ingly Leif gave to the country the name of Vinland, or the Land of Wine. Leif returned to Greenland in the spring, but his brother Thorwald, not satisfied with the exploration just made, borrowed Leif's vessel, and with thirty men sailed for Vinland in the year 1002. He reached Leifsbooths and made use of the huts there constructed, and lived during the winter by fishing. In the ensuing spring, Thorwald sent a part of the company in the ship's boat to the westward, to examine the country. They found pleasant shores with thick forests, and sandy beaches. They were occupied during the whole summer in this survey, and in the autumn returned to their winter quarters. In the following spring, Thorwald set out with his men in the large ship on another excursion. They sailed eastward, and then northward to a remarkable headland, enclosing a bay, and opposite to another cape where their vessel was cast on shore in a storm. It was so much damaged that the whole summer was spent in repairing it, and the old keel, which was now useless, was set up in the sand; and either from this circumstance, or because of a fancied resemblance in the outline of the coast, they called the cape Kiljarnes or Keel-cape. Thence they sailed along the eastern coast of the land into the nearest bay, to a promontory, and which was everywhere overgrown with wood. Here they disembarked, and Thorwald exclaimed: "This is a goodly place; and here I should like well to fix my dwelling." When they were preparing to return to the vessel, they discovered three hillocks on the beach. Upon nearing them, they found them to be three leather boats, under each of which were three Skiellings or natives. They came to blows with them and took them all prisoners save one, who escaped in his canoe. They inhumanly slew their prisoners. Not long after this, however, a great number of natives came in their canoes and made an attack upon them. Defending themselves from the arrows by means of wooden balks on the ship side, they were none of them struck except Thorwald. The natives seeing that it was useless to stay there longer, discharged a great flight of arrows at the Northmen and then left. Thorwald, finding that his wound was fatal, called his companions about him and said: "I now advise you to prepare for your departure as soon as possible, but you shall bring me to the promontory where I thought it good to fix my dwelling; it may be that it was a prophetic word that fell from my mouth about my abiding there for a season; there shall ye bury me and plant a cross at my head and also at my feet, and call the place Krossanes (Crossness) in all time coming." He died, and they carried out his wishes. Afterward they returned to Leifsbooth and spent the winter there, but in the spring of 1005, they went back to Greenland to render the account of their expedition to Leif. Another attempt was made shortly after this by Thorstein, a brother of Thorwald, who with his wife, Gudrida, and twenty five companions, embarked for Vinland with the ostensible purpose of procuring the body of Thorwald. The attempt was unsuccessful. They were beaten about for some time, and finally reached the western coast of Greenland, where Thorstein and many of his companions died. His wife returned with the remainder of the crew, bringing with her the body of Thorstein. In the following summer there came to Greenland from Iceland, Thorfinn, a man of noble birth and great wealth. He there became enamoured of Gudrida, and with Leif's permission married her. The subject of the colonization of Vinland was much agitated at that time, and he determined to set out thither. He gathered about him a band of sixty followers, his wife, Gudrida, and five other women, and with these he set sail for Vinland, having on board agricultural implements, cattle and various preparations for founding a colony. After coasting along Greenland and stopping at different places, they stood out to sea and in due time reached Leifsbooths. Here they passed the winter, and in the spring sailed farther south and went on shore; here they were visited by great numbers of the natives, who were very desirous of trading with them, offering all manner of furs in return for cloth. They were very anxious to procure the swords and other weapons which the Northmen possessed, but Thorfinn forbade his followers to sell them on any account. One of them, however, stole a hatchet, and trying his skill upon one of his companions, slew him upon the spot; whereat, one who appeared to be of authority among them, indignantly hurled the offensive weapon into the But the Northmen did not remain long at peace with the natives, and though Thorfinn abode there three years, he finally considered it unsafe to stay longer, and accordingly returned to Greenland with his vessels laden with skins and rasins. The chronicle relates, that after several voyages, Thorfinn ended his days in Iceland, where he built a splendid house and lived as one of the first lords in the country-that he had a son named Snorro, who was born in Vinland-that after his decease, his widow went on a pilgrimage to Rome, and having at her return devoted herself to religion, died in a monastery in Iceland near a church erected by her son. We dwell upon these minor circumstances, because they sea. seem to confirm the authenticity of the main account, by being facts, which, related so minutely, appear from other sources to have been wellknown to the inhabitants of Iceland. The principal voyage after this was undertaken by two brothers, Helge and Finnboge, who, coming from Iceland to Greenland, were induced by Freydisa, who had accompanied Thorfinn, to sail to Vinland and take her with them. But this shrewish woman, when they had reached Vinland, stirred up such a revolt among the servants, that it terminated in the massacre of the two brothers together with some thirty of his followers. She returned after this to Greenland, and though she endeavored to keep the cruel deed secret by bribing her followers, it became noised abroad and she lived and died in great disgrace. This is the substance of the most certain knowledge which we have concerning the discovery of America by the Northmen. The Icelandic chronicles occasionally mention the colony after this, and there is reason to suppose, that there was a communication kept up for a long time between Vinland and the mother-country. One of these chronicles makes mention of a Saxon priest-John, who, having served a church in Iceland for four years, passed over to Vinland to convert his unbelieving countrymen; but his attempt was not probably successful, since we find that he was there killed. In the year 1121, Eric, bishop of Greenland, went over for the same purpose, but we never hear of him after this. Since that time, Vinland seems to have been lost sight of. That part of Greenland which embraced christianity was lost, and Iceland too fell from its former state; while internal feuds, and a dreadful pestilence which swept over the north of Europe, so weakened the kingdom of the Northmen, that they did not keep pace with the progress of other countries in Europe, and finally the remembrance of the discovery was in a measure obliterated. The colony in Vinland receiving no further assistance from home, was probably swallowed up in the tribes of Indians about the settlements; and in fact, French missionaries have discovered traces of the Norse tongue, as they believe, in the language of the Indians who reside about the mouth of the St. Lawrence. Other vestiges too remain, as we shall presently see, which seem to aid in establishing the laims of the Scandinavians to the first discovery of America. In a magazine article, it would be impossible to note down all the accounts which the chronicles have transmitted to us, of the voyages made by the Scandinavians to Vinland; but any one who is interested in the subject, can find a more detailed narration in Mallet's "Northern An tiquites," Vol. I., Chap. 2; Wheaton's "History of the Northmen," and Forster's "Voyages and Discoveries in the North." To prove, however, that the Vinland of the Northmen is America, requires more lengthy arguments than can well be embraced in the limits of the present essay, and we will therefore defer the consideration of the proof of their identity to another number of the Quarterly. (To be Concluded.) IN THE FOREST. WE lie beneath the forest shade A king uncrowned whose sole allegiance How cool and liquid seems the sky; How blue and still the distance is! White fleets of cloud at anchor lie And mate are all existences, Save here and there a bird that launches Within this alien realm of shade But unto me she seems a Venus And Paphian grasses nod between us. Her drooping eyelids half conceal A vague, uncertain mystery; Her tender glances half reveal A sad, impassioned history; A tale of hopes and fears unspoken ANCIENT poetry, like modern, was not solely imagination As it is said of the poet to-day, that he must be a natural metaphysician; so of the Grecian poet it was true that he must be a philosopher. The quick intuition which perceives the truth it cannot explain, and like the mind of woman knows by instinct what plodding reason hesitates to accept, which perceives the nice distinctions of the ideal and the real, and their mutual Lear illustrations, and brings the from the well of truth by the buoyant power of the imagination, is characteristic of the poet of all ages. It was to the poet as such: as an expounder of highest truths, which imagination alone can comprehend, that Grecian philosophy owed its birth. Whether native to the Grecian soil, or introduced by colonists from foreign lands, it certainly first appeared in the works of poets. As the savage knows the Deity only by the conceptions of a vivid imagination, so only the poet's fancy dared first to speculate on the laws of spheres and the systems of Gods. Perhaps to the influence of this poetry, may be ascribed much of the genial warmth which pervades the systems of philosophy, and makes them sought for by those who love to read of moral beauty as well as moral sublimity. For through all the dark webs of heathen speculation there gleams the golden thread of love, |