----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Thanks to the encouragement of my associate, Ross Togashi at Hamilton Library, I am finally connected to this invaluable access route of map illumination. Although Ross has been extremely helpful in the activities of my project (the Multicultural Discovery Project) he is in no way formally affiliated with the project nor is he responsible for the press releases or conclusions put forth by me or my colleagues on the project. Dr. Thomas Kloeti of Cartographica Helvetica has asked for clarification regarding a statement in the recent press release concerning Irish settlement in America by 1350 AD. The question he raised was in regard to the statement that "His discovery (referring to Thompson and colleagues on the project) of a 1414 survey map of North America by the English friar Nicholas of Lynn, was reported in the prestigious journal, _Cartographica Helvetica_, in January." Unfortunately, the press release was written for a local, Honolulu newspaper and therefore embodies the kind of communication limitations inherent in the public newspaper media. The article by Arthur Durst in _Cartographica Helvetica_ in fact makes no mention of Nicholas of Lynn, but it does include a copy of Thompson's facsimile of the DeVirga map (variously dated 1411, 1414, or 1415). And this facsimile has Thompson's identification of North and South America as shown on DeVirga's map. DeVirga used the term "Norveca Europa" on his map to identify the continental land mass extending out to the northwest of Norway. A thorough cartographical examination of this North American continent on a 1414 (or so) map will be included in my forthcoming book, "The Friar's Map of Ancient America--1360 AD." Of course, Albertin DeVirga compiled his 1414 map from existing sourcesQ-one of which was the survey of "Polar Regions" by the English Franciscan, Nicholas of Lynn ca. 1360 and reported in his book, _Inventio Fortunatae_. Indeed, it is most likely that DeVirga used this source for his map. I base this conclusion on numerous historical references to the Franciscan survey of the Polar Regions and use of the name "Norveca" which was current between 1261 and 1380--the same time the Franciscans conducted their survey. The somewhat misleading sentence which Thomas Kloeti refers to would have been more accurately written to say that: "the map was by the Venetian, Albertin DeVirga in 1414--and based on earlier maps including a map of Polar Regions by the English Franciscan, Nicholas of Lynn, completed circa 1360." Of course, _Cartographica Helvetica_ has not indorsed my theory that DeVirga relied on English sources, although the editors have recognized the potential importance of my identification of North America and South America on the map. Those who are interested in the DeVirga map might compare the southeastern continent--the huge isle southeast of Asia--with the outline of the coast of South America near the Gulf of Guayaquil. I have noted that the outline is extremely close to the actual outline of the gulf region. Also, DeVirga used the name Ca-paru for this continent; and this is the earliest mention of Peru on a map. It is followed by Andrea Bianco's 1436 mappamond which designates an isle in the same location as "Ixola Per-linda" or the isle of Per Land. This is in reference to Peru--as "Per" is one of the variations of Ophir which some 16th-century historian/geographers identified as the Land of Peru in South America. More on this in my forthcoming book. Some question has been raised concerning the Mecia Viladestes map of 1413 that was mentioned in the same press release as evidence of an Irish settlement in North America. Although Irish lands in the west, particularly "Hy-Bresail" were legendary, Norse sagas reported Irish settlers near Vinland (the Norse colony near the Gulf of St. Lawrence). This Irish settlement was referred to as "Albania Magna," "Hvitramannaland," or "Great Ireland." This same Albania Magna is seen on 15th-century maps north of China! One of these is the Borgia Carte of 1458. But by the 16th century, geographers realized that Albania Magna was located in the western continent (North America) and it occupies such a position in the New England or Nova Scotia region on maps by Erlend Thordsen (1568) and Jon Gudmundsson (ca. 1600). These maps are discussed in my book, "American Discovery (1994)," and will also be mentioned in my forthcoming bookQ-"The Friar's Map." "Irland-al-Kabirah," or Great Ireland, was also mentioned in Al-Idrisi's 1154 geography as a land beyond Greenland. It is mentioned in the 1350 account by an anonymous Spanish Franciscan as an isle ("Ibernia") northwest of "Irlanda." That means an Ireland northwest of Ireland--or a second Ireland! The importance of the Viladestes map is that it identifies this Ibernia as an island beyond Iceland--and this is important because here-to-fore, historians have assumed that the friar's mention of "Ibernia" was a mistake for Iceland. However, the Viladestes map confirms that Ibernia was regarded as a separate isle or territory beyond Iceland. On earlier maps in the Majorcan-Jewish Catalan tradition, this Ibernia is also called Archania (or Arcadia) and this territory was eventually placed in the region of Nova Scotia on 16th-century maps as L'Arcadia. The Majorcan maps, as early as 1330, identified the land directly east of Archania as Alloland or alogia--the Norse freehold estates of Greenland. It is thus apparent from all the evidence that the isle, Ibernia or Archania, is regarded as beyond both Iceland and Greenland to the west relative to Europe. When the Spanish friar identifies this as a land of forests with fat birds that are delicious either boiled or roasted--we are led to conclude that the place being referred to is Albania Magna--the Nova Scotia region of forests and turkeys. The clincher is the friar's claim that this Ibernia flew the Norwegian flag in 1350--which is within the time frame 1261 to 1380 during which Norway claimed sovereignty over the Polar Regions--i.e., North America. I have a whole bunch of maps to confirm this interpretation in my forthcoming book. Space and pressing duties prevent me from being more elaborative in this context. Another issue addressed in my book is the authenticity of Yale's Vinland Map. A few years ago, I corresponded with Walter McCrone--the person whose chemical analysis branded the map a fraud. It was his belief that a yellow line on the map beneath the map outline was an attempt by the "forger" to mimic the effects of aging. Of course, McCrone had never drawn a map. I mentioned that I had used a similar technique when tracing a map--using a preliminary sketch with light ink--in order to assure that the final lines got in the right position. Later, I noticed that the spelling of Vinland on the map--"Vin-i-landa"--is actually a peculiar Danish spelling that was current between 1350 and 1500. Most historians are ignorant of this fact, and it is unlikely that a forger would have been knowledgeable concerning such a peculiar item. Also, you might notice the truncated form of the coast of Asia--which ends in India Terza (the third India). What happened to the other two? A forger wouldn't have done this to a map; indeed, even R.A. Skelton was baffled by the truncation of Asia. The reason why it was so drawn is that it is actually an early