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HON. RASMUS B. ANDERSON, LL.D.,
J. W. BUEL, Ph.D.,
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Click to enlarge LEIF ERIKSON DISCOVERS A NEW WORLD. (From a drawing by Heller.) THE discovery of America by Norsemen about the year 1000, is so well authenticated as to be no longer a matter of mere tradition, but to whom the honor is due is less easy to prove by the historical sagas. The claim set up in favor of Bjarne Herjulfson is well substantiated, but if the discovery be credited to Bjarne, to Leif Erikson belongs the fame of having founded the first settlement in the New World. This flourished for a time and was frequently visited by other voyagers, until all the settlers it is supposed perished from a plague known as the Black Death. |