New Orleans Republican., 1877-04-07
Early Morse Adventureru to America.

HDightOn Rock" Is an isolated mass OF
fine grained granite on the east side of
Taunton river, short distance above Fall
River, and forms a conspicuous landmark
TO vessels sailing by in mid channel. Its
length ia eleven feet, its height four and a
half feet. The end facing the river pre-
sents a smooth inclined face five feet wide,
on which ara cut, in i7atagliO, to the depth of
about half an inch, strange letters and out
lines of figures, which make this rock dis
tinguished above the other rocks on our
coast. The earliest of our eolonists saw in
this rock the evidence of an earlier Oocupa-
ton of this land. Cotton Mather copied
this inscription; but, with all his curious
learning, he knew not that nearly five CEN
turies before Columbus gave to Spain q
new world the adventurous sea kings
of the North had explored our coast
for over a thousand milee; that Iceland
which two years ago celebrated the one
thousandth anniversary of ite settlement
by the same race of Northmen which con-
onered England-had established thriving
colonies in Greenland, containing some 300
villages, before the Normans conquered
England; that in 9S6 Bjarne, going to see
his father in Greenland, was driven out of
his course by q storm, and descried a. land
covered with trees; that Left, the son of
Eric the Red, when he heard of this new
land, fitted out an expedition which coast
ed along the coast from the inhospitsble
shores Of Labrador, by our Cape Cod, to a
land full of grapes, which he called YIN
land: that his brother Thorwald, in 1902,
again sailed to Yinland and spent the win
fer where Left had built some huts. An
other brother of Left, Thorfinn Eric
son. in 1907, sailed for Vinland with
three vessels and Isl men and yari'
GUS kinds of live stock, to found q per
manens settlement there; he wintered at q
s,111 ss.Hrn %ta
o lake, which he named Hop tHOpel, and
which is supposed to be near Mount Hope
bay, probably Fall river. Therekthey built
houses and spent the winter, which was SO
mild that their cattle paetured In the open
fields. They traded for furs with the ma
tives, whom they called Skroellings 1.-THE
name given by the Icelanders to the Is
duimaux of Greenlandl, but finally were
obliged to give up their plan of permanent
settlement on account of hostilities. The
second winter was spent at StranmnOrd
| fBuz7ard's Bay; in 1909 they returned to
| iceland, Thortinn had with him his wife
| Gudrida; and their son, Snorre, was born
during their first winter in Vinland, being
an easier claimant than Peregrine White
OF the Plymouth colony, by mere than COZ
years. to the honor of being the first Euro
/ pean born in New England; from him the
great Danish sculptor, Thorwaidsen, is de
| seended.
It Is well known that the discoveries of 6
new land are wont to set up some monu
ment of their discovery. Columbus set NJ
a cress, on which was carved the arms o.
| CASTLE; ErObisher set up the arms OF Eng
| land, and Magellan the arms Of Portugal
| So in like manner it would not be stranR'
| ii the Norsemen left similar memorial OF
| their discovery OF Vinland, IN some con
/ sDicuOus place where those who might conn
| after them could readily see it. This iso
| lated granite rock, with its smooth face
/ situated on the beach between high and Low
water, and in full view Of vessels passing
/ mn Taunton river, would admirably suit thi
| purpose. That rock, the DightOn Rock
bears sn inscription deeply cut in its harr'
face. Until the Runic characters Of the oil
Morse Language had been studied 1t Is no
strange that the meaning Of the inscription
| should be mystery even TO scholars. bu
during the past half century the Eddas-
the Oddeseey and Had of the North-an'
| other Nerse poems have been studied; an
/ they give us the facts above stated abou
| the discovery of Vinland. Professor Ruff
Of Copenhagen, has deciphered part q
least of this Dighton Rock inscription
which translated from the Runic ehara'
tors reads thus;
aoRyIS. cxxxr, n SisSSEs u Sost N. NAM"
! This inscription Professor Rufn inte
Drets aa follows;
sITHl0RFIN lwithl Isl NlofseI Sc
Mlenl took possession
A thA Ioefanderg atiii reckon twelve d
eades 70 the 100, which they call the 'sstol
fgrsssl hnaarea,u y and Thothnn had 9,
sotly fhia number fi5Il men with himS q
Inscription exactly describes the fact. Q
M edek. "a AHditign 70 the aboga iaaextl
ton. u farRe dxMre lA q sitting nQstue
eontenausna fa represent Sa1Flaa, fhe nj
81 he9ann. ana snaaH Agp2e aafHsas
t4 Eer srE aia lrfesf 4a4. rq4fe, - Af
tHEfA1 eN7H N
M fhGts fa w E&s t~r1AA
Fs M