the place of their destination; the rest were either lost or driven back to Iceland. * As the distance between the two countries was little more than two hundred miles, a regular intercourse was established between them; and the number of settlers increased so rapidly, that, soon after the introduction of the Christian religion, about the year 1000, a number of churches were built along the east coast, and a bishop was appointed to superintend the ecclesiastical affairs of the colony. He had his residence at Gardè, and was a suffragan to the Archbishop of Drontheim in Norway. A monastery, dedicated to St. Thomas, was also erected at another small town, called Albe; and, for the space of more than three hundred and fifty years, a regular in tercourse was carried on between that country and Denmark, or Norway. In the year 1406, the last bishop was sent over to Greenland. Since then the colony has not been heard of; and its loss is attributed to the wars which took place at that time between the Danes and Swedes, which prevented the trading-vessels from putting to sea, and to the accumulation of vast shoals of ice around the coasts, by which they have been rendered totally inaccessible. * xiv. Eyrbyggiasaga, cap. xxiv. Landnâmabok, Part II. cap. * ; Different attempts have been made by order of the Danish government, to penetrate to the colony, but they have all proved unsuccessful and some are of opinion, that no such colony ever existed on East Greenland, but that it was situate in the vicinity of the present Danish settlements on the western coast. Egede, however, is of the contrary opinion, and he had the best opportunities of forming a judgment on the subject. Of late, this impenetrable barrier of ice appears to have been broken, and vast masses have been carried away to the southward. The consequence has been, that the vessels which navigate the arctic seas, have penetrated much farther than usual, and have seen the ocean perfectly void of ice, between the 74° and 80° degrees of north latitude. † It would certainly prove highly interesting, both to the friends of humanity and of literature, were the expedition now fitting out from this country for those seas, to discover this ancient colony; and give us an account of the state of religion and science among them, after they have been shut out for so long a period of time, from all intercourse with the rest of the world. That the descendants of the ancient colonists may still exist, although * Description of Greenland, London, 1745, 8vo. cut off from any supplies from Denmark, is rendered probable, by the circumstance, that in Egede's time, the barrier of ice, as far as he explored it, did not connect with the shore, but left a space of open water, in which the inhabitants might catch a sufficient quantity of fish for their support. The fact that America also was first discovered by the Icelanders, though less generally known, is perfectly well authenticated by the northern historians. Biarni Heriulfson, on a voyage from Iceland to Greenland, to visit his father, in the year 1001, was driven by a violent easterly gale into the Atlantic; and, after sailing several days, he discovered a fine woody country, in general flat, and only diversified by small heights, which rose into view upon the coast. Not being able to persuade his men to land, he proceeded with a south-west wind for Greenland, which he reached after a voyage of six days. The description which he gave of the country, some time after, excited the curiosity of Leif Eirikson, whose father had first taken possession of Greenland. This adventurer left Norway in a vessel navigated by thirty-five men, and made first a country to the south-west of Greenland, which, from the description given of its ice-mountains, appears to have been Labra dor. Leaving this inauspicious region, they pro ceeded southwards, till they came to the flat woody country discovered by Biarni; but as they wished to explore the coasts to a greater distance, they again set sail with a north-east wind, and came in two days to an island, separated by a strait from the continent. Having proceeded up this strait, they came to a fine fresh water lake, on the shore of which they built a habitation for their winter residence. The lake abounded with the finest salmon, and the grass retained its verdure, in a great measure, the whole winter. The days were more of an equal length than in Greenland or Iceland, the sun being nine hours above the horizon at the shortest day. One of his men, who was from the south of Germany, having discovered that grapes grew there spontaneously, Leif gave to the country the appropriate name of Vinland, or Vineland, and returned the following spring to Greenland. The American Continent was afterwards visited by Thovald, a brother of Eirik's, who was killed in an engagement with the natives; and a colony of Norwegians was settled there in the course of time, and continued to trade with the natives for the period of nearly two centuries, after the country had been discovered. The population of Iceland is supposed to have been much greater in former times than it is at present. Numbers of the inhabitants were carried off by the plague in the year 1402; and in the years 1707 and 1708 not fewer than 16,000 persons were cut off by the small-pox. * In the year 1801, at which time the last census was taken, the population amounted to 47,207; but is supposed since that time to have received an addition of at least 3000. * With respect to the personal appearance of the Icelanders, they are rather tall, of a frank open countenance, a florid complexion, and yellow flaxen hair. The women are shorter in proportion, and more inclined to corpulency than the men; but many of them would look handsome in a modern European dress. In youth, both sexes are generally of a very weakly habit of body, which is the necessary consequence of their want of proper exercise, and the poorness of their living; yet it is surprising what great hardships they are capable of enduring in after life. It is seldom any of them attain to a very advanced age: however, the females commonly live longer than the men. Owing to the nature of their food, their want of personal cleanliness, |