INTRODUCTION

Summary

William Baffin, the narratives of whose voyages are now for the first time collected in a single volume, occupies a deservedly high place in the list of our early navigators. Although he is only known to us during the last twelve years of his life, and his previous history is an absolute blank, yet the record of those later achievements secures for him an honourable niche in England's temple of fame. He was a daring seaman, a scientific observer, and a great discoverer.

I propose, in this Introduction, to consider Baffin's position successively in those three capacities. But it will, I believe, be alike an act of justice to those who enabled Baffin to perform his work, and conducive to a more thorough appreciation of that work, if I devote my opening pages to a notice of the grand old Merchant Adventurers, who were the munificent patrons of discovery during the Elizabethan age.

Baffin gratefully immortalised the names of the generous patrons who set forth the voyages in which he served; of Sir Thomas Smith, Sir Francis Jones, Sir Dudley Digges, Sir John Wolstenholme, and. Sir James Lancaster; and among these pillars of England's commercial greatness, Sir Thomas Smith takes the foremost rank. To his wisdom and patriotism, to his disinterested zeal for discovery, and adventurous boldness, the marvellous extension of our trade, and the honour of many of our maritime exploits, are mainly due.

Thomas Smith of Westenhanger, in Kent, better known as “Customer Smith”, was the son of a yeoman, of long descent in Wiltshire, and was for many years one of the Farmers of the Queen's Customs.