The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-07-13
THE FIRST DISCOVERY OF AMER
IOA.

had seen. But he seems to have taken
matters very cody; and as it was more
profitable for him to carry on his trading
voyages with Norway, he made no use
Of his observations in the unknown
Western sea, The sons of Earl Eric,
however, burned with desire to explore
the mysterious regions of which Biarle
and his crew had brought such vague
accounts.
Accordingly, family council having
settled the details, Leif, the eldest son
of Eric the Red, in 1000, bought
Biarne's ship, and fitted her for the
cruise. Thirty-fve men, among whom
was Biarne, composed the crew, and
Lief en- treated his father to take COM
mand. The old Viking Reluctantly
consented but, On the way to the point
of departure. his horse stumbled and
to the superstitious Eric, who declared
that it was ordained that he should dis
cover no more new countries. He there
fore gave up the command to Left, Who
sailed prosperously into the West.
Reversing the order of Barnes voy-
age, Left first found the land which
Biarne had last seen. This region is
now known as Newfoundland. Left
went on shore. From the sea to the in
land mountains was plain of fiat stone.
So he called it Helluland, from hella; a
fiat stone. In like manner, when he
came to the next land, which was
country covered with wood, he gave the
name of MARYLAND, or Woodland. The
name of that region is now Nova Scotia.
The young Viking kept on with north
east wind, and, in two days and two
nights, made land third time. This
was undoubtedly on the coast of New
England; precisely where, has never
been satisfactorily settled. Left first
landed on an island, where he waited for
good weather. Then, coasting along
the shore-line, he went up river that
came through lake, says the chronicle.
Here they cast anchor and made prepare
1t is generally conceded that this was
the discovery by the Northernmen of the
coast of what is now Rhode Island, and
that Left built his booths, or houses,
somewhere on the shore of Mount Hope
Bay, or Narragansett Bay.
On ,his homeward voyage in the
spring, Left picked up a shipwrecked
crew, which he kindly carried to shore.
This, and his marvellous adventures in
the world, gave him the title of Left the
Fortunate. 1t was not long before the
news reached Europe. Vineland, as
Left called it, was known as Vineland
the Good. By this name one historian,
Adam of Bremen, heard of the land
when he visited Sweden in 1875.
Soon after this, Eric died, and Left,
now the head of the family, sailed the
seas no more. His brother Thorvald,
took up the enterprise, and in 1902, set
sail in Leif's ship for Vineiand tbeGood.
He found the booths built by his broth
er and took possession of them, and
there he spent the winter. In the fol-
lowing spring, he coasted to the west
ward, and we conclude from the descrip-
ton of the country which he saw that
he passed through the whole length of
Long Island Sound. Possibly, he went
as far as New York Bay, and there found
'another lake through which a river
flowed to the sea-" of which he spoke.
The party landed on many islands, and
were enchanted with the groves of great
trees, green grass, and the abundance of
vegetable growths which were so new
and strange to them.-,St. Nicholas.