FROBISHER, MARTIN:

Drie seldsame Scheeps-Togten.

      De Eerste na China ondernoomen, om derwaards een Straat, of Doortogt te vinden. In 't Jaar 1576. DeTweede, om het Noord-Westen een nieuwe Doorgang na Cataya, China en Oost-Indien, te vinden. In het Jaar 1577. De Derde na Cataya, om derwaards, een onbekende Straat, naar het Noord-Westen, te ontdekken. In het Jaar 1578. Leyden: Pieter van der Aa 1706. With engraved title vignette, one folding engr. map and 2 folding engr. plates. Sm. 8vo. 72 + (8) + (2, blank) pp. Later full calf, boards and spine richly tooled in gilt. Binding executed by Brent Gration- Maxfield. First edition in Dutch. Sabin 25998. The first edition of the first voyage appeared in English in 1578, and was translated into several languages. All these editions are rare.Martin Frobisher was born around 1535 and died in 1594. He was one of the first English explorers to find and navigate the Northwest passage that led to the Orient. Frobisher was placed in command of an expedition to the New World in 1576, this was the first attempt by an Englishman to search for the Northwest Passage. Frobisher set sail on June 7, 1576, with three small ships named: the Gabriel, the Michael, and a Pinnace, unfortunately the Pinnace was sunk in a storm. Soon afterwards the Michael deserted and the Gabriel was left to sail onward alone. The Gabriel sighted the mouth of a bay, now that bay is known as Frobisher Bay, located on Baffin Island. Frobisher accidentally mistook this for the entrance to the Northwest Passage. This voyage and the following voyage were both unsuccessful in locating and establishing new colonies. Frobisher was a captain in action against the Spaniards from 1580-88. In 1585 He commanded the Primrose, as vice-admiral to Sir Francis Drake in his expedition to the West Indies. In 1591 he became a landed proprietor in Yorkshire and Notts. he found, however, little leisure fro a country life and once again he sailed with Sir Walter Raleigh. After being wounded in battle, he died in Plymouth in 1594.