Page:Archæologia Americana—volume 2, 1836.djvu/48

 19 A SYNOPSIS OF THE INDIAN TRIBES. [iNTROD. Not having had access to Egede's Grammar and Dictionary of the Greenlandish Language a specimen only could be given, taken from his and from Crantz's accounts of Greenland. There is not, it is believed, any extant vocabulary of the dialect of the western coast of Labrador. It differs so far from that of Greenland, that the Moravian missionaries were obliged to make a new translation of the Gospels for the use of the Lab- rador Eskimaux, that previously made for those of Greenland not being sufficiently intelligible to the other tribe. An exam- ination of both has however enabled the learned authors of the " Mithridates " to ascertain the great affinity of the two dialects, in reference both to words and to grammatical forms. Iceland was discovered and settled by the Norwegians in the latter end of the ninth century. I was informed by Mr. Thor- kelson, a learned native of Iceland, and Librarian of the Royal Library of Copenhagen, that it appeared by ancient manu- script Icelandic chronicles, that the island was found already inhabited by a barbarous race, which was exterminated by the invaders. Whether they were Eskimaux cannot be ascertained. Had they been of Norman origin, they would have probably been preserved. Greenland was discovered by the Norwegians or Icelanders, about one hundred years later than Iceland. Fur colonies were planted shortly after on the eastern and western coast, with which an intercourse was continued, both from Iceland and Norway, till the beginning of the fifteenth century, when it ceased, from causes which bave been but imperfectly explain- ed. Unsuccessful attempts were several times made to renew it, and the eastern coast was found inaccessible from tbe per- manent and enormous accumulation of ice on its shores. It was only in 1721, that the Danish government sent a new colony to West Greenland. The ruins of the ancient settle- ment, but no traces of the descendants of the first colonists, were found. The country was then altogether occupied by Eskimaux, of whom, or any other native inhabitants, no very distinct'account is given in the ancient relations.* The south- ern part of the eastern coast continues to be blocked up by ice. But Captain Scoresby was able in 1822 to approach its northern part from about 69° to 73° of north latitude ; and by the nations in the year 1386, is correct, it seems to indicate, that the progress of the Kskimaux, in that quarter, was from west to east.
 * If the account, that the Europeans were for the first time assailed