account of it given by Monf. Mallet is built on the testimony of many ancient annals, both printed and manufcript, of the icelanders themselves; of which there are various notices and extracts in a multitude of books; particularly in Torfæus's: "Series of Kings of Denmark," and in Arngrim's work, intitled, Crymogea. Several Norwegian princes endeavoured, in vain, to deprive the Icelandic colonifts of their liberty and independance. It was full four hundred years before the republic became fubject to Norway, along with which it was afterwards united to the crown of Denmark.

In the 10th and 11th chapters of the treatife before us, we have a diftinct relation of the maritime expeditions of the ancient Danes and Norwegians; towards the conclufion of which the Author obferves, that if, in an age when ignorance overfpread the whole face of Europe, we are surprised to find colo- . nies founded, and unknown regions explored, by a people who are confidered as farther removed than other nations from civility and fcience; how will our furprize be increased when we find them opening a way into that new world, which many ages after occafioned fuch a change among us, and reflected fo much glory on its difcoverers. Strange, fays he, as this may appear, the fact becomes indifputable, when we confider that the best authenticated Icelandic chronicles unanimously. affirm it, that their relations contain nothing that can admit of doubt, and that they are fupported by feveral concurrent. teftimonies. This is an event too interefting and too little known, not to require a circumftantial detail. I fhall proceed then, without any previous reflections, to relate the principal: circumstances, as I find them in the treatife of ancient Vinland, written by Torfæus; and in the Hiftory of Greenland by Jonas Arngrim: two Icelandic Authors of undoubted credit, who have faithfully copied the old hiftorians of their own country.

It would carry us too far to enter into a detail of the difcovery of Vinland, and of the feveral voyages to it; but we cannot avoid tranferibing what Monf. Mallet hath alleged, to prove that, this country was a part of North America.

The discovery of a diftant country called Vinland, and the reality of a Norwegian colony's fettling there, appear to be facts fo well, attefted on all fides, and related with circumftances fo probable, as to leave no room for any doubt. But to fettle the geography of the country where this happened, is not an easy matter. Nevertheless, though we may not be able to afcertain exactly the fituation of Vinland, we have fufficient room to conjecture that this colony could not be far from the coals of Labrador, or thofe of Newfoundland, which are not far from it nor is there any circumftance in the relations of N 3

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the ancient chronicles, but what may be accounted for on fuch a fuppofition.

The first difficulty that must be obviated, is the short space of time that appears to have been taken up in paffing to this country from Greenland. To this end we muft obferve, that the Norwegians might fail from the Weftern, as well as from the Eastern coaft of that country, fince they had settled on both fides of it. Now it is certain that Davis's Streight, which separates Greenland from the American continent, is very narrow in feveral places; and it appears from the journal taken by the learned Mr. Ellis, in his voyage to Hudfon's Bay, that his paffage from Cape Farewell, which is the most Southern point of Greenland, into the entrance of the Bay, was but feven or eight days eafy fail, with a wind indifferently favourable. The diftance between the fame Cape and the nearest coast of Labrador is ftill much lefs. As it cannot be above two hundred French leagues, the voyage could not take up above feven or eight days, even allowing for the delays that muft have happened to the ancients through their want of that skill in navigation which the moderns have fince acquired. This could therefore appear no fuch frightful distance to adventurers who had newly discovered Greenland, which is feparated from Iceland at least as far. This reafoning is ftill farther enforced, when we reflect that the distance of Iceland itfelf, from the nearest part of Norway, is double to that above mentioned.

In effect, the hiftory of the North abounds with relations of maritime expeditions of far greater extent than was neceflary for the discovery of America. The fituation of Greenland, relative to this new country, not being fufficiently known, is the only circumftance that can prejudice one against it: but we should ceafe to be furprifed at thofe fame men croffing a space of two hundred leagues, which was the diftance between them and America, whofe courage and curiofity had frequently prompted them to traverse the ocean, and who had been accuftomed to perform voyages of three or four hundred leagues before they quitted their former fettlements.-There is nothing then in the distance of America that can render it unlikely to have been difcovered by the Norwegians. Let us fee if there are not other greater difficulties.

The relations handed down to us in the chronicles, and the name affixed to this new difcovered country, agree in defcribing it as a foil where the vine fpontaneously grows. This circumftance alone has ferved with many people to render the whole account fufpected; but, on a clofer view, we shall find' it fo far from overthrowing, that it even confirms the other parts of the relation. I fhall not evade the difficulty (as I might) by answering, that very poffibly the Norwegians might

be

be fo little acquainted with grapes, as to mistake currants for them, which in the Northern languages are called Viin-bier, or vine-berries, and of which in feveral places they make a kind of fermented liquor: but I can affert, on the faith of the moft credible travellers, that not only in Canada thè vine grows without cultivation, and bears a small well tafted fruit; but that it is alfo found in far more Northern latitudes, and even where the winters are very fevere.

As to the other circumstances of the relation, the account given by the ancient chronicles agrees in all refpects with the reports of modern voyagers. These tell us, that the native favages of thofe countries, from the frequent ufe they make of them in fishing, can, in a fhort time, collect together a vast number of canoes; that they are very skilful with their bows and arrows; that on the coafts they fish for whales, and in the inland parts live by hunting; fo that their merchandize confifts of whalebone, and various kinds of fkins and furs; that they are very fond of iron or hardware, especially arms, hatchets, and other inftruments of like fort; that they are very apt to rob ftrangers, but are otherwife cowardly and unwarlike.

If to this picture you add, that they are for the most part of a middling ftature, and little skilled in the art of war, it is no wonder that the Norwegians, the largest, strongest, and most active people of Europe, fhould look upon them with contempt, as a pocr, weak, degenerate race. It is remarkable that the name they gave them of SKRELINQUES, is the fame with which they denoted the Greenlanders, when they first difcovered them. In reality thefe GREENLANDERS and the ESKIMAUX seem to have been one people; and this likeness between them, which has fo much ftruck the moderns, could not fail of appearing in a stronger light to the Norwegians, who were still better able to compare them together. "I telieve, fays Mr. Ellis, that the Eskimaux are the same people with the Greenlanders; and this feems the more probable, when we confider the narrownefs of Davis's Streight, and the vagabond strolling life we find all this nation accustomed to lead wherever we meet with them." This is also the opinion of Mr. Egede, who knew the Greenlanders better than any body. He obferves that, acording to their own accounts, Davis's Streight is only a deep bay, which runs on, narrowing towards the North, till the oppofite American continent can be eafily difcerned from Greenland, and that the extremity of this bay ends in a river, over which, wandering favages, inured to cold, might eafily pafs from one land to the other, even if they

had no canoes.

The refult of all this feems to be, that there can be no doubt but that the Norwegian Greenlanders difcovered the

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American continent; that the place where they fettled was either the country of Labrador, or Newfoundland, and that their colony fubfifted there a good while. But then this is all we can fay about it with any certainty. To endeavour to afcertain the exact fite, extent, and fortune of the establishment, would be a fruitlefs labour.'

There is nothing which has been deemed more remarkable in the character of the European nations, than the spirit of gallantry that prevails among them, the refpectful attention paid to women, and the footing of liberty and equality on which they are treated by the men. The cause of this peculiarity in modern manners has exercifed the thoughts of feveral ingenious perfons, who have fought for it in the feudal times, when the diforders of that fyftem were fo great, from the contentions and rapines of the petty lords and their followers, that, at length, it became neceffary for the more honourable knights to enter into engagements for the protection of travellers, and efpecially of the ladies. Hence is fupposed to have arifen a polite and gallant difpofition, which gradually fpread itfelf through the general ranks and orders of the people. Monf. Mallet, however, has afcribed a much more remote origin to the deference which is fhewn, in Europe, to the female fex; and what he hath advanced upon the fubject is curious and entertaining.

While the attention, fays he, of thefe people was thus engroffed by their paffion for arms and the pleafures of the table, we may conclude that love had no violent dominion over them. It is befides well known, that the inhabitants of the North are not of very quick fenfibility. The ideas and modes of thinking of the Scandinavians were, in this refpect, very different from those of the Afiatics and more Southern nations; who, by a contraft as remarkable as it is common, have ever felt for the female fex the warm paffion of love, devoid of any real efteem. Being at the fame time tyrants and flaves, laying afide their own reafon, and requiring none in the object, they have ever made a quick transition from adoration to contempt, and from fentiments of the moft extravagant and violent love, to thofe of the most cruel jealoufy, or of an indifference still more infulting. We find the reverfe of all this among the Northern nations, who did not fo much confider the other fex as made for their pleasure, as to be their equals and companions, whofe efteem, as valuable as their other favours, could only be obtained by conftant attentions, by generous fervices, and by a proper exertion of virtue and courage. I conceive that this will at fift fight be deemed a paradox, and that it will not be an eafy matter to reconcile a manner of thinking which fuppofes fo much delicacy, with the rough unpolished character of this people. Yet I believe the obfervation is fo well grounded, that

one

one may venture to affert, that it is this fame people who have contributed to diffufe through ali Europe that fpirit of equity, of moderation, and generofity, fhewn by the ftronger to the weaker fex, which is at this day the diftinguishing characteristic of European manners: nay, that we even owe to them that fpirit of gallantry which was fo little known to the Greeks and Romans, how polite toever in other respects.

That there fhould, in the North, be a communication of liberty and equality between the two fexes, is what one might expect to find there in those ancient times, when men's property was small, and almost upon an equality; when their manners were fimple, when their paffions difclofed themselves but flowly, and then under the dominion of reafon; being moderated by a rigorous climate, and their hard way of living; and lastly, when the fole aim of government was to preserve and extend liberty. But the Scandinavians went ftill farther, and thefe fame men, who on other occafions were too high-spirited to yield to any earthly power, yet in whatever related to the fair fex feem to have been no longer tenacious of their rights or independance. The principles of the ancient or Celtic religion will afford us proofs of this refpect paid to the ladies, and at the fame time may poffibly help us to account for it. I have often afferted, that the immediate intervention of the Deity, even in the flightest things, was one of their most established doctrines, and that every, even the most minute appearance of nature was a manifeftation of the will of Heaven to thofe who understood its language. Thus men's involuntary motions, their dreams, their fudden and unforeseen inclinations, being confidered as the falutary admonitions of Heaven, became the objects of ferious attention. And an universal refpect could not but be paid to those who were confidered as the organs or inftruments of a beneficent Deity. Now, women must appear much more proper than men for fo noble a purpofe, who being commonly more fubject than we to the unknown laws of temperament and conftitution, feem lefs to be governed by reflection than by fenfation and natural instinct. Hence it was, that the Germans admitted them into their councils, and confulted with them on the business of the state. Hence it was, that among them, as alfo among the Gauls, there were ten propheteffes for one prophet; whereas in the Eaft we find the contrary proportion, if indeed there was ever known an inftance, in thofe countries, of a female worker of miracles. Hence alfo it was, that nothing was formerly more common in the North than to meet with women who delivered oracular informations, cured the most inveterate maladies, affumed whatever fhape they pleased, raised storms, chained up the winds, travelled through the air, and in one word, performed every function of the fairy art. Thus endow

ed