Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-04-30
Curlou. ni,tortcnl Lerrn0

whether Christopher Columbus was
the first European who discovered
America. The general belief is that
the first Europeans who. visited
America were the Scandiuavians
who colonized Iceland A. D. S75,
Greenland in 9S3, and about the year
1000 had discovered North America
as far south as the present State of
Massachusetts,. 1t is claimed by
the Irish annals that an Irishman,
st. Brandan, who hourished from
"A. D. $50 till the beginning Of the
following century, was the first to
discover America. Jacobus Vora-
ganius, provincial Of the Domini-
cans and bishop of Genoa, Colum-
bus native city, gave st. Brandan's
land special prominence in the
thirteenth century in his "Golden
Legend" and the Italian geogra-
pliers of the period set on their
conjectural charts opposite Europe
and Africa from the South of Ire
land to the end of Guinea" In
the map made for Columbus,
previous to his setting out on his
first voyage, the customary space
was occupied by "Saint Borondon's"
of Saint Brandan's land. A land
supposed to be America was known
to the Scandinavians by the name
of "Irland it Mikla," Great Ireland.
Humboldt in his Cosmos, vol. |,
says: "The Skraelinger related to
the Mortimer settled in the Vim
land; that further southwark, beyond
the Chesapeake Bay, there dwelt
white men who clothed themselves
in long white garments, carried
before them poles, to which clothes
were attached, and called with o
loud voice. This account was in.
terpreted by the Christian North
men to indicate professions in which
banners were borne, accompanied
by singing. In the Oldest Sagas
the historical narration of Thorfnn
Karlsefne, and the Icelandic Land
nammabock, those southern coasts
living between Virginia and Florida
are designated under the name
of the land of the white man.
They are expressly called Great
Ireland (Irland it Mikla), and
it is maintained that they
were peopled by the Irish.
According to testimonies which
extend to 1864, before Lief discoy-
cred Vinland, and probably about
9S2, Ari Marson, of the powerful
Icelandic race of Ulf, the squint-
eyed, was driven in a voyage from
Iceland to the south by storms on
the coast of the Land Of the White
Man, and there baptized in the
christian faith" William Cullen
Bryant, in his Popular History OF
the United States, speaking of the
early settlement of America, says;
"The Mortimer called the coun-
try somewhere south of Vinland the
White Mans Land, or Great Ireland,
and believed it was occupied by the
Irish. Professor Rain supposes it
to have extended from Chesapeake
Bay to East Florida. One of their
narratives relates that in the year
92S, one Ari Marson, an Icelander,
was driven there by an easterly
storm, and was not permitted to GO
away again. The story came from
d Limerick merchant and from the
earl of the 0rkneys, and it is there.
fore presumed that occasional inter
course was kept up between the
people of this Hoelramanna and
Europe" :" After speaking of the
adventures Of Bjani Abrandson, q
famous Viking, who had promised
Snorri, the lcelandic high priest
to leave Icelandic and not to returr
before the expiration of a year
Bryant says: "Thirty years Later
an Icelandic ship was driven west
ward by a storm upon an unknown
coast, where all people were made
prisoners. They were surrounded
Iby a great crowd, and it 'rathe
seemed to them that they spok,
Irish The prisoners were bount
and taken inland, where they met