THE
NATURAL HISTORY
OF
GREENLAND.
CHAP. I.
Greenland lies but 40 Miles to the West off of Iceland; beginning from the 59th Degree 50 Minutes. The Eastern Coast extends itself in the North as far as Spitz-Berg, between 78 and 80 Degrees; which is thought to be an Island, separated from the Continent of Greenland. Greenland probably is contiguous to America on the West-Side.The Western Shore is discover'd as far as 70 odd Degrees. Whether it be a large Island, or borders upon Countries to the North, is not yet found out; there seems great Reason to believe, it is contiguous to America on the North-West Side; because there we meet with the Bay or Inlet, which in the Sea-Carts is called Davis's Strait, from an Englishman, who in the Year 1585 was the first Discoverer of it; and is yearly frequented by Ships of different Nations, on account of the Whale-Fishery: But no Body as yet has been able to find out the Bottom of it. And according to the Notice we have endeavoured to gather from those Greenlanders who live farthest to the North, there is either but a very narrow Passage between America and Greenland; or, as is most likely, they are quite contiguous[1]: and I am the more inclined to believe this, because the farther you go Northwards in the said Strait, the lower is the Land; contrary to what we observe, where it borders on the Seas or main Ocean,'Tis uncertain, whether it borders upon Asiatic Tartary, on the North-East Side. it never wants lofty Promontories. It has been the commonly received Opinion, of a long standing, that Greenland borders upon the Asiatic Tartary, and Moscovia on the North-East; what confirms them in this Notion is an old Story they give Credit to, that a certain Harrald Goat did travel by Land, over Mountains and Rocks, from Greenland to Norway, bringing along with him a She-Goat, of whose Milk he lived on the Journey; by which he got the Surname of Harrald Goat. Furthermore, the ancient Greenland Christians in their Chronicles relate, that there were come to them from the Northern Parts, foreign Rain-Deer and Sheep, marked upon the Ears, and with some Marks tied to their Horns; from which they concluded, that the Northern Parts of Greenland were also inhabited. Vid. Theodore Torlaccius. But the contrary is proved by later Experiments made by the Navigation of DutchmenIs contradicted by Dutch Navigators. and others to the North. See Zordrager's Greenland-Fishery, Part II. Ch. 10.
Greenland is a high, mountainous Country, continually covered with Snow and Ice.Greenland is a high and rocky Country, always covered with Ice and Snow (except on the Sea-Side, and in the Bays or Inlets) which never thaws nor melts away. You may judge of the Height by the Prospect they yield at more than 20 Norway Miles Distance from the Shore. The whole Coast is surrounded with a vast Number of large and small Islands. There are a great many Inlets and large Rivers to be met with, among which the Principal is called Baal's River in 64 Degrees, and has been navigated 18 or 20 Norway Miles up the Country; where the first Danish Lodge was settled in the Year 1721. In all Sea-Carts you will find laid down Forbisher's Straits and Baer-Sound not to be found.Forbisher's Strait and Baer-Sound, which, they pretend, form two large Islands, adjacent to the Main-Land; which, I think, are not to be found, at least, not upon the Coast of Greenland; for I cou'd not meet with any thing like it, in the Voyage I undertook in the Year 1723 Southward, going upon Discoveries; though I went as far as to 60 Degrees that Way: But at present the newer Carts lay them down, the Northern Strait in 63, and the Southern in 62 Degrees. Some of the Ancients, which Thormoder follows in his Greenlandd History, place them between 61 and 60 Degrees. So that the Carts differ mightily in this Particular. No Notice is taken of any such Straits or Islands in the ancient Records of Greenland.Besides this, there is not a Word or a Syllable mention'd in our ancient Records of Greenland of the aforesaid two Straits and large Islands: They only inform us, that after the old Norwegians and Icelanders had began to settle Colonies on the East Side of Greenland, over against Iceland, they continued to spread themselves all along the Shore and in the Bays; as far as Baal's River, where they did stop; and where we find many Ruins of the old Norwegian Edifices. And whereas I myself have lately met with so many Stone Buildings, so far to the South, I think my Conclusion is good, that the Land upon which these Houses stand, is no particular Island, but contiguous to the Main. It is therefore very reasonable to believe, that whereas the Ancients took Notice of, and so accurately described, all those Bays and Islands that were inhabited; they would not have passed by in Silence these two large Islans, whereupon such stately Buildings were erected. And for this Reason I have hereto joined a new Map or Delineation of Greenland, to shew the Contiguousness of the East and West Greenland, agreeably to other new Carts of Thermoder and others; which I follow as far as I find them not contradictory to the Description of the Ancients, and to my own Experience.
- ↑ According to the Relation and Opinion of those Greenlanders, that inhabit the Gulf of Disco, in 69 Degrees Greenland is an Island, which they infer from the strong Current that runs from the North, and keeps the Ice open even into the midst of the Sea: They will also tell you, they have spoken with People different from themselves on the other Side of the Ice, and hail'd them: Their Language (they say) is the same, but the Persons different, so that a small Straight only divides Greenland from America. The said Straights are so narrow, that Men on both Sides can shoot at once one and the same Fish. The Continent farthest to the North is all covered with Ice: The Islands only uncovered, where Rain-Deer, Geese, and other wild Birds are found in great Numbers.