1806.] 



Suppofed Welch Indians. 



521 



But Griffith's relation Is, I think, wor- 

 thy of fome attention. I even think, it not 

 altogether improbable that future re- 

 fearches will ellablifti the fa£t, that there 

 does exift in the weftevn parts of North- 

 America a race or nation of n^en whofe 

 complexion is much f.iirerthan that of the 

 furrounding tribes of Incjians, and who 

 fpearc a language abounding in Welch or 

 Celtic words. But the <row?/>/f/f ettablifh- 

 ment of thefe two points would not pr^ve 

 theeftablifhment of the trurhof the affer- 

 tion, that Prince Madog had ever made a 

 vnyage to America, or that a colony of 

 Celts had at any penod prior to the difco- 

 'Very of America by Ccluntbus, pafTcd intJ 

 this he.m\(phere from Britain. 



It may be thought, from the llatement 

 publiflied by Dr, Williams and fome other 

 writers on the fubjeft, that the belieF of 

 the exiftence of a race of Welch Indians in 

 America is generally admitted by the 

 Welch, Indians, and others. But this is far 

 from being the cafe. The late Mr. 

 M'Gillivray, a man of no inconhderable 

 powers of mind, and whofe curiofity was 

 by no means confined to his own relatives, 

 the Mufcohge, or Cretk-Indians, inform- 

 ed me, in the ytar 1 790, that he knew no- 

 thing of the exiftence of any white- people 

 in thetrafl of country beyond th« Mifiif- 

 fippi. 



1 he followmg is an extraft of a letter 

 (dated Downing, June 14., 1792) from 

 my learned and exctlient friend the late 

 Mr. Thomas Pennant, of Wales : 



*' My countrymen are wild amoig the 

 Padoucas, or Welch Indians, defcendants 

 of Madog, now feated about the upper 

 partsof the MifTouri. I am rather in dif- 

 grace, not having the warmeft hopes of 

 their difcovery. Pray what is your opi- 

 nion, and that of your philofopheis ?" 



In anfwer to the above I wi-ote a letter, 

 of which the following is a part : 



" I have heard a great deal about the 

 Welch Indians. I very early imbibed 

 your opinion, as delivtred in your Ar£1ic 

 Zoology,* and mentioned you on the fub- 

 je6\ in a little workf w-hich I publiflied in 

 England at the age of * • * *. I do rot 

 know whether you have feen that work.— 

 I do not mean to hint that it is wortiiy uf 



your attention. I certainly think thf-re is 

 fome foundation for the ftory ; but I have 

 no doubt but the whole affair will uirn out 

 very (lifferent frnm a difcovery of Madog's 

 defcendants in America. 



" I have faid, that I think there is fome 

 ground for the ftory. I (liail explain my- 

 felf. You know that many of the firft vi- 

 fitorj of the New- World were (truck witti 

 the refemblance which fubfiHs between 

 fome of the American nations and the 

 Jews. Some Hebrew wordb were found in 

 this continent, as they have been every 

 where eUe. The Americans were now 

 laid to be the defcendants of the Jews i 

 and Adair laboured very hard to p:ove 

 the matter in a pcnderous q'lart'j, which 

 few people read, becaufe it is big with 

 fyftem and extravagance, though indeed it 

 contains fome curious and accurate mat- 

 ter. In like manner, in the languages of 

 /ome of the American tribes there are 

 found fome words which are a good deal 

 analogous to words in the hnguages of the 

 ancient Celts. Wafer, who was a very 

 rcfpeflable obferver, if we confider his oc- 

 cupation in life, mentions the coincidence 

 he found between the language of the In- 

 dians of Darien and that of the Highland 

 Scots ; and I could produce inffances of 

 their coincidence. Some Greek words are 

 alio found in certain of the American lan- 

 guages. I would not ftrain a point fo 

 much as fome writers have, who mention 

 the coincidence which fubfifts between the 

 Greek Iheos and the Mf.xican Teotl.—' 

 The word Fotouumack, which is the n^.me 

 of one of our great livers, is a good deal 

 like the Greek Potamot.* Thefe ;wurds 

 (perhaps they are accidental refemblances) 

 have given rife to Ibme of the numerous 

 theories wt^ich we have had concerning the 

 peopling of this great continent : and I 

 doubt not that foaie • * * * or perlbn 

 who underftood the Welch language, find- 

 ing Celt'C words (a lang-.iage fpoken by 

 the Welch) among the Americans in the 

 fullnefs of h(S leal would bring his coun- 

 trymen among the Padoucas, Apaches, 

 &c. 



•' Such, I believe, has been the origin 

 of this wonderrul ftory. I prckime, tiiaf, 

 were an ignorant Highlander to vifit the 



• See the Introdufiion to the work, pages * The Abb'- IWolina (in his " Comprndio 



263, 264. de ia Hiltoria Civil del R.eyno de Cliik-, S;c., 



\ Oblervations on fome Parts of Natural Hdrte Segunda," piges 354, •j^;) his pointed 



Hlftory -f to which is prefixed an Account of out fome very flriking inftantes of refem- 



feveral remailcahlc Vtftigcs of an ancient blance between the Greek and Chilefe Ian- 



Date whiih have been difcoverrd in dilVerent 

 I'jrts of Norih-America. Parti., London, 



»-y7 

 Monthly Mac. No. 137. 



gu.i|.'cs He nas alfo pointed out foine rtlem- 

 buncc between the Latin and the Chilefe.— 

 February 19, ii'05. 



3 U Dai icn. 



