4 Gfardiner G. Iluhbard — Discoverers of America. 



Columbus, but as the mariners' compass was not'knoAvn they 

 rarely ventured out of sight of land. 



When Rome became the imperial city commerce, as well as do- 

 minion and authority, centered in Rome, and with her decline and 

 fall shipping and commerce disappeared from the Mediterranean. 



Then, far awa}^ in the north on the Baltic sea, the Northmen 

 began to sail the ocean, not for discovery or commerce but to 

 plunder and ravage richer countries than their own. The vik- 

 ings became noted as bold rovers of the sea, pillaging every 

 country they could reach by water. Sailing southwestward, they 

 landed on the coast of France and made a permanent settle- 

 ment in Normandy. They coasted along the shores of France 

 and Spain, plundering as they went ; passing the Pillars of Her- 

 cules intQ the Mediterranean, they ravaged the coast of Italy and 

 established colonies in southern Italy and Sicily. Sailing west- 

 ward, they conquered and colonized the eastern coast of England 

 and Scotland, the Shetland, Orkney and Faroe islands, and from 

 these islands, in A D 850, they sailed 300 or 400 miles northwest- 

 ward to Iceland, where they made settlements which have contin- 

 ued until our day. One of the early settlers of Iceland was driven 

 by adverse winds to Greenland, Avhere he was comjielled to Avinter, 

 returning in the spring Avith an account of his discovery. About 

 986, Eric the Red, an outlaAV, fled from Iceland AAdth a feAV friends 

 to Greenland. Prevented by the icebergs from landing on the 

 eastern coast, they sailed around cape Farewell to the Avestern 

 coast Avhere they founded two small colonies near Juliansburg, 

 Avhich existed for four hundred years until, forgotten and neg- 

 lected by the mother country, overcome by Avant and hunger, 

 they succumbed to the climate and the attacks of the Eskimo. 

 Shortly after Eric had colonized Greenland, Bjarni, another 

 Northman, sailing for Greenland, AA'as driven by northeasterly 

 winds continuing for many days far southwestward, to a land 

 covered with dense Avoods. There is every reason to believe 

 that this'was America, and that Bjarni Avas its first discoverer. 

 It Avas not the land of ice and glaciers he was seeking, so he sailed 

 northeastAvard again, and in ten days reached Greenland. 



Leif Ericsson, one of the Norse Adkings, hearing of this land of 

 woods, about the year 1000 sailed from Greenland in search of 

 it. Passing the barren coasts of Labrador and NcAvfoundland, 

 Avhich he called Helluland, his party reached Nova Scotia, or 

 Markland, and sailed southAvard to a place Avhere the}'' found 

 grapes, and hence called it Vinelancl. They Avere surprised at the 



