Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1852-12-23
The Mortimer in America.


The grounds on which historians generally
concede the discovery Of this country to the
Nonhmnn, are in substance as follows, in
brief memoir by Charles C. Rafu, in his y4ntiqu-
itiateS AmnicdneG,
"The Dine Gardar, of Swedish origion, was
the Grs' Northman, who discovered Iceland. in
S63. Only a few out. places of this country
had been visited pTeviou'y, about seventy years
before, by Irish Iermits Eleven years subse-
quently, or in 874, the Norwegian Ingolf began
the colonization Of the country, which was
completed during a space OF sixty years. The
coIouists, many Of whom belonged to the most
ildstrous and most civilized families in the
Moth, established in Iceland hourIshing re.
public. Here. on this distant isle rock. the old
Northern language was preserved unchanged
for centuries, and here in the EddaS we're trea-
sured those Folk songs and FoIk.myths, and in
the Sdgas those hl>trcal tales and legends
which the first settlers had brought with them
from their scandinavian mother lands. Iceland
was, therefore, the cradle of an historical litera.
ture of immense value.
The situation of the island and the relation
ship Of the colony to foreign countries in its
earlier period, compelled ITS inhabitants to ex
ercise and develone their ~. aditarv mare,i,ne
skill and thirst for new df~NRlery across the
great ocean. As early as the year S77 Gum.
biorn saw for the first time the mountainous
coast Of Greenland. But this land was first
visited by Erik the Red, IN 0s3 who. three years
afterwards in 986, by means Of lcelandic emi
ganls, established the first colony on its south
western shore, where afterwards, in 1924, a
Bishops See was founded, which subsisted up.
wards of three hundred years. The head trhs
or bays were named after the chiefs of the ex-
pedton. Erik the Red settled in Erg's firth,
Eiuar, Rain and Ket in the frths called after
them, and Heruf on Heriulfsnes On voyage
rom Iceland to Greenland this same year 1885,
Barne. the son of the latter, was driven far out
to sea towards the south west, and for the first
time behold the coasts of the American lands,
afterwards visited aud named by his countrynen.
In order to examine these countries more narrow.
~, Lett the Fortunate, son 1f Erik the Red, un
dertook voyage of discovery thirher in the
year 1000. He landed on shores described
by Biarne detailed the character of these lands
more exactly, and gave them names according
to their appearance: HeIluland (NewfoundIand)
was so called from its fiat stones, MARYLAND
! New Scotland) IRON It's woods, and Vineland
New Engand) from its vines. Here he remained
for some time, and constructed large houses,
called after him Lielsbudr (lief7s Booths) A
German named Tyker, who accompanied Left
on his voyage, was the man who found the wild
vines, which be recognized from having seen
them 10 BIO Swn land, and Lief gave the coun.
try its name from this circuustance. Two years
afterwards Leif's brother Therwald, repaired
ihlthcr, and in 1908 caused 30 expedition to be
undertaken to the south, aloig the shore, but he
was killed IN the summer Of 1904 on a voyage
northwards, in skirn,sh viii the natives
The most distinguished However, Of all tho
first American dlscoverers, i Thorfn KarIselne
an Icelander, whose genediisy is>carried back
in the old Northern anDals 10 Danish, Swedish,
Norwegian, Scottish and Irish ancestors, some
of them of blood royal. In 1906 this chef on a
merchant voyage visited Greenland aud there
married Gnldrd, the widowpf Thornstein, (son
of Erik the Red) who had died the year before
in an unsuccessful expedition 10 VIneIand Ac-
: companied by his wes who encouraged him to
! rhrs voyage,and BY sfsw Of 100 men on board
I three vessels, he repaired IN the spring Of 1907
to Vineland, where he remained for three years
and had many Communications with the aborg-
? ines. Here his wife Guidrad bore him son
, Snorre, who became The founder Of an illustri-
; GUS family in Iceland, which gave that Island
] several OF its first bishops. His daughters son
3 was the celebrated Bishop Tholack Runolfson,
I who published the first Christian code in Ice
e land. In 1923 Bishop Erik sailed to Vlneland
3 from Greenland, doubtless for the purpose Of
t strengthening his countrymen in their Christian
e laith.
e The notices given by the old Icelandic voyage
chronicles respecting tho climate, the soil, and
d the productions OF this new c)untry are very
b Characteristic. Nay, we have even a statement
/ of this kind as old as the eleventh century from
writer, not a Nor,hnan, Adam of Bremen; he
' states on the authority of Sevein Es,rdson the
! King of Denmark, nephew Of Canute the
i. Great, thai the country got its name iIom the
i vine growing wild there. ltis remarkable CO.