The strange and dangerous voyage of Captaine Thomas Iames, in his intended discouery of the Northwest Passage into the South Sea VVherein the miseries indured both going, wintering, returning; and the rarities obserued, both philosophicall and mathematicall, are related in this iournall of it. Published by his Maiesties command. To which are added, a plat or card for the sayling in those seas. Diuers little tables of the author's, of the variation of the compasse, &c. VVith an appendix concerning longitude, by Master Henry Gellibrand astronomy reader of Gresham Colledge in London. And an aduise concerning the philosophy of these late discouereyes, by W.W.

Ianuary, 1632.

The first of Ianuary (and for the most part all the moneth) was extreme cold.

The sixth,* 1.1 I obserued the latitude, with what exactnesse I could (it being very cleere Sun-shine weather) which I found to be 51. 52. This difference, is by reason that here is a great Refraction.

The one and twentieth,* 1.2 I obserued the Sunne to rise like an Ouall, alongst the Horizon: I cald three or foure to see it, the better to confirme my Iudgement: and we all agreed, that it was twice as long as it was broad. We plainely per∣ceiued

withall, that by degrees as it gate vp higher, it also recouered his roundnesse.

The sixe and twentieth,* 1.3 I obserued, when the Easterne edge of the Moone did touch the Planet Mars, the Lions heart was then in the East quarter 21. 45. aboue the Hori∣zon: but all this was not done with that exactnesse, that I haue done other obseruations.

The thirtieth and one and thirtieth,* 1.4 there appeared in the beginning of the night, more Starres in the firma∣ment, then euer I had before seene by two thirds. I could see the Cloud in Cancer full of small Starres: and all the via lactea, nothing but small Starres: and amongst the Plyades, a great many small Starres. About tenne a Clocke, the Moone did rise; and then a quarter of them was not to be seene. The wind for the most part of this month, hath beene Nor∣therly, and very cold: the warmest of which time wee imployed our selues in fetching Wood, working vpon our Pinnasse and other things that happened. In the beginning of this moneth, the Sea was all firmely frozen ouer, so that we could see no water any way. I hope it will not seeme tedi∣ous to the Readers, if I here deliuer mine owne opinion, how this abundance of Ice comes to be ingendered.

The Land that encircles this great Bay, (which lyes in a broken Irregular forme, making many little shoald Bayes, and Guts, being, moreouer, full of Ilands and dry sands) is for the most part low and flat, and hath flat shoalds adioy∣ning to it, halfe a mile or a mile, that are dry at low water. Now you must know, that it flowes halfe tyde (as I haue often experienced) that is, from whence the flood commeth, the water thither returneth, two houres before it be high water, or full Sea. It seldome raines, after the middle of September: but snowes: and that Snow will not melt on the Land nor Sands; At low water when it snowes (which it doth very often) the sands are all couered ouer with it; which the halfe tyde carries officiously (twice in twentie foure houres) into the great Bay, which is the common Ren∣dezvous of it, Euery low water, are the sands left cleere, to ga∣ther

more to the increase of it. Thus doth it daily gather to∣gether in this manner, till the latter end of October, and by that time hath it brought the Sea to that coldnesse, that as it snows, the snow will lye vpon the water in flakes without changing his colour; but with the winde is wrought toge∣ther; and as the winter goes forward, it begins to freeze on the surface of it, two or three inches or more in one night: which being carried with the halfe tyde, meets with some obstacle, (as it soone doth) and then it crumples and so runnes vpon it selfe, that in a few houres it will be fiue or sixe foote thicke. The halfe tyde still flowing, carries it so fast away, that by December it is growne to an infinite multiplication of Ice. And thus by this storing of it vp, the cold gets the pre∣domination in the Sea (which also furnisheth the Springs and water, in the low flat lands) that it cooles it like it selfe. This may appeare by our experience, though in all this, I free∣ly submit my selfe vnto the better learned. Our men found it more mortifying cold to wade thorow the water in the be∣ginning of Iune when the Sea was all full of Ice; then in December, when it was increasing. Our Well, moreouer, out of which we had water in December, we had none in Iuly.

The ground at ten foote deepe, was frozen. The quantitie of the Ice, may very easily be made to appeare, by Mathema∣ticall Demonstration: and yet I am not of the opinion, that the Bay doth freeze all ouer. For the one and twentieth, the winde blowing a storme at North, we could perceiue the Ice to rise something in the Bay.

Notes

• * 1.1

  6.
• * 1.2

  21.
• * 1.3

  26.
• * 1.4

  30. & 31.