The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-03-30
INDIANS FROM CHINA.
Ah"se OF Alaska Are Thought to be
Mongolian Origin.

rhose OF Alaska Are Thought to be ol
| Mongolian Origin.
| II there is one man who knows moro
about the coast and Puget sound In
dams than another it is Judge James
Wlckersham, of Tacoma, Wash. His
study in his home on street looks like
an Indian curio store, while his books
touching upon Indian history are in
valuable When asked by a Daily
News man for his opinion as to the re.
lationship of he Chinese and the coast
Indians the judg said that there was
no question that careful comparison
OF the Indian and Chinese languages
would reveal the affinity of the races
AS to the Indian of the Sound, known
as Siwashes, Mr.. Wickersham stated
That lnvestigat ions of government
ethnologists for years back show the
Monaghan cast of features in the In
dams from Alas lza as far south as Ore
gon, and that the similarity is so great
as to be mmonly referred to as the
Monaghan cast
There is one thing certain" said
Mr.. Wickersham, ''the first people to
come to this country came in from Asia,
be cause the language of the Maya In
dams, OF Yucatan and Mexico, is so
similar to tina t of the Chinese. There
appears to be no doubt that the abor-
iginal people of A merica and the people
OF Asia are neal ly related. There has
not yet been made sufficient COM
phrtson to determine accurately that
there is decided relationship, but the
gpvernment is investig ating. To arrive
al 4 correct solution some one must
study the Mongolian language and COM
pare it with the India languages As
to the Siwashes the mistake is made
OF comparing them with the cultivated
Chinese. With the latter the Aztec In
dams, the cultivated Indians, as it were,
compare, whAe the Siwashes must be
likened to the low-class Mongolians.
The Siwash bears the same relation to
the Aztec that the Monaghan savage
does to the cultivated Chinese"
Mr.. Wiclersham displayed books that
went to show that there was commune
cation between Alaska and Kamchatlxa
even in ancient times One of his books
was printed in 1761. In it were claims
that the communication was frequent
and that it took but day to make the
trip across the Boring strait in their
primitive boats The Monaghan tribes
are shown to have come clear up to the
East cape, within forty miles of Amer
lea, across the strait. In referring to
To hA DnaiG,,
particularly on the Wa shington coast,
in early days, which would indicate
what might have happened, George
Davidson, head of the United States
geodetical survey, stationed at San
FIR ncisco, stated in letter to Judge
Wickersham over a year ago that Fin
the chronological aspect of the question
that arises concerning these wrecks,
can say that have photograph of In
dams of Fraser river in which it is diff
cult to figure which may be pure Indi-
dams and which may be Japanese"
THE mistake is made by most peo-
pie" said Mr.. Wickersham, "of not Civ
ing the Siwashes credit for the amount
of intelligence they have. 1t is true
that they have no written language.
but it is also tru @ that many Mongolian
tribes do not have written languages"
Remarkably fine work in the carving
line was exhibited by the Judge. In re-
lation to the similarity of the Monaghan
and Siwash, the judge stated further
that he could show Indians on the res
ervation with the bias-cut eyes lie
said that there was one Indian there
who was so like e Chinese in looks as to
be called China" ''It may be-" con-
cluded the judge, that the people
whence came these Indians are an off
shoot of the nation when the Japanese
and Chinese were one people. That
there is great similarity is very true.
1t can be seen in their characters, their
language and their ways In China
you can find sights that may be found
among Indians in this country. In the
Mississippi valley, for instance, the In
dian mounds are identical with the
mounds found in China"
In a book entitled America Discov-
cred by the Welsh" by Bowen, appears
the following: 'In 1861 Degnignes, a
French soldier, made known to the
world that the Chinese discovered Amer
lea in the fifth century. He derived the
knowledge from Chinese official annals.
He affirmed that in the year 400 A. d.,
Hoei Shin Universal Compassion), Chi
nese Buddhist priest, returned to Sim
gan, capital of China, and declared that
he had been to Tahan (Kamchatka),
and from thence on to country about
twenty thousand Ii short Chinese miles,
or about seven thousand English miles.
The measurements are taken to be about
the distance between China and Cali
fornia or Mexico. lie called the country
Fusang, from the name of an album
dant plant, Mexican maguey or Ameri-
can aloe. lie described gold, silver.
copper and other finds made. Tacoma
Daily News.
BIRDS OF THE GRASS LANDS.
They Are Distinct From Those That Live
Among the Trees.