90 Dr Elton on the 



On the Ante -Columbian Discover^/ of America. By 

 Dr Elton. Communicated by Dr Traill.* 



"The object proposed by Dr Elton, is a summary of the 

 knowledge we possess on the discovery of the Continent of 

 America, by several adventurous European voyagers, ante- 

 rior to the time of Columbus. 



This subject, which has been for almost a century and a 

 half well known to the students of northern history, was first 

 made known to the rest of Europe by the publication of the 

 Vinlandia Antiqua of the celebrated Torfwus in 1705 ; and 

 most of the facts given by Dr Elton are extracted from that 

 work. Torfceus proved from existing Icelandic MSS., that 

 America was discovered, and even attempted to be colonized, 

 by his enterprising countrymen, in the end of the tenth and 

 beginning of the eleventh century; and the descriptions 

 transmitted to us prove that they landed on what are now New- 

 foundland, Nova Scotia, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. 



The first adventurer was Leif, the son of Eirik the Red, 

 who, in A.D. 995, when attempting to pay a visit to his 

 father, the colonizer of Greenland, was driven by stress of 

 weather to the coast of Newfoundland, which he named 

 Helluland or Bocki/ Land. From that he sailed south-west- 

 ward, till he arrived at a country, which from being covered 

 with wood, he denominated Markland ; and which, from the 

 course and length of his voyage, is believed to be a part of 

 Nova Scotia. Pursuing his course southwards, he reached 

 a portion of Massachusetts, not far from Cape Cod; and 

 coasting along this, he took up his winter quarters in a fer- 

 tile country, which, from his description, is easily seen to 

 have been about Rhode Island. This region, from the dis- 

 covery of a species of wild vine found there, he termed Vzn- 

 land. In the summer, he fitted out his vessel, and sailed to 

 join his father in Greenland. 



The fame of his discovery induced his brother Thorwald, 

 in A.D. 1002, to sail for Vinland, intending to settle there ; 



* Vide. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, No. 38, vol. ii. 



