Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1877-07-30
Tho Discovery Of America.

The first discovery Of America IL An
spsn question. Ills likely to remain in
more or less uncertainty forever.
Christopher Columbus enjoyed for q
long period the undisputed credit Of be-
ing the pioneer OF American discovery.
But the world is always full Of sceptics
of spirits who doubt every accepted
rscori and who cndsavor to perform the
questionable task Of proving anegativs.
No soons does another finish building
than they begin to tear down. But for
such spirits the Genoess navigator's
claim to the discovery Of America might
still have been undisturbsd. There are
plenty Of champions Of rival claimants
nowadays who diputs Columbus
fright Of discovery" The Chinese set
up . claim Of discovery sntedating Co
lumbus' discovery Of the island OF San
Salvador, Tor. ss Navarstts would have
II, the Great Turk Island) nearly 1000
ago. According to the Chinese. "a
Buddhist monk named Hosi-Shin. re-
turned In the year 400. A. D.. from a
long journey to the East" and the
country which he visited Is claimed to
be Old and New MEXICO. to which he
gave the name "Fusang." But what
important discovery 10 there In the arts
and the sciences which the almond-sysd
Msngolians do not claim? The Pho.
nicisns. who discovered the Azores. are
also believed 10 have discovered Amer
lea. Then there Il the claim Of the dis.
covery Of the Northeast Coast OF the
Continent by the Morse in the tsnth
century followed by that Of the Welsh
Prince Madoc In the latter part Of
the twelfth century. The. same
honor IL also claimed by the Irish.
The Morse claim 10 o very strong
one. Ills generally conceded TO b just.
Prs. historic remains have been un-
earthed which can not consistently ~
attributed to any other people. The
traditions embodied In the Sagas point
very directly 10 America 40 ThoriAn's
vinland. The Morse discovery Is un-
doubtsdly better established than that Of
any other. excepting that Of Columbus.
II the Morse colony established by Thor.
finn and his adventurous crew. AMI
named by him vinland. was not on the
New England Coast. whore was III Was
tho hero OF the Ssgas and his bold en-
terpriss u poetic creation only? wss
his colony merely q myth II the
Dxightsn Writing Rock with its ancient
inscription and the Newport tower OF
prehistoric construction are not the rel.
les OF the Morse colony. what are they |?
II the armorsd skeleton foundin the vi
cinity OF Fall River. Mass. In 1881 was
not that Of y Morse warrior. 10 whom
did II belong? Everything about II Il
suggestive Of the ssa rover OF the North.
There IL nothing in the aboriginal re-
mains on any part Of the continent to
correspond 10 any OF these relics, which
must consequently have belonged TO u
people mol Ito tho manner born."
The champions OF Prince Mndoc and
his handful Of followers who smiled west.
ward from the shores Of Wales In ITO,
do not make out q good cast In assert
ing that he landed ON the shores Of
America. The evidences" are stymol.
ogical. and consequently too uncertain
and remote. The efforts made to provo
that the Aztecs Of MEXICO. the Incas Of
Peru. and the Mandans Of the Upper
Missouri were the descendants OF Ma
doc and His band, have not been Suc
csssful.
Within o few years several books have
been issued relating TO the Morse discov-
cry. Professor Anderson Of Wisconsin
University heading the list with = book
called america not Discovered by CO.
lumbus." A new aud improved edition
Of this interesting work has just been
published. II In IN unembsllished col.
lection Of historical ~glsauings. While
the author starts ont to prove q mega.
tive-Columbus not the diseovsrer-ho
presents so much convincing testimony
before its close that he pretty thorough
ly establishes an afirmative-ths Morse
men tbs discoveries. II is generally son-
celsd now that Columbus got valuable
information. during n visit to Iceland.
concerning the continent be set sail In
the Santa Maria to discover. What no
there learned Of Thorfnn's voyage to
aud founding Of vinland. was NO doubt
the inspiration which sustained him
when his terror-stricken crew were ON
the verge Of mutiny. owing to the APP
parsntly hopeless search for q new land
to the west. But after all. civilized
mankind derived no benefit from any
discovery but that Of tho Gsnoese. II
the Phonicians. the Chinese. the Welsh
aud tho Irish ever sightea tho American
shores and subsequently, established
colonies within its confines. the world
did not profit by their discovery. so far
as Ia known. Nothing better a be
said OF tho Morse discovery than that 1t
prompted aud inspired Columbus to the
suprsmo effort which eliminated In the
opening up Of . new world Tor tue en-.
richment Of the old.--S. y. Bauetia.