Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 4 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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Si quid est aliud quod a me
desideres, libentissime tibi communicabo: hoc vicissim amanter a tua
humanitate petens, vt quae ex vtriusque nauigationis cursu obseruata
nancisci poteris, mihi communices, penes me pro tuo arbitrio manebunt
omnia, et quaecunque inde collegero, fideliter ad te perscribam, si forte ad
pulcherrimum, vtilissimumque orbi Christiano hoc nauigationis institutum
aliquid opis et consilij adferre possint. Bene vale, vir doctissime.
Duisburgi in Cliuia. 28. Iulij 1580.
[Sidenote: Dulce mare inter Nouam Zemblam et Tabin suspicatur.] Redeunte
Arthuro, quaeso discas ab illo quae optaui, et num aticubi in suo itinere,
dulce mare, aut parum salsum inuenerit: suspicor enim mare inter Noua
Zembla, et Tabin dulce esse.
T.H. paratissimus quantus quantus sum,
Gerardus Mercator.
The same in English.
Sir I receiued your letters the 19. of Iune: it grieued me much that vpon
the sight of them the time being spent, I could not giue any conuenient
instructions: I wish Arthur Pet had bene informed before his departure of
some special points. The voyage to Cathaio by the East, is doutlesse very
easie and short, and I haue oftentimes marueiled, that being so happily
begun, it hath bene left of, and the course changed into the West, after
that more then halfe of your voiage was discouered. For beyond the Island
of Vaigats and Noua Zeembla, there foloweth presently a great Baie, which
on the left side is inclosed with the mightie promontorie Tabin. [Sidenote:
A great gulfe is beyond Vaigats, whereinto mighty riuers descend.] Into the
mids hereof there fall great riuers, which passing through the whole
countrey of Serica, and being as I thinke nauigable with great vessels into
the heart of the continent, may be an easie means whereby to traffique for
all maner of merchandize, and transport them out of Cathaio, Mangi, Mien,
and other kingdoms thereabouts into England. But considering with my selfe
that that nauigation was not intermitted, but vpon great occasion, I
thought that the Emperor of Russia and Moscouie had hindered the proceeding
thereof. [Sidenote: The best course to be taken in discoueries.] If so be
that with his grace and fauour a furthur nauigation may be made, I would
counsell them certainly not first to seeke out the promontorie Tabin, but
to search this baie and riuers aforesayd, and in them to picke and chuse
out some conuenient port and harborough for the English merchants, from
whence afterward with more opportunitie and lesse perill, the promontorie
Tabin and all the coast of Cathaio may bee discouered. And that there is
such a huge promontorie called Tabin, I am certainly perswaded not onely
out of Plinie, but also other writers, and some Maps (though somewhat
rudely drawen:) and that the Pole of the Loadstone is not farre beyond
Tabin, I haue learned by the certaine obseruations of the Loadstone: about
which pole and Tabin I thinke there are very many rockes, and very hard and
dangerous sailing: and yet a more hard and difficile passage I think it to
bee this way which is now attempted by the West, for it is neerer to the
pole of the Loadstone, to the which I thinke it not safe to approach. And
because the Loadstone hath another pole then that of the world, to the
which from all parts it hath a respect, the neerer you come vnto it, the
more the needle of the Compasse doeth varie from the North, sometimes to
the West, and sometimes to the East, according as a man is to the Eastward
or to the Westward of that Meridian, that passeth by both the poles of the
Magnes and the World.
This is a strange alteration and very apt to deceiue the Sailer, vnlesse
hee know the vnconstancie and variation of the Compasse, and take the
eleuation of the pole sometimes with his instruments. If master Arthur be
not well prouided in this behalfe, or of such dexteritie, that perceiuing
the errour he be not able to correct the same, I feare lest in wandering vp
and downe he lose his time, and be ouertaken with the ice in the midst of
the enterprise. For that gulfe, as they say, is frozen euery yere very
hard. Which if it be so, the best counsel I could giue for their best
safetie, were to seeke some harborough in that baie, and those riuers
whereof I haue spoken, and by some Ambassador to make friendship and
acquaintance with the great Can, in name of the Queenes maiestie, which I
beleeue will be gratefull to the mightiest Emperour in the world, yea most
excellent for the length of the traffique, and great distance of the
places. [Sidenote: The mouthes of Bautisus and Oechardus 300. leagues from
Cambalu.] I thinke from the mouthes of the mighty riuers Bautisus and
Oechardus to Cambalu the chiefest seat of the prince the Can, there are not
past 300. Germaine miles, and to passe by Ezina a citie of the kingdom of
Tangut, which seemeth to be but 100. Germaine miles from the mouthes of the
sayd riuers, and is subiect to the great Can.
I would gladly know how high the sea doeth flowe commonly in the port of
Moscouia where your men do harborow, and in other Easterly places vnto
Tabin. [Sidenote: Vpon the obseruations of the tides depend great
speculations.] And also whether the sea in this streight do flow alwaies
one way to the East or to the West, or whether it do ebbe and flow
according to the matter of the tides in the middle of the chanel, that is
to say, whether it flow there sixe houres into the West, and as many backe
againe to the East, for hereupon depend other speculations of importance. I
would wish M. Frobisher to obserue the same Westwards. Concerning the gulfe
of Merosro and Canada, and new France which are in my mappes, they were
taken out of a certaine sea card drawn by a certaine priest out of the
description of a Frenchman, a Pilot very skilfull in those partes, and
presented to the worthy Prince George of Austria, bishop of Liege:
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