The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware advertiser., 1827-09-06
INDIAN MOUNDS.

INDIAN MOUNDS.
We have received the third number OF
The Western Monthly Review, conducted
by the Reverend Timothy Flint, at Ciucin-
natt 1t contains several articles deserving
Ct notice, but we have not room tor alarg-
cr quotation than the folowing part Of the
Essay on Indian Mounds-.Nat. Gaz.
"rhere are many interesting mounds near
St Louis, IA little north of the town. Some
Of them have the aspect OF being enormous
stacks. The one OF them called the Failing
Garden, is generally pointed oGt as d strik
ing curiosity. One OF the mounds, and II
was very impressive one. was leNelled N
the centre OF Chilieorhe. In digging 1t
down, it is said there were renoN 81 great
Quantities OF human bones. The town OF
Circle,iiie 10 this State. is principally laid
o9t within the limits Of a couple of cortigu-
GUS mounds. thu one circular, the other in
the form of square. The to"n has it,
name from tEe positan, chiefly IN the circu-
lar mounds. III tins, aud IN many other OF
the mounds the singular circumstance IS
said II exist, and ii is affirmed by those who
]lye near them, and outut TO know the truth
ot what they declare, that the eal6h Of which
they are composed is net the same with
should the builders have encountered the
ia,mcnse toll et bringing these hiis Of Garth
fror an"ths, place.
assmt Of them are saia to ue found on
nils We dc not remember g nave seeH
such. They arc generally on strhle "ood.
Cd bottoms, or tie richest aluYial prairies
wnere Wild fruits, game and fish, arc apnnd-
ait. and at band. The most dense ancient
yyopliation existed precisely in the places
where the most crowded future population
win exist, 10 the DAYS 10 come. The only
Circumstance that strongly discredlts their
having been formed by the proPenitors ot
the present Indians, is, the prodig ous SIZE
Of some Of them, beyond what could be ex-
pectrd from the spare population, and the
Incidence of the present race. We know Of
no monuments which they now ralse for
their dead, that night not be the work o! q
few people in few days. We have seen
mounds which would require the labor of !.
thousand men, such as are employed on orr
canals, with all their mechanical aids and
improved implements OF labor, for months
to construct them. We have, more thar
once, paused in view of these gigantic cree
tions and inquired If they were not natural
hills! But they uniformly SO placed. iii ref
erence to the adjoining country, aud the con
formatisn is so unique and similar, that nc
ewes hesitate long in referring them tn the
class Of artificial works The largest thai
has been discovered in the Ohio valley, a.
far as we know, is in the bottom OF GRAY.
Greek, near its entrance into the Ohio, ant
fourteen miles below Wheeling. Ii is be
tween thirty and forty rods III circnnttr
ence at IS base. with proportionate diane
ter; it is seventy feet In perpendcu!a
height, and has table area ON its summit
which is sixty feet IN diameter; III thu cen
tire OF which is great and regular cohcayi
ty. A single white oak RAISES from the Coz
cavity like flag staff.
'sBut the most numerous and by far tn
most interesting group Of mounds tina. W
have seen, is near Cahnka, in the America
bottom, lot far from the Mississippi. Iher
are SAID 20 be t9o hundred II all The larg
est is on the banks of Cahokia creek il
form IS that Of parallelogrsm. IL, cireuh,
ference is commonly given al 900 ards, an
its height from go 70 100 feet. There IS
Terrace ou d.. south side Of 1t. Wien v
first saw u, The monks Of La Trarpe had
monastery aJslnining 1t, and their garde
was on the terrace. They cultivated III
mound An words are sureriluous, al E
forts unayuiting, to convey any ih!ng lik
the iu preSslors which every traNeirr
feeling has experienced N travelling ovs
this Ira!fe III SulINet, AL THAI Hc III
heard about the rank Iuxuriance Of grass al
flowers, the extent Of this immense flow
garden, the nohleness Of the forests til
bound ii on one hand, aud the hoary and st
Dendous bluffs that rise, as the tternal wa
Of nature, TO limit it on the other, fall she
in effect. Of what he feels from sight.
.sIn the centre OF this strange. howcri
solitude. he encounters this mound, and t
silent abode Of the monks. The earth cou
not have furnished them with place me
inkeeping with their profession and avo
ed objects. In the midst OF the Amerc
bottom. perhaps the most fertile spot on
globe, exerting its exhaustless fertility o.
in the productions Of dense forests, or
useless luxuriance of grass and flowers,
in view of their dwelling is forest or prai,
A few dreaming old men vowed to perpe
al silence, apparently belonging more to
other world than this, SEAT themselves
one of these lonely and inexplicable mo-
ments of generations. that are now no mo
and as they may never speak to each 9th
they are compelled to hold all their c
verse with this solitude, and those tomb
the desert. No noise disturbs them by
or night, but the countless chrpings of
grasshoppers, hootings OF owls. bowling
wolves, or the winds, sweeping over
grass of these praiiies.