50 ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



manslaughter, and he determined to visit the country Gunbiorn 

 had discovered. Sailing westward in a small vessel, he arrived 

 at the new land, and coasted it toward the south ; then turning 

 a point now known as Cape Farewell, he came to an island, where 

 he passed his first winter. He then remained three years explor- 

 ing the coasts, and finally returned to Iceland, where he gave such 

 a report of " Greenland," as he termed the new country, that it in- 

 duced many of the colonists of both sexes to go back with him. 

 Only some of these reached their destination, the rest turning 

 back or perishing by the way. A colony was now formed, and 

 communication kept up with Iceland, and even with Norway. 

 Leif, the son of Eric, went to the latter place, and, by command of 

 the king, was instructed in the Christian religion, whence he was 

 afterward sent back, attended by a priest, who baptized Eric and 

 all his followers. 



In the year 1001, one of the colonists, named Bjorn, was acci- 

 dentally driven in his ship to the southwest of Greenland, and 

 discovered a new country covered with wood. On his return, 

 Leif fitted out a vessel, and, with Bjorn as pilot, went in search of 

 this new land. He found it to be as described, and termed it 

 Vinland, which there can be no doubt must have been part of 

 North America, about the latitude of 45°. 



Meanwhile the colonists of Greenland increased in number and 

 prosperity. In 1121 Arnold was elected the first bishop, and sev- 

 eral churches were built. After this no less than seventeen bish- 

 ops are known to have been elected from first to last, and the two 

 settlements of East and West Greenland (into which the colonists 

 had divided) numbered about three hundred villages. They had 

 their little barques going from place to place along the western 

 coast so high up as lat. 73°, and even, as is supposed from ancient 

 records and from Eunic inscriptions seen there, to the entrance of 

 the present-named Wellington Channel. 



For a long time after this the history of these colonists is in- 

 volved in obscurity. Intercourse with Europe was obstructed 

 about the beginning of the fifteenth century, and whether the col- 

 onists were cut off by hordes of the Esquimaux from the north or 

 west, or were destroyed by a pestilence, is yet uncertain. There 

 is, however, a document extant, discovered by Professor Mallet 

 in the papal archives, which seems to warrant the idea of a hos- 

 tile fleet " of wild heathen" having made a descent upon the col- 

 ony, fell upon the people, "laid waste the country and its holy 



