Southern telegraph., 1838-09-05
DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.

The following letlo't
o3d uIt and published by the Pars Jour
nal Des Bats, affords some curious facts re-
snectino the discovery OF America:
aTbe important question OF knowing
..,ho,hor mr. not any intercourse had existed
,raao America and the Old World, pre-
;,"s ~ tbe voyage of Columbus, has just
heeD solved in the affirmative, thanks TO the
sc,;vc and Conscientious inquiries ofa young
b;storian, NJ. Folsom. THIS gentlemen,
with the sole view of eucidating the point,
renaired about two years since tolceland,
where he found several manuscripts Of the
tenth century, which stated that two navI-
gators from that island, Bsoeru Hersuefson,
and Left Erkson, had discovered America
IN the beginning Of that century.
.Those manuscripts contain descrip-
ton of the country round Cape Cod, of Mar
th.'s Vineyard, Of New England, and of No
va Scotia, but particularly of the Islands of
Narraganset Bay, where those navigators
and their companions resided during three
years.
.Mr. Folsom, distrusting his written evi-
dence, proceeded to America and visited
himself tie places therein mentioned, to
verify the accuracy of the lcelandic des-
cription, which he found perfectly correct.
He was not however, satisfied with this, he
wished to obtain further proofs, so as to
place the fact beyond doubt. He wished 10
discover in America some material evidence
of the existence of former relations between
the New World and Europe. He accord
ingly continued his journey, and had the
tn find he gItn
district of Assonett, near the river Taunton.
in the State of Massachusetts, inscriptions
entirely written in scandinavian or Rhunc
characters and setting forth the names of
Icelandic and Norwegian warriors, who
had es t,blished camp in the country. I'm
fortunately they contained no date, but the
structure of the character clearly demon
strates in Folsom's opinion, that they must
have been engraved as early as The ninth
century. He observes, that Christopher
Columbus having visited Iceland, in l477,
period at which the voyages Of the Ice
landers in America must have been well
known, both by oral tradition and written
books, it was not improbable that this great
navigator derived in that island the first no
tion of the existence Of the trans ,tlantIc
continent, which he subsequently dscov-
ered."
The ladies of Mr. J. @. Adams's district
entertained him with Pic Nc in Tran
guilty Grove, few days ago lie treated
them to a speech, the conclusion Of whc h
was in these words:
I'll have in the course of my life, found
thatit was an easy matter to address two
hundred and forty men; but IT has been 10
me task sufficiently arduous to dddress
SUCCESSFULLY one tromGr."
Mrs. Adams, the lady Of the Ex-Presi-
dent, was present on the occasion.
Mr. Richie is playing poor game in the
evening of his political life, and after years
of what may be called valuable services in
the causes Of the Constitution and Laws.
He is now employed ducking with one
hand aud rubbing with the other--outra-
geously abusing the Sub-Treasury scheme
and rejoicing in its defeat, yet compliment
ing Mr. Van Buren, and his friends, crying
out peace and Cancellation, and abusing the
wings, whose only Object is TO bring back
the Government TO those Constitutional
checks and limitations which il was once
the pride of Virginia unanimously to CON
tend for and sustain. We do not believe
in the truth and sincerity ofany friends of
Mr. Van Buren, in the Senate who sustain
his present measures. They are in heart
in favor Of National! Bank to regulate the
Exchanges, and of local Banks TO control
the currency--they are for the old state OF
things and against all the experiments Of
Gen. Jackson and his nominees, yet they
are checked in the expression of their hon
est opinion by motives Of ambition and in
terest, looking solely to Executive favor
and rewads--to the "spoils,n which deadens
every patriotic impulse. If the President
was prohibited by the Constitution from ap-
pointing members of Congress to office, he
would not at this day have Corporal's
guard to sustain him. Mr. Van Buren's
strength in Congress rests upon his ability
TO reward his partizans directly or Indirect
ly, hence his anxiety to have complete con,
troll ofthe peoples money.--N. Y. Star.
A REMINrscENcE.-T Albany Evening
Journal republshes the following letter as
an illustration of the manner in which bank.
we're once chartered in New York, il
answer to achallenge Of the Argus for proc
that the Safety Fund system was ever made
subservieni to political purposes:
"ALBANY. jag. Q. 1882.
"DeGr Judge: Yours just received
There are more applications for banks th;;
year than ever before. You must make oui
complete list Of directors, officers, &c. and
1t obtained, you must know hop. II MUST
be JACKSON BANK, and the BANK JUNro
in this place must be allowed to have fing-
er in the pie.
Yours, truly, PHI. MAXWELL.
~. ALLEN, Judge, &c.'