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 Americana, in a paper read atthe last 
meeting of the Academy. 
1. Theexplanation 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 Ingebicerg in Ice- 
landic, Ingijboerg in Farvish, but supposed to be Inivaca, 
also appeared in the genealogy. 
2. 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 Skrelings, 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 Skrelings were an intelligent race appeared 
evident from their possessing a kind of dalista, and other 
warlike engines unknown to the Northmen. To refute the 
possible objection that Brazil wood, if a product of ancient 
