Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1823-08-30
tons. the Jews, Babylonians,' and

Philippians.
The Egyptians were not the only
nation who preserved the budies OF
the dead. The Guanches of the Ca
nary Islands followed the practice to
a considerable extent. They we're
conquered in the 18th century yet
there remain great numbers OF bo-
dies prepared by them; a single ca.
yern in 'reueriffe, having been found,
when first opened, to contain athou-
sand bodies. Acosta and Garcilasso
de la Vega inform US, that the Peru
vians possessed this art. that the bo-
dies of some of the Incas were found
in state of good preservation, and
quite hard though light. The New
Zealanders Of the present day are
wonderfully skilful in their preser-
vations of the human body, though
in ether respects among the must ig-
norant and miserable Of savages.
The head of chief ar gr at war
,ior is thought to transfer to his enc
mics, it it happen to fall in their
power, the courage and strength OF
the individual. They are. there
fore, anxious to obtain and preser,e
such heads and they are able to
succeed SO we'll in removing the eau
scs of putrefaction, that the flesh is
as solid and undecompnsable as " ood
possesses an aromatic odour like
that OF newly dried grass and per-
fectly exhibits the features of the in.
dividual. l have one of these heads
which belonged to New Zealand
chief; it might at first view b. taken
for a carved work.-The hair is
wholly preserved it was originally
black, and somewhat finer than that
Of the American Indian, but is now
red inclining to grey, from age.
The forehead is narrow from side to
side. and very obiique, though ex-
tensive. The jaws prominent, the
teeth small, The skin is Of dark
red or chocolate color, tatooed over
the whole face, and the cartlllages of
the nose cut to a point, 50 as to give
a frightful and lerocions aspect to
the face, more like that ola wolf than
of man. The art of these people
probably consists in first cleaning the
part to be preserved, and express
ing the blood then exposing it for
some time to the steam OF certain
herbs, and afterwards drying it in
smoke. 1t is said tibet they Can pre-
pare entire bOdies in the same man.
ner but Of this ain not we'll salts
fed.
Natural mummies are bodies pre-
served with the aid OF artificial
MEANS, They have been found in
various parts of the world, and un
der different circumstances. la the
exhumations of the great cemetery at
Dunkirk, IN France, a number OF
bodies were found IN a state of pre-
intermixed with others in
full putrefaction. Particular soils
above a preservative, or rather de- |
siccative operation, and they appear
TO be especially such as abound in
limestone. In Toulouse, in France,
there arc one Or more churches, the
cemeteries of which are said to pos
sess this power. The operation of
such soils is illustrated by an expe-
riment made on two tritons. These
small salt water animals were placed,
one in an empty glass vessel, the other
in one containing muriate of lime,
On the second day the latter was
found to be completely dried up;
while the other remained alive until
the fourth. Heat and cold both pre-
vent the process of decomposition,
though in different ways. The bo-
dies of travellers in the burning sands
of Africa, when buried by violent
winds. are frequently dried and con-
verified into mummies. While on the
other hand, various individual cases
hayeoCcurred in those who died in
cold weather, aud whose bodies re-
NAMED frozen for some time, of
dssiccatiun sufficient to prevent the
progress of putrefaction. We have
an opportunity of seeing this process
in venizon, frozen, and kept in our
apartments, which becomes dried and
undecomposable to certain extent.
Whether We are to impute to the last
cause. or to some other, the singular