New-York tribune., 1868-12-18
AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL AND ST1IISH-
cal SOCIETY.

THE REV. E. +. DE COSTA on THE NoRTHMEN IN
AMERICA.
At the monthly meeting of the American
biographical and Statistical Society held atthe soceys
Rooms in the Cooper Institute last evening with the
Hon Charles p DAILY, President, in the chair the follow
tng resolution was offered by Mr.. Wm L. Curtis and
RsoIrsG Tat Committee oireebe appointed BY s President
prepare resolutions u be submitted az me n1t mes1g
tIPess Of tae sincere respect @ ~ m V
ger and sbers Of se M MsssT % & % Ia sS honorary member Of s
with the above resolution the Chair ap
pointed VIM f. Curtis Francis A Stout ana r. r.
btrazncky said COMMITTEES. ..,.-..,.
The committee appointed by resolution AT the regular
November meeting Of the Society TO draft resolutions ex-
pressve Of the respect entertaned 10y tho BODY ior inc
character and abOrs OF the late Monster DE La Roquete
Honorary exPresident Of tie Geographical society OF
Paris and Honorary Member OF t9ls hate ro
esol,d That Geographical and statistical Society
5s .oes By he death Of Monster Rouete Honorary
KPredeb Of the Geographical Society Of Pans and Honorary Member
Rd That the efforts Of,on' De La Rol9eo in behalf Of
rsphc science extending period nearly hall ce1tu have
keS Of benefit 10 coabor neHt The bPpre
l Tst 10 psen, real and scrupGus the search
Mons De La Roque had na and that IN trai"or'h
ness bis researches rauk with the highest
Rslrs That cops Of these resolutions Popery tnsrsa s IN
q Some he pJ S I q the dc'.ed eds ss3sal
The Rev Mr.. b. F. De Costa then presented TO the
audience and read an interesting paper on the NorAmeh
IN America. -
Norway and Sweden and afterward IN the year $40, col
1ceanders led by Eric the Red pushed wesI~aiG anu anu
cOOnzed Greenland where the colony existed until near
OF no than II bishops presided the church which
was established The last bishop was Andreas who IN
,boJ the learned Finn Magnussenn took his descent.
While the Icelanders were in Greenland they made
expeditions far into the North. In 1874 Parry
fonnd monument that was erected by them
An latitude rs degrees in the year 1885, In 1866 another
expedition reached the latitude OF 76 degrees when was
as FAR as Parry went 1871 After speaking Of their e1
pOrations in the North the lecturer remarked up0n the
Inconsistency Of suppOsnR that these adVenturons PO
fore speaking Of their voyages TO NeHEngand the lee
turer briefly noticed certain objections Whch nave Deen
made to the history of these voyages The first was that
the sagas or histories contain few statements OF
supernatural character. THIS was frankly admitted
natural were cited from NewEngland history showing
this respect the Icelandc writers were less super
s;tOus than such men as the Rev cotton Mater VINO se
out the history OF his times in such supernatural gse
These marks of the supernatural the lecturer claimed
were 10 expected I'm the eleventh century as much a5
in the days the NewEngland fathers. Another OBJ
lection was that the prodnct tnat he r
speaker first showed that the objection was founded on
false Interpretation Of the Sagas and then spoke OF the
incorrect accounts often given by modern travellers,
speaking particularly Of Pophams Colony IN Maine,
where reported by Popham himself that cinnamon
and nutnees were found there After showing that the
Iceandc narratives possess faults that not found
IN iRa TSSaees Of the Hoihmen to which
they called VinlaHd. on account Of the quantity OF
south Of Nnland first made known by one Belrne
who in $780, sailing from Iceland 10 Greenland was driven
southwark upon the American coast This encouraged
Left son Of rc the Red 70 in search OF the new land
He sailed IN the year 1000 and passed down the american
roast as the latitude of Rhode Island where IN the
region Of Mount Hope Bay he spent the Winter retn-
ing TO Greenland in the Spring In 1902 s DrOthei IlOf
valid made the voyage, but lost his e In c0Dnct
with the natives The most distinguished explorer was
Karlsefne who sailed TO Ninland in 1907 with three ships
and He spent three years in the vicinity or Mount
Hope In Rhode Island one very interesting confirmation
of the truth OF the lcelandic narratives which give an
Of the voyages is found in connection with that
island which the oeanders mention as then existing IN
the ocean east OF Cape Cod This island is also referred TO
IA GOsnOds voyage and its nonappearance now has led
some to discredt GOsnOlds account But recent expO
TatOns by Professor Agassiz and others have demon
straed its existence by geological evidence. The result
of these explorations illustrated by map drawn for
the purpose, which makes il clear that the NOTthmen
visited the coast Of Massachusetts and that they have
described its appearance at that carly time in their
narratives, .wlldh bear every mark OF truth. But
after all the speaker said he willing TO
rest the whole question upon this point: Do the MSS.
which describe these voyages belong 10 the preCOlum
ban agel OF this there was no question. The MSS In
their present form, in existence entire century
before the voyage Of Columbus. Yet he would by no
means deract augt from the glory OF the later and yet
independent discovery OF the GenOese navigator stu
less would be apologize for the Horthmcn or Pace
for the Horthnen" They could win their own place.
To-day they strong In ideas as ancenty IN arms
Their Importance navgatOrs and dscOyefers coud not
be gainsayed while do not begin TO comprehend the
literary debt this people, who were the nrst OF
modern Europeans 10 cultivate good prose