R&
EDWARD EGGLESTON
THE FIRST PRESIDENT, INAUGURATED 1789.
WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE LIVES AND DEEDS OF GREAT AMERICANS
BY EDWARD EGGLESTON Author of "The Beginners of a Nation," etc.
THREE hundred years ago England was rather poor in people and in money. Spain had become rich and im portant by her gold mines in the West Indies and the cen tral parts of America. Portugal had been enriched by finding a way around Africa to India, where many things such as silks and spices were bought to be sold in Europe at high prices . Some thoughtful men in England had an idea that as the Portuguese had reached India by sailing round the Eastern Continent on the south , the English might find a way to sail to India around the northern part of Europe and Asia. By this means the English
ships would also be able to get the precious things to be found in the East .
For this purpose some London merchants founded the Mus '- co -vy Company, with old Sebastian Cabot at its head . This Muscovy Company had not succeeded in finding a way to China round the north of Europe , but in trying to do this its ships had opened a valuable trade with Rus sia [ rush ' - ah ] , or Muscovy as it was then called , which was a country but little known before .
One of the founders of this Muscovy Company was a rich man named Henry Hudson . It is thought that he was the grandfather of Henry Hudson , the explorer. The merchants who made up this company were in the habit of sending out their sons , while they were boys, in the ships of the company , to learn to sail vessels and to gain a knowledge of the languages and habits of trade in dis tant countries . Henry was sent to sea while a lad , and was no doubt taught by the ship captains all about sailing ves sels. When he grew to be a man , he wished to make him self famous by finding a northern way to China.
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In the spring of 1607 , almost four months after Captain Smith had left London with the colony bound for James town , his friend Hudson was sent out by the Muscovy Com pany to try once more for a passage to China . He had only a little ship , which was named Hopewell , and he had but ten men, including his own son John Hudson . He found that there was no way to India by the north pole . But he went farther north than any other man had gone .
Hudson made an important discovery on this voyage.
HENRY HUDSON.
He found whales in the Arctic Seas, and the Muscovy Company now fitted out whaling ships to catch them . The next year the brave Hudson tried to pass between Spitz - berg' - en and Nova Zembla [no ' -vah zem ' - blah ] , but he was again turned back by the walls of ice that fence in the frozen pole .
By this time the Muscovy Company was discouraged, and gave up trying to get to India by going round. the north of Europe. They thought it better to make money out of the whale fishery that Hudson had found. But in Holland there was the Dutch East India Com pany, which sent ships round Africa to India . They had heard of the voyages of Hudson , who had got the name of " the bold Englishman . ' The Dutch Company was afraid that the English , with Hudson's help , might find a nearer way by the north , and so get the trade away from them. So they sent for " the bold Eng lishman , " and hired him to find this new route for them . Hudson left Amsterdam in 1609 in a yacht called " The Half Moon . " He sailed round Nor
way and found his old enemy the ice as bad as ever about Nova Zembla. Just before leaving home Hudson had re
