Henry Hudson (died 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator. Hudson made two attempts on behalf of English merchants to find a prospective Northwest Passage to China via a route above the Arctic Circle. He explored the region around modern New York metropolitan area while looking for a western route to Asia while in the employment of the Dutch East India Company. He explored the Hudson River (which is named after him), and laid thereby the foundation for Dutch colonization of the region. Hudson discovered the Hudson Strait and the immense Hudson Bay on his final expedition. In 1611, after wintering on the shore of James Bay, Hudson wanted to press on to the west, but most of his crew mutinied. The mutineers cast Hudson, his son and seven others adrift; the Hudsons, and those cast off at their side, were never seen again.