Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-05-12
For the Alexandria Gazette.
AsrrauIrIEs OF THE WEST.

sill. climate and productions Of the west
ern country, it is surprising that SO little
has been said of its antiquities.-Aitho
! mus, confess that the depth ct human
research is incompetent to the task Of
producing even probable conjecture On
this occult subject; yet it is one OF the
principles of the PAlosophic mind ia
search into mysteries which it is unable
t. investigate to demonstration.
II may not be unknown to a number oil
your readers, that from the Allegheny,
west to the rocky mountains, you can
Scarcely travel day without being in the
neighborhood OF some Of these monuments
of antiquity. Throughout the states oil
Ohio and Indiana and the territories oil
Illinois and Missouri, you every where
meet with the ruins of old Notifications,
which appear to have been executed with
too mich ART, to be the work OF the ab'.
rhymes of the country, considering the
savage state in which we found them
unles, we consider (what is not rery pro-
habie) that they nave desenerated from a
state Of civilization, Of which they now
do no, shew the smallest marks. Besides
these, the country abounds in many pla-
ces with artificial mounds, thrown up in
a pyramidical form to considerable
height. AS these are more conspicuous
in the vicinity OF the Notifications than
elsewhere, !, at first thought that they
might have been for the purpose OF watch
towers, aud that the whole was more mo-
dern than generally conjectured to be, l
did not think it Improbable that the Spa.
riards, after first settling Mexico, might
have sent colonies to these parts, which
have since been cut of; and for their
safety, while here, thought i. necessary
thus to fortify themselves But more ma
ture reflection induced ne to change this
opinion although the construction OF
their brea,t-work appeared TO be equal t"
any mOdern Improvement in the art; yer
the muuads, which | at first took tor
watch towers, on a closer inspection, l
found, must have been attended TOR a
1u te different purpose. My curiosity
prem, ted me to dig severa! OF these up,
and | found them 70 be repositories OF the
dead-thev were full Of human bones
and charcoal, with alternate LAYERS oil
earth. from bottom to top In these
fednd pieces Of pottery, and various trim
ke;s cut out IF stone, fo' which could
conjecture no use, The bHnes were O
more than ordinary size, d could not
but be surprised at the state OF l,reser'a'
ton in which / found them; however
they soon mouldered to dust after coming
IN contact with the air. The charcoal
from its anti.putresent quality, nigh
have contributed to their preservation
while IN the mounds; therefore. We may
suppose this race Of people to be some
what acquainted with practical chemis
try, OF which the modern savsges appeal
quite destitute. As this mode Of buria
is different from that of either the indians
or Europeans. it is reasonable to suppose
them different race Of pecple-now ex
tinct.
AS in this part Of the county, in whic'
I reside, l cannot procure books, iron
which to make references, or draw com
parsons between this mode Of burial ant
that Of the Me1icans, or Of the nations i
the east OF Asia, / will leave it to thos
Who have better opportunities to dscid
what similarity there may be betwer
them, and whether some of the nation
may not be descendants of the Others.
From the attire found round the corp
which we're dug up in the saltpetre An
coPperas caves in Tennessee, We INA
reasonably suppose them to be much Tar
ther advanced in civilization than an
Of the Indians Of this part Of North Anne
RIGA, and to have possessed the art Of EN-
banning in higher perfection than ID
aptient Egg; Clans. In these the feature
we're perfectly observable, and the couu