The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-11-29
: LEaESDs OF OLD AMERICA.


| AEU6NDo Vk VAAU AM1ssAOA.
O9gin OF sssne - the Legenas-The
Lost Welch Tribe.
In our present state of geographical
knowledge there seems to be some
danger lest all the old f1aveler'sstories
which amused our youth slfould perish
and be forgotten. Yet there was
always something pleasant, and even
fascinating, in the fairy tales of travel
which struck the imagination of our
| ancestors; and there is still charm in
/ any evidence which goes to show that
Pliny and Polo and the author of Sim
bad's voyages were not liars, bat rO-
mantle enthusiasts, retailing q poetical
and inferor kind of truth about facts
which have since become familiar. 1t
is fortunate. therefore, that the industry
of bookwOrms, and perhaps the infiu-
ence of national vanity have kept
alive some of the histories of discovery
| (valueless in themselves) which
startled or amused our fOrefathers.
among these are legends relating to
American discoveries, with which this
sketch is concerned; and may perhaps,
account for their preservation by the
fact that the more modern the. history
of a nation, or the more meagre it may
be in details of ancient greatness, the
smOre eagerness will be shown to collect
and elucidate the smallest scraps of
legend which can give importance to
the memory of older generations. 1t
is proposed, in this essay, to describe
very shortly some of the principal
stories about the pre- Columbian Alneri-
ca, which, in the hands Danish and
NAmerican antiquarians, have acquired
an exaggerated edimpOrtance; their'value
| lying, as it appears, midway between
| the Indifference which they received
| at first, and the incredulity which
afterwardprey as to the facts on
which Undoubtedly, they were based.
The existence of a world in the West
had, of course, been suspected long be-
fore the discovery of America. We
may put aside the legend of the island
Atlantis, which Plato heard from the
Egyptian priests, and with which, in
later times, were incorporated all the
fantastic stories which were brought
home by the first travellers among the
negro trIebs; but one or two of the stories
which fioated about in old times are
curious enough tObs still worthy of no.
tice. - - ~ RAA- FfA
An ancient German chief was re-
ported to have sent as choice present
to the Consul Metellus certain Indians,
who, losing their course, and being
battered up aud down with contrary
wilds, were shipwrecked in the North
Sea and taken alive. Some commenta-
tors will have it these were some of
our own British ancestors so be-painted
and disguised with wood as to be mis-
taken for Eastern savages. However
this may be, the story reminds us of
another told in modern times by
BembO,, the Venetian historian, with
reference to the recent discoveries of
Columbus.
A French ship sailing to the Narrow
Seas is said to have picked up canoe
full of Osiers and bark, in this were
seven swarthy men, whose faces were
peculiarly broad, and .tattooed, or
stained, with aviolet color; their dress
was of fishes skins and their crowns
were woven with reeds, and twisted in
the shape of ears. "Flesh they ate
raw, and blood they drank likewise"
Six of them soon died; but the sur
vivor is said to have lived for long
time in the retinue of the French
King.
HOW LEGENDS OF THIS KIND ORIGINA-
4 Etks TED r1ET TfE.
1t is not easy to say. Some, perhaps,
were mere impostures, and others
created by the desire of believing in
the Fortunate Islands "lying beyond
the sunset" like the enchanted land
which Irish fishermen have professed
to see shining on the horizon west of
Arran. Many secrets of the sea must
have become known to the bold sailors
who traded between Carthage and Tin
Islands and Amber Coast. They
claimed some knowledge of lands in
the Atlantic, which, perhaps, were the
Azores and other discoveries may
have been made.
When the Phanician sailors far astray
Had brought uncertain notices away
OF islands dreaming in the Middle Sea-
Their pilots were old enough to explore
the recesses of the ocean without
compass or astrOlabe; and fanciful
writers have depicted the incidents of
the possible voyage:
Its continent dams l'Ouest durant
quatre luues sans rencontrer de rivages,
mais la prOue des navireS s'embarras-
salt dams les herbes des broillards cou-
leur de sang abscurcissait lie sOleil ;,
une brise tOute chargee de parfums in
dOrmait les equippages; ct lis pOuvaient
rien dire, tant que leur memoirie etait
troublee."
Wales was the home of other legends
of this kind; and the bards were fond
of singing of the famous voyages,
which were called the "Three Disap-
pearances." The first was the sailing
of Merlin and his companions in the
ship of glass; the second was the
voyage of Gavran the discoverer, who
went in the fifth century to search the
western ocean for the "gwerdonau
lion," the Green Islands famous in
British songs; the third was the voyage
of Prince Madoc, the hero of SOuthey's
somewhat tedious epic. He sailed in
the year ITO and. after some time,
came back WIN glowing accounts of
the new world across the waters, so
that many ships were fitted out to ac-
company his second, they never were
beard of again, and this was the
"third disappearance" The question
regarding the faith of Madoc's crews
was once considered important enough
to be discussed in councils of Stale.
Queen Elizabeth's Ministers is said to
have debated whether title to the
Spanish Maine might not be rested
upon MadOc's occupation of the New
World !; but the claim was never prose-
| chIed, either from its inherent absurd
ity, or Ito borrow the historians cOurtly
phrase) because the Queen was not of
that kind to put her scythe into an
other mans harvest" g -is7
Many attempts were made in the
last century to find -.
THE LOST WEIGH TRIBE.
In 1871 DR.. Williams published
very learned inquiry into the discovery
of America by his countfymen; and
about the same time the subject re-
ceived full discussion in several num-
-bers of the GertJen,dn's Magazine
the source, as we may suppose, of
SOuthey'sSinspiration. Some years
previously, Mr.. Binon, a gentleman of
GIamorgan, penetrating to the junction
| of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers,
was fortunate enough, by his own ac-
count, to see the lost tribes again. IF we
believe the travellers tale, they recog
nized their common nationality, and
showed him castle and church, anda a
roll .of sacred books which neither he
nor they could read Soon afterwards
! the French Governor of Canada sent
some priests to visit the same Indians,
and they returned with no fresh in