The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-03-03

HldLlJ Cutiouo S''N"
The one fronting the large mound extends
far on to the second flat, and forms u beautiful
nromenade for those who visit them. The four
largest stand equi-distant from each Other, upon
the bluff' 8 summit; the largest is fftysix feet
high, and overlooks. e. series of small lakes, be-
tween the Mississippi and the bluffs, whose sur
face is filed with one of the finest cypress
brakes in Mississippi, whose gigantic stems
tower to Il height, in some instances, OF a hun
drcd and twenty feet, without a limb, with a
circumference at top often exceeding sixteen
feet, and at the butt more than twenty feet.
These cypress-brakes present an array Of stately
columns, supporting a domelike ceiling, which
excludes half the light Of day.
These fine cypress columns terminate abrupt
", under a cap, consisting of a few dispropor-
tomato and inconsiderable limbs, altogether
constituting q kind Of vaulted ceiling and
there is so perfect a reflection of sound from it
| that falling timber often causes a reverberation
throughout these silent and somber shades to a
distance Of ten miles. But while the tops Of
the expresses are so disproportionate, it is not
SO with their roots for they ramify through
the soil in every direction, extending from fifty
to seventy-fve feet from the parent stems, some
remaining parallel with the surface Of the
ground, while others penetrate deep into the
more consolidated subsoil, Or under strata of
clay and they are thus so fortified that a cy-
press is rarely uprooted.
The knees which they throw up are from
three to thirty inches circumference at the base,
and rise to a height varying from two to ten
feet. These knees, growing from the innumer-
able interlacing roots, in a dense forest of cy-
press timber, are closely crowded together, and
resemble lin all but their color thu s~talagmites
on the pavement of some enormou cavern to
which a cypress basin, take it all in all, is not
unlike. The base of these knees is usually very
much enlarged beyond the size of the roots /;
thence they proceed and terminate upward in
an obtuse point, from which protrudes neither
leaf nor limb.
From the largest mound you may command
a perfect view Of the Mississippi River, for
miles each way, and front, from eight to ten
. miles into Louisiana.
We were shortly joined by our force, which
was allotted to us by the gentlemanly son-in-
!, law Of the proprietor, Mrs. Buckner.
We divided them under directors, and set
; thela in from the SUBMITS and sides. A short
{ distance brought them to the skeletons, which
were Ill Flatheads, and buried with considera
u Die care, and a number of relics, of fine work
manship. We paid but little attention to TIKI
dissecting of the mounds, as our time would no
admit of so doing. Our object was to get o.
y many Of their relics as possible.
= In the large mound, in which We sunk a shat
= eight feet wide and fifteen deep, we found quit
= a number of skeletons, accompanied with thei
: relics, and a very curious arrangement Of III
, strata. This we carefully filed mp, for anothci
and a much more minute examination, ut som
> future time.
The first three feet was a dark, rich, alluvia
+ soil, similar to the surface of the surroundin
" fields, but below this it varied much from tn
ordinary arrangement. 1t was filed with bone
" Of inferior animals and pottery. On the side
." one oft,le small mounds, cur party found q skel'
ton of gigantic size, and at its head lay thre
finely finished vases, filed with ornaments.
;" Among the relies obtained from the Doctc
was a small vase, found in one Of the former di!
!. ~gings-about two feet deep.
It was formed o fclay and human burnt bone
@ in the proportions Of one Of bone to clay, burr
=, very hard and deliberately carved around i
~ sides. The figure resembles the letter S linl
"a ing its extremites and thus continuing arour
the vase. 1t is surprising what q degree ofhe'
these ancient vessels withstand they will resi-
% the greatest degree Of heat you can get in Il
NJ ordinary anthracite fire, and answer welFft
re- auxing metals in for which purpose I have c
At ten used them.
rs This vase was wrought from much finer m
I'd terial than is usually found, and from the Gu
Exercised in the depositing of this relic in ii
il Holy Sepulcher, would indicate that q consi
1t cradle ponp and ceremony had been performt
Is at It's burial. IL contained a NUMBER or relic
among which were two ~incly-polished aSe-ga
IS ges, formed from a beautiful green stone, Ri
a stone beads wrought from Chalcedony, Ma
at yarlite and Comedian, and Il curious nondescri
ed animal, four inches long, in a dark, hard ia
per.
IN This curious relic of that unhistoried poop
1r goes far to show the great analogy between the
re and the Chaldeans. DR.. Cartright says in h
paper upon those people: 1.-THE Chaldea
he wore around the neck, or suspended from son
a part of the body, a charm, cut of q hard stont
I'll On one side it resembled a hideous looking al
I'd nal, whose charm would protect you from 6
H. monsters on the land, and on the opposite 81
hill was cut . small canoe which would nrotect VI