The only printed documents relating to these voyages, that possess any claim to originality, are those which are to be found in Purchas, and which were, professedly, printed from communications made by Baffin. One of these is a narrative of the procedings in the first voyage, performed during the year 1615, now ascertained to be an incorrect version. The second is a narrative of the voyage of 1616: which may be faithful or not. The third is a short explanatory letter, relating to the later voyage, addressed to Sir JohnWolstenholme.

In addition to the above, Purchas was furnished with other documents prepared by Baffin, and essential to the right understanding of those that are printed. They were: I. The Brief Journals: exhibiting the daily courses of the ship, with the winds, latitudes, longitudes, and variation of the compass; and II. Charts: shewing the tracks that were followed, and fixing the localities of the discoveries that were made. These documents, which, as before observed, are essential to the right understanding of such of the documents as are printed, being deemed “somewhat troublesome and too costly to insert”, were excluded by Purchas from his compilation. By this proceeding, not only was interesting information suppressed; but occasion has been given to impeach the character of Baffin.

It is with feelings of no ordinary satisfaction therefore, that, as regards the voyage of 1615, the compiler of this volume is able to communicate a correct version of the narrative, which, hitherto, has been printed in a mutilated form only; and to give publicity to the other documents, which have not appeared in any printed form.