AMERICA.                    47

name of Scraclings, or dwarfish people, from their small
stature. They were armed with bows and arrows, and
had leathern canoes, such as they have at present. All
this is probable, although the following tale of the German,
called T yrker, one of the crew, does not tend to prove the
discovery. He was one day missing; but soon returned,
leaping and singing with all the extravagant marks ofjoy
a boin vivant could shew, on discovering the inebriating
fruit of his own country, the grape; Torfzeus even says,
that he returned in a state of intoxication. To convince
his commander, he brought several branches of grapes,
who from that circumstance named that country Vinland.
It is not to be denied, that North America produces the
true vine; but it -is found in far lower latitudes than our
adventurers could read inthe time employed in their voy-
ages which was comprehended in a very small space.
However, be this as it may, there appears no reason to
doubt the discovery; tut as the land was never colonized,
nor any advantages made of it byte Norwegians, it may
fAirly be conectured, that they reached no farther than the
coast of Labrador. In short, it is from a much later period
that we must date the real discovery of America.
  The mariners of the seventeenth century acquired
great applause by sailing along the coast of Africa and
discovering some of the neighboring islands; and although
the Portuguese were decidedly the most skilful navigators



of the age, stil2, with all their i
they advanced southward no fa



Ad perseverance,
the equator.



  the rich commodities of the East had for several ages
been brought into Europe by the way of the Red Sea and
the Mediterranean; and it had- now become the obj ect
of the Portuguese to fizid a passage to India by sailing
round the southern extremity of Africa, and then taking
an eastern course. Thisgreat object engaged the general
attption of mankind, and drew into the Portuguese service
adventurers from every maritime nation in Europe. Every
ygar added to their experience in navigation and seemed
to japinise a reward to their industry. The prospect,



V