DID THE ROMANS COLONIZE AMERICA ? 365 



Cclumbus records many of the aboriginal river or water names wherein the 

 Cehic term Acha is apparent, in the writing "aca" — as Jamaica, Macaca. etc. 

 The words Carib and Cariba — and about which the discoverer evinced so much 

 concern — are also easily located in the Latin language which contains Caribus 

 (from the Greek); this being the Roman word for sea-crabs or turtles. The 

 world knows how famous the West India Islands have long been for immense 

 crustaceans, the celebrated green turtles. In the word we see the origin of 

 " Carabean "— " Caribbean Sea." 



There is a long list of aboriginal river names (and other words having anal- 

 ogous origin) showing the term Aqua in purity. There are countless others rend- 

 ered with so slight an infringement upon the correct orthography of the word, 

 we can readily understand that the corruption is due, not to the aboriginal pro- 

 nunciation, but to the versions of modern scribes; as for instance, "acqua," 

 "aquo," "aqui," "aque," and "agua," instead of merely Aqua, in such names 

 as Acquasca, Aquokee, Aguachapa, etc., etc. 



Again: we often labor under difficulty in determining what is an aboriginal 

 name or a mere Spanish one in those sections of the New World that were long 

 under Spanish domination. There is one fact, however, that assists in removing 

 doubts. The modern Spanish ideas in the appHcation of river names in America, 

 were not always based upon the aboriginal models heretofore referred to. The 

 priesthood accompanying the expeditions of early colonization had much to do 

 in the coinage of nomenclatures here. Hence, names not purely Indian are 

 often found with a prefix indicative of the Spain of three hundred years ago. 

 We have numerous Saints in the "Sans," and other titles pertaining to ecclesias- 

 ticism,2 in the Spanish names in America. "Rio," also, often appears in con- 

 nection therewith ; while words that evince a conformity to the Indian models 

 may be safely written as "native names," even though they do at times indicate 

 tho Spanish idioms. Among these are Aguapahee, Aguila, Ahagua, Aguadeela 

 — and many others. (Pronunciations given in these -words are not always the 

 foreign writings thereof.) The "ahee" of these names reminds us of the Ger- 

 manic Aha, and La is evidently Li or Ri. 



In addition to names already written showing the presence of Aqua in the 

 Indian nomenclature, we may cite the following : 



Acquia (of Va); Aquiras (Brazil); Agaqua (Tenn.); Talaquah (in various places 

 in the South); Chatauqua and Chapaqua (N. Y.); Cofaqua (Mexico); Aquehono 

 (Texas); Alaqua (Florida); Atchalaqua (Ga.); Tamaqua (Pa.); Telaqua (Tenn. ); 

 Aquakannock (N. J.); Aquala (Ga.); Aquona (N. C.); Piscataqua (N. H.); Maa- 

 qua (N. Y.); Inctaqua (N. C.); Sadaquada (N. Y.). The list might be extended. 



Aquana is the same as Abana. Both names are found in the Indian. The 

 Sadaquada was written also by the French Sauquoit. It is one of the tributaries 

 of the Hudson or Maaqua (through the Mohawk). 



In words like the following it is difficult to determine to which root the Indian 



2 Florida was discovered on Palm or Easter Sunday, a day celebrated by the Church— hence 

 the name. 



