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104 General Notes. (January, | 
Germany, Colombia and the United States, though we regret to | 
say that our own country had only one representative at any time — 
during the congress. ; 
- The opening session was presided over by the eminent arche- 
ologist, Professor Worsaae, who delivered the address of wel- 
come. He referred to the close relations which Scandinavia and 
Denmark had maintained, for nearly a thousand years, with Joe 
land, Greenland and Northern America, described some of the — 
voyages of the Northmen, and called attention to a model of one 
of their ancient ships‘which was exhibited in the hall. He was 
followed by M. Fabie (the delegate from Spain), M. Lucien Adam — 
(from France), and M. Anatole Bamps (from Belgium). The ad 
dress of the latter gave a brief but masterly sketch of the evi 
dence of the existence of palzolithic man in America, and asked 
the especial attention of the congress to this subject. Not only, 
said the speaker, is the testimony now ample that man existed in 
America at the close of the glacial epoch, but we are even just 
fied in saying that from a comparison of similar discoveries 1n the 
two hemispheres, the -huma race appears to have occit ie 
America at an epoch anterior fo any of which we have yet evr 
dence in Asia or Europe. 
At the session of the following day, the same topic was brought 
up by M. Lütken, who described the human remains found i 
caverns in Brazil by the late Dr. Lund. They were intimately 
associated with the bones of extinct animals, and gave pr 
of a high antiquity. M. Reiss, of Berlin, described similar results : 
from his own researches in Brazil and in Buenos Ayres. = 
A variety of new materials for the history of Columbus's ee 
ages was epitomized by M. Herrera, who has collected a mass 0 
unexpected information from unpublished documents in Spam 
Thus, contrary to what has been often stated, he shows that 
olumbus actually landed on the mainland of the continent at ê 
number of points. ; a 
During the second day two papers were presented in English. 
One was by Mr. Löffler, on the discovery of Vinland by theat 
cient Scandinavians. He refuted the opinion of the hito 
Bancroft that the Icelandic sagas are without historical value, air 
argued that Vinland should be located as far south as the ek 
of Virginia.’ The other paper was by Dr. Brinton, of Philace 
phia, one of the vice-presidents of the congress, an the om 
delegate from the United States. It was a sketch of the lite 
ture by native authors in the aboriginal tongues of America. M 
Another paper in English was read the following day bya 
Steenstrup. The subject was the ruins of ancient European “i 
onies which are discovered in unexpected spots in Green% pies 
No record of these settlements remain beyond obscure, ae 
in the sagas, which have been called in question. But 1t 15 Se 
that a much larger population once existed in that incleme” 
