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Article: Accidental explorer: he was an English seafarer, sailing under a Dutch flag, looking for a way to reach China. He never did find a route to Asia, but he did introduce his Dutch employers to a new world.
- Article from:
- Cobblestone
- Article date:
- October 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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"He" was Henry Hudson. The earliest record of his life is a journal he kept of his first known voyage of exploration. He was in his forties and was employed as a sea captain for the Muscovy Company, an English trading firm. On April 19, 1607, Hudson described a special church Service he and his crew had attended to ask God's blessing on a voyage "to discover a passage by the North Pole to Japan and China."
At the time, merchants in both England and the Netherlands were seeking a shorter and more northerly trade route to Asia. The southern routes involved long, dangerous journeys around Africa and South America.
Northern European countries also hoped to ...