New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-12
MORSE DISCOVERIES.
THE v1NLAND OF LEFT ERIKsEN.

interesting address delivered Ny Hii" 10.
at the unvcilng OF the statue OF Leit GrlNSen,
and has published it in a handsome per"'"0"
FORM together with full appendices and notes anu
sorcs Of beautifully printed maps illustrating the
text. lie has thus brought together in compact
form, all the arguments and evidence IN support
Of the discovery of America by the NoTthmen' ana
thor. can be no question that the case US pre-
scntcd is as nearly conclusive as in the nature OF
the conditions it can be. Indeed IL may DC s"iu
To be definitely established that the Mortimer eis-
covered this continent four centuries III advance
of Columbus The question which is not anso-
lntelv determined is the point al which they lanu-
cd and established colony. This secondary dueS-
ton is rendered dubious only by confusion III
the terms by which Left ErilSsen sought to es'ao-
lish the latitude and longitude of the newly d's,
covered country TO which the name OF Nlhi"nu
was given by the Morse explorers Oh account OF
the abundance of wild grapes they found tnere'
This obscure point is treated by Professor iiorS-
fotd m a paper in the APPENDIX, which Is clever
niece of analytical reasoning, and in when nc rs
we think successfully elucidates the whoie PCT
nlexty and shows how il originated In m'S"p
prchcnsion of certain Icelandic customs-archn'o
in their orgin-whch ore at the bottom OF tic
misunderstanding.
The story of Left ErilSscn is preserved IN the
Icelandc Sagas: those venerable TRADITIONS "n"
histories which were transmitted orally IKE 'no
Hindu Vedas, during ages. The trustwo''iiinV''
of this mode of transmission is well unucrs'oou %
these who have had opportunity OF tcS'ihs H.
IL nav appear an oXtravaglnt statement pu' 'no'o
really is coed ground for the assertion thaV n"'erS
handed down in this way from generation 10 gym
grafton through the medium Of specially trained
memories are even less liable TO corruption "'iu
adulteration than arc printed books. There is
1-r,O-x M n
printed without absorbing some errors on inc
wav. Books which have been the most edlted
nrc usually the most corrupt. editors TOO COM
,ncnlv thinking il privilege or a duty to chanse
the text OF their Guthor for one reason or ano'uer
Bat in the case Of orally transmitted history every
jot and title of the original Is usually preserved
In experiments made TO test the reproductive
cnuacity and the fidelity Of the persons trained
TO momorzc such literary matter IT has been louho
tIrt t,yo three or four of them would repeat pre-
,;sc,v the same words without the slightest
change, from beginning to end. And because
,besc oral records are so entirely faithful it is
nos.ih,c 70 nut confidence in them equal TO that
which is commonly reposcd in written or printed
annals.
The story of Left Eriksen and his voyage came
douyn through Sagas from the year 1000. Left
himself is picturesque and attractive figure.
Not a sea-rover and pirate as so many Nofs"lnen
uscl 10 be- however, but a simple, straghtior-
ward and enthusiastic convert TO christianity
who having, as he believed. found the truth
himself. was uneasy until lie could spread thc
iovf Il news and bring others within the fold
There is indeed, no evidence that he did any
prosolytizing in or about Ninland. Inc Indians
encountered were with few exceptions hostile
ard Icif's brother. in subsequent expedition 10
the new country. received injury while fight
mast be said. certain perplcXity about the ter
u,nn;ionof ell these Morse explorations and dis
covc1ios. Left Erikscns party landed, Dwlt
houses and snent a winter in Finland or as IL
is now considered to be, in the nelghhornccu VI
Cape Cod. But he and the fcilcweis oil HE
brother. and in fact, all the NogthInen oil whos'
sailings the Sagas tell, appear to have hnailS
returned either to Iceland or Greenland Ih'H
deliberately turning their backs upon n more
temperate climate and a moro fertile lanu tllai
thcv had ever had experience of before. 1t Il
possible that the hostility OF the Indians dssuaoe'
them from undertaking a permanent settlement
II is also possible that of the hardy seamci
rcally did remain in America Those who pa
much weight upon the survival of Morse name
OF places about Cape Cod and Martha VlheS"r
may if they please, assume That the ehuur"no
of these names indicates a longer residence IN III
rcrion than the Sagas speak OF, ana that thei'
fore it is necessary to suppose some KIM Oh
permanent colony Of Mortimer. Bus one l''
is certain. namely, that the glowing accounts G
vinland taken home b. Left briksen and n
friends and successors did not stimulate the
countrymen to any migrating movements or ST
in them the colonizng spirit
In the Saga Of Thorfnn, which is suspected
heinz n sort of medley Of all the other sag
about Vinland there is an account OF bat'
bo,yroon the Mortimer and the nahN
Slxroolings the Norsemen called them-ln vino
chic massage occurs: 1horinn's party saw u
Sl,raelincs raise on a long pole large gioD
not unlike "a sleeps belly, and almost OF Oh
color. They hure,. this from the pole IOWA
the party of Thorinn. ami as ~ 1eIi IL niaoe
great noise The sight Of this eXcited gre
alarm among the followers Of fhor!ihn' so 'n
they immediately began TO hy along inc cour
of the river for they imagined themselves 10
surrounded on all sides by the Shraelihss
Remembering that this account was wrlV'ch
composed more than three centuries pciore
invntion of gunpowder in Europe how IS u
massage 70 be explained? There cannot DC mu
doubt that il is the description of an cXpiosi
Inv a nerson who had had no experience OF eApi
gives The behavior Of the Indians ana OF the Di
olobular object which was hurried III
tie end OF long pore '"77~
a clumsy attempt to blow up the lnVa"crS vi
sort of hand grenade or bomb Inc ontS
cumstance which goes counter TO TINS Is 'nc
sence of any indication that the thlhg' "nlon
falling made a great noise, did any harm oeyo
fricbtcninr Thorfnn's people and causing 'h'
to fly from the Indians. No doubt IL Is ca
enough to suggest that the composer OF
Thorninn Saga invented this episode, as ne
somebody else unqucstionably invented the s'c
about the Uniped" who shot at ana moro :.
wounded Thorvad. In any case tne laho' %
singular one, and even its invention "oulu
remarkable in the circumstances III "''0'
part of the same Saga the Skraellngs are rep
sented as so ignorant that they ana no' hhow
character of iron. One of them PICKS up t'o
battle-axe, and tries 1t upon comrauc'
astonishrnent IL kills the SlJraeling whereupoh