240 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



speedy method of crossing between them. But though 

 timber for canoes and sea rafts is abundant, both on the 

 north and south points of departure, there is scarcely 

 any near the western coast of America to keep up 

 marine habits, nor are there navigable rivers without 

 bars, nor ports with safe places for landing, but mostly 

 every where an open, barren, sandy, or rocky shore, 

 beaten by a heavy surf.* Hence, on this side of the 

 Americas, if arrivals were not frequent, departures were 

 impossible, excepting in the more northern latitudes ; 

 and that these had been crossed and re-crossed may be 

 presumed, even in case the assertion of Chinese scholars ? 

 that America was known by the name of Fu-sang, and 

 mentioned in the great annals of the celestial empire, 

 down to the fifth century of our era, was a mistake. t 

 The absence of Chinese forms of speech on the American 

 continent is not absolute, since the Othomi language, 

 spoken on the north of the valley of Mexico, is raono- 



* The surf in many places is as high and violent as at 

 Madras, and there being little wood procurable on the 

 coast, the natives invented great floats of inflated seal skins, 

 which are still in use. They had formerly catamarans, like 

 those on the Coromandel coast. Models of these are fre- 

 quently found, with a double bladed paddle, in the graves 

 of the aboriginal inhabitants ; but, from California to Peru, 

 rafts, balzas, or janjadas served, capable of carrying great 

 loads with safety, sailing with uncommon speed. See 

 Charnock's Marine Architecture, vol. i. p. 13. Balza wood 

 is a very light kind of palm. 



t See C. Frederick Neumann and De Guines, though 

 Klaproth supposes Niphon or Japan is meant ; Japan, 

 however, bears a different name or names in the 

 annals. 



