Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-05-24

age only FIVE feet high. This forms passage
of about $50 feet in length, leading by graz
dual descent, where it probably at the time Of
IFS construction reached the margin OF the ri
YER Its walls commence at sixty fect from
the ramparts of the fort, and increase III eleva-
tion as the way dcscends towards the river;
and the bottom is crowned in the centre, in
the manner of welI-formed turnpike road
Within the walls Of the fort, at the different
corners. are elevated squares, some OF which
ore 1873 feet long, and 1872 broad,. and nine feet
b;ph. level ON the summit, and nearly perpen-
dicuIar at the sides. Circular mounds are al.
! SO seen, thirty feet in diameter, and i've in
height. ..,oc
containing twenty acres, with gateway IN the
centre of each side, and at the corner. These
openings are defended with circular mounds
|, On the outside of the smaller fort, Is
mound, in form a sugar loaf, OF magnitude
and height which strike the behoider With
astonishInent Its base is a regular circle,
lis feet in diameter ard its pcrPendicular
altitude is thirty feet. Ii is surrounded with a
ditch four feet deep and fifteen wide, and de-
Tended BY pararet four feet high, through
fort, twenty feet WIDE.
There are other walls, mounds and cxcava-
tons, less conspicuous ard entire, OUT eAM-
biting equal proofs Of art and design.
Tie places called Graves, are small mounds
of earth, from some ci which some bones have
been taken, in tb:ir natural position, OF man
buried nearly east and west, with quantity OF
ising-glass mica membranaceaI on bus breast.
IN others the bones laid prorniscuously, some
of them appeared partly burnt and calcncd by
Ere stones evidently burnt, charcoal, arrow
heads, and fragments Of u KIND ct eartncn-
ware, were also found.
1t is worthy of remark, that the walls and
mounds were not throwp up from bitches, but
raised by bringing the earth from some dis
lance, Or taking it up uniformly from the sur
face of the plain. The pnapets we're prooa'
Div made OF equal height and breadth, but the
waste Of time has rendered them low or and
broader, i'll some parts, than others.
1t is vain to conjecture What tools or n,a-
chimes were employed in the construction CT
these works but there is no reason 80 suppose
that any OF the implements were OF iron.
Plates Of copper have been found I'D some q
the mounds, but they appear 20 be parts OF ar
mour. Nothing that would answer the pur-
pose of shovel has ever been discovered
Atyerting to this circumstance, how astoh'sh-
ing must be the consistency and patience ncccS-
sary to endure the tediousness, aud overcome
the difficulty, of such ia5ourj, and succeed In
spite of the unhtness of the, instruments that
were employed
At the commencement Of the settlement, the
works were covered with prodigious growth
Of trees. Judging from the conccntric cir
cles, each Of which is known to denote Al, an-
nual growth, the age of one tree, felledtor
the purpose, was determined to be four hum
drcd and si7.ty-thrcc years. Decayed stumps
could be traced at the surface of the ground,
which measured from six to eight feet III dia-
meter.
About ninety miles further up in the co,n-
try, on large plain, bounded by one OF the
western branches of the Muskingum, is
train Of ancient works, nearly two miles IN
extent the rampa,;s OF which are yet IN.
some places upwards of eighteen feet per-
pendicuiar height.
At Licking are very extensive works, some
Of them different in construction from those at
Marietta particularly several circular forts
with but one entrance. They are formed by
a parapet from seven to twelve feet in height,
without any ditch the interior being of the
same level with the plain on which they are
raised Forts Of this kind which are also
found in other places, are from three chains
to fifteen, and more in diameter.
That those parapets were erected for de-
fence, think very probable indeed this has
been prevailing opinion 1t is true, their
present height is hot such as to secure the
bcsieged from missile weapons; but, two cir
cumstances have contributed to lower them
several feet: LIST, the gradual washing away Of
the earth of which they are composed and,
IDLY, the filling up of the interior, and accrc-
ton of soil over the whole surface Of plain,
BY tie annual deposit of leaves and the decay
Of timber. This accretion is evident; by find
ing logs completely covered, and the uten-
lis, SIC. OF the ancient posscssors, four and
five feet below the surface. These utensils,
which lie pretty much on the same level, are
entirely different in sind and shape from the