An inhabitant of Iceland, Biorn Herjulfson, a relative of the above mentioned Ingolf, founder of the colony, began, like the Vikinge at a very premature age, his excursions, and possessed a vessel of his own. He remained for some time in Norway, and, during that period, his father, Herjulf Bardarson, had left Iceland with Erik Raude, and settled in Greenland, at the extremity of Osterboeygden, which was called after him-Herjulfsnaes, At the return of the summer, Biorn Herjulfson sailed back to Iceland, where he learned that his father had gone to Greenland, which determined him to go thither, although he was utterly unacquainted with the navigation to that country; and Sturleson adds, that Biorn and his companions were aware of the dangers that accompany such an enterprise, none of them having ever navigated the sea of Greenland. But, notwithstanding these obstacles, they left Iceland, and after three days, when they were long out of sight of the continent, a strong northerly wind sprung up, accompanied with foggy and stormy weather, which having continued for several days, they were in an absolute incertitude as to their position. At last when the storm had abated, and the weather cleared up, which enabled them to use again their sails, they made land, towards the evening of the same day, which they did not believe to be Greenland, because there were no snow mountains to be perceived, which, as Sturleson intimates, was the sign by which Greenland was recognized. Nevertheless they approached and distinguished a country destitute of mountains, covered with forests, and intermingled with small hills, but, being afraid of setting on shore, they proceeded in their passage, and, after two days, again perceived land, which was level and likewise covered with woods.

The wind having subsided, the crew wished to land, to provide fresh water and other provisions, which Biorn Herjulfson refused. In consequence, with a south-west wind, they continued their passage for three days more, after which

they again saw land, which was high, with naked rocks and old icy mountains. As they expected to meet with a convenient place to set on shore, they sailed along the coast, and discovered it was an island. Their expedition after that, lasted four days longer, before they arrived off the most southern point of Greenland, the above-mentioned Herjulfsnaes, where Biorn Herjulfson finally met his father, after a long and erring passage.

If we examine with attention, all that Sturleson relates concerning Biorn Herjulfson's adventurous expedition, the supposition that this new discovered country was North America, becomes almost certainty. For, the direction of the wind, with which Biorn sailed from Iceland, is a very strong proof in favour of this opinion; and Sturleson expressly relates, that a strong northerly wind carried the vessel to the far distant and unknown coast, which our navigator, at his departure from there, left at his left hand. He then steered to the north, to arrive in Greenland, in which he likewise succeded with a south-west wind.

Biorn Herjulfson, did not pursue his discovery, but he continued to live quietly with his father, among the young and flourishing settlement in Greenland. Nevertheless, the news of his adventures were soon diffused all over the north, and the young Scandinavian Vikinge did not want any other encouragement besides, to find out again the country which Biorn Herjulfson had discovered.

An intrepid young man, among the settlers of Greenland, Leife Erikson, son of Erik Raude, the founder of the colony, was the chief of the new expedition. He had been, previous to that time, in Norway, where he adopted the christian religion, and where he conveyed the first christian missionaries to Greenland. He united thirty-five courageous men for hist discovery, and bought a vessel of Biorn Herjulfson, with which he ventured to navigate the pathless ocean.

According to the account, which Sturleson gives of this expedition, Leife first made that part of the country again,

which Biorn had discovered last: it was very mountainous and almost destitute of vegetation; he could not even find grass. In the interior of the country were high mountains, covered with snow, and a series of naked rocks, at intervals, stretched forth, from these mountains, to the sea shore. Our navigators called this part of the country Helluland, on account of its physical constitution, and they proceeded on their way, without any further delay. They made afterwards a less unfriendly coast, and landed. At à distance, there was, in a large plain a thick forest, and the whole of the sea coast consisted of white sand. They called this part of the country Markland, and prosecuted their passage, with a fresh north west wind. After having sailed during two days, without interruption, they again perceived land. They approached for the purpose of descending upon an island, which, according to Sturleson, was to the northward of that country. The weather being mild and pleasant, they explored more of the interior, and found dew upon the grass, which was extremely sweet; probably our common mildew, at which the Normans were not a little surprised. They did not remain there for any considerable time, but sailed into the sound, which was formed by the island and the continent. They must however have arrived there with the flood, because the Saga reports, that the vessel touched the bottom, when the water ran out; which did not prevent them from sailing up with the tide. They arrived then at the mouth of a river, discharging his waters into the ocean, and they got the vessel up into a lake, where it was in security. Afterwards they landed their provisions, and built up small huts for their habitation; they likewise erected a regular building, because they agreed to remain there during the winter. The rivers, which abounded in fishes, copiously supplied them with food; and the salmons they caught were more beautiful and larger, than those they had ever seen before. Besides Sturleson reports, that the country was extremely fertile; the fruits were

I

excellent but scarce, and the climate was very pleasant. The grass in the field was almost of a constant verdure, for it did not freeze during the winter. They observed, continues Sturleson, that there was no need to lay up provisions for the winter, and that the days were equally long, or at least more regular than in Iceland and Greenland. This agrees as well with the expression of Sturleson (jafn daegri,) as with the known proportion, that the length of the days grows more regular, the nearer we come to the equator; and Sturleson adds: Sol hafdi thar eiktar stad oe dagmala stad um skammdeigi, which Schoening has translated thus: the sun rose at half past seven A. M. (dagmala stad) and set at half past four P. M. (eiktar stad) when the days were the shortest (um skammdeigi.) This was indeed very remarkable for the inhabitants of Greenland and Iceland, and it was very natural, that Leife Erikson looked upon it as something extraordinary. Meanwhile, this passage has been differently explained by various authors, concerning which, we may consult Peringskiold, Lagerbring, Torfaeus and others, In the application we made of it, we have followed the explanation of Schoening, who shows, in his history of the north, according to the quotations of the erudite Vidalins, that the shortest day, where Leife resided, was nine hours long; from which we conclude, that the part he was in, was situated about 41° northern latitude, and according to the celebrated astronomer Bugge, in the neighbourhood of Boston.

In comparing Sturleson's description with our present exact measures of time, we must not forget that they cannot agree to the minute, because they were not acquainted with such accurate means of correction as our cotemporaries. But, in examining with attention the facts contained in these old historical documents, we must evidently infer, that the discoveries of the Scandinavians were extended from the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland to Virginia. The Helluland of these intrepid navigators must have been the

most advanced part of that country to the north, and their Vinlandia, (Wine land) Virginia and upwards.

We shall now examine, how far Leife's description of the climate of Vinlandia, coincides with the just mentioned result; in favour of which we shall however observe, before hand, that our globe has undergone very important changes in its climate, which is asserted by various ancient historical data; and whatever be the final explanation of these uncommon phenomena, still the historian is furnished with facts, which cannot be denied.*

The Vinlandia, where Leife Erikson wintered with his companions, they examined more carefully. After having constructed a house, he divided his companions in two parts, one of whom had to protect the habitation, while the other made excursions every morning to become acquainted with the country. But, since they returned every evening from their expeditions, it is evident that their rambling could not stretch very far into the interior of the country. It was in one of these excursions that they discovered grapes, (fox grapes) which appeared so remarkable to the Normans, that they named the country Wineland, on account of this discovery, which denomination it has preserved in all the documents of Iceland. The truth of this narration of Sturleson has been very much doubted in latter periods; but the same honour seems to be attached to the father of the northern

* In the twelfth century, there was a bishoprick in Greenland, and in 1276 the pope claimed the tithes from the ecclesiastical revenues, which in 1327 consisted in dentibus de Roardo, probably dentibus de Rosmarus or walrus teeth. In the year 1418, Greenland was mentioned for the last time, and the tithes it then paid, consisted of one hundred and thirty lispunds; about two thousand six hundred pounds teeth of walrus. Since that period, old Greenland was entirely lost, and no traces of its former towns and castles, on the east coast, could be found again, until 1721, when John Egede, a Norwegian minister and his companions, discovered some of the ruins of stone buildings, of which still more were existing, agreeable to what they learned from the Esquimaux.-S.