once the said expedition; and they had only remunerated the Englishman for his trouble, and had dismissed him with the promise of employing him next year, 1610.  The Englishman, having thus obtained his leave, Le Maire, who knows him well, has since conferred with him and has learnt his opinions on these subjects; with regard to which the Englishman had also intercourse with Plancius, a great geographer and clever mathematician.  Plancius maintains, according to the reasons of his science, and from the information given him, ... that there must be in the northern parts a passage corresponding to the one found near the south pole by Magellan....  The Englishman also reports that, having been to the north as far as 80 degrees, he has found that the more northwards he went, the less cold it became.”

[Illustration:  “How the Earth is round” FAC-simile of page “The arte of navigation” London.  Edition 1596]

Hudson’s name is not mentioned by Jeannin, but as no other navigator had been so far north as 80 deg., there can be no doubt as to who “the Englishman” was.  The letter goes on to urge that the French king should undertake the “glorious enterprise” of searching for a northerly passage to the Indies, and that he should undertake it openly:  as “the East India Company will not have even a right to complain, because the charter granted to them by the States General authorizes them to sail only around the Cape of Good Hope, and not by the north.”  But Jeannin adds that Le Maire “does not dare to speak about it to any one, because the East India Company fears above everything to be forestalled in this design.”

Precisely that fear on the part of the East India Company did undercut the French envoy’s plans.  In a postscript to his letter he adds:  “This letter having been terminated, and I being ready to send it to your Majesty, Le Maire has again written to me....  Some members of the East India Company, who had been informed that the Englishman had secretly treated with him, had become afraid that I might wish to employ him for the discovery of the passage.  For this reason they have again treated with him about his undertaking such an expedition in the course of the present year.  The directors of the Amsterdam Chamber have written to the other chambers of the same Company to request their approval; and should the others refuse, the Amsterdam Chamber will undertake the expedition at their own risk.”

In point of fact, the other chambers did refuse (although, before Hudson actually sailed, they seem to have ratified the agreement made with him); and the Amsterdam Chamber, single-handed, did set forth the voyage.