246 NATURAL HISTORY OP 



ing coincidences of similarity between certain tribes of 

 Australia and the Fuegians of the Straits of Magellan 

 are pointed out by Captain Stokes, in his voyage of dis- 

 covery lately published. 



One, more, or all the nations of America had, besides 

 creeds, usages, and traditions, in common with stems of 

 the Old Continent, and particularly with Asiatic tribes. 

 Such, among others, were the diluvian legends and the 

 celestial dragons' attempts to devour the moon during 

 the appearance of an eclipse. Next, there still exists 

 in the northern portion a basis of pure Deism, coin- 

 ciding with the common belief of all the nations of 

 high and northern Asia. It was ever independent of 

 tribal and subordinate divinities, and admits of various 

 forms, such as Shamanism, with its demonology, and the 

 more moral system of Budhism ; one being outwardly 

 remarkable for sorcery, incantation, the magical drum, 

 and rattles; the other for several religious monastic 

 orders, for penances, self-mortification, and undying 

 chief priests, and both recurring in the New World ; 

 nay, tokens of what seems a Christian doctrine are 

 detected in the worship of the cross, repeatedly found 

 carved among the ruins of Palenque*. There are, more- 

 over, evidences of Hebrew lore in the metal plates dug 

 out of the same ruins, where the serpent is represented 



Phoenician, Tammus, for God j Karbet is the same as Grabit, 

 a house ; together with usages and opinions closely allied to 

 those of the ancient nations of Syria. The Mexican words 

 Atzlan, Tlapallan, Tenotitslan, without radical meanings in 

 the language, are readily convertible into very appropriate 

 appellations in several Caucasian languages. 



