CHAPTER II. 



DISCOVERY BY COLUMBUS AND EARLY HISTORY. 



The statement that Columbus was the first man 

 to discover America is only a myth. There is a 

 record of it having been discovered as far back as 

 499, by Hoei Shin, a Buddhist priest, who is credited 

 with having discovered Mexico in that year, and the 

 remains of many temples, buildings and monuments 

 found all over Mexico and Peru, bearing signs of 

 Buddhist art, are cited as confirmatory proof of this. 



The next oldest claim, after the Chinese, is that 

 of a number of Irish, Scotch and Welshmen, among 

 them being a band of monks and colonists, who sailed 

 for that place as early as the ninth century. An 

 interesting account taken from Ari Marson's voyage 

 to America, whither he had been driven by stress of 

 weather, and where he discovered an Irish community 

 — or at least a community speaking Gaelic — settled 

 in a part of that continent which they called great 

 Ireland, is quoted by Beamish from Ari's famous 

 Landnamaboh in proof of the existence of this colony. 



Next appears Red Eric, a Norseman, who on 

 account of his murderous brawls, had been expelled 

 from Norway. He settled for some time in Lapland, 

 but not being well received there he went in search 



