Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-05-12

OF the antiquarian. But one uncommon
| appearance l cannot but mention, as 1t
applies measureab!y to the present SUD
iect. In the state of Tennessee there IS
| a hard fat limestone rock OF considerable
extent, over the whole surface OF which
there are the prints Of human feet, t'ge-
Their with that Of turkeys, Sc. Though
this does mt argue much in favor Ut the
former civilization of the place, as the
prints are all of the bare feet; but it ar
CUES what is more important to the ma
tural philosopher-the changeable nature
Of matter; that this hard rock was once
| a soft substance, very susceptible Of i'm
pressioD, and that stone, particularly the
carbonate of lime, grows and hardens
like vegetable substances; however mo.
Jern chemistry las put this beyond
doubt, and in some measure set bound'
| to the imagination of conjectural Phiios'-
piers From the impression Of the ieet
being made larger than those OF the pre-
sent race of men fear it argues some.
| thing else, no, so gratifying to our pride
Il mean the dege neracy Of the human
family!
A volume might be written merely Of
description Of these ruined monuments Of
art, which puts conjecture at defiance to
say by whom they were erected. Severn!
very learned treatises have been written
to uioye that the North American Indi'
ans are desceudepts Of the Tartars, who
emisrated BY the Ntrai,s from the N. f. OF
Asia to this country, and that the inhabi-
tants Of Mexico and Peru, were origi-
nally from China. Others, with as much
learning. and full as much probability
conceive that they are the descendents Of
the Phonicians or Car,hagenIans, who
passed the pillars Of Herculus and lost
their way in the great Atlantic ocean,
where the trade winds drove them on the
American shsre, These, the story Of the
WEIGH chief, who was supposed by some
to be the founder Of these innumerabir
httes tia people the desert wi'ds Of n
imef'ss md one hundred others, writ
ten with fully as much eruditi on, all look
very handsome on paper. We read and
admire, then read again, and put away
the books just about as wise as when We
took hem up. But among all their pry
incs into past ages. have not found one
that supposed THIN to be an original PEG.
ple. and that China. rartary, &c. &c
were peopIed from this county l do
nor see bu, this carries fully as much rea-
son on its side az any thing that has YET
been offered to the public. 1t certainly
is fully as handsome theory to suppose
that the arts and scieaccs have siways
been making regular circles round the
glooe. a. that they are sometimes retro
gading-and il the Americans gave peo-
pie aud arts to China, this to Egypt, this
latter to Europe, and Europe to America
again, one complete circle comes within
the compass Of our fancy; and we might
indulge ourselves BY adding circle to cir
Gle adj infniium. did we mt unfortunate
" run tuu of he books Of Moses. As for
my own part had rather give up this my
favorite theory, highly a. l have been
pleased with it, than contend against such
high authority.
If the original inhabitants Of this cOun-
try be descendants of the Tartars, and
some writers think they can discern ST.
milarity in their phisiogpomy with The
same stretch Of ingenuity they might find
a resemblance between man and hog.
and might contend that they were from
the same stock)-I say ii the Tartars
were their ancestors. they must have
found race OF men here much more po-
lished than themselves; for where do W.
cad OF even the modern Taytlrs con-
snucting works Of art any wise similar to
these we find in the western country?
| Unfortunately no written accounts have
been found among the inhabitants Of this
country, if we except the scanty hierog-