An account of discoveries in the West until 1519, and of voyages to and along the Atlantic coast of North America, from 1520 to 1573. : Prepared for "The Virginia historical and philosophical society".

Front matter

aN^'

V'

V-

Preface

On the 29th of December 1831, some of the citizens of Virginia formed themselves into a society by the name of " The Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society." The general assembly of the state, by an act of the 10th of March 1834,* incorporated the society, and by a resolution of the 6th of February 1 835, directed to be presented to it, a copy of the large map of Virginia, and such books and papers belonging to the library fund as the joint committee on the library might designate.!

A leading object of the society was to collect and preserve books and papers, both in print and manuscript, relating to the history of America, and especially of Virginia ; — to make its library a repository of every thing of the kind as far as practicable. It was also contemplated to publish from time to time, the most valuable of its collections, so as to disseminate information of the matter thus acquired, and

IV PREFACE.

have the security against destruction or loss which a multiphcation of copies, by printing, would afford. Accordingly, as early as 1833, the society published, in a pamphlet of 85 pages, some of the manuscripts collected by it.

Its operations were suspended from the 20th of February 1838 until the 18th of February 1847. Then through the efforts of a few gentlemen, prominent among whom was William Maxwell, Esquire, the society was re-organized. Its first annual meeting, under its new organization, was held on the 16th of January 1848. On this occasion an appropriate address was delivered by the president, William C. Rives, Esquire ; and a report was made by the executive committee.

A part of " the plan of the committee," set forth in this report, "is to publish in chronological order, whatever matter relating to our history, it may deem worthy of publication. In preparing the matter for the press," the committee say. " a careful examination will be made, not only of Smith, Beverley, Stith, Burk, and other books with which a Virginian is familiar, but of other works, hitherto not accessible in this state. What is taken from each will be given in the language of the original author. It will be a leading object to prepare the matter with such fullness, that in each volume published by the society, may be found all that is of value in the period of our history, embraced by it. While, at the same time, it will be attempted to make

PREFACE. V

the volumes less repulsive to the general reader, than collections of historical societies usually are. The plan of preparing the matter in the order of time, will conduce to this, and entitle the volumes to the name which will be given them of 'Annals of Virginia.' "

Before publishing those annals, it has been thought best that there should be a preliminary volume giving an account of the discoveries in this western hemisphere until the invasion of Mexico in 1519; and of the voyages to and along the Atlantic coast of North America down to 1573. The chairman of the executive committee, from whom this account was desired, had, otherwise, ample occupation for all his time. To execute in a manner satisfactory to himself, the important work entrusted to him and his able coadjutor by the general assembly, namely, the revision of the general statutes of Virginia, he had found himself under the necessity, during its progress, of diminishing considerably his professional business. For him, at such a time, to compile what the committee wished, was, to say the least, extremely inconvenient. He saw no way in which it could be done, except by his taking for it, in lieu of other relaxation, a part of each night for several months. In this way he has accomphshed the volume ; it goes from him now to the members of the society, prepared as well as his other engagements would permit.

VI PREFACE.

A good deal of matter not generally known, will, it is thought, be found in it. Nearly all the accounts which it contains, of voyages to Florida, and some of the other accounts, have been translated from "Voyages, relations et memoires originaux pour servir a Phistoire de la decouverte de L'Amerique, publies pour la premiere fois en Fran9ais, par H. Ternaux." From 1837 to 1841, twenty volumes were published in Ternaux's Collection, all of which have been examined in the preparation of this volume, so far as their connection with the subject made it proper.

Richmond, August 1848.

*

Chapter II

Of Christopher Columbus ; his plan for reaching India by a route to the west ; the fate of his applications to the Court of Portugal from 1470 to 1484, and afterwards to the Court of Spain till 1492; a squadron then fitted out.

Chapter III

Of the first voyage of Columbus to the west; his departure on the 3d of August 1492 ; discovery of land in the West Indias on the 12th of October in that year; and return to Spain in March 1493.

Chapter IV

Of the second voyage of Columbus ; discovery of other isles in 1493 and 1494 ; settlement at La Navidad destroyed and City of Isabella built.

VIU CONTENTS.

Chapter V

Of the application of Columbus, through his brother Bartholomew, to Henry the Seventh of England; the arrival of Bartholomew at Hispaniola; and the meeting there of the two brothers in 1494.

Chapter VI

Of the departure, in the absence of Columbus, of some of the malcontents for Spain ; state of hostilities; bold exploit of Alonzo de Ojeda; Indian prisoners sent to Spain to be sold as slaves; the interposition of Isabella for them; and the sufferings of the natives notwithstanding.

Chapter VII

Of the arrival at Hispaniola of Juan Aguado as commissioner in 1495; the return of Columbus and Aguado to Spain in 1496; the favourable reception of Columbus by the sovereigns; and their promise to him of another armament.

Chapter VIII

Of the discovery of North America by Sebastian Cabot. Explanation of the diflference between the legal year as used in England before 1752, and the year as generally used in historical chronology. Under a license which issued in February of the legal year 1497, Cabot having discovered North America in June following, that June shewn to be in 1498, and the discovery therefore not in 1497 but in 1498.

Chapter IX

Of the discovery of the continent of South America by Columbus in 1498; and the treatment which he experienced afterwards.

Chapter X

Of the voyage of Americus Vespucius with Alonzo de Ojeda, and of other voyages from Spain along the coast of South America in 1499 and 1500.

CONTENTS. IX,

CHAPTER XL

Of the accidental discovery of Brazil by the Portuguese in 1500 ; the voyage of Americus Vespucius, under the King of Portugal, to that province in 1501 ; the voyage of Cortereal in the same year to the northwest; and the patents obtained from Henry the Seventh of England in 1501 and 1502, by Portu-

. guese, to enable them to make discoveries.

CHAPTER XH.

Of the fleet and orders sent out with Ovando to Hispaniola in 1502 ; the voyage made the same year to the northern coast of South America by Alonzo de Ojeda; the last voyage of Columbus; and his wearisome detention at Jamaica.

CHAPTER Xm.

Of the voyage of Americus Vespucius to Brazil in 1503; and the name of America given to this part of the world.

CHAPTER XIV.

Of the return of Columbus from the West Indias to Spain in 1504, and his death in 1506 ; observations on his character.

CHAPTER XV.

Of the little port of Palos, where Columbus fitted out his ships; a pilgrimage to it by an American.

CHAPTER XVI.

Of Americus Vespucius from 1505 to 1508; his appointment then as chief pilot of Spain; and the expeditions of Vicente Yanez Pinzon and Juan Diaz de Solis in 1506 and 1508.

CHAPTER XVII.

Of the subjugation of Hispaniola, and its government under Diego Columbus; also of the subjugation of Porto Rico in 1509, while Juan Ponce de Leon was commander in that island.

X CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Of the subjugation of Jamaica in 1509, and the armaments in the same year to found colonies along the isthmus of Darien ; the attempts of Alonzo de Ojeda to plant his colony ; his conflicts with the Indians; and the formula read to them as an excuse for killing them.

CHAPTER XIX.

Of the voyage of Alonzo de Ojeda in 1509 from the isthmus of Darien for Hispaniola; his landing in Cuba, and his hardships there on his journey by land ; the little oratory which he built ; his course then by Jamaica to San Domingo, and his death there.

CHAPTER XX.

Of the proceedings of Diego de Nicuesa, the Bachelor Martin Fernandez de Enciso, Vasco Nunez de Balboa and Francisco Pizarro in 1509, 1510 and 1511 ; the settlement of the three last at Darien ; the conduct of the people of Darien to Nicuesa ; his hardships and death.

CHAPTER XXI.

Of the return of the Bachelor Enciso to Spain in 1511 ; the attack of Vasco Nunez upon Careta, the cacique of Coyba ; the peace made between them by Vasco Nunez taking as a wife a young and beautiful daughter of Careta; his friendly visit to Comagre; the skill and solidity of the architecture of Comagre's village; and the information received from the son of Comagre, of a great sea and opulent country beyond the mountains.

CHAPTER XXII.

Of the death of Americus Vespucius in 1512, and the appointment of Sebastian Cabot as his successor ; Bartholomew Columbus sent this year from Spain with instructions to his nephew the admiral.

CONTENTS. XI

CHAPTER XXIII.

Of the discovery of Florida in 1512 by Juan Ponce de Leon.

CHAPTER XXIV.

Of several expeditions of Vasco Nunez in 1512; the conspiracy this year by the natives and the defeat of their plan ; the absence of news from Valdivia who had been sent on a mission to Hispaniola ; the stranding of Valdivia and his crew on the coast of Yucatan ; the sending of commissioners from Darien to Spain; and the arrival at Darien of ships from Hispaniola with supplies.

CHAPTER XXV.

Of the journey by Vasco Nunez across the isthmus of Darien, and his discovery of the Pacific ocean on the 26th of September 1513.

CHAPTER XXVI.

Of the voyage of Vasco Nuiiez along the coast of the Pacific; the intimation received by him of the great empire of Peru ; and his return to Darien on the 19th of January 1514.

CHAPTER XXVII.

Of the appointment of Don Pedro Arias Davila, commonly called Pedrarias, in 1514, as governor of Darien ; the prosperous state of the colony under the management of Nunez when Pedrarias arrived ; the conduct of Pedrarias to Nuraez ; the sickness of the colony soon after the arrival of Pedrarias; his unsuccessful expeditions ; and the despatches from Spain in favour of Nuiiez.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Of several expeditions in 1515 under Pedrarias, one of which was to the Pacific; also of the discovery of the Rio de la Plata.

Xll CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXIX.

Of Juan Ponce de Leon; his voyage to Guadaloupe in 1515, the visit this year of Diego Columbus to Spain, and the death of Bartholomew Columbus; also of Sebastian Cabot, from 1515 to 1518.

CHAPTER XXX.

Of the reconciliation between Pedrarias and Vasco Nunez; a marriage agreed upon between Nunez and the eldest daughter of Pedrarias, to take place on her arrival from Spain ; authority to Nunez in 1516 to make an expedition to explore the Southern Ocean ; his proceedings; the perfidy of Andres Garabito; the hypocrisy of Pedrarias, and his arrest of Nunez.

CHAPTER XXXI.

Of the trial and execution in 1517 of Vasco Nunez de Balboa, the discoverer of the Pacific Ocean.

CHAPTER XXXII.

Of the voyage of Juan de Ampies to Coriana in 1517; and the building of the town of Coro; also of Oviedo, the celebrated historian.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

Of the discovery of Yucatan by Francisco Hernandez de Cordova in 1517; the voyage thither of Juan de Grijalva in 1518; the rescue there in 1519 by Hernando Cortez of Jeronimo de Aguilar one of the companions of Valdivia, whose vessel was stranded on that coast several years before; and the famous voyage of Magellan.

CONTENTS. Xm

Book II

VOYAGES TO AND ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST OF NORTH AMERICA, FROM 1520 TO 1573.

CHAPTER L

Of the voyages of Luke Vasquez d'Aylon to Florida in 1520 and 1524 ; and that of Juan Ponce de Leon in 1521.

CHAPTER H.

Of the project of Cortez in 1524, for examining the coast of the Atlantic as well as the Pacific.

CHAPTER in.

Of the voyage of John de Verazzano in 1524, along the coast of North America, from Carolina to Newfoundland.

CHAPTER IV.

Of the voyage of Stephen Gomez to the northwest in 1525.

CHAPTER V.

Of the voyage made by Sebastian Cabot in 1526.

CHAPTER VI.

Of a voyage from England to the northwest in 1527.

CHAPTER VII.

Of the expedition of Pamphilo de Narvaez to Florida in 1527; and Cabeca de Vaca's long and perilous journey on foot to Mexico.

XIV CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VIII.

Of the period from 1527 to 1534.

CHAPTER IX.

Of the voyage of Jacques Carthier to Newfoundland in 1534.

CHAPTER X.

Of the second voyage of Jacques Carthier, wherein he explored the St. Lawrence, in 1535.

Chapter XVI

Of an examination of the coast of Florida in 1558, wherein was seen a bay, described as "the largest and most commodious bay of all on these shores," which was named then Philipina,

CONTENTS. XV

and afterwards Santa Maria Philipina; also of an expedition in 1559, to the port of Y'Chuse, in thirty degrees twenty minutes, about twenty leagues south of the bay of Santa Maria; and of a reconnoissance in 1561, to about thirty-five degrees.

Chapter XXI

Of the Chevalier de Gourgue ; his chivalrous enterprise ; the manner in which the massacre of the French in Florida by the Spaniards in 1565 was avenged by him at the same place in 1568.

CHAPTER XXIL

Communication from Robert Greenhow, Esq., stating that the Spaniards in 1566, had knowledge of, and in 1573 visited a bay called Santa Maria, in the latitude of thirty-seven degrees; and suggesting that this bay must have been the Chesapeake.

II Book I

OF DISCOVERIES IN THE WEST UNTIL 1519.

Chapter I

Of the alleged discovery of America by the Northmen in the eleventh, by the Welch in the twelfth, and by Nicholas and Antonio Zeno in the fourteenth century.

Many elaborate dissertations have been written to prove that discoveries were made on the northern coast of America before the era of Columbus. The following is extracted from the second chapter of Mr. Wheaton's History of the Northmen :*

" There was formerly, say the ancient Sagas, a man named Herjolf, who was descended from Ingolf, the first settler of Iceland. This man navigated from one country to another with his son Bjarne. and generally spent the winters in Norway. It happened once on a time that they were separated from each other, and Bjarne sought his father in Norway, but not finding him there, he learnt that he was gone to the newly discovered country of Greenland.

♦ "History of the Northmen or Danes rary member of the Scandinavian and Ice-

and Normans from the earliest times to landic literary societies at Copenhagen,"

the conquest of England by William of published at Philadelphia in 1831. Normandy. By Henry Wheaton, hono-

2 VOYAGES IN ELEVENTH CENTURY. [book i.

Bjarne resolved to seek and find out his father, wherever he might be, and for this purpose set sail for Greenland (1001), directing himself by the observation of the stars, and by what others had told him of the situation of the land. The three first days he was carried to the west, but afterwards, the wind changing, blew with violence from the north, and drove him southwardly for several days. He at last descried a flat country, covered with wood, the appearance of which was so different from that of Greenland, as it had been described to him, that he would not go on shore, but made sail to the northwest. In this course, he saw an island at a distance, but continued his voyage, and arrived safely in Greenland, where he found his father established at the promontory, afterwards called Herjolfsnces, directly opposite to the southwest point of Iceland.

"(1002.) In the following summer, Bjarne made another voyage to Norway, where he was hospitably received by Erik, a distinguished Jarl of that country. The Jarl, to whom he related his adventures, reproached him for not having explored the new land towards which he had been accidentally driven. Bjarne having returned to his father in Greenland, there was much talk among the settlers of pursuing his discovery. The restless, adventurous spirit of Leif, son of Erik the Red, was excited to emulate the fame his father had acquired by the discovery of Greenland. He purchased Bjarne's ship, and manned it with thirty-five men. Leif then requested his father to become the commander of the enterprize. Erik at first declined, on account of the increasing infirmities of his old age, which rendered him less able to bear the fatigues of a sea-faring life. He was at last persuaded by his son to embark, but as he was going down to the vessel on horseback, his horse stumbled, which Erik received as an evil omen for his undertaking :—' I do not believe,' said he, 'that it is given to me to discover any more lands, and here will I abide.' Erik

Chap. I.] Voyages In Eleventh Century. 3

returned back to his house, and Lief set sail with his thirty-five companions, among whom was one of his father's servants, a native of the South-countries, named Tyrker (Dieterich-Dirk), probably a German.

" They first discovered what they supposed to be one of the countries seen by Bjarne, the coast of which was a flat, stony land, and the back ground crowned with lofty mountains, covered with ice and snow. This they named Helluland, or the flat country. Pursuing their voyage farther south, they soon came to another coast, also flat, covered with thick wood, and the shores of white sand, gradually sloping towards the sea. Here they cast anchor and went on shore. They named the country Mark-land, or the country of the wood, and pursued their voyage with a northeast wind for two days and nights, when they discovered a third land, the northern coast of which was sheltered by an island. Here they again landed, and found a country, not mountainous, but undulating and woody, and abounding with fruits and berries, delicious to the taste. From thence they re-embarked, and made sail to the west to seek a harbour, which they at last found at the mouth of a river, where they were swept by the tide into the lake from whicli the river issued. They cast anchor, and pitched their tents at this spot, and found the river and lake full of the largest salmon they had ever seen. Finding the climate very temperate, and the soil fruitful in pasturage, they determined to build huts and pass the winter here. The days were nearer of an equal length than in Greenland or Iceland, and when they were at the shortest, the sun rose at half past seven, and set at half past four o'clock.*

" It happened one day soon after their arrival, that Tyrker, the German, was missing, and as Leif set a great value upon the youth, on account of his skill in various arts, he

* Supposing this compntalion to be cor- Boston, the present capital of New Engrect, it must have been in the latitude of land.

4 VOYAGES IN ELEVENTH CENTURV. [book i.

sent his followers in search of him in every direction. When they at last found him, he began to speak to them in the Teutonic language, with many extravagant signs of joy. They at last made out to understand from him in the North tongue, that he had found in the vicinity vines bearing wild grapes. He led them to the spot, and they brought to their chief a quantity of the grapes which they had gathered. At first Leif doubted whether they were really that fruit, but the German assured him he was well acquainted with it, being a native of the southern wine countries. Leif, thereupon, named the country Yinland.

"In the spring following, Leif returned to Greenland. In the winter died his father, Erik the Red, and his brother Thorwald, not being satisfied with the discoveries made by Leif, obtained from him his ship, and engaged thirty companions to embark with him on a new voyage of discovery. On his arrival in Vinland, he passed the winter in the huts constructed by Leif, and subsisted by fishing. In the spring, he took with him a part of his ship's company in a large boat, and explored the coast to the westward, which he found a pleasant country, well wooded, the shores consisting of banks of white sand, and a chain of islands running along the coast, separated from each other by shallow inlets, but no trace of wild beasts or of human inhabitants, except a corn-shed of wood. After spending the summer in this excursion, they returned to their winter quarters. In the following summer, Thorwald sailed in his ship to examine the east and north, but was cast on shore by a storm, and the whole season was lost in repairing the vessel. Here he erected the keel of his ship, which was no longer fit for service, on a head-land, which he called, from that circumstance, Kijalar-nes. He then pursued his voyage to the eastward, giving names to the various capes and bays which he discovered, until he came to a large inlet, where he cast anchor, attracted by the promising appearance of the coun-

CHAP, i] VOYAGES IN ELEVENTH CENTURY. 6

try, which rose in high lands covered with thick wood. Here the adventurers disembarked, and Thorwald declared ' this is a goodly place : here will I take up my abode.' Shortly afterward, the adventurers descried on the shore three small batteaux made of hides, under each of which was a band of three natives. These they took prisoners, except one, who made his escape to the mountains, and inhumanly put them to death the same day. A little while after, their wanton cruelty was avenged by the natives, who approached in a multitude of batteaux, and took the companions of Thorwald by surprise, as they were imprudently sleeping, contrary to his admonitions. Thorwald gave them the alarm, and ordered them to shield themselves against the arrows of the natives by wooden balks set up against the sides of the vessel. Not one of his companions was wounded, and the natives took to flight, after discharging a shower of arrows at the Northmen. But Thorwald himself received a mortal wound, and at his own request was buried at the point of the promontory, where he meant to have settled, and a cross erected at his head and another at his feet. The cape was named, from this circumstance, Krossa-nes. The colony of Greenland had been before this time converted to Christianity, but Erik the Red, Thorwald's father, died a heathen. The survivors of Thorwald passed the winter in Vinland, and in the spring returned to Greenland with the news of their discoveries, and of the melancholy fate of Thorwald.

"The native inhabitants found by the Northmen in Vinland, resembled those on the western coast of Greenland. These Esquimaux were called by them Skroelingar, or dwarfs, from their diminutive and squalid appearance, in the same manner as their Gothic ancestors had given a similar appellation to the Finns and Laplanders. They found these aborigines deficient in manly courage and bodily strength.

6 VOYAGES IN ELEVENTH CENTURY. [BOOK I.

" Erik left another son, named Thorstein, who, having learnt the death of his brother Thorwald, embarked for Vinland with twenty-five companions and his wife Gudrida, principally for the purpose of bringing home the body of his deceased brother. He encountered on his passage contrary winds, and after beating about for some time, was at last driven back to a part of the coast of Greenland, far remote from that where the Northmen colony was established. Here he was compelled to pass the winter, enduring all the hardships of that rigorous season in a high northern latitude, to which was added tlie misfortune of a contagious disease which broke out amongst the adventurers. Thorstein and the greater part of his companions perished, and Gudrida returned home with his body.

'•' In the following summer, there came to Greenland from Norway, a man of illustrious birth and great wealth, named Thorfin, who became enamoured of Thorstein's widow Gudrida, and demanded her in marriage of Leif, who had succeeded to the patriarchal authority of his father, Erik the Red. The chieftain determined to effect a settlement in Vinland, and for that purpose formed an association of sixty followers, with whom he agreed to share equally the profits of the enterprise. He took with him all kinds of domestic animals, tools, and provisions to form a permanent colony, and was accompanied by his wife Gudrida, and five other women. He reached the same point of the coast formerly occupied by Leif, where he passed the winter. In the following spring, the Skrcelingar came in great multitudes to trade with the Northmen in peltries and other productions. Thorfin forbade his companions from selling them arms, which were the objects they most passionately desired ; and to secure himself against a surprise, he surrounded his huts with a high pallisade. One of the natives seized an axe, and ran off with his prize to his companions. He made the first experiment of his skill in using it by

CHAP. I.] VOYAGES IN ELEVENTH CENTURY. 7

Striking one of his compauious, who fell dead on the spot. The natives were seized with terror and astonishment at this result, and one of them, who, by his commanding air and manner seemed to be a chief, took the axe, and after examining it for some time with great attention, threw it indignantly into the sea.

" After a residence of three years in Vinland, Thorfin returned to his native country with specimens of the fruits and peltries which he had collected. After making several voyages, he finished his days in Iceland, where he built a large mansion, and lived in a style of patriarchal hospitality, rivalling the principal chieftains of the country. He had a son named Snorre, who was born in Vinland ; and Gudrida, his widow, afterwards made a pilgrimage to Rome, and on her return to Iceland, retired to a convent, situated near a church which had been erected by Thorfin.

" We dwell upon these collateral circumstances, because they serve to confirm the authenticity of the main narratives, by reference to facts and incidents notorious to all the people of Iceland. A part of Thorfin's company still remained in Vinland, and they were afterwards joined by two Icelandic chieftains, named Helgi and Fiombogi, who were brothers, and fitted out an expedition from the Greenland colony. They were persuaded by Freydisa, daughter of Erik the Red, an intriguing and deceitful woman, to permit her to accompany them, and to share in the advantages of the voyage. During her residence in the infant colony, this female fury excited violent dissensions among the settlers, which terminated in the massacre of thirty persons. After this tragic catastrophe, Freydisa returned to her paternal home in Greenland, where she lived and died the object of universal contempt and hatred.*

*Snorre, Saga af Olafl Tryggva Syni, cap. cv~cxii. Torfaei, Hist. Vinlandia; antique, cap. i.— iii.

8 VOYAGES IN ELEVENTH CENTURY. [book r.

'' The Eyrbyggja-Saga relates, that towards the close of the reign of King Olaf the Saint,* Gudleif, the son of Gudlaug, made a trading voyage from Iceland to Dublin, and as he was returning along the western coast of Ireland, met with heavy gales from the east and north, which drove him far into the ocean towards the southwest. After many days, Gudleif and his companions saw land in that direction, and approaching the shore, cast anchor in a convenient harbour. Here the natives, who were dark coloured, approached them. The Icelanders did not comprehend the language, though it seemed to them not unlike the Irish tongue. In a short time, a great body of the natives assembled, made the strangers prisoners, and carried them bound into the country. Here they were met by a venerable chieftain, of a noble and commanding aspect and fair complexion, who spoke Icelandic, and inquired after Snorre Gode and other individuals then living in the island. The natives were divided in opinion, whether to put the strangers to death, or to make them slaves, and divide them among the inhabitants. But after some consultation, the white chieftain informed them that they were at liberty to depart, adding his counsel that they should make no delay, as the natives were cruel to strangers. He refused to tell his name, but gave to Gudleif presents, of a gold ring for Snorre's sister Thurida, and a sword for her son. Gudleif returned to Iceland with these gifts, where it was concluded that this person was Bjorn, a famous Skald, who had been a lover of Thurida, and who left Iceland in the year 998.f

" No subsequent traces of the Norman colony in America are to be found until the year 1059, when it is said that an Irish or Saxon priest, named Jon or John, who had preached for some time as a missionary in Iceland, went to Vinland, for the purpose of converting the colonists to Chris-