. t o f R e s e ar c h I P r e s e n S t a n d p o i n t . All p revio u s inquiries concerning the geographical loca a n tion o f Vineland , start from the pass ge in the Gra lendingapattr of the Flateyj arbok that treats o f the length a at of the day in Vinel nd the winter solstice , running as w nThere a ff n in n follo s (in Vinel nd) , the di ere ce the le gth of the day was less than in Greenland or Iceland ; the sun had there neykt a - position and adagmah - position at the win l s ls i e a Th e u ter o t c ) . diffic lty of explaining these words c am e from aylct in Iceland and in Norway denoting a point n n . In of time in the afternoo , varyi g with the latitude Ice the n a hi a land , poi t of time called g was held , r ther early, ‘ min r to correspond with (3 p . so that eykthezlag and ’ ndnhezlag r dagr were synonymous terms Arngrimr Jons s o n a a a in Flate arbék could , therefore , t ke the p ss ge the yj to signify nthe s un at the winter solstice keeps about 6 u a z n« r a ho rs bove the hori o , accordingly f om 9 . m . to i r d n n i e 3 p . m . This v ew To fseus en orses i his V nlandia 1 Flate arb ok is tiania 339 ) yj (Chr I . 2 ’ a as Fins e ns itio n III 602 ) Gr g , Ed , , . 8 s Gro nlandia a i o r 2 6 v . in th Ol o ) c t e d fr m N . 87 q e d R yal o tio n C llec . TUDI ON THE NE AN A E 2 S ES VI L D VOY G S . v a a he does not fail howe er to rem rk , th t , if so , s a n nn as the ob erv tio must be incorrect, determi i g , it does , ° a 58 a To rfwus has latitude of Me nwhile , himself, in n » Vinlandia « a va a. s i nific a the Appe dix to , d nced new g h ad in Law o f tion . He lighted the old Ecclesiastical a a i n e kt viz the Gr g s on an authentic expl catio of y , up a er cykt er ut - sad rs - aztt er deilld i p ridiunga o g hefir ’ ’ ‘ so limt geingna tvo lutz enn einn o gezng zm which he thus : o E kt vo c atur et renders y , cum plaga coeli inter meridiem o cc identem in trientes dis tribuitur s o lque duas partes con e s drsw t a a . a ut u t fecit , terti vero rest t Hence he ssumes to be the interval from the time the sun is in the south nd a n a . t . a (12 . m ) till he is in the wes (6 p t ki g ’ - t a c kt in a two hirds of this interv l, y will be 4 o clock the fter ’ da mdl inthe n and t noon , g therefore 8 o clock mor ing, the leng h at s s a of the day the winter olstice 8 hour , which gives ° do N . a w n a latitude of 49 , th t would for Ne fou dl nd or n o f new n the correspo ding coast This expositio , thanks to the high ' repute enjoyed among scholars by n To rfaeus was o ne a the writi gs of , the most gener lly a v received in the l st century . ! et it in olved a twofold am n n w n . as o t error To begin with , the n e of Vi ela d much a n n in a a a more pposite here , since the vi e , eve C nad , re ches up to only and in Newfoundland do es no t grow at all; and h an a uts udrsaett » a n t en , to tr sl te with pl ga coeli i ter et o c ciden em « eu meridiem t is absolutely wrong . For sud rs wtt does no t m ean the interval that elapses during ’ n a o ne - the su s m rch south to west, but eighth of the twenty n n - i s u e . four hours , whe the is in the south west, . , the inter f - i a . m . t val rom to p , two hirds of wh ch will m ke t eykt p . m . Bu this does not by any means get over 1 ’ A o in to M r . Ge e lmu de ns o m u tatio n in w o ) cc rd g y c p , k dly rked ° o u t at m u s t 59 y req e , 2 n ad Vinl — A a andiam 1 8 . ) See dde d , pp . U E ON THE NE AN A E ST DI S VI L D VOY G S . 3 n a the difficulty , Vi el nd being merely again moved up to a ° a a a l titude of 53 N . (L br dor) . By however ingenious ly a n a a the u a - a i dopti g a p ss ge in S orr Edd , the V c elawman a a and a him P ll Vid lin , fter Bishop Finnr Jonsson could a new e a n c make out m ni g , better a c o mo dated to the cli a n m tic co ditions . He based his argument o n the words of S no rro that relate to the seasons : » Autumn lasts from the (autumnal) equino x till the s u n goes down in cyktar s tadr na n t h , winter till the (ver l) equi ox , spring ill t e May » n da s tc a na movi g y , summer till the ( utum l) The beginning of winter was assumed to correspond with the beginning of th at season after the Icelandic calender — (the week 11th 17th October) ; and the s u n o n the 17th o n n at Oct ber bei g fou d to set p . m . in the locality ’ S no rro s a e lctarst dr was n of f rm Reykholt , y a i ferred to be n lc m . a e t n a p . , thus m ki g y itself the i terv l and a in a a 7 the pass ge the Gr g s (p . 2 ) might be rendered aylct is said t o b e g i n when the sun has passed tw o - thirds o - n - ain a lc f the south west and o e third rem s . Putting ey tar sladr at and in a a da mdlastadr at , ccord nce herewith , g m da in n an p . , the shortest y Vi el d would be 9 hours , for which Profe s sor Tho mas Bugge of C o penhagen computed ° a d 4 a n a a the l titu e 1 At l st , the , l titude had n a o a n t na o f n and been fou d ccomm d ti g wi h the me V i n e la d, ’ Vidalins theory met with ready and wide - spread ac c ep an i a in a n and nn a n t ce , more part cul rly the form R f Fi M g us son gave it in » Antiquitat es Am eric anaaa in » Annaler for no rdis k Oldkyndighed « (1840 and in » Gro nlands his to ris ke M indes maerker u Since that it has a a - c o nfirm e d a period p ssed for well historic l fact, that the spot where Leiv Eriksson landed and took his 1 - i i s i l d I 153 . ) Finn Jo hannmi H s to ria. eccles ia t ca Is an m 56 2 - Sn. a 5 10 ) Edd , I , . 8 ’ i i s is to i III 41 S e e Gerh . Sc h o nn s o r s 9 ) g N ge R ge H r e , , . 1 4 HE NE AN A E 4 s runms o n T VI L D VOY G S . n i th e e remarkable observatio of t me , was coast of Rhod ° ‘ ” n in a 41 24 10 . I a Isla d, l titude N sh ll not dwell here e lmu n on a circumstance to which Mr . G e yde has directed ’ Bu e s a n m viz . y attention , , that Prof gg stro omical compu tatio n has no regard to change in the obliquity of the ec lip c n th r to f n ti si ce the 11 centu y , or re raction ; this omissio s r t e supplied , a ho test day of 9 hours will give the lati ud ° ' a u to n . ff n h s 42 21 ( bo t that of Bos ) True, the di ere ce t u entailed in locality is but slight ; and yet the geographical v f conditions there will pro e di ficult , nay impossible rather, to reconcile with the topographical account in the Sagas .