New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-10-19
NEW-YORK TRIBUNE.
From sIimans Journal of Arts and Sciences
,rhe Mounds and Relics of the Ancient Nations
Az" of Americu.

70 Dr. g. n. ManteH Of London
Alta special meeting of the Connecticut Academy
of Arts and Sciences, July I, 17i6, various inter
s,tng facts relating to the mounds OF the Ohio and
sr;oto valley, and specimens from them, Illustrating
,ber objects and the habits Of their builders were
nd before the Academy by Mr. f. GEO. SqUIER.
These structures oftbe West are either enclosures
anne evidently intended Publications, mounds
ofyaious forms and sizes. This gentleman. In con
nsction with DR.. DAVIS, of Chcothe Ohio. has
opened eighty OF the mounds and has attended per
uoally at the excavation Of more than sixty. The
developments are wonderful, and explorer has
satisfied himself that OF the mounds, lst Many are
seuulchral Cd Others sacrifcial 3D. Others for
lookCuts and alarm posts.
In the sepulchra are found human bones. gene
rslly much decayed, so that no skeletons and rare
" a perfect bone can be cXtrlcated-so ancient are
thew aud often the mounds o. all descriptions are
covered with gigantic forest trees In one instance
section Of a tree gave GOO annual rings. The
sacricial mounds cover affairs sometimes of large
size and constructed of baked earth hardened like
bricks or tiles, and more rarely of stone. These
affairs contain caicncd human bones, charcoal, and
ether proofs of the operation OF fire. The merely
sspulchral piles earth mounds thrown up at
random without arrangement OF the materials; those
covering affairs are artifcay stratifed-layer over
LAYER Of alternating beds Of gravel. earth and sand
bot following q common curvature, like a series OF
caps drawn over the same head this stratltcation
when heretofore named but not fully and accurately
reported induced Prot. Hitchcock to suppose that
the mounds were diluvial but their form and
the inferred affairs with their relics dsprove that
opinion, although we know not why the affairs were
covered with so much care, or why covered ut all :
probably the proceeding interviewer with their
religious notions Ia both kinds OF mounds, but
more especially In the mounds OF sacrifice, are found
yery remarkable works OF art wrought in stone.
Among them ars images Of many OF the animals
and birds OF that period they were often wrought
nf ,T,,1 III,
fish in its mouth hawk tearing bird to pieces :;
owls, eagles, bears, &c. and many human heads
and faces giving doubtless the cranology and
pbysiognomy Of the people-besides many things
uot exactly obvious Us TO their import. There are
many stone arrow and spear heads beautifully
clipped out Of hornstone OF various coors or formed
from obsidian limpid quartz and among the
relics are much white mica in flakes, vessels OF
pottery, and pipesonc similar to that OF Prarie
% Chen, described in the American Journal, Vol.
xvii, p, 40. The minerals grouped IN these
mounds came often from remote regions, and thus
furnish proof OF extensive mgrntions, or friendly or
warlikc travelling or commerce. There are strings
Of beads Of ivory, probably from the mastodon or
Eiepb0S primfgcRiiiS which Were contemporary In
this countryl strings also OF pearls-doubtless from
the fresh water molluscs, and possibly from the
Gulf OF Mexico and there were also FOSSIL teeth OF
sharks, and other teoth probably votocoo". Be
tides there are chiscls and axes of native copper
ind articles of silver THE copper doubtless came
from Lake Superior, where it is now found album
dainty, and at this moment thousands are exploring
there for it on both the American and british sdes
Gfthe Lake. The great mass weighing from three
-four thousands pounds, (sce Amer. Jour. Ill, 2Oi
how lies in the courtyard of the w ar Once ut
Washington, and piece weighing 1890 pounds IS
almost in view nj the window from winch am
writing in the door-yard OF my friend MIR Forrest
Shepard an active geographical explorer; both
these grand pieces with native silver adherinS to
them, are from Lake Superior Copper Region
The tecgraphc mounds No. 81 extend IN
nnges at convenient distances Tor many leagues !;
20 that fires kindled upon them would give early
and ei!ectual notice Of the approach OF an enemy,
as / remember to have seen in England, in August,
1905 when Napoleons invasion was expected.
The enclosures serving regular works Tor de
fence, were furnished with porapets. bitches tow
ers at the angles, and covered ways especially to
supplies of water near rivers. These WORKS APP
pear often to have included Il dense population IN
villages; and it is obvious that the hundreds OF
earth structures found in the valley OF the Scioto
and thousands, many thousands. III Ohio; and other
States mot few OF which | have seen IN Ono.
Illinois and Missouri necessarily implied con.
siderable population: and OF course 1t was asricnl'
taral at least in part as they could not IN such
numbers subsist upon the chase alone; and there
must have been an energetic government 10 coerce,
powerful mental influence to induce, so much
labor, Tho present Indians do not submit TO such
tcils, and have only very humble arts. They have
however often buried their dead IN ancient mounds,
but it is easv 10 distinguish these more modern
deposits
The ancient mounds were always erected m
plans aud valleys of fertile land aud ON alluvial
liver deposits and in some cases there are rlver
terraces at lower elevations than those on winch
The mounds are found. thus perhaps Indicating
their high antiquity.
These explorations by McSsrs, Squier and DAVIS
differ irom all preceding ones, not only by their
number, but by the thorough manner IN when me
researches are made an entire section OF tue
mound having been cut from top TO bottom thus
disclosing its contents They have ut Chhi'cothe,
ak thousand specimens whish have been taken
srn, the mounds section OF which will be made
to ilustratc work on this branch OF archaeology
which is now In the course OF preparation
Mr, SQuier has presented this subject In some OF
Toe principal Northern cities OF the United states
where il has excited much interests and both a
saned individual ana learned society have VOL
snteered the sums requisite for its publication
The races that constructed these works were
Probably the precursors Of the Mexicans and Re
rcvians, and may have either deserted their strnc
saes to move farther South or been driven NOM
mem by war.
The mounds resembling animals in form. winch
were described BY Mr. Il c. Taylor. Amer Jour
HSiy. ss and again by Mr. S. Taylor, Gbid XII.
y are regarded by the gentlemen OF whose laoors
nave gwen you sketch. as more modern strnc
Yves perhaps OF the present races oil lndislis'
w 'his is by no means certain
Loco-Eoco Nominations.
U1ssda --iHunker branch:) Timothy jenkins
Congress Israel S. Parker Tor Sheriff. Othniel
Williams Tor Clerk; Abel F. Chandler, Harry
essham William H Munger and FreemanE. ly.
san for Assembly, with four Coroners-all Hunker
s'ae tip end We hear that the Banburners
ered to unite and divide the Spells, but We're told
asthey couldn't shine. but must support the regu-
Nominations The Utica Observer the bunker
sssn does not support Gov, Wright.
1FIih Distriet-Gen GEORGE PErRlE Of Her
ener Co has been nominated for Congress by n
sass meeting IN opposition to Van Astyne. the
sgular (Barnbumer candidate.