ches further to the north. He found there
large numbers of birds, which were exceedingly tame (_Witsen_, p.
920). If we take some degrees from the latitude stated, which is
perhaps not very unreasonable in dealing with the narratives of old
whalers, which have passed through two or three hands, Roule may, as
far back as two hundred years ago, have reached Franz-Josef's Land,
and sailed along its coast to a very high latitude for those
regions.

1676. WOOD and FLAWES were sent out from England by Charles II. to
sail by the north-east passage to the Pacific. For this purpose the
English Admiralty fitted out a vessel, the _Speedwell_, while "as
all exploratory voyages are exposed to the possibility of disaster,"
another small ship, the _Prosperous_, was purchased and handed over
to the expedition by private gentlemen.[148] The command of the
first vessel was given to Captain Wood, the chief promoter of the
undertaking, and the other vessel was commanded by Captain Flawes.
The voyage was completely without result, as Wood did not penetrate
so far, either to the north or east, as his predecessors or as the
whalers, who appear to have at that time frequently visited North
Novaya Zemlya. Wood had previously accompanied Sir John Narborough
during a voyage through the dangerous Magellan Straits, in the
course of which he became known as a bold and skilful seaman, but he
not only wanted experience in sailing amongst ice, but also the
endurance and the coolness that are required for voyages in the high
north. He thereby showed himself to be quite unfit for the command
which he undertook. Before his departure he was unreasonably certain
of success; with the first encounter with ice his self-reliance gave
way entirely; and when his vessel was wrecked on the coast of Novaya
Zemlya, he knew no other way to keep up the courage of his men and
prevent mutiny than to send the brandy bottle round.[149] Finally
after his return he made Barents and other distinguished seafarers
in the Arctic Regions answerable for all the skipper tales collected
from quite other quarters, which he before his departure held to be
proved undoubtedly true. This voyage would therefore not have been
referred to here, if it had not been preceded and followed by lively
discussions regarding the fitness of the Polar Sea for navigation,
during which at least a portion of the experience which Dutch and
English whalers had gained of the state of the ice between Greenl