American antiquities, and discoveries in the West: being an exhibition of the evidence that an ancient population of partially civilized nations, differing entirely from those of the present Indians, peopled America, many centuries before its discovery by Columbus. And inquiries into their origin, with a copious description of many of their stupendous works, now in ruins. With conjectures concerning what may have become of them / Comp. from travels, authentic sources, and the researches of antiquarian societies. By Josiah Priest.

  • Priest, Josiah, 1788-1851.
Date:
1833
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: American antiquities, and discoveries in the West: being an exhibition of the evidence that an ancient population of partially civilized nations, differing entirely from those of the present Indians, peopled America, many centuries before its discovery by Columbus. And inquiries into their origin, with a copious description of many of their stupendous works, now in ruins. With conjectures concerning what may have become of them / Comp. from travels, authentic sources, and the researches of antiquarian societies. By Josiah Priest. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    27/414 (page 21)
    subject, respecting the variety of complexions, see, toward the close of this volume, the remarks of Professor Mitchell, late of New-York. RESPECTING A DIVISION OF THE EARTH BY NOAH AMONG HIS SONS. It cannot be denied but the whole earth, at the time the ark rested on mount Ararat, belonged to Noah, he being the prince, patriarch, or head and ruler of his own family ; consequently of all the inhabitants of the earth, as there were none but his own house. This is more than can be said of any other man since the world be¬ gan, except of the man Adam. Accordingly, in the true character of a Patriarchal Prince, as related by Eusebius, an ecelesiastical writer of the fourth century, and by others, that Noah, being com¬ manded of God, proceeded to make his will, dividing the whole earth between his three sons, and their respective heirs or descend¬ ants. To Shem he gave all the East; to Ham, all Africa ; to Japheth, the continent of Europe, with its Isles, and the northern parts of Asia) as before pointed out. And may we not add America, which, in the course of Divine Providence, is now in the possession of the posterity of Japheth, and it is not impossible but this quarter of the earth may have been known even to Noah, as we are led to sus¬ pect from the statement of Eusebius. This idea, or information, is brought forward by Adam Clarke, from whose commentary on the Scriptures, we have derived it.— That a knowledge of not only Africa, Asia, and Europe, was in the possession of Noah, but even the islands of Europe, is probable, or how could he have given them to the posterity of his son Japheth, as written by Eusebius. It may be questioned, possibly, whether these countries, at so early a period, had yet been explored, so as to furnish Noah with any degree of knowledge respecting them. To this it may be re¬ plied, that he lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood, and more than a hundred and flfty after the building of the tower of