Original Narratives of Early American History

V >> Various Authors >> Original Narratives of Early American HistoryReference material and sources.

Emanuel Van Meteren, On Hudson's Voyage, 1610. In J. Franklin
Jameson, ed., Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664 (Original
Narratives of Early American History). NY: Charles Scribner's
Sons, 1909.

We have observed in our last book that the Directors of the East
India Company in Holland had sent out in March last, on purpose
to seek a passage to China by northeast or northwest, a skilful
English pilot, named Herry Hutson, in a Vlie boat, having a crew
of eighteen or twenty men, partly English, partly Dutch, well
provided.

This Henry Hutson left the Texel on the 6th of April, 1609,
doubled the Cape of Norway the 5th of May, and directed his
course along the northern coasts towards Nova Zembia; but he
there found the sea as full of ice as he had found it in the preceding
year, so that they lost the hope of effecting anything during the
season. This circumstance, and the cold, which some of his
men, who had been in the East Indies, could not bear, caused
quarrels among the crew, they being partly English, partly Dutch,
upon which Captain Hutson laid before them two propositions.
The first of these was to go to the coast of America, to the latitude
of 40 degrees, moved thereto mostly by letters and maps which a
certain Captain Smith had sent him from Virginia, and by which
he indicated to him a sea leading into the western ocean, by the
north of the southern English colony. Had this information been
true (experience goes as yet to the contrary), it would have been
of great advantage, as indicating a short way to India. The other
proposition was to direct their search through Davis's Straits.
This meeting with general approval, they sailed thitherward
on the 14th of May, and arrived on the last day of May with
a good wind at the Faroe Islands, where they stopped but
twenty-four hours, to supply themselves with fresh water.
After leaving these islands, they sailed on, till on the 18th
of July they reached the coast of Nova Francia, under 44
degrees, where they were obliged to run in, in order to get
a new foremast, having lost theirs. They found one, and set
it up. They found this a good place for cod-fishing, as also
for traffic in good skins and furs, which were to be got there
at a very low price. But the crew behaved badly towards the
people of the country, taking their property by force, out of
which there arose quarrels among themselves. The English,
fearing that between the two they would be outnumbered and
worsted, were therefore afraid to pursue the matter further.
So they left that place on the 26th of July, and kept out at sea
till the 3d of August, when they came near the coast, in 42
degrees of latitude. Thence they sailed on, till on the 12th of
August they again reached the shore, under 37 degrees 45'.
Thence they sailed along the shore until they reached 40 degrees
45', where they found a good entrance, between two headlands,
and entered on the 12th of September into as fine a river as can
be found, wide and deep, with good anchoring ground on both
sides.

Their ship finally sailed up the river as far as 42 degrees 40'.
But their boat went higher up. In the lower part of the river
they found strong and warlike people; but in the upper part
they found friendly and polite people, who had an abundance
of provisions, skins, and furs, of martens and foxes, and many
other commodities, as birds and fruit, even white and red grapes,
and they traded amicably with the people. And of all the above-
mentioned commodities they brought some home. When they
had thus been about fifty leagues up the river, they returned on
the 4th of October, and went again to sea. More could have been
done if there had been good-will among the crew and if the want
of some necessary provisions had not prevented it. While at sea,
they held counsel together, but were of different opinions. The
mate, a Dutchman, advised to winter in Newfoundland, and to
search the northwestern passage of Davis throughout. This was
opposed by Skipper Hutson. He was afraid of his mutinous crew,
who had sometimes savagely threatened him; and he feared that
during the cold season they would entirely consume their provi-
sions, and would then be obliged to return, [with] many of the
crew ill and sickly. Nobody, however, spoke of returning home
to Holland, which circumstance made the captain still more
suspicious. He proposed therefore to sail to Ireland, and winter
there, which they all agreed to. At last they arrived at Dartmouth,
in England, the 7th of November, whence they informed their
employers, the Directors in Holland, of their voyage. They
proposed to them to go out again for a search in the northwest,
and that, besides the pay, and what they already had in the ship,
fifteen hundred florins should be laid out for an additional
supply of provisions. He [Hudson] also wanted six or seven
of his crew exchanged for others, and their number raised to
twenty. He would then sail from Dartmouth about the 1st of
March, so as to be in the northwest towards the end of that month,
and there to spend the whole of April and the first half of May in
killing whales and other animals in the neighborhood of Panar
Island, then to sail to the northwest, and there to pass the time
till the middle of September, and then to return to Holland around
the northeastern coast of Scotland. Thus this voyage ended.

A long time elapsed, through contrary winds, before the Company
could be informed of the arrival of the ship in England. Then they
ordered the ship and crew to return as soon as possible. But, when
this was about to be done, Skipper Herry Hutson and the other
Englishmen of the ship were commanded by the government there
not to leave [England], but to serve their own country. Many persons
thought it strange that captains should thus be prevented from laying
their accounts and reports before their employers, having been sent out
for the benefit of navigation in general. This took place in January,
[1610]; and it was thought probably that the English themselves
would send ships to Virginia, to explore further the aforesaid river.