INTRODUCTION 15 



avoid, therefore, invidious reference as to intercourse with 

 the Greenlanders, it may be fairly admitted, that the sy- 

 nonyme, by whatever voyager to these parts communicated, 

 is justly explained by the above terras : let us vieAv them in 

 connexion : 



Succanuk — the Sun. Succanunga — Greenland. 



Grian — Apollo, or the Sun. Grianland — Land of the Sun. 



The Land of the Sun, or Sunny-land, as familiarly may 

 be said, corresponds with the simple appellation which the 

 natives give their country. The adventurers who came in 

 aftertimes to seek the same shores, not probably under- 

 standing the meaning of the term, yet spelling the word as 

 they could from hearing it often repeated, were inclined to 

 write Grianland in their mode Groenland, which sounds very 

 nearly aUke, but in the language of Denmark has no re- 

 ference to the original, and hence the absurdity of the ap- 

 plication of such a name as Greenland to countries com- 

 paratively destitute of every product of nature that gives a 

 green luxuriance and vegetative beauty to more southern 

 climates. 



The brief view of the subject thus laid down will suffice 

 for such as are desirous to examine the more immediate 

 purpose of this work. Histories of almost every explored 

 portion of the globe crowd the shelves of libraries, and are 



