_Prince Madoc_ (No. 4. p. 56.; No. 18. p. 282.).--In the darkness superinduced by the absence of historical evidence on the Welsh settlement in America, I beg leave to offer a few remarks on some ethnological subjects involved in this question.
In reference to the specimen of a Welsh-Indian Vocabulary in Catlin's _N.A. Indians_, which "Gomer" opposes to Prof. Elton's proposition on this subject (No. 15. p. 236.), were the instances of similarity to exhibit the influence of opinion, of government, or of commerce, on the language of the tribe, the origin of such words would be as indisputable as that of those introduced by the English into the various countries of the East where they have factories; e.g. governor, council, company. But these and numerous other traces of the Celtic language which have been found in Florida and Darien are not indicative of such impressions; most of them, from their universality, bespeak themselves to be primitive; and who can assure us that some may not have reached them before the twelfth century, through "Walsh or strangers," "a race mightier than they and wiser," by whom they may have been instructed in the arts which have excited so much astonishment?
The glass beads, erroneously called Druid's beads, furnish Catlin with another proof of affiliation, which, however, is invalidated by the well-ascertained facts of glass-manufactories having, in remotest antiquity, existed in Egypt, and of glass beads having been dispersed by the Phoenicians among the nations which they visited. (See Tassie's _Gems_, introd.--Here, by the by, are mentioned celebrated emeralds, which have turned out to be only lumps of green glass!)
Lhuyd relates that the cross was honoured in N. America before the arrival of the Spaniards, and Sir R. Manley (_Turk. Spy_, vol. viii.) states that they found crucifixes also. Unfortunately for this hypothesis, it has been shown, by G. Becanus (_Hierogl._, see Index), Olaus Wormius (_De Danicis Monumentis_, see Index), M. Ficinus (_De Vita coelitus Propaganda_, l. iii. c. 18.), and Kircherus (_Prodromus Coptus_, p. 163.), that in various countries the cross was, before the Christian era, an object of veneration, and symbolled the genius of their religion. In the event of crucifixes having been found (for which, however, Sir R. Manley supplies no authority) we need not be surprised that the Christian topography was so far extended, since the Christianity of China, between the seventh and the thirteenth century, has been invincibly proved; and simultaneously, perhaps, the aborigines of America received the symbol, [Greek: Eros mou hestaurotai], which is peculiar to the Christian religion.