203 



After alluding to some passages respecting the mysterious 

 territory of Great Ireland, as given in the adventures of Thor- 

 finn Karlsefne, Gudleif Gudlaugson, and Ari Marson, the 

 author proceeded to animadvert on three inferences deduced 

 from the Antiquitates AmericancSj in a paper read at the last 

 meeting of the Academy. 



1. The explanation of the surname of Ari Marson — " son 

 of the sea" — in the ordinary sense of a person of unknown 

 parentage, arrived by ship from some unknown land, was de- 

 nied to be tenable, as the genealogy of Marson is given in 

 both a textual and tabular form. The figurative meaning — 

 that of one addicted to nautical pursuits, or distinguished for 

 naval enterprise, was also impugned — as likely to be em- 

 ployed in the language of the Celts, who were averse from 

 navigation, but by no means in that of the Icelanders, who 

 were all sons of the sea, and among whom domiciliation on 

 board formed even a part of the Viking code of laws. The 

 author added, that the sculptor Thorwaldsen, and Professor 

 Finn Magnusen, were both descended from Ari Marson ; and 

 that the name of an Irish princess, called Ingebioerg in Ice- 

 landic, Ingijbcerg in Farvish, but supposed to be Inivaca, 

 also appeared in the genealogy. 



^. The author next disputed the identity of Brazil wood 

 with mazer, a wood of New England, the Vineland of the 

 Northmen, citing Dr. Bancroft's description of the former. 

 He denied that Brazil-wood had ever been found in a lati- 

 tude so far north, and contended that intelligent savages 

 usually discover the dye-stuffs within their reach, but that 

 the Skraelings, or Esquimaux, who encountered Thorfinn 

 Karlsefne, bought red cloth from him with avidity, being 

 evidently attracted by the novelty and brilliancy of the co- 

 lour ; that the Skraelings were an intelligent race appeared 

 evident from their possessing a kind of halista, and other 

 warlike engines unknown to the Northmen. To refute the 

 possible objection that Brazil wood, if a product of ancient 



