The first voyage made by Master Anthonie Jenkinson, from the Citie of London toward the land of Russia
, begun the twelfth of May, in the yeere 1557.
FIRST by the grace of God, the day and yeere above
mentioned, I departed from the sayd Citie, and the same
day at Gravesend
embarked my selfe in a good shippe,
named the Primerose, being appointed, although unworthy, chiefe captaine of the same, and also of the other
3 good ships, to say, the John Evangelist, the Anne, and
the Trinitie, having also the conduct of the Emperour of
Russia his ambassadour named Osep Nepea Gregoriwich,
who passed with his company in the sayde Primerose.
And thus our foure tall shippes being well appointed,
aswell for men as victuals as other necessarie furniture,
the saide twelfth day of the moneth of May, we weyed
our ankers, and departed from the saide Gravesend
, in
the after noone, and plying downe the Thames
, the wind
being Easterly, and fayre weather, the 13 day we came a
ground with the Primerose, upon a sand called the blacke
taile, where we sate fast until the 14 day in the morning,
and then God be praysed, she came off: and that day we
plyed downe as farre as our Ladie of Holland, and there
came to an anker, the wind being Easterly, & there
remayned untill the 20 day: then we weyed and went out
at
Goldmore gate, and from thence in at
Balsey slade,
and so into Orwel wands, where we came to an anker:
but as we came out at the sayd Goldemore gate, the
Trinitie came on ground on certaine rockes, that lye to the
Northward of the said gate, and was like to be bilged and
lost. But by the aide of God, at the last she came off
againe, being very leake: and the 21 day the Primerose
remaining at an anker in the wands, the other three
shippes bare into Orwel haven, where I caused the sayd
Trinitie to be grounded, searched, and repaired. So we
remayned in the said haven, until the 28 day: and then the
winde being Westerly, the three shippes that were in the
haven, weyed and came forth, and in comming forth
the John Evangelist came on ground upon a sand, called
the Andros
, where she remained one tide, and the next
full sea she came off againe without any great hurt, God
be praised.
The 29 day in the morning all foure ships weied in the
Wands, and that tide went as farre as Orfordnesse, where
we came to an anker, because the wind was Northerly:
And about sixe of the clocke at night, the wind vered to
the Southwest, and we weyed anker, and bare cleere of
the nesse, and then set our course Northeast & by North
untill midnight, being then cleare of Yarmouth
sands.
Then we winded North and by West, and Northnorthwest,
untill the first of June at noone, then it waxed calme, and
continued so untill the second day at noone: then the
winde came at Northwest, with a tempest, and much
raine, and we lay close by, and caped Northnortheast, and
Northeast and by North, as the winde shifted, and so
continued untill the third day at noone: then the wind
vered Westerly againe, and we went North our right
course, and so continued our way untill the fourth day,
at three of the clocke in the afternoone, at which time the
wind vered to the Northwest againe and blew a fresh gale,
and so continued untill the seventh day in the morning,
we lying with all our shippes close by, and caping to the
Northwards: and then the wind vering more Northerly,
we were forced to put roomer with the coast of England
againe, and fell overthwart Newcastle
, but went not into
the haven, & so plied upon the coast the eight day & the
ninth.
The tenth day the winde came to the Northnorthwest,
& we were forced to beare roomer with Flamborow head,
where we came to an anker, and there remained untill the
seventeenth day. Then the winde came faire, and we
weyed, and set our course North and by East, and so
continued the same with a mery winde untill the 21 at
noone, at which time we tooke the sunne, and had the
latitude in sixty degrees. Then we shifted our course, and
went Northnorth east, and Northeast and by North, until
the 25 day. Then we discovered certaine Islands, called
Heilick Islands, lying from us Northeast, being in the
latitude of sixtie sixe degrees, 40 minutes. Then we
went north and by West, because we would not come too
nigh the land, and running that course foure houres, we
discovered, and had sight of
Rost Islands, joining to the
main land of Finmarke. Thus continuing our course
along the coast of Norway
and Finmark, the 27 day we
tooke the Sunne, being as farre shot as Lofoot, and had
the latitude in 69 degrees. And the same day in the
afternoone appeared over our heads a rainebow, like a
semicircle, with both ends upwarde. Note that there is
between the said
Rost Islands & Lofoot, a whirle poole
called Malestrand, which from halfe ebbe untill halfe flood,
maketh such a terrible noise, that it shaketh the ringes in
the doores of the inhabitants houses of the sayd Islands
tenne miles off. Also if there commeth any Whale within
the current of the same, they make a pitifull crie. Moreover, if great trees be caried into it by force of streams,
and after with the ebbe be cast out againe, the ends and
boughs of them have bene so beaten, that they are like the
stalkes of hempe that is bruised. Note, that all the coaste
of Finmarke is high mountaines and hils, being covered
all the yere with snow. And hard aboord the shoare of
this coast, there is 100 or 150 fadomes of water in depth.
Thus proceeding and sailing forward, we fell with an
Island called Zenam, being in the latitude of 70 degrees.
About this Island we saw many Whales, very monstrous,
about our ships, some by estimation of 60 foot long: and
being the ingendring time they roared and cried terriblie.
