The Polar Regions Author:John Richardson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. VOYAGES TO THE NORTH-EAST FHOM ENGLAND.—A.D. 1548-1580. Sebastian Cabot—Sir Hugh "Willoughby—Novaya Zcmlya—Arzina— Richard Chancelor—Stephen B... more »urrough—Kolguev— Petchora — Novaya Zenilya—Vaigats—Sea of Kara—Kara gate, or Burrough's Strait—Pet and Jackman—The Ob—Novaya Zemlya—Petchora— Ygorsky Schar, Southern Vaigats or Pets Strait ; or Straits of Nassau—Russian accounts of Samoeid land.—Mathew's land— Kostin Schar — Cape Taimyr — Sievero Vostochnoi nos, or Chelinskin. The unfortunate voyage alluded to at the end of the last chapter, is the only effort made by England in the reign of Heury the Eighth to further northern discovery; but in the auspicious, though too brief reign of his son Edward the Sixth, the spirit of discovery revived, and the merchants complaining of the decay of trade, while the Portugals and Spaniards were bringing home riches yearly from both the Indies, their views were now directed to the north-east, and to Russia, of which country an account by Sigismund Baron Heberstein was published at Vienna in 1549.f The Hans Towns had hitherto monopolized the Russian trade, under pretence of a league established among themselves (Hans Law, Purchas calls it) for repressing the overflowings of the supposed teemingnorthern populations, and securing the southern kingdoms from damage. The English merchants determined to brave the Hans Law, and Clement Adams says that Sebastian Cabot was a prime mover in the business, and, as Mr. Richard Eden testifies, had long beforehand the secret of a voyage toward Cathay in his mind. He had returned to London in 1548 from the service of Spain, either of his own free-will or recalled by the young king, who in 1549 created him Grand Pilot of England, with a pension of £166 :13 :4, for the good and acceptable services d...« less