The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-11-19
An English Friar's Voyages in the
Northern Seas.
FRERE NICHOLAS, OF LYNN.
How Medieval photographers Exaggerated and
ModernS Sighted an Explorer.
FRANZ JOSEF LAND FIVE CYCLES AGO.

was recorded an English monk sailed to the at
the north,of Norway for discovery. This navigator.
Nicholas de Lima, q Franciscan friar and IA
nous mathematician OF Lynn in Norfolk. He was
the possessor of great learning being well known Tor
his astronomical calculations as we'll as for his OAR
ing explorations toward the Pole. He made caen-
dar almanac covering the years from 1887 to 146s
and wrote treatise upon the astrolabe, form OF
astronomical instrument invented by the Arabians
and used in determining points of latitude. Chaucer
and De Lima were contemporaries and possibly
scholastic rivals, since Chaucer himself wrote
o treatise upon the astrolabe ana was o mathema-
tician Of repute. Being ambitious In
mathematics as we'll as poetry Chaucer may have
regarded De Lima unfavoraby as rival in scientific
work; it appears probable from the i'll use he made
OF an opportunity-very likely imaginary-to in
jure the ambitious monk by reckless exercise of
poetic license and INSCRIPTIONS pen. 1t is believed
that De Lima made the unsavory hero OF the
Miller's Tale-in the Canterbury Tales
This clerke yclipid was bend Nicholas.
On the other hand it has been concluded that the
father OF English poetry really jocose friend
and associate Of De Lima since it appears that the
poet in his "Astrolabe" mentions the monk as "a
reverent clerk frere n. Lenne."
Whatever the acquaintance and relations existing
between the early English poet and the well-nigh
forgotten English navigator Of the Arctic seas.
there is denying that the voyages Of
De Lima real as the military
exploits Of Edward I'LL. to whom the monk pre-
scented a manuscript account Of his voyages De
Linna's book entitled "Inuentio Fortunate"
fortunate Discovery. and was accepted authority
for geographical statements and cartographcal de-
nneatons made from three to four hundred years
ago. well more recently. De Linna's nara
tive being written and presented to the great King
during the exciting times following Edwards war
with France, and while q terrible pestilence had
hardly ceased raging in England. was necessarily
tame relation compared with recitals of the terror of
battle and pestilence; hence it was overlooked by
the British public. The English people were then.
as mass, exceedingly illterate. and. while
the scholars were unduly interested in
the vulgarites Of Chaucer. cared only
for accounts of continental conquest and
bloodshed. So ignorant. especially OF geogra-
ply, were the English in the fourteenth
century that Robert Of Avesbury declared that the
British Ambassador, merchants and others residing
in Rome in 1874. hearing that Pope Clement VI had
granted Louis OF Spain the title of 'Prnce Of the
Fortunate Islands" (Canaries) and becoming firmly
persuaded that Louis was thereby appointed Prince
of Britain. they Immediately made haste home in dis
gust to give information thereof"
DE LIMA LAND.
Ranulfus de Hyggden should here be mentioned
as geographer of note who was q contemporary Of
De Lima and Chaucer He produced map Of the
world. exhibiting island discovered in the Polar
Sea by De Lima in 1860 The island, from its loca-
ton and description. seems to be that now called
ellis Land. and Hyggden declares that De Lima
plored it, Beyond De Linna's island is set down
land where q monastery located The land of the
monastery-now SO recently discovered. and named
Franz Josef Land-at the northeastward from the
an sla yiaifa al and a1 1,
Nicolo Lyeno, Venetian navigator. but few years
after De Lima there. King Edward may have
done something to commemorate De Linnas voy-
ages. is not unlikely that the compass displayed
upon the coin called the golden noble" Of that
King refers to the discoveries of Nicholas at the
north. This coin. bearing one side represents
ton Of the King standing in ship the ruler Of
the seas, issued after De Linna's first voyage
and his most important discovery Of islands and
floating icebergs. Hence, possibly. the emblems-
little winged gobes-sappearing at the extremity of
the compass. These might refer to the newly dis
covered islands of fixed land or floating ice.
VOYAGES KNOWN NORWAY.
In Norway, during the fourteenth century, men Of
learning possessed the substance of De Lnna's gem
era theory Of the situation OF the Arctic seas and
lands as we'll as o knowledge OF his voyages and
they communicated their information to investiga-
tors. Jacob or James Cuox. of Basche. in Brabant
wrote, in the fourteenth century. work entitled.
'Historie of Voyage Through All Asia. Africa and
the North" This book was used and it's De Lima
relation adopted by Gerhardt Mercator, the great
geographer and map constructor. in fixing the lead
ing features of the Arctic regions his great map
OF the world in 1869. but he made strange mistakes
in the polar parts of his great map through mis-
understanding of DE Linna's statements.
uuYLrN's QUAINT ACCOUNT INTERPRETED.
H., ola. ~, IN
the monks discoveries differing somewhat from that
of Hokluyt in his voyages. Huylin ays:-"Under
the Arctick Pole is said to be black
rock" ellis Land. "of wondrous height. about
thrty-three leagues in compass the land adjoining
being torn by the sea into four great islands"
fThese appear TO be four divisions of Greenland
which continent proper really extends from Cape
Farewell to some undetermined point eastward Of
the present wilczek Land map of the Arctic seas
and lands to be found in Ruscellis Ptoemy Geog
raphy 1861. sets these divisions clearly forth
Ono division lies south of Boictford. the second
between this long gulf and st. Thomas gulf. tho
third from this gulf of islands to the strait or river
Of zeno and the fourth eastward therefrom.) "For
The ocean violently breaking through it and dispory
ing itself by nineteen channels tho varous
among the islands about ellis Land) "maketb four
Eurpi or fierce whirlpools by which the waters aro
anay carried toward the north and there swallowed
Into the bowels of the earth" CThe 'Euripi or
whirlpoos are to be understood as the four great
Arctic basins where the Gulf Stream and other cur
rents sweep around in curves. These basins are
properly the great gulf at the northwest of
spitzbergen, tho southwest of spitzbergen.
the Barcntz Sea between the North Cape OF Nor.
way. Spitzpergen and Novaya Zemla. and the
Arctic Ocean ut tho north Of Siberia the
50 thic Ocean" 1t is not at all probable that Dc
luna uaad tho DESIGNATION ssEuripi" Tho vide
scythic Ocean would not be called Euripus. The
term possibly came from the misunderstanding OF
Cnox of Brabant.) THAT Euripus whirlpool
which is made by the scythc ocean hath a We inlcts
and by reason of his straight passage aud violen,
course IL never frozen" CThese 1vo nlcts seem to
be the two passages south of Novaya Zemla into
the Kara Sea. which is part of the scythic Ocean.
the Matochkin schar or strait dividing that great
land. the broad passage between the north part of