Henrietta Maria was in reality almost the only wholly unknown part of the shores of this water.[1] But even with this first of all journeys we meet that secretiveness which the habit of that time deemed necessary and which culminated a century later. Button himself seems to have kept his report hidden and in all probability it is now lost. Our knowledge of the course of the journey is almost limited to the very meagre report in Luke Foxe's introduction to his North-West Fox, which appeared twenty years later. What is known is contained there in the following sentences: "From thence (i. e. Cary's Swans Nest) he proceeded to the Southward of the West, falling with land in Latitude about 60 d. 40, which he named Hopes-check, I think because that there his expectation was crossed; and there about, enduring a grievous storm, (he) was put to the Southward and constrained to look for a harbour the 13 of August, to repaire some loss. After which time, came on the new winter, with much stormie weather, (so) as he was constrained to winter there, in a small Rile or Creeke on the North side of a River in Lat. 57 d. 10, which River he named Port Nelson, after the name of his (Sailing) Master...".[2] According to an abstract of Button's journal, which Sir Thomas Roe communicated to Luke Foxe, the expedition next summer went right up into Roe's Welcome, where it had to turn back in lat. 65° N. owing to fog; but no details are known about this.[3]
The English expeditions of the following years have no connection with our subject, although Bylot and Baffin 1615 were as close as in the southern part of Foxe Channel. It is in Denmark's honour that the only non-British expedition to be fitted out for Hudson Bay with the Northwest Passage as its aim was the one sent out in 1619 by Christian IV under the command of Jens Munk.[4] This was a natural link in the endeavours to establish the Danish-Indian colonial kingdom which later came to realisation by Ove Gjedde's expedition and acquisition of Tranquebar. That Jens Munk's expedition came to its well-known, sad end does not detract from the seaman's exploit which he carried out. His voyage is mentioned here, however, because Therkel Mathiassen has justly pointed out the probability that one of Jens Munk's ships discovered both Chesterfield and Rankin Inlets.[5]
- ↑ Accordingly the greater part of Hudson Bay was long called Button's Bay, a name that is now restricted to the little bay west of Churchill. Only the most eastern part of Hudson Bay was then called after its discoverer.
- ↑ Foxe & James 1894; I 165 seq.
- ↑ Ibidem, 181.
- ↑ The original edition of Munk's report appeared in Copenhagen 1624. A new Danish edition, with an excellent introduction, was published by P. Lauridsen, Copenhagen 1883; an English translation by Gosch is included among the papers of the Hakluyt Society (Danish Arctic Expeditions, II).
- ↑ Mathiassen 1928 c; 4.
