277, had been tranfported by the emperor Probus, into the interior parts of Pontus, in the leffer Afia. Thefe people, hankering, as may be fuppofed, after their native foil, feized fuch fhipping as they could meet with on the banks of the Euxine, about the year 300, fteered for their own country, through the straits of Conftantinople and the Dardanelles; and having ravaged all the coafts of Alia and Greece, they paffed over to Sicily, and furprised and plundered the city of Syracufe: then croffing over to the coaft of Africa, they pillaged every place where they could land, until they came to the flraits of Gibraltar, through which they paffed, and continued their depredations along the coafts of Spain and France, until they arrived among their countrymen, who inhabited the fhores of the German ocean, between the Rhine and the Wefer. Our author juftly obferves, that it is contrary to every dictate of common fenfe to imagine, that these people could have been led by mere accident into this track which brought them to their native land. They muft, therefore, have been poffefled of tolerably juft notions of the countries which they vifited, as well as of the fituation of their own, or they could not, thus, have fhaped their courfe for it, by fea, after having been led captive across the whole continent of Europe. And fuch a naval expedition, as this is, reflects great honour on this enterprifing people, who, in thofe rude ages, and the miferable veffels which they afforded, without the aids of the compafs, or any confiderable skill in aftronomy, could undertake, and fuccefs fully accomplish it.

Dr. F. then proceeds to relate the piratical excurfions of the Saxons and Danes along the fouthern coafts of Europe; and afterwards toward the north, in one of which, Iceland was accidentally difcovered, in the year 861. But the principal part of this chapter, and indeed the most interefting, confifts of a tranflation, with notes, of that part of king Alfred's version of Orofius which relates to the geography of the northern parts of Europe, as it was known in the middle ages. It is here obferved, that this work of the royal geographer is not merely a verfion of Orofius; but that many valuable additions were made to it, which Alfred obtained, by his enquiries, of the Danes, and other Normans with whom he converfed; and who, notwithstanding they were invaders of his kingdom whom he had utterly vanquished, were fuffered to remain in it, and even in his court. The account which was given by one of them, a man of fome importance in his own country, named Obthere, merits notice, not only as it is a recital of the most ancient navigation (that we know of) round the north cape of Europe, but alfo on account of the great accuracy with which the circumitances are related.

• Obthere i

• Obthere told Alfred that he lived to the north of all the Northmen. He quoths that he dwelt in that land to the northward, oppo. fite to the West Sea; he faid, however, that the land of the Northmen is due north from that fea, and it is all wafte, except in a few places, where the Finnas, for the moft part, dwelt, for hunting in the winter, and in the fummer for fifthing in that fea. He faid that he was determined to find out, once on a time, how far this country extended due north, or whether any one lived to the north of the waftes above mentioned. With this intent, he proceeded due north from this country, leaving all the way the wafte land on the farboard, or right hand, and the wide fea to the baecboard, or left. He was, in three days failing, as far north as the whale hunters ever go, and then proceeded in his courfe due north, as far as he could fail in another three days, while the land lay from thence due east. Whether the fea there lies within the land he knows not; he only knows that he waited there for a west wind, or a point to the north, and failed near that land eastward as far as he could go in four days, where he waited for a due north wind, because the land there lies due fouth. Whether the fea lies within the land, he knows not. Upon this he failed along this country due fouth, as far as he could in five days. Upon this land there lies a great river, at the mouth of which they lay to, because they could not proceed farther, on account of the inhabitants being hoftile; and all that country was inhabited on one fide of this river, nor had Ohthere met before with any land that was inhabited fince he came from his own. All the land to the right, during his whole voyage, was a defart, and without inhabitants (except fishermen, fowlers, and hunters), all of whom were Finnas, and he had a wide fea to his left.'

The exactness with which every thing is here related, and the time taken up in the navigation, is fo conformable to what we may fuppofe would happen to a veffel failing before the wind, as this did, from a place in 66 degrees of north latitude, and on the western coast of Norway, to the mouth of the Dwina, in the White Sea, that every one muft fee the intelligence came immediately from the mouth of a perfon who was perfectly acquainted with what he was relating. Indeed every thing given here, from King Alfred, carries with it the fame kind of internal evidence of its own truth, and convinces us that his work conftitutes a record of the utmost importance to a knowledge of the geography of Europe in the ninth century.

To this part of the work is annexed a map of Europe, defigned to illuftrate the geography of the middle ages. It is faid, by the author, in his preface, to have been drawn originally by him and his fon, Mr. George Forfer, in the year 1772, for the purpose of illuftrating the Anglo Saxon verfion of Orofius*, publifhed, the year after, by the Hon. Mr. Daines Barrington: but that it is now given to the public with confiderable improvements and corrections; which, on better information, appeared

* See Rev, vol, xlviii. p. 378.

to

to him to be neceffary. We have compared the two maps with fome attention, but have not been able to discover the corrections and improvements here fpoken of *; and therefore think they cannot be very confiderable.

In the remaining part of this chapter, Dr. Forfter gives an account of the difcovery, and first fettlement of Iceland, and afterward of Greenland, by the Norwegians. But we meet, in this chapter, with a circumftance much more important than either of thefe, of which we shall give an account, in as few words as poffible, and leave our readers to form what judgment they think proper, in regard to the truth of it :-premifing, however, that our author aflures us, 'The facts themselves have been collected from a great number of ancient Icelandic manufcripts, and have been handed down to us by Thormod Thorfœus, in his two works, entitled, Veteris Groenlandia Defcriptio, Hafn. 1706, and Hifloria Vinlandia Antique, Hafn. 1705.' That the country of Winland is mentioned in Adam von Bremen's Church Hiftory, p. 151.'-Alfo that very exact relations of thefe

The only alteration, correction, or improvement, call it which you will, that we can find, is this: in the map, published by Mr. Barrington, the Serite Fins are placed on the mountains which fepa. rate Norway from Swedish Lapland, and alfo on the north-west shores of the White Sea, or in Ruffian Lapland and they are faid to be placed in the former of these situations on the authority of Adam veN Bremen; and, in the latter, on that of Hacluyt, vol. i. p. 283. In the map given by Dr. Forfter, they are placed in the former of thefe fituations only; and, we are of opinion, juftly. It, notwithstanding, appears to us that this alteration is rather made from a reconfideration of the evidence which the Doctor had before him when he constructed Mr. B.'s map, than from any additional authorities he has met with fince at any rate, none appears either in the text or in the valuable notes which accompany it; for however inaccurate Mr. Barrington's tranflation may be in other refpects, we are fure it is clear and diftinct in placing the Serite Fins where Dr. F. has now placed them. Whatever the Doctor's reafon might be for making the alteration, ours for thinking he is right are as follows: Hacluyt's authority refts only on "certain notes imperfectly written by Richard Johnson, a fervant to Mr. Richard Chancelar, which was in the dif covery of Vaigatz." Now a perfon who was afterwards in the capacity of a fervant, could not fill any important fituation in the voyage referred to; and of courfe his information could not be very certain: -we may add that the notes are faid to be imperfectly written. On the other hand, though we are not in poffeffion of Adam von Bremen's work, and, confequently, are not judges of the authority which is due to it; yet, as the Serite Fins are exprefsly faid to inhabit a country which lies northwell of Germany, by Alfred, who moft likely had information on this head from Ohthere, a native of the northern parts of Norway, we do not hesitate in preferring his authority to Hacluyt's.

discoveries

difcoveries have been preferved in Arngrim Jonas's Specimen Icelandia Hiftoricum, and many other works; fo that it is (in his opinion) hardly poffible to harbour the leaft doubt concerning the authenticity of the relation.'

Eric Raude, a fubject of Harold, king of Norway, being obliged to fly his country for fome mifdemeanor, and having heard a report that a country had been feen to the weftward of Iceland, went in fearch of it, and fell in with the coaft of Greenland, about the point called Herjolfsnefs. Having coasted along the country, toward the S. W. he met with, and entered, a very large found, which he called after his own name; and paffed the winter on a pleafant ifland in the neighbourhood of it. The next year he explored the country; and, in the third, went over to Iceland; where he reprefented the country in fo favourable a light, that many families went with him, in the following fpring, and fettled there. Amongst these were a perfon of the name of Herjolf, and his fon Biern, who made voyages every year to different countries, to trade; and about the year 1001, Biorn being feparated from his father, was driven by a ftorm a long way to the S. W. of Greenland; and, in confequence, difcovered a flat country, covered with thick woods. Just as he fet out, to return to Greenland, he dif covered an island likewife: he, however, made no stay at either of these places, but haftened back to Greenland by a northeafterly courfe. This event was no fooner known in Greenland, than Lief, a fon of Eric Raude's, who, like his father, had a great paffion for making difcoveries, and founding colonies, fitted out a veffel; and, taking Biorn with him, fet fail for this new discovered country. The firft land he faw was rocky and barren for which reafon they called it Helleland, or Rockland. They afterwards came to a low land, which was fandy, and covered with wood; and which they called Markland, or Woodyland. Two days afterwards they faw land again, and an island, lying before the northern coaft of it. Here they met with a large river, and failed up it until they came to a lake from which the river took its rife. The bushes on the banks of this river bore fweet berries, the air was mild, the foil fertile, and the river was well ftored with fifh, particularly falmon. They wintered in the lake, and on the fhorteft day had eight hours fun; confequently the latitude was about 50 degrees. They found grapes, and from this circumftance called the Country Winland or Wine land.

*Suppofing the facts to be as they are here ftated, the river must have been that of St. Lawrence; and the island, called hereafter "The eaftern land," muft, in confequence, have been Newfoundland.

In

In the fpring, they returned to Greenland; and having raised more recruits, went back to Winland, and took with them Thorwald, Lief's mother. That fummer, they explored the western land. The fummer afterward they examined the land which lay to the eastward: the coaft was covered with wood, and befet with iflands; but they met not with a human being, or animals of any kind. The third fummer they examined the islands, in which bufinefs they damaged their fhip so much that they were obliged to build a new one; and the old veffel was Jaid up, on a promontory which, for that reafon, they called Kialer Nifs. They afterwards examined,.once more, the fhores of the eaftern land, and then met with three boats, covered with leather, in each of which there were three men: these they feized, except one who made his eícape, and moft cruelly, as well as wantonly, murdered every one of them. Soon after this they were attacked, in return, by a great number of thefe people, with bows and arrows; but they beat them off, after an hour's engagement. In this battle, Thorwald was wounded by an arrow, and died. Over his tomb two croffes were placed, agreeable to his requeft. His companions paffed the winter in Winland; and in the fpring returned to Greenland. Thefe native inhabitants they called Skrællingers; that is, cuttings, or dwarfs, on account of their being very fhort in ftature +.

In the fame year Thorlein, the third fon of Eric Raude, failed for Winland with his wife Gudrid, his children, and fervants: in all, twenty-five perfons; but they were driven by a ftorm, to the western coaft of Greenland, and obliged to winter there; and Thorstein and most of his followers died; but his wife Gudrid furvived, and in the fpring returned home, carrying with her the body of her dead husband.

Thorfin, an Icelander of fome confequence, married the widow Gudrid; and thinking, perhaps, that by this marriage he became poffeffed of the newly difcovered country, fet fail for Winland, with a vast quantity of houfhold ftuff and cattle; befide 65 men, and 5 women; and began to establish there a regular colony. They were foon vifited by the Skrælingers, who freely bartered

In the beginning of this paragraph Thorwald is faid to be the mother of Lief; but in the two laft fentences of it, fhe is three times fpoke of as a man.

This defcription of the perfons of the native inhabitants, joined to the circumftance of their having boats covered with leather, leaves Jittle room to doubt of their being the ancestors of the prefent race of Efquimaux. The only thing which makes againft this fuppofition is, three men being found in one boat, which is directly contrary to their cuftom, at prefent: but it is reafonable to fuppofe they had not then arrived at that amazing expertnefs in maritime affairs which they manifeft now.