This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1903 Excerpt: ... land. We.read in the Cosmographia of the middle of the 12th century, referred to above, "uninhabited masses of land extend from Bjarmeland towards the north right up to Greenland."3 A similar account appears in the 13th century: "To the north of Norway lies Finmark. The land extends north east and east, till one comes to Bjarmeland, which pays tribute to the Russian king. From there the land extends to fallow districts in the north on the borders of Greenland."4 The author of the " History of Norway" ends up his account of Greenland with this remarkable passage: "Some sailors, on their way from Iceland to Norway, were driven into the ice-bound region by contrary storms. They landed at last between Greenland and Bjarmeland at a spot, where, as they declared, they found men of extraordinary stature and the country of the Amazons, who conceive after a drink of water. Greenland, which is separated from them by ice-bound rocks, was discovered by the inhabitants of Iceland, colonised, and converted to the Roman Catholic faith. It forms the boundary of Europe in the west, and extends almost to the islands round Africa." 5 The cartographical representation of Greenland varies with the accounts, sometimes it is shown as an island, sometimes as a peninsula. This latter description merits most careful consideration, as in recent years it has received much atten (1) Kretschmer, "Entdeckung" p. 254. (2) Torfaeus, " Gronlandia," p. 25, etc. (3) "Mindesm? III. 221. Werlauff, "Symbolae," p. 14. (4) "Mindesm." III. 217; 222, etc. It will be seen from these passages, that the connecting strip of land was "the uninhabited land," and I learn from Storm that this is a standing express...
