The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-11-19

yearly" lGroenland was a name applied to Spitz-
bergen, which was accounted part of Greenland in
the Middle Ages-and long before the English after
its redscovery by Wiloughby aud by Hudson called
it Greenland The length of the smallest of the
four basins estimated at thirty leagues seems
likely to BIO the northerly extent Of the old Morse
"North Bottome.' or gulf from the headland of the
main above ellis Land This cape is called. "Ther
promont" on the Zeno map of the locality 13s0). The
three nets to the great gulf at the northwest and
north of Spitzbergen are the great opening between
West Spitzbsrgen and the Greenland coast. Hiniopen
Strait. and the strait between Northeast Land ana
ellis Land De Linna's Island. The sea about
Spitzbergen is known by all to be frozen at least
three months each season.
'.uNDER THE POLE"
The phrase sunder the Pole" when used by an
cient writer's, does not mean at the Pole as Mer-
Gator seems by his map to have understood De Lin
mas mention and location of the mountain island.
Hecateus of Abdera. the Greek historian. in tho
fourth century B. c., considered the inhabitants of
Albion Hyperboreans. and said. "They inhabit q
great island in the opposite to Gaul and under
the North Poie'
De Lima reached the geographic pole, as
Ruysch upon his remarkable map (1507-Sl and
Mercator his great map (1569) indicated. and as
they believed. The learned monks farthest north
ing was at our present Franz Josef Land, then
well known by Norsemen and others. and the resort
Of traders from Iceland. Norway. and Scarborough,
in England. De Lima passed the height or the lati
tude Of the magnetic pole. he determined it
Cnox, Ruysch. Dee aud Mercator evidently mistook
De Lnna's mention of the magnetic for the geogra-
phic pole, and therefore naturally fell into the
errors of statement that have until now. by gross
mistake. puzzled students and geographers.
DEVILS HELP.
According to Huylin, an ancient writer named
Blundeville declared that he did not believe "that
the oxford frar without the assistance Of cold
devil of the middle region of the air. and conse-
quently able endure ali weathers. could approach
SO near to these cold countries with his
astrolabe."
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES VOYAGES
The voyages of De Lima from Lynn and Scar.
borough to the northern seas were altogether, SO
far Is known. five six in number This fact
ascertained by the careful Investigations Of Dr.
John Dee in the sixteenth century. No reasonable
doubt that the voyages were made can exist when
the geographical misconceptions in regard to them
explained. All geographers Of repute in the
three centuries following the voyages accepted them
trustworthy relations Mercators map Q569) has
been believed to be correct photographed delinea
ton Of the monks statements, and, as in modern
times the map Is found not to harmonic
with increasing knowledge Of the polar
ignorance deception 1t is not difficult to appre-
ciate the points Of misunderstanding. De Lima
was right. Mercator wrong. The latter's map
exhibits the high rocks Of ellis Land mountain
peak o. vast dimensions situated the polar centre
This mountain is surrounded by gulf connecting
with the northern ocean by four long straits with
numerous subdivisions at their southern extremity
Nothing appearing from De Lima ever warranted
such an astounding piece OF map drawing.
THE LIMIT EXPLORATIONS
Johan Ruysch the first photographer who at
tempted to show the entire voyages and discoveries
of De Lima upon o map. In the ptolemy geography
of l507-S appears q map by Ruysch exhibiting the
four islands Of De Lima. the four straits and the
nineteen channels All these geographical features
set down upon the Ruysch map are. however,
arbitrary those OF Mercator, though both were
honestly devised delineate the statements Of De
Lima. Had either of these authors visited the
polar he would have realized his mistake in sup
posing De Lima could survey the entire circle Of the
polar and determine the whole num-
Der Of its straits and channels by per-
sonal observation during than five
or six brief voyages. The explorations Of
De Lima in reality limited to the region of and
route to Franz Josef Land. His typographical de-
scriptions. preserved by Cnox, the German
author. clearly point to these localities alone. De
Of the colony the west coast of Greenland which
had occurred about 134o. He received credit for
vastly more work than he ever accomplished or
claimed and his admirers by their zeal
to enlarge his field Of work and magnify his fame,
unhappny succeeded in robbing HMM the eyes OF
superficial modern readers investigators-of all
credence and appreciation. His really great dis
coveries have been obscured too long. vindicaton
of the brave and learned old monk is not late.
cit is better late than never"
WHY WENT NORTH.
Lynn, in Norfolk, was the seat Of commercial en-.
terprise in the remote of the North early
the time of Edward H.. in the fourteenth century.
Haquin. King Of Norway. according to the accounts
of that time. complained to Edward that "certaine
sonnes Of iniquities of the towne Of Lenne trading
in the North had murdered of his subjects.
In 1880 there established considerable fishery
trade between England and Iceland. Bristol being
one of the points Of departure for mer-
chants. Columbus, in 1477 sailed 1t is be.
neved. from Bristol to Iceland. when he made
his notable Arctic voyage. Scarborough
English port whose traders went to the furthest
North in the fourteenth century. according to the
'.Policie of the Sea-" medieval poem. relating to
British commerce. But why did Nicholas De Lima.
frar, undertake the exploration OF polar and
the determination of typographical conditions the
furthest attainable limits of navigation2 The monks
of the Middle Ages the scholars and scientists
of their time. Dc Lima was especially notable
among those men to whom indebted for SO
large part of the OF ancient literature and
learning. An undoubted student Of Ptolemy's great
geography or catalogue OF places with reported lat-
tudes he to have desired to the latitude Of
regions not well known to the ancient geographer
By the loss of De Linnas work we are doubtless de-
prived Of his table of ATTITUDES in the North. He
probably stated them. the sux to the title Of his
work suggests. This declared his range Of voyages
to be between "a degrees north and the Pole. Lynn
Regis lies below "a degrees north. but. sailing for
the Lafoden Islands of the Norway coast, 1t APP
pears from the Norwegian relation that the navi-
gator did, he bore from tho English coast at "a de-
grees and not far south from Scarborough. A part
of his voyages believed to have been made from
Ceor