Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1846-05-16
Faith ofthe lndlana.

DEATH Pittsburgh Gazette.
Faith of the Indians.
1.-THE following account, given by Ca,line, of
the faith of some of the Western tribes of Iudi-
ans, is correct, it goes far TO prove that they re-
tain tradi,ionary superstitions, derived at some
former period from the Romans or Roman Cath.
olics. An old cheif thus describes it:
'Our people all believe that the spirit lives in
a future state; that it has to pass dreadful,
deep and rapid stream which is hemmed on all
sides by high and rugged hills-over the stream,
from hill to hill, there is a long and slippery
pine log, with the bark peeled of, over which
the dead have to pass to the delightful hunting
grounds. On the other side of the stream, there
are six persons on the good hunting grounds.
with rocks in their hands which they throw at
them all, when they are on the middle of the
log. The good walk safely to the good hunting
grounds, where is one continual day; where
the trees are always green; where the sky has
no clouds; where there are fine and continual
breezes; where there is one continual scene OF
feasting. dancing and rejoicing; where is no
pain nor trouble and people never grow I'D, but
forever live and enjoy the youthful pleasures.
The wicked when they see the stones coming
try to dodge, by which they fall from the log,
and 90 down thousands of feet to the water,
which is dashing over the rocks, and is sinking
with dead fish and animals, where they are
carried around and brought continually back to
the same place in whrpools, where the trees
are all dead, aud the waters are full of ioads, liz.
ards and snakes; where The lost are always
sick, and never die: where the wicked are con.
,inualy climbing up by thousands on the side Of
the high rock, from which they can overlook
the beautiful country of the good hunting
grounds. the place of the happy, but can never
reach it,
! ANOTHER ATTRACTION An Italian, one DR..
Silvestre, is about to exhibit some remarkable
specimens of petreacton. 1t appears that Dr..
Silvesre has discovered method of harden
ing, even to the consistency or rather solid,y
of marble, any organized substance. DR.. s. is
a man of middle age, OF an exceedingly inteli'
I gent appearance, and is stated 10 be chemist
of considerable eminence, although bis name is
not familiar one in the scientific world-ile
exhibited human head-a man's--with the
brain exposed-the upper portion of the skull be-
Ing sawn of, and as it was hard as stone, resem-
bling its cn'or and emitting no offensive efiluvi-
um, it somewhat rescmbled, but was, of course,
infinitely more interesting than a wax model.
lie also exhibited womans head, with the
hair parted and dressed, the hair retaining its
flexible properties and color, although the sur.
face from which it grew resembled stone
There was also a child's hand, plump and dim.
pied, as In lite, but cold, semi-transparen', and
ringing like marble when struck. a piece o
liver, of its deep, rich chocolote brown color
somewhat rescmbled red granite and petrifed
tongue appeared as fl, never could have emit
ted a sound II was literally n tongue in a
stone. But the prrtiiest of these retretactions
was large boquet of choice flowers, all prcser.
wing their natural colors, but as hard and rigid
as if some cunning workman had carved them
from the Parian marble. Cunning indeed must
sculptor have been, who could have produced a
similar specimen of natures handiwork, for
not only the leaves and petals were rendered
stone-like, but the minute hairiorm stems were
rendered corsline. The flowers were preser.
we'd, it was stated, by a modification of the pc.
triying process, which was explained to be a
pnematic extraction ofthe juices. and a stee.
ping for a considerable time in chemical solu.
tioas. should remark that the effect produ.
ced was quite different from what ! have obser.
we'd to result from sleeping articles in petfify
inc springs, which merely deposite carbonate
oflime. DIR. Slives,re says that so cheap is hi;
process, that at very small expense our dead
friends may be turned into stone; and one gen
,leman waggishly proposed that Oh, great men
as soon as they were dead, should be peiTifet
and stuck on pedestal, and so save the expensv
of statues.
A CALIFORNIA FARMER.-A gentleman writ
ing from California to the editor ofthe ST. loui
Reveille says, his stock consists of abou, 400
} head Of oxen, 100 horses and mules, 800,
5 sheep and as many hogs. They all pastur
} themselves without difficulty in the rich prair
!, les and bottoms OF the Sacramento, and only re
/ ouire to be attended. This is to be done by In
!. dams of whom he employs 400. His annuu
crop of wheat is about 10 900 bushels, with bal
I. ! ley, peas, beans, &c, in proportion.