, 1873-05-06
THE PHENlCIANS IN AMERICA.

THE PHENlclANs IN AMERICA.
Discovery or a Remarkable T1istoricnl
Tronsuro in urnzil--Esccord OF n
pheniclnn Visit to Tho Territory
Five Centuries l8croro tho Firth OF
Chrtst--Tho Snvnns Amazed and DC.
lighted.
Rio Jancro pril 81 Correspondence Of ths Ne,o P7k
Herald.
There arc good grounds for tho belief that a
remarkable historical discovery has just been
achieved in Brazil, no loas than an op-
grayod stono, boaring n phonician in
acriptlon, comnomorating d visit to Dra-
Eli Bome five centuries before tho birth Of
Chr1at. Tho circumstances nro: Viacondo do
sapeEcahy, d inembor Of tho Emporor's Council
OF Btato, received, throo months ago, q letter
from ParaAyba, enclosing drawing Of tho in
acription upon stone which tho writors slaves
had como upon during their agricultural
labora on his farm, nnd which drawing had
Bot b9en msdo by tho writer's son, young man
oyor to the Historical Society Of lilo, and BY It
to Senior Ladislao Netto, Director Of the Rio
Museum, for all examination. On examining 1t
ho wGa surprised to find that the characters wore
puro phonician.
will now quote from tho lottor Of this gon-
tlonan:
After the first natural transport at a discovery
OF 30 groat Importance, it occurred to mo that,
With Tho aid Of ancient Hebrew, q neighboring
language, and closely allied to Phonician, and
somotimos, with much reason, confoundod with
i, all tho phenician and Phonicopunio iuscrp-
tions found on the Mediterranean had boon in-
terproted, and that, as know something Of tho
holy:topgno, as the Oriontaliats call it, might,
norhaps by study and perseverance,, arrive at
tho Interpretation OF this curious monument
Who indeod, would not feel uplifted, who
wonldnot experience q sontimont Of pride ut
ouch troasure-trovo, If 1t should ond tho great
est and most general Interrogation in tho his
tory Of tho carly peoples, ,--if it should confirm
the atory Of tho voyage OF discovery commanded
by Nekau aud executed by phenicians six contu-
turies before Christ to circumnayigato Africa,
confirming ut tho Hnrno tino the periplo Of
Hanno, tho inscriptions in North Ainorica, Of
which Count Goholin speaks in his "primitiyo
World" aud porlnps even tile curious insorip-
tion roforfcd TO by Kostor Us existing in Paratybn
do Norto. Eor somo months lave boon work.
ing on this grand problem without woariness or
intormission rathor with growing interest and
zoal. speak with sincerity, but with n certain
reseTve ,1 But fascinated By the singular bearing
quaintancc with Hebrew; havo gathered
around mo the neodod books upon tho Phenecinn
language; have studied great deal Of what
has been written upon this speclalty have
which have already boon translated and diaouss-
sod, letter by letter; by tho groateBt modern
linguiatn, and after imlnensc labor havo been
able to interpret this inscription With Huoh good
fortune TINT only two or tlroo words have
proved beyond my poworss
Tho inscription ia Of O commemorate Htono-n
rough monument eroctod by some plonicians OF
sidonia, apparently exilos or refugees from their
native land, betwoon the ninth and tenth years
OF tho roign Of a king namod Hiram. These rash
or unfortunate Chnaanites tho pantronymio
which thoy hayo used to denominato themselves
left tho port OF Aziongabor (now Akaba),
Ha1C Frn
novlunes Qunar months) along tho land OF
Egypt-thnt iB, Africa. The number OF vessels
they had and tho number OF the maloa md fo-
uales composing tho adventurous expedition arc
all aet forth in q concise and seemingly elegant
stylo these particulars boing placed intor-
mediate between tho inyocation-sono at the
beginning mud tho others at tho oud Of tho in
Bcription Of tho Monim Valonuth-i. o., gods and
Translation BY dosonius OF those well-known
Plonician words. The inscription is in oight
lines OF moBt beautiful Plonican characters, bus
without separation Of the words, without tho
vowel points, and without quieacent 1ottors-
three groat obstacles to tho Interpretation, for
whose overcoming nero knowledge Of Biblical
Hebrew iB Insufficient,
4 certain ararium, not slightly manifest in tho
emphatic termination in aleph md III tho fonli-
uino ono of Ma,t, and moro than this tho forms
Of tho lottors mem aud shin. induce mo to be-
lieyo that the reign OF tho second Of the two HI
rams was the epoch of tho adventure, aud that
tho voyage was, therefore, made in tho years 643
and 542 B. c.; that is twonty-aix years aftor tho
Hiego Of Tyro by ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, and four years
bofore Cyrus reignod.
Tho inscription docs not declare which OF tho
two Phenican monarchB is referred to as tho
Hiram Of tho opocll.. The first Hiram Of tho
Solomon and he reignod in $50 to o47 D. G. The
second was m obscure Prince, who roignod in
558 to 552 b. c.. under tho pressure Of Dabylon
and Egypt. But whichever the ono, this I'LL
;. -t,1 7o-.4J
most notable record yet discovered in relation to
tho heroic and enlightened people to whom, it
would seem, tho whole OF the seas wero known.
Leaving apart triiling ma m''attors Of WHICH i is
ne'ss nee soasnt s% to fss Inv will to Fest o o5
Africa to Trazi. 10 explain tits croau:
Ing, Of which thcy themselves appeared
to bo unaware, have rosortod to tho beau-
tiful and clasaic studies Of Maury on oceanic
to our sidoniana M did to Podro Alvares Cabral
Brazil, he found himself unexpectedly Off it's
shore. The only difference is TINT Cabral sailed
aged from south to north. Like Cabral, in aco-
iNg from tho storms roigning from tho Cape Of
Good Hope up to noar soncga1nbin, thoy atoorod
into the high seq, and, soizod BY the famous
equatorial curront, which sometimes flows with
extraordinary swiftnoss they unexpectedly camo
upon tho BRAZILIAN Bores. 1haye wrtten to tho
learned lnguHt Ernest Roman, and to the not
loHs learned Father Bargea, giving them somo
words Of my yeralon, mud asking their advico
how to mako my efforts Of the most service to
acouco
But it is pain TINT, until Beo tho stono n,yaolf
and examine tho locality wl,ohco it WAS drawn,
cannot loyalty give authoritative official publicity
to tho matter. am, however. fur from having
any fears in regard to the bona tldca an1authon-
ticity OF tho copy in a language studied by worry
fow mon, and By thoae few only Of rocent years.
Perhaps thcro arc only sir mon III oil Europe
capable Of forging such writing, aud they arc
beyond suspicion.
IL ia not, thon from fonr of amy deception TINT
I defer full publication; It IL because must DO
able to giyo tho Testimony Of tho stone itself, aa
taken BY myaolt. and becauso 1n,uat roctify Homo
OF tho letters, wlloso copying. requires a knowl-
theln-a knowledge certainly not possessed by
tho coWiat OF TINT Doforo no. nj he las ut timcs
confonlitlod .nem viii! named, van with Cat, md
Daleth with Aeft.