It is said, however, to have contained some
important observations on the tides, and other objects of natural
philosophy.
The existence of such a bay as Hudson's was described to be, induced the
merchants of England to believe that they had at length found out the
entrance to a passage which would lead them to the East Indies: many
voyages were therefore undertaken, in a very short time after this bay had
been discovered. The most important was that of Bylot and Baffin: they
advanced through Davis's Straits into an extensive sea, which they called
Baffin's Bay: they proceeded, according to their account, as far north as
the latitude 78 deg.. The nature and extent of this discovery was very much
doubted at the time, and subsequently, till the discoveries of Captains
Ross and Parry, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, proved that
Baffin was substantially accurate and faithful.
Baffin's voyage took place in the year 1616: after this there was no voyage
undertaken with the same object, till the year 1631, when Captain Fox
sailed from Deptford. He had been used to the sea from his youth, and had
employed his leisure time in collecting all the information he could
possibly obtain, respecting voyages, to the north. He was besides well
acquainted with some celebrated mathematicians and cosmographers,
particularly Thomas Herne, who had carefully collected all the journals and
charts of the former voyages, with a view to his business, which was that
of a maker of globes. When Fox was presented to Charles I, his majesty gave
him a map, containing all the discoveries which had been made in the north
seas. He discovered several islands during the voyage, but not the passage
he sought for; though he is of opinion, that if a passage is to be found,
it must be in Sir Thomas Roe's Welcome, - a bay he discovered near an island
of that name, in north latitude 64 deg. 10', not far from the main land, on the
west side of Hudson's Bay. He published a small treatise on the voyage,
called The North-west Fox, which contains many important facts and
judicious observations on the ice, the tides, compass, northern lights, &c.
Captain James sailed on the same enterprise nearly at the same time that
Fox did. His account was printed by King Charles's command, in 1633: it
contains some remarkable physical observations respecting the intenseness
of the cold, and the accumulation of ice, in northern latitudes; but no
discovery of moment. He was of opinion, that no north-west passage existed.
The last voyage in the seventeenth century, in search of this passage, was
undertaken in consequence of the representations of a Frenchman to Charles
II. From the same cause proceeded the establishment of the Hudson's Bay
Company by that monarch.
Canada was at this time colonized by the French; and a French settler
there, De Gronsseliers, an enterprising and speculative man, after
travelling in various directions, reached a country, where he received
information respecting Hudson's Bay:
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