Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-05-08
DID CHINESE DISCOVER AMERICAN

The claims of Columbus to be re-
garded as the discoverer of the New
World have been disputed by several
people The Norwegians assert that
Eric the Red landed in America five
centuries before Columbus set sail in
his caravel, and the French say that
Jean Cousin discovered the Amazon
river four years before the great Span
lard sighted the unknown land.
But the latest development of the
dispute is the strangest. The Chinese
discovered America! So says an Amer
lean, and the following are his reasons
for this assertion:
There can be no manner of doubt
that there is very close relationship be-
tween the Indian dialects and the Chi
nese language: the resemblance be-
tween a large number of words is very
striking. and they are alike in their
structure, which is monosyllabio.
On the other hand, kind of physical
identity proves the Mexican Indians
and the Chinese belong to the same
Mongol race. The writer says that
when he saw the Indians at Quadra-et-
Vancouver for the first time, he was
unable to distinguish them from Chi
nese, and he spoke to them in the Ian
guage of the celestial empire.
Mr.. Masters quotes, in support of his
contention, a fragment of the Yen.kin-
li-han, great Chinese encyclopedia.
which runs into more than 200 vol
umes.
This fragment relates that in cer-
tain year Buddhist priest arrived in
the village Of King Chau, on his return
from voyage in the kingdom Of Flu
sang, concerning which he gave vari-
GUS particulars.
Fusang was situated to the east Of
China, and derived its name from the
numerous fusang trees which grew
there; these trees grew to the height
Of bamboos, and the first canes were
used by the natives as food. The
fruit resembled a pear, and its color
was a light red.
A kind of cloth was made of the fiber.
The people knew how to write. and
they used paper made of bark Of the
fusang.
The cattle in Fusang had enormous
horns; vehicles were drawn by horses,
oxen and reindeer. The people made
a kind of cheese from milk. Red pears
grew there, and if not gathered. they
would remain ON the trees all the year
round, and not fall off as elsewhere:
grapes also grew there in abundance.
Copper was found in Fusang, but no
iron; gold and silver had no commercial
value.
Now, which country can this be but
Mexico? 1t is the only country where
we find the tree described in the Chi
nese encyclopedias; 1t is acountry where
no iron is found, and where, according
to writers of the middle ages, gold and
silver had no commercial valued
No doubt the five holy men from
Ki-Pin reached Mexico via Corea.
Japan, the Kourile Islands. Alaska.
Oregon and California.
Those who have lived in China, and
have studied the customs, says Mr..
Masters, notice striking analogy be-
tween the laws. religion and customs
VI budO COuAOHy anu VuObO VI uuC1OAb
Mexico.
Chinese laborers who have been en-
ployed in the construction of Mexican
railways, and have travelled in Central
America, says they have found on some
Of the rocks numerous heiroglyphics
which are merely distorted Chinese
characters.
The similarity of the Mexican oalen-
dar with that of many Asiatic people
led Humboldt to believe that communi-
cation had been established between
Mexico and Asia long before the time
of Columbus; while Mr.. Bancroft. Pro-
fessor Davidson and other learned
Americans have furnished data which
leave very little room for doubt as to
the accuracy of Humboldt's conclusion.
Ell Liberal Madrid