Part 33

In the advertisement to the reader in this latter work (copies of which have sold as high as £10 15s.), it is stated that the “Booke being commended by Maister Richard Hackluyt, a man that laboureth greatly to advance our English name and nation, the printer thought good to cause the same to be translated into the English tongue.”

3.—“The Relation of a wonderfull Voiage made by William Cornelison Schouten of Horne. Shewing how South from the Straights of Magellan in Terra del Fuego, he found and discovered a newe passage through the great South Sea, and that way sayled round about the World. Describing what Islands, Countries, People, and strange Adventures he found in his saide Passage. London, imprinted by T. D. for Nathaneell Newberry, 1619. 4to.”

This English edition is exceedingly rare.

[230] Namely, the United Provinces of the Netherlands.

[231] The Amsterdam Latin version of 1598 has “Columbus, Cortesius, et Magellanus”. But the emendation is unnecessary, since the author evidently intends Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, the discoverer of the Pacific.

[232] “Cicilia”, in the English original, can only be an error of the press.

[233] Deur ende weer deur de Linie—passing and repassing the Line.

[234] De witte Zee—the White Sea.

[235] The adverb of affirmation, now written ay. A striking instance of its use occurs in Romeo and Juliet:—

“Hath Romeo slaine himself? say thou but I, And that bare vowell I shall poyson more Than the death-darting eye of Cockatrice; I am not I, if there be such an I.”

[236] Thus it appears that Gerrit de Veer was not on the first voyage, as has been supposed by some writers.

[237] By the Russians called Nóvaya Zémlya, i.e., “the New Land”.

[238] Namely, between Nóvaya Zémlya and Spitzbergen, which latter was, by Barentsz and his companions, thought to be a part of Greenland.

[239] The Sea of Kara, east of Nóvaya Zémlya.

[240] This country, which was discovered by the Hollanders on their third voyage, has since proved to be Spitzbergen.

[241] The same is repeated by Sir John Barrow (Chronological History of Voyages, etc., pp. 148, 185), who questions the fact asserted by Hudson, of his having seen reindeer in the island. But Lütke expressly declares (Viermalige Reise, etc., Erman’s Translation, pp. 43, 75, 314, 359), that these animals do exist in Nóvaya Zémlya, even beyond the 74th parallel of north latitude. See also Baer, in Berghaus’s Annalen, vol. xvii, p. 300; vol. xviii, p. 25.

[242] Intended.

[243] As is shown in the Introduction, the proper name of this able navigator is Willem Barentszoon, that is, William, the son of Barent or Bernard; which name, as usually contracted, was written Barentsz.

[244] May 29th, 1594.

[245] The island of Kildin, on the coast of Russian Lapland, in 69° 18′ north latitude, and 34° 20′ longitude east of Greenwich.

[246] Dutch or German miles of fifteen to the degree; so that one such mile is equal to four English sea miles, or geographical miles of sixty to the degree. To assist the reader, who might not always have this in mind, the English miles will throughout be inserted between brackets.

[247] A rude way of determining the time by the bearing of the sun, customary among seamen of all nations in those days, for want of portable time-pieces. Were the precise azimuth of the sun observed, no method could be more exact; but as no interval between the several points of the compass (which are 11° 15′ apart) is taken into account, and as the sun’s bearing is also subject to the variation of the compass, the result must be only approximative. From the compass-bearing alone, as recorded, it would be difficult for the reader to form anything like a correct idea of the actual time—for example, when, on the 30th of June, the sun was observed to be full south, it wanted more than an hour-and-a-quarter of mid-day. It is, therefore, deemed advisable to insert, after each observation of time by the sun, the time by the clock to the nearest quarter of an hour.

[248] Schoverseylen—the courses, or sails on the lower masts.

[249] O. ten n.—east by north.

[250] Tots avonds—till the evening.

[251] Oozy, muddy.

[252] Een quartier—one watch; the duration of which was, as usual, four hours.

[253] I.e., they found themselves to be in 70° 45′ north latitude, by means of an observation of the sun.

[254] Small black specks.

[255] Wendense weder noordwaert over—they again tacked to the north. Phillip uses throughout the expression “to wind” in the sense of “to tack”.

[256] Van deeldagh af—from noon.

[257] Groote holle schulpen—large hollow shells.

[258] The first watch, beginning at 8 o’clock P.M.

[259] “Table.”—Ph. Evidently a misprint.

[260] Een schover zeyl—one course, namely, the main-sail.

[261] Wierpent aen de wint—they hauled close to the wind.

[262] Graedt-boogh—rendered Radius astronomicus in the Amsterdam Latin version of 1598, and Ray nautique in the French version of the same year and place—Cross-staff, Jacob’s-staff, or fore-staff; a well known instrument, no longer in use among European navigators. But the Arab seamen on the east coast of Africa still employ a primitive instrument, which is essentially the same. It consists of a small quadrangular board, through which a string, knotted at various distances, is passed; each knot being at such a distance from the board, that when the latter is held by the observer before him, with the knot between his teeth and the string extended, the board (between its upper and lower edges) shall subtend the angle at which the pole-star is known to be elevated above the horizon at some one of the ports frequented by the observer. Inartificial as such an instrument may be, yet if, instead of a knotted string, a notched stick were used, on which the board might slide backwards and forwards, it would be the cross-staff of our early navigators.

[263] Noch (now spelt nog)—again.

[264] Den 4 Julij des nachts—on the 4th of July, at night.

[265] Graed-boogh. See the preceding page, note 1.

[266] So in the original. But the sense requires “north-east and by north”, that being the next point to N.N.E.

[267] Een laghe uytstekenden hoeck—a low projecting point. Through some misconception, Phillip repeatedly has “long” for “low”.

[268] Laghe—low.

[269] Capo Baxo—Low Point. From the long connection of the Netherlands with Spain, the Dutch navigators appear to have employed the Spanish language for trivial names like “Low Point”, “Black Point”, as being more distinctive than the vernacular.

[270] Eenderley aert van voghelen—a certain kind of birds. This strange mistake of the translator has given occasion to frequent comment. It is the more unaccountable, as the original work contains a pictorial representation of these birds,—noordtsche papegagen, or northern parrots, as they are there called,—in connection with the plan of Lomsbay; and it is also expressly stated, that the bay “has its name from the birds which dwell there in great numbers. They are large in the body and small in the wing, so that it is surprising how their little wings can carry their heavy bodies. They have their nests on steep rocks, in order to be secure from animals, and they sit on only one egg at a time. They were not afraid of us; and when we climbed up to any of their nests, the others round about did not fly away.”

The bird in question is the Brunnich’s Guillemot. (Alca Arra.) It is described and figured in the fifth volume of Gould’s Birds of Europe, and in Yarrell’s British Birds.

An assemblage of these birds, such as is here described by the author, “is called by the Russians a ‘bazar’. Thus this Persian word has been carried by Russian walrus-hunters to the rocks of the icy sea, and there for want of human inhabitants applied to birds.”—Baer, in Berghaus’s Annalen, vol. xviii, p. 23.

[271] Een laeghen slechten hoeck, ende daer leyt een cleijn Eylandeken by, van den hoeck af zeewaerts in, so was noch by oosten dien laeghen hoeck een groote wyde voert ofte inwijck—A low flat point, and by it there lyeth a small island seawards from the point, and also to the east of this low point there is a great wide creek or inlet.

[272] Het Admiraliteyts Eyland—Admiralty Island.

[273] “One.”—Ph.

[274] Capo Negro.

[275] Usually written Pampus. A bar of mud and sand near Amsterdam, at the junction of the Y with the Zuyder Zee. This simile calls to mind that of Mungo Park, who, on his discovery of the Niger, described it as being “as broad as the Thames at Westminster”. Such homely comparisons, though by some they may be condemned as unscientific, often speak more distinctly to the feelings of such as can appreciate them than the most elaborate descriptions.

[276] Willems Eyland.

[277] Met zijn groote quadrant—With his large quadrant.

[278] This is not correctly stated, since it is the sun’s zenith distance, and not its elevation above the horizon, that was 53° 5′. The observation is, however, correctly worked out, subject only to the trifling error of 1′.

[279] The original has 53° 5′ both here and two lines lower down. There is consequently an error of 1′ in the calculation. The correction should be made on the result, instead of on the observation itself.

[280] So in the original; but it should be 75° 56′.

[281] Een ghedierte—an animal.

[282] A proof, among many others, that the west coast of Nóvaya Zémlya had previously been visited by the Russians.

[283] Berenfort—Bear Creek. It might be better written Beren-voert; as the word voert—which is apparently either the Danish fiord, or else the old form of the modern Dutch vaart—is used by the author (see page 13, note 1) as equivalent to inwijck, a creek or inlet.

[284] Palde hem altemet wat aen—poked him now and then (with the boat-hook.

[285] Van de voorschuyt—from the fore-part of the boat.

[286] “20 of July.”—Ph.

[287] Het Eylandt mette Cruycen—the Island with the Crosses.

[288] The mainland of Nóvaya Zémlya.

[289] Steeck gront—stiff ground.

[290] Tot den Hoeck van Nassowen—to Cape Nassau.

[291] Laghe—low.

[292] Noordt-oost—north-east.

[293] “The existence of the land said to have been seen by the Hollanders to the eastward of Cape Nassau is exceedingly doubtful. They themselves make but slight mention of it, and not at all on the second (third) voyage. Perhaps they saw some projecting point of the land of Novaya Zemlya; or yet more probably they mistook a fog-bank for land.”—Lütke, p. 21.

[294] Marseylen—topsails.

[295] Eenighe ys schollen—some pieces of drift ice.

[296] Wenden zijt weder aen de wint—they again hauled close to the wind.

[297] So veel als men uyten mars oversien mocht, altemael een effen velt ys. This passage is deserving of special notice, on account of the following statement in Captain Scoresby’s Account of the Arctic Regions:—“The term field was given to the largest sheets of ice by a Dutch whale fisher. It was not until a period of many years after the Spitzbergen fishery was established, that any navigator attempted to penetrate the ice, or that any of the most extensive sheets of ice were seen. One of the ships resorting to Smeerenberg for the fishery, put to sea on one occasion, when no whales were seen, persevered westward to a considerable length, and accidentally fell in with some immense flakes of ice, which, on his return to his companions, he described as truly wonderful, and as resembling fields in the extent of their surface. Hence the application of the term ‘field’ to this kind of ice. The discoverer of it was distinguished by the title of ‘field finder’.”—Vol. i, p. 243.

[298] See page 7, note 4.

[299] 77° 20′ N. lat.

[300] In groote menichte van ys schollen—among a great quantity of drift ice.

[301] Een velt ys—a field of ice.

[302] In 77° 15′ N. lat.

[303] The main land of Nóvaya Zémlya.

[304] 76° 55′ N. lat.

[305] Capo de Nassauw’.

[306] N.W. ten N.—N.W. by north.

[307] N. ten W.—N. by W.

[308] Ys schollen—drift ice.

[309] N.N.O.—N.N.E.

[310] 76° 55′ N. lat.

[311] N. ten W.—N. by W.

[312] Ende quamen weder by ’t landt aen de Cape des Troosts—and came again close to the land at Cape Comfort.

[313] This word is not in the original; and it is inconsistent, as in the next line their course is stated to have been N.N.E.

[314] Graedt-boogh. See page 10, note 1.

[315] So in the original. It should be 76° 15′.

[316] In like manner as on the 7th July (see page 14), it is the sun’s zenith distance that is here recorded instead of its altitude.

[317] Noordt oost ten oosten—N.E. by east.

[318] Des selfden nachts—the same night. The sun was then constantly above the horizon.

[319] Metten graedtboogh, astrolabium ende quadrant.

[320] De aldernoordelijckste hoeck van Nova Sembla genaemt Ys hoeck—the northernmost point, etc.

[321] Most probably marcasite or iron pyrites. Frobisher’s third voyage to “Meta Incognita”, with fifteen vessels, was principally for the purpose of bringing home an immense quantity of this mineral, which he had discovered on his former voyages, and fancied to be rich in gold.—See Hakluyt’s Voyages, vol. i, pp. 74, 91; and Admiral Sir Richard Collinson’s edition of Sir Martin Frobisher’s Three Voyages. (Hakluyt Society, 1867.)

[322] Z. ten O.—S. by E.

[323] Oost wel so zuydelijck—east a little south.

[324] Laveerden—“laveered”, i.e., advanced by repeated short tacks.

[325] “Baste”—Ph. A misprint.

[326] Een schots ys—a piece of drift ice.

[327] A critical history of this animal is given in “Anatomische und Zoologische Untersuchungen über das Wallross (Trichechus Rosmarus) &c. von Dr. K. E. v. Baer”—Mémoires de l’Acad. Imp. des Sc. de St. Pétersb., 6me Sér., Sciences Math., Phys. et Nat., tom. iv, 2de part., Sc. Nat. (1838), pp. 97–235.

In Scoresby’s Account of the Arctic Regions, vol. i, p. 504, it is said: “When seen at a distance, the front part of the head of the young walrus, without tusks, is not unlike the human face. As this animal is in the habit of rearing its head above water, to look at ships and other passing objects, it is not at all improbable that it may have afforded foundation for some of the stories of mermaids. I have myself seen a sea-horse in such a position, and under such circumstances, that it required little stretch of imagination to mistake it for a human being; so like indeed was it, that the surgeon of the ship actually reported to me his having seen a man with his head just appearing above the surface of the water.”

[328] “Bathing”—Ph. A misprint.

[329] Cortelassen—cutlasses. Plate CIII, of Dr. Meyrick’s Ancient Arms and Armour (vol. ii) contains a representation of an “Andrew Ferrara”, which is described as “a coutel-hache, coutelaxe or coutelas”. But the true original of the name is the Italian cultellaccio or coltellaccio, meaning literally a large (heavy) knife. Cultellazius, the Latinized form of this word, occurs in a list of forbidden weapons, in a statute of the city of Ferrara, A.D. 1268. See Muratori, Antiq. Italic., vol. ii, col. 515.

[330] Tottet Eglandt van Oraengien.

[331] Intended.

[332] Namely, those of Zeelandt and Enkhuysen, from which they had separated at Kildin on the 29th of June.

[333] De Weygats ofte Strafe de Nassou. This name has given occasion to much curious criticism. The Dutch, not unnaturally, have sought its explanation in their own language, in which waaien means “to blow”, “to be windy”, and gat is “a strait” or “passage”; so that waaigat would be “a passage wherein the wind blows strongly”. And it is indisputable that this name has, on various occasions, been so applied by the seamen of that nation. Thus, we find a Waaigat in Baffin’s Bay, one in Spitzbergen, and another by the Straits of Magellan; and even the roads between the Helder and Texel have, from an early period, borne the same name. See “Prize Essay on the Netherlandish Discoveries,” by R. G. Bennet and J. G. van Wijk, in Nieuwe Verhandelingen von het Provincial Utrechtsche Genootschap, etc., vol. vi (1827), p. 41.

Others, instead of the Dutch waaien, have taken the German weihen as the root, and thus made weihgat to mean the “sacred straits”.

J. R. Forster, in his Voyages and Discoveries in the North (Engl. edit.), p. 273, contends, however, that the name is of Russian origin, and explains it as follows:—“Barentz found afterwards in Nova Zembla some carved images on a head-land near the straits, in consequence of which he called it Afgoeden-hoek, the ‘Cape of Idols’. Now, in the Sclavonian tongue, wajat means ‘to carve’, ‘to make an image’. Wajati-Noss would, therefore, be the ‘Carved’ or ‘Image Cape’; and this seems to me to be the true origin of the word Waigats, which properly should be called Waja­telstwoi Proliw, ‘the Image Straits’.” So convinced was Forster of the correctness of his conjecture, that in another part of his work (p. 413) he did not hesitate to assert that the Russians themselves give to the Afgoeden-hoek the name of Waijati Nos; and this strange derivation of the word Waigats has found supporters not only among foreign, but even among Russian writers. See Barrow, p. 137; Berch, p. 30.

But Lütke, who has fully investigated the subject, adduces as proof against these fanciful etymologies, first (p. 30), that the name recorded by the Dutch themselves is Waigatz [Weygats], and not Waigat, the Russian termination tsch being changed by them into tz, in the same way as in Pitzora for Petschora, etc.; secondly, that the name Waigatsch properly belongs to the island alone, and not to the straits; thirdly, that this name was known to the Englishman Burrough in 1556, nearly forty years before the first voyage of the Hollanders; and lastly (p. 31), that the Russians have never called the Cape of Idols Waiyati Nos, but always Bolwánskyi Muis, from bolwàn, a rough image.

Lütke adds that the true derivation of the name in question is as difficult to be determined as that of Kolguew, Nokuew, Kildin, Warandei, etc., which are probably the remains of the languages of tribes now extinct. But, at the same time, he directs attention to Witsen’s assertion (which appears to have been altogether overlooked by previous writers), that the island of Waigatsch received its name from one Iwan Waigatsch—“het Eiland Waigats, dat zijn naem heeft van Ivan, of Ian Waigats;”—a derivation which is very probable, and certainly far more reasonable than any of the etymologies above recited.

[334] De Cape des Troosts—Cape Comfort; the same which Phillip had previously translated “Cape Trust”. See page 22, note 4.

[335] Swarte heuvels ghelijck boeren huysen—black hillocks, like peasants’ huts.

[336] Ende quamen by een laghen slechten hoeck te landt aen de Cape de Nassauwen—and came to a low, flat point, at Cape Nassau.

[337] “5 miles”—Ph.

[338] Het swarte Eylandt.

[339] Zijt aen de wint leyden—they lay to the wind.

[340] Oliphier Brunel. A native of Brussels, properly named Oliver Bunel, who traded to the north coasts of Russia in a vessel from Enckhuysen, and was lost in the river Petchora. The process by which Bunel has been made to become an Englishman, under the name of “Bennel”, “Brunell”, or “Brownell”, is explained in the Introduction.

[341] Costincsarch, in the original Dutch text; Costinclarch, in the Amsterdam French version of 1598; Constint-sarch, or Constantin zaar, as it is called by Witsen in his Noord en Oost Tartarije, p. 918; Constant Search, according to Forster’s ingenious hypothesis, p. 415; Coasting Search, as suggested by Barrow, p. 159. This name, which has scarcely ever been written twice alike, and which has given occasion to so much speculation as to its origin, is properly Kostin-schar, i.e., “Kostin Straits, or Passage”; it being the channel by which the Meyduscharski Island (i.e., “the island lying between the straits”), is separated from the main land of Novaya Zemlya. Lütke, from whom (p. 22) the above definition is taken, explains further (p. 245), that “among Novaya Zemlya navigators, schar is properly the name of a strait or passage, which goes directly through or across an island or country, forming a communication between two distinct seas. For one that merely separates an island from the mainland, or otherwise forms part of one sea alone, the appropriate designation is salma. Thus, Matotschkin Schar, Yugorskyi Schar, etc., are properly so called; but Kostin Schar, as a walrus hunter told me, ‘is styled a schar only through stupidity, as its correct designation would be Kostin Salma’.”

Nevertheless, in justice to those who first gave the name of Kostin Schar to this strait, it must be remarked, that it was regarded by them as actually passing through the mainland of Novaya Zemlya, and as forming a communication with the Kara Sea. It is thus shown in the early maps; and Witzen (p. 918) expressly states—“Het ys dryft door Nova Zemla heen, en comt by Constint Sarch, of Constantin Zaar, uit.”

It is the passage to the south of the island which is more especially named Kostin Schar, or Kostin Salma. That to the north is the Podryésof Passage (Podrjesow Schar). See Lütke, p. 315.

As regards the etymology of the word Schar, Lütke says (p. 245) that he was unable to satisfy himself. “The Samoyedes themselves regard it as a foreign term; and by some it is thought to come from the Finnish word Schar or Skar.” Can the shard of Spencer have any connection with it?

“Upon that shore he spyéd Atin stand There by his maister left, when late he far’d In Phædria’s flitt barck over that perlous shard.”

Faerie Queene, II, vi, 38.

[342] Schlecten—flat.

[343] Cruijs-hoeck.

[344] Slecht water—shallow water.

[345] Steeck grondt—stiff ground.

[346] Slechten—flat.

[347] Den vijfden hoeck ofte S. Laurens hoeck.

[348] Schans hoeck. “Barrow (p. 141) calls this headland Sion’s Point.”—Lütke, p. 20. This is clearly a clerical or typographical error for “Sconce Point”, of a character similar to that in the first (Paris) edition of the Histoire Générale des Voyages, cited by Barrow, p. 139, whereby “Baie de Loms”—Lomsbay—is converted into “Baie de St. Louis!”

[349] Leydent zeewaerts in—tacked to seaward.

[350] Des middaeghs—at noon.

[351] Om den derden hoeck—near the third point.

[352] Laghe—low.

[353] Aent last vast: a typographical error in the original Dutch. It should be aent landt vast.

[354] Om onsent wil gevlucht waren—were fled on our account.

[355] Ende een gotelincks schoot van daer stont noch een cruijs—and a falconet-shot from thence stood another cross. Lütke (p. 20) criticises Barrow for saying (p. 141) that the Hollanders found here, among other things, “a large cannon shot”; but it is clear that the latter has merely modernized Phillip’s words “a bullet for a great piece”.

[356] Veel tonnen duyghen—a quantity of pipe-staves. Here is a curious double error. In the first place, as duyghen are “staves” (for casks), tonnen-duyghen are simply “cask-staves” or “pipe-staves”, and not casks (barrels) of pipe-staves. And secondly, the word pipe has been misprinted pike; so that altogether, without referring to the original Dutch, it was quite impossible to imagine what was meant.

[357] Daer deur wy vermoeden datter eenighen Salm-vang moeste zijn—whence we conjectured that there must be some salmon fishery here.

[358] By de graven—by the graves.

[359] Lodding (intended for the Russian word lodya)—a boat.