The Portland daily press., 1883-02-17
Early Discoveries.


| redmen whom our forefathers found here is
| proven by the remarkable works whose re-
| mains are found throughout the west. These
mounds SO called, especially the ones at Mar
| ietta, in the State of Ohio, are of remarkable
| extent and strike the beholder with wonder.
| They cover an area of three-fourths of mile
| in length, and about half mile in breadth.
| Within an enclosure are four truncated pyra-
mids, three of which have graded passage
ways to the summit The largest is 1873 feet,
| long, 1872 feet wide and 10 feet high. From
the southern wall graded way, $50 feet high
| extends for 600 feet to the immediate valley of
| the Muskingum.
| 1t is said that when the first settlers arrived
here in 1888 they were greatly surprised to find
| such evidences of previous occupancy, by a
race, having claims LIBERALIZATION, at least, and
| that resolutions were passed to preserve the
| two truncated pyramids, and the great mound
| as.public squares. In many of the mounds
are found cists covared with slabs Of lime stone
| enclosing skeletons. These mound builders can
be traced by their structures from the shores of
the lakes to the gulf of Mexico and Central
| America.
Besides articles of pottery often of elegant
| designs, there are found in the mounds re-
mains of textile fabrics. The Indians found
| here by the early voyagers did not possess
such articles, nor were they capable of erect
| ing such works; but if other proof were want
| ing, it woald be found in the character of the
| skalls found ii them, (which cranologists de-
| clare are entirely unlike those of the redmen,
| but whence these people came or to what race
| they belonged is, and probably will ever be I'M
| known. That voyages were made TO this Con-
| tinent as early as the tenth century is quite
| certain, Many illusions are made in ancient
| documents to a great western land to which
| Irishmen and Iceanders made voyages. Moth
| ing is known of Irish voyages viii her OF sat-
| isfactory nature, but that Ifishmen made voy-
/ ages to Iceland almost as difficult an under
| taking, is undoubted, and hence the claim that
| they voyaged to this country is not altogether
| preposterous one.
| 1t will be our especial business, however, to
| examine the proofs of voyages hither by Ice
landers. The. discovery of IcelandIby the North
] men, and of Greenland by Erik the Red, show
what daring navigators these Mortimer were.
| Gan account of the discovery of Iceland was
| then given) Thus was Iceland permanently
| settled in the year 874. II is strange fact
| connected with this early settlement of leland,
| that the Landnamabok or land roll of the first
settlers states that they found Christians there.
| "Men called Papae," whom, it is said "came
from the west over the sea- and with them
| Irish books" and many other things whence
| it was known that they were sWest men, as
| the Irishmen were called. The venerable Bede
| who hourished in the Sch century, says, that in
| his time, expeditions were made to Iceland.
and it is said that "these things'-meaning
such things as the first settlers in Iceland found
| among the people they called Papae, "have
been found in the Isle of Papae on the east
| coast of Iceland and at Popylio." This shows
| what frequent and extensive voyages were
made by Europeans at this early day. Thus
| fay we have followed history but from this
| point we will follow the Icelander Sagas, and
| upon these few words should be said Here
followed an account of the discovery of these
Sagas and of their character. 40
A century after the settlement of Ireland,
Erik surnamed the Red, who with his father
Thorvold bad been banshed from Norway for
Staying a man, and who had settled in Iceland,
having in his new home slain man in quar-
rel, was banished from Iceland, and fitting out
vessel he sailed westward in search of the
"Rocks of Gunniborn," rocky islands, which it
was said, one Gunniborn had seen to the west
of Ireland. Erik told his friends that If he
found these islands he would revisit them.
After sailing westward many days he at last
came in sight of land, A. D., 982, which he
spent some time in exploring. Having found
suitable spot for habitation he set out on his
return voyage, which he accomplished in safe
ty. He gave glowing accounts of the new
country, misnaming in Greenland unless he
named it from his gullible friends, and finally
induced a number of the people with whom he
appears to have been popular, to accompany
him. Among these was Heriulf,a worthy
descendant of Ingolf the early settler of Ice
land. This Heriulf had son Biarni Hermit
SEN who, when his father sailed with his friend
Erik was away in Norway. This Bjarni it
seems was an adventurous spirit thorough
seaman, and possessed of great desire to see
strange lands, and, at this time, had obtained
considerable renown and wealth. Coming
back in the summer he was surprised to find
that his father and kinsmen had gone to the
new country west and he at once set out in
search of him, saying that he meant to pass the
winter with his father as usual, wherever he
was. With Biarni was "a Christian from
the Hebrides," which circumstance is men
toned only to show how straig ht thesstory runs,
for. beyond the fact that this name is ment ton
ed as having sang hymn when passing dan
gerous whirlpool, nothing further is said of
him 1t is to be rememb re / thalIBiarni and the
remainder of the crew had not yet been con-
verted to christianity, which accounts for the
merton OF this man, who was doubtless re-
garded as q curiosity. They sailed three days
with fair wind, until land was lost TO view,
when stormy northeasterly winds sprung up
and dismal fogs prevailed For many days
they were driven forward, till, at last, the
weather clearing they saw the sky k4gain, and
driving on another day discovered land. The
sailors wanted to know of Biarni if this was
Greenland, but he was too good navigator to
think it was, and approaching nearer he YVES
satisfied that it was not, since, unlike Green
land, this country was not mountain
Gus, which to them was striking
fact, since nearly all the countries they knew,
were so. This land was covered with forests
and had rising ground in many parts. Leaving
it to the left, they put about, with the stern of
the ship towards the land, and sailed in this
course three days when they again saw land
The sailors again asked Bjarni of this was
Greenland, but he said it could not be, for,
said he, "they told me there were great noun
tains of ice in Greenland" This land was low
and covered with wood. The sailors wanted
to land, but this Biarni refused though they
clamored to land. Doubtless he was afraid if
they were landed it would be long time be-
fore he could get them on board again. besides
the season was getting late and unknown
perils were before him. So refusing their
pressing intrea les he pushed on to the north
east and after three days again made land.
They coasted along its shore until he perceived
it was an island. Then put his ship about
and sailed four days until he reached Green
land, where he found his father, with whom
he spent the winter of 1856. On his return to
Norway he was much blamed for not pressing
his explorations farther.
IL was left however to Left the eldest son of
Erik, to attempt the voyage Visiting Norway
in 500 he embraced Christianity under the pur-
snasive influence of King Olaf Tryegvasen.
At the court of this monarch. the discovery of
Bjarni, Leif's friend was doubtless often dis
cussed, and his course censured. Lett return
ed TO Green and, his men having embraced
Christianity with him, aud thus in the year
999 Christianity was introduced into Green
land BY Left Erkson. Reaching home his
first business was to purchase Bjarni's vessel,
and set sail with crew of thirty five men,
without chart or compass, to hnd the land
Bjarni had seen in the southwest. The ac
counts relate that Erik's father had determin-
ed to accompany his son on his voyage of dis.
covery, but was prevented by slight accident.
One of Leif's crew was from the south coun-
try, his name Tyskee, which means the Ger
man, simple statement, which is not lost
| sight of farther Cd. Following Bjarni's course
| Left reached land whose shores were covered
| with broad fiat stones, beyond which rose
| frozen heights. Left named this Helerland,
| signifying broad stones. This description cor
responds to that given by modern writers to
| New Foundland. Left again pushed on until
| he landed again and described, as did Bjarni
| the white sands and low lands of Nova Scotia.
| The differences in Leifs and Bjarni's descrip-
| tions are too slight to make the locality in the
| least doubtful. Left named Nova Scotia mark
| land land of woods.
Saling.with noItheasterly wind, he nextd
| touched an island, lying opposite the mainland,
| which must have been Nantucket facing the
| south of Cape Cod. Here he mentions as many
travellers have since aasweet dew that lay upon
| the grass. He made for the most prominent
| headland of Barnstable. 1t is well known that
| the Gulf Stream has materially changed the
| character of these shores, and probably SUBJ
| merged yevera islands lying about Nantucket,
this and the fact, that Left and Bjarni ap-
| preached the land from quite different direc-
1 tions accounts for their contradictory deliDea-
tions of the coast. The narrative continues,
| by saying that returning to their ships, they
sailed through bay which lay between the
island, and a ness, which means projection
jutting out of land into the sea-" This pro-
montory ran towards the northeast, directing
their course westward they beyon this
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