The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-03-29

centuries anterior to the time of Columbus
aud that everything is ia favor of the
correctness of St. Brendan's statement.
lie lived many years after his return from
bis wonderful voyage, and took pleasure
IN relating his adventures to his scholars
lie founded the celebrated Abbey of CIon-
fert, in the County of Galway in which it
is related that :hree thousand students at
one time, from various parts of Europe.
received their education. St. Breudau
died about the year 577, and was buried in
bis own monastery of Cloufert.
TO show how grea ly Columbus was in
debted to IriShmen for the information he
poSSesd on the true geography of the earth
L should mention that there are no less
than eleven Latin manuscripts i'm the Bib
liotheque Imperial, at Paris, the dates of
which vary from the eleventh to the four
teentE century, in PROOF of this discovery
while several moIe in French, Dutch, Ger
man. Italian, and Portuguese are to be
found on the continent. But the work
published 10y Professor Rain at Copeuha-
Fen III 1887 is conclusive OH the subject
The Shetland and Faro | les form as it
were stepping stones to Iceland, which is
six hundred miles from .he coast of Nor
way, and only one hundred aud forty from
Greenland. Iceland is part OF America.
The subject of the mdnner in which
America first became inhabited is one of
KNOW
1888 Japanese junk was driven OH shore
in California, but what about the Pata>
gonians, or the Dingos of Aus ralia? and
then the West India Islands were thickly
Inhabited in the time of Columbus the
Aztccs had reached high degree of civil
cation, and a former race seemed to have
passed away, namely the mound builders
One of the most distinguished of the
Irish missionaries who preached the Gospel
III Germany, about the middle of the eighth
century. along with St. Boniface, was the
learned Feargal O. Farrel, known in histo-
~ as NIrgilius Bishop Of Saltzburg He
arrived in France in The year TAB. and was
honored with the friendship of Pepin. son
of Charles Martel, who was afterwards ele-
waited to the regal dignity being the fist
king Of France. Pepiu retained Virgilius
in his. palace with himself for two years
and then recommended him TO Otilo, Duke
of Bavaria. St. Boniface, Archbishop of
Metz was Virgilus' ecclesiastical superior
and as they differed ON some points Of dis
cirliHe Boniface had information thereof
conveyed to Pope Zachary. The chief ac-
cusation was that he, Virgilius, asserted
the spherici.y of the earth, the motion of
the earth round the sun, aud :hat there ex
listed anlipedes or people living under the
Garth with their feefFointing to ours. The
Pope was misIrrf0rmed, the statement be-
ihs UHdt HS tduSHI JbdI IDele was another
world under our earth, and different race
OF men inhabiting it. Pope Zachary wrote
to him in 749. aud his letter is still in ex-
istence. demanding an explanation, which
lac received to his full satisfaction.
1t Is interesting to know that an Irish
monk should be the first to entertain a
true notion of the existence OF antipodes
OF the sphericty of the earth, and of the
motion of the planets, aud of the earth
Il A
afterward Taught Sy Copernicus, another
Catholic priest, about 1450, for which he
was prosecuted by the philosophers of his
day, as was Calico by the scientists and
philosophers Of the school of Aristotle
Ptoemyi but the Popes in each Of these