Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1841-07-27
AN OLD WORLD POUND BURIED ~ THr
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INV WORLD.
Tfefs rnas' ~. - ssoaii imagine. .oqicien, in,s,
eel siisftsd r. he ferci dis,otrfits iu Central Auri
'cs a. febdsi ssy Information conue,isd wisb then
ho~eter lncomp.str thst Information NAV g. peculiar
" ~elrorno - thr general reader T,,c Almsn has
BONG afucs on ihe subject sp8 hon. th4t paicf ",
gsih~f iic following particulars Messs Sicfsns az,
caihcf~"od proceeded isf , putlrs, f. utrsur aun,
ti,s monumental treasures which are seat,cttd o,s
tho rss' region Of ooya'rr rrtrftct to- 20 tie tsy o
iiond5rAs snd made copso and it, vicinity their Grs
hsung place. Th,Y discovered Al Copan a temple
shich seems &C. hase tccn uron an extensive scale
eas ifoai ofh eing 10 cngih about go feet and IL,
side face atoui 80 feet The interior Of the tempt.
10 lsid cui With al the sbll md regard 10 convcn.
fence Of to PRACTICAL st-hiooi and The exterior
presenting an elaboration ~ ornament a. well ~ re.
hhenoni Ia sculpture. which altogether ssoaished tho
u"oicrs 1be,o many single columns mos,
elsbo'srly wrought, the work deeply cut and sll
40 mas oflY sttlc
ffom Copan Tho travellers proceeded TO Kuuri
who're the, found many monuments chiefly ofihe same
character those Cop,n ony the latter were much
longer Than those which were first visited From
ihsocs ihet proceeded to Santa Cruz del Tuiobc to
GUeqOcicnango to ocosingo 10 Palenque. and to TX,
mai The whole forming circuit Of nearly three
Thousand miles % circumference and the grcaiet part
Of which was thiokly studded with extensive ruins all
q which were perfectly analogous 10 each other. al
though thc variations M extent, ornament &c, were
numerous.
They were 81 evidently the labofs Of people Of
common origin, Of apparently the same political, re.
lGous and social principles, Of tho same habits and
associations Of idoasand certainly far advanced IN civ
tiEauon and refinement. lnuumcrahlc square columns
obelsks Of stone found the course Of their
Investigations all Of which carved every side
with herogyphics, or with figures OF animals or hu.
man beings, the former, in ali probability, containing
legends which, II they could be decphered would go
far 10 explain the history of the people who had thus
executed them and the latter executed with such re.
gard 10 tho due proportions Of figures actually to as
tonish the travellers. who had not the most remote ex
peoiaion Of finding any branch Of The fine arts in so
forward a state. Nha, added 10 their astonishment
was the fact that all these monuments found 10
the deepest reoesses Of forests OF gigantic and closely
planted trees, proof OF their huquiy altogether ire
fragabe, as II must have required centuries to bring
such trees 10 their maturity and enormous growth and
II mus, have been after these cities ruined and
gone destruction that these forests were Above to
take root in their precincts all. These considera-
lions, unalded by any other, carry the mind back
To period Of the world altogether startling TO think Of
An erroneous notion has got abroad that these anti.
quites in the colossal magnitude OF their parts throw
those Of The6es Luxor, and other Egyptian monu-
meats in the shade, and that the latter may "hide
their diminished heads is believed also tia, in
architectural elegance, well IN extent, these A.
mercan remains far exceed those of Balbec Palmyra
or even ancient Babylon itself These surmises re.
ceive no counenance from the accounts given by
Messfs. Stephens and Caihcrwood. The extent of
the American monuments has rather regard to them
as one mass promiscuously and almost everywhere
spread within circumference OF three thousand miles
Than TO the extent or magnitude OF any specimen
or set oiruns; and nothing but a complete misunder-
standing OF the true details, intense love Of the
marvellous, could have brought about those false com
parsons
But the most important point TO he ascerained is
tina, Of referring those truly to any ofthose
Of the old world
From the inricacy Of their designs and from many
eroesque subjects oftheir sculpture they NAV be re-
ferfed to more oriental sourcT than that Of Egypt
and the similarity seems TO increase the further they
are referred 10 the eastward. China and Japan pre-.
sent many Of the images and groups which are found
on these American monuments; and although with
much that gToieSque IN the latter there much that
Is beautiful and symmetrcay correct while in China
and Japan, particularly the latter the monstrous pre-.
walls in exobi,an, degree there is really much tina,
is common to the east of Asia and to the west of A.
mcrca
With data like those before us then, the editor Of
the Albion asks there be much difficulty in for,i.
lying that most received hypothesis that America was
FIRST Peopled from the eastern part Of Asahe passage
being made across Behring's straits Where is the
difficulty in assuming the theory that mankind con-
rnualy radiang from the primitive seats of first Gre
a'lon and continually advancing beyond previous con
fines, should gradually a, the shores of the Pa
ohe should people the islands there, should cross the
narrow siaits-so narrow that at midway both shores
may he seen from the same posilon-should travel
southwark, aud give human population to this cont.
nen,.-iN o. Com Boil.