New-York tribune., 1889-12-18
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
GREAT EXPLORERS!

A LIFE OF JOHN DAVIS, THE NAVIGATOR; 1850 L
" 1GO5 BY Clements p. Markham. C. b., T. H. o.
I2mo, PIP. sol. DOdd Mead ~ co.
This life of John Davis, the discoverer OF DAVIS
Straits is the first of promising series to BE- calieu
The Great Explorers" Mr. Clements MarAhah mas
dealt With mach than the life OF DAVIS ana Ms
excursions into subsequent exploration are SO eA'
tensive that the reader is tempted to ask what limit
is placed to this kind of expansion Thus TWO l"s
chapters are added 10 the life dealing with Arcuc
exploraton after Davis the text being his lhUa'lon
of the work This not the only great WORK III
the beginning of which he had a band. hc was
concerned also the opening up of the East lules'
and surely Mr.. Markham might as fairly nave hcuuou
the labors of those who followed him then as tnoso
~ the later Though not the modernl Northern eA'
vibrations The life Of John Davis moreover seems
IN he especially interesting less for what he did than
for what he was Born under Elizabeth on lhe coas'
of Devon, among that circle of noble seanen an" eA
,lorers who lent such lusre TO glorious reign young
Davis was the friend and playmate OF The "lDers'
The HawEinses the Raleghs, and other ardent youths
destined TO celebrity It is Disappointing to find mat
there Is really no authentic record OF the formative
period of his life We see him first boating on Sahu
ridge Creek or listening eagerly TO the narratiVlS oi
the veteran sailors returned from foreign voyages
There we lose sight of him, hearing only vaguely "i
,ome educational arrangements until he reappcars'
,wentv eight wears old trained seaman. and captain
Of ship 1t would have been pleasant To Aho"
how his youth passed. He must have gone u
,ea when he was about sixteen and yet he had what
was then called a classical education though Ile'o
Is no evidence that he was at college
He appears however, full of ideas about the North
west Passage, which great discourse oy sr
lIumphrey Gilbert hal put into his head. At this
,ont lie fell I'm with the famous DR.. Dee, who' VI
suite of his "magc stone" and his creduity in some
things was really a learned and clever man. and one
of the first geographers of the period Inc irohu'-
piece gives a picture Of John Davis, Dr Dec anu
Adrian Gilbert consulting in the doctors study aDout
N,e Northwest Passage. Dr. Dee was then III hgh
yepuie The great Queen herself consulted him. WISH
tnr him at his Mortlake house. Walslngham, C'ch
and others sought his advice on diifcult questions
seamen aoched TO him with their discoveries ana
sucrestions It was at this house that Davis met
Sir Francis WasIngham, the Secretary of Stae' and
80 impressed the statesman that the aid ana couh'e
nance of the Government were secured Tor his pro.
jccted Northern expedition. Martin Frobshcr hau
recently made some explorations M thai dlecuoh'
but he bad been lured away from scientific work by
tbe phantom of gold. some mica having been found
and brought home to excite the cupidhy of the
merchants. and as It proved. to frustrate the pur
pose Of the voyage.
John Davis interested some OF the wealthy mer-
chants of London in his scheme to discover shoiter
route 10 Cathay and obtained the promise oil MP
Sir Walter Raleigh entered into the project "tA
Characteristic ardor and being favonte at court ne
of himself John Davis, and Adrian Gilbert " lot the
search and discovery of the Northwest Passage 10
China The merchant prince. William sahuersoil
gave practical and efficient assistance TO the eAped'
tIon and in juno. 1861 two ships-meIe shsilops'
one should consider them. of fifty and the other
Of thry-nye to4s-sailed out OF Dartmouth or their
daring voyage John Davis being in command When
in due tlme they sighted the coast of Greenland.
They killed bears and seals, traded a little with the
Eskimos, surveyed Cumberland Gulf, though not
wholly and being only proviSoncd for six months,
Davis then had 10 turn back On his arrival in Eng
land he wrote TO Walsingham hopefully, assuring
him that the Northwest Passage is matter nothing
doubtful but at any tyne almost to be passed. the
SEA navgable. voyd of Use, the ayre toerable. and
The waters very depe" Also a fine trade in oil ard
furs might be established in the Arctic regions. The
results of the first expedition encouraged the NOR
chants 10 make another attempt, and this time the
,Iern,aid OF 1c0 tons, was employed, beside the
sunshine and Moonshne Of the first voyage and a
ninnace OF ten tons called the North star In this
oa b,s third arctic voyage Davis did much and good
work He redlscovercd and examined the great con-
of Greenland defining both east and west coast
,,ro for 500 miles, collecting Information about the
,LvsicaI conditions OF land and sea, observing the
,e,d NJ currents and ice flows, and deduchg saSaous
- o,,o, accurate conclusions from these phenomena
He also described the Eskimos their customs ana
,ynerstjtlOns their habits and mode OF ic' ana Ho
.olected a Vocabulary OF their language. Tic ie'
aid Tor the first time in two centuries, the SIZES
:. ,sc old Morse colonies in Greenland, and fouhd 10
no Fsklnos the skraellings" Of the old saga. TIC
.rnlored that sea which has ever since been known
= Dav,s Strait lie made extensive discoveries ana
lrveys along the western shores of this strait as
erta,ning the existence Of three great openings ono
. which he twice explored. In word, as MI
markham says, Davis converted the Arcuc regions
rom confused myth into defined area, the phy scai
I.tak M npsf fDpfl
90 .s they were known. lie not only described
nd manned the extensive tract explored by himself
nj be clearly pointed out the work cut out for his
John Davis was an hAlcst, God-fearing loyal man, |
nue seaman and navigator, and an Intrepid explorer