The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1875-06-16
WHO DISCOVERED AMERICAs

nent Oriental publishers, a volume
which is likely to create considerable
excitement in America. 1t is entitled
"Fusang; or, The Discovery Of Amer.
ica," by Mr.. Charles G. Leland, bet
ter known by the soubriquet of "Haps
Breitmann," and, later, Of "The Eng
lish Gypsy" For the last century
scholars have known the existence Of
a theory which assigned the merit Of
the discovery of America to a China
man, but never before has this theory
been openly supported by prominent
American. The worst of it is, Mr..
Leland, as q practiced writer, and as
one who is fully aware Of the sensation
which his book is likely to create in
his native land, has proceeded about
the businesss he has taken in hand in
a thoroughly cool and practical man.
ner, has consulted eminent scientific
authorities, and has taken the utmost
pains to heap proof on proof in favor
of his startling hypothesis. He holds,
and does his best to prove in his work,
that America was first discovered, not
by Columbus, and not by Sebastian
Cabot, of Bristol, as learned men have,
as a rule, recently held, but by Hoei-
Shin, a Chinese Buddhist priest, in the
fifth century Of the Christian era.
From the view Of the case entertained
by Mr.. Leland, it appears that in the
year A. d. 400 Hoei-Shin (Anglice,
"univirsal compassion'') returned to
Singan, at that time the capital Of
China, declaring that he had been to
Tahan (Kamtchatka), and from thence
on to a country about 10000 Il (short
Chenese miles) east of that country.
This gives, it appears, according to
careful recent measurement, the dis
lance between China and New Mexico
or California. Hoei.Shin called the
country he discovered Fusang, from
the name which he gave to the princi-
pal plant he found in it, and this
plant appears, from his account, clear
ly to have been the huge and striking
great American aloe, SO abundant in
Mexico or California, called locally
the "maguey." Hoei-Shin makes sew
eral strange remarks, all of which add,
in various ways, to the evidence which
fixes the site of his dicovery as ,Mexi-
CO or California. He says, for instance
that gold, silver, and copper were not
esteemed in the land, since they
abounded more than other ores COM
mon in other countries. The accounts
of Hoei-Shin concerning marriage
rites, royal customs, and reckonings
by cycles of ten years, each and all
also correspond remarkably with facts
known of American Indians, or of Pc
ruvians. In 1851, when hardly any
thing was known satisfactorily about
ancient America, Deguignes, French
scholar, made the Chinese accounts of
the voyages of Hoei.Shin known to
Europe. Deguignes derived his infor-
nation without difficulty, as Hoei-
Sims account of his peregrinations
was registered in Chinese official an
mails, and had been copied from time
to time by several Oriental historians.
In 1841, Professor Carl Neumann, of
Munich, translated the Chinese into
German, and also, with Mr.. Leland's s
help, into English. The latter trans
lation, given in the present work, was
read aid approved of by the distin-
guished ethonologists, Albert Galatin,
and Professor Morton, of Philadelphia.
The account of Hoei-Shin, it is fair to
state, has been subjected to much crit
cism, and Mr.. Leland's present work
will, doubtless, evoke much more. The
main theories of Chinese discoveries
of America have been keenly attacked
by Klaproth, the Orientalist, and by
DIR. Bretschneider, the Chinese scholar;
and defended as keenly by several
scholars, especially by Gustav d'Eich-
thai, in the Revue Archaeologique, Par.
is, 1868. Mr.. Leland's work is the
result Of great research and persever-
ing inquiry; but it gives in its pages,
fairly and equitably, the cons as well
as pros concerning his contention. A
mass of fresh evidence is, however, ad-
duced, which, for the present, seems to
turn the the scale fairly in favor of
the author. Mr.. Leland has obtained
the advantage of one remarkable piece
of evidence in fovor of his theory.
Colonel Barclay Kennon, the we'll
known marine geographer, formerly of
the United States North Pacific Sur
vey, and who has had at least three
years experience of those waters, has
placed at Mr.. Leland's disposal let.
ter in which all the required distances
are given. Colonel Kennon distinctly
certifes that any sailo. in an open
boat could pass from China to Cali
fornia in summer, and never be more
than an hour or two out of sight of
land. To Mr.. Leland's work there
are two sides: it is a popnlar work