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.

February, 1632.

The cold was as extreme this moneth, as at any time we had felt it this yeere: and many of our men complained of infirmities. Some, of sore mouthes; all the teeth in their heads being loose, their gums swolne, with blacke rotten flesh; which must euery day be cut away. The paine was so sore on them, that they could not eate their ordinary meat. Others complained of paine in their heads, and their brests: Some of weakenesse in their backs; Others of aches in their

thighs and knees: and others, of swellings in their legges. Thus were two thirds of the company, vnder the Chirurgi∣ons hand. And yet neuerthelesse, they must worke daily; and goe abroad to fetch wood, and timber; notwithstanding the most of thē had no shooes to put on. Their shooes, vpon their comming to the fire, out of the snow, were burnt and scorcht vpon their feete: and our store-shooes were all sunke in the Ship. In this necessitie they would make this shift: To bind clouts about their feet, and endeauoured by that poore helpe, the best they could to performe their duties. Our Carpenter likewise is by this time falne sicke to our great discomforts. I practised some obseruations by the rising and setting of the Sunne, calculating the time of his rising and setting, by very true running glasses. As for our Clocke and Watch, notwith∣standing we still kept them by the fires side, in a Chest wrapt in clothes, yet were they so frozen, that they could not goe. My obseruations by these Glasses, I compared with the Stars comming to the Meridian. By this meanes wee found the Sunne to rise twentie minutes before it should: and in the euening to remaine aboue the Horizon twentie minutes (or thereabouts) longer then it should doe. And all this by rea∣son of the Refraction.

Since now I haue spoken so much of the cold, I hope it will not be too coldly taken, if I in a few words make it someway to appeare vnto our Readers.

Wee made three differences of the cold: all according to the places. In our house, In the woods: and in the open Ayer, vpon the Ice, in our going to the ship.

For the last, it would be sometimes so extreme, that it was not indurable: no Cloathes were proofe against it; no motion could resist it. It would, moreouer, so freeze the haire on our eye-lids, that we could not see: and I verily be∣leeue, that it would haue stifled a man, in a very few houres: we did daily find by experience, that the cold in the Woods would freeze our faces, or any part of our flesh that was bare; but it was yet not so mortifying as the other. Our house on the out-side, was couered two thirdparts with Snow; and on

the inside frozen, & hang with Icesickles. The Cloathes on our beds would be couered with hoare frost: which in this little habitacle, was not farre from the fire. But let vs come a little neerer to it. The Cookes Tubs, wherein he did water his meate, standing about a yard from the fire, and which he did all day plye with melted Snow-water: yet in the night season, whilst he slept but one watch, would they be firme frozen to the very bottome. And therefore was hee faine to water his meate in a brasse Kettle close adioyning to the fire; and I haue many times both seene and felt by putting my hand into it; that side which was next the fire, was very warme, and the other side an inch frozen; I leaue the rest to our Cooke; who will almost speake miracles of the cold. The Surgeon, who had hung his bottles of sirrops, and other liquid things as conueniently as he could to preserue them, had them all frozen: our Vineger, Oyle, and Sacke, which we had in small Caske in the house, was all firme frozen. It may further in generall be conceiued, that in the beginning of Iune, the Sea was not broken vp: and the ground was yet frozen, and thus much wee found by experience, in the bu∣rying of our men: in setting vp the Kings Standard towards the latter end of Iune: and by our Well, at our comming away in the beginning of Iuly: at which time vpon the land for some other reasons, it was very hote weather.