Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1820-10-17

shell, undecayed, of grey color on the
exterior and red within, and as transpa-
rent as this species of she'll is usually
found. The pot, when broken, exhibits
numerous white specks Of round shining
particles.
1t is matter Of striking curiosity, that
there is not TO be found, in the neighbour
hood of this place, any limestone of the
same species with that of which these
tombs are constructed.
In the vicinity of the place where
these graves are found, there are the
vestlges OF large town, having parallel
streets extending cast and west. The
land they are upon is covered with as
large timber as any in the neighborhood.
The SutnreS of the heads of these skele-
tons are closed, and as sound and solid
as the other parts oil the SOULS.
At Mr.. Anderson's, two miles and a
hall in south westwardly direction from
the farm of Mr. Lane, were found other
skeletons of the same dimensions, in
tombs constructed upon the same plan,
and of similar materials. One at least,
| il is said, was observed to have teeth
and all the bones belonging to the hu-
man body.
The facts above stated, are attested by
Mr.. Lane, Of White county, who has
seen the skeletons very often: by his
son, Jacob A. Lane, Esq. of Sparta, in
the same county: and by another son,
Alexander Lane, Esq. student at law
who all say they can be verified by all
the inhabitants in the vicinity of the farm
of MIR. Lane. Mr. Lane the father, who
is man of observation, gives it as his
decided opinion, that these are the SIX ele-
tons OF adult persons.-lie POUNDS his
opinion upon the solidity of the bones
OF the heads, and also upon the fact, OF
the sntures of the SOULS being entirely
closed and solid.
The trees growing where they were
found, are of as great size and age as
any in the surrounding forest. Both at
Mr.. Anderson's and Mr.. Lanes are ma
ny extensive circular elevations of earth,
raised two or three feet above the COM
mon surface, arranged in order, having
the very appearance of once populous
towns, Upon which are standing large
trees: Oh one Of them, poplar Of five
feet diameter at least. The small graves
at Mr.. Lanes are arranged; but at Mr..
Andcrson's there is large burying
ground full of them, without any order
as TO position. That the bones are hui
man, MIR. Lane thinks there can be no
doubt, and that they are not the bones of
children, he thinks unquestionable.
The conch shells, it would seem, must
have been brought from the borders Of
the ocean /; as there are none such TO be
found either in the rivers Of Kentucky
or those OF this state: and, it would also
seem, that they must have been brought
hither Immediately before their deposit
ton in these vessels. In few years,
they probably would have been lost or
broken to pieces, had they remained I'M
buried. That the animals the skeletons
belonged to, drank water, and were not
suckllngs, is intlmated by the water YES
sci at the head of each skeleton. The
rocks which enclose them, are thin blue
limestone, and not Of that neighborhood
originally, all the limestone in the vicini-
ty being of a grey color. Here is a
mystery that battles conjecture, and puts
all experience at defiance. The pig
mics Of Herodotus, on the borders of
Ethiopia and the Red Sea, and those of
Homer in India, have always been treated
as fables, which, in the days of those
men, entered into most of their written
compositions. this day, we must
outstrip credully itself, to believe in a
real existence of pigmy men. How
could nation Of pigmy men, not ex-
cceding l 8 inches in stature, build habi-
tations, clear the forest, cultivate the soil,
defend themselves agains the ravages OF
the hawk and eagle, the wolf and the
panther? How live in world OF giants,*
such as are mentioned by ancient writers,
when the size and age men, bearing
Just proportion to each other, far exceed
ed those of the present day = The re-
mains of a gigantic race are not more
than seven miles from the burying
ground of these pigmics. Their skele-
tons are not shorter than seven feet-
frequently above it. Figure, in imagi-
nation, one of these skeletons covered
with muscles, &c and distended by ordi
nary repletion-place him on the side
of the largest man of the present day,
and what would be his comparative APP
pearance? The place where the larger
skeletons were buried, is covered with
trees of no less magnitude and age than