The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-03

| TaocAiA, evincou more OF loss 0agorn0ss 10 CO.
operate with the spaniardc against their ma
tive oppreesor.
In the chapter dealing with Pre- Columbian
Voyages We naturally look with especial
curiosity for Nr. Fiske's opinion OF the credi-
bility Of the narratives attributing to the
| Mortimer tho discovery Of America almost
| flve centuries before Columbus. In some sixty
pages he discusses In detail the arguments for
and against tho trustworthiness Of tho Scan
dinavian records relating to this subject His
conclusions are thus ummed up: I'VE have
| In Eric. the Reds. saga. rs copied by Hauk
| Ericsson. document for tho existence OF
which we arc required TO account. That docu-
! ment contains unmistakablo knowledge
OF some things which modmval Euro
penns could by no human possibility
havo learned except through q visit to
some rart OF the coast OF North Amer
lea further south than Labrador or Newfound-
land. II tells an eminently probable story In
n simple. straightforward way. agreeing in its
details with what wo know OF the North
American const between Point Judith and
Capo Breton. Its general accuracy and tho
statement and grouping Of so many remote
details Is proof that It's statements were con.
trolled By an exceedingly strong and steady
tradition altogether too strong and steady.
in my opinion. to havo been maintained sim
My by word OF mouth. = 1t is probable
that the facts mentioned in Hanks document
rested upon some kind OF written basis as
early rs tho eleventh century: and II seems
quito clear thattho constant tradition by which
all the illusions to Vinland and tho Skrael-
ings are controlled had become established by
that time Tho data are moro scanty than we
could wish. but they all point In tho same
-. l,,
wind. and their cumulative force Is 80 great rs
to fall but little short Of demonstration. For
these reasons. it seems to me that tho Saga Of
Of Eric tho Rod should be accepted as history"
We scarcely need remind tho reader that the
position here taken is worry different from TINT
to which Mr.. Bancroft was inclined to adhe-e
UP to the close OF his life. and which even Mr..
Justin Winsor. in his lately published book
about Columbus. seems to consider reason
able But while Mr.. Fiske believes that
the vinlund described in tho Morse chron-
icles was part Of the North Ameri
can coast he aflrms with equal conf
dence that there is no reason for surprising
that the Mortimer founded q colony south OF
Greenland Hold they DONE so We should ex.
pect to find some archaeological proofs OF their
settlements. and. moreover. they would have
introduced into the North American fauna |
domestic cattle which could not have 80 en- |
tirely vanished as to leave no trace OF their ex
istence. Neither does he hesitate to acknowl- |
edge from his survey OF the whole subject that |
these pre-Columbian voyages. although au- |
thentic. were quite barren Of results OF his |
torical importance. In point o: colonization. |
they produced the two Inflated settlements on |
the Greenland coast and nothing more. |
Otherwise they made no real addition to the |
stock OF current geographical knowledge. they |
hnkn E,Y-
ropean life outside Of Scandinavia. and |
even in Iceland itself the mention OF coasts
beyond Greenland awakened no definite
Ideas and. except for a brief season. excited
no real interest The Zeno narrative. accepted
by Mr.. Fiske as authentic. indicates
that the Vinland voyages had practically
lapsed from memory before the end Of the
fourteenth century. Scholars familiar with
saga literature of course knew the story. but
by the general public 1t must have been for
cotton. or else some traces OF it would have
In the narrative OF Antonio Zeno. or
upon his map. As o matter Of fact. Antonio
zeno. although the principal naval oficer Of
Earl Sinclair. ruler Of the Faeroe Islands. after
iwellin: several years among Morse popula-
lion. which had frequent intercourse with
heir brethren In Iceland. apparently knew
nothing Of tho Vinland voyages of Lelf and
rhorflnn. or so much as the names OF the
,oasts which they had visited. Nothing.
therefore. had been accomplished by those
voyages which could properly be called con-
to geographical knowledge. To speak
II them as constituting. In any legitimate
sense OF the phase. a discovery OF America
s pronounced absurd. Except for Greenland.
which was supposed 10 be n part OF the Euro
,ean world. America remained rs much un-
discovered after the eleventh century rs
,efore. In the midsummer Of 1902 the New
World needed to DO discovered as much as II
Leif Ericsson or the whols race OF Northmen
lad never existed. This is probably the final
word upon the subject. When We take into
Jew both what Mr.. Fiske admits and what he
lenies. 1t seems to US that ne has hero dis
charged the whole duty OF an historian. name
3. to tell the truth. the whole truth. and moth
ng but the truth.
III.
The late Prof. Thorold Rogers was fond Of
lwelinG on the economical causes which
endercd tho discovery Of on outside or mari
imo route to southern Asia indispensable to
europe Yet not oven Mr. Rogers has stated
o clearly and concisely all tho motives
the voyages promoted by the Por.
uguese and Spanish Governments rs has the
uthor OF these volumes at tho close OF the
ha pter recountinR tho historical rotations OF
Europe and Cathay. After pointing out that
nder the liberal rule Of tho Monco emperors
he Oriental trade had increased enough for
.urore to feel In many ways its beneficial
fleets. Mr.. Fisko shows that 1t was not
merely tho shutting up OF China by the
rst Ming emperor In 1858 that checked
no intercourse between Europe and Asia
10 reminds us that still moro
aleiul obstacle to oil such intercourse had
atey como upon tho scene In Asia Minor
no Turk. whose career had been for two cen.
uries arrested by tho Crusadcs. now reared
is head again. Tho Ottoman Turks, having {
to the inheritance Of their seljukian 4
in smen. had in 1865 established themselves {
n tho Balkan peninsula Each point that I
hey gained meant tho stranglinR OF Just so q
,uch Oriental trnde. for It was the alliance OF '
with Genoa which since 1851 !
ad secured to tho latter city and to western
Europe the advantages OF the upper overland I
outos from Asia through the Volga country l