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Henry Hudson: His Times and His Voyages
A century ago, in March 1908, The New York Times praised this now-classic 1907 monograph on the first European explorer to sail up the river we now call by his name: "A biography of Henry Hudson, in the ordinary sense, cannot be written, since there have come down to us records of but four years of his life, and even that scanty information is in a mutilated state. Mr. Bacon has pieced the fragments together in admirable style, giving them their correct historical setting..." Bacon gives us a compelling portrait of Hudson as an inevitable man of his time: the beginning of the 17th century, when bold men were pushing back the frontiers of knowledge both figuratively and literally... and yet also that Hudson's great achievements were fortuitous accidents. It's a unique and unexpected perspective on a man who remains, for the most part, a mystery. American author EDGAR MAYHEW BACON (1855-1935) also wrote New Jamaica (1890), Chronicles of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow (1897), Narragansett Bay (1904), and other books.
342 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2004
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March 20, 2025
Nineteenth century historian Edgar Mayhew Bacon follows the life of one of New York’s most earliest pioneers and explorers, with an explorative account of Henry Hudson and his discoveries. Bacon begins his biography by discussing the earlier pursuits of both famous and forgotten sailors who were alleged to have visited the bay of New York prior to Hudson—from the Florentine Giovanni da Verazzano, to the Cabot’s whom were Genoese by birth, but hailed the English flag proudly. He does not leave out the efforts of a few Hollanders, as well as advances from the English in the sixteenth century under Raleigh, Drake, Frobisher, Hawkins, and Humphrey Gilbert—all of whom had an everlasting effect on the navigational standards and prospects of colonization that would spur on Hudson’s voyage across the Atlantic decades later.
After a rather slow and long-winded introductory chapter, Bacon reminds his audience that the early life of Hudson was unfortunately vague and relatively unrecorded, insisting that there was not even a portrait or likeness of the navigator left for posterity. The book quickly makes a turnabout by moving to Hudson’s embarkation in the Hopewell, where Bacon asserts that Hudson mostly commanded mixed crews of both Dutch and English alike—and one of these sailors would have his name tied to the coast of Greenland upon their very first landfall of the expedition. The journals of both Hudson and his crew members are drawn upon heavily, and through these Bacon manages to expand upon both the excitement of discovery and the mundane tasks found aboard a centuries-old ship, with one instance in particular describing the very sounds and terror of icebergs grinding alongside the tiny vessel.
As is custom to many nineteenth and early-twentieth century histories, Bacon concludes Hudson’s first shipward journey by helpfully adding his own insight at the end of the chapter—discussing a few of the nautical terms of the period, and at the same time highlighting some of the findings and errors of the various journal entries. While his second voyage above the Arctic Circle is notably less exciting and altogether a failure, Bacon describes it with the same diligence as the former—where he notes the wild fowl, walrus, deer, and foxes that the crew gazes upon—not to mention their cautious maneuvering around yet more hazards and rough waters. Bacon follows Hudson’s return trip and transactions in Holland, where—to the dismay of some other prospective voyagers and merchants—he is hired on in 1609 by the Dutch East India Company and given command of the yacht, Half Moon:
The Half Moon was a Vlie boat of eighty lasts burden. The last, like the ton, has been a somewhat flexible measure, but it is safe to say that the vessel in which Hudson sailed in 1609 was a shallow little craft of not over a hundred and sixty tons, and probably less. That she escaped the dangers of unknown and stormy seas and accomplished a journey extending from the Arctic circle to the shoals of the upper Hudson is to be counted one of the marvels of maritime history.
As Hudson and his motley crew sail across the Atlantic and reach choppy waters along Chesapeake Bay and Martha’s Vineyard, Bacon notes that the English commander may have been criticized by parts of his crew for his employment under the Dutch—yet alas, with one mutiny fortunately put behind him, the crew now traded pleasurably with the local Native American tribes who brought corn, tobacco, wheat, and furs. Though one of his subordinates is in fact killed by an arrow to the throat by an unprovoked Native warrior, Hudson himself put much faith, trust, and friendship into the local tribes that they came into contact with—unlike that of the rest of his crew. His expedition returns to England after famously traversing through the routes, canals, and rivers that would be named after both Hudson and a few of his mates. His fourth and final voyage would be funded by the English this time, in which Bacon records Hudson exchanging parts of his crew out before they embark on the new ship, Discovery.
Upon reaching Iceland, the crew becomes more unsettled and hesitant of their commander’s judgment, which Bacon allows as justified in some cases—a criticism rarely featured in his biography. Bacon describes in vivid detail the successful mutiny that takes place in what is now Hudson’s Bay, where Henry, his son John, and seven other sailors were set adrift with only a few belongings—their fates left unknown to this day. As for the mutineers, the ringleaders perish from an attack by Natives and famine on the journey home, until the innocent-minded of the accomplices are pardoned upon finally reaching Ireland. Bacon has written a formative account of Hudson’s voyages that fortunately hasn’t withered too much with age, and concludes by highlighting Hudson’s lasting effect with the Dutch colonizing New Amsterdam. A chapter on “Addenda” sorts through letters and sources pertaining to Hudson’s voyages and exploits, and an index is included as well.
After a rather slow and long-winded introductory chapter, Bacon reminds his audience that the early life of Hudson was unfortunately vague and relatively unrecorded, insisting that there was not even a portrait or likeness of the navigator left for posterity. The book quickly makes a turnabout by moving to Hudson’s embarkation in the Hopewell, where Bacon asserts that Hudson mostly commanded mixed crews of both Dutch and English alike—and one of these sailors would have his name tied to the coast of Greenland upon their very first landfall of the expedition. The journals of both Hudson and his crew members are drawn upon heavily, and through these Bacon manages to expand upon both the excitement of discovery and the mundane tasks found aboard a centuries-old ship, with one instance in particular describing the very sounds and terror of icebergs grinding alongside the tiny vessel.
As is custom to many nineteenth and early-twentieth century histories, Bacon concludes Hudson’s first shipward journey by helpfully adding his own insight at the end of the chapter—discussing a few of the nautical terms of the period, and at the same time highlighting some of the findings and errors of the various journal entries. While his second voyage above the Arctic Circle is notably less exciting and altogether a failure, Bacon describes it with the same diligence as the former—where he notes the wild fowl, walrus, deer, and foxes that the crew gazes upon—not to mention their cautious maneuvering around yet more hazards and rough waters. Bacon follows Hudson’s return trip and transactions in Holland, where—to the dismay of some other prospective voyagers and merchants—he is hired on in 1609 by the Dutch East India Company and given command of the yacht, Half Moon:
The Half Moon was a Vlie boat of eighty lasts burden. The last, like the ton, has been a somewhat flexible measure, but it is safe to say that the vessel in which Hudson sailed in 1609 was a shallow little craft of not over a hundred and sixty tons, and probably less. That she escaped the dangers of unknown and stormy seas and accomplished a journey extending from the Arctic circle to the shoals of the upper Hudson is to be counted one of the marvels of maritime history.
As Hudson and his motley crew sail across the Atlantic and reach choppy waters along Chesapeake Bay and Martha’s Vineyard, Bacon notes that the English commander may have been criticized by parts of his crew for his employment under the Dutch—yet alas, with one mutiny fortunately put behind him, the crew now traded pleasurably with the local Native American tribes who brought corn, tobacco, wheat, and furs. Though one of his subordinates is in fact killed by an arrow to the throat by an unprovoked Native warrior, Hudson himself put much faith, trust, and friendship into the local tribes that they came into contact with—unlike that of the rest of his crew. His expedition returns to England after famously traversing through the routes, canals, and rivers that would be named after both Hudson and a few of his mates. His fourth and final voyage would be funded by the English this time, in which Bacon records Hudson exchanging parts of his crew out before they embark on the new ship, Discovery.
Upon reaching Iceland, the crew becomes more unsettled and hesitant of their commander’s judgment, which Bacon allows as justified in some cases—a criticism rarely featured in his biography. Bacon describes in vivid detail the successful mutiny that takes place in what is now Hudson’s Bay, where Henry, his son John, and seven other sailors were set adrift with only a few belongings—their fates left unknown to this day. As for the mutineers, the ringleaders perish from an attack by Natives and famine on the journey home, until the innocent-minded of the accomplices are pardoned upon finally reaching Ireland. Bacon has written a formative account of Hudson’s voyages that fortunately hasn’t withered too much with age, and concludes by highlighting Hudson’s lasting effect with the Dutch colonizing New Amsterdam. A chapter on “Addenda” sorts through letters and sources pertaining to Hudson’s voyages and exploits, and an index is included as well.
November 19, 2019
This was an intriguing biography. There's not much known of Henry Hudson. However his travel journals reveals the relationships with crew members, the difficulty of sea life , the encounters with Native Americans and his dedication to finding the northern passage to Asia. Informative. Worth the read!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews