sage to India. His employers, in reply, ordered
his speedy return to Holland. But as Hudson and
the other Englishman were about to sail they were
ordered by their government to remain and serve
their own country. After eight months' detention
in England, the “Half Moon” arrived in Amsterdam
in the summer of 1610. In the preceding
April, Hudson had once more sailed, under English
auspices, in search of a northwest passage. In his
ship the “Discouerie,” of seventy tons, he
penetrated the long straits and discovered the great
bay that bears his name, at the southern extremity
of which his men wintered. Again surrounded by
a mutinous crew, he encountered hardships and
sufferings from their criminal misconduct, which
the artful inventions of the survivors skilfully
concealed. Though he had divided, even with
tears, his last bread with his men, yet on midsumsumer's
day, 1611, while near the eastern coast,
half way back to the straits, his ungrateful crew,
thrusting him into a frail boat, with his son John
and five sailors sick and blind with scurvy, cut him
adrift, to perish in the great waste of waters, which,
bearing his name, “is his tomb and his monument.”
It is said that a document has been
discovered among the archives of the Hudson bay
company at their headquarters at York Factory,
which is the confession of one of the mutineers,
that the manuscript, written in a large, firm hand,
consists of ten slips of paper, apparently torn
from a book and tied together for better preservation,
and is now in the office of the Hudson bay
company in London. But personal application at
the latter office, by the author of this article, was
met by the emphatic reply of the authorities that
not only had no such manuscript ever been in the
London office, but no one there had ever heard of
its existence. There is no authentic portrait or
autograph of Hudson; and the picture given on
page 296 is believed to be apocryphal. It is possible,
however, that his intimate friend, Jodocus
Hondius, engraved Hudson's portrait, and that it may
yet be found. It is apparent, from the contract
between the Dutch East India company and Hudson,
that he had several children besides the “only son”
so often referred to by writers during the past two
hundred years. The “Court Minutes of the
English East India Company” also reveal the following
extremely interesting facts: “April 19, 1614,
Being informed that Mrs. Hudson, the wife or
widow of Mr. Hudson who was left in the North
West discovery, desired their favour for employing
a youth, a Son of his, she being left very poor, and
conceiving that they were partly obliged in charity
to give assistance in regard that his Father
perished in the service of the Commonwealth, resolved
to recommend him to the care of some one who is
to go the voyage [to the East Indies].” Again,
“April 19, 1614, Mrs. Hudson's son recommended
to the care of Hunt, master's mate in the ‘Samaritan,’
5l. to be laid out upon him for apparel and
necessaries.” See “Historical Inquiry Concerning
Henry Hudson,” by John Meredith Read (Albany,
1866); “Henry Hudson in Holland,” by Henry C.
Murphy (New York, 1859); “Henry Hudson, the
Navigator,” by Dr. Asher (London, 1860); and
“Hudson's Sailing Directions,” by Rev. B. F. de Costa.
HUDSON, Henry Norman, Shakespeare schol-
ar, b. in Cornwall, Addison co., Vt., 28 Jan., 1814 ;
d. in Cambridge, Mass., 16 Jan., 1886. In early
life he worked at the trades of baker and wheel-
wright. He was graduated at Middlebury in 1840,
went south, and taught in Kentucky and in Hunts-
ville, Ala. There he met a lady, also a teacher,
whom he had known in New England. In their
conversations, he said she was continually quoting
Shakespeare, until he finally asked her one day,
"What is it about Shakespeare?" She replied:
" Have you not read Shakespeare ? " " Never a line,"
said he, " except in quotation." " Then," she said,
" I advise you to read Shakespeare without delay."
" I acted upon her advice," he said, " and very soon
found that there was another world inside of the
world in which I was living, about which I knew
nothing." In his dissertation on the "character
of Desdemona " may be found a beautiful passage,
referring in a most appreciative manner to this
lady, who was so directly instrumental in shaping
his career. He was thirty years of age when he
received this advice. In less than a quarter of a
century after he had acquired a wide reputation,
and was accepted as one of the great authorities
in Shakesperean lore, and was the means of arous-
ing an enthusiasm in behalf of the bard of Avon,
so great as to inspire a man of wealth to endow a
professorship of Shakespeare in Boston university.
In 1848 Mr. Hudson published his " Lectures on
Shakespeare " (2 vols., Boston). A second edition
was called for the same year, and the work has
finally been expanded to three volumes. In 1849
he was ordained deacon in the Episcopal church.
He also published an edition of Shakespeare, with a
life of the poet, and notes, original and selected (11
vols., Boston, 1851-'6). Subsequently he devoted
his time and attention to the life and works of the
poet Wordsworth, and published " Studies in
Wordsworth " (Boston, 1884). For a few years he
edited the New York " Churchman," and on his
retirement from the editorship of this paper he
undertook the publication of the "American
Church Monthly." He was ordained a priest, and
from 1858 till 1860 was rector of a church in Litch-
field, Conn. He published one volume of sermons
(Chicago, 1874), the style of the composition of
which reminds one very forcibly of Lord Bacon.
When the civil war began Mr. Hudson obtained
a chaplaincy in a corps of engineers, which was or-
dered to Virginia. After his return to the north
he published " A Chaplain's Campaigns with Gen-
eral Butler " (New York, 1865), which produced a
great sensation. He was editor of the " Saturday
Evening Gazette " for two years. He received the
degree of LL. D. from Middlebury college in 1881.
He was professor of Shakespeare in Boston uni-
versity. Besides the works already mentioned he
published a " School Shakespeare " (Chicago, 1870) ;
" Shakespeare, his Life, Art, and Characters "
(1872) ; a series of text-books containing selections
from the works of classic authors.
HUDSON, William Leverreth, naval officer,
b. in New York, 11 May, 1794; d. in Brooklyn,
N. Y., 15 Oct., 1862. He entered the navy, 1 Jan.,
1816, and became lieutenant, 28 April, 1826 ; com-
mander, 2 Nov., 1842 ; and captain, 14 Sept., 1855.
He took part in Capt. Charles Wilkes's exploring
expedition, being second in command, and his ves-
sel, the sloop-of-war " Peacock," was lost on the
bar at the mouth of Columbia river, owing to the
pilot's carelessness. For several years he was
commandant of the Brooklyn navy-yard. In 1857
he was assigned to the command of the " Niagara "
on her first Atlantic cable expedition, and again
in 1858, when this effort was successful. For his
service on this occasion he received valuable gifts
and marks of distinction from the governments
of Great Britain and Russia. On his return he
was assigned to the command of the Charlestown
navy-yard. He was retired in August, 1862, and
appointed one of the board of lighthouse-inspec-
tors, which office he held until his death.
