GREENLAND. 



land and Norwegian fcttlors who inhabited the wctlirn dif- 

 tria, in the 14th century; after they had been prevwudy 

 dimiuilhed in number, or very much enfeebled by a pcfti- 

 lence, which raged about the year 1350. On tins occaiion 

 tlie Norwegians were driven from the weft to the eaft (ide, 

 fo that the weilern parts of Greenland were wholly occupied 

 bv thcfc Skra'llings. Some of tlicin blended themfelves with 

 their conquerors, and otlicrs of them receded farther north- 

 wards into the inlets between the n.ountains. The ancient 

 lettlement contained feveral churches and monalleries, from 

 which it wvuld feem that the colony extended over about 

 200 miles in tiie fouth-eallern extremity. On the weft fome 

 ruins of churches have been alfo difcovered. In the eallern 

 diftria, as we have reafon to imagine, there are fome re- 

 mains of the ancient colony, tliough no intercourfe can be 

 maintained betvveen the inhabitants of both iides of the 

 country, on account of liigh mountains, perpetually covered 

 witi> fnow, which fcparate the two parts of Greenland; 

 and the navigation from one to thi; other is impeded by the 

 mountains of ice, that are driven fouthward from Spitzber- 

 gen, or Eaft Greenland. From authentic records we can 

 derive little information that is fatisfatlory, or upon which 

 we can rely. From fome of the moft credible we learn, that 

 Greenland was divided into two diftritls, called " Weft 

 Bygd," and " Eail Bygd;" the former contained four 

 parilhes, and lOO villages; but the latter was more flourifh- 

 ing, as it is nearer to Iceland, and was fooner fettled, and 

 alio more frequented by Norwegian navigators. The co- 

 lony that firll fettled in the eaft, of which we have already 

 given ail account, is laid to have comprehended, in ancient 

 times, 12 extenfive parilhes, 120 villages, a bifhop's fee, and 

 two monafteries. The prefent inhabitants of the weftern dif- 

 trift are feparated from thofc of the eaft by impaffable defer^s 

 and mountains, fo that they know little of one another ; 

 excepting that the eaftern Greenlanders are thought by 

 thofe of the weft to be a cruel and barbarous nation, that 

 deftroy and eat all ftrangers that fall into their hands. For 

 about a century after the ceflation of intercourfe between 

 the Greenlanders and other nations, they were very much 

 neglefted ; all the attempts made by the kings of Denmark 

 to explore the eaftern diftridl having mifcarried. At length, 

 in the year 1578, Frederic II. lent the famous navigator, 

 Magnus Henningfen, who, having encountered much danger 

 from ftornis and ice, and gained fight of land, was obliged to 

 return, probably on account of fome unfounded apprehenhons 

 which deterred him from proceeding farther. About two 

 years before this event, viz. iu 1576, queen Elizabeth lent out 

 Martin Frcbiflier to find a N. W. pafTage to China ; he dif- 

 covered land, which he Tumcd " meta incognita," and par- 

 ticularly the ftraits which bear his name ; and traded with the 

 Indians. On his return he brought with him a black ftone, 

 from which gold was extrafted. In the year 1578 he was 

 fent out again with a view of cftabhihing a colony in Green- 

 land, but he returned, after a ftormy paffage and feveral 

 difafters, with as much of the mineral earth or ore as he 

 could procure, and the defign was never profecuted. Fro- 

 bilher was followed, in the year 1585, by John Davis, who 

 failed as high as N. kt. 64 15', i. e. to Ball's river, where 

 he landed and tradtd with the natives. Then, and in the two 

 following years, he difcovered the coafts of America as high 

 X the 70th degree, and gave the ftraits his own name. In the 

 year '.605, Chriftian IV , king of Denmark, fent the Dan- 

 ifh admiral Godflie Lindenow, accompanied by John Knight, 

 an Englifii mariner, to reconnoitre the coafts of Greenland : 

 the inhaUTtarits on the weft fide were found to be much 

 wilder than thofe on the eaft fide, nor did they at all refemble 

 one another in their language, drefs, and manners. Voyages 



3 



of a fimilar nature were repeated, but no permanent advan- 

 tage refulted from them. 



At length, in the year i7-?i,a pious clergyman of Norway, 

 Hans Egcdc, having long iamonted the wretched condition 

 of the Greenlanders, through the want of religious inftruc- 

 tion, as well as a variety of worldly comforts, and having 

 projefled, from the year 1708, fchemes for their relief, with- 

 out efteft, determined to relinquifti his church prelernicnt, 

 and to make a voyage to Greenland, with a view of accom- 

 plilhing his benevolent intentions. After having collefled a 

 capital of about 2000/., by various fubfcriptions, and ob- 

 tained from the king an appointment of miflionary, with the 

 yearly falary of 60/., befides a prclcnt of 40/. towards his 

 equipment, Mr. Egede placed himfclf at the head of a 

 colony of 40 perfons, and failed for Greenland. Thele ad- 

 venturers, having paffi^'d Statenhook, encountered many dan- 

 gers from ftorms and ice, happily landed at Ball's river, 

 N. lat. 64 , on an ifland near Kangek, wiiich they called 

 after the name of the Ihip in which they had failed, " Haa- 

 bats-Oe," i. e. Hope ifland. They were iiofpitably re- 

 ceived by the natives, and Mr. Egede took great pains, by 

 his condefcending Httention, and by the afliduity with which 

 he coraniuiiicatcd to them religious inftruction, to concihate 

 their friendly attachment. He alfo took great pains to ac- 

 quaint himfelf with the language of the country, and to dif- 

 cover the beft places for hunting and fiftiing, fo as moft 

 efTeftually to ferve the convenience of the colony. He made 

 repeated attempts for exploring the eaftern fide of the coun- 

 try, and for difcovering Frobillier's ftraits, but the wind and 

 ice rendered his efforts unfuccefsful. As a miflionary, he 

 difcharged the trull which he had undertaken with fingular 

 fidelity, diligence, and zeal, and having continued in this in- 

 hofpitablc region till the year i 736, he returned to Denmark 

 with a debilitated conllitutiun. He was loon after appoint- 

 ed fupcrintendent of the miffion in Greenland, with a falary 

 of 100/. per annum, and was ordered to found a fcminary of 

 Undents and orphans, w honi he was to inftrucf in the Green- 

 land language, and who were to fupply a fucceflion of miftion- 

 aries and catechills. He fpent his latter years in a recefs 

 with his daughter, en the ifland of Falllcr, and there clofed 

 his life of fervice and honour, November 5th, I 758, in the 

 73d year of his age. To him and to his fon, Paul Egede, we 

 are indebted for the moft ample and authentic account of 

 modern Greenland. Tlie example of Mr. Egede has been 

 fince foliowed by Several miflionaries, particularly from among 

 the Moravians, whofe principal fettlements were at Kangek, 

 New Hernihutli, and Lichtenfcls. From Mr. Egede we 

 learn that the moft practicable n^ethod of reaching the eaftern 

 part of Greenland \vd) be to coaft north about in fmall veflels, 

 between the great llakcs of ice and the Ihore ; the Green- 

 landers having always declared, that the currents, which 

 rjfli from the bays and inlets, and run fouth-weftward along 

 the fliore, hinder the ice from adhering to the land, fo that 

 there is always a channel open, through which veflels of 

 fmall burden may pafs, efpecially if lodges were built at 

 convenient diftances on the fhore, for the accommodation and 

 dire<ftion of the adventurers. The part of the country that 

 is now vifited by the Danes and Norwegians, lies between the 

 64th and 68th degrees of N. latitude, and fo far the climate 

 is found to be temperate. We are told, however, that the 

 country is inhabited as far as 76 ; but the Danifti and 

 Moravian fettlements are chiefly in the fouth-weft, though 

 at one time there appears to have been a faftory as far north 

 as 73". 



In the fummer, from the end of May to the middle of 

 September, the weather is warm and comfortable, when the 

 wind blows from the eaft : though violent ftorms then occur, 



and 



