The primitive Republican. (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-1852, 1852-11-11
From the Washington Republic.
Discovery of America by Norwegians in
the year 1901.

Discovery Of America by Norwegians in
the year 1901.
The following interesting communication
consists of extracts from familiar letter ad-
dressed to relative by our accomplished rep
at the Swedish Court, Francis
Schroeder, of Baltimore, and will be found
worthy of attentive perusal. The subject is
5he discovery of America by Norwegians in
1901, as related by Iceland Chroniclers of
the time; the narratives protesting to be
from the words of the mariners themselves.
They were written at the time professed, is
proved by MSS. of continental
writers of the same day.
Mr.. Schroeder, it is understood, is now en-
gagged in preparing work on Scandinavian
history, which will come with peculiar grace
from the pen of a native of Rhode Island,
claimed by Scandinavian authors to have been
the finland of the chroniclers.
From the Newport Mercury.
Extract Of Letter from an american IN
S1ceden to his friend at home.
STOCKHOLM, April %, '55.
4 In fact, my dear F., sup
pose that we have all kind of resentment,
or at least Discrimination, for the idea that
Columbus was not the first great explorer Of
the far western Atlantic. With me the tho't
has always been unwelcome but whether il
is because am wayfaring among the North
men, and therefore am naturally asking about
their misty ancestors, or whether l have beer
somewhat won over to their side of the ques
ton by what one meets among them at tn
present day, the result of study has certain
ly been to give me much interest in tn
i Viking Rovers, and considerable faith il
the chronicles of the Icelanders, as well a
in their curious old Saqas-tradition orig
nally oral.
Iceland was discovered and peopled nearl
six hundred years before the birth of Colum
bus, by race of Norwegian adventures
who preserved their independence for fou
hundred years. They had constitution an
form of government purely republican
One of their Presidents was the renowne
Snorrow Sturleson, whose editorial geniu
has made him the delight of the norther
antiquary; but long before his time, and IL
deed during the greater part of the period c
the Iceland independence, the chroniclers ha
J been regularly at their work.
t There is, indeed, no doubt that early i
life Columbus went to Iceland, where th
: people were, as now, singularly we'll inform
5 ed and proud of their ancestors, and of the
= ancestors glory. There is no country,
e appears, in which the lower classes are so we
informed. An Iceland peasant will ofte
S address traveller in latin, and recount
: him whole chapters of clafsic record of th
: olden times. That Columbus escaped tn
!, we may ardently hope, but as he really WI
/ in Iceland, andas setting sail with the nortl
: ern skipders he Federated further, and Ell
tered several degrees within the polar circl
t it seems just possible that, during this per
= cd of his life, he may have learned some Ii
f tie of --. But this treason and /
= us receive dear F., never to believe TIL
! he saw or heard syllable of those half d
S zen chroniclers who, at different times, ar
/. with surprising uniformity, wrote from Il
d words of explorers themselves; let u
r therefore, be resolved never to suppose tn
g Columbus ever learned syllable, unle
. the barnacle-covered keg that was picked l
it in the Straits of Gibraltar (and which tt
Il us was thrown overheard by himself in
IS storm on his first VOYAGE shall at length d
lie close some terrible confession, as it were,
Of ertremis.
N Be this as it may, my friends in Berg
lie claim that their ancestors not only were
Il America in the year 1901, but had establis
Of ments there for the succeeding three bur
u red and forty-six years; and as old Rho
e. Island and Connecticut are much concern
c. in the large and unliquidated claim, it
I'd been labor of love to grapple with the Scs
ne dinavian lore, and / make it task of ID
IN to write while I am dwelling in the ancie
p oficina centrum" The old historic
tt, tie we must admit to be fair, if the sons
~ Scandinavia eyer pic.nicked at the Spout
Rock so let US look at her chronicles Of
be D. 1901.
Once upen time there was man
es NorWegian-whose name was Heriolf, a
elf who, with his son Barn, sailed about in shi
he and traficked from land to land. He '
is descended from Earl Ingolf, who more IL
is hundred years before bad founded the {
ct, ony in Iceland; and like the Viking of
est native Norway, Heriof and his son "
we most at home upon the stormy sea.
ta- some strange accident, they were once
ely fort the first time separated. The pious Bia
ity in search, like Northern Telemachus, "
an dered about in vain from port to port, an,
BIZ length turned his restless PROV to far-al
TIA Greenland. Steering by the stars, and g
so ing about the wide waste Of ocean with s
up experience as men in those old days CO
ap- have, twas exactly eight hundred and E
go one years ago, J the bold Biain at first sa
ses with prosperous gales; but . fierce st
tic. succeeding, drove him miles and q
uld away to the South and West, and ne
rsh wrecked him on wide, fat, and va
nts coast, which the roYeF knew could nol
.ty; Greenland,