Geographical Collections, 99 



« The fact of the travels of the ancient Scandinavians in America seems 

 to be demonstrated by the discovery, in 1824, on the vilest coasts of Green- 

 land, of a Runic stone, found in 73° N. lat This stone bore au 

 inscription, which has been thus translated: — Erling Sigvalson et Biorne 

 Hordeson et Endride Addon, on Saturday before Gagnday (25th April) 

 raised this mass of stone, and cleared this place, in the year 1135." — BvM. 

 de la Soc, de Geog. No. 88. 



Danish Expedition to the East Coast of Greenland. 



[We are indebted to that admirable hebdomadary, the Athenceum, for the 

 following notice, the substance of a highly interesting letter from Admiral 

 Zhartmanns, the Danish hydrographer at Copenhagen, read before the Royal 

 Geographical Society in November last.] 



Attempts have been made, at various times, to discover the ancient 

 colony of Icelanders, who, according to history, accompanied JEdric Randa, 

 a Norwegian, about the close of the tenth century, from that island to the 

 eastern coast of Greenland. These attempts, in consequence of the Jjarriers 

 ef ice on the coast, have hitherto proved ineffectual ; but hopes still remained 

 of the colony being discovered, as it is supposed to have been established 

 on a part of this coast which is scarcely known. Accounts of it had been 

 regularly received from the time of its first formation, through a period of 

 nearly four hundred years, down to the commencement of the fifteentli 

 century, since which it has never been more heard of, and all attempts to 

 gain intelligence of it have proved abortive. His present majesty, the 

 King of Denmark, has been induced to send an expedition once more in 

 search of the colony, with the object of either bringing the remains of it to 

 light, or setting the question of its existence finally at rest. 



Captain Graah, a scientific officer of the Danish royal navy, was intrusted 

 with this service ; and twelve Greenlanders, an interpreter, a botanist, and a 

 Danish sailor, were to accompany him. He was directed to proceed in 

 Greenland boats, as affording the easiest means of getting along the coast. In 

 March, 1829, the expedition left Nemortalik, near Cape Farewell, (an island 

 on which is a Danish establishment,) but had not proceeded far, when Cap- 

 tain Graah found so much delay was occasioned by the ice, that he determined 

 on sending back all but a few Greenlanders, sufficient for his own boat, and 

 to proceed alone. This was accordingly done in the following June, and he 

 continued his voyage in a single boat. 



Thus relieved. Captain Graah was enabled to make his way along the 

 coast with more celerity, as far as the latitude of 65° 18' N. On 

 arriving here, the vast quantity of ice, and the enormous icebergs he met 

 with, rendered it impossible for him to proceed farther ; and, in consequence 

 of the lateness of the season, he was induced to return and seek for winter 

 quarters to the southward. Having regained the latitude of 63° 22' 

 N., the party found good winter quarters, where they remained from 

 October 1829, to the following April. In this month Captain Graah, with 

 his party, again set out for the northward, intending, if possible, to 

 reach the latitude of 66° N. in the course of the summer, before he 

 returned to his winter quarters at Nemortalik, the point from which he 

 had at first started. The accounts of this second journey have not been 

 received ; but the supposed situation of the old colony was passed over in 

 the first, without any traces of it being found.* Captain Graah also con- 

 structed a chart of the coast along which he passed j and it differs very 



* We were somewhat startled on reading the following statement respecting the result 

 of Captain Graah's expedition, introduced into the last number of the Editiburgh Neio 

 Philosophical Journal : — " The expedition found there (i. e. on the east coast of Greenland) tTie 

 descendants of the primitive colonists, who still profess Christianity/. Their language is that of 

 the Norwegians of the tenth century >" It is dangerous to be positive in matters of this 

 kind ; but we have some misgivings as to the source of this information. — Ed. 



