The American Nations; Or, Outlines of Their General History, Ancient And
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DUMBER 1. SPRIIVO 1836. THE AMERICAN NATIONS; OR, Outlines of A National History; OF THE ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS OF NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA. yx* 4* Of this wide Western Hemisphera^\) Let us retrace the TT history ; * J **/yj ^/ Of all the Nations -L-*-* "* ^ * dwelling herejj^herejk f/* Let us recall the memory ^SSv C\* ^*^^>-^ * O*illf ts ; T^rsss- - ---^ FIRST NUMBER, OR VOMJME: GENERALITIES AND ANNALS. BY PROF. C. S* RAFINESQUE, PHILADEI.PHIA, PUBLISHED BY C. S. RAFINESQUE, NO. 110 NORTH TENTH STREET, SOLD BY THE PRINCIPAL BOOKSELLERS, AND IN LONDON BY O. RICH, IN PARIS BY MEILHAC & BAILLERE. 183G PROSPECTUS. Published quarterly at Five Dollars in advance for Six Numbers or Volumes, simi lar to this, of nearly 300 pages each sep arate Number sold for one Dollar, or more when they will contain maps and illustra tions. A list of Agents will be given hereafter. At present the principal Booksellers may act as such. The Names ot the Subscribers will be printed in a subsequent Number. It is contemplated to conclude these an nals and their illustrations in 12 Numbers or Volumes. Therefore the whole cost to subscribers will only be f 10, for which a complete American Historical Library will be obtained. By remitting $5 to the author, six Vol umes are secured whatever be their future price, and will be sent by mail: a similar sum will be due when the 7th number is issued. Those who may prefer to pay $10 at once, will be deemed Patrons of the work. Whoever subscribes and pays for 5 sets, is entitled to a 6th gratis. Agents will be allowed 20 per cent commission. The price of this Number by itself is One Dollar, or Five Dollars for Six copies. It contains an introduction, general view, account of materials and cataclysms, the Linapi and Haytian annals, with the Hay- tian Language, notes, tables, &c. THE AMERICAN NATIONS-, OR, OUTLINES OF THEIR GENERAL HISTORY, ANCIENT AN MODERN: INCLUDING THE WHOLE HISTORY OF THE EARTH AND MANKIND IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE; THE PHILOSOPHY OF AMERICAN HISTORY; THE ANNALS, TRADITIONS, CIVILIZATION, LANGUAGES, &c., OF ALL THK AMERI CAN NATIONS, TR1BKS, EMPIRES, AND STATES. With Maps, Plates, Vines, and Plans of Monuments, Tables, Notes, and Illustrations. BY C. S. RAFINESaUE: Professor of Historical and Natural Sciences, Member of many Learned Societies in Paris, Bor deaux, Bruxels, Bonn, Vienna, Zurich, Naples, &c, in Europe. Philadelphia, New York. Cincinnati, Lexington, Nashville, &c., in America. The Ameri can Antiquarian Society, &c. FIRST VOJLUME. " All we have hitherto learnt respecting the ancient state of the " Natives of the Ntw Continent is nothing in comparison to the " in light that will be one day thrown on this subjeet, if we succeed * bringing together the materials now scattered over both worlds, "that have survived the ages of ignorance and barbarism." Hum- Mdt. C. S. RAFINESQUE, 110 NORTH TENTH ST. PRINTED BY F. TURNER, 367 MARKET ST. 1836 ENTERED according to act of Congress, in the year 1836, by C. S. RAFINESQUE, in the Clerk s office of the District Court for the Eastern District of the State of Penn sylvania. TO THE SOCIETY OF GEOGRAPHY. OF PARIS. GENTLEMEN : To you I dedicate this work, result of long and weary researches. This homage is due to the public approbation you gave to ray first analogous labor, ray Memoirs or Series of Researches on the Origiu of Mankind : which I endeavored to trace philologically to the centre of Asia. I had announced long ago this history of the Americans, the inhabitants of a whole hemisphere. I had quoted it in my other works. I now offer the outlines of it under your auspices. You have furnished the example of cultivating along with Geography, all the auxiliary and connected sciences, which may enlighten it : particularly the ancient and modern Ethnography, with Philology one of its bases. You will see that I have followed this practice in availing myself of all the sciences to en lighten the history of mankind, the Ethnography and annals of nations : above all Philology with Chrono logy and Geography. The origins and annals of the black nations, and of the American nations, were two subjects quite ob scure and neglected, or the least known, of the history of mankind. Nobody has undertaken, as yet, the history of the Negro nations: a labor so difficult and luckless as to be despised. My memoirs on this despised race, may perhaps furnish the bases of such history. All the histories of America are mere fragments or dreams. I have perceived the possibility and necessity to write a ge neral and faithful history of this hemisphere. I now offer the results of this weary labor. 2 DEDICATION. You will perceive in it many things which have already been said; since it is impossible to write his tory without repetitions; but my plan, the whole point of view, and the results which I draw, are my own. You will also find many things which were never told or were very improperly presented. I shall destroy many errors, hypotheses and conjectures : since in them alone often consist our works upon America. But I shall not say every thing; where so much is to be related, all cannot be told : and I shall be compelled to neglect several minute details. I wish to trace faithful outlines, rather than write a bulky work, like our pretending universal histories, which however, dwell only upon one-third of the globe or even less. 1 dislike long quotations, and shall seldom em ploy them : I quote only when authorities are required to render an opinion more forcible. Every where else I merely give the abridgement of my great historical materials in manuscript, which are arranged by ex tracts of authorities, and where they may be sought for in case of need. Accept, Gentlemen, the respectful homage of THE AUTHOR. PHILADELPHIA, ) October 22d, 1833. $ PREFACE. IN venturing to open a new path in his torical researches on the earth and man kind, it is incumbent on the bold pioneer to state his views, or at least Ho furnish adequate reasons for deviating so far from the usual track. While every science and branch of knowledge is improving, and has, with rapid strides, made continual advances for fifty years past or more, is the noble muse of history to be kept stationary forever, by compilers and classical plodders ? and for America by the foes of the ancient and modern nations of a whole hemisphere? No. ... it is time to improve history as else to seek the truth every thing ; and tell it. As the human mind is yet more swayed by authorities, than genius or wisdom; high authorities will be given instead of long explanations. Ever since the time of Juvenal, it has been an ungrateful task to write historical truth : men often prefer to or in strife be amused, deceived, helped ; than to be instructed, or receive sketches of former times. Yet there is always a secret delight in viewing faithful pictures of ages past, of our ancestors on earth, and our predecessors on the soil of our homes, or where we spend the scenes of our own lives. The worthies who have been taken for mo dels or guides in this arduous undertaking, are Solomon, Moses, Job, St. Paul, St. Aug ustine, Plato, Niebuhr, Humboldt, Malcolm, 4 PREFACE. Gebelin, D Olivet, Bryant, Adelung, Drum- mond, Pritchard, Champollion, Klaproth, Jones, Wilford, Akbar, Price, Bailly, Rus sell, Beattie, Herder, Carli, Barton &c. They shall speak for themselves, in quota tions oftheir own words, instead of elaborate reflexions. From God comes wisdom, knowledge and understanding SOLOMON Prov. 2. v. ft. Those who will seek early wisdom will find her SOL. Pr. 8. v. 17. Hear instruction and be wise, and refuse it not SOL. Pr. 8. v. 33. ZE this is. SFR book. THU symbol. LDTH progeny. ADM mankind. BIUM in manifestation. BRA in realization. ALEIM angels. ADM mankind. BDM- UTH in identic passage. ALEIM angels. OSHE worked. ATHU such symbol. MOSES. Genesis ch, 5. v. 1. Genuine mo saic words, and genuine translation word for word. When I laid the foundations of the earth . the morning stars sung together, and the sons of God shouted for joy. SPEECH or GOD HIMSELF IN JOB ch. 38., Vulgar translation: the original is still more striking. The Hebrew philosophy divided the world in two hemispheres, the upper was SHMIM or Sham-aim^ the Heavens the lower was SHEOL but ; SHEOL-TAHTITH or inferior, was the place of bad souls and Rephaim. (The true SHEOL was Ame rica, or the southern hemisphere). The PREFACE. 5 Jesuit Sanetius thought that Job had spo ken of America. PETERS, Dissertation on Job. It is very possible for modern learning to understand better the books of Moses, Orpheus, and those of all ancient nations, than the Egyptian, Greek and Roman commentators : because the intellectual of is knowledge languages improving ; and those ancient writers have, by their genius, approximated to us, while removed from the blindness of their ages. GEBELIN, Primitive World. The letter kills, but the spirit gives life. ST. PAUL Corinth. II. ch. 3. v. 6. We use great plainness of speech, and not as MOSES who put a veil before his face, that the children of Israel could ,not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished. Cor. II. 3. v. 12, 13. and even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart, nevertheless when it shall please the Lord, this veil shall be taken away.