202 
George Downes, Esq., M. A. read a paper entitled“ Some 
Remarks on the Antiquitates Americana, lately published in 
Copenhagen.” 
The author, after remarking that this volume, which had 
appeared under the auspices of the Royal Society of Northern 
Antiquaries, contained an account of the early discoveries of 
the Northmen in America, stated the two-fold nature of his 
object :— 
Ist. To advert to some leading features of the past re- 
searches of the Society in connexion with those discoveries. 
2nd. To hazard a conjecture respecting their future re- 
searches. 
The author observed, in the first place, that the present 
account, although not altogether new, was not only more cor- 
rect than any other, but supported by evidence, drawn partly 
from Icelandic MSS. nearly coeval with the principal events 
recorded, which took place about the opening of the eleventh 
century, partly from the modern researches of learned Ame- 
ricans. He stated that, as Arctic discoverers of America 
the Northmen attained as high a latitude as the most distin- 
~ guished modern navigators ; and detailed the Icelandic geo- 
graphy of the eastern part of North America, from Cumber- 
land Island to the Chesapeak. He next adverted to the Irish 
part of the same continent, supposed to extend from the 
Chesapeak to the Gulf of Mexico, and inwards to the Missis- 
sippi. This tract was called Whitemensland, or Great Ire- 
land, and was inhabited by an Irish colony prior even to the 
Norse ante-Columbian discoverers of America. Evidence 
of this fact was adduced from the Antiquitates Americane, 
in the form of two traditions :—one held by the Shawanese 
Indians who had emigrated from Florida to Ohio; the other 
by the Faroese islanders. To this evidence the author ad- 
ded a conjecture of his own, founded on the similarity be- 
tween the first part of the word Estotiland (a name of the 
Icelandic Vineland, which does not occur in the work,) and 
Scotia, an old name of Ireland. 
