Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1889, volume 6).djvu/696

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ZEXON DE ROUVROY
ZEPHIRIN

, with a map of North America dated 1390). The authenticity of the two brothers' discoveries was attacked during the following centuries, and even their existence was doubted, but later re- searches have proved that Marco Barbaro, in his " Discendenze Patrizie " (Venice, 1526), knew of the existence of Zeno's letters, narrative, and map thirty years before their publication. The Hakluyt society published an English translation, with an introduc- tion and notes, entitled " The Voyages of the Ve- netian Brothers, Nicolo and Antonio Zeno, to the Northern Seas in the 14th Century, comprising the latest known Accounts of the Lost Colony of Green- land, and of the Northmen in America, before Co- lumbus," translated by Richard Henry Major (Lon- don, 1873). Zeno'smapof Greenland, Newfoundland, and the northern coast of America is remarkably accurate, and his narrative demonstrates also the existence, more than a century before the time of Columbus, of the remains of the Scandinavian colonies that are mentioned by Adam of Bremen in the 11th century, and by Odericus Vitalis in the 12th century, and whose history was recently written by Karl C. Rafn. See also Placido Zurla's " Uissertazione intorno ai viaggi e scoperte setten- trionali di Nicolo ed Antonio, fratelli Zeni," which includes a copy of the original text and also a chart (Venice, 1808).


ZENON DE ROUVROY, Charles Albert (zay- nong), French author, b. in Dreux in 1698 ; d. in Pans in 1759. He was a member of the Academy of Caen, and frequented the literary salons of the time, among them that of Madame Doublet de Per- sau, of whom he was secretary for several years. He obtained later an office in the navy and colo; nial department, and wrote the instructions for the colonial governors. His books include " Let- tre sur les colonies Francaises de l'Amerique," an anonymous work, which was widely read and caused much discussion, as the author predicted the capture of the colonies by the English (Amster- dam, 1732); "Memoire sur la politique des Jesuites dans les pays de l'Amerique " (1735) ; " Histoire de la compagnie des Indes (2 vols, 1738); and "Me- moire nistorique sur la Louisiane et la compagnie du Mississippi" (1743). The last is a very curious work, which contains interesting information about the operations of John Law and the policy of the Mississippi company. The latter caused all available copies of the work to be destroyed, and it is now extremely rare. Zenon also wrote " Discus- sion succinte sur les operations de la compagnie des Indes Occidentals (1751).


ZENTENO, Carlos de Tapia (thayn-tay'-no), Mexican author, b. in the city of Mexico in 1698 ; d. there about 1770. He studied in Trinity semi- nary of his native city, where he was graduated in theology and canonical law. After receiving holy orders he was appointed to the parish of Tampa- molon, and later was made ecclesiastical judge of the district, but gave his leisure time to the study of the Aztec and Huastec dialects, in which he be- came proficient. Resigning his parish, he settled in Mexico, where he became secretary of the Col- lege of San Pedro and, by competitive examina- tion, professor of Aztec in the university. He wrote "Arte Novisimo.de la Lengua Mexicana" (Mexico, 1753) ; " Noticia de la Lengua Huasteca " (1767); "Apologia de la Provincia de la Huasteca, desacreditada por su intemperie " ; and dictionaries and catechisms in Aztec and Huastec, the manu- scripts of which are preserved in the National library of Mexico. Hubert H. Bancroft, in his "Native Races" (San Francisco, 1883), often re- fers to Zenteno's works.


ZENTENO, Jose Ignacio, Chilian soldier, b. in Santiago in 1785; d. there in 1847. Having taken part in the movement for independence, he was forced in 1814, after the defeat of Ran- cagua, to emigrate to Mendoza, to- gether with other patriots, where, soon after his ar- rival, he was ap- pointed secretary of the treasury of that province. He formed part of the liberating army, and when Gen. Bernardo O'Hig- gins was elected supreme director, he appointed Zen- teno minister of war, in which post he distinguished himself by his ac-

tivity. He made

the campaigns of 1817 and 1818, taking part in the battles of Cancha Rayada and Maypu. After the latter engagement the government intrusted him with the formation of a naval force, and he laid the foundation of the navy which, under Admiral Cochrane, obtained such glorious results. In 1821, after retiring from the ministry of war, he was appointed political and military governor of Valpa- raiso, and in 1822 was promoted brigadier. In 1831 he was appointed inspector-general of the army, and from 1833 till 1846 he filled several important offices in the war department. He was also a member of the supreme council of war, the Society of agricul- ture, and the University of Chili, and was several times elected to congress, serving as vice-president of the chamber of deputies. He was founder and first editor of the " Mercurio " of Valparaiso. ZEPEDA, Francisco (thay-pay'-dah), Spanish missionary, b. in La Roda, Mancha. about 1525 ; d. in Guatemala in 1602. He entered the Dominican order in Ocafia, and was soon transferred to the missions in the province of Chiapa, where he be- came a thorough student and expert in the Indian languages of that province and Guatemala. After being prior of different convents, he was elected provincial in the chapter of 1593, and in the fol- lowing year became commissary of the Inquisition in Guatemala. To unify the teaching of the In- dians in the province, he was commissioned to examine and correct the different grammars that had been written by missionaries in the popular dialects or languages, and from them compiled his " Arte de los Jdiofnas Chiapense, Zoquense, Calrlulense. y Cinacontlano " (Mexico, 1560).


ZEPHIRIN, Antoine (say-fee-reng), Spanish Eilot, b.. in Franche-Comte about 1475 ; d. in Noinre de Dios, Isthmus of Panama, about 1530. Ho followed the sea, and in early life went to Santo Domingo. Afterward he entered the service of Pedrarias Davila, and was chief pilot in Pascual do Andogoya's expedition in 1522, which discovered San Juan river and brought the first news of Peru. In the following year he sailed as chief pilot in Francisco de Becerra's expedition, which explored the Pacific coast. In 1525 he conducted Francisco Pizarro to Peru, and afterward he made expeditions to Guatemala and along the coast of the sthmus of Darien, of which he prepared the first chart. Nothing is known of the remainder of his life, except that he died in Nombre de Dios, where