Purchas his pilgrimes. part 3 In fiue bookes. The first, contayning the voyages and peregrinations made by ancient kings, patriarkes, apostles, philosophers, and others, to and thorow the remoter parts of the knowne world: enquiries also of languages and religions, especially of the moderne diuersified professions of Christianitie. The second, a description of all the circum-nauigations of the globe. The third, nauigations and voyages of English-men, alongst the coasts of Africa ... The fourth, English voyages beyond the East Indies, to the ilands of Iapan, China, Cauchinchina, the Philippinæ with others ... The fifth, nauigations, voyages, traffiques, discoueries, of the English nation in the easterne parts of the world ... The first part.

CHAP. XII. Notes concerning the discouery of the Riuer of Ob, taken out of a Roll, written in the Russian tongue, which was attempted by the meanes of ANTONIE MARSH, a chiefe Factor for the Moscouie Company of England, 1584. with other notes of [ 50] the North-east.

FIrst he wrote a Letter from the Citie of Mosco, in the yeare 7092. after the Russe accompt, which after our accompt was in the yeare 1584. vnto foure Russes that vsed to trade from Colmogro to Pechora, and other parts Eastward: whose an∣swere was:

By writings receiued from thee, as also by reports, wee vnderstand thou wouldest haue vs seeke out the mouth of the Riuer Ob; which we are content to doe; and thou must giue therefore fiftie rubbles: it is requisite to goe to seeke it out with two Co∣chimaes,* 1.1 or companies; and each Cochima must haue ten men: and wee must goe by the Riuer [ 60] Pechora vpwards in the Spring, by the side of the Ice, as the Ice swimmeth in the Riuer, which will aske a fortnights time; and then we must fall into Ouson Riuer, and fall downe with the streame before we come to Ob,* 1.2 a day and a night in the spring. Then it will hold vs eight dayes to swimme downe the Riuer Ob, before we come to the mouth: therefore send vs a man that

can write; and assure thy selfe the mouth of Ob is deepe. On the Russe side of Ob soiourne Sa∣moeds, called Vgorskai & Sibierskie, Samoeds; and on the other side dwel another kinde of Samoeds, called Monganet, or Mongaseisky, Samoeds.* 1.3 We must passe by fiue Castles that stand on the Riuer of Ob. The name of the first is Tesuoi Gorodok, which standeth vpon the mouth of the Riuer Pa∣don. The second small Castle is Nosoro-gorodock, and it standeth hard vpon the side of Ob. The third is called Necheiour-goskoy. The fourth is Charedmada. The fift is Nadesneàa, that is to say, The Castle of comfort, or trust; and it standeth vpon the Riuer Ob, lowermost of all the former Castles toward the Sea.

Heretofore your people haue bin at the said Riuer of Obs mouth with a Ship,* 1.4 and there was [ 10] made shipwracke, and your people were slaine by the Samoeds, which thought that they came to rob and subdue them. The Trees that grow by the Riuer are Firres, and a kinde of white, soft and light Firre, which we call Yell. The bankes on both sides are very high, and the water not swift, but still and deepe. Fish there are in it as Sturgeons, and Cheri, and Pidle, and Nelma, a dain∣ty fish like white Salmons, and Moucoun, and Sigi, and Sterlidi: but Salmons there are none. Not farre distant from the maine, at the mouth of Ob, there is an Island,* 1.5 whereon resort many wilde beasts, as white Beares, and the Morses, and such like. And the Samoeds tell vs, that in the winter season, they oftentimes finde there Morses teeth. If you would haue vs trauell to seeke out the mouth of Ob by Sea, we must goe by the Isles of Vaygats, and Noua Zembla,* 1.6 and by the Land of Matpheone, that is, by Matthewes Land. And assure thy selfe that from Vaygats, to the mouth of Ob, by Sea, is but a small matter to sayle. Written at Pechora, the yeare 7092. the [ 20] twenty one of February.

Master MARSM also learned these distances of places and Ports, from Caninos to Ob by Sea.

FRom Caninos to the Bay of Medemske (which is somewhat to the East of the Riuer Pechora) is seuen dayes sayling. The Bay of Medemsky is ouer a day and a halfe sayling.* 1.7 From Me∣demske Sanorost to Carareca, is sixe dayes sayling.* 1.8 From Carska Bay to the farthest side of the [ 30] Riuer Ob, is nine dayes sayling. The Bay of Carska is from side to side, a day and a nights sayling.

He learned another way by Noua Zembla and Matthuschan Yar to Ob, more North-eastward. From Caninos to the Iland of Colgoieue, is a day & a nights sayling.* 1.9 From Colgoieue to Noua Zem∣bla are two dayes sayling. There is a great Osera or Lake vpon Noua Zembla, where wonderfull store of Geese and Swannes doe breede, and in moulting time cast their feathers, which is about Saint Peters day: and the Russes of Colmogro repaire thither yearely, and our English men ven∣ter thither with them seuerall shares in money▪ they bring home great quantitie of Doune-Fea∣thers, dried Swannes, and Geese, Beares skinnes, and Fish, &c.* 1.10 From Naromske Re••a or Riuer [ 40] to Mattuschan Yar, is sixe dayes sayling. From Mattuschan Yar to the Peronologli Te••pla, that is to say, To the warme passage ouer-land, compassing or sayling round about the Sands,* 1.11 is thir∣teene dayes sayling: And there is vpon the Sands at a full Sea, seuen fathomes water,* 1.12 and two fathomes at a low water. The occasion of this highing of the water, is the falling into the Sea of the three Riuers, and the meeting of the two Seas, to wit, The North Sea, and The East Sea,* 1.13 which make both high water and great Sands. And you must beware that you come not with your Shippe neere vnto the Iland by the Riuer Ob. From Mattuschan Yar to this Iland, is fiue dayes sayling. Mattushan Yar is in some parts fortie Versts ouer, and in some parts not past six Versts ouer.

The aforesaid Anthonie Marsh sent one Bodan his man, a Russe borne, with the aforesaid foure Russes, and a yong youth, a Samoed, which was likewise his Seruant, vpon the discouery of the [ 50] Riuer of Ob, by Land, through the Countrie of the Samoeds, with good store of commodities to trafficke with the people. And these his Seruants made a rich Voyage of it, and had bartered with the people about the Riuer of Ob, for the valew of a thousand rubles in sables, and other fine Furres. But the Emperour hauing intelligence of this Discouery, and of the way that Bo∣dan returned home by, by one of his chiefe Officers lay in waite for him, apprehended him, and tooke from him the aforesaid thousand Markes worth of Sables, and other Merchandises, and de∣liuered them into the Emperours Treasurie, being sealed vp, and brought the poore fellow Bodan to the Citie of Mosco, where he was committed to prison, and whipped, and there detained a long while after, but in the end released. Moreouer, the Emperours Officers asked Anthonie [ 60] Marsh, how he durst presume to deale in any such enterprise? To whom he answered, that by the priuiledges granted to the English Nation, no part of the Emperours Dominions were ex∣empted from the English to trade and trafficke in: with which answere,* 1.14 they were not so satis∣fied, but that they gaue him a great checke, and forfeited all the aforesaid thousand Markes worth of goods, charging him not to proceede any further in that action: whereby it seemeth

they are very iealous that any Christian should grow acquainted with their Neighbours that border to the North-east of their Dominions, for that there is some great secret that way, which they would reserue to themselues onely. Thus much I vnderstood by Master Christopher Holmes.

The report of Master FRANCIS CHERRY a Moscouie Merchant, and Master THOMAS LYNDES touching a warme Sea to the South-east of the Riuer Ob, and a Note of [ 10] FRANCIS GAVLLE.

MAster Francis Cherry, one of the chiefe Merchants of the Moscouy Companie, which was the Emperour Iuan Basiliwich his Interpreter, and hath trauailed in person into Per••••a farre to the East in Russia, saith, That he hath eaten of the Sturgeon that came out of the Riuer of Ob. And that in those parts it is a common receiued speech of the Russes that are great trauai∣lers,* 1.15 that beyond Ob to the South-east there is a warme Sea. Which they expresse in these words in the Russe tongue; Za Obyreca moria Teupla, that is to say, Beyond the Riuer Ob is a warme Sea.* 1.16 Furthermore, Master Thomas Lynde an honest and discreet English Merchant, which hath likewise liued many yeeres in those parts of Moscouy, saith, That this Sea beyond Ob, is by the [ 20] report of the Russes, that are trauailers, so warme, that all kinde of Sea fowles liue there as well in the Winter as in the Summer, which report argueth, that this Sea pierseth farre into the South parts of Asia.

* 1.17FRancis Gaulle that passed the Ocean betweene Iapan and Noua Hispania, in the Latitude of 37. degrees and a halfe, writeth thus. Prouing a great Sea to come from the North-east parts of Tartarie; running thus East and East and by North about three hundred leagues from Iapan, we found a very hollow water, with the streame running out of the North and North-west, with a full and very broad Sea, without any trouble or hinderance in the way that we past. And what winde soeuer blue, the Sea continued all in one sort with the same hollow water and streame, vn∣till [ 30] we had passed seuen hundred leagues. About two hundred leagues from the Coast of New Spaine we began to lose the said hollow Sea, whereby I perswade my selfe that there you shall finde a Channell or strait passage betweene the firme Land of New Spaine and the Countrie of Asia and Tartaria. We found all this way Whales, Tunnies, Bonitos, which are fishes that ke••pe in Channels, Straits, and running Waters, there to disperse their seede, which further con∣firmeth me in that opinion.

* 1.18But seeing thus we are shipped from Russia, and haue againe taken Sea, that which ••ee permitted not to St••phen Burrough, Pet and Iackman, nor others, English and Dutch, which haue attempted that North east passage; and that which Master Baffin said to me, that if he might haue imployment, he would aduenture to discouer from the Coast of China and Iapan on the North of Asia hitherward; all [ 40] this shall be suddenly peruious to our swifter and vnstayable thoughts, to set vs in a new discouery by Da∣nish and English assistance for a North-west passage so often, not so fortunately attempted, as by Rea∣son it seemeth probable and almost certaine, especially th•••• way where Sir Th. Button and Nelson left. But we will discouer these Discoueries more methodically and historically to you, that you may see the English ancient right, as I may say, to those parts of the new World.

Notes

• * 1.1

  How to finde out Ob from Pechora.
• * 1.2

  Ouson Riuer.
• * 1.3

  Vgorskdi and Sibierskie.
• * 1.4

  A shipwracke at the mouth of Ob.
• * 1.5

  An Island neere the mouth of Ob.
• * 1.6

  The way to dis∣couer Ob by Sea Mattpheone or Matthewes land A••ter our stile 1584.
• * 1.7

  Caninos.
• * 1.8

  Medemske. Carareca. Carska. Ob.
• * 1.9

  Caninos. Colgoieue. Noua Zembla.
• * 1.10

  Naromske.
• * 1.11

  Mattuschan Ya••
• * 1.12

  The Sands.
• * 1.13

  The two Seas. that is, the North and the East Sea.

  The bignes of the Cliffe or Isle of Mattus∣chan.

  Anthonie Marsh sent two of his men vpon the discouery of Ob by land with foure Russes. Bodan Master Marsh his man brought to Mosco.
• * 1.14

  Russian iealou∣sie of discouery
• * 1.15

  A warme Sea beyond Ob.
• * 1.16

  Mast••r Thomas Linde.
• * 1.17

  Third Volume of English voy∣ages, pag 446.
• * 1.18

  See of these vo••••ges. Hak. Tom. 1.