Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1841-03-20
GEOLOGICAL REMAINS OF THE WEST

We have had the pleasure Of a conversation
NTH ons Of the mos, intelligent gentleman Of the
West upon some Of the most AstElking If the am
Glen, remains Of Mlsso1r and WISCONSIN. Moss
Of what he informed M be had actually seen and
| examined Sf himself, with oil the facts and histo-
ry Of curious remains either of men OF animals in
.he West. We thought it would not be uninteres-
ting 10 describe, in brief terms. rome OF those re.
mains, especially as We have beer rather ~sceptirsl
in respect 10 some OF the accounts.
Isl. The MrssoUaIAs, or the vast ard unknoAh
animal recently discovered in Missouri. This be
hs, seen and examined. The man who dis
covered this animal, did j. in consequence Of an
Indian tradition which said thu at that place there
sgas buried a great aninsDI, and whose remains
they were anxious TO protect, and TO keep the
| whites III. On digging. the remains we're found
ss describsd. With them were also found Ineian
| arrow heads Of much larger than the usual siz:,
end the remains OF a man Of extraordinary size.
The animal is put together, and Of sast size. A
| hand of music could sci bettceen his ribs. and atn
| haishs Of ten or twelve feet, his length 10 twents
or thirty feet, and he. belongs without a doubt 10
| ti. ,mphibious class. His tusks are of enor1
| mou, size, and notwithstanding they are curved in
| and partly broken, measure Is feet from lip 10
lip. The most singular part of his formation is1
| .ha, The joint Of bis hind leg turns outwards-
This creature is nc much larger thsn The mann
moth a. the latter than an OK.
q. II i. also . fact thu, on one Of The highest
bills Of Missouri are faund agreat quantity Of tbs
Mammoth Bones OF skeletons, indicating that Of
IL. / Is. o- .npna osba- 1ro.f dnnJ fhaaa nrinnafR
bad re;feated TO the tops Of The hills, and there
persisted.
81. The Petriicd forest. or this we had
some doubts. but Of he general fact there is no
| question. Over a considerable space of ground
psrts of the trunks Of trees, and fragments of
limbs are found perfectly petrffed.
Ath. Tie eity Aztelan, which a year or two
since WAS announced as existing on one Of de
| branches Of Rock River, in Wisconsin, is a resli-
ty, 80 far as relates to the extensive remains Of
ancient works. Our informan. examined this
work thoroughly. I. consists Of parapets Of
earth, like the Indian Notifications of Ohio, wifi
some things peculiar TO itself, covering i3 acres
of ground. No evidence Of a higher civilization
than that which exists in the Ohio works was
found, except it may be some brick burnt, in too
ancien. rude way. These were found in certain
projections from the ~parapess. They are evident
" brick, bu, made with straw in The old mode,
and rudeIy formed !. is said. however, that the
Indian. Of The Rocky Mountains DO now make
brick.
Within two Of the angles of this work are found
two towers or mounds, intended, As oIr informant
believes, for watch towers, and also barial places
Through one he dug, but found nothing. In tbs
other he found a regular vault, shout the size Of a
common room, hui much longer in one way than
the other, Here he found many bones of human
beings. II was evidently a tomb. He says that
the Indians Of he far north west say that they
have seen The common Indian mound built, and
the process il, first en- ilIustrious chiefis buried,
and that in marx of their respect, others as they 90
by. deposi. some additional earth and that thus the
mounds grow 10 their present size.
There is undoubtedly much evidence to show
tina. a more civilized race once inhabifed North
America; but in tracing out the links of that evi-
dence there is one yet wanting. The ancient re.
mains in the West have not yet shown evidence Of
arts or science superior to ehatihe Indians of this
dsy might not Of had. The existence. however. of
these remains, and even Of the people themselves
still involves an inscrutabie probFems a problem up
on which we hope the forthcoming work Of Mr..
Stevens may show some Iight-Cin. Chronicle.
Railroads are becoming quite frequent on the
continent Of Europe. The railroad between
I.eipsic and Dresden, seventy miles long, a dis
lance travelled over ia three hours and a bali, il
completed for coo, oG0. There are but four
bridges on the whole length; one tunnel. howev-
err. half a mile long. near Dresden, where the bill
rising gradually into the mountains of the Ere
geborge contracts upon the Flbe, and forms beau
| ,iful scenery on each side Of the railroad. One
strange effect noticed on this railroad is, that in
| passing through a dense forest Of Cir trees, the
noise echoes back from the multitude naked stem,
as if Oh The haits;ornns in the year were ccncentra--
led into one!