Evening star., 1930-12-12
NEWLY DISCOVERED
WRITING MAY SHED
LIGHT ON AMERICAS
Or. Clark of Yale Finds Manu-
scripts, Lost 800 Years,
in Vatican Library.
PRIESTS DESCRIPTION
OF NEW WORLD SCENES
Key to Mayan Language Expected
to Be Obtained for Smith
sonian.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Lost to the world for more than 800
years, a 800, ,00o-word manuscript con-
tanning an encyclopedia description of
the New World shortly after its first set
tlement has been rediscovered for the
Smithsonian Institution in the Vatican
library.
This Spanish manuscript is described
by Mathew W. Stirling chief of the
Bureau of American Ethnology, as ap-
parently one sof the most significant
contributions ever made to the early
history of the Americas. It was written
by a priest-traveler who associated both
with the natives and with the Spanish
adventurers from Mexico to Chile, and
who then came home to write the book
about the strange things he had seen
which he expected would make his name
Immortal.
Slowly and painfully Father Vasquez
de Espinosa transcribed his voluminous
notes, told all his friends of the great
book he was writing, and saw the proof
sheets of the first few chapters come
from the printer Then he appears to
have died suddenly, his manuscript
passed into the hands of the local
bishop, and eventually the yellowing
sheets found their way with a mass of
other uncatalcgued material into the
Vatican library. AS final ironic touch
they did not even bear Espinosa's name.
Lost Language Objective.
The manuscript was rediscovered by
DR.. Charles Upson Clark of Yale Uni
versity, who is searching the Libraries Of
Spain and Italy for the Smithsonian
under a special grant from former Vice
President Charles @. Dawes. The OBJ
ject Of the search is some clue in the
,Ir Iafk ~ egfe
which will give some insight into the
Maya hieroglyphicS, which now consti-
tIte a lost language. Mr.. Dawes is es-
pecially interested in any evidence of
possible connection between these high
ly civilized people of Central America
and the populace Of the tabled ''lost At
lantis," which some believe may have
been a stepping stone between ancient
Europe and the New World.
DR.. Clark's discovery consisted of 80
printed pages and 500 sheets of manu-
script in a fine hand The only clue
to the author was his reference to a
published religious book by himself. "A
Light and Guide to Heaven" Follow
ing this clue, the investigator came
upon the forgotten Andalusian Carmel
ite friar Espinosa, who has been in
the Americas converting the indians" +"
The priest visited and lived among
many tribes and was evidently friend
" man who gained the confidence Of
the Indians. He was the first to de-
scribe the ruins of the Maya cities in
Central America, which he believed to
be the work Of some lost tribe Of white
men. He pictures the ancient city
with its proud buildings Of time. i'm
memorial, the memory Of which has
been lost for ages. Among the ruins is
q beautiful room in which is a very
large table, welhworked, Of stonelike ala
baster, and about 1t seated many ef-
hgies with good faces. and long boards.
armed With their breast plates and
espaliers and morions and with their
swords in their belts.
Another Figure With Them.
"And with them is another figure
clothed IN a pontifical with inter on
his head, Of work and dress extraordi-
nary and altogether different from that
Of these realms. And connected with
this room there are corridors very well
worked Of stone, with very large pillars
all Of one piece, and for over four or
six leagues around this proud edifice
there Is q great amount Of worked
stone. These ruins indicate that there
were in these parts people OF great In
telligence, independence and courage
and great cities which the long ages
have swallowed up"
This, SAYS Mr. Stirling, Is evidently
Q semi-mystical description Of the ruins
Of Copan, in the Guatemalan jungle
which in recent years have attracted
great interest among archeologists.
The friar had taste for the horrible.
He described with considerable gusto
the fate of an Indian woman who fell
into q pool Of crocodiles and was quick
" devoured. But she was one Of his
converts, so he directed the Indians
TO catch and kill all the reptiles at once
and secure from them the swallowed
portions. Then, he says, Il said mass
for her"
Twenty-four Hours Torture.
He describes the initiation of Carib
warrior who was forced TO lie in
hammock for months with no nourish-
ment but "manioc water" Then the
weakened man was subjected to "24
hours torture with biting and singing
ants as big as wasps. II he survived he
became q warrior" He gives first
hand accounts of the Indian wars of
Peru, Chile and Argentina and detailed
descriptions of the tribes and geography
Of the Orinoco region.
A curiosity secured by DR.. Clark is a
manuscript of Spanish priest who had
received $4,000 ducats in the division
6 Vi GfO1o aAANA bAAC 3ODb Vi EEIu Dy
Pizzaro. But the priest knew the
cruelty and ruthlessness used in obtain
ing the money and his conscience was
troubled. So he argued 1t out on paper,
4 setting down six reasons for and against
keeping the money. What conclusion
he reached is not known. This manu-
script Is not only a valuable psy-
Geological documen but contains much
detailed description of the West Indies
IN the days Of the Spanish settlements