some climbed to the tops of the high-
est rocks, whence they threw themselves over into the sea.
The English, who could not tame these savages, entered the
houses which they had abandoned. These were, properly
speaking, tents, made of the skins of sea-calves or whales,
stretched upon four large poles cleverly stitched with sinews.
They noticed that all these tents had two doors, one on the
west, the other on the south side, and were so placed as to
shelter them from the most severe winds — the east and the
north. They found there only a hideous old woman, and a
young woman enceinte, with a child, whom she was holding
by the hand. They took them away with them. They took
them by force from the old woman, Avho howled horribly.
On leaving, they coasted along the eastern side, and saw a
monster in the water about the size of an ox, which had at the
end of the muzzle a horn, an ell and a half in length, which
they thought was an unicoi n. They sailed from thence towards
the north-east, and discovered a laud of so pleasant an aspect
that they were persuaded to go on shore; and as this was in the
continent of Greenland they called it Anauavich, in order to
distinguish it by another name. They found that this coun-
try was subject to earthquakes, which overturned large rocks
into the plains, and while they lasted were very dangerous.
They remained there some time, as they found some gravel
pits, where there was a plentiful supply of gold, with which
they filled three hundred casks. They did all in their power
to tame the savages of the country, M'ho appeared to be will-
ing to become friends. They answered by signs to those of
216 DESCRIPTIOX OF GREENLAND.
the English, and gave them to understand that if they went
higher up they would find what they wanted. Frobisher
told them he would go there, and getting into a sloop with
some soldiers, he gave orders to his three vessels to follow.
Coasting along the shore higher up he perceived a number
of savages on the rocks, and began to fear he might be sur-
prised by them. The savages who conducted him over the
coast understood the alarm he felt, and, in order not to
frighten him away, made three men appear from under the
dyke, much better made and better clothed than the others, who
invited them by signs and demonstrations of friendship to
land. Frobisher went to them full of confidence, as he only
saw three men in the port, and the savages on the rock were
at some distance from them. But those who were hidden
under the dyke, as soon as they saw Frobisher, became im-
patient, and rushed in a crowd to the port. This made Fro-
bisher draw back, but, nevertheless, the savages were not dis-
couraged; they still tried to attract the English, and threw
quantities of raw flesh on the shore, as if they had to do with
bulldogs. When the English did not seem inclined to ap-
proach, the savages had recourse to another stratagem. They
brought a man who was lame, or at least appeared to be so, to
the sea shore, and having left him there did not show them-
selves for some time, as though they had gone away to a dis-
tance from them. Their idea was that the English, after the
custom of strangers, would come to take away this poor
wretch, who could not save himself, to serve them as inter-
preter. But the English, suspecting the deceit, fired at the
lame man, who sprang up in consternation and ran back
at full speed to the land. Upon this an immense number
of savages appeared at the sides of the dyke, and showered
upon the English a prodigious quantity of slones and arrows
from slings and bows ; at which the English only laughed,
and in their turn fired muskets and cannon, which frightened
them away in a moment.
DKSCIUI'TION OF GIIEENI-AND. 217
The history savs that these s;ivages are of a deceiti'ul and
ferocious disposition, and that they cannot be tamed, either
by presents or kindness. They are fat but active, and their
skins arc of an olive colour ; it is believed that there are
blacks among them like Ethiopians. They are dressed
in seal-skins, sewn together with sinews. Their women
wear their hair in disorder, and turn it behind their ears
to show their faces, which are painted blue and yellow.
They do not, like our women, wear petticoats, but several
pairs of drawers made of the skins of fish, which they put on
one over the other. Each pair has pockets, which they fill
with knives, thread, needles, little looking-glasses, and other
trifles which foreigners bring them, or that the sea throws up
from the shipwrecks of foreigners who attempt their shores.
The shirts of the men and chemises of the women are made of
the intestines of fish, sewn with very fine sinews. Their
clothes are large, and they bind them with straps of prepared
skin. They are very dirty and filthy. Their tongue serves
them for naj^kin and handkerchief, and they have no modesty
about things other men are ashamed of. Those who have
a great many bows, slings, boats, and skulls, are considered
rich men : their bov,'S are short and their arrows thin, armed
at the end with bone or sharpened horn. They are skilful
in drawing the bow and using the sling, as also in throwing
the javelin at fish in the water. Their little boats are
covered with seal-skin, and hold only one man. Their
large boats are made of pieces of wood joined one to the
other by cross beams, and covered with the skin of whales
sewn with large sinews. The largest of these hold twenty
men ; their sails, like their shirts, are made of intestines of
fish, sewn with fine sinews. And although there is no iron
in these boats, they are fastened with so much skill and
strength that they make easy way in the open sea, and are
not injured even by heavy storms. They have nothing of a
reptile or venomous nature in their country, with the ex-
218 PESCIUPTION OF GREENLA>;r».
ception of spiders. There are a great number of gnats that
sting very sharply, and the sting is followed by large swellings
on the face. They have no soft water, but such as they get
from the melting snow. The chronicle states, that the cold
which seizes the ground stops the passage of the sources.
They have very large dogs, which they attach to their sledges
and u?e as we do horses.
Here this account ends, and I do not know whether the
Danish Chronicler has taken it from the English history of
Martin Frobishcr, or whether he has wi'itten it from any
legend that he may have heard, as the ancient Danes used
to do, who composed the histories of their times in ballads.
To return to the kings of Denmark. Christian IV, now
reigning, son of Frederick II, took the subject of Greenland
very much to heart, and resolved to discover it, although his
father and grandfather had in vain attempted to do so. For
the accomplishment of this design he sent for a captain and
a clever pilot from England, who had the reputation of
knowing this sea very well, and of being well acquainted
with the whole of this route. Being provided with this
pilot, he fitted out three vessels under the conduct of Gotske
Tiindenau, a Danish gentleman, their admiral. They left
the Sound in the early part of the summer of the year 1605.
The three vessels sailed together for some time, but as the
English captain had gained the height he desired, he took
the route of south-west for fear of the ice, so that he might
be able the more easily to land in Greenland. The route he
took corresponded with the old Icelandic route which I
have instanced to you, which recommends the same mode
of proceeding. The Danish admiral, thinking that the
English captain should not have taken this south-west route,
continued his own towards the north-east, and arrived alone
on his side in Greenland. No sooner had he cast anchor
than a number of savages, who had discovered him from
the top of the shore where they Mere, jumped into their
DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND. 219
littk' boats and came to sec liim in his vessel. He received
tlicni with joy, and gave them some good wine to drink ;
but they seemed to think it sour, for they made grimaces
while drinking it. They saw some whale oil, which ihey
asked for, and the Danes gave them huge pots of it, which
they swallowed with pleasure and avidity. "J'he savages
had brought skins of dogs, bears, and seals, and a great
number of horns, which the chronicle states were valuable,
in pieces, ends, and stumps ; these they exchanged for
needles, knives, looking-glasses, clasps, and such trifles of
similar value that the Danes happened to display. They
laughed at the gold and silver money which was offered to
them, and appeared very eager for any articles made of steel ;
for they like them above everything, and would give, in
order to obtain them, whatever they most prized, their bows,
arrows, boats, and oars ; and when they have nothing more
to give they stripj^ed themselves and gave their shirts.
Gotske Lindenau remained three days at this port, and the
chronicle does not say that he once set foot on the land. He
doubtless did not dai'c to hazard a descent, or expose the
small number of his people to the countless multitude of
savages Avhich this country contained. He weighed anchor
and left on the fourth day, but before going he retained two
men in his vessels, who made so many efforts to free them-
selves from the hands of the Danes and to jump into the sea,
that they found it necessary to bind them. Those who had
landed, seeing their companions bound and being carried
away, uttered horrible cries and threw a quantity of stones
and arrows at the Danes, who fired off" the cannon and
frightened them away. The admiral returned alone to Den-
mark, as he had arrived alone at the place where he had
landed.
The English captain, followed by the other Danish vessels,
entered Greenland, so states the chronicler, at the point of
land that stands out westward. This headland can only
220 DESCRIPTION OF CxREENLAND.
be Cape Farewell. It is also certain that he went into
Davis' Gulf, and coasted the land on the east of this gulf.
He discovered a number of good harbours, a beautiful coun-
try, and large verdant plains. The savages of this country
bartered with him, in the same manner as the savages of the
other did with Gotske Lindenau. They were much more
timid and mistrustful than the others, for they had no sooner
received their exchange from the Danes, than they fled to
their boats as if they had robbed them and were being pur-
sued. The Danes were anxious to land in some of their
ports, and armed themselves for this purpose. The country
appeared pretty good when they landed, but sandy and
stony like that of Norway. They judged by the smoke
from the ground that there were sulphur pits, and found a
great many pieces of silver ore, which they took to Den-
mark, and from one hundredweight of ore they extracted
twenty-six ounces of silver. The English captain, when he
found so many fine ports all along the coast, gave them Danish
names, and before leaving made a map of them. He also took
four savages, of better mien than those which the Danes had
been able to take; and one of these four was so enraged at being
taken, that the Danes, finding they could not secure him,
beat him with the butt-end of the muskets, which so intimi-
dated the others that they followed willingly. At the same
time the savages formed themselves into a band to revenge
the death of the one and to recover the others. They
cut off" the passage of the Danes from the sea in order
to engage them in combat in the harbour, and to prevent
their embarking ; but the Danes discharged their muskets,
and the vessels fired cannon, with such effect that the
savages, astonished at the noise and the fire, fled on all sides
and left the passage free to the Danes. The latter went back
to their vessels, weighed anchor, and returned to Denmark
with the three savages, whom they presented to the king
their master, who found thcni much better made and more
BESCRTPTION OF GREENLAND. 221
civilized than the two that Gotskc Lindcnau had brought :
of different ch)thes, language, and manners.
The king of Denmark, satisfied with this first voyage, re-
solved upon a second, and sent the following year, 160G, the
same Gotske Lindenau with five good vessels to Greenland.
This admiral left the Sound on the 8th of May, and took with
him the three savages whom the English Captain had taken
in Davis Gulf, to show him the way and to act as inter-
preters. The poor creatures manifested unspeakable joy at
their return to their country: but one of them died of illness
out at sea, and was thrown overboard. Gotske Lindenau
took the same American route that the English captain had
taken, namely, that of the south-west and Davis' Gulf by Cape
Farewell. One of the five vessels lost her way in the fogs, and
the four arrived in Greenland on the ord of August. At the
first roadstead where the Danes cast anchor the savages ap-
peared in great numbers on the shore, but would not traffic ;
and as they seemed to mistrust the Danes, so the Danes would
not trust them. They were compelled therefore to change their
position and to go higher up, where they found a harbour still
finer than the first; but the savages were of as bad a description
as the others, for they looked at the Danes with suspicion, as
if they were inclined to attack them if they attempted to
land. The Danes, who were no more inclined to put confi-
dence in these than in the others, did not hazard a de-
scent, but went still higher, and as they coasted along the
savages kept pace, with their little boats. The Danes sur-
prised at different times six of these savages, with their
boats and the small stores that were in them, and carried
them, on board their own vessels. The Danes having cast
anchor at the third road, a servant of Gotske Lindenau,
a brave and enterprising soldier, immediately prayed his
master to allow him to land alone to reconnoitre these savages.
He said he would endeavour either to entice them by his
merchandise, or to save himself in case they had any evil
222 DESCRIPTION or GREENLAND.
design against him. The master allowed himself to be per-
suaded by the importunity of the servant ; but the man had
hardly set foot on the land when in a moment he was seized,
killed, and torn in pieces by the savages, who retired from
the port after this and hid themselves from the cannon of the
Danes. The knives and swords of these savages were made
of horn or teeth of those fish which they call unicorns,
ground down and sharpened with stones ; they pierce quite
as well as if they were made of iron and steel.
Gotske Lindcnau, seeing that he could do nothing in this
country, set sail for Denmark. One of his Greenland pri-
soners was so wretched at the thought of leaving his covm-
try, that in despair he threw himself into the sea and was
drowned. In returning, the Danes found the vessel which
had strayed on their outward passage ; but they Avere only
five days together, for a tempest wdiich rose scattered all
five, and they did not meet again for a month after the
storm was over. They arrived at Copenhagen, after much
trouble and peril, the 5th of the following October.
The king of Denmark undertook the third and last voyage
which he had caused to be made to Greenland, with two
large vessels, under the command of a captain of the country
of Hoi stein, named Karsten Richkardtsen, to whom he gave
Norwegian and Icelandic sailors to guide and pilot him. The
chronicle says, that the captain left the Sound on the loth of
May, but does not mention the year; nor have I ever been able
to learn it. On the eighth of the following June he discovered
the summits of the mountains of Greenland, but could not
land on account of the ice which was all round it, and which
(extended some distance into the sea. Upon this ice were also
large heaps of ice, Avhich resembled huge rocks ; and t)ie
chronicler remarks in this place, that there are years when
the ice does not melt even in summer. The Danish captain
was obliged to return without effecting anything, and he was
necessitated to do so because his second \esscl was separated
DESCUIPTTON OF OHEKNT.AN O. 223
from liis own in a storm, so that he was ah)n(' when he came
to the ice. The king of" Denmark accepted his excuses and
the impossibilities he alleged.
You will now ask me what became of the nine savages
who remained after the two first voyages. I will here give
you a short account of them. The king of Denmark ap-
pointed persons, who had the particular charge of feeding
and keeping them, but in such a manner, however, that they
should be free to go wherever they wished. They fed them
with milk, butter, cheese, raw flesh, and uncooked fish, in
the same mauner as they lived in their own country, because
they could not get accustomed to our bread and meat, still
less to our wines ; they enjoyed nothing so much as large
draughts of oil, or of the fat of whales. They often looked
towards the north, and sighed with so much regret after their
own country that their guards, being lenient, those who could
seized their little boats and oars and put out to sea to try the
passage. But a storm wdiich surprised them at ten or twelve
leagues from the Sound, cast them on the coasts of Schonen,
where the country people took them and sent them back
again to Copenhagen. This obliged the guards to watch
them wdth more care, and give them less liberty. They fell
ill, how^ever, and died. There were still five living and in
good health at the time the Spanish ambassador came to
Denmark. The king of Norway, wishing to amuse him dur-
ing his visit, showed him these savages, and allowed them to
exercise with their little boats on the water. To understand
the shape and style of these boats, picture to yourself, sir, a
weaver's shuttle ten or twelve feet long, made of whalebone,
broad, and about the thickness of a finger, covered over and
made like the sticks of a parasol with skins of seals or Aval-
ruses, sewn with sinew. This machine has a round opening
in the middle about the size of a man round the flanks, going
to a point at each end in proportion to its thickness in the
middle. The strength and neatness of the structure depend on
•#
■»
224 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
the two ends where these sticks are joined and fastened toge-
ther ; on the opening or circle above, to the circumference
of which all the sticks must be brought ; and on the half
circle below, which is fastened to the upper circle like a
basket-handle turned upside down. Picture to yourself that
through this half circle pass or terminate both the ribs and the
crossribs, and the whole is so well sewn and bound and so
well stretched, that it is capable, from its lightness and the
skill with which it is built, to bear the tossings of a storm
in a high sea. The savages sit in the bottom of these boats
through the opening above, with their feet extended to one
end, and they fill up the hole by fastening over it the lower
part of their under waistcoasts, made of the skins of seals
and walruses : they close up the wrists of their sleeves and
cover their heads with caps fastened to the edge of their dress
in such a manner, that when a storm overturns them (which
is very often the case), the water cannot enter by any place,
cither in the boats or their clothes. They always come up again
on the Avater, and thus save themselves much better in a storm
than if they were in large vessels. They only use one little oar,
from five to six feet in length, smooth, and about half a foot
in breadth at each end. They grasp it with both hands at
the middle, which is round, and use it with equal poise to
keep their equilibrium, and also as a double oar to row on
both sides. It was not without reason that I have compared
these boats to weaver's shuttles ; for the shuttles from the
hands of the most skilful weavers, do not run faster in the
loom than the boats managed by these oars, with the skill of
these savages, run on the water. The Spanish ambassador
was delighted to see the five savages practise this exercise.
They crossed and interlaced with each other with such
rapidity, that the eye grew c[uite confused with looking ;
and so skilfully was it done, that not one of them touched
each other. The king wished to prove the swiftness of one
of these little boats against a sloop equipped with sixteen
DESCRIPTION OF GREEXLAXD. 225
good rowers, but the sloop had great difficulty in following
the boat.
The ambassador sent to each of the savages a sum of money,
and they all employed it in dressing themselves in the Danish
fashion. Some of them put large feathers in their hats, were
booted and spurred, and sent word to the king of Denmark
that they would serve him on horseback. This lively humour
did not last very long, for they relapsed into their usual
melancholy, and as they thought of nothing but how they
might return to Greenland, two of those who had put out to
sea and whom the storm had cast on Schonen, and who were
less suspected than the others, because it seemed unlikely
that they Avould expose themselves a second time to the
perils they had encountered, seized their boats and succeeded
in regaining the north. They were pursued and overtaken
near the mouth of the sea, but only one was taken, the other
escaped, or, rather, was lost ; for it does not seem pro-
bable that he ever could have arrived in Greenland. They
noticed in this savage, that he burst into tears whenever he
saw a child hanging on its mother's neck or with its nurse ; from
which they judged that he was married, and wept for the loss
of his wife and children. Those who were kept back at Copen-
hagen were guarded still more strictly than before, which
only increased their desire of returning to their country, and
their despair of ever doing so. They nearly all died of this
regret, and there only remained two of these unhappy Green-
landers, who lived ten or twelve years in Denmark after the
death of their companions.
The Danes did all in their power to keep them alive, and
gave them to understand that they would be treated like their
friends and fellow-countrymen, for which, in a certain mea-
sure, they were grateful. They tried to make them Christians,
but they could never learn the Danish language, and it was
impossible to make them understand our inysteries. Those
who watched them more closely, often saw them raise their
29
226 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
eyes to heaven and worsliip the rising sun. One died from
illness at Kolding, in Jutland, from having fished for pearls
in winter. You will find, sir, that the mussels of Denmark
are full of pearl-seeds and imperfect pearls, and those
who cat them hardly find anything else than this kind of
gravel under their teeth. A great number of these mussels
are caught in the river of Kolding. Some of them have fine
pearls, a great many very small ones, and others rather large
and round. This Greenlander had told them that they fish
pearls in his country, and that they were clever in this fish-
ing. The governor of Kolding took him to his government,
and gave him wherewith to practise in the river where the
pearls are. The savage succeeded marvellously, for he went
under the water like a fish, and never came up without
mussels containing very fine pearls. The governor thought
that if this continued, he should soon have to weigh the
pearls by bushels. But his avidity put an end to his hopes ;
for winter came suddenly upon him, and not having patience
to wait till the summer to continue his fishing, he sent this
poor savage under the water like a dog, and made him go so
often in among the ice that he died in consequence. His
companion could not be consoled for his loss, and found
means, on one of the early days of spring, to get possession
of one of the little boats. He embarked secretly, and passed
the Sound before they were aware of his flight. He was
speedily pursued, but as he had got the start, they only over-
took him at thirty or forty leagues' distance out at sea. They
made him understand by signs that he would never have
known where to find (xreenland, and that undoubtedly the
waves would have swallowed him up. He answered by
signs, that he should have followed the coast of Norway to
a certain point, whence he would have crossed, and have
been guided by the stars to his country. On his return to
Copenhagen he fell ill and died.
This was the end of all these unhappy Greenlanders :
DESCKIPTION OF GREENLAND. 227
tliey were, as 1 have described the Laplanders to you, short
aud broad-shouklcred : J'orti pecloro et arniis : tawny, flat-
nosed, and, like them, they had thick and turncd-up lips.
The spoils of the boats, oars, their arrows and their bows,
their slings, and clothes^ are kept in Denmark. We saw in
Copenhagen two of these boats, with their oars ; one at the
house of M. Vormiusj and the other at that of the ambas-
sador. Their coats, made of seal and walrus-skins, their
shirts of the intestines of fish, and one of their under-shirts
made of the skins of birds, with their feathers of different
colours, are hung for curiosity in the cabinet of M. Vormins;
with their bows and arrows, slings, knives, swords, and the
javelins which they use in fishing, and which are pointed
in the same way as their arrows, with horn or teeth sharp-
ened down. We saw there a Greenland calendar, composed
of twenty-five or thirty little bones, fastened to a strap of
sheepskin, which is not used by any but the original Green-
landers.
The king of Denmark was disheartened about Greenland^
and did not send there any more ; but the merchants of
Copenhagen undertook this navigation, and formed a com-
pany, which still subsists, under the name of " the Company
of Greenland", in which were engaged persons of rank. This
company sent two vessels out in 1636, which proceeded
along Davis' Gvdf, and to that part of New Greenland
which is on the coast of this gulf. As soon as they had cast
anchor, eight savages put off" to them in their little boats.
They were on deck, and, on one side, the Danes had dis-
played their knives, looking-glasses, needles, etc., and the
savages, on the other, their skins of dogs, foxes, seals,
with a quantity of horn, which they call unicorn ; when,
with no other object than to celebrate some toast they Avere
drinking, a cannon was fired from the vessel. The savages,
terrified at the noise and the shock, rushed from the side of
the vessel and launched into the sea, from which they never
228 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
raised their heads till they had got two or three hundred feet
from the vessel. The Danes, surprised at the novelty of this
fact, made signs to them to return, and assured them that
they would not hurt them. The savages believed them, and
returned to the vessel after they had got rid of their fear
and saw no more smoke, and the air had regained its former
tranquillity. Their manner of trading is this : they choose
what strikes their fancy amongst the merchandise of the
foreigners, and make a heap of it ; they then make another
heap of the goods they will give in exchange, and they all
arrange these heaps until they agree.
At the time the Danes were trading with these savages,
they saw from the vessel one of the fish which have the
horns and are called unicorns, lying down on the grass of
the shore, which the return of the tide had left dry. They
maintain that it is the habit of the seals to go on the
grass, and that these fish, which are like large sea-oxen, have
this habit also. The savages went in crowds to this fish,
killed it, pulled out its teeth and horn, and sold it to the
Danes immediately. This fish, which cannot defend itself
on land, is very ferocious in the water. It is to the whale
what the rhinoceros is to the elephant. It fights with it and
pierces it with its tooth, which serves for a lance ; they say
that it has struck vessels with such force that they break and
sink.
But a commerce of trifles was not the princij)al object
of this voyage. The pilot who conducted them, had known a
bank on this coast where the sand was of the colour and
Aveight of gold. He speedily proceeded to this bank, and
having filled his vessel with the sand, told his companions
that they were all rich, and set sail for Denmark. The
Grand Master of this kingdom, who is chief of this company,
and Avho, in fact, principally formed it to reconnoitre the
country and to visit it at leisure, was surprised at so sudden
a return ; but the pilot, \s ho felt aggrieved, told him that he
DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND. 229
had a mountain of gold in his vessels. But he had to do
with a man who is not very credible. He asked for some of
this sand, and having had it examined by the goldsmiths of
Copenhagen, they told him they could not get a single grain
of gold from it. The Grand INIaster, enraged that the pilot
should have allowed himself to be so duped, and to show
that he had no part in it, commanded him to go immediately
to the Sound, where his vessel was, to Aveigh anchor, and to
proceed into the main sea in the Baltic, to bury there his
gold and his folly, and never again to speak of either. The
pilot Avas obliged to obey him, and, whether it was because
he thought he had thrown all his wealth into the sea, or that
he beheld himself fallen from the high hopes of riches he had
conceived, it is certain that he died very soon after from one
or the other cause of grief. We cannot blame the Grand Master
for his harsh orders to the pilot ; for he told me that they have
since found in the mines of Norway similar sand to that of
Greenland, of which I have just spoken ; and that an intelli-
gent workman in minerals and mines, who came not long ago
to Copenhagen, extracted very good gold from it, and in a
quantity proportionate to the sand. He was incited to this
precipitation by the ignorance of the other workmen, who
would have known no better how to extract the ore even
from the material in which it is found in Peru than from this
sand.
This is the last voyage that has been made to New Green-
land, and it is from this voyage that the large piece of
horn was brought, which the physician of the Grand Duke of
Muscovy said was only the tooth of a fish. The host of the
ambassador of Copenhagen, who is of this company, showed
us this piece, which he values at six thousand rix dollars.
The Danes, before their departure from Greenland, detained
and secured two savages to take to Denmark. They set them
loose when they got out to sea, and they, excited with love
for their country, finding themselves free, jumped into the
230 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
water to swiui to their country. It is very likely that they
were drowned on the way, for they must have been at too
great a distance from the shore.
Thus far I have written all that I could learn of Old and
New Greenland. Of the Old, which the Norwegians inha-
bited, and of the New, which the Norwegian, Danish, and the
English discovered in seeking the Old. The passages across
from Iceland to the Old Greenland were probably blocked
up by the fall of ice, which the severe winters and the rough
north-east winds drove from the frozen sea and heaped up in
this channel ; it is also likely that the sailors, who could not
keep to the old route, were obliged to follow the one which
led them to Cape Farewell and Davis' Gulf, the shore of
which is opposite to the east, and is that which they call
New Greenland. Now it is possible that the ancient pas-
sages to Greenland from Iceland have been blocked up,
from the fact of the route having been lost ; and the
Icelandic Chronicle, of which I have spoken to you before,
furnishes us with a more certain proof in the chapter on this
navigation, where it is stated that halfway between Green-
land and Iceland is Gondebiurne Skeer, which is a collection
of little rocks and islets scattered in this sea and infested
with bears, where the progress of the ice has probably been
stopped, and it has been so strongly bound together that the
sun, not being able to melt it, it has become like a petrifaction ;
so that this road being closed, the communication they had
with Greenland was also broken off ; and thus no news what-
ever could be had of them, neither could they hear what had
become of the poor Norwegians who inhabited it. It would
seem that the same black pestilence which ravaged the people
of the north, about the year 1848, and which was doubtless
carried from Norway, destroyed them like the others. I
would willingly believe that Gotske Lindcnau, who kept, as
I have told you before, the route of the north-west in his
first voyage, had reached Old Greenland, or very nearly
DESCRIPTION or GREENLAND. 231
reached it, and should be incHiied also to believe that the two
savages whom he took from this place were perhaps descend-
ants of those ancient Norwegians, whose end we are anxious
to find out ; but so many people who have seen and studied
them at Copenhagen, assured me that neither these men
nor those who were brought from Davis' Gulf, although they
differed among themselves in language and manners, had
anything in common with this same language or those man-
ners with Denmark and Norway ; and the language of these
savages was so different from that of this part of the world,
that the Danes and Norwegians could understand nothing
of it.
The Danish Chronicle remarks, that the three savages
whom the English pilot brought from Davis' Gulf, spoke so
quickly and stuttered so much, that they pronounced nothing
distinctly but these two words, " Oxa indecha", of which
they could never learn the signification. It is certain that
what we call the Old Greenland, was only a small part of all
this extensive northern land which I have described to you,
that that was the nearest shore to the passage of Iceland, and
that the Norwegians who inhabited it did not proceed far-
ther inland, any more than those who discovered New
Greenland, who only touched there at its ports and coasts,
and, as you have seen, hardly dare hazard setting foot on
land. The Grand Master of Denmark told me that the
Danes, in the last voyage of Greenland, which was made in
1636, having inquired by signs of the Greenlanders with whom
they traded, whether there were more men made like them
beyond the mountains which they saw inland at ten or twelve
leagues from the sea, these savages answered them by signs
and demonstrations, that there were other men beyond these
mountains who had no hair on their heads, and that they were
men of great size and carried large bows and arrows, and that
they killed all those who came near them. Now, neither these
men nor the land they inhabit, have been ever known to any
23SSJ DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
one with whose history we are acquainted, and the whole of
Greenland is, as I have already informed you, larger beyond
comparison than that which the Norwegians, Danes, and
English have discovered.
At the beginning of this history I proposed to lay before
you two points : first, that it is not certain that Greenland
is part of the continent of Asia on the side of Tartary ; and
secondly, that it is part of the continent of America. As re-
gards the first, I must tell you that they have not yet been
able to penetrate the ice of Nova Zembla, to see if there is a
passage by that way into the eastern sea, and that, up to the
present time, that passage has been in vain attempted by
the most determined sailors of whom we have heard. This
navigation, which has discouraged the best pilots of the north,
has limited their expeditions to Spitzbcrgen, which the Danes
reckon in the country of Greenland, where is the great whale
fishery, and whither our Biscayans and the Dutch make voy-
ages every year. I must here tell you what the Grand Master
of Denmark told me of this land and sea. He was not content
with informing me verbally, but was so good as to send it me
in writing, and some day I hope to show you his letter, which
I preserve as a proud mark of his favour and generosity.
But why am I talking of showing you his letter ? I hope you
will soon see His Excellency himself, for we have just heard
that he has left Copenhagen to go to France as ambassador
extraordinary from his master, the king of Denmark. He
is gone, with his wife, the Countess Eleanor, daughter of
the king of Denmark, whose worth is equal to her noble
birth, and who possesses her share of royal virtues. This is
the hero whose qualities I described to our dear friend, M.
Bourdelot, when I told him of "svhat was passing at the Bridge
of Brensbro,^ where the celebrated conference took place be-
tween the plenipotentaries of Sweden and Denmark for the
^ The treaty of peace at Bromsbro or Bromsebridge, between Calmar
and Carlscrona, in 1645.
DKSf'RIPTION OF GRKKNL.VND. 233
peace of those two countries, and which our ilhistrious ambas-
sador so gloriously achieved. Here met the two first men of
the nortli, the Grand jMaster of Denmark, of whom I am
speaking, and the high chancellor of Sweden. They looked
upon each other with pride and veneration. The work was
one fully worthy of our ambassador, who is truly called
Extraordinary, which, in making peace between these two
nations, cemented the friendship of two such great men. I
hope to speak on another occasion of the High Chancellor
of Sweden, and do not intend in this place to write a pane-
gyric on the Grand Master of Denmark ; but shall content
myself vv-ith saying, that when you have seen this great
minister, you will be able to judge of his heart, which is so
noble, of his mind, Avhich is so refined, and of his mien,
which is so high that he can not only support crowns by his
counsel, but has also a head to carry on this mighty empire.
Add to all these heroic virtues that he is an accomplished
philosopher, neither fond of vanity nor ostentation, a man of
the most generous sentiments, and most instructive in his
conversation.
His Excellency had in his service a Spanish gentleman
named Leonin, a naturalist, of a learned and inquiring mind,
whom he sent to Spitzbergen, that he might hear from him
on his return what he saw and heard. The report he
made is briefly this. The country is in the seventy-eighth
degree of elevation, and rightly called Spitzbergen, on ac-
count of the pointed mountains which are, so to speak, sown
or planted upon it. These mountains are composed of gravel
and little flat stones, like small pieces of grey slate, one on
the top of the other ; they are formed of these little stones
and of the gravel which the wind collects together, or which
the vapours bring with them. They grow perceptibly, and
the sailors every year find new ones. Leonin went pretty
far into the country, and only found this kind of pointed
mountahis, with which the country was covered, and met
234 DESCRIPTION or GREENLAND.
with nothing on the road but reindeer. He was, however,
surprised to see at the top of one of these mountains, and a
league from the sea, a little mast of a vessel, to which was
attached a pulley at one end ; and when he asked his sailors
Avliom he had brought with him who had brought it there,
they told him they did not know, and they had always seen
it there. It is probable that the sea washed formerly near
this mountain, and that it was the remainder of some ship-
wreck. There are meadows in this part, but the grass is so
short that it can scarcely be discovered from the land or from
the stones ; for, properly speaking, this land has no earth,
but is composed of little stones, between which and this
small grass sjjrings up a kind of moss, like that which groM^s
on the trees in our climate, on which the reindeer of this
country feed and become so fat, that the Grand Master
brought some of them which had four fingers' breadth of fat.
This country neither is nor can be inhabited on account of
the cold ; for although the sun does not set at all for four
months, and during six weeks of that time does not descend
Avithin three ells of the horizon (speaking in the Danish
fashion and conformably M-ith Virgil's measurement of the
heavens) ; that is to say, although at the midnight, if one
may so speak, of that country the sun for six weeks does not
aj^proach in its descent lower than within about nine or
eleven and a half degrees of the horizon, yet, for all that, the
clearer and brighter the sun is, the colder it is. It is impos-
sible to live near these mountains, for they have no solidity,
and there exhales from them so cold a vapour that one is
frozen, however short a time one stays there. To guard
against this severity, it is better to go where the sun shines
on all sides.
There are great numbers of bears in this country, but they
are all white, and much fonder of the water than the land.
They are found in the open sea, swimming and climbing upon
large pieces of itc. The Grand Master got some live ones
DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND. 235
and fed tlicm at Copenhagen. When he -wished to amuse
his friends, he went on the water, and made these bears
jump in some sandy pLace, pretty deep, but sufficiently elear
for them to be seen through the water. He told me it
afforded him particular delight to see these animals playing
at the bottom of the sea for two or three hours, and they
would have lived there for whole days without difficulty,
if they had not been brought up by cords and chains to
M-hich they were fastened.
The sea of Spitsbergen produces a great number of Avhales;
they take them two hundred feet in length, and of a thick-
ness proportionate to the length. The generality are about
one hundred and thirty or one hundred and sixty feet. They
have no teeth. When these large bodies are opened, they
find nothing but ten or twelve handsful of little black spiders,
which are engendered by the bad air of the sea ; and also a
little green grass, which springs up from the bottom of the
water. It is probable that these whales live neither on this
grass, nor on these spiders, but on the water of the sea, which
produces the grass and the spiders. This sea is sometimes
so covered with these kind of insects that it is quite black
with them ; and it is an infallible sign for the fishermen that
the fishing will be good, for the whales follow the water that
engenders this pestilence. They then take such large whales,
and in such great numbers, that the sailors will not know
how to carry away all the fat they have melted, and are
obliged to leave some on the ground, with which they come
to load themselves the year after. You will remark, sir,
that nothing rots or becomes corrupt in this land ; corpses,,
which have been buried for thirty years, are as fine and
sound as they were when alive. A long time ago some huts
were built in which to cook the fat of the whales, but they
are always exactly as they were when first built, and the
wood of which they are made is as sound as it was the day it
was cut off the tree. To say the truth of these northern
236 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
countries, dead bodies keep avcII, but the living always fare
ill. Witness poor Leonin, wlio returned from his voyage
numbed with the cold, and died soon after.
The birds this country produces are all sea birds, and not
one lives upon land. There are great numbers of ducks,
and many other kinds of winged fowl which are unknown to
us. The Grand Master of Denmark not being able to ob-
tain any of these birds alive, caused some dead ones to be
brought to Copenhagen. They had beaks and feathers like
parrots, and feet like ducks. Those who take these birds
say that they have a very sweet and pleasant song, and that
when they sing altogether a melodious concert is formed
from their warbling on the water.
The sailors who go to Spitzbcrgen for the M'hale fishery
get there in the month of July, and leave again towards the
middle of August. They would not be able to land, on
account of the ice, if they arrived there before the month of
July ; and woidd not be able to leave it, for the same reason,
if they set off later than the middle of August. In this sea
are found immense blocks of ice, sixty, seventy, or eighty
fathoms thick ;
Qnce tan turn vertice ad auras Aerias,
Quantum radice ad Tartara tenduut ;
for there are places in this sea where the water is frozen
from the bottom to the top, and on the surface of this are
blocks of ice as high above as the sea is deep below. These
pieces of ice are clear and sparkling like glass. What ren-
ders the iiavigation of this sea dangerous is, that there are
contrary currents in these parts, where the ice melts and
freezes again in a moment.
It does not seem strange after this that we should be
unable to determine anything certain about our first doubt,
or resolve assuredly that Greenland is or is not part of
the continent of Asia and of Tartary. The distance that
there is from our seas to these frozen seas, the uncertainty of
DKSCUIPTION OK GREENLAND. 237
findinp,- tlicni melted, the heavy storms Avhich gather upon
these waters, the inexperience of the routes, the harren parts
that are found there, and, what is worse, the fact of there being
no help and no retreat in these deserts ; — all these difficulties
accumulated frustrate the designs of inquiring persons, and
deprive them of the means of discovering the facts of which
they are in search. The same difficulties, and, consequently,
the same uncertainties, are met with for the second doubt
as for the first ; and we should not be able any better to
determine that Greenland was or was not part of the conti-
nent of America.
This is what I propose to show you lierc in the nar-
rative Avhich I promised you of the Danish captain, Jean
Munck, who attempted, as I have told you, a passage to the
cast, by the north-west coast between America and Greenland.
I shall not be wandering from my subject in writing you this
narration, for besides being amusing, it refers to Greenland
and the adjacent islands. The present king of Norway
ordered Captain Munck to go and seek out a passage to
the East Indies by a strait and a sea which separates America
from Greenland. An English captain named Pludson, had
discovered this strait and this sea some time before, with the
same design, but he Avas lost in this navigation, and it was
never known how. It is certain that if he had the boldness
of Icarus to fly by an unknown route, his feathers would have
been frozen quicker than they would have thawed in this
adventurous undertaking. His enterprise had this in common
with that of Icarus, that this strait and this sea bore after-
wards the names of Hudson's Strait and Hudson's Sea.
Captain Munck left the Sound for this voyage May 16th,
1619, with two vessels, that the king of Norway had given
him. There were forty-eight men in the larger vessel, and
sixteen in the smaller, which was a frigate. He arrived on
the 20th of the following June at the cape called in the
Danish language Farvel, in Latin, Cape Vale, or in French,
238 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
de Bon voyage. Doubtless it is thus called because those who
go beyond this cape seem to be going into another world,
and to be taking a long leave of their friends. Cape Fare-
well is, as I have told you, at sixty and a half degrees eleva-
tion, in a country of mountains covered with snow and ice.
It would be difficult to represent its form, on account of the
snow and ice, which vary, and on account of their whiteness,
which dazzles the eyes. Captain Munck being at this cape,
took the route from the west to the north to enter Hudson's
Strait, and found a quantity of ice, which he avoided because
he was in the open sea. He advises those who undertake
this voyage, not to go too far towards the north in this part,
on account of the ice and the currents, which are rough on
the coasts of America. He relates that on the night of the
8th of July, being on this sea, he saw so thick a fog, and it
was so cold, that the ropes of his vessel were covered with
long icicles, and were so frozen and hard that they could
not use them for their work. He then says that in the after-
noon, from three o'clock until sunset, it was so hot that they
were obliged to keep on only their shirts, for they could not
bear their clothes.
He entered Hudson's Strait, which he called Christian
Strait, after the king of Denmark his master, and landed the
same night on an island which is off the coast of Greenland.
Those whom he sent to reconnoitre this island told him that
they had seen traces of men, but that they had found no men.
The next morning they met a number of savages, who were
surprised at the landing of the Danes, and ran in disorder
to hide the arms they carried behind a heap of stones near
the place where they were. After this they came forward
and graciously returned the salute the Danes gave them,
observing carefully, however, all the time to keep between
the Danes and the place where they had hidden their arms.
But the Danes succeeded so well in diverting and amusing
them, that they gained their treasury, where they found a
I
DESCRIPTION' OF GREENLAND, 239
heap of bows, quivers, and arroAVs. The savages, discon-
solate for tlieir loss, conjured the Danes Avith gesticulations
of prayer and submission to give them back Avhat they had
taken. They gave them to understand by gestures that they
only lived by hunting, that these arms were their means of
subsistence, and that they would give up their clothes to
have them back. The Danes, moved with compassion, re-
turned them, and the savages fell on their knees to thank
them for so much condescension. The courtesy of the Danes
towards the savages did not stop there. They displayed
their merchandise and made them presents of their trifles,
Avhich the savages admired and received Avith joy ; and in
exchange gave to the Danes many kinds of birds and fat of
different fish. One of them, Avho had cast his eyes on a
looking-glass and Avho was admiring himself in it, was so
astonished to see himself that he took it, put it in his bosom,
and ran aAvay. But the Danes only laughed, and not less
AA'hen all the savages ran to embrace one of their companions,
and caressed him as if they had knoAvn him for a long time,
because he had black hair, and Avas flat-nosed and taAvney,
in a Avord, because he resembled them.
Captain iSIunck left this island the day after, which Avas
the nineteenth of July, and having set sail to continue his
route, was obliged to put back on account of the ice and to
retire to this same j^ort again, AAdiere, notwithstanding all the
trouble he took, he could see no more islanders. The Danes
found nets spread along the shore, to Avhich they fastened
knives, looking-glasses, and other rough trinkets, to invite
them to return ; but not one came again, either because they
were afraid of the Danes, or because they had been ex-
pressly forbidden by some sort of judge or governor to have
any more trading Avith them. Captain Munck, not being-
able to find any men, found and took a great number of
reindeer in this island, which he called Reinsundt, that is to
say, the gnlf of reindeer ; and he called the port Avherc he
240 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
landed, from his own name, Munckenes. This island is in
sixty-one degrees twenty minntes of elevation. He set up
there the name and arms of the king of Denmark his master,
and took his departure on the 2,'2nd of July. But he ran much
risk from the violent storms Avliich rose, and from the shock
of icebergs, which damaged him so much that it was with diffi-
culty that he saved himself on the twenty-eighth of the same
month, between two islands, where he cast all his anchors
and made fast his vessels to the land, so imjietuous was the
storm even in the port. The return of tide left the Danes
dried up upon the mud, and the flow, which came ra-
pidly, brought them so much ice, that they were in as great
danger of perishing there as in open sea, if they had not
fortified themselves with great care and trouble. Between
these two islands was a large piece of ice, twenty-two fathoms
thick, which became detached from the islands and sepai'ated
in two ; these two pieces fell from both sides to the bottom
of the sea, and stirred up such a tempest in falling, that one
of their sloops was very nearly lost. They saw no men in
these two islands, but traces and evident marks that there
were, or had been some. They found there some mine-
rals, and among others some talc, of which they took some
tons. There were other islands near these, which appeared
inhabited, but the Danes could not get to them because
the entrance to them was inaccessible, and so wild that they
never saw anything like it before. These islands are in
sixty-two degrees twenty minutes, and fifty leagues further
on in Christian Strait. Captain Munck called the gulf or
strait where he landed Haresunt, which means gulf or strait
of hares, from the great number of hares which he found in
this island ; and there set up the standard of Christian IV,
king of Denmark, which they used to represent thus, (3-
He left these islands on the ninth of August, and sailed
towards the west south-west with a north-west wind, and on
the tenth landed on the south coast of the Christian Strait,
DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND. 241
which is the coast of America. Having left there, he found
a large island on the north-west, which he called Sncoeuland,
or the island of snow, because it was covered with snow.
The twentieth of August he took his course from the west
to the north, " And then," says the narrator, " I kept my
own route at the elevation of sixty-two degrees twenty
minutes." But the fogs were so thick that they saw no land.
"Although," says he, " the breadth of Christian Strait was
only sixteen leagues in this part." This leads us to suppose
that it is larger in other parts. He entered the strait in
Hudson's Sea, the name of which he changed, as he had
done that of the strait, and gave it two for one. He called
that part of this sea which is opposite America, Mare Novum,
and that which is opposite Greenland, Mare Christianum.
if, indeed, this coast ought to be called Greenland. He kept
as much as possible to the west north-west route, until he had
reached the elevation of sixty-three degrees twenty minutes,
where the ice arrested his progress and obliged him to winter
on the coast of Greenland, at a port which he called Munck-
enes Vinterhaven or the port of Munck's winter ; and called
the country New Denmark. He does not mention in his
narrative many places that he passed in going to this port,
because he says he has made a map of them, to which he
refers the reader. He only mentions two islands in the
Christian Sea, which he calls the Sister Islands, and another
larger one near the New Sea, which he calls Dixe's Oeu-
land. He advises those who navigate Christian's Strait to
keep as much as possible in the middle of the strait, on
account of the rapid and contrary currents which are found
on both of these coasts by the opposite tides of the two seas,
the Ocean and the Christian Sea, the ice of which being extra-
ordinarily thick, the blocks dash against each other with such
violence that the vessels that are between them are irreparably
shattered. He says that the ebbing of the Christian Sea
242 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
takes place regularly every five hours, and that its tides fol-
low the course of the moon .
Captain Munck arrived on the seventh of September at
Munckenes Vinterhaven, where he refreshed himself and his
men. He brought in his vessels some days after, and put
them under shelter from the shock of the icebergs in a port
near the first, and here he repaired them as well as he could.
His companions were particular to provide themselves with
huts to defend themselves from the bad weather, and from the"
winter, which had taken them by surprise. This port was the
mouth of a river, which was not frozen in the month of Octo-
ber, although the sea was frozen up in many parts. Captain
Munck reports, that on the seventh of this month he went
on board a sloop to reconnoitre this river, and that he could
not go any further than about a league and a half, on account
of the stones which blocked it up. Not being able to find a
passage by the river, he took some of his soldiers and sailors
and walked three or four leagues inland to seek for men ;
but they could find none. Returning by another route,
they found a rather large stone raised, upon which was
painted an image representing the devil, with his claws and
horns. Near this picture was a place eight feet sqiiare, closed
up with smaller stones. He remarked at one of the sides of
this square a heap of little flat stones and tree-moss mixed
together. At the other side of this square was a flat stone,
put in the form of an altar on two other stones ; and on this
altar three little pieces of coal, crossed one over the other.
But although Captain Munck saw no one on his road, yet
he met in different ])laces Avith similar altars with pieces of
coal laid upon them, like the preceding, and everywhere
that he saw these altars he also found traces from which he
conjectured that the inhabitants of this country assembled to
sacrifice at these altars, and that they sacrificed to fire or
Avith fire. He also saw that everywhere where these traces
of men were seen there were bones, and from that he con-
DESCRIPTION OF GllKKNLAND. 243
jcctured that tlicy Avere the remains of sacrificed animals,
which the savages had eaten after their fashion, that is
to say, raw, and torn in pieces as dogs tear them, with
their paws and teeth. He remarked in passing through the
woods, quantities of trees cut with iron and steel instru-
ments. They found also dogs bridled or muzzled with straps
of wood. And what confirmed him more than all in the be-
lief that this country was inhabited, was, that he saw marks
of tents, which had been raised in different parts ; and in the
same places found pieces of the skin of bears, wolves, stags,
goats, dogs, and seals, which had served as coverings for
these tents. These appearances made it manifest that these
people lived like the Scythians, and encamped themselves in
tents like the Laplanders.
The Danes, when hutted and established in their winter
quarters, made a good provision of wood to keep themselves
warm, and also of venison for food. Captain Munck first
killed with his own hand a white bear, which he and his
companions ate, and expressly state that they found it very
good. They killed a number of hares, partridges, and other
birds, which he does not mention, but which he says were
very common in Norway. He also says they took four black
foxes, and some sables, which is the name they give every-
where in the north to the sobeline martens.
One thing which j)uzzled the Danes was, that they saw in
the sky of this country things which were not usually seen
in the sky at Denmark. The narrative says, that on the
twenty-seventh of November there appeared three suns dis-
tinctly formed in the heavens,^ and remarks at the same time
that the air of this country is very thick. Two suns, no less
distinct, appeared on the 24th of the following January ; and
two others less distinct on the 10th of December, which is the
^ For the representation of a similar phenomenon, see illustration
facing page 72 of " Gerrit de Veer's Thi-ee Voyages by the North-
East," edited for the Hakluyt Society by Dr. Beke.
244 UESCRIPTIOX OF GREENLAND.
SOth. according to our manner of reckoning ; at eight o'clock
in the evening, there was an eclipse of the moon. The same
night the moon for two hours was surrounded by a very
bright circle, in which appeared a cross which cut the moon
in four. This meteor appears to have been the foreteller of
all the evils that these Danes would have to suffer, and of
their almost utter ruin, as you will hear.
The winter became so severe and sharp that they found
ice of three hundred and of three hundred and sixty feet
thick. The beer and wine, even the purest Spanish, and the
strongest brandy, were frozen from the top to the bottom of
their vessels. The cold, which broke the hoops and burst
the tuns, left the beer and wine in the consistency of ice, so
hard that they were obliged to cut it with hatchets in order
to melt and drink it. The vessels of pewter and copper,
when, by neglect, they had overnight forgotten the water, were
the next morning cracked and broken at the place where the
water was frozen. This severe season, which did not spare
metals, did not spare men either. The poor Danes fell ill,
and the sickness increased among them with the cold. They
suffered from looseness, which did not leave them until they
were carried off. They died one after the other and so
many, that at the commencement of May their captain was
obliged to guard his tent himself. This ilhiess increased in-
stead of diminishing at the beginning of spring. It loosened
the teeth of the sufferers, and ulcerated the inside of their
mouths so much, that they could only eat bread steeped in
melted water. It attacked the last dying men towards the
month of May with so much malignity, that to all these evils
was added dysentery, and so sensitive were the nervous
parts, that it seemed as if some one was pricking them all
over with the point of a knife. They visibly shrunk, their
arms and legs became numbed, and their bodies livid and
black, as if they had been beaten. The description of this
sickness is really what is called scorbutic, well known and
I
DESCRirnON OF GKEKNLAND. 245
common in all the northern seas. Those who died covdd not
be buried, because no one had strength enough to put them
under ground. The bread even fell short for those invalids
who remained. They were obliged to search among the snow,
where they found a kind of strawberry, which sustained and
nourished them after a manner. They ate them as they ga-
thered them, for they could not make any provision of them,
because they keep under the snow, but wither a short time
after they are taken up.
The narrator marks the twelfth of April as a memorable
day, for it rained, which it had not done for seven months in
these quarters. The spring brought a thousand kind of birds,
which had not appeared during the winter, and these dying
men could not catch any of them on account of their debility.
About the middle of May they saw wild geese, swans, and
ducks, and an infinite number of little tufted birds ; swal-
lows, partridges, and woodpeckers, crows, falcons, and eagles.
Captain Munck himself fell ill, like the rest, on the fourth
of June ; and remained in his hut four whole days without
going out and without eating anything, overcome with mis-
fortunes. He prepared for death and made his will, by
which he prayed the passers-by to bury him, and to send the
journal that he had made to the king of Denmark his master.
At the end of the four days he felt a little stronger, and left
his tent to see his companions, dead or alive. He only found
two alive, out of the sixty-four he had brought with him.
These two poor sailors, delighted to see their captain about,
went to him and brought him to their fire, where he came a
little to himself. They encouraged one another and resolved
to strive to live, but they did not know how. They thought they
would scratch away the snow and eat the grass which they
found underneath. Happily they found some particular kind
of roots, which nourished and comforted them in such a man-
ner that they were well again in a few days. The ice began
to break about this time, which was the eighteenth of June,
246 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
and they caught plaice, trout, and salmon. Their fishing and
hunting fortified them, and the courage they took resolved
them upon attempting in the state they were in, if they could
pass through so much sea and through so much peril, to
arrive at Denmark. It began to be a little warmer now, and
it also rained a little ; whence there arose such a quantity of
gnats that they did not know where to go to get out of their
way.
They left their large vessel and embarked in their frigate
on the sixteenth of July. They sailed from this port, where
I told you they had put their vessels under cover from the
ice, and which CajDtain Munck called after his own name,
Jens Munches Bay, which means the bay or port of John
Munck. He found the Christian Sea covered with floating
ice, and here he lost his sloop, and had great difficulty in
disengaging his own vessel ; for the rudder was broken, and
whilst waiting to have it repaired he fastened his vessel to a
rock of ice, Avhich followed the current of the sea. He freed
himself from this ice, which sank, and found his sloop again
ten days after having lost it. But he was not long thus, for
the sea became frozen again and melted soon after, and con-
tinued varying in this manner, freezing and thawing from
one day to another. He went through the end of Christian
Strait, came again to Cape Farewell, and re-entered the
ocean, where he was overtaken on the third of September by
a severe tempest, in which he was nearly lost ; for he and
his sailors were so weak that they were obliged to give up
all direction of the ship, and to siu'render themselves to the
mercy of the storm. The rigging of their sails was broken,
and the sails were overturned into the sea, whence they took
all possible pains to get them out. The storm abated for
some days, and gave them time to arrive on the 21st of Sep-
tember at a port of Norway, where they were anchored with
the end only of an anchor which was left them, and thought
they were safe. But the storm assailed them the very same
DESCRIPTION OF GREEXLAND. 247
day in this port, and with such fury that they had never
been in such peril of being lost. Fortunately they were
saved in a place where others perish, for they found a shelter
among the rocks, from which they gained the land and re-
freshed themselves, and some days after arrived in Denmark
in their frigate. Captain Munck related the circumstances
of his voyage to the king his master, who received him as
one does a person who has been thought lost.
It seemed as if this ought to have been the end of the
captain's misfortunes ; but his history is a chequered one,
and deserves to be known. He remained some years in
Denmark, where, after having long pondered upon the
defects he had made in his former voyage from ignorance
of the places and things, and on the po.ssibility of finding
the passage that he sought for in the east, he became seized
with the desire of undertaking this voyage again. And not
being able to undertake it alone, he engaged in this party
gentlemen of distinction and able citizens of Denmark, who
formed a distinguished company and ecj^uipped two vessels
for this long expedition, under the conduct of this captain.
He had provided against all the inconveniences and defects
from which he had suffered on the first voyage, and he was,
as it were, on the point of embarking for the second, when
the king of Denmark asked liim the day of his departure,
and, passing from one subject to another, reproached him
with having lost by his bad management the equipment that
he had given him ; to which the captain answered rather
sharply : this made the king angry, and he pushed him in
the stomach with the end of a stick he held in his hand. The
captain, enraged at this affront, w^ent home, and took to his
bed, where he died ten days after of displeasure and hunger.
To return to the subject for which, principally, I have
given you this long account ; it results from what I have
written to you, that there is a long and broad strait and a
wide sea at the end between America and Greenland ; and
248 DESCRIPTION OF GREENLAND.
not knowing where to limit tliis sea, we shall not be able to
judge if Greenland is part of the continent of America or not.
The probability is as I have already told you, that it is not,
since Cajitain Munck thought there was a passage in this sea
to the east, and to which he persuaded a number of persons
of quality in Denmark, who had formed a company, to try
and verify it.
I discover at the same time the errors of the person
who has written dissertations upon the origin of the people
of America, whom he makes out to have come from Green-
land,^ and makes the first inhabitants of Greenland to
have come from Norway. He proposed to make us believe this
by a certain affinity which he points out between some Ame-
rican words which terminate in Ian, and the land of the
Germans, Lombards, and the Norwegians ; and by the con-
nection of manners, which, he says, there is between the
Americans and Norwegians, whom he takes for the Germans
of Tacitus.
You will judge, sir, by the continuance and the reason-
ing of my history, that this author errs in every way. First,
inasmuch as the Norwegians were not the first inhabitants
of Greenland, as it appears from his narrations and the
demonstrations I have given you of them ; and inasmuch
as that M. Vormius, who is very learned in the antiquities
of the north, so far from connecting the origin of the people
of America with the people of Greenland, thinks that the
Skrcglingres, the original inhabitants of Vestrebug in Green-
land, came from America. Secondly, he is mistaken, inas-
much as there is little or no probability that Greenland was
part of the continent of America, and that the passage from
the one to the other was not so well known nor so possible
as is imagined. Thirdly, he is mistaken in that which I
have shown you, that there is no affinity of language or man-
' Georgii Ilornii de Originibus Americanis Libri quatuor. Vide
Lib. iii, cap. 6, G, and 8.
DESfKlJ'TlON 01-" GUEENLAM). J^4D
iicrs between CJrcenlaud and Norway ; and ii", as he says, the
Norwegians communicated their Language and manners to the
Americans, they must have gone elsewhere than by Green-
land to get to America. I should here have a good opportu-
nity of showing up other errors of this dissertation, of making
the author eat his own words, and of sending him to the land
of visions and dreams ; but as he now sleeps his last sleep, we
will let him rest in quietness, and finish this history for our
mutual satisfaction. I am ashamed of having interrupted
the course of those learned and elegant compositions which
you give us so liberally every day, by inflicting upon you the
reading of a paper which has neither the quality nor value
of your excellent works ; and, however indulgent you may
be towards me, I do not doubt but that you svill have as
much satisfaction in having finished the reading of this
letter, as I have in having written it, and in telling you,
sir, that I am
Your very humble
and affectionate servant.
The ILiguc, June 18th, 164(;.
33
Gods Power and Providence ;
Shewed,
IN THE MIRACV-
lous Preservation and Deliverance
of eight Englishmen, left by mischance
in Green-land, Anno 1630, nine moneths
and twelve dayes.
With a true Relation of all their 7niseries,
tlieir shifts and hardship they were put to,
their food, &c. such as neither Heathen
nor Christian men ever before endured.
With a description of the chiefe Places
and Rarities of that barren and cokl country.
Faithfully reported by Edward Pellham,
one of the eight men aforesaid.
As also with a Map of Green-land.
They that c/oe downe into the Hea in ships; that doe hvsi-
nesse in qreat inciters :
These see the workes of the Lord, and his v-onders in the
deepe. Psnl. 107. 23. 24.
LONDON,
Printed h/ 11. Y. for John Partridge, and are
to l)p sold at the Signc of the Sunne
in Pauls Church-yard. 1631.
A'l\'haL- isonlmarlr akmt 6oJoct^ lonjc
Tin- Sea mora' is in niutnlitv as huiq
(liuiiitijy as oit/ij
lUGIIT WORSTIIPFULI. SIR HUGH HAM-
mcrsly, Knight, Aklorniaii of the (Jitic of London,
Governour of the WorshijifuU Company
of the Miiscovia Merchants :
And to the Worshipfull Mr. Alderman Freeman,
Captaine William Goodlcr ; and to all the rest of
the Worshipfull Assistants and Adventurers in
the said fatuous Company ; Edward Pellham
cledioatetli both this and his future Labours.
Hight AVorshipiull and most famons Merchants :
THE hard adventure my poore selfe and felloioes
underwent in yoiir Worships service, is a great dcale plea-
santer for others to reade, than it ivas for us to endure. Hoiv
ever hard, wee have notv endured it ; and if ever after ages
shall speahe of it {as the worhl still doth of the Dutchmens
hard Winter in ISova Zembla), thus much of the Voyage shall
redound to your honours, — that it was done hy your servants.
This may cdso returne to our countreys good ; that if the first
inhabiting of a Countrey hy a Princes Suhiects {which is the
King of Spaines best title to his Indyes) doth take ^^ossession
of it for their Soveraigne : then is Green-land hy a second
right taken livery and Seisin of for his majesties vse,his Suh-
iects bei?ig the first that ever did {and I hclieve the last that
ever ivill) inhahite there. Many a rich returne may your
Worships in genercdl, and the brave adventurers in particular ,
receive from this and other places : and may your servants
he ever hereafter teamed to take htede hy our harnics. God
send your toorships long life, and much honour, and sufficient
loealth, to maintaine both. This is the hearty prayer of your
toorships poore servant,
Edwarh Pi-;iJ;HA]m.
A'~iPhaL IS ordinarlr about 60 Joote lonqc
n'hc'ti the nvhale comes aboue M'aterj'jhallov
rowes towards him ana hem g within reach of him
the harpomer darts his harpinyirm at him outofhoth
his hands and heitijjjajl they lance him to death
lUGTIT AVOKSHIPFULL SIR HUGH HAM-
mcrsly, Knight, Alderman of the Citie of London,
Govcrnour of tlic ^^'ol•shipfull (Jompany
of the Muscovia Merchants ;
And to the AVorshipfull Mr. Alderman Freeman,
Captaine William Goodler ; and to all the rest of
the Worshipfull Assistants and x\dventurers in
the said famous Company ; Edward Pellham
cledicatetb both this and his future Labours.
Kight "Worshipful] and most famous Merchants :
THE hard achcnture mij poore selfe and fellowes
underwent in your Worships service, is a great deale plea-
santer for others to reade, than it ivas for us to endure. Hon-
erer hard, xoee have noiv endured it ; and if ever after ages
shall speahe of it {as the world still doth of the Dutchmens
hard Winter in Nova Zemhla), thus much of the Voyage shall
redound to your honours, — that it ivas done hy your servants.
This may also returne to our countreys good ; that if the first
inhabiting of a Countrey hy a Princes Suhiects {lohich is the
King of Spaines best title to his Indyes) doth take piossession
of it for their Soveraigne : then is Green-land by a second
right taken livery and Seisin of for his majesties vse,his Sub-
iects being the first that erer did. {and I holieve the last that
ecer icill) inhahite there. Many a rich returne may your
Worships in generall, and the brave adventurers in particular ,
receive from this and other places : and, may your servants
be ecer hereafter loarned to take hcedc by our harmes. God
send your worships long life, and much honour, and sufficient
wealth, to maintaine both. This is the hearty j^r ay er of your
loorships jjoore servant,
Edward Pkllhaivi.
^54 C; KEEN LAND.
TO THE READER.
Courteous Reader : That God may have the onely glory of
this our deliverance, give mee leave to looke backe unto
that voyage which the Dutch-men made into Nova Zembla
in the yeare 1596. In which place, they having beene (like
ourselves) overtaken with the Winter, were there forced to
stay it out as wee were. Which being an Action so famous
all the world over, encouraged mee both to publish this of
ours, as also now to draw out some comparisons with them :
that so our deliverance and Gods glory may appcare both
the more gracious and the greater.
This Nova Zembla stands in the degree seventy-six North
latitude; our Avintering place is in seventy-seven Degrees and
forty Minutes, that is, almost two degrees ncerer the North
Pole than they were, and so much therefore the colder. The
Dutch were furnished with all things necessary both for life
and health ; had no want of any thing : Bread, Beere, and
Wine they had good, and good store. Victuals they had
Gods plenty, and apparell both for present clothing and for
shift too ; and all this they brought with them in their ship.
We (God knowes) wanted all these. Bread, Beere, and Wine
we had none. As for meate, our greatest and chiefest feed-
ing was the Whale Frittars, and those mouldie too, the loath-
somest meate in the world. For our Venison 'twas hard to
finde, but a great deale harder to get : and for our third sort
of provision the Beares ; 'twas a measuring cast which should
be eaten first. Wee or the Beares, when we first saw one ano-
TO THE READER. .iOO
tlicr; ixnd avc perceived by them, that they had as good
hopes to devoure us as wee to kill them. The Dutch kill'd
Ueares, 'tis true ; but it was for their skinncs, not for their
Hesh. The Dutch had a Surgeon in their Companie ; wee,
none but the great Physician to take care and cure of us.
They had the benefitc of bathing and purging ; wee, of nei-
ther. They had their Ship at hand to befriend them ; wee
had here perished, had not other Ships fetcht us off. They
had Card and Compasse : wee, no direction. If the Dutch
complained therefore of the extremity of the cold (as well
they might), and that when in building their house, they
(as Carpenters use to doe) put the iron nayles into their
mouthes, they there froze, and stucke so fast, that they
brought off the skinne and forced blood : how cold, think
you, Avere we, that were faine to maintaine two fires to keepe
our very niorter from freezing? The Dutch complain'd, that
iheir walls were frozen two inches thicke on the inside for
all their fire ; and if ours were not so, 'twas our pains and
industry at first in building. The Dutchmens clothes froze
upon their backes, and their shooes were like homes upon
their feete ; but that was their own ignorance ; for they had
Sea-coles enough with them, if they had knowne how to use
them. If theire drinke and Sacke were so hard frozen into
lumps of yce, that they were faine to cut it out : how much
harder was it for us, that were forced to make hot Irons our
best toasts to warme the snow withall for our mornings
draughts ! They used heated stones and billets to their feete
and bodies to warmc them ; which, though an hard shift,
yet was it better than wee had any.
Lay now all these together : the distance of place, wee
being many miles more into the cold than they ; the want
both of meate and clothes ; and that the house wee lived in,
we had but three dayes respite to build for nine moneths to
come ; and then may the world see that the Dutch had the
liettcr provisions, and wee the abler bodies. If, therefore.
256 GREENLAND.
the Dutch-mcns deliverance were worthily accounted a v/on-
der, our's can amount to little lesse than a miracle. The
greater therefore our deliverance, the greater must he Gods
glory. And that's the authors purpose in puhlishing of it.
God keepe the readers from the like dangers. So prayes he
that endured what he here writes of.
Edw. Pellham.
THE NAMES OF THE MEN THUS STAYING IN GREEN-LAND,
FOR NINE MONETHS AND TWELVE DAYES.
AV'illiam Fakely, gunner; Edward Pellham, gunners mate,
the author of this relation ; John Wise and Rohcrt Good-
fellow, sea-men ; Thomas Ayers, whale-cutter ; Henry Bett,
cooper ; John Dawes and llichard Kellett, land-men.
2.57
GODS rOWEll AND PROVIDENCE IN THE
PRESERVATION OF EIGHT MEN IN
GREEN-LAND, NINE MONETPIS
AND TWELVE DATES.
But wee had the seutence of death in our selves, that wee should uot
trust in our selves, but in God which raiseth the dead.
Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver : in whom
wee trust that he will yet deliver us. 2. Cor. i, ver. 9, 10.
Green-land is a Country very farre Northward, situated
in seventy-seven degrees and forty minutes, that is, within
twelve degrees and twenty minutes of the very North Pole
it selfe. The Land is wondcrfull mountainous, the Moun-
taines all the year long full of yce and snow : the Plaines in
part bare in Summer time. Tiiere growes neither tree nor
hearbe in it, except Scurvy-grasse and Sorrcll. The Sea is as
barren as the Land, affording no fish but Whales, Sea-horses,
Seales, and another small fish. And hither there is a yearely
Fleet of English sent. AVee eight men therefore being em-
ployed in the service of the Right Worshipfull Company of
Muscowic merchants, in the good ship called the Salutation,
of London, were bound for this Greenland aforesaid, to
make a voyage upon Whales or Sea-horse, for the advantage
of the Merchants and the good of the Conmion-wealth. Wee
set sayle from London the first day of May, 1630, and
having a faire gale, wee quickly left the fertile bankes of
Englands pleasant shoares behinde irs. After Avhich, setting
258 GREENLAND.
our comely saylcs to this supposed prosperous gale, and
ranging- through the boysterous billowes of the rugged Seas,
by the helpe and gracious assistance of Almighty God, wee
safely arrived at our desired Port in Greenland, the eleventh
of June following. Wherupon, having moored our ships
and carryed our caske ashoare, wee, with all expedition, fell
to the fitting up of our Shallops with all thingcs necessarie
for our intended voyage. Wee were in companie three Ships;
all which were then appointed by the order of our Captaine,
Captaine William Goodler, to stay at the Foreland, untill
the fifteenth of July ; with resolution, that if we could not
by that time make a voyage according to our expectation,
then to send one ship to the Eastward, unto a fishing place
some fourescore leagues from thence ; whither, at the latter
end of the yeare, the Whales use more frequently to resort.
A second of the three ships was designed for Green-harbour
(a place some fifteene leagues distant to the southward),
there to trie her skill and fortune, if it wei'e possible there
to make a voyage. The third ship (which was the saine
wherein wee were) was appointed to stay at the Fore-land,
untill the twentieth of Augu.st. But the captaine having
made a great voyage at Bell Sownd, disjiatches a Shallop to-
wards our ship, with a command unto us to come to him at
Bell Sownd aforesaid : his purpose being, both to have us
take in some of his Trane-Oyle, as also, by joyning our forces
together, to make the fleete so much the stronger for the
defence of the merchants goods homeward bound, the Dun-
kirkers being very strong and rife at sea in those dayes.
Upon the eighth day of August (thereupon), leaving the
Foreland, wee directed oure course to the Southward, to-
wards Green-harbour, there to take in twenty of our men,
which had ou.t of our ships company beene sent into the
lesser ship for the furtherance of her voyage.
But the winde being now contrary, our ship could no way
lye our course. The fifteenth day, being calme and clcare.
GREENLAND. 259
and our ship now in the Offing, some foure leagues from
Bhicke-point and about five from the Maydens pappes
(which is a pLace famous, both for very good, and for great
store of venison), our ^Master sent us eight men here named
ahogether in a shallop, for the hunting and killing of some
Venison for the ships provision. Wee thus leaving the ship,
and having taken a brace of dogs along with us, and fur-
nisht our selves with a snap-hance, two lances, and a tinder-
boxe, wee directed our course towards the shoare, where in
foure houres wee arrived, the weather being at that time
faire and cleare, and every way seasonable for the perform-
ance of our present intentions. That day we laid fourteene
tall and nimble Deere along, and being very weary and
throughly tyred (first with rowing, and now with hunting),
wee fell to eate such victuals as wee had brought along,
agreeing to take our rest for that night, and the next day to
make an end of our hunting, and so fairely to returne to our
ship agaiue. But the next day, as it pleased God, the wea-
ther falling out something thicke, and much yce in the Offing
betwixt the shoare and the ship (by reason of a Southerly
winde driving alongst the coast), our ship was forced so
farre to stand off into the sea to be cleare of the yce that wee
had quite lost the sight of her ; neither could wee assure
our selves whether shce were inclosed in the drift yce or
not ; and the weather still growing thicker and thicker, we
thought it our best course to hunt alongst the shoare, and so
to goe for Green-harbour, there to stay abord the ship with
the rest of our men vntill our own ship should come into the
Port.
Coasting thus along towards Greene-harbour, wee kill'd
eight Deere more ; and so at last having well loaden our
Shallop with Venison, Avee still kept on our course towards
Green-harbour, where, arriving upon the seventeenth day,
wee found (to our great wonderment) that the ship was de-
parted thence, together with our twenty men aforesaid. That
260 GREENLAND.
which increased our admiration was, for that wee knew they
had not victuals sufficient aboard to serve them (by propor-
tion) homewards bownd ; which made vs againe to wonder
what shoukl be the reason of their so sudden departure.
Perceiving our selves thus frustrated of our expectation,
and having now but bare three dayes (according to appoint-
ment) to the uttermost expiration of our limited time for our
departure out of the Country, wee thought it our best course
to make all possible speed to get to Bell Sownd unto our
Cajataine ; fearing that a little delay might bring a great
deale of danger. For the lightening therefore of our shal-
lop, that she might make the better way through the waters,
wee heaved our Venison overboard and cast it all into the
sea. Having thus forsaken Green-harbour with a longing
desire to recover Bell Sownd (from thence distant some six-
teene leagues to the Southward), that night wee got halfe
way about the point of the Nesse, or point of land called
Low-Nesse : but the darknesse or niistie fogge increasing so
fast upon us, that it was impossible for us to get further ; even
there, betweene two rocks, we coved from the seventeenth
day at night vntill the eighteenth day at noone. At which
time, the weather being somewhat clearer (though very thicke
still), wee left the Nesse behinde us, still desirous to recover
Bell Sownd ; but having never a Compasse to direct our
course by, nor any of our company that was Pilot sufficient
to know the land when he saw it, we were faine to grabble
in the darke (as it were) like a blind man for his way, and
so over-shot Bellpoint at least tenne leagues to the South-
ward towards Home Sownd.
Some of us in the meane time knowing that it was impos-
sible to bee so long a rowing and sayling of eight leagues
(for wee did both row and sayle), made enquirie How the
harbour lay in ? whereunto there was a ready answer made.
That is, lay East in. Taking the matter therefore into our
better consideration, some of us judged, that it could not
GREENLAND. 261
possibly be further to the Southward (our reason being, our
observation of the hinds rounding away and trenting towards
the Eastward) and resolved thereupon to row no further on
that course for the finding of Bell Sownd. And though w^ee
were againc perswaded by William Fakely, our Gunner (a
proper Seaman, though no skilfull Mariner, who had been
in the Country five or sixe times before, which none of our
sea-men had beene), that it was further to the Southwards ;
yet w^e, trusting better to our own reasons than unto his
perswasions, againe returned towards the Northward, which
was our best and clirectest course indeed for the finding of
Bell Sownd. Steering of which course wee were now come
within two miles of Bell Point, and the weather being faire
and cleare, wee presently descryed the tops of the loftie
mountaines.
William Fakely thereupon looking about him, presently
cries out unto us, That wee were all this while upon a wrong
Course ; upon hearing of which Avords, some of our com-
panie (yea the most) were perswaded to wend about the
Boates head the second time, unto the Southwards ; which
one action was the maine and onely cause of our too late
repentance, though for mine owne part (as it is w^ell knowne),
I never gave consent unto their counsell. And thus upon
the fatall tvrentieth day August (which Avas the utmost
day of our limited time for staying in the Country), wee
againe returned the quite contrary way, namely, to the
Southward. Thus utterly vncertaine when and where to
finde the Sownd, a thousand sadde imaginations overtooke
our perplexed minds, all of us assuredly knowing that a
million of miseries would of necessitie ensue, if wee found
not the ships whereby to save our passage. In this dis-
tracted time of our thoughts, w^ee were now againe the
second time runne as farre to the Southward as at the first ;
and finding by all reason thereupon, how that there was no
likelihood at all of finding any such place further to the
262 GREENLAND.
Soullivvard, we wended tlie shallop the second time unto the
Northward. William Fakely hereupon, being unwilling to
condescend unto our agreement, still perswaded us that That
could not possibly bee our Course ; but we, not trusting any
longer unto his unskilfull perswasions (though all in him
was out of good will and strong conceit of his being in the
rights), bent our Course to the Northward ; and hee not con-
senting to steere any longer, I tooke the Oare out of his
hand to steere the Boate withall. The weather all this while
continued faire and cleare, and it pleased God at the very
instant time to send the winde Easterly ; which advantage
we thankfully apprehending, presently set sayle. The
winde increased fresh and large, and our Shallop swiftly
running, we arrived the one and twentieth day at Bellpoint,
were wc found the wind right out of the Sownd at East North-
east so fiercely blowing, that we could not possibly row to
Windwarde ; but being forced to take in our sayle, we were
faine to betake ourselves to our oares ; by helpe of which
wee recoverd some two miles within the shoare, where wee
were constrained for that time to cove, or else to drive to
Lee-wards.
Thus finding this to be the very place we had all this
while sought for, (he now also agreeing thereunto,) we forth-
with sought out and found an harbour for our Shallop ; and
having brought her thereunto, two of our men were presently
dispatched over land unto the Tent at Bell Sownd, to see if
the ships were still there, of which, by reason of the times
being expired and the opportunitie of the present faire Avinde,
wee were much afraid. The Tent being distant ten miles at
the least from our Shallop, our men at their comming thither
finding the ships to be departed out of the Roade, and not
being certaine whether or not they might be at Bottle Cove,
(three leagues distant on the other side of the Sownd,) riding
there under the Loome of the land ; againe return unto us
with this saddc newes. The storme of winde hitherto con-
GREENLAND. 263
tinning, abont midnight fell stark e calmc, whcrcnpon wc,
unwilling to lose our first opportunity, departed towards
Bottle Cove, betwixt hope and feare of finding the ships
there ; whither comming the two-and-twentieth, and finding
the ships departed, Ave, having neither Pilot, Plat, nor Com-
passe for our directors to the Eastward, found ourselves (God
he knowcth) to have little hope of any delivery out of that
apparent danger. Our feares increased upon us, even whilst
we consulted whether it were safest for us either to goe or
stay. If goe, then thought wee upon the dangers in sayling,
by reason of the much yce in the way, as also of the diificul-
tie in finding the place when wee should come thereabouts.
If we resolved still to remaine at Bell Sownd, then wee
thought that no other thing could be looked for but a miser-
able and a pining death, seeing there appeared no possibility
of inhabiting there, or to endure so long, so darksome, and
so bitter a winter.
And thus were our thoughts at that time distracted, thus
were our feares increased ; nor were they causeless feares
altogether. Well wee knew that neither Christian or Hea-
then people had ever before inhabited those desolate and
untemperate Clymates. This also, to increase our feares, had
wee certainly heard, how that the merchants having in form-
er times much desired, and that with proffer of great rewards
for the hazarding of their lives, and of sufficient furniture
and of provision of all things that might be thought necessary
for such an undertaking, to any that would adventure to
winter in those parts ; could never yet finde any so hardy as
to expose their lives unto so hazardous an undertaking : yea,
notwithstanding these proffers had beene made both unto
Mariners of good experience and of noble resolutions, and
also unto divers other bold spirits, yet had the action of win-
tering in those parts never by any beene hitherto undertaken.
This also had we heard, how that the company of Muscovie
Merchants, having once procured the reprive of some male-
264 GREENLAND.
factors that had hcere at home beene convicted bv Law for
some haynous crimes committed ; and that both with promise
of pardon for their faults, and with addition of rewards also,
if so be they would undertake to remaine in Greenland but
one whole yeare, and that every way provided for too, both
of Clothes, Victuals, and all things else that might any way
be needfull for their preservation. These poor wretches
hearing of this large proffer, and fearing present execution
at home, resolved to make tryall of the adventure.
The time of yeare being come, and the ships ready to de-
part, these condemned creatures are imbarked, who after a
certain space there arriving, and taking a view of the deso-
lateness of the place, they conceived such a horrour and
inward feare in their hearts, as that they resolved rather to
returne for England to make satisfaction with their lives for
their former faults committed, than there to remaine,- though
with assured hope of gaining their pardon ; Insomuch as the
time of the yeare being come that the ships were to depart
from these barren shoares, they made knowne their full in-
tent unto the Caj)taine, who, being a pittifull and a merciful!
Gentleman, would not by force constrainc them to stay in
that place, which was so contrary to their minds ; but, hav-
ing made his voyage by the time expired, hee againe im-
barked and brought them over with him to England ; where,
through the intercession and meanes of the worshipfull com-
panie of Muscovie merchants, they escaped that death which
they had before beene condemned unto. The remembrance
of these two former stories, as also of a third (more terrible
than both the former, for that it was likely to be our own
case), more miserably now affrighted us : and that was the
lamentable and unmanly ends of nine good and able men,
left in the same place heretofore by the selfe same Master
that now left us behindc ; who all dyed miserably upon the
place, being cruelly disfigured after their deaths by the
savage beares and hungry foxes, which are not oncly the
GKEENl.AXD. 2G'5
civilcst, but also the oncly inhabitants oi' that comfortlcsse
Countrey ; the lamentable ends and miscarriage of which
men, had bcene enough indeed to have daunted the spirits
of the most noble resolution.
All these fearefvdl examples presenting themselves before
our eyes, at this place of Bottle Cove aforesaid, made us,
like amazed men, to stand looking one upon another, all of
us, as it were, beholding in the present, the future calamities
both of himselfe and of his fellowes. And thus, like men
already metamorphosed into the ycc of the Country, and
already past both our sense and reason, stood wee with the
eyes of pittie beholding one another.
Nor was it other mens examples and miscarriages and
teares alone that made us amazed, but it was the considera-
tion of our want of all necessary provision for the life of man,
that already strooke \is to the heart ; For we were not only
unprovided, both of clothes to keepe us warme and of foode
to prevent the wrath of cruell famine, but vtterly destitute
also wee were of a sufficient house wherein to shrowd and
shelter our selves from the chilling cold. Thus for a space
standing all mute and silent, weighing with our selves the
miserie wee were already fallen into, and knowing delay in
these extremities to be the mother of all dangers, we began
to conceive hope even out of the depth of despaire. Eowsing
up our benummed senses therefore, wee now lay our heads
and counsels together, to bethinke our selves of the likeliest
course for our preservation in that place ; seeing that all
hopes of gaining our passage into England were then quite
frustrate. Shaking oiF therefore all childish and effeminate
fearcs, it pleased God to give us hearts like men, to arme
our selves with a resolution to doe our best for the resisting
of that monster of Desperation. An agreement thereupon by
a generall consent of the whole Companie we then entered
into, to take the opportunitic of the next faire weather and
266 GREENLAND.
goc for Green-harbour, to hunt and kill Venison for part of
our winter provision.
Having thus agreed amongst ourselves, the five and twen-
tieth day of August, the weather and Avind being both
faire, wee direct our course towards Green-harbour, some
sixteene leagues (as I before told you) distant from Bell
Sownd ; and the winde being fresh and faire, within the
space of twelve houres we there arrived. Upon which place
being now landed, the first thing we did was to make us a
Tent with the sayle of our Shallop, pitcht up and spread upon
our Oares ; a sorry one (God knowes) though it were, yet
under it we resolved to rest our selves that night, to refresh
our bodies with such food as wee there had, and the next
day to returne againe unto our hunting. The weather that
night proving faire and cleare, wee made our sleepe the
shorter (and, alas, what men could sleepe in such an cxtre-
mitie !); and fitting our selves and Shallop the best we might,
to Coles Parke we went, a place some two leagues distant
from us, and well knowne unto Thomas Ayers, that w^as one
of our Companie, to be well stored with Venison. Comming
a-shore at which place, though we found not so many Deere
as we indeed expected, yet seven we killed the same day
and foure Beares to boote, which wee also intended to eate.
But the weather beginning now to overcast, and not likely
to continue good for hunting, wee that night returned againe
unto Green-harbour, where, making us a Tent of our Sayle
and Oares (as is before described), we fell to eate of such
meate as God had sent us, and bctooke our selves to our rest
upon it. Having rested our selves a while, and now finding
the weather to cleare up, we broke off our sleepe for that
time, fitting our selves and two dogges againe to goe a hunt-
ing, leaving William Fakely and John Dawes behinde us in
the Tent at Green-harbour as our Cookes (for the time), to
dresse some meate that wee had for our refreshment at our
return.
GREENLAND. 267
Departing thus from the Tent, wee rowed towards Coles
Parke ; in the way whither, upon the side of a hill, by the
sea side, wee espyed seven Deere feeding, Avhereupon pre-
sently a-shoarewe went, and with our Dogs kill'd sixe of them ;
after which, the weather againe overcasting, wee thought it
to little purpose to goe any further at that time, but resolved
to hunt all along the side of that hill, and so at night to re-
turne unto our Tent. Going thvis along wee kill'd sixe Deere
more, which Avee had no sooner done but it began to blow
and raine and to be very darke ; whereupon wee hasted to-
wards the Tent, there intending to refresh our selves with
victuals and with rest for that niglit, and the next day to
returne againe to our hunting. This purpose of ours was by
the foule weather the next day hindered ; for it fell so blacke,
£0 cold, and so windy, that we found it no way fitting for
our purpose. Lading therefore our owne Shallop with
Beares and Venison, and another Shallop which we there
found haled up and left by the Ships Companie, as every
yeare they use to doe ; lading this other shallop, I say, with
the Graves of the Whales that had beene there boyled this
present yeare (which wee there found in heapes flung upon
the ground), wee, dividing our selves into two equal com-
panies, that is to say, William Fakely, with one Sea-man
and two Land-men with him, betaking themselves unto one
Shallop, and Edward Pellham, with another Sea-man and
two Land-men more with him, going into the other Shallop;
wee all committed our selves unto the Sea, intending with
the next faire weather to goe to Bell Sownd unto our Tent ;
which was the place wee set up our rest upon, to remaine at
all the Avinter.
Towards Bell Sownd therefore we went, Avith a purpose
there to lay up our Store of what victuals wee had already
gotten together ; and with the next faire winde to come
hither againe, to trie if it Avere possible for us there to pro-
vide our selves of some more Venison for our Winter provi-
sion.
268 GREENLAND.
Having thus laden both our Shallops, appointed our Coni-
panie, and all ready now for our departure ; wee were over-
taken with the night, and there forced to stay upon the place.
The next day was Sunday : wherefore wee thought it fit to
sanctifie the E.est of it, and to stay our selves there untill
Munday, and to make the best use wee could of that good
day, taking the best course wee could for the serving of God
Almighty ; although we had not so much as a Booke amongst
us all, the whole time wee staid in that Country.
The Sabbath day being shut up by the approaching night,
wee betooke our selves to our Rest, sleeping untill the Sunne
awakened us by his beginning to shew himselfe upon the
Munday morning. The day was no sooner peept, but up
we got, fitting our selves and businesse for our departure.
The weather was faire and cleare at the first, but after some
foure houres rowing, the skie began so to overcast, and the
winde to blow so hard, that we could not possibly get to
Bell Sownd that night, but Coved halfe way untill the next
morning, at which time we recovered Bottle Cove. To which
place, when wee were once come, we found the winde (then
at South-west) to blow so hard, that it was impossible for us
to reach Bell Sownd, but were forced to stay at Bottle Cove
for that night. Our vShallops we made fast one unto another
with a B/Ope, fastening the head of the one unto the sterne of
the other; and so casting our Grabnel or Anchor over-board,
we left them riding in the Cove.
But see noAV what a mischance, for the tryall of our pa-
tience, and for the making of us to relye more upon his pro-
vidence than upon any outward meanes of our owne, God
now suffered to befall us : We being now all a-shore, the
South-west winde blew so hard and right into the Cove, that
it made the Sea go high ; our Anchor also comming home at
the same time, both our Shallops casting alongst the shoare,
sunke presently in the Sea, wetting by this meanes our whole
jiroviyiou, the weather withall beating some of it out of the
GREENLAND. 269
BoatcSj which wee found SAvimming up aud downc the
shoaro. For, coming out of our Tent in the meaue time,
judge you what a sight this was unto us, to see, by mis-
chance, the best part of our provision (the onely hope of our
lives), to be in danger utterly to be lost (or at least spoyled.
with the Sea-water), for which we had taken such paines,
and run such adventures in the getting. In this our miserie
wee saw no way but one (and that a very desperate one),
namely, to runne presently into the high-wrought Sea, gett-
ing by that meanes into our Shallops to save the remainder
of our provisions, ready now to be washt quite away by the
billowes. A Halser thereupon we got, which fastning unto
our shallops, wee, with a Crabbe or Capstang, by niaine
force of hand, heaved them out of the water upon the shoare.
This done, all along the Sea side we goe, seeking there and
taking up such of our provisions as were swumme away from
our Shallops. Having by this meanes gleaned up all that
could be gotten together, we resolved from thenceforth to let
our Boates lye upon the shoare, till such time as the weather
should prove faire and better ; and then to goe over unto
Bell Sownd.
The third of September, the Aveather proving faire and
good, we forthwith launched our Shallops into the water,
and in them wee that day got into Bell Sownd. Thither, so
soone as we were come, our first businesse was to take our
provision out of our Shallops into the Tent ; our next, to
take a particular view of the place, and of the great Tent
especially, as being the place of our habitation for the ensu-
ing Winter. This, which we call the Tent, was a kinde of
house (indeed), built of Timber and Boards very substan-
tially, and covered with Flemish Tyles, by the men of which
nation it had, in the time of their trading thither, beene
builded. Fourescore foot long it is, and in breadth fiftie.
The use of it was for the Coopers, employed for the service
of the Company, to workc, lodge, and live in, all the while
270 GREENLAND.
they make caske for the putting up of the Tranc Oyle. Our
view being taken, we found the weather beginning to alter
so strangely, and the nights and frosts so to grow upon us,
that wee durst not adventure upon another hunting voyage
unto Green-harbour ; fearing the Sownd would be so frozen
that wee should never be able to get backe to our Tent
againe. By land it was (we knew) in vaine for us to tbinke
of returning, for the land is so mountainous that there is no
travelling that way.
Things being at this passe with us, we bethought our-
selves of building another smaller Tent with all expedition;
the place must of necessity be within the greater Tent.
With our best wits, therefore, taking a view of the place,
we resolved upon the South side. Taking downe another
lesser Tent therefore (built for the Land-men hard by the
other, wherein in time of yeare they lay whilest they made
their Oyle) from thence we fetcht our materials. That
Tent furnisht us with one hundred and fifty deale-boards,
besides Posts or Stancheons and Rafters. From three Chim-
neys of the Furnaces wherein they used to boyle their
Oyles, wee brought a thousand Bricks : there also found
wee three Hogsheads of very fine Lyme, of which stuffe
wee also fetcht another Hogshead from Bottle Cove, on
the other side of the Sownd, some three leagues distant.
Mingling this Lyme with the Sand of the Sea shore, we
made very excellent good morter for the laying of our
Bricks : falling to worke whereupon, the weather was so
extreame cold, as that we were faine to make two fires
to keepe our morter from freezing. William Fakely and
my selfe, undertaking the Masonrie, began to raise a wall
of one bricke thicknesse, against the inner planks of the
side of the Tent. Whilest we were laying of these Bricks,
the rest of our Companie were otherwise employed every
one of them : some in taking them downe, others in making
of them cleane, and in bringing them in baskets into the
I
GREENLAND. 271
Tent. Some in making- mortcr, and hewing of boards to
l)aild the other side withall, and two others all the while
in Haying of our Venison. And thus, having built the two
outermost sides of the Tent with Bricks and Morter, and
our Bricks now almost spent, wee were enforc't to build
the other two sides with Boards ; and that in this manner.
First, we nayl'd our Deale boards on one side of the Post or
Stancheon, to the thicknesse of one foot : and on the other
side in like manner : and so filling up the hollow place be-
tweene with sand, it became so light and warme, as not
the least breath of ayre could possibly annoy us. Our
Chimneys vent was into the greater Tent, being the breadth
of one deale board and foure foot long. The length of
this our Tent was twenty foot, and the breadth sixteene ;
the heighth tenne ; our seeling being Deale boards five or
sixe times double, the middle of one joyning so close to
the shut of the other, that no wiude could possibly get
betweene. As for our doore, besides our making it so close
as possibly it could shut ; we lined it moreover with a bed
that we found lying there, which came over both the opening
and the shutting of it. As for windowes, we made none at
all, so that our light wee brought in through the greater
Tent, by removing two or three tyles in the eaves, which
light came to us through the vent of our Chimney. Our
next worke was, to set up foure Cabbins, billetting our
selves two and two in a Cabbine. Our beds were the
Deeres skinnes dryed, which we found to be extraordinary
warme, and a very comfortable kinde of lodging to us in our
distresse. Our next care then was for firing to dresse our
meate withall, and for keeping away the cold. Examining,
therefore, all the Shallops that had beene left a-shoare there
by the Ships, we found seven of them very crazie, and not
serviceable for the next yeare. Those wee made bold
withuU, brake them vp and carried them into our house,
stowinsr them over the beamcs in manner of a floore ; in-
272 GREENLAND.
tending also to stow the rest of our firing over them, so to
make the outer Tent the warmer, and to keepe withall the
snow from dryving through the tylcs into the Tent, which
snow would otherwise have covered every thing, and have
hindered us in comming at what wee wanted. When the
weather was now grown colde, and the dayes short (or
rather no dayes at all) wee made bold to stave some emptie
Caske that were there left the yeare before, to the quantitie
of a hundred tunne at least. We also made use of some
planks and of two old Coolers wherein they cool'd their
Oyle) and of whatsoever might well bee spared, without
damnifying of the voyage the next yeare. Thus, having
gotten together all the firing that wee could possibly make,
except we would make spoyle of the Shallops and Coolers
that were there, which might easily have overthrowne the
next yeares voyage, to the great hinderance of the Worship-
full Companie, whose servants wee being, were every way
carefull of their profite. Comparing, therefore, the small
quantitie of our wood, together with the coldnesse of the
weather, and the length of time that there wee were likely
to abide, we cast about to husband our stocke as thriftily
as wee could, devising to trie a new conclusion. Our tryall
was this : When wee rak't up our fire at night, with a good
quantitie of ashes and of embers, wee put into the midd'st
of it a piece of Elmen wood — where, after it had laine six-
teene houres, we at our opening of it found great store of
fire upon it, whereupon, wee made a common practice of it
ever after. It never went out in eight moneths together, or
thereabouts.
Having thus provided both our house and firing ; upon
the twelfth of September, a small quantity of drift yce came
driving to and fro in the Sownd. Early in the morning
therefore wee arose, and looking every where abroad, we
at last espyed two Sea-horses lying a-slcepe upon a piece
of yce : presently thereupon, taking up aii old Harping Iron
GREENLAND. 273
that tlicic lay in the Tent, and fastening a Grapuell Roape
unto it, out launch't wee our Boate to row towards them.
Comming something neere them, wee perceived them to be
fast a-sleepe : which my sclfe, then steering tlie Boate, first
perceiving, spake to the rowers to hokl still their Oares, for
feare of awaking them with the crashing of the yce ; and I,
skulling the Boate easily along, came so neere at length
unto them, that the Shallops even touch'd one of them. At
nvhich instant, William Fakely being ready with his Harping
Iron, heav'd it so strongly into the old one, that hee quite
disturbed her of her rest : after which, shee receiving five
or sixe thrusts with our lances, fell into a sounder sleepe
of death. Thus having despach't the old one, the younger
being loath to leave her damme, continued swimming so
long about our Boate, that with our lances we kill'd her
also. Haling them both after this into the Boate, we rowed
a-shoare, flayed our Sea-horses, cut them in pieces to roast
and eate them. The nineteenth of the same moneth we
saw other Sea-horses, sleeping also in like manner upon
severall pieces of yce ; but the weather being cold, they de-
sired not to sleepe so much as before, and therefore could
wee kill but one of them, of which one being right glad, we
returned again into our Tent.
The nights at this time, and the cold weather increased so
ftist upon us, that wee were out of all hopes of getting any
more foode before the next Spring ; our onely hopes were
to kill a Beare now and then, that might by chance wander
that way.* The next day, therefore, taking an exacter survey
of all our victuals, and finding our proportion too small by
halfe, for our time and companie, we agreed among our
selves to come to an Allowance, that is, to stint our selves
to one reasonable meale a day, and to keepe Wednesdayes
and Fridayes Fasting dayes, excepting from the Frittars or
Graves of the Whale (a very loathsome meate) of which
we allowed our selves sufficient to suffice our present hun-
35
274 GREENLAND.
ger, and at this dyet we continued some three moneths or
thereabouts.
Having by this time finished what ever we possibly could
invent for our preservations in that desolate desert ; our
clothes and shooes also were so worne and torne (all to
pieces almost) that wee must of necessity invent some new
device for their reparations. Of Koape-yarne therefore, we
made us thread, and of Whale-bones needles to sew our
clothes withall. The nights were wax't very long, and by
the tenth of October the cold so violent, that the Sea was
frozen over, which had beene enough to have daunted the
most assured resolutions. At which time, our businesse
being over, and nothing now to exercise our mindes upon,
our heads began then to be troubled with a thousand sorts
of imaginations. Then had wee leisure (more than enough)
to complaine our selves of oar present and most miserable
conditions. Then had wee time to bewaile our wives and
children at home, and to imagine what newes our unfortu-
nate miscarriaares must needes be unto them. Then thousfht
wee of our parents also, and what a cutting Corasive it
would be to them, to heare of the untimely deaths of their
children. Otherwhiles againe, wee revive our selves with
some comfort, that our friends might take, in hoping that
it might please God to preserve us (even in this poore
estate) untill the next yeare. Sometimes did we varie our
gricfes, — complaining one while of the cruelty of our Master,
that M^ould offer to leave us to these distresses ; and then
presently againe fell wee, not onely to excuse him, but to
lament both him and his companie, fearing they had beene
overtaken by the yce and miserably that way perished.
Thus tormented in mind with our doubts, our feares,
and our griefes ; and in our bodies, with hunger, cold and
Avants, that hideous monster of desperation began now to
present his ugliest shape unto us ; hee now pursued us, hee
now laboured to seize upon us. Thus, finding our selves
GREENLAND. 275
ill a Labyrinth, as it were, of a perpetuall miscrie, wee
thought it not best to give too much way unto our griefes ;
i'caving they also would most of all have wrought upon our
weakenesse. Our prayers we now redoubled unto the Al-
mighty, for strength and patience in these our miseries, and
the Lord graciously listncd unto us, and granted these our
petitions. By his assistance therefore, wee shooke off these
thoughts and checr'd up our selves againe, to use the best
meanes for our preservations.
Now, therefore, began we thinke upon our Venison and
the preserving of that, and how to order our firing in this
cold weather. For feare, therefore, our firing should faile
us at the end of the yeare, wee thought best to roast every
day halfe a Deere and to stow it in hogsheads. Which wee,
putting now in practice, wee forthwith filled three Hogs-
heads and an halfe, leaving so much raw as would serve to
roast every Sabbath day a quarter, and so for Christmas day
and the like.
This conclusion being made amongst us, then fell wee
againe to bethinke us of our miseries, both passed and to
come : and how (though if it pleased God to give us life)
yet should we live as banished men, not oncly from our
friends but li'om all other compauie. Then thought we of
the pinching cold and of the pining hunger ; these were our
thoughts, this our discourse to passe away the time withall.
But as if all this miserie had beene too little, we presently
found another increase of it : For, examining our provisions
once more, wee found that all our Frittars of the Whale
were almost spoyled with the wet that they had taken, —
after which, by lying so close together, they were now
growne mouldie; And our Beare and Venison we perceived
againe, not to amount to such a qu.antity as to allow us five
meales a weeke, — whereupon, we were faine to shorten our
stomacks of one meale more, — so, that for the space of three
moneths after that, we for fourc dayes in the weeke fed upon
276 GREEXLAXD.
the unsavory and mouldie Frittars, and the other three, we
feasted it with Beare and Venison. But, as if it were not
enough for us to want meate, we now began to want light
also : all our meales proved suppers now, for little light
could we see ; even the glorious Sunne (as if unwilling to
behold our miseries) masking his lovely face from us, under
the sable vaile of cole-blacke night. Thus, from the four-
teenth of October till the third of February, we never saAV
the Sunne ; nor did hee, all that time, ever so much as
peepe above the Horizon. But the Moone we saw at all
times, day and night (when the cloudes obscured her not)
shining as bright as shee doth in England. The skie, 'tis
true, is very much troubled with thicke and blacke weather
all the Winter time, so that then we could not see the Moone,
nor could discerne what point of the Compasse shee bore
upon us. A kinde of daylight wee had indeed, which glim-
mer'd some eight houres a day unto us, in October time I
meane ; for from thence, unto the first of December, even
that light was shortened tenne or twelve minuts a day con-
stantly, so that, from the first of December till the twentieth,
there appeared no light at all, but all was one continued
night. All that wee could perceive was, that in a cleare
season now and then, there appeared a little glare of white,
like some show of day towards the South, but no light at
all. And this continued till the first of January, by which
time wee might perceive the day a little to increase. All
this darksome time, no certainety could wee have when it
should be day or when night : onely my selfe out of mine
owne little judgement, kept the observation of it thus. First,
bearing in minde the number of the Epact, I made my
addition by a day supposed (though not absolutely to be
known, by reason of the darknesse) by which I judged of
the age of the Moone ; and this gave me my rule of the
passing of the time ; so that, at the comming of the Ships
into the Port, I told them the very day of the moncth, as
directly as they themselves could tell nice.
At tlie beginning of this darksome^ irkesome time, wee
sought some mcanes of preserving light amongst us ; finding
therefore a piece of Shecte-lead over a seame of one of the
Coolers ; that we ript off and made three Lamps of it, which
maintaining with Oyle that wee found in the Coopers'
Tent, and Roape-yarne serving us in steed of Candle-weekes,
wee kept them continually burning. And this was a great
comfort to us in our extremity. Thus did we our best to
preserve our selves ; but all this could not secure us, for
wee, in our owne thoughts, accovmted our selves but dead
men ; and that our Tent was then our darksome dungeon,
and that we did but waite our day of tryall by our judge,
to know whether wee should live or dye. Our extremities
being so many, made us sometimes in impatient speeches
to breake forth against the causers of our miseries ; but then
againe, our consciences telling us of our owne evill deserv-
ings, we tooke it either for a punishment upon us for our
former wicked lives ; or else for an example of God's
mercie in our wonderfull deliverance. Humbling our selves
therefore, under the mighty hand of God, wee cast clowne
our selves before him in prayer, two or three times a day,
which course we constantly held all the time of our misery.
The new ycare now begun : as the dayes began to lengthen,
so the cold began to strengthen ; which cold came at last to
that extremitie, as that it would raise blisters in our flesh,
as if wee had beene burnt with fire : and if wee touch't iron
at any time, it would sticke to our fingers like Bird-lime.
Sometimes, if we went but out a doores to fetch in a little
water, the cold would nip us in such sort, that it made us
as sore as if wee had beene beaten in some cruell manner.
All the first part of the Winter we found water under the
ycc, that lay upon the Bache on the Sea-shoare. Which
water issued out of an high Bay or Cliffc of yce, and ranue
into the hollow of the Bache, there remaining with a thicke
yce over it, which yce, wee at one certainc place daily digging
278 GREENLAND.
through with pick-axes, tooke so much water as served for
our drinking.
This continued with us untill the tenth of Januarie, and
then were wee faine to make shift with snow-water, which
we melted by putting hot Irons into it. And this was our
drinke untill the twentieth of May following.
By the last of Januarie were the dayes growne to some
seven or eight houres long, and then we again tooke another
view of our victuals, which we now found to grow so short
that it could no wayes last us above sixe weekes longer.
And this bred a further feare of famine amongst us. But
our recourse was in this, as in other our extremities, unto
Almighty God, who had helps, wee knew, though we saw no
hopes. And thus spent wee our time untill the third of
Februarie. This proved a marvellous cold day ; yet a faire and
cleare one ; about the middle whereof all cloudes now quite
dispersed, and nights sable curtaine drawne; Aurora, with
her golden face, smiled once againe upon us, at her rising out
of her bed ; for now the glorious Sunne, with his glittering
beames, began to guild the highest tops of the loftie moun-
taines. The brightnesse of the Sunne, and the whitenesse
of the snow, both together was such, as that it was able to
have revived even a dying spirit. But to make a new addi-
tion to our new joy, we might perceive two Beares (a shee
one with her Cubbe) now commiug towards our Tent ;
whereupon wee straight arming our selves with our lances,
issued out of the Tent to await her comming. Shee soone
cast her greedy eyes upon us, and with full hojjes of devour-
ing us shee made the more haste unto us ; but with our
hearty lances we gave her such a welcome as that shee fell
downe, and biting the very snow for anger. Her Cubbe
seeing this, by flight escaped us. The weather now was so
cold, that longer wee Avere not able to stay abroad ; retiring
therefore into our Tent, wee first warmed our selves, and
then went out a^^ainc to draw the dead Bearc in unto us.
GREENLAND. 279
Wee flaicd her, cut her into pieces of a stone weight or there-
abouts, which served us for our dinner's. And upon this
Beare we fed some twenty dayes, for shee was very good
flesh and better than our Venison, This onely mischance
wee had with her, that upon the eating of her Liver our very
skinnes peeled off; for mine owne part, I being siclce before,
by eating of that Liver, though I lost my skinne, yet re-
cover'd I my health upon it. Shee being spent, either wee
must seeke some other mcatc, or else fall aboard with our
roast Venison in the Caske ; which we were very loath to
doe for feare of famishing, if so be that it should be thus
spent before the Fleete came out of England. Amidst these
our feares, it pleased God to send divers Beares unto our
Tent, some fortie at least as we accounted. Of which num-
ber we kill'd seven: That is to say, the second of March one ;
the fourth, another ; and the tenth a wonderfull great Beare,
sixe foote high at least. All which we flayed and roasted
upon woodden spits (having no better kitchen-furniture than
that, and a frying-pan we found in the Tent). They were
as good savory meate as any becfe could be. Having thus
gotten good store of such foode, wee kepte not our selves
now to such straight allowance as before ; but eate fre-
quently two or three meales a-day, which began to increase
strength and abilitie of body in us.
By this, the cheerfull dayes so fast increased, that the several
sorts of Fowles, which had all the Winter-time avoyded
those quarters, began now againe to resort thither, unto their
Summer-abiding. The sixteenth of March, one of our two
Mastive Dogges went out of the Tent from us in the morn-
ing ; but from that day to this he never more returned to us,
nor could wee ever heare what was become of him. The
Fowles that I before spake of, constantly use every Spring
time to resort unto that Coast, being used to breede there
most abundantly. Their foode is a certaine kinde of small
fishes. Ycarely upon the abundant comming of these Fowles,
280 GREENLAND.
the Foxes, which had all this Winter kept their Burrows
under the Kockes, began now to come abroad and seeke for
their livings. For them Avee set up three Trappes like Rat-
trappes, and bayted them with the skinnes of these Fowles,
which wee had found upon the snow, they falling there in
their flight from the hill whereupon they bred towards the
Sea. For this Fowle, being about the bignesse of a Ducke,
hath her legs placed so close unto her rumpe, as that when
they alight once u.pon the land, they are very hardly (if ever)
able to get up againe, by reason of the misplacing of their
legs and the weight of their bodies ; but being in the water,
they raise themselves with their pinions well enough. After
wee had made these Trappes, and set them apart one from
another in the snow, we caught fiftie Foxes in them ; all
which Avee roasted, and found very good meate of them.
Then tooke Avee a Beares skinne, and laying the flesh side
upward, Avee made Springes of Whales bone, whereAvitli Avee
caught about sixty of those Foaa^cs, about the bignesse of a
pigeon.
Thus continued wee untill the first of May, and the Avea-
ther then groAving warme, Avee were now pretty able to goe
abroad to seeke for more provision. Every day therefore
abroad wee went, but nothing could Ave encounter Avithall
untill the 24 of May, Avhen, espying a Bucke, wee thought
to have kill'd him Avith our Dogge, but he was grown so
fat and lazie that he could not pull doAvne the Deere. Seek-
ing further out therefore, Avee found abundance of Willocks
egges (which is a FoAvle about the bignesse of a Ducke), of
which egges, though there Avere great store, yet Avee being
but two of us together, brought but thirty of them to the
Tent that day, thinking the next day to fetch a thousand
more of them ; but the day proved so cold, with so much
Easterly Avinde, that wee could not stirre out of our Tent.
Staying at home therefore on the 25 of May, Ave for that
day omitted our ordinary customc. Our order of late (since
GKKF.Nl.ANl). G81
tlic fairc weather) was, every day, or every second day, to
goe up to the top of a mountaine, to spic if wee could dis-
ccrne the water in the Sea ; which, untill the day hefore, wc
had not scene. At which time, a storme of winde comming
out of the Sea, brake the niaine yce within the Sownd ; after
which, the winde comming Easterly, carried all the yce into
the Sea and cleared the Sownd a great way, although not
neare the shoare at first, seeing the cleare water came not
necre our Tent by three miles at least.
This 25 of May therefore, wee all day staying in the Tent,
there came two Ships of Hull into the Sownd; who, knowing
that there had been men left there the yeare before, the
Master (full of desire to know whether we "were alive or
dead) man'd out a Shallop from the Ship ; with order to row
as far up the Sownd as they could, and then to hale up their
Shallop, and travell over-land upon the snow unto the Tent.
These men, at their comming ashore, found the Shalloj)
which we had haled from our Tent into the water, with a
purpose to goe seeke some Sea-horses the next faire weather ;
the Shallop being then already fitted with all necessaries for
that enterprize. This sight brought them into a quandary ;
and though this encounter made them hope, yet their admi-
ration made them doubt that it was not possible for us still
to remaine alive. Taking therefore our lances out of the
Boate, towards the Tent they come ; wee never so much as
perceiving of them, for wee were all gathered together, now
about to goe to prayers in the inner Tent, onely Thomas
Ayers was not come in to us out of the greater Tent. The Hull
men now comming neere our Tent, haled it with the usuall
word of the Sea, crying " Hey :" he answered againe with
" Ho," which sudden answer almost amazed them all,
causing them to stand still halfe afraid at the matter. But
we within hearing of them, joyfully came out of the Tent, all
blacke as we were with the smoake, and with our clothes
tattered with wearing. This uncouth sight made them fur-
282 GREENLAND,
ther amazed at us ; but, perceiving us to be the very men
left there all the yeare, with joy full hearts embracing us^ and
wee them againe, they came with us into our Tent. Comming
thus in to us wee showed them the courtesie of the house,
and gave them stich victuals as we had ; which was Venison
roasted foure moneths before, and a Cuppe of cold water,
which, for noveltie sake, they kindly accepted of us.
Then fell wee to aske them what newes ? and of the state
of the Land at home ? and when the London Fleete would
come ? to all which they returned us the best answers they
could. Agreeing then to leave the Tent, with them wee
went to their Shallop, and so aboard the Ship, where yve
were welcomed after the heartiest and kindest English man-
ner ; and there we stayed our selves untill the comming of
the London Fleete, which we much longed for, hoping by
them to heare from our friends in England. Wee were told
that they would be there the next day ; but it was full three
dayes before they came, which seemed to us as tedious a
three dayes as any we had yet endured, so much we now de-
sired to heare from our friends, our wives, and children.
The 28 of May the London Fleete came into the Port to
our great comfort. A-board the Admirall we went, unto the
right noble Captaine William Goodler, who is worthy to be
honoiu'ed by all Sea-nicn for his courtesie and bounty. This
is the Gentleman that is every yeare chiefe Commander of
this Fleete ; and right worthy he is so to be, being a very
wise man, and an expert Mariner as most be in England,
none dispraised. Unto this Gentleman right welcome we
were, and joyfully by him received ; hee giving order that
we should have any thing that was in the Ship that might
doe us good and increase .our strength ; of his owne charges
giving us apparell also, to the value of twenty pounds worth.
Thus, after fourteene dayes of refreshment, wee grew per-
fectly well all of us ; ^'hereupon the noble Captaine sent
William Fakely and John Wysc (Mason's own Apprentice),
GREENLAND. 283
and Thomas Aycrs, the Whale-Cutter, Avith Robert Good-
fellow, unto Master Mason's Ship, aecording as themselves
desired. But, thinking there to be as kindly welcomed as
the lost Prodigall, these poore men, after their enduring of
so much misery, which through his nicancs partly they had
undergone, — no sooner came they aboard his ship, but he
most unkindly call'd them Run-awayes, with other harsh and
unchristian terms, farre enough from the civility of an honest
man. Noble Captaine Goodler understanding all these pas-
sages, was right sorie for them, resolving to send for them
againe, but that the weather proved so bad and uncertainc.
I for mine ownc part, remained Avith the Captaine still at
Bottle Cove, according to mine owne desire ; as for the rest
of us that staled with him, hee preferred the Land-men to
row in the Shallops for the killing of the Whales ; freeing
them thereby from their toylesome labour a-shoare, bettering
their Meanes besides. And all these favours did this worthy
Gentleman for us.
Thus were wee well contented now to stay there till the
twentieth of August, hoping then to returne into our native
Country ; which day of departure being come, and we im-
barked with joyfull hearts, we set sayle through the foaming
Ocean, and though cross'd sometimes with contrary windes
homeward bound, yet our proper ships at last came safely to
an Anchor in the River of Thames, to our great joy and com-
fort and the Merchants benefite. And thus by the blessing
of God came wee all eight of us well home, safe and sound ;
where the Worshipfull Companie our Masters, the Muscovie
Merchants, have since dealt wonderfully well by us. For
all which most mercifull Preservation, and most wonderfully
powerfull Deliverance, all honour, praise, and glory be unto
the great God, the sole Author of it. He grant us to make
the right use of it. Amen.
FINIS.
INDEX.
Air, of the, 38
Abbe, town in Greenland, 189
Anauavieh, name given by the English
to part of Greenland, 215
Animals of Greenland, 190, 197
Appel, (Michael), 12
Arctic coal-fish, 158
Arctic fox, 80, 145
Arctic skua, 66, 69, 156
Arctic tern, 73, 157
AiTnenians, carried by tempest to
Greenland, 184
Bear, anecdote of his cunning attempt
to take a walrus, 144
Bear harbour or bay, 12, 25
Bears' flesh, feast of, and conse-
quences, 144
Beautiful colour of the ice mountains
in Greenland, 185
Beehive, hill at Spitzhergen so called,
22
Bell sound, 260, 261
Beluga, northern, 101, 150
Bert-Iver, maitre d'hotel to the Bisho])
of Greenland, 192
Birds, abundance of, 18 ; take refuge
in the ship, 27 ; with toes or divided
feet, 57 ; with broad or web feet, 00
Bird's islands, 22
Bird's song island, 24
Bishops of Greenland, list of, in the
" Specimen Islandicum " of Angri-
mus Jonas, 189
Black Guillemot, 63, 154
Black pestilence of 1348, 210
Bloserken, another name for Hind-
serken, 185
Boats of the Greenlanders, 223 ; won-
derful skill in managing them, 224
Bottle-head, a small wliale, 100, 149
Bremen, arclibishop of, copy of tlie
hull constituting him Metropolitan
of all the North, 188
Brent goose, 151
Brudifiord, 192
Brunnich's Guillemot, 154
Bui'germeister, or glaucous gull, 67, 156
Buts'copf, or Places' Head, 100, 149
Cape Farewell, 183, 184
Cathedral of Greenland, 189; its pos-
sessions, 191
Christian I. King of Denmark, 212;
Christian II., his cruelties, 213;
Cliristian III., tries the passage to
Greenland, and fails, ib. ; Christian
IV., takes great interest in the dis-
covery of Greenland, 218
Christianity introduced into Green-
land, 188
Christopher of Bavaria, 212
Christopherson, Claudius, a priest,
composer of the Danish Chronicle,
184
Clifted Eock Island, 24
Climate of Greenland, 205
Colours of the sea, 31
Common guillemot, 64, 154
Common mackarel, 158
Common seal, 140
Cookery of Haarlem, 23
Crawfish (sea) without a tail, 91
Crow's-foot, (plant) 48
Crustaceous fish, 91
Cuneate tailed gull, 156
Curious altars, etc. found by Captain
Munck, 242
Danes, harbour of, at Spitzhergen, 7,
13, 21
Danish chronicle, 183
Davis Straits, ib.
Deadmaii's island, 22
Deer or Muscle bay at Spitzhergen, 12
Deer, 20
Devils Huck, a lai'ge high moiuit at
Sjutzbergen, 22
Diver, great northern, 154 ; red-
throated, ib.
Diving parrot or puffin, 71, 154
Diurnes, first chiucli in Greenland,
191 ; country belonging to it, 192
Dolphin, of the, 99, 150
Dragon fish, 99, 158
IM)EX.
285
Eider-ducks, CI, 7'2, 151
Elbe (the) to Spitzbergen, voyage
from, -i
Englisli hai'bour at Spitsbergen, 7,
•21, -U
Eric, the Eed, son of Torwald, IBi ;
discovers Greenland, 185 ; an island
which he calls Ericsun, 186; names
the country Groenland, ib. ; goes to
Iceland andinduces manj- Icelanders
to settle in Greenland, 187 ; is angry
with his son Leiffe for bringing
shipwrecked sailors to Grt?¥nland,
187 ; is converted to Christianity, 188
Eric, king of Denmark, assists Mag-
nus, ] 90
Eric, king of Pomerania, 212
Ericsfiorden, port of Eric, 186
Ericsun.name given to the islandfouod
by line, ib.
Eynetsflord, 191
Fair isle, 14
Farewell, (Cape) 183, 184
Fertility of Greenland, contradictory
accounts of, 195
Finn-fish, or razor back, 5, 13, 132, 149
Fish, crustaceous, 91
Fishes, (finned) 97
Foreland, Spitsbergen, 4, 14, 21
Forked tailed gull, 1 57
Fos, royal residence so called, 191
Four-footed creatures, 79
Foxes, 20, 3-i, 80, 145
Frederick I., 213 ; Frederick II., at-
tempts the discovery of Greenland,
214
Fresh water at South harbour, Spitz-
bergen, 23
Frobisber, Martin, discovers Green-
land in 1577, 214 ; returns the fol-
lowing year, 215; adventures with
the natives, 216
Frost hardest in April and May, 38
Fulraer petrel, 75, 155
Funcliebuder Port, Greenland, 19i'
Gai'de,town built in the east of Green-
land, 189
Garnels or prawns, 92, 160
Glaucous gull or burgomaster, 67, 156
Goodler, Captain William, 258
Great northern diver, 154
Green-harbour, 258, 259
Greenland shark, 103, 158
Greenland, description of, 183; its
boundaries, ib. ; con jectui-es respect-
ing, ib. ; elevation according to Cap
tain Muuck, ib. ; two chronicles Ice-
landic and Danish, 184; said to be
discovered by some Ai'meuians, ib. ;
discovered by the Norwegian Ei-ic,
son of Torwald, ib. ; promontory
called Huarf, 185 ; beautiful appear-
ance of the ice mountains, i6.; named
by Eric Groenland, 186; Christianity
introduced by Leitfe, son of Eric,
188; arguments respecting the time
of discovery of Greenland, ib.; di-
vided into east and west, 189 ; towns
and monasteries, ib. ; bishops of, ib. ;
Norwegian viceroys, and Icelandic
heroes, i7>. ; revolts against Magnus,
king of Norway, 190 ; submits when
Eric king of Denmark sends an ex-
pedition against it, ib.; j)laces of
interest described, ib. ; conjectures
concerning the early inhabitants,
193 ; contracUctoiy accounts of its
fertility, 195 ; animals and birds,
196; fish, 197; Great abundance of
horn, ib.; climate, 205; northern
light, 206; voyage from Nonvay to,
208 ; black pestilence injures the
commerce, 210; succession of mis-
fortunes, during which the country
is lost sight of, 212; discovered by
Frobisher, 214; desci'iption of the
natives, etc., 215; Admiral Lin-
denau's voyage, 218 ; account of the
inhabitants, 218, 219 ; Lindenau's
second voyage, 221 ; Piichkardtsen's
voyage, 222 ; nine natives taken to
Denmark, 223 ; their boats, ib. ;
wonderful skill in managing them,
224 ; their unhappy fate, 225, 226 ;
further description of the natives,
227 ; expedition of the merchants of
Copenhagen, ib. ; trade with the
natives, 228 ; the old and the new,
230; Captain Munck's expedition,
237 ; described by Edward Pelham,
257
Groenland name given by Eric to
Greenland, 186
Guillemot, common, 64, 154; Bi-un-
nich's, ib. ; black, 63, 154
Gull, cuneate-tailed, 156 ; glaucous,
67,156; forked-tailed, 156; Kitti-
wake, 65, 156 ; ivory, 62, 156
Gundebiurne Skeer, half-way between
Greenland and Iceland, 209
Habits of the snail slime fish, 166
Hakou, Earl, called the liich, 188
Halfmoon bay, 25
Hamburghers, harbour of, at Spitz-
berg^ n, 7, 21
286
INDEX.
Hans Lichtenberg, 7
Haresvint, gulf oi- strait, so named by
Captain Munck, 240
Harp seal, 146
Hart or deer, of the, 79
Hat slime-fish, 13fi
Havens of Spitzbergen, 7, 18
Hay, (the) or shark, 103, 158
Heigmingsen, Magnus, sent out by
Frederick II., 214
Hellestad,royal house near the church
of Eynetsfiord, 191
Henry, bishop of Garde, 189, 211
Hemeven, island, 191
Hilge-land, or Heligoland, 3, 14
Himmelradsfield, large rock, 192
Hiudelopen, straights of, 10, 11, 25
Hitland, 14, 28
Hooded seal, 146
Horn in great abundance in Green-
land, 197
House leek, 47
Huai-f, name of promontory, 185
Hudson, his discoveries mentioned,
237
Hudson's Bay lemming, skeleton of,
147
Huidserken, name of promontory, 185
Ice, of the, 32 ; beautiful colour and
forms of the, 30, 37
Ice mountains, 18, 20
Ice bird, 59
Icelandic chronicle, 184
Icelandic heroes, their exploits re-
corded by Angrimus Jonas, 189
Interesting account of the poor Green-
landers brought to Denmark and
most cruelly detained there, 223, 220
Ivory gull, 02, 157
" Jonas in the Whale," the ship, 3
Jonas, Angrimus, in his " Sjiecimen
Islandicum," gives a list of the
bishops of Greenland, 189 ; gives
the names of the viceroys of Green-
land and celebrates the Icelandic
heroes, ib. ; mentions the peace in
1201, 190 ; quotation from him, 193 ;
quoted again, 201
John Maien, island, 3, 25
Ivindelfiord, on the west coast of
Greenland, 191 ; sea of, 193
King eider duck, 152; care of their
young, ih. ; want of gallantry at the
end of the season, 153
Kirmew, 01, 73, 157
Kittiwake gull, 05, 157
Kolding, governor of, punished for his
cruelty and avarice by the loss of the
poor savage through whom he hoped
to enrich himself, 220
Korskirke, church so called, 19J
Kuck's haven, 15
Kutge-gehef or Kittiwake gull, 05
Langen island, J 91
Leiffe, son of Eric, goes to Norway
and becomes Christian, 187 ; takes
back a priest to Greenland to in-
struct Eric and the people, ih. ; is
called LeifTdenhepen the happy, ih. ;
is blamed by his father for his cha-
rity to some shipwrecked sailors, ih. ;
prevails on his father and his fol-
lowers to become Christians, 188
Lemming (Hudson's Bay), 147
Leonin, a Spanish naturalist, his ac-
count of Spitzbergen, 233
Lepeler, ship from Hamburgh, 0
Lesser garnels or shrimps, 93
Leifde bay (Bay of Love), 25
Lindenau, Danish admiral, goes to
Greenland, 218 ; his second voyage,
221
Little auk or common rotche, 68, 155
Louse of the whale, 93
Lurabs and other water fowl, 27
Lumb (the), or common guillemot, 04,
158
Lunesfiord, 191
Mackarel, 97,158
Magdalen, hai-bour of, at Spitzbergen,
7, 14,21
Magnus, king of Norway, 190
Mallemucke or Fulmar petrel, 75, 155
Mangelsen (George and Cornelius), 12
Margaret, queen of Norway and Den-
mark, her severity to mei'chants for
going to Greenland withoutleave,211
May-fly (sea), 135
Medicinal herbs, 18
Medusa?, immense numbers of, 170
Merchants of Copenhagen, their expe-
dition to Greenland, 227 ; trade with
the savages, 228
Mew, the, called kutge-gehef, 05
Mouse-ear, hei'b like, 52
Mountain duck, 01, 72, 151
Mukla Jokel,name of Huidserken, 185
Munck, Jean, Danish captain, 183 ; his
naiTative, 237 ; he leaves the Sound,
ih. ; enters Hudson's Straits, 238 ;
meeting with the savages, 239 ;
names various places, 240, 241 ; finds
INDEX.
287
curious altars, etc., '24:'2 ; suiferings
of liis people, 244 ; liis own danger,
245 ; his unfortunate end, 247
Munckenes Vinterhaven, port of
Munck's winter, 241
Muscle liarbour, 10, l(i, 21, 31
Narwhal, the, 102, 140
North bay or haven at Spitzbergeu, 18,
24
Northern Light, 206
Northern shark, 103, 158
Nova Zembla, voyage of the Dutchmen
in 15!)G, 254 ; its position, ib.
Norwegians discover Greenland, 184
Olaus Truggerus, king of Norwav, 187,
188
Ophidium Parii, 158
Ostrebug, dwelling built by Eric, 180;
name afterwards given to the east of
Greenland, 189
Pellham, Edward, his departure from
London, 257 ; sent from the ship
with seven men in a shallop to get
venison, 259 ; they lose the ship, ib. ;
their wanderings and sulferings,
260-280 ; ai'rival of two ships from
Hull, 281 ; the London fleet arrives,
and they are taken on board the
Admiral, 282 ; retm'n to England,
283
Pei'iwinkle, plant like, 52
Pigeon or black guillemot, 53, 154
Pike whale, 149
Plants of Spitzbergen, 45
Plant with aloe-leaves, 46
Plover, ringed, 151
Polar bear, 80, 143
Pomarine skua, 150
Pope Gregory IV, his hull respect-
ing the propagation of the faith in
Greenland, 188
Prawns or garnels, 92, 100
Ptarmigan, 151
Puffin or Coulterneb, 71, 154
Purple sandpiper, 57
Qualms (sea), 134
Eathsher or ivorj' gull, 02, 1 50
Ravensfiord, port of, 180
Pvazor-back, 149, 132
Razor-bill, 154
Eedpole, lesser, 150
Red surmullet, 158
Red throated diver, 154
Rehenfelt (Deerstield), 8, 12, 24
Reindeer, 79, 147 ; their affection for
each other, 148
Reyatsen, island, 191
Richkardtsen, Karsten, his voyage to
to Greenland, 222
Ringed jjlover, 151
Roansen island, 191
Rock plant, 54
Rose-like shaped slime-fish, 137
Rotges or little auk, 68, 155
Rotz-fishes, 134
Rough or ringed seal, 145
Rumpesinfiord, 191
Sabine's gull, 157
Safe harbour at Spitzbergen, 18
St. Nicholas, church of, in the town of
Garde, the cathedral of Greenland,
189 ; its possessions, 191
St. Olaus and St. Augustine, monas-
tery dedicated to, 191
St. Thomas, monastery of, in Green-
land, 189
Sandstafin roadstead, 185
Sandpiper, common, 151
Saw-fish or sword-fish, 102, 159
Schmeremburg, an old Dutch settle-
ment, 22
Scurvy-grass, 49
Sea, of the, 26
Sea ci'aw-fish without a tail, 91
Sea horses or morses, 8, 11, 18,21, 86,
146
Sea monsters, 209
Sea sickness, remedies for, 29
Seals, 4, 5, 83, 145 ; rough or ringed,
145 ; common, 146 ; harp, ib. ;
hooded, ib.
Seaman, Cornelius, his ship crushed
by the ice, 6
Shark, (the), 103, 158
Shrimps or lesser garnels, 93
Silver ore found in Greenland, 220
Singular eflect of the first two sum-
mer months in Spitzbergen, 38
Skajefiord, the most eastern town in
Greenland, 190
Skrelingres, said to hold possession of
Vestrebug, 192 ; conjectures con-
cerning, 193
Skua, (Pomarine), 156; (Arctic), 69,
156
Slime-fish like a cap, 138, 169 ; slime-
fish like a fountain, 139, 169
Slime-fish ( snail), 136, 100; (hat), 130 ;
(rose-shaped), 137
Snake weed, 51
288
INDEX.
Snefiel-rock of snow, 186
Snite, or purple sandpiper, 57, 101
Snow and meteors, 40, 44
Snow bird, or snow bunting, 58, 150
South harbour or bay, Spitzbergen, 12,
13, 18, 21, 23
South-west land, 25
Spiny lump-sucker, 158
Spitzbergen, first sight of, 4 ; arrival
at, 7 ; home voyage from, 13 ; exter-
nal face and appearance of, 10; ha-
vens, 18; birds, 26.; medicinal herbs,
ib.; sea horses, z'&.; ice mountains, (7;.,
20 ; animals, 20 ; hills and islands,
22 ; old Dutch settlement, 23 ,• river
at South Harbour, 23 ; islands, 24,
25 ; the sea, 26 ; the ice, 32 ; the
air, 38 ; the winds, 30 : the sun does
not set from tlie 3rd of May till tlie
2nd of August, 38, 40 ; meteors and
snow, 40, 44 ; plants, 45 ; animals,
57 ; birds with toes or divided feet,
ib.; broad, or web-footed birds, 60;
four-footed creatures, 79 ; crustace-
ous fish, 91; finned fish, 97; the
whale, 105 ; finn-fish, 132 ; rotz
fishes and sea qualms, 134 ; ap-
pendix to, 143; Leonin's account of,
233
Star fish, 94, 95
Stomias ferox, 158
Stone-crap, herb like, 50
Storluson Suorro, Icelandic chroni-
cles, 184
Storm, signs of, 28
Strawberry, herb like, 53
Strosnes church, formerly the metro-
politan residence of the Bishop of
Greenland, 192
Strunt-jager, or dung-hunter, 69, 156
Sun (the) does not set from the 3rd
of May till the 2nd of August, 38, 40
Sword-fish, 102
Talguestin,curiotxs stone so called, 191
Torwald, a gentleman of Norwav,father
of Eric tlie Red, 184
Train oil, i^reparation of, 130
Unctuous sucker, 158
Unfortunate pilot who went for gold
and brought back sand, 228, 229
Unicorn or narwhal, 102, 149 ; dis-
cussion respecting, 198, 205
Valkandor, Eric, chancellor to Chris-
tian II, afterwards archbishop of
Dronthem, 213
Vestrebug, dwelling built by Ei'ic, 186 ;
name afterwards given to the west
of Greenland, 189
Vogelsanck, (bird's song) 12
Vormius, Dr., his opinion respecting
the Skreglingres, 193; argument on
the unicorn, 199 ; on the commerce
of Greenland, 1484, 211; his evi-
dence concerning the original in-
habitants of Gi'eenland, 248
Voyage from Norway to Greenland, 208
Walrus, or morse, 80, 146 ; adven-
ture with a bear, 144; anecdote of
a mother and young one, 147
Warmth of the weather in July, 40
Weigate, or Weighatt, or straits of
Hindelopen, 10, 11, 25
Whales taken, 0, 7, 8 ; encounter with,
9; others caught, 10, 11; dead, a
defence for the ship against the ice,
34
Whale, of the, 105 ; how to catch the,
110; what they do mth the dead,
125; common, 149; j)ike, 26.
White bears, 11, 20, 34, 80, 143
White fish, Northern Beluga, 101, 150
OF THE
I UNIVERSITY
LONDON:
RICUARDS, 37, OREAT QUEEN STREET.
d^
n n I A
RNIA
RNIi
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY
BERKELEY
Return to desk from which borrowed.
This book is DUE on the last date stamped below.
i9Se*se]p
^oc^:
^'^V
V
1 - ' ?J!ay22^1lU
y
^ JUM 5 1951
IfAug'SgRS
pc-C'O CO
AUG 5^359
SEP 81970?
JUL 25, 984
rec'd circ. Jm2 7 rd^
I _
RECEIVED BY
OUT Z <t 1984 '
aiRCULATION DEPT. )
AUG 1 6 t986 j
i|9BLeic JiJN2 7l986i
I^UTODISC MAR0 9 1G-
BECEIVED
^Ton T2 1936
•iRCULATIONDEP
SEP 3 0 1984 .
LD 21-100m-.ll.'49(B7146sl6)476 \ 0 ~ /T) ~ 't) \
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA II
- £f GENERAL LIBRARY -U.C. BERKELEY
BDDDa3Mt,7M
THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRAKT u^ int univtn^iii ur uxLirunniA
THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
/( u v'^ii^r^^,. — >-?^^=rr^^<Lv o\N — r/o ^-^
THP IINIVCDCITV np nillPnRNII
IIRRIRY RF THF IINIVFRCITY nP nAIIPnRHIl
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11