The national leader., 1889-03-09
AMERICAS DISCOVERY
Accounts OF Pre-Columbian Vovao
and Short Stars

and Short Stays.
The ancient lore OF the Icelapd,o
sagas furnishes proof of the earlv colo
nization OF the American Continent in
the Tenth century by the ScandinaI
vlans. 1he sagas and songs upon
which ancient Scandinavian history is
founded, and those containing the his
tory of America by the Mortimer.
were originally intrusted to the mem.
ory, and these verbal traditions formed
historical narratives.
In the early part of the Twelfth can.
tury, when the Icelanders had becoma
| familiar with the Latin chiropanbv
they were committed to writing. Man
uscripts found In Iceland during tina
year 1861 make record OF an expedition
to Greenland led in 9S6 by Eric Red
of Iceland. His son Lief, who accom-
panied him, enlisted crew of thirty.
| five men, and set sail from Greenland
on another voyage OF exploration. In
due time they came to we'll wooded
land to the southwest Of Greenland.
where day and night seemed more
| equal than in Greenland and Iceland.
| GIVING THE LAND A NAME.
After short sOjOurn in this newly
found country, Lief, in company with
his followers, returned to Greenland
and the fame acquired by this expedi-
| tion encouraged his brother 1horwaId
| to embark In the same vessel in 1902
for the recently discovered territory.
| to which was given the name of Wine.
land (VIneland). ThOrWald and his
crew, having safely reached their desti-
nation, spent the winter in the booths
| which Lief had erected. In the spring
he explored the western coast and
| found the land not only attractive, but
rich in vines and forest.
No evidences of human habitation
were visible, nor did he find the lairs
of animals Afterwards sailing east
ward they came to cape upon whose
sandy beach they landed. Having
crossed this projection. to their sur
prise, they saw three boats made of
skins, partially buried in the sand.
beneath which nine men lay hidden.
eight of whom were caught and killed.
one managing TO escape. Later these
Mortimer were attacked by the Esqui-
maux, to whom the eight so recently
kIllad probably belonged. Thorwald.
fatally wounded in the encounter, was
buried on the promontory where he
fell. His crew returned to Greenland
with rich cargo OF timber.
The sagas make mention OF another
expedition. undertaken by Thor6n
Karlsfue, who enlisted as his associates
sixty men and five women. Sailing
from Iceland in southerly direction.
they arrived at the place where Lief
had built his huts. After landing the
COWS and bull to Craze, which they
had brought with them. Karlsfue Or
dered his men to fell trees and prepare
timber for the ships cargo; and while
thus engaged they saw emerging from
the woods many Skraelings. Happen
pening to appear where the bull was
feeding, and being rather of fero-
cious spirit. he beloved loudly, and
made an attack upon them, which led
them i'm mediately to retreat.
After securing re-enforcements they
returned, and although they were not
able to make themselves understood to
| the Mortimer, by means Of signs,
however, they were enabled to barter
furs for such other commodities as the
| Mortimer were willing to sell. When
| the natives had Withdrawn, Karlsfse
caused a strong wooden fence to be
placed around his booths, which proved
to be wise precautiOn. as a short time
afterward the Skraelings returned,
when a fierce fight ensued, in which
many of the Esquimaux fell. The
4 nrfh a!V1np Of
their abode in so strange a country,
and exposed to the frequent attacks of
the natives, in the spring returned to
Greenland.
The third expedition WAS under
taken In 1011 by Freydissa, a daughCer
OF Eric Red, in company with 200 Ice
landic traders, but as no further explo-
ration of this country was entered
upon no new facts were obtained.
The theory of the population OF
| America by Irish colonists has been
founded on the mention of saga
| writer who observes that Wineand
must have been "Flvittramannaland,"
or the Great Ireland. 1t is not mprOb'
able that a similarity in the sound OF
the language of the people caused the
name OF smaller body of land ID the
eastern hemisphere to be given to
part of the country by its first discov-
erers. Re this as it may it Is certain
that the theory has never been authen.
| tlcated.
Thos we became acquainted with
the Icelandic history of certain por-
tiOns OF the western hemisphere. as
given by the sagas Of the Icelanders.
The discovery by Christopher Co
lumbus Of West Indies in 1892 was
perhaps the result of a trip made by
him to Iceland in 1477, at when time
the discovery of unknown lands to the
| southwest of Greenland and Iceland
was made known to him by the sagas
| Of the people of Iceland.