Small additions to the Vinland Problem. _ 81 
Thorhall the Hunter consulted together as to which direction they 
should take so as to find Vinland. Thorhall was of the opinion that 
they ought to go northwards whilst Karlsefni would first try whether 
he could go southwards and east of the land. He was namely of the 
opinion that they ought to try both ways. After Thorhall’s departure 
northwards, Karlsefni sailed for а long time southwards and reached 
Hop where self-sown wheat-fields and vines were found. It is also 
reported that no snow whatever came and that the cattle were in the 
open all winter finding their own pasture, but this is hardly believable, 
as it is very doubtful their having wintered in Hop at all. They had 
intercourse with the natives. | 
When Karlsefni returned to Straumsfjord from Нор, presumably 
the same summer, he undertook a voyage in search of Thorhall, which 
was unsuccessful. After wintering at Straumsfjord they sailed to Mark- 
land where they were in communication with Eskimos, and they re- 
turned after that to Greenland. 
There is no mention of Karlsefni having found Leif’s Vinland. The 
discovered land was fertile, but troubles with the natives, together with 
mutual controversies necessitated the expedition to return to Greenland. 
I presume that the country Karlsefni reached was not Leif’s Vin- 
land. I will not touch on the correctness of Steensby’s pointing out 
that Karlsefni’s exploring voyage was on the St. Lawrence River, and 
the identification of several places, for it strikes me as being very diffi- 
cult now to decide the places. I sympathize, however, more with Steensby’s 
identification than with any of the other authors’. 
Finally I will remark that, according to ancient Icelandic Annals 
it is highly probable that Northmen in Greenland were at a later period 
in communication with Markland, the southern part of Labrador. 
The information about Vinland in the ancient primary sources is 
very scarce so that it is hopeless to occupy oneself with Leif Ericsson’s 
voyage, but there is no reason why we should reject the general theory 
that Leif was driven over to America’s east coast, probably to New- 
England, where he landed. “There were self-sown wheat-fields and vines 
growing there”. Boston is the biggest town on that tract where Leif 
must have discovered the land and on that account it may be with full 
justice, that the fine statue of Leif Ericsson was raised in 1887 in 
Boston in memory of the first Northman setting foot on America’s 
mainland. 
