Delaware journal. [volume] (Wilmington [Del.]) 1827-1832, 1827-08-31

1919
ter about the windows Their eyes wander from
their catechlsm to the Western sky. and though it
seems to them as ii the would never disappear,
ms broad disk does slowly sink behind the mountain
and while his last ray still fingers on the Easerh SUN
mits, merry voices break forth, and the ground re
ssmhdo with pounding footsteps. The village belle
arrays herself for the twilight walk; the buys gather
on = the, greens" the lads and glris tlrong 70 the
..singng school - while some coy maiden fingers al
home. awaiting her expected suitor; and all enter
upon the pleasures Of the evening with as keen re-
sl, as II the day had been preparatory penance
Miss Sedgwick
We have received the third number Of the Yves
tern Monthly Review, conducted by the Rev. Ill
notify Flint. at Cincinnati 1t contains several ar
tcles deserving of notice. but we have not room for
larger quotation than the following part OF the
Essay on Indian Mounds.---Naf Gas.
There are many interesting mounds near st.
Louis, a little north Of the town. Some OF them
have the aspect of being enormous stacks. That
of them called the Falling Garden, IS generally
pointed out as striking curiosity. One OF the
mounds, and it was very impressive one, was le-
yelled il the centre Of Chilicothe. In digging 1T
down. it is said there were removed great quanti-
1 ties of human bones. The town OF Circlevllle, in
this stae, is principally laid out within the limits OF
a couple of contiguous mounds, the nnc circular.
the other in the form Of square. The town has
its name from lis position, chiefly in the circular
nau dis. In this and in many otlier OF the mounds.
the singular circumstance is said TO exist ana II Is
affirmed by those who live near then and ought TO
know the ruth Of what they declare that the earth
Of which they are composed is not the same win
that which they are placed. Why should the
builders have encountered he immense ton Of BRING
ing these hills Of earth fran another place
:" Some u them are said to be found on hills
We do not remember to have seen such. ihey
ave generally on fertile wooded bottoms, or the
richest al!uval praircs where wild fruits. game q
fish, are abundant and at hand. The most dense
ancient population existed precisely IN the places
, where the most crowded future population Will eX-
lst in the days to come. The only circumstance
that strongly dscredts there having been formed
bv the piogennrs of the present Indians, IS, tue
prodis,ous size Of some of them beyond what could
be expected from the sparse populations and the IN
f dulence of the present race. We know oi no mo
numents which they now raise for their dead that
might not b. the work Of few people in few days
/ We have seen mounds which would require the In
{ Dor OF a Thousand men. such as are employed on
4 our canals. with all their mechanical aids aud I'M
proved implements Of labor for months, to construct
!, them. We have. more than once. paused IN view
u Of these gigantic erectinns. and inquired II they
* were not natural hills But they are nliornly y
il placed, in reference to the adjoining country, ana
If the contamination is unique aud SIMILAR lhat no eSt
ii hesltates long in referring them 10 the class OF arti
il fetal works. The largest that has been discovered
10 ~ the Ohio valley. far as we know. Is III the pot
i tom of Grave Creek near its entrance INTO the ONO
N and fourteen miles below Wheeling. It IS bctwee'
IL thirty and forty rods in circumference at It's oas
T. with p;oportionate diameter it is seventy ieet Y
M perpendicular height, and has a table area on y
summit which is sixty feet in diameter Ill the Ger
st tire of which is great and regular concaVlty.
n single white oak rises from the concayy, IKE as
i, staff.
,e But the most numerous and By far the most II
at erestng group of mounds that we haze seem y hes
nd Cahokia in the American bottom, not Tar from u
nm Mississippi. There are said 10 be two hundred
no ALL lie largest is on the banks OF Cahokia cree
- Its form is that of parallelo@ian Its circnnie
he ence is commonly given at 500 yards and ITS hesl
ed from 90 to 100 feet There is terrace on I,
th south side Of it, When we first saw IT the inonf
", Of La Trappe had "a monastery adjoining It, an
les their garden was on the terrace ihey ca''V."
a the mound All words are sunerilous' al! ei"i
u.s. unavailng to convey any thing IKE tue
ess which every traveller of feeling has experienced
aet travelling over this prairie in the summer All ~
he has heard about the rank luxurlance OF grass Al
we flowers the extent oil! this immense Hover %atde
AK the nobeness of the forests that bound It on the o.
ge hand and the hoary and stupendons bluiia tha ~
ire as Tie eternal walls of nature. to limit on the ote
the fall short in effect, Of what he feels from ssht.
:. In the centre 81 tins strange towering '"',"
rse he encounters this mound and the silent abode
ent the monks. The earth could not have surnsh
IN. them with place more in keeping 9Th 'helr pr
IA. fession, and avnwed objects In the midst Of
uli- American BOTTOM perhaps the mos, 'e. M XII
gh- the globe eSer'ing rs eSlaus''ess AZ lnx
out the production u Heh5c iotee's' VI W. e IL
yns rance Of grass and flowers, all in view OF tn
ols. dwelling Is forest or Pt're. = :" h,Ioy
Hes, men vowed to perpetual, silence. smsaI,
de- on one of these lanely and inexplcabie monume'
flaw OF generations that a.e Nv" -" oonnalled