It Is Said That No Part Of America Could Be
Reached In Four Days, The Space Of Time In Which The First Discoverer
Reached This Land, And In Which The Voyages From Greenland To It Seem
Generally To Have Been Made.
But the west part of Greenland is so near some
part of America, that a voyage might easily be effected in that time.
In
answer to the objection, that vines do not grow in the northern parts of
America, where Vinland, if part of this continent, must be fixed, it may be
observed, that in Canada the vine bears a small fruit; and that still
further north, in Hudson's Bay, according to Mr. Ellis, vines grew
spontaneously, producing a fruit which he compares to the currants of the
Levant. The circumstances mentioned in the Icelandic Chronicles respecting
the natives, that their canoes are made of skins; that they are very expert
with their bows and arrows; that on their coasts they fish for whales, and
in the interior live by hunting; that their merchandize consists of
whalebone and furs; that they are fond of iron, and instruments made of it;
and that they were small in stature, all coincide with what we know to be
characterestic of the inhabitants of Labrador. It is probable, therefore,
that this part of America, or the island of Newfoundland, was the Vinland
discovered by the Icelanders.
The beginning and middle of the tenth century witnessed an increasing
spirit of commerce, as well as considerable attention to geographical
pursuits in other Scandinavian nations, as well as the Icelanders.
Periodical public fairs were established in several towns of Germany, and
other parts of the North:
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