Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-02-12

Charles F. Rain, author of Antiqmtates
Americdne, has prepared the following pa
per, descriptive of the early discoveries of the
Northmen in America. Several disiointed
statements Of the Northmen's early explora.
lions have been published, but this poper,
communicated by Mr.. Rain in order to cor.
rect prevalent errors and give still further
publicity to important historical facts, is
worth preservation:1s 'r'
The Dane, Gardar, of Swedish origin, was
the first Northman who discovered Iceland
in 963 Only few out-plGces of this coun-
try had been visited previously, about sew
enty years before, by Irish hermits. Eleven
years subsequently, or in S74, the Norwegian
Ingolf began the colonization of the country,
which was completed during space of sixty
years. The colonists, many of whom be-
loDged to the most illustrious and most civ
ilized families in the North, established in
Iceland fourishing Republic. Here, on
this distant isle-rock, the 0ld-Danish or Old
Northern language was preserved unchanged
for centuries, and here in the Eddds were
treasured those Fclk.songs and Folk. myths
and in the Sdgas those historical tales and
| legends, which the FIRST settlers had brought
with them from their Scandinavian mother
lands. Iceland was, therefore, the cradle Of
an historical literature of immense value.
The situation of the island and the rela-
tionship of the colony to foreign countries in
| its earlier period, compelled its inhabitants
to exercise and develop their hereditary
maritime skill and thirst for new discoveries
across the great ocean. AS early as the year
977 Gunnibiorn saw for the first time the
mountainous coast of Greenland. But this
land was first visited by Erik the Red, in
9s3, who three years afterward, in 9s6, by
means Of lcelandic emigrants, established
the first colony on its south western shore,
where afterwsrd, in l124 the Bishops See
of Gardar was founded, which subsisted for
! upward OF 300 years. The head frths or
bays were named after chiefs of the expedi-
ton. Erik the Red settled in Erik's Firth,
Einar, Rein and Ketil in the frths called after
them, and Heriulf on Heriulfsnes. On
voyage from Iceland to Greenland this same
year 1885,, Biarne, the son of the latter, was
driven far out to sea toward the southwest,
and for the first time beheld the coasts of
the American lands, afterWard visited and
named by his countrymen. In order to ex-
anime these countries more narro wly, Left
the Fortunate, son of Erik the Red, under
took voyage of discovery ththerD in the
year 1000. He landed on the shores de-
scribed by BiaTne, detailed the character of
these lands more exactly, and gave them
names according to their appearance: Hellp
land (Newfoundand) was SO called fror ,,r
fiat stones, Msrkland Nova Scotial f. on, itS
woods, and Yineland (New EDgl, .nd1 fram ~,
its vines. Here he remained fo,. some +;r,o
and constructed large houses called after,
him Leifsbudir (Leyfs Boeths1. A German
named Tyrker, who accompanied Left on
this voyage, was the man who found the
wild vines, which he recognized from hay
ing seen them In his own lend saa al I.e;;f gave
the country i:s name from this Circumstance.
Two years afterward, Leif,s brother, Thor
| NuoId pano nr.1 -
expedition to be undertaken TO the south.
alcSg the shore, but he was killed in the
summer of 1904 on voyage northward, in a
skifmish with the natives. ..s,,,5 ',,
The most. distinguished, however, of all
the first American discoveries is Thorinn
Karlsefne, an Icelander, whose genealogy is
carried back in the old northern annals to
Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Scottish and
Irish ancestors, some of them of royal blood.
In zoos, this Chief, on merchant voyage,
visited Greenland, and there married Gnd-.
i .rn,, the widow of Thorstein, son of Erik the
Il Red, who lad died the year before in an
unsuccessful expedition 10 TTiiue,and. Ac-
companied by his wife, who encouraged him
to this voyage, and by a crew of 100 men on
board three vessels, he repaired in the Spring
OF 1907 to Vineland, where he remained for
three years, and had many communications
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
Bishops. His daughters son was the cele-
brated Bishop Thorlsk Runolfson, who pub.
lished the first Christian code of Iceland.
In ll2l Bishop Erik sailed to Vineland from
Greenland, doubtless for the purpose of
strengthening his countrymen in their
Christian faith. -.-
The notices given by the old Icelandic-
| fba olt
the soil and the productions of this new
country, are very characteristic. Nay, we
have even statement of this kind as old as
the eleventh century, from o writer not q
Northman, Adam of Bremen; he states, on
the authority Of Svein Estridson, the King
of Denmark, nephew of -Canute the Great,
that the country got its name from the vine
growing wild there. 1t is a remarkable CO.
incidence in this respect that its English
rediscoyerers, for the same reason, name the
large island which is close off the coast of
Martha's Vineyard. Spontaneously growing
wheat (maize or Indian corn) was also found
in this country.
In the mean time it is the total result of
the nautical, geographical and astronomical
evidences in the original documents which
places the situations of the countries dis
covered beyond all doubt. The number of
days sail between the several neWly-found
lands, the striking description of the coasts,
especially the white sand banks of Nova
Scotia and the long beaches and downs of a
peculiar appearance on Cape Cod (the Kial-
arnes and Furdustrandir of the Northmen)
are not to be mistaken. In addition hereto
We have the astronomical remark that the
shortest day in Vineland was nine hours
long, which fixes the latitude 4lo "a l0", on
just that of the promontories which limit the
entrances TO Mount Hope Bay where Leifs
booths were built and in the district around
which the old Mortimer had their head es-
tablishment, which was named by them
Hop.
The Nor,hmen were also acquainted with
American land still further to the south,
called by them Hvitramannaland (the land
of the white men) Irland it mikla (Great
Ireland). The exact situation of this coun-
try is not stated; 1t was probably North and
South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. In
1865 some Priests at Gardar, in Greenland,
set on foot a voyage of discovery to the Arc
tic regions of America. An astronomical
observation proves that this took place
through Lancaster Sound and BarroW's
Strait TO the latitude of Wellington's Chan
mel. The last memorandum supplied by the
old lcelandic records, is a voyage from
Greenland to Markland in l347.
/ ----an.------
RHAPsoDIoAL Description OF LovE.-LoVe
is like the devil, because it tormentsi like
Heaven, because it wraps the soul in bliss;
like salt, because it is refreshing like paper,
because it often sets one on fTe like sugar,
because it is sweet; like rope, because 10 is
often the death Of man; like prison, be-
cause it make man miserable; like wine,
| hacauea ha Ia hara To daV aud pOna tO-mor-