FROBISHER, SIR MARTIN, an enterprising English navigator, who, as Stow informs us, was born at Doncaster, in Yorkshire, of parents in humble life, but it is not known In what year. Being brought up to the sea, he very early displayed the talents of a great navigator, and was the first Englishman who attempted to hind out a north-west passage to China. Ile made offers for this purpose to different English merchants for fifteen years, without effect ; but being at last patronised by Ambrose Dudley, earl of Warwiok, and other persons of rank and fortune, he engaged a sufficient number of advouturers, and collected such sums of money as enabled him to fit himself out for his voyago. lie provided only three ships, two barks of about twenty-five tons each, called the Gabriel and the Michael, and a pinnace of ten tons. With these he willed from Deptford, Jane 8th 1576; and the court being then at Orceuwich, the queen beheld them as they paired by, "commended them, and bade them farewell, with shaking her hand at them out of the window." Bending their course northward, they came on the 24th within sight of Fare, one of the islands of Shetland ; and on the 11th of July discovered Freeseland, bearing W. N. NV., which stood high, and was covered with snow. They could not land by reason of the ice, and great depth of water near the shore. The east point of this island Captain Frobisher named "Queen Elizabeth's Foreland." On the 2Sth they had sight of Meta incognita, being pert of New Greenland, on which also they could not laud, for the reasons just mentioned. August 10th Frobisher went on a desert island, three miles from the continent, but staid there only a few hours. The next day he entered into R strait which ha called Frobisher's Strait, a name which it still retains. On the 12th, sailing to Gabriel's island, they came to a souud, which they named Prior's Sound, and anchored in a sandy bay there. On the 15th they sailed to Prior'a Lay ; on the 17th to Thorne, William's island, and on the 18th came to anchor under Burcher's island. Here fney went on shore, and had some comtninication with the natives, by whose treachery they lost a boat and five of their men. Frobisher having endeavoured in vela to recover hie men, set sail again for England on the 26th of August ; came again within eight of Freese land on the 1st of September; and notwithstanding a terrible storm ou the 7th of the same month, he arrived at Harwich on the 2nd of October.
Frobisher took possession of the oonntry he had landed upon in Queen Elizabeth's name, and, in token of such poseeosion, ordered his men to bring to him whatever they could first find. Oae among the
rest brought a piece of black stone, in appearance like sea•coal, but very heavy. II eying at his return distributed fragments of it among his friends, the wife of one of the adventurers threw a fragment into the fire, which being taken out again and quenolied in vinegar, glittered like gold; and being tried by some refiners iu London, was found to contain a portion of that rich metal. This circumstance raising pro digious expectations of gold, groat numbers of persons earnestly pressed and soon fitted out Captain Frobisher for a second voyage, to be undertaken in the following spring. The queen lent him a ship. of the royal navy of 200 tons, with which, and two small barks of about 30 tons each, he fell down to Gravesend, May 2Gth 1577, where the miuieter of the parish came aboard the greater ship, the Aid, and administered the sacrament to the company. Two days after they reached Harwich, whence they sailed on the 31st of May.
The whole complement of gentlemen, soldiers, sailors, merchants, tninere, &c., who accompanied the expedition, was 110, furnished with victuals aud all other necessaries for seven months. They arrived iu St. 31agnue Sound, at tho Orkney islands, upon the 7th of June, whence they kept their course for the space of twenty-six days without seeing land. They met however with great drifts of wood, and whole bodies of trees, which they imagined to come from the coast of Newfoundland. On the 4th of July they discovered Freeseland, along the coasts of which they found vast island. of ice, some being seventy or eighty fathoms nuder water, and more than half a mile in deceit. Not having been able safely to land in this place, they proceeded to Frobisher e Strait ; aud on the 17th of the same month medo the north foreland in it, otherwise called hall's Island, as also a smaller island of the same name, where they had in their previous voyage found the ore, but could not now get a pleoe as large as a walnut. They mot with some of it however is adjacent islands. On the loth they went upon Hall's greater island to disoover the country, and the nature of the iuliabitauta, with some of whom they trafficked, and took one of them, neither in a very just nor handsome manner ; and upon a. hill here they erected a column of stones, which they called Mouut Warwick. They now sailed about, to make what discoveries they could, and gave names to different bays and islands; as Jaokmau'e Sound, Smith's lalaud, Beere's Sound, Leicester's Isle, York's Sound, Ann countess of Warwick's Sound and Island, &c.