New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-27
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
AMERICAN DISCOVERY.

AIR Welsc assumes ne certain Hnd undonw'u
fact ,hnt tho Egyptians furnish the cntli's'
known nccount Of the Inhabitants Of this cont.
nent -, aud he begins ha ltst chapter Win tho o'
lowing paragraph
The oldest scrpturca, sacred and pfoione. nittat
the antiquity ot The rcd lacN Astntli hH ih, hnli'
dlh,S'an pr,lod tha division of tho human hmy
had taken poss,ssion OF tho islands hhd t"nlu'n'
of the western lcmsIhcrr, whrlr !, l1un9,u ' ''
ilpcs Great m political power u.s. cnmurlfhll nk
firultnral and other economical Interests were Gym
mcndablv Nnst aud unparalleled. The shll ol ls,
nr,hitpcts and rug inects was exhibited ia large ana
Imposing edihCcs aud in cNifhoiduai1 nu", ~
ichsi,c public wotks Apuossi,cy telsrl'imtf ,'s
tribute dcposinR and substituting ruler"
ANer this bold cxordium wc look for somewhat
careful discussion of the theory which Is Ho con-
Gdcntly propoundcd bat Mr. Ncisc leaves o, ~
tho air and makes u very different BOOK rom "n''
he has led as to expect lie quotes ~ ''l'N"''""'
length the account of the famous Atlantic "n""
from the Crltias" of Plato, aud remarks 'hnt 'nH
fable is confirmed hy the Bible, and the Npn"N" "''
commits Of the civilization discovered by '"rt'S IN
Mexico, and there he stops. He does not seem To
hc aware that the slight parallclifm which lac has
,oticed in Genesis are of 40 weight whatever as
proofs and rs for the vcXcd question OF the history
and actual extent of the ancient Mexican lNllH"-
tion he does not enter upon 1t, alihou9hH IL III
possible to suppose that he ignorant oi the recent
extensive literature of the subject. Nhep III
reaches the story of the conquest IN duo order Vi
time he gives us little more than series OF eN-
tracts from Bernal Diaz of which previous writers
have made much more effective use. The credulonS
snjrt in which he deals with the alleged traditions
NJ the Teyptlans is matched by the scepticism
eoually runcritcal, with which he treats the as
serted discovery of America ny the Northmcn' 4"
which he declares that it rests more upon conJec-
tnre than evidence" We have only to contrast TINS
summary statement with the initial proposition tha'
The red men of America once constituted a famous
formidable and bclligerent empire, ana oVeflan
ports of Europe and Africa until they were checked
by tho Greeks and to remember that no serious at
tempt Is made 10 Justify belief in the one case or
doubt in the other and shall realize the gross
fault Of Mr. Verses book which atironts us on the
very first page
But although the authors inaptitude for dis
cussion and the critical examination of doubtful
testimony is strongly marked, he has made by sheer
industry an interesting and useful book As sum-
mary of the original records of American discovery
and exploration it has distinct value Mr.. Nelse
has made q careful and very extensive study OF
original documents, early publications, rare old
maps, tracts, privately printed books and manu-
scrpt archives, as we'll as of recent monographs,
md has generally quoted translated the actual
texts so that his handsome volume becomes very
convenient handbook of the authorities on orr early
history His foot-notes are copious, illustrative
and generally intelligent, Notwithstanding thal
some of them are clearly super.uous and that some
of the references show lack OF discrimination
The want of the critical faculty which seems to be
TIE great defect in Mr. Weises intellectual equip
ent is apparent both in the substance of the notes
and in their omissions. For example, he passes
with brief and very unsatisfactory mention the
interesting discussion To the landfall OF Column
bus although he cites so late contribution to the
list of essays on the subject as Captain IT, '. foXs
tract published in 1852. 1t is a very remarkable
fact that although can point out the spot where
the SaXous, who made no record of their voyage
landed in England yet nobody knows the scene OF
the great discovery by Columbus. although it made
a profound sensation throughout the European
world. and the navigator left US his own journal of
the expedition. Noshst0ry of " the discoveries OF
America" is complete without an exhaustive eN-
animation of the strange problem where the dlScoV-
cry by Columbus took place. Mr. Weise's note on
the attempts to identify Guhnfian or San Salvador
is far too brief and hasty, and does not even III
dictate the difficulties which have hitherto bauled
the investigation. Yet Of all the unsoVed questions
connected with the early history of our country tins
seems to Us the most interesting The first mention
of Vespncci IN Mr. Wese's book is unfortunate
commissioned by their hghnosscs," he says,
9Amerigo Vcspucci went with n fleet OF four
vessels in 1897 to make discoveries. The account
N of tho voyage is contained sin letter written by
u him in Lisbon on the fourth Of September loOl.
The publication of it made him famous as the as
coverer of the continent of America" Standing by
themselves these sentences convey two false I'M
pressions: first that Nespucci commanded the fleet
sent out by Ferdinand and Isabella IN 1877, and
secondly aa ne was the first discOvcrcr of the con-
tinent OF America; but Mr. Weisc's mistake Is one
Of careless phraseology only, and IN other parts ol
the book he states the e. correctly namely, that
yespucci was a subordinate member OF an eN-
petition sent out to make discoveries IN l4"I' ana
that he was for time enormously supposed to be
the discoverer of the mainland, the honor really
belonging to John Cabot
Mr. Wci.e furnishes good synopsis Of Vcspuccis
celebrated narrative, and still better one OF the
Striking story of Verrazzano, to which he appears
TO have devoted especial pains This leads him into
the subject of French explorations on our northern
coasts: and to avoid an abortiyc ending he extends
the history beyond the date given on the title page
1929 by means of two chapters of addcnda. lu
the second of these the reader will find an eXplana-
ton of the derivation Of Manhattan" from the
French mandRts. name formerly applied 10 persons
of low condition. and used by the first explorers to
designate the aborigines of New France. The
aaqndats or maaaas. properly speaking the in
digenous people of a place, and the hdbiGps those
who came there 20 reside. The name NoTembega,
found on old charts and in old narratives, Mr..
Weise refers to the Hudson River and the region
about aud to the east of it, forifyng his opinion by
geographical rs well pathological arguments. In
its origin the word is nothing but phonetic corrup-
ton of LanOrmCe barge, the Grand SCarp daOrm6e
beng a now obsolete equivalent OF eaOrme. Berqe
means both scar2 in Notification and an elevated
and rocky shore line. exactly such the Palisades
of the Hudson. la terrc de Norembegd therefore
simply la tcTe daaOrmtc berge the Land of the
Great Palisade. In the National Library in Paris