El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-08-18
DIsCOyERERS OF AMERICA.
Chinese, Irish and Other Races Preceded
Columbus.

Columbus.
The recent publication of the finding
of Chinese land marks in Sonora, says
the Two Republics, has led to d lively
discussion as to who were the real
aborigines of this continent aud the
claim is made that Columbus was not
the first discOverer. Peculiar Interest
is given therefore to a book which was
published in 1885 by one E P. Vining
bearing the title OF IAN lnglor1ous
Columbus p"
This book provoked cOnsidera BILE
discussion at the time of its appearance,
for it sought to Overturn the acceptable
belief that the American continent " as
first discovered by Christopher Column
bus, or by the Norsemen, who are al
legged to have penetrated as lar west
and south as the New England coast
about the tenth century. Its theory
was that the Chinese had explored
Mexico as early as the fifth century,
and in support of it document was
reproduced which had been found In
the governmental archives of tie Chi
uese empire. This document purport-
ed to be an account OF voyage made
by cert ain Chinese sailors who landed
in a strange country and brought back
marvellous tales of what they had seen
and heard. These tales came to the
ears of the emperor and made sucn an
impression upon him that he ordered
the sailors brought before him and had
his scribes set down chronological
record of their wanderings, which was
later filed in the archives where 1T re-
mains to this day. A number OF
scholars have translated this document
among whom are De Gu1gnes, Her
vey, Williams, julien, Klaproth and
Vining, the latter of whom is author OF
the book in question. All OF them
agree that the sailors gave an account
of country different from Asia,
Africa or Europe, and most OF them
agree with Vining in locating this
country on the American continent.
The exact date of the return OF the
explorers was 45S A. d. AS V1nlng
has traced their route, they first pro-
ceeded to Japan and then In turn to
the Aleutiau islands. Striking the
peninsula of Alaska they sklrted the
coast of British Colum tia, Oregon and
California and at last made Landing on
the southwest coast of Mexico. The
description given in the Chinese rec
ord certainly fits such voyage. First
the islands are described, and then the
cold of Behring'S sea, followed by weeks
of voyage along the land covered with
mountains, until the warmth OF the
equatorial regions is reached. But
even more authentic would seem to be
the accounts given OF the land and
people where the vOyagers sought the
shore. Tropical frui are described
just as they grow in Mexico today;
monkeys we're found in the trees; the
cactus and prickly pear are pictured in
an unmistakable way; and description
is given of a vegetable which the trans
lators agree must be the tomato. The
description of the people tits exactly
with what their ruins show them to
have been. 1t is related tina. these
people built houses of pounded clay
and boards, and that is the account
given by the archaeOlogists who are
now delving among the Mexican ruins.
1t was reported to the Chinese en-
peror by the vOyagers that they had
erected monuments and taken posses
sion of the country in his name. They
called it Flu Sang, and for centuries 1t
was legendary among the Chinese
that their emperor owned country
far away which bore his name. There
is nothing, however, In the Chinese
archives to show that the discovery
was ever followed up or that the
American continent was ever visited
again.
When the real facts are learned, if
they ever are, it will be found that no.
only the Chinese but Representatives OF
number of other nations made pereg-
rinatiOps to the shores of America aud
have left traces of their existence.
Absolute knowledge is now obtainable
of the presence here in ancient times
of the Irish. Scandinavian, Persian n,
Cbarthaginian, Jew. Egyptian, Mon
golian and possibly sixteen or seven
teen distinct races in all. How they
came and how they were lost in oblivion
is another story. Tney may have been
shipwrecked. they may have navigated,
they may have arrived overland by
continents now long since submerged
beneath the ocean. 1t is hardly prob
able that they came By means OF flying