The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-10-24
ETY. mOlosy ~ the Geographical Title
~Hreenland.n

TO THE EDITOR. OF TUE NEW YORK HERALD.
Ihave read with great delight the very interesting
lstter of Dr. Hayes surgeon to the expedition Of Dr. Kane
the Arctic searsh which appeared In your valuable
per of the 17th instant and beg to be permitted the pr
viege Of explaining the why Greenland is call
3D. while its barrsnress, and sterilty palpably
to contradict our idea Of what It's name imports.
Dr. Hayes after slosuently describing is desoase
dition says, "wby Il should have received the name
Of Greenland is puzzle to me-"
lam far from suppospg that the ancient explorers Of
this barren coat sAvs it this from ironicAl
tives because ts aspect, when approached from ono
quarter in striking contrast to an approach from
different one and led to tho conclusion that was,
in verify, Greenland, its FIRST dscovcrers by
ring an authority upon which Is based my Hypothesis
that Greenland Hrst discovered at point Of lat
uce which, to the srcent gszs of the intrepid mArinsrs
who discovered it. wsrYantsd the Of the term which
they enp poyed 10 convey the meaning which 1t i'm
ported
That authority Is JsAn Davis Who discovered 1885,
the well known straits Davis Straits) to which his
name has aver since beeh applied
In his narrative Of Voyages in Search of the North
west PASSAGE he eescribes In the following torie ard
orcibe stye his visit to Greenland and If the reader
first dscoverers appg cached It's cca. thl Is suppo
aable care, my hypothe that the name Is trus dssg
raen con nm. sp9S , s.s msa.
myself
aIn my first voyage not experienced of the natars Of
those cymatss, and having direction either BY chart
globe or other ccrAyne relation In what attitude that
passage TO bee searched, shaped noythIy course
and sought the towards the SOUTH and In that
cient time called Groynland Ave hundred leagues
distant from the durseys west NOR west, northerny,
the land being very high and % % 81 3.
earth be fcsns and the shore Two eeges of into the
g. 20 u Of yss s that no shipping cold By any
sbere, and irksome royse Of the Use such,
tbA. il bled strange concepts among US 80 thst We
or Vegetable creatures whereupon called the same
Ecsolatlon 70 casting this shore tosarcs the souft
Ia the latitude s Of ,s ~, iIunG to s'1a "a
the height and after Hfte or siitis leagues, u
fa,sd and lay directly nor which stl followed, and
By named DssOistior we were past al the yss and
found many greene and pleasant U.S. bordering upon the
with great quantities OF snowe. brought my shipps
among those ls and there mored TO refreshs ourselves
In our wearis trayell In the latitude Of sixte four
degrees, or there about "
Now 1t Ia very evident from this description, that
Davis made the Of Greenland in due north course
whsn arriving st point whence he could, with safety,
towards the south, where, In the latitude Of sixty
degrees he found It trerd nd) tow.sAs the vest and
hence ssillns along the vsst side q tn. eess. to
the ice and discovered IN any greene and pleasant R
| torcering upon the shore"
IT. therefore, reverse the position Of approach tt
the coast Of Greenland by the first diocovere an a.
sumo that, In their voyage Of discovery thsy eithe
sailed northwestwardly mp BABn's Bay. Ad landed
tht greene ills bordering upon the she fe, or sainl
past them, until they effected land 1g ON the mali
shrr re the conclusion in many minds that they uamet
the whole coast senlspd when the landed from to
greene ls spoken Of by Davis or not landing At tn
sereene Ills" but s1ectiDg Ian ling on the "msine,
such Was the imprcsecn on shsir minds Of the nrs
that .truck their view they deemed the nam
appropriate to repre- <ent the whole discovery an
hence the reaeon why nouid have received the nam
Of Greenland, which ms TO be such purAe" 10 tn
surgeon Of the sxret' '.sion
| IL SEEMS TO me therefore, that II Groynlard au
Greenland are u soSse the apparent anomaly which "
Bsyss dsscrr on pres. nts can b. accounted ior on
jsct the oonyms snd have In ts plsee meaningis
"' No. q