New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-08-08
| ,..,oroants should have been pracucaiiy iost W

,a IN Greenland, was driveIi southwark by
.,,,s and first saw the manc md of America, prob
ot,v mart of Labrador. ia 1000 Left, the son of
Erik the Red fitted out IN expedition to seek TINS
new land He first reached Newfoundland, to when
he gave the name of Helluland, then Nova oco.ia'
which he called MARYLAND, from its abundant io,-
ests and finally, passing Nantucket, ne hiauo l,s
way to the mouth of Taunton River, ana there pui'
houses Here was the Yinand, Wine land,) whither,
for 70 wears the Norsemen came both from Iceland
and Greenland. It was probably their own jeal-
ousies and dissensons rather than the hostility OF
the native tribes which prevented them from max
ing permanent settlement. ,
Some of the discoveries, especially Thorvald
Erickson. explored our coast as far southwark as
Chesapeake Bay. ThoriDn Karlsefne, who lett MS
runes ON the Dighton Rock, had a son. Snorre lhor-
fnnson born TO him in Vinland. and remember 10
have seen statement long ago, that the sculptor
Thorwaldsen was descendant of this hrst hatiVe
American. More than a century later III llZf
Bishop Erik Ups of Greenland made voyage 10
Vnand, but account of 1T has yet been ais
covered. In 1856. vessel went from Greeniano 70
Nova Scotia for timber and was blown by stress OF
weather to Iceland on its return. 1t is imposslpie
that the knowledge of these voyages should not
have been current IN Iceland in 147s, when Column
bus sailing in a ship from Bristol, England visited
the island AS he was able to converse with the
priests and learned men in Latin, he undoubtedly
learned of the existence of another continent 10 the
west and south; aud this knowledge. not the mere
fanaticism of a vague belief, supported HIM during
many years of disappointment.
But let us return to the proper history of Iceland.
Christianity after being adopted in Norway, re-
ouired but a few wears to overcome the waning and
weakened scandinavian faith. In 996, it was
preached again by Steiner, and during the follow
ing year Thangbrand, German monk. went on
pecial mission to Iceland. The work advanced so
rapidly that in the year 1000 that of Left Erikssons
discovery of Vinland), the lawgiver of Iceland,
Thorqeir decreed the legal establishment OF the
Christian faith and the Christian worship Although
he was bribed to this step by the missionary
Thormod who gave him 65 marks of silver to advo-
cate its adoption by the Voksthing, Assembly of
the People, the population must have been quite
ready for such a change Five articles adopted,
as follows:
1. All inhabitants of the island shall accept Chris
anty aud whoever in the land still unbaptzed shall
receive baptism.
@ The temples and images OF the Gods shall be de-
stroyed.
g. II any one be convicted by witnesses of having
pqblcy made offerings to the Gods, worshiped their
images he shall he banshed from the land.
4. should he do these things secretly he shall
suffer punishment. o
g. The old laws concerning the exposure of children,
the eating OF horsehesh, and all others which do not
overthrow Christianity shall remain In force.
In 1856 Iceland received a Bishop, Isleif He was
succeeded in 1896, by his son Gzor, also married
man. who made SkalhOlt the seat of the BishOpric.
The rich and marvellous literary age OF Iceland
began soon after the establishment of Christianity,
when the art of writing was introduced and schools
were opened in all parts of the island. The easy
form of Christianity inaugur@ted in loJj changed
little in the habits tastes of the people. The
exposure of children" for example, was liberty
allowed the father, either to accept child az its
birth, to carry it to waste place TO perish by
hunger and cold or be devoured by wild animals.
The change Of faith, therefore, still allowed the
oral sagas TO eXist-nay, affected their conversion
into permanent chronicles, at a tiue when the
greater part of such literature i'll Scandinavia and
Germany, was suppressed by monkish influences.
The manuscript literature of Iceland is probably at
the present time the richest in the world for, when
the art of writing was introduced il was the only
land in Christendom where the aymen We're more
Jealous scholars and authors than the monks As
the chronicles were produced, they were written on
parchment, copied aud read all over the island.
Many a low Icelandic cabin still contains annals,
laws. and epics which have never yet seen the
light.
The twelfth thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries
witnessed the beginning growth. and glory of the
Icelandic literature. Saemund who wrote the Edda
now called by his name, died in 1873, and IS years
later SnOrre Sturuson the famous author of the
Heimskrngla. was born. In 1918 he was chosen
Lawcivcr of Iceland aud in 12n assassinated
i'll family quarrel His death marks. not precisely
the end of the great literary epoch, but the end of
its best production.
Up TO this time-for nearly four centurles-lce-
districts which possessed a patriarchal chiefly he
reditary form of local government, yet united in the
representative assembly of the Althing, which held
its sessions annually i'll the Thngyalla near Rel
kiavik But at last this semi-republican nation
dissolved as formerly the Hellenic confederation,
through internal dissensions The local magnatcs.
many of them descended from powerful Norwegian
jars, gradually became involved in murderous quar-
rels. Some of them rode to the Althing attended
by 700 even 1920 armed followers. In a single
night between two rivals 10 men were slain. Not
only the isolated mansions were burned bat entire
districts were laid waste in this suicidal strife.
Finally, exhausted bleeding, weary of her own
discord, Iceland fell easy prey to the machina-
tons OF a small party, which, in the year l2G2
acknowledged allegiance to Hallon W. the King of
Norway All publicity in the administration of
affairs, all interest therein, ceased suddenly
and for a long time. The voice of the Sagaman be
came silent for there were no more heroic deeds A
little more than century later-n 13S0-Iceland
fell with Norway, by inheritance, to Denmark, and
has since then been stepmotherly treated posses
sion of Denmark.
Here my hasty chronicles must cease for to-day
The anchor drops in the harbor of Kirllwa and the
iairest of Northern days invites us ashore More to-
morrow BIZ
NOVEL BRITISH NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE.
LoHdon Correspondence Of The Monchtser E1ara,ner.