[11] In the original, the broad and comparatively fertile part of Norway
is said to be in the east: the correction adopted in the text
is obvious and necessary. - E.
[12] In former translations, this passage is: "opposite to this land,
to the south, is Sueoland." The alteration in the text removes
the ambiguity - E.
[13] Cwenland and the Cwenas appear to refer to Lapmark, and its
inhabitants, the Finlanders. - Forst.
[14] See Sect. iii. p. 12, in which this place is supposed by Mr J. R.
Forster to have been where Stockholm now is.
[15] Iraland obviously here means Scotland, with the Faro, Shetland, and
Orkney islands. - E.
[16] This is plainly the isle of Gothland. - E.
[17] Apparently the Baltic proper is here called the sea of Sillende, and
may have been named from the isle of Zeeland. Yet in this passage it
seems to refer to the gulf of Bothnia, as running far up into the
country. - E.
[18] See Sect. iii. p. 14, in which Forster endeavours to fix this place at
Aarhuus in Jutland.
SECTION III.
Remarks by J. M. Forster, respecting the situation of Sciringes-heal and
Haethum[1].
The name of this place, Sciringes-heal, has given a great deal of trouble
to former commentators on Alfred; viz. Sir John Spelman, Bussaeus, Somner,
John Philip Murray, and Langebeck, who have all chosen spots totally
different, in which to place Sciringes-heal. Spelman, and others, look for
this place near Dantzic, where, in their opinion, the Scyres formerly
resided. But, first, the spot where the Scyres lived, is by no means
satisfactorily determined; and, next, it is evident that Ohthere went
continually along the coast from Halgoland to Sciringes-heal, and that this
coast was on his left-hand during the whole course of his navigation. The
late Mr Murray placed Sciringes-heal at Skanor, in the southern extremity
of Sweden; but I cannot think that this place could be five days sail from
Haethum in Jutland, as it is expressly declared to have been by Ohthere.
Langebeck is for carrying Sciringes-heal to Konga-hella, on the Guatelf,
near Marstrand; and insists, that the name, in Alfred's account of the
voyage, ought to have been written Cyninges-heal instead of Sciringes-heal.
If the word had only once occurred, I might have allowed Langebeck to be
right; but we meet with it five times in the space of a few lines, and
always without the slightest variation in orthography. 2dly, The voyage
from Halgoland to Konga-hella is not of sufficient extent to have employed
a month in the passage. 3dly, Konga-hella is too near Jutland to have
required five days for the voyage between it and Haethum.
Having demonstrated the insufficiency of these conjectures, we shall now
endeavour to point out where Sciringes-heal was really situated.