The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-08-24
[ No. 81

shall only at present. mention one of these
cii"f.iCt-rs that OF the inciSors, or drfenccs.
which we call tusks. These i'm thg Ohio
Mammoth and in the eIephas print genus,
or Chemung Mammoth, are, indeed, very
similar, boh in their relative proportion TO
the general mass of the Skeleton of the
Two animals, and III their degrees of curva-
| ture.
| On the other hand. the OHIO Mammoth
and the living Asiat,c elephant seem to have
oeen more nearly allied To each other. in the
1orm or their feet, than were he latter ami
NAL and the extinct Asatic M am IN ,th:i e.
the ChemunS Mammoth. When Mr.. Tile
sus shall publish his history aud drawing of
the eiephas prirnigcniuS, and when he his
tory OF the elephas mastcd MUS SIN Ill be
completed ever! Intelligent and candid nat
ur"iise VIII he torcibly struck with the Cir
cumStances which have mentioned; & fat
ter myself, hat some of he m rs, learned of
,hese natuialists and among others nv cam
did and LIBERAL friend Tile>ins, will not re-
inse their assent 10 my opinion that the
Mammoth of the Ohio has been a true sDe-
CleS OF elephant
MIR. Iiesus's drawings are important TO
me In another point If view. They plainly
SHOW. think, what has been the NATURAL di-
recion OIL the incisors in the head uf the Ohio
Mammoth. mdeed,f previously to tb. re-
ceipt of these drawings, | had satisfied NV
mind as this point, from the information
winch 4 had received from an intelligent cor
respondent, VINO had an opportunity of see
ing the incisors still occupying ,heir original
position In the head OF a Mammoth which
was discovered, few years since. in
lines.
:, AS to the form of the grinders, and the
disposition OF ne vitreous body. or en,me,
through IL
ry different in the Ohomammoth and in
the extinct as well as existing elephaNes of
the ola world. But if this d ference be of
suiic'ent Importance to constitute differ
ehce OF gems between the American ans
hSiahc animals, then we must proceed
consistently to break up several of the.
long established genera OF mdmmalia, sub
ui'ia"S each genus into at least two dis
tlnct genera. | may mention the genus
Marmot, tc which belongs our ground h q
or Manock, as illustrative of this i,,e.
shaii call the Ohio mammo Elephas Mas
tooentus. II is the Elephas Americanus of
Mr.. Blumenbach -
nave nearly prepared, and shall sh ,r,ly
present to our Philosophical Society ancx-
tensiVe memoir on the extinction Of ne.
Species ot Mammalia. This ne,nor will
necessarily Contain much matter. merely OF
a speculative nature; but / fiatter myself
and hitherto uanoticed facts o.
shall be much grati6ed If tbks tat,s,.
written among the mountains If v,mr st,te
al oiStance from my books and papers. af
'oro you any amusement. Of all The subj ca
OF animal natural history, there il NOT ono
more interesting than that which relates to
'he characters and history of those vast
"'sdhIzeo bodies many of them. too en-.
dowed with an immense portion cf ;,,teII;
gence-which the God of Nature had CO,
ated and after suffering them 20 r.ro,y and
eAlSl through ages, unknown ages, of time.
mas at length entirely removed from the,
eai'n not merely as individuals, bnt ..
sfecfeS. There is something awful in ,he.
consideration of this subject: AID vet this
very subject is admirably calculated RI die.
pray 10 us the wisdom as well AS power, him
who formed all things The barmonv or
nature Is NOT, IN the smallest degree, disturb
ed by the total destruction Of what MANY have
ueemed neceS@Gry int grail parts of a COM
mon wholc. Nor is this business of The ex-
INC ION OF species ar an end. That which
mas already taken place, with respect tor
'Pec'es OF Elephant, Rhinoceros and other
vast families Of animals, viii rmoucstionablv
take place, with respec. to manv of the ia
miles of animals which now cover tbe snr
race or tins globe. The steps of this vast
and generally unlocked for change are "a
pioiy preparing in different parts of he
world ; and in none, think. more ranidlv
nan III that portion of it which we inha-
bit.
l am. Dear Sir,
WIN very great respect,
our obedient servant, &c &c.