Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-11-15
The Discovery of America by the Mortimer

at the request of several persons abroad. 1t
may be of use for insertion in or in preparing
articles for educational works, encyclopedias,
the journals of historical societies and other
similar works, through which it may be wish
ed to give still further publicity to historical
facts so important. They have indeed already
been referred to in some books of this kind,
but often with considerable errors.
The present paper is communicated by Charles
e. Rain, and is founded on his work, g An
tiquitates Americana sive Scriptures Septentri
onales rerum Ante Columbianarum in Ameri-
ca" published by him in 1887 through the
Royal Society of Northern Antiquarics of Co.
penhagen
& The Dane Gardar, of Swedish origin, was
the first Northman who discovered Iceland, in
1868. Only few out places of this country
had been visited previously, about seventy years
before, by Irish hermits. Eleven years subse-
,quently, or in S74, the Norwegian Ingorf be-
gan the colonization Of the country, which was
completed during space of sixty years. The
Colonsts, many of whom belonged to the most
illustrous and most civilized families of the
Nerth, established III Iceland a Furnishing Re
public. Here, on this distant isler rock, the old
Danish or old Northern language was preserved
unchanged tor centuries, and here in the Eddas
were treasured those Folk songs and Folk
mythG, and in the SagdS those historical Tales
and Legends which the first settlers had brought
with them from their Scandinavian netherlands.
Iceland was therefore the cradle of an histori-
cal literature 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-
ercSe and develop their hereditary martimeskil
and thirst for naw discoveries across the great
ocean. As early az the year 81 Guntbiorn
saw for the first time the mountainous coast Of
Greenland But tIis land was first visited by
Erik the Red, in 983, who three years after
wards, 1856, by means of Icelandic cmigrants,
established the first colony on its southwestern
shore, where afterwards, in 1924, the Bishops
See of Gardar was founded, which subsisted
for upwards Of 800 years. The head frths or
bays were named after the chiefs of the expedi-
ton, Erik the Rcd settled in Erik's firth, Emar,
Rafu and Ketil in the frths called after them,
and Heriut on Heriulfnes On a voyage from
Iceland to Greenland this same year (9S5), BIZ
arne, the son of the latter, was driven far out
to sea towards the southwest, and for the first
time beheld the coasts Of American lands, af-
forwards visited and named by his countrymen.
In order to examine these countries more mar
rowly, Left the Fortunats, son of Erik the Red
undertook voyage Of discoysry thther- in the
year 1000. He landed on the shores described
by Biarne detailed the character of these lands
more exactly and gave them names according
to their appearance Helluland (Newfound-
land) was 50 called from its fat stones Mark
land (Nova Scotia) foom its woods and Vine.
land New England) from its vines. Here he
remained for some time, and constructed large
houses, called after him, Lolsbndlr (Leifs
Booths). A German named Tyrker, who ac-
companied Left on this voyage, was the man
who found the wild vines, which he recognized
from having seen them in his own land, and
Left gave the country lis name from this cir
cumstance. Two years afterwards Leifs broth
er, Thorwald, repaired thther, and in 1908
caused an expedition to be undertaken to the
south, along the shore, but he was killed in the
summer Of 1904 on voyage northwards, in a
skirmiSh with the natives.
The most distinguished, however, of all the
first American discoveries, is Thorfnn Karl
seine, an Icelander, whose genealogy is carried
back in the old Northern annals to Danish.
Swedish, Norwegian Scottish and Irish ances-
tors, some of them of royal blood. In 1905
this chief on merchant voyage visited Green.
land, and there married Gudrid, the widow of
Thorstein (son of Erik the Red) who had died
the year before in an unsuccessful expedition to
Fmeland. Accompanied by his wife, who en-
couraged him to this voyage, and bya crew OF
100 mon on board three vessels, he repaired in
the spring of 1907 to Vineland. where he re-
NAMED for three years, and had many commu-
nications with the aborigines. Here his wife
Gudrid bore him son, Snorre, who became the
founder of an illustrious family in Iceland
which gave that island several of its first Bish,
ops. HIS daughters son was the celebrated
Bishop Thorlak Runolfson, who published tho
first Christian Code of Iceland In ll2l Bish
op Erik sailed to Vineland from Greenland
doubtless for the purpose Of strengthening hi
countrymon in their Christian faith.
The notices given by the old Iceland yoyag,
chroniclcr5 respecting the climate, the soil an,
the productions of this new country are YER,
characteristic. Nay, we have seen Il statemen