that (1610) of which the title-page here is reproduced. This
reproduction is of interest in that it shows at a glance all of the
nautical instruments that Hudson had at his command; and of a still
greater interest in that the map which is a part of it exhibits
what at that time, by exploration or by conjecture, was the known
world. To the making of that map Hudson himself contributed: on it,
with a previously unknown assurance, his River clearly is marked.
The inadequate indication of his Bay probably is taken from
Weymouth's chart--the chart that Hudson had with him on his voyage.
A curious feature of this map is its marking--in defiance of known
facts--of two straits, to the north and to the south of a large
island, where should be the Isthmus of Panama.

The one seemingly fanciful picture, that of the mermaids, is not
fanciful--a point that I have enlarged upon elsewhere--by the
standard of Hudson's times. Hudson himself believed in the
existence of mermaids: as is proved by his matter-of-fact entry in
his log that a mermaid had been seen by two of his crew.




A BRIEF LIFE OF HENRY HUDSON




HENRY HUDSON

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