Henry Hudson's Search for the East Indies from the North

By Katherine Pym

Henry Hudson

In the first decade of 17th century, Henry Hudson worked for several merchantmen companies, both in England and in Holland. His goal was to find the northern route to the Spicerie Islands in the South Pacific.

He worked for the Muscovy Company, England's East India Company, and the Dutch East India Company.  These companies pooled their resources, made their captains sign extensive contracts, gave them long lists of rules and regulations, then sent them on their way to find the easiest, fastest passage to Spicerie ports of call.

The route south through the Cape of Good Hope was fraught with danger, i.e., weeks of calm or killer storms, scurvy, the bloody flux, pirates. Once into the Cape, there were added dangers of rogue waves that came out of nowhere, swamping and sinking a ship to the depths of the sea.

If it weren't for the ice that filled the northern regions, that route would be far easier to navigate.  When they went north toward Greenland or west to Newfoundland, these intrepid explorers found a vast ocean crowded with so much fish, they leaped into their boats rather than be netted.  They brought home stories of ling cod, and whale meat/lard.  Fishermen sent their ships to these waters, and the English dinner table began to find new foods that delighted the palate. Oil lamps and candles began to smell of whale lard. 

When Hudson worked for the Muscovy Company, he did not find a Northwest Passage, but alerted his employers of a place where one could catch many whales.  The Dutch East India Company (VOC) had so many failures, when they heard of Hudson, they enlisted his services.

Hudson promised better things.  He was certain the passage could be found.  All their previous captains could not find the passage, and the directors wanted to know how he would go about it. 
Henry replied that he followed Petrus Plancius' theory.  Plancius was one of the founders and cartographer of the VOC, so the directors nodded their approval. When Hudson offered this theory, Plancius was still alive. He could be consulted for authenticity.

The theory was of a temperate, open sea in the North Pole not covered with ice. What Hudson professed was a mild climate above '74 degrees latitude - the point at which the Dutch ships had always found their path blocked by ice'. Hudson not only affirmed to have seen this, he raised the stakes higher by adding the depth of the sea was so great at this point, the swells could never freeze. In this temperate area, Hudson declared to have seen a new land with many animals, sweet grasses wherein the animals grazed. It was a veritable paradise.

Hudson further added if he could go above '83 degrees latitude', he would sail west to the Pacific then south into the warmer seas of the East Indies. VOC demanded more proof, so Hudson sent for Petrus Plancius.  The gentleman, also an astronomer and clergyman, nodded his concurrence at Hudson's every point. He added the sun's long days and white nights during the summer kept the waters warm enough so that ice could not form. As a result, Henry was given the opportunity to seek a northern route to the South Seas.

Once aboard ship, Hudson disregarded all instructions by the VOC. He used his own maps and went northwest through bad weather. Finding the way too difficult, Hudson tootled south. He expected to find a waterway along the American coast he could travel to the Pacific. He did not find it, but did find a land rich in fisheries and game, trees so big they would make excellent ships.

Hudson had found Manhattan Island. The VOC was not impressed but other merchants were, which started the colonization of that area.
 

Henry Hudson's last journey

In 1610, this time financed by English merchants, Hudson tried again. He found his way into what is now the Hudson Bay. The seas were filled with ice. His crew turned surly, and one night mutinied. They grabbed hold of Henry Hudson and a few faithful crewmen, put them in a small boat without food, water, or warm clothing, and sent them adrift.  Henry Hudson disappeared into the night, never to be seen again.

Please find my novels (ebook and paperback) at http://www.amazon.com/Katherine-Pym/e/B004GILIAS
You can also find them at the NOOK.

Bibliography: Nathaniel's Nutmeg by Giles Milton, and Wikipedia (Hudson, Petrus Plancius)

Pirate Extraordinaire and Friend to the Crown

by Katherine Pym

Sir Henry Mainwaring began life in Shropshire around 1587. He was born in a family of gentry, educated as a lawyer at the Inner Temple of London. In 1612, he was given the post to escort the English ambassador to Persia. It would be in an armada type format as a protection against the pirates that hung around the Strait of Gibraltar, but Spain and Venice did not trust the armada. They believed the English would turn to piracy as soon as the fleet entered the Mediterranean.

This irritated Mainwaring. In a ship purchased for £700, he set out to the Mediterranean where he turned pirate. He harassed the Spanish, and any other ships not English for a period of several years. He had a fleet of approximately 6 ships, and considered himself the scourge of the Mediterranean.  But he did not center around there.


By 1613, he set his base in Ma'amura 'at the mouth of the Sebou River, about 150 miles south of the Straits'. It was a 'popular pirate stronghold in the early 1600s, a "place of rendezvous" for a reported forty ships and 2000 men.' Mainwaring used this base to harass Dutch shipping, the Spanish, French, and Portuguese. His only firm promise was never to attack an English ship, even though he could have amassed a fortune from them. His countrymen's vessels carried goods from the Levant Company which included spices, fabrics, and unique goods.

In 1614, Mainwaring left the Ma'amura foothold, which was fortuitous. After he'd left, a Spanish armada of 99 ships and thousands of men took hold of the mouth of the Sebou River, and settled in the area, declaring it a Spanish territory. Mainwaring had been saved from destruction by the skin of his teeth.

Now, his main goal was to pester the fishing fleet off Newfoundland. He took ships (not English), their munitions, food, and men. He told King James I one day these men were "many volunteers, many compelled."  When King James I asked how this was, Mainwaring replied many men wanted to become pirates, but they were afraid once a vessel was caught, they'd be hanged for piracy. They wanted to enjoy the fruits of these labors without the negative responses. A man hanged for piracy was left in the noose until 3 tides washed against him then dispersed before being cut down. If families didn't claim them, they'd be taken to be dissected.

After plaguing the fishing fleet off Newfoundland, Mainwaring's travels are blurred. He drifted back toward the Mediterranean, until in 1616 King James I pardoned him with the seal of England.
He settled in England, wrote a book titled: Discourse of the Beginnings, Practices, and Suppression of Pirates. He presented it to King James I and received a knighthood in response. He sat in the House of Commons 1620's, supported royalty during the Civil Wars, and exiled to France during the Commonwealth where he died in poverty.

For more information on pirates, please see my novel TWINS which takes place 1661 in London and along the Barbary Coast. You can find it: http://www.wings-press.com/Bookstore/Twins.htm

Bibliography: Pirates of Barbary by Adrian Tinniswood, and wikipedia