CHAPTER III.
AMERICAN CATACLYSMS _or Considerations on the Periods of American Geogony, Ontogony, Floods, and ancient population &c. of both Americas._
History does not merely consist in acc.u.mulating facts: these const.i.tute the annals of empires; but the real philosophical history has a n.o.bler aim. It seeks results, teaches lessons of wisdom, brands with infamy the foes of mankind, and inspires veneration for the benefactors of the human race. It presents examples worthy to be followed, and records the crimes to be avoided.
The several departments of history that are distinguished as biography, civil and ecclesiastical annals, moral and physical surveys of mankind, comparative philology, archeology, chronology, mythology, &c. All combine to instruct and amuse, to record the past and present, and to lead to better future actions, an improved social order. The nations often forget the wise lessons of time and experience; but they are continually recalled to memory and view by the historians, who seek the truth, and setting aside the sway of human pa.s.sions or national prejudices, present the faithful mirror of history to the eyes of posterity.
Such is my aim. American history has been so much despised or perverted, that few lessons, have been drawn from it: yet it affords ample scope for reflection, study and admiration. Nearly one half of the habitable globe, during all the past ages, cannot fail to offer a variety of subjects, to draw the attention of philosophy, wisdom and philanthropy: that mutual benevolence of mankind, which ought ever to be felt; but is so often discarded or forgotten through the contrary tendencies of pride, l.u.s.t, cupidity, and all the baneful pa.s.sions.
The connections of historical facts with all the sciences, afford another useful theme; that may vastly increase our comparative knowledge: much of it has arisen, besides observation, from accurate comparison, a.n.a.lysis and generalization, which combine to give results, enlarging the field and sphere of human knowledge, in all its branches.
If we go back, by the help of geology, to the most remote periods of existence and life in this hemisphere, we find it like the remainder of the globe, immersed under the Ocean. There, in the depths of the briny waves, the actual rocks now supporting the dry soil, were formed and matured: superposed and intermingled by aquatic and volcanic phenomena and cataclysms, if not by superadded aerial depositions. Then were formed the primitive strata of America, ere life had begun to vivify the waters; then were cast the Porphyries, Granites, Shales, Basalts, and other primitive or volcanic rocks, that are now chiefly found in Boreal and Western America, the Andes, Mts. Parima, and Brazil, the Austral and Boreal Islands, Hayti and the Antilles. This was the first period of terrestial Creation.
After this period of unknown length, began the epocha of aquatic life; when the breath of G.o.d, moving on the waters, gave life and motion to organized aquatic beings; 1. Plants and Fucites, 2. Spongites and Alcyonites, 3. Polyps and corals, 4. Worms and radials, 5. Sluggs and sh.e.l.ls, 6. Mollusca and Cephalopodes, 7. Trilobites and Crustacites....
All incipient vegetating beings, or inferior unbony animals, gradually evolved and born in the waters of the Sea.... Followed by the more perfect vertebrated aquatic animals, 8. Fishes and Sharks, 9. Snakes and reptiles; lastly, 10. Seals and whales. Some of which require shallow water, to dwell and breed.... This was the second period of American Creation: _Aquatic life_.
The third epocha is that of the destruction of aquatic life, by cataclysms and depositions, submarine volcanic cavernous eruptions or other causes, throwing suddenly in a soft, sandy or muddy state, the substances that have formed the secondary mountains or strata of psamites, argillites, calcarites, carbonites, &c., that overwhelmed the aquatic tribes in their way; which becoming therein entombed as living medals of this globe, declare to us these mighty successive cataclysms or floods of sand, clay, lime and coal; now met in vast regions, the Alleghanies and Central North America, Florida and the Bahama Islands; the hills and plains of Brazil, Chili, East Peru, and Central Maragnon.... This was the second period of terrestrial formation in America, the third of successive eventful periods.
The fourth must have been the rise of the land above the waters, if not already partly begun. The epocha of terrestrial upheaving and distortion of strata, by an awful inward force; either volcanic, or calorific, or of growing crystalization; forming mountains and islands, raising them above the Ocean; to become the nucleus of future Continents. The American hemisphere had then probably two great islands, in the North and South, with many smaller islands between them, in the tropical sea: the Alleghany and Atlantis forming two others in the east, and many others studding the two polar regions. The insulated mountain tract between Lake Nicaragua and the long valley of Choco, must then have formed another Island of the Antilles. Guyana or Parima was also another large island: while Brazil was a vast peninsula attached to the Andes. I have endeavored to express this first configuration of America in my two maps of North and South America; when the Ocean was yet about 500 feet higher than it is actually. Whether this cataclysm was contemporaneous throughout, or by successive throes must be ascertained by Geogony.... This was the fourth period of terrestrial events in this hemisphere; but the first of terrestrial separate existence.
When the dry land had appeared, the creative power of G.o.d exerted upon the virgin mould of the mountains, drew forth into life, Plants and Flowers, Trees and Palms; with the successive terrestrial animals, 1. Worms and Slugs, 2. Insects and Spiders, 3. Snakes and Reptiles, 4. Birds and Fowls, 5. Beasts and Bats. Streams began to flow, valleys were excavated in the soft or yielding strata by heavy tides and powerful streams: then the fishes of the sea ascended the rivers, and filled the streams and lakes. A few sh.e.l.l and other aquatic animals sent also colonies into fresh waters.... This was the fifth period of terrestrial events; that of terrestrial life.
Meantime the land was continuing to rise, or the ocean to sink; the dry soil was extending: land volcanoes began to appear in the Andes and elsewhere, overwhelming some living tribes. The carbonic volcanoes had new paroxysms, slaty mud involved terrestrial plants and trees in successive eruptions: the clay mud or colored sand was forming tertiary strata on the sh.o.r.es, involving sea animals, sh.e.l.ls, reptiles and fishes.... This was the sixth period of terrestrial events, that of land volcanoes.
After all these; mankind was created by G.o.d, and appeared as lord of the earth, and the complement of living creation.... This may be deemed another Period, if we like; although it was but the complement of the terrestrial living productions, begun in the 5th, and probably proceeding in the 6th. Where the first man or men appeared and dwelt, is unknown or very dubious. Asia is commonly deemed the first dwelling of mankind, and Central Asia or Thibet the cradle of our race: although China, India, Arabia, Syria, Ceylon, &c., claim the same honor. But few authors have placed this cradle in America, and even then not for the _Adamites_. Yet America had some inhabitants before the flood, if we are to believe the concurrent traditions of many American nations; who keep the memory of it, and point to their refuges.(5)
Of these American Anti-diluvians we know little or nothing: their traces are few and uncertain. It would be otherwise if we could identify them with the anti-diluvian _Atlantes_, or find their diluvial remains. The skeletons found in Guadaloupe, and on R. Santas of Brazil, by Captain Elliott (described by Meigs in the transactions of American philosophical society 1827) in tuffa with sh.e.l.ls, may have been buried there; like the mummies of many American caves. Some of the American mounds have appeared anti-diluvian; but the fact is not well proved. The subterranean antiquities are also of an equivocal character. The town of log houses lately found in Georgia, buried under golden clysmian soil, cannot be so remote; the soil instead of diluvial, may be a deep alluvial. All the facts on these remote times, shall be hereafter collected, presented and examined carefully.
Thus, has been presented by geological results, a rapid sketch of the American periods, to the birth of mankind. These 6 periods or _yums_, are well ascertained as to succession; but their duration is unknown: and each of them includes several subordinate periods; which it is not needful to investigate in these outlines. The works on geology may be consulted if required. These 6 _yums_ or great periods do not answer exactly to the 6 _yums_ or manifestations of the mosaic cosmogony, since geogony begins only with the 3d, ending with the 5th.
Such oriental accounts are always deserving our attention, and susceptible of the deepest philosophical commentary, as they mainly agree with all the detected facts. But there are at least 3 accounts of the creation or cosmogony in the _Sepher_ or Hebrew Bible. 1. That of Job. 2. Of Moses in chapter 2d of Genesis from verse 4 to 25; in both, no _yums_, days nor periods are mentioned. 3. The usual mosaic account of chapter 1st. ending only at ch. 2, v. 3. Even in this usual account more than 7 periods can be found, including heaven, earth and men.
These are the real Mosaic periods, with his own names, very different from the subsequent Jewish names, in various dialects.
1. PERIOD OF TIME OR YUM. BRA-s.h.i.tH Real beginning or Real Supreme Being producing ALEIM the Angels, SHMIM Heavens, and ARTZ Earth.
2. YUM. THEU-UBEU Chaos, and THEUM Abyss, with RUH Spirit of G.o.d.
3. YUM. AUR Essence of celestial light or Ether. First divine manifestation of _Mshe_ or Moses.
4. YUM. RKIO Expanse or sky, diversion of aerial and celestial fluids. 2d.
5. YUM. Sea and dry land, upheaving of land over the waters, or subsiding of the ocean. Vegetation. 3d.
6. YUM. Sun and Moon appearance by a change in the misty atmosphere? with XUXBIM stars? 4th.
7. YUM. Fishes and Fowls, &c. 5th.
8. YUM. Beasts and cattle, with ADM mankind or human emanation, our Adam, ZXR male, and NKBE female. 6th.
9. YUM. _Shbioi_ seventh manifestation, _Aleim_ became IEUE Jehovah, the living-self-with-self, the supreme or powerful self.
10. YUM. AD emanation, our mist.
11. YUM. ADM into GN or _Gan._ our Eden.
12. YUM. OTZ Growth, of lives with good and evil.
13. YUM. NER 4 flowing emanations or streams.
14. YUM. ASHE Intellectual man-mate, called afterwards EUA living existence, our Eve.-Self-with-life.
All these periods should require long comments, and discussions, rather physical than historical. It is by no means certain that the sun and moon are implied in the 6th yum. The text says a couple of MARTH Centralities EMAUR-GDL and EMAUR-KTN Self-great-ether greatest and lesser. Some have seen here the solar and lunar dynasties of Asia. The XUX-BIM might be the XRUBIM of later times. The real sun and moon may belong to the _yum_ of AUR. The stars, according to Job, were in existence before the foundation of the earth, and our astronomy teaches this implicitly.
In this cosmogony, the heavenly creation takes 4 periods. The gra.s.s grows by light before the sun had appeared through the misty atmosphere, and the fishes come after the land and herbs, at the same period with fowls. Our actual geology does not confirm this last fact; but a proper explanation of the biblic words would confirm the truth.(6)
Many still consider AISH intellectual man as the human race, previous to _Adam_, father of the Adamites; but the concurrent proofs are very slender: nor is their posterity known; unless _Nahash_ or the snakes, _Elohim_ or the sons of G.o.d, the _Rephains_ or giants, and the _Nephilim_ or apostates, be considered as such. Indications of races of men different from the Adamites may be collected both in the Bible, and in all the ancient annals of China, India, Iran, &c.; but no positive connected account has ever been made out as yet.
The _Nahash_, _Hareth_ or _Satan_ of the Bible, is identic with the _Nagas_ (snakes) of the Hindus, the _Zabul_ and _Dives_, (devils) of Iran, evidently men, and foes of the Adamites: they are also the U-long or antidiluvian dragons of China. In America the satanic notions will be seen in the respective account of religions. They often a.s.sume in this hemisphere the appearance of volcanic ideas, or of a vampire malignant being. But the nations of the Linapi group connect the ideas of devils, snakes and foes, all called _Ako_ or _N"akho_ very similar with _Nahash_ and _Nagas_. They a.s.sert that they were created by the Evil Spirit, were always foes of real men; that they caused the flood, and went afterwards to America before the Strait of Behring was formed.-_See_ Linapi Traditions.
The ALEIM, _Elohim_ or _Egregori_ or angels of the Hebrew were instead sons of G.o.d, and Moses ascribes to them the creation of the earth; while Job ascribes it to _Eloah_, the real G.o.d. Herder has said that we shall never understand well the mosaic history, until we ascertain who were these _Elohim_ and _Cherubim_(7) dwelling on earth. My dissertation on anti-diluvian history may perhaps help to clear the matter; meantime it may be stated that they appear to be the HO-LO of anti-diluvian Chinese history, or LO-LO of their post-diluvian annals. Perhaps also the celestial emperors beginning the history of China: the _Alorus_ first dynasty of a.s.syria before the flood: the _Ang_-ELOS and P"EL of the Pelagians. Also the H"ELLO (old men) of the Egyptians, the PELEI (old men or ancestors) of the ancient Illyrians, the LAHI or ancient Thibetans.
They may be the ELEI or ancient Persians, the _Peris_ or _Pelis_ of Iran, ancient beneficent beings. The Arabs and all the Semetic nation have preserved that name for G.o.d, in EL, _Allah_, _Baal_, or made of it their universal article _El_, _Al_, meaning HE or _the Being_: whence also the Pelagic and Italic articles IL, L, LI, &c., the Spanish EL. By the frequent usual change of L into R, we have ER root found in many languages for men: forming the _Heros_ of Greece, sons of G.o.d; the HER or lords of the Germanic tribes, the _Seres_ of Thibet or ancient Chinese, _Ergaz_ men of the African Atlantes. _Erk_ man in Turkish or Turan Atlantes, akin to _Egregori_!
In America these similar indications are widely spread, and among the most ancient nations. EL means man in Tolteca and Mexican, OL is old and _Yollo_ a spirit or angel. EL is son and tribe in Hayti, _Elohi_ is land and spirit in Tzuluki. _Yol_ means _man_ in the Atakapa language of the Cado or Nachez group. _Pele_ means the same in Lule of South America; but _Peli_ is soul in Chilian, which approximate to _Peleg_ and _Lelex_, ancient Pelagian tribes. The connections with TEL, TAL, TOL, pervade the whole of ancient America, and lead to a.s.similate with the TOL-tecas and TALAS, American Atlantes, the Tulans or Asiatic Atlantes, the _Auto-Toles_ or African Atlantes. These lead to the giants of both hemispheres or ancient men of renown. But the subject must be postponed, and will be found resumed in the history of Austral and Central America, where these atlantes and giants are found.
Returning from this digression; we may resume the geological periods of America previous to mankind, in the six successive epochas, already mentioned.
1. Period. Primitive, aquatic and before life.
2. Period of aquatic organic life.
3. Period of aquatic cataclysms.
4. Period of the dry land or islands.
5. Period of terrestrial life.
6. Period of terrestrial volcanoes.
After which begins the human period, till the flood. The question whether man or men appeared together, or before or after, in both hemispheres; must be left undecided. Some writers have even placed _Eden_ the GN of Moses in America and the Hesperidian Islands of old; but as the Imalaya mountains, valleys and plains, are higher than the Andes, older in geological series, and more suitable for human life, not being volcanic: it is extremely probable that they were the cradle of mankind, rather than America.
Yet men reached America before the flood, and were here at this eventful period. But we are ignorant of the precise way they came, and how they reached this land which was then only a group of large islands, unless North America was united to Asia by Behring Strait, as very probable. The clearest traditions point to the east, Africa and Europe then united at the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Island Atlantis as a stepping place. The Mexican traditions point to Asia, by two different opposite quarters, the east and the north west. The Uskis or Innuit nations are late comers by the north west. The Linapi nations, although earlier, came the same way, and over the ice of Behring Strait, after its disruption. The Hongwis came the same way, although they boast of being Autochtones, as did the Greeks, which we know in both instances to be false.
The Nachez nations say they came from the east. The Olmecas or earliest people of Anahuac point that way also; although both speak of an American flood. The Haytians and Cubans were also of eastern origin, like all the Aruac nations; but remembered the flood and parceling of the islands. The Carib nations appear postdiluvians and the last come in South America; yet the Tamanacs one of the group speak of an American flood. The Guarani call themselves eastern men, and came from Africa after the flood. It is in South America, the Andes of Chili, Peru, &c., that a positive memory was found of several floods and cataclysms, in or near the Andes, which gave refuge to several tribes. Yet it is there also that the most obvious philological affinities are found with North Africa and the sh.o.r.es of the Mediteranean; while many invasions of foreign later nations are recorded, &c.
All these antidiluvian notions, and accounts of the American flood, will be carefully collected and given. This will form the first period of human history in America, extending to 2262 years at least, according to the computation of the 70; the most plausible of all. The Tol-tecas reckon nearly the same time between their period of creation and their main flood: or with trifling differences, less than the various terms of Josephus and others; but various other calculations are found in Anahuac.