M. DE LA MOTHE LE VAYEE. 



Sir, — I see plainly that I must not content myself "svith 

 having written you a long letter on Iceland : but I must also 

 keep my promise, and send you a description of Greenland. 

 Do not be astonished at the length of time I have allowed to 

 elapse between the two ; for if you consider the difficulties 

 and the perils that have to be encountered in that naviga- 

 tion, you will find that I was right in not hurrying, but 

 informing myself at leisure of the route I must take to find 

 this northern country, which better merits the name of un- 

 known than Australia does, not but what the Norwegians 

 have dwelt there and for the space of five or six hundred 

 years have carried on commerce and established colonies 

 therein. Let me not, however, confuse the order of my 

 narrative by putting at the head of this work that which 

 should constitute the body of it. I will tell you what I have 

 learned of this land, with all the information I could gather 

 from what has been told me, and what I could understand 

 from writings of a very confused character, not that I can say 

 that I read them myself, but they were explained to me from 

 a language that I do not understand; such as the Danish books 

 Avhich M. Rets, a Danish gentleman, has had the kindness 

 to read and explain to me. You will sec him soon at Paris, 

 for the king of Denmark has appointed him, on account of 

 his worth and deserts, to be his ambassador to France, and 

 he will confirm what I am going to write. 



