Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-02-03
MISCELLANY.



Throughout the entire length aud breadth q
the entire country-washed, as il is, ly the wa
tiers of Two mighty oceans, aud aboundng il
natural resources enormous, beyond what it i
possible to cOnccve--wc find much to admire il
In the aspect and beauty Of nature. and wheth
er we travel from the distant shores of Main,
and New Brunswick to the golden sands of Cal
iiornia, and the shures of the great Pacific. o.
from the bright, crystal lakes Of Minnesota I,
the orange groves of Florida. we behold through
out this immense extent the features of nature
grand and beautiful in every form and aspect
The mineraloeist, The geologisi, the naturalist
the bolanist, and even the antiquarian, have all
rich field here.
Strange as It may appear, America abounds
IN antiquities, so extensive 50 beautiful, and 50
majestic, as 10 rival those Of Thches or Nine.
veh. Ruins Of ancient cities, OF immense ex-
tent Notifications, mounds, aud pyramids
temples, with walls bull, of hewn stone. show
ing refined taste in archiecture--and adorned
with human figures, beautifully executed large
aliars, ornamented with hieroglyphics, probably
giving record OF those who reared them. hui
which no man has been able to decipher re-
mains Of ancient palaces, with beautiful speci-
mems of sculpture and painting, with many 9th
er marks OF ancient greatness, prove 10 us that
this is not a new world, but that a powerful
empire existed at very remote period of time,
teeming with population highly skilled in
arts, and IN II state of civilization far beyond
anything we have been led to conceive of the
aborigenes, previous 10 the discovery of the
continent by Europeans
The antiquities of America extend from the
eastern shores Of Maine and Massachusetts. 10
the Pacific, and from the great lakes and Bri-
tish dominlonsi 10 Peru and La Plata in South
America; in fact, throughout the extent Of
both continents. Immense forests grow over
tho ruins of large cities, and the gigantic size
Of the trees, with indications that OTHER genera.
nons OF trees sprung up and grew before them,
proves that the ruins were in existence before
the Christian Era. In every portion Of the
United States, interesting ruins have been dis
covered In the State of New York have been
found sculpiured figures Of 100 animals of diff.
fercnt species, executed in STYLE far superior
to anything exhibited by any of the existing
tribes OF Indians. The State of Ohio abounds
IN ruins OF towers, Notifications. with extensive
monnds and pyramids At Marietta, in this !
State. beautiful pottery, silver and COPPER orn-
amenis, and pearls of great beauty and lustre
have been dug up from the earth. In the caves
of tennessee and Kentucky, mummies have
been found, in high state of preservation.
clothed with cloths and skins Of various tex
iore, inlaid with feathers; like discoveries have
been made at Carrolton, near Milwaukee, in the
State OF Wiscnnsln-ruins Of huge iurifca-
tlons appear. Similar ruins appear in the State
of Missouri. On the south side of the Nilsson
ri river, in the western portion of this State. is 4
an enclosure of some 800 acres, which includes
the ruins of building. quo doubt an ancient
tower,) with walls $50 feet high, aud 50 feoi
wide at the base, attached To which are re-
doubt and citadel, with work much resemb-
ling the structure of tower in Europe. But
1t IS in the south of Mexico, that magnificent
and beautiful ruins present themselves in abun-
dance. Ruins OF majestic cities, and magniG.
cent temples and affairs, with beautiful works of
sculpture iasteiully wrought and palaces adorn-
ed with painiings-colors chiefly sky-blue, and Z
Iight-green-which show, by their richness and !
elegance, to be the work Of highly-culuyaed
people.
These ruins, majestic and beautiful in ap-
pearance, but oyergrown with thick forests of @
mahogany and cedar of immense dimensions
and great age, prove to the world that great 4
empire existed here at a very remote oerioJ Of d
lme' ana mat this empire teemed with an i'm e
nense population Of people, highly skilIed in .
he mechanical arts and in an advanced state Of Il
civilization. The most extensive ruins are to |,
&c found at uxmal and Palenque, in the south d
z a