k at night, and then they set off from
the south-west point of Friesland, the wind being at east and
east-south-east; but that night the wind veered southerly, and shifted
oftentimes that night. But on the 10th day, in the morning, the wind at
west-north-west, fair weather, they steered south-east and by south, and
continued that course until the 12th day of September, when about 11
o'clock before noon they descried a land, which was from them about five
leagues, and the southernmost part of it was south-east-by-east from
them, and the northernmost next north-north-east, or north-east. The
master accounted that Friesland, the south-east point of it, was from him
at that instant, when he first descried this new island,
north-west-by-north fifty leagues. They account this island to be
twenty-five leagues long, and the longest way of it south-east and
north-west. The southern part of it is in the latitude of fifty-seven
degrees and one second part, or thereabout. They continued in sight of
it from the twelfth day at eleven of the clock till the thirteenth day
three of the clock in the afternoon, when they left it; and the last part
they saw of it bare from them north-west-by-north. There appeared two
harbours upon that coast, the greatest of them seven leagues to the
northwards of the southernmost point, the other but four leagues. There
was very much ice near the same land, and also twenty or thirty leagues
from it, for they were not clear of ice till the 15th day of September,
afternoon. They plied their voyage homeward, and fell with the west part
of Ireland, about Galway, and had first sight of it on the 25th day of
September.

THE FIRST VOYAGE OF MASTER JOHN DAVIS,

_Undertaken in June_, 1585, _for the discovery of the North-West
Passage_, _written by John James Marchant_, _servant to the Worshipful
Master William Sanderson_.

Certain honourable personages and worthy gentlemen of the Court and
country, with divers worshipful merchants of London and of the West
Countrie, moved with desire to advance God's glory, and to seek the good
of their native country, consulting together of the likelihood of the
discovery of the North-West Passage, which heretofore had been attempted,
but unhappily given over by accidents unlooked for, which turned the
enterprisers from their principal purpose, resolved, after good
deliberation, to put down their adventures, to provide for necessary
shipping, and a fit man to b