Page 144 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

140 WISCONSIN IIISTORICAL COLLECTIONS.
much progress in the art of ship-building and navigation for the
last three thousand years. Then, there is, besides the Pacific
Gulf Stream, rt broad ocean current in the north temperate
zone, setting from the shores of China almost across to our
north-west coast, with the prevailing ~inds in the same direc-
tion. When me consider the amount of coasting trade that for
ages must have been carried on along the eastern shores of Asia,
the populous condition of those countries and the inducements
to search out the neighboring isles in quest of subsistence or
shelter from enemies, it would seem to have been the greatest
of miracles if vessels, with their freight of human beings, had
not, in numerous instances, in the course of two or three thous-
and years, been driven off to sca, by storms, and disabled for
making their way back, and falling into the westerly winds and
currents, been wafted to the north-west coast of America; and
deeply involved in mystery as we regard the origin of the
Indians, had the Europeniis found the country destitute of inhab-
itants, it mould have been a still greater mystery.
Lieut. MAURY, Director of the American Nautical Observ-
atory, in n letter to Mr. Schoolcraft, published in his "National
and Tribal History," says, there are well attested instances of
Japanese vessels being found in a disabled condition near our
north-west coast. He says further, "When we take into consid-
eration the position of North America with regard to Asia, and
New Holland in regard to Africa, with the winds and current^
of the ocean, it would have been more remarkable that America
should not have been ~eopled from Asia, or Nem Holland from
Africa than that they should have been."" To my mind, such
an event was the inevitable consequence of the relative positions
and condition of Asia and America, and the minds and currents
of the Pacific.
But the chances for accidental arrivals from Asia would be
~oa~finecl, almost exclusively, to the north-west coast. Accord-
ing to Lieut. MAURY, a disabled vessel would never drift from

'IIe ~rroceeds to show how naturally and unavoidably the latter must have
pbakeu pltice by chance voyngos.