16 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 
probably, in a short time, have an opportunity of de- 
termining whether it exists or not where it is laid 
down on the charts. 
In the mean time, however, it may not be amiss to 
say a few words respecting the authorities on which 
the former existence of the land in question rests. 
The first account we have of it, is derived from frag- 
ments of journals, and letters written by Nicolo, and 
Antonio Zeno, two Venetian navigators, who were 
employed about the latter end of the fourteenth cen- 
tury by a Scandinavian prince, named Zichmni, in 
making discoveries in the north seas. And among 
other places discovered by these navigators, is men- 
tioned a large island which obtained the name of Fries- 
land, situated to the southward of Iceland ; but the 
whole account of this, as well as of most of the other 
lands which they explored, is so confused and imper- 
fect, that it is impossible to ascertain the situation of 
the places of which theyspeak ; and some writers have 
even gone so far as to consider their voyages a ro- 
mance altogether, which I think is rather too harsh 
a conclusion, for although the imperfect state in 
which the accounts of their discoveries have been 
handed down to us, render them of no real utility, 
we ought not, without some good reasons, to regard 
them as fabulous. 
From the time of the Zenos, two centuries had 
nearly elapsed before any thing more was heard of 
their Friesland, when its entity was again revived 
by one of the ship’s belonging to Martin Frobisher’s 
fleet (on his third voyage), having, on her return home 
in the year 1578, fallen in with a large island covered 
with wood, in latitude 57°, 30’ N., along which she 
sailed for three days. The vessel’s name was the 
