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Ancient Chinese Account of the Grand
Canyon, or Course of the Colorado
(Copyrighted, Brooklyn, 1913)
By ALEXANDER M'ALLAN
TEN SUNS IN THE SKY!
The ancient Chinese records tell of a "Place of Ten Suns," where "TenSuns rose and shone together" (see Appendix, note 1).
Seven Suns were also seen shining together in the sky! and at night (if indeedwe can call it "night") as many as seven moons! (What a haunt for loversand poets!)
Five Suns were also beheld (see note 2).
What Liars those Chinese writers are!
Figure 1. Spectacle of Five Suns.Very good; but why not denounce all our ownArctic navigators as a pack of Liars? They all tell about more Suns thanone! A picture of Five (see Figure 1) is furnished by a most eminent explorer(note 3). The dictionaries and cyclopedias of our careful publishers call theappearance of two or more suns (or moons) a Parhelion. The number of themultiplied "luminaries" never exceeds Ten (note 4). There actually is a "Placeof Ten Suns."
Ten Suns say the Ancients.
Ten Suns say the Moderns.
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AMERICA SHAPED LIKE A TREE.
The ancient Mexicans likened North America to a Tree—a stupendousMulberry Tree—"planted in the land known to us today as South America"(n. 5).
The Chinese geographers or mythologists teach that at a distance of 30,000le (10,000 miles) to the east there is a land 10,000 le (over 3,000) miles in width.
Now the land referred to must be North America, for, 10,000 miles eastfrom southern China brings us to California; and we further find that NorthAmerica, now reached, is 10,000 le, or over 3,000 miles in width, measuringfrom the Pacific to the Atlantic.
The Chinese accounts further call our eastern realm a Fu-Sang (or HelpfulMulberry) land.
A Mulberry land (3,000 miles wide) is There, say the Chinese.
The Mulberry land (3,000 miles wide) is Here, say the Mexicans.
Like the Mexicans, the Chinese sages declare that there is an enormousTree—the Fu (or helpful) Sang Tree—in the eastern Mulberry land 3,000miles wide.
As just remarked, the Chinese call the enormous Eastern Tree a Sang,and the Mexicans call their enormous Tree a Beb (both terms standing for theMulberry,—a fact to which no writer hitherto has directed, or called, attention.)
Observe (see Figure 2) that at Tehauntepec (a little west of Yucatan) ourcontinent narrows down to a width of 100 miles (or 300 Chinese le).
The Mexicans say that North America is a Tree, and that it has a correspondinglyenormous Trunk,—which at Tehauntepec measures 100 miles (or300 Chinese le).
Now the Chinese writers declare that the enormous Mulberry in the regioneast of the Flowery Kingdom has "a Trunk of 300 le" (or 100 miles.) What aprodigious dimension! (see note 6.)
A Mulberry Tree, with a "Trunk of 300 le," is There, say the Chinese.
A Mulberry Tree, with a Trunk of 300 le, is Here, say the Mexicans.
Such a stupendous Tree ought to have enormous Branches to match theTrunk, and we are not surprised when informed that our monarch of the forestgoes up—up—up even to the Place of the 10 Suns (in the Arctic zone.)
The One true sun is, of course, high above the mountai