| Show irom brom rom rambles in iceland lir br PLINY MILES iceland was first discovered by a norwegian pirate inthe year almost one thousand yearb years ago he hd was thrown on the coast in the winter and from the appearance of the country he called it Sn cland four pour years after alter gardar farson a swede circumnavigating circum navigating it found it an island and named it cardara Gar dars dara holm or cardara Gar darys dara isle his account of the country was so favorable that floii another sea rover went there to settle settie but negle negie neglecting eting to cut hay in the sum sumi nier rier hig big cattle perished in the winter from the vast accumulations of ice on the west coast coasts ice that was wag driven over from greenland hs li called the country iceland a name it has lias ever since borne in 87 1 the first permanent settlement wa was s made mide in iceland by ingolf a norwegian chieftain chiei chief tain greenland was discovered in one audred and twenty years after the discovery of iceland in eric surnamed sur eur named tile the red sailed to Greenlan dand in established a salem ent there which flourished more than four hundred years to induce settlers to go j and reside in p new anew country the most fabulous accounts account I 1 S were given of the cli cil mateland climate and productions the dace face of the country country was represented as clothed in green and it was even stated that every plant dropped butter the name of greenland thus thiis given to it was as great a misnomer nomer hs as iceland applied to the neighboring isle in reality the two countries should change marri iiames esi esl for iceland is a country of green fields ardd arid fair fain flowers while greenland is covered with almost perpetual ice and snow eric the red had a companion in his greenland settlement whose name was heriulfo Heri ulf Biar blar biardi rii ril the son on of Heri tills sailed from iceland to join his father I 1 in n greenland was driven south and landed on th eA merican coast probably labrador thus the first discovery of america by europeans vas was in the year vear by biardi n a native of norway though he sailed from iceland d he returned north and landed in greenland and gave an account of his discovery subsequent voyages to the american coast I 1 were made by leif and his two brothers sons of eric the red who after the style of names in iceland were called friesson I 1 am speaking on good authority in saying that a gifted swede swedes now an american citizen and most prominent before the world is a direct descendant of eric and his son I 1 allude to captain ericsson the inventor of the caloric ship a pioneer in amer ican scan discovery and a worthy descendant ofa merica another interesting fact may be noted among the early settlers in america for a settlement fler rient was formed that continued several years some of the men had their wives with them one of these the wige wife of thorfin while in america gave birth to a son who was named snorre this snorre was the first native born barn american of whom we have any account and mayba maybe may be set down as the first yankee on record from this tilis thorh Thorf was descended and also fin mao Mam magnusen the historian and antiquary so that we can almost claim the great sculptor of tile the north and he the great historian as americans these facts I 1 gathered from icelandic genealogical tables and all who wio have investigated the history of the northern nations know with what accuracy these tables are compiled to return a little in my narrative lief ericsson having purchased the ship of biardi sailed from greenland in the year 1000 the first land he made lie he called helleland Hel luland oriand or orland land of broad flat stones this was doubtless the coast of newfoundland the next coast he be saw was covered with forests and consequently consequent y he be named it A larkland Markland or woodland this was probably nova scotia tiie tile next land he discovered still farther south produced vines and grapes and thia he named vinland a name the Ic elanders ever afterwards used in sp speaking eakin p of the american continent we have the best of proof in their account of the climate and productions in the length of the days as well as in their maps and drawings that their settlement was on some part of our new eng lind coast probably massachusetts or rhode island in subsequent voyages these adaven navigators sailed failed farther south and it is supposed from the account they gave that they proceeded as far as virginia and the carolinas timber furs and gi apes vete were the most valuable articles the country produced and for these several voyages were made to vinland f from rom greenland houses were built and settlers se sided in the country for lor at least three years from 1011 to 1014 |
