By 1616 William Baffin had established the general outline of Baffin Bay; by 1632 Luke Foxe and Thomas James had explored the western shores of Hudson Bay and James Bay. A northwest passage had not been found, although there were still reports, not to be followed up until much later, of openings to the west.

Original map:The platt of sailing for the discoverye of a Passage into the South Sea 1631 1632 by Captain Thomas James
Source:  Library and Archives Canada/NMC 7288