ABSTRACT

Whereas, yesterday, Monday, in the afternoon, there arrived off the mouth of this river and port a large threemasted ship belonging to the king of England;

And its master with ten or twelve seamen came ashore in a boat;

And told them that the ship belonged to the king of England;

And that this ship, together with another, cleared perhaps nine months ago from England on order from their king, to make a certain exploration toward the north, between Labrador and Newfoundland, in the belief that in that region there was a strait through which to pass to Tartary;

And that they had sailed as far north as fifty and some degrees, where certain persons died of cold; the pilot had died; and one of the said vessels was lost;

For which reasons they came to this land to take in water and subsistence and other things which they needed;

1 A. de I. 53-I-9, certified copy, 6i pliegos. Cf. Biggar, H. P., Precursors, pp. 165 et seq.