Martin Frobisher's northwest venture, 1576-1581

the long version

Martin Frobisher led three voyages to the Canadian Arctic between 1576 and 1578. He initially sought the Northwest Passage to Cathay, but his voyages became Canada's first "gold rush" when gold was reported after his first trip. Sadly, the Arctic ore proved worthless, and the Cathay Company that financed the exploration was ruined. Mysteries, however, remain. Was the ore truly worthless? If so, why was it so easy to finance the expeditions? Was fraud involved? And why did some of the ore mysteriously disappear off the coast of Ireland? This book takes the reader from Frobisher Bay to Ireland and England in a quest for answers.