Question/Problem 2: Describe the reasons for and the outcomes of the European explorers between 1492 and 1673.

Martin Frobisher was an important, but little known, English explorer. He was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1535. His father died when he was young and his mother sent him to be raised by her brother, Sir John York of London. Sir John was a merchant and travelled to Africa. Before long, Frobisher also took to the sea and became a professional sailor. By age 37, he was convinced that there was a northwest passage to China and that he could find it. Among his friends who also agreed that such a pass age existed was Sir Humfry Gilbert. Gilbert convinced the Queen to send Frobisher to the far north to find the northwest passage to China.

Frobisher first sailed for the arctic region of North America in June 1576. He took three ships and 39 men. The ships were small for the day but well supplied. One hundred pounds were spent on nautical instruments and books and the pilots were instruc ted in navigation and in the use of the instruments. The trip was filled with misfortune from the start. The smallest ship collided with another and the trip was delayed as the foresail was repaired. On June 26 the ships had reached the Shetland Island s but soon after a storm came up and one boat disappeared. By July 11, the remaining two ships sighted the east coast of what is now known as Greenland. They could not even approach shore because of the ice. The captain of the ship, Michael, not liking the conditions turned and headed home. Frobisher went on and sighted the island later named for William Baffin and then sailed north, entering the straits that he named for himself. He sailed up the straits convinced that this was the passage to China.

It was in this part of the voyage that Frobisher first came into contact with the people living in the area. Frobisher described their long, black hair, broad faces and sealskin clothing. He invited them on board and bartered for furs, fresh meat, and salmon in exchange for the usual beads and hatchets. As they left the area a small boat of sailors left to trade on their own with the Indians but did not return. Frobisher waited for several days with no sign of his five men. He captured a native in o rder to force an exchange of prisoners but had no luck. Frobisher was forced to leave after first collecting some rock samples from the area.

Frobisher made two more voyages to North America. The second trip left May 25, 1577, to look for gold. The sample collected on the first trip contained what were thought to be flecks of gold. The second trip was funded by the Company of Cathay which w as formed after Frobisher reported finding gold and a possible passage to China. On this trip Frobisher again entered Frobisher's Strait and this time landed on Baffin Island. Again he sought to negotiate for the five crew members left behind on the fir st trip. This time he exchanged shots with the natives as they shot arrows at the ship and captured another prisoner. He sailed 100 leagues up his strait but turned back in order to leave time for a safe journey home. He left without the lost crew but with 200 tons of ore thought to be a source of gold.

The third Frobisher voyage left England even before the reports from the second voyage were made public. This time he travelled with fifteen ships of varying sizes with orders to look for other valuable minerals and collect 800 tons of the black ore. H e was to search for the lost men but this time nothing was said about looking for the passage north. This trip also ended in failure as ice and bad storms damaged the ships. This time another pilot led the way for twenty days up the wrong strait which t hey named the Mistaken Straits. Later, Henry Hudson would sail farther up the same "wrong" strait into what is now known as Hudson Bay. Frobisher turned back in order to follow orders and mine the ore. The trip home was difficult, provisions were low, and many men died. The black ore proved to be worthless and the Company of Cathay went bankrupt. Many accused Frobisher of poor leadership. All three of his voyages were considered failures and Frobisher's reputation was ruined.

Frobisher's accomplishments were not what was expected by the Company of Cathay or the Queen. He did, however, redeem his good name. In later years he fought with Admiral Drake against the Spanish Armada and was knighted for valor. He was wounded in b attle and died as he was returning home. Frobisher's voyages encouraged many other explorers to search for the Northwest Passage.