The History of Ancient America Proving the Identity of the Aborigines with the Tyrians and Israelites [&C.]. (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1843. Excerpt: ... Ruins, substantiate every description by Stephens, as being correct: the whole facades have, to the eye, an appearance in regard to the character of the ornaments, which compels the looker-on to exclaim, " Grecian knowledge has been there F "There is nothing in Europe like them, the Ruins We must then look to Asia or Africa. It has been supposed that at different periods of time, vessels from Japan and China have been thrown Upon The Western coast of America, i. e. on the Pacific Ocean The civilization, cultivation, and science of those countries are known to date back from a very early antiquity." The latter sentence does not admit of question; but that the Chinese or Japanese possessed navigation, with "its means and appliances," at a period to meet these Ruins, or to cover " a very early antiquity," cannot for a moment be sustained by history or even tradition. Mr. Stephens does not claim China and Japan as the nations building these Cities, but rejects them upon the ground of Architectural comparison. We instantly join in this decision, and too it add the impossibility from the want of navigable means; but, says the Traveller, the supposition is, that they (the vessels) were "thrown upon the Western coast of America," and thereby expressing that the arrival of those vessels was accidental. We will prove the impossibility of this, --for any vessel in the North Pacific Ocean, having left China or Japan, and becoming unmanageable from loss of rudder, the prevailing East-wind would not only prevent the vessel from reaching the Western coast of America, but actually would drive the ship Back to China or Japan This last sentence is not given to refute Mr. Stephens, but those writers who may have (as he states) even " supposed" the possibility of vessels bei...