Henry Hudson's 1608 Expedition Returns

Happened: 1608-08-26

Description

When the crew realized they weren't going home to England, they got angry. After a near-mutiny in which the crew probably forced his hand, Hudson gave his crew notice that he was returning by his own hand, without any force on their part, probably a fabrication demanded by the crew so they won't get charged with mutiny and hung.

"I used all diligence to arrive at London," Hudson wrote in his journal. "and therefore I now gave my crew a certificate under my hand, of my free and willing return, without persuasion or force by any one or more of them. For when we were at Nova Zembla on the 6th of July, void of hope of a Northeast Passage...I therefore resolved to use all means I could to sail to the northwest."

Although he recorded in his journal his belief that a passage lay through the Furious Overfall, he headed back to London. Historians have speculated that Robert Juet was the man behind the crew's insubordination. Thomas Janvier called him Hudson's "evil genius."

On August 26, The Hopewell returned to Gravesend, England. After his failure, the English lost interest in his goal of a Northwest Passage. The Company directors were disappointed in Hudson's efforts and probably had lost confidence in Hudson's abilities. The Company refused his request for another voyage with more men and less rigid orders.

Expeditions

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