The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-04-25

/. I
Chinese never knew OF the existence Of any countries
located north and west OF Persia Between the years 50
and 100 A. in the reign OF Ho-u, yas Chinese army,
under General Kan-Ying detached by the commander
IN chief, Pan-tchao halted the shores OF The Caspian
aud there and then The Chinese heard Tor the rst
time from the Parthans, oil the Roman Empire, which
the Chinese general did not advance 10 invade because
the Patthisns told him the expedition would lake hun
three years! His commissariat being insufficient, he
marched back TO China.
On the other hand. the arms OF Rome not extend.
ed towards Persia until about SO b. Z. Pro Consul
Cassus persisted by Pahian the western side
OF Persia 1855 years before the Chinese had penetrated TO
It's southeastern frontier. Within four years after tie
elrog rade march of the Chinese armies, the Parlhans
were invaded by Traan, A. d. LOG; and il was about
those days that the Romans first heard from the Par.
hians oil China as the remote country from whence the
six came In A. d. 1885, the Emperor Antoninus sent the
first Roman embassy China the hospltable reception
OF which is faithfully chroncled by contemporary Chi
nese annalisis IN The reign OF their own Emperor Hon-
an-i.
No Nations then. geogral hicay situated TO the north
west OF Persia had ever heard OF the existence OF China
nor had The Chinese ever known anything about such
nations before the Christian With this historical
basis, Mr. took up the only passage in The entire
OF the Hbreo eIt where adverse stand has been peril
ousy made TO support the hypothesis that the Chinese are
mentioned IN Scripture, viz Isaiah xix, IL, prefaclng
his analysis with Luther's axiom" Scripture primum
nAhg de6e grdmmatsce aniequam Posst eIpl'cari ne
otogiee Scripture must first be understood grammali-
cay before IL be interpreted lheologically In this
verse the SiNIM has been referred TO the Chinese
Stripping away the plural M there remains the word SIN,
supposed by some 10 mean China because the Chinese
name for their own country is THsIN.
Now the whole context OF Isaiah rekeys TO the return
of the Jews from Baby lonsh capt,yys The word SIN
therein cannot apply TO the SIM OF Genesis x, H. because
these people are Canaante II cannot refer TO the "wil
derness OF SIN" Exodus xvi, xvii. Ii Numbers xxx,
l2) aversed by The lsraehtes in journeyng from Egypt
10 Palestine; nor does mean the SIN of Ezekiel xxx,
49, 49, because this is Potassium the most easery city OF
Egypt, called by the Arabs Teen TO this day Wilhou,
attempting forced constructions, the SIN OF Isaiah must
refer city OF Mesopolania on the western bank OF
IlprIS hp I.vru TnDH hv thp
Romans Kanat by the Greeks, and Sem by the Arabs
the remote point whore the Jewish exlles
held in bondage by The Babyonians: confirmed by the
Sepuagnt version of this verse, wherein SINIM is para
phrased BY O. Person ga land of the Persians."
physically impossible that captive Babylonan lsra
elites could have exied to or have returned from
China in the 9th century b. c.; nor did Jews establish
themselves in China until several centuries after the
Christian II is equally impossible that the Aexan-
dran translation OF The Hebrew Bible into Greek, be-
tween b. c. $50 and 100. could have known anything
| about Chlna--a country, we have above
known to nations west OF the Enphrates previously to
lifetime OF Trajan, a. D. lO6, nearly 800 years after
the SepIagnt had already been published Indeed their
geographical accuracy aesed by the above paraphrase
OF Isaiah SINiM-"land Of the Persians."
But archaeology, like Alexander, cuts Gordian knot
if not with the ancient Macedonian fachion. at least, in
our day. with the more rational and bloodless knife OF
criticism.
Chinese history attess that from previously obscure
province called rHsIN, between B. c. $40 and $685. the
OF sabegroom, amid Tremendous political convuI-
slons-:he Napoleon of China Thsin- Chi. Ho-ang II
louIl lHSW dynasty, ana Inc CDl-
nese, who never before his reign had termed their vast
empire IHsIN after his adopted this appealve for
their whole country (vhence derive modernized
word China by which is designated "even unto this
| day"
| Mr. G. finally offered to dogmaca reve wers of Nor.
ton, No and Agassz, either horn OF dilemma posted
in the following terms Either the Prophet saiah whose
meaning is so naturally explained aboye) by the WORD
SINIM, does not refer to the Chinsss inasmuch the
Chinese empire was not called Ihs before the year B
Z, 2i9 (some $50 years alter Isaiah wroe the verse
OF chapter 40 OF the book called 'Isaiah" cannot posi-
bly, have been penned by ISAIAH, but by some unknown
inerpoalor who must have lived after A. ID. IO6 wher
history shows that the existence of CANA as counlr,
first became known TO nations situated west OF the Eu
| pirates.
Our present adoption of the vague Greek
word Ethiopia" instead the original specific Hebre "
hush, and our mistaken application OF the word SIsIM iC
the Chinese having thus been made manifest, Mr. G.
returned 10 his proposition published long ago by his col
league Mr. Luke Burke in the "London Ethnologica
Journal') that neither negro nor Monaghan
mentioned IN the Hebrew text OF the Old Testament
remains Tor Pathological antagonists prove that Amer
lean races were known to the Old World before Colum
bus-Nalayan before the Portuguese naviga,ion-Poiy
Deslan before Cookies voyages-none of which varied
species of mankind, Mr. Glddon maintains are mentioned
By the writers oi the Hebrew Scriptures, or were known
10 the Pharaonic Egyptians even $500 years ago
! We have been at some pains 10 furnish our reader,
with accurate reports of the substance OF Mr. Giddon
four archaeological lectures in Washington Even In III,
very condensed form in which his discourses have been
presented, they cannot fail to impress every educated
mind with the historical importance and universal app
cabiliiy Of old "Esypts revelations"