Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1847-07-22
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+. @. SQueir, Esq, formerly editor Of the
Hartford Journal, and more recently Of
the Scieta Gazette at Chillicoihe, Ohio.
We found him at Judson's superb Hotel,
on Broadway, busily engaged in prspar>
ing for the press great work on Amer
can Antiquities, which is soon to be pub
lished by the Smithsonian Institute,
| While atChIlicothe, Mr.. SQaeir in con
nection with DE- E, II, Davis, commen-
eed the work of exsavating the mounds in
that vicinity Some ofthe results of their
Iabors, we had the pleasure Of seeing at
Mr.. SIS. rooms and TO say that we were
as,onisAed at what we saw and heard,
would but poorly express our feelings.
seldom have we seen more beautiful sSe>
cimeRs Of sculpture than were there
OF men, beasts, birds, fishes, dragons,
ETC., in grant, marble, flint, ivory, SC.
Nearly $50 mounds, embracing those
of every size and description, within en>
closures and out OF them, in groups and
isolated, have been carefully excavated
under their personal supervision, and ev-
cry fac: of importance respecting them
carefully noted. The conclusion, to
which these observations have led, is,
that the mounds were constructed for sev>
eral grand and dissimilar purposes, or
rather, that they are of different classes.
Mounds Of ssc,ifce.-The general chars
acteristics of this class of mounds, are
LIST. That they occur only within, or in
the immediate vicinity of, enclosures, or
sacred places.
Cd, That they are stratifed.
Sd. That they ccntain sy mctrical affairs
of burned clay or stone, on which are
deposited various remains, which in all
cases, have been more or less subjected
to the action of fire.
The affairs, or basins, found in these
mounds, are almost invariably Of burned
clay. though one or two of stone have
been discovered. They ara symetrical,
bat not of uniform size AMI shape. Some
are round, others eliptical, and others
square, or paEailelograms. Some are
small, measuring barely two feet across
while others are so feet long, by IL and
Is wide. The usual dimensions are from
5 to 8 feet. All appear TO have been
modelled of fine clay, brought &c the spo,
from distance, and rest upon the origin
al surface of the earth. In few instan>
ces, layer, or small elevation of sand
had been laid down, upon which the al
tar was formed. The elevation of the
affairs, nevertheless, seldom exceeds a foot
or 20 inches above the adjacent level.
The clay of which :hey are.compesed is
usually burned hard, sometimes TO the
deb.h Of 10, 10 and even 90 Inches
This is hardly to be explained by any
degree or continuance of heat, though it
is manifest that in some cases the heat
was intense On the other hand, num-
Der of these affairs h We been noticed,
which are very slightly burned, and such
it is remarkable fact, are destitute Of
remains.
Mounds of this class are most fruitful
ia relics of the builders. On the affairs
have been found, instruments and orna$
ments Of silver, copper, stone and ivory,
beads Of silver, copper, pearls and shell;
spear and arrow>heaas of flint, quartz,
garnet and obsidian; fossil teeth Of the
shark; teeth Of the alligator; marine shells
-galena; sculptures of the human head;
and OF numerous animals; pottery; and
large number Of interesting articles, of
which SONS evince great skill in art.
The mounds Of sepulture stand apart
from the enclosures, and in their average
dimensions, greatly exceed those OF the
first class. The celebrated mound a,
Grave Creek was of this class. They
lack the gravel and sand strata, which
characterize those already described, and
are destitute of 'al.ars.' They invaria>
bly, cover skeleton sometimes more
than one, as at Grave creek,) which al
the time of its interment, was enclosed
in q rude framework of timber, or ems
veloped in bark or coarse mating.
Braceletsof copper and silver beads
of bone, ivory and shell-mica plates and
ornaments-stone instruments of vari~
Gus XII nds, some Of which arc Identical
with those found in mounds of the first
class, ETC.. are found with the skeletons.
In every instance falling within their OBJ
servatien, the skeleton has been so much
decayed. that any attempt to restore the
skull. or indeed any portion Of it was
hopeless. Considering that the earth
around these skeletons is wonderfully
compact and dry, and tina, the conditions
for their preservation were exceedingly