The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-05-17
Discovery of New People on the West
ern Continent.

almost daily revelations Of antiquities
and wonders of remote times and people,
must strike the world with wonder, has
just been made by the officers of the sloop-
of-war Decatur. 1t will be recolected
that the Decatur sailed from Rio in com
pany with the Massachusetts, (propeller)
that they parted company, and that
for some weeks the loss of the Decatur
was looked upon as certain. She was af-
forwards discovered by her consort, part
way through the Straits of Magellan, and
was towed into the Pacific by the Massa-
chusetts. The New Orleans Picayune of
the lst inst, publishes letter received
from o. H. Green, dated on board the
Decatur, off the Straits of Magellan,
Feb. 49, and which contains some senti-
ments SO startling that we make the fol-
lowing extracts. From the apparent re-
spectability of the source, we see no rea-
son for doubling the narrative, remarka-
BILE as it is. The writer says -
There being no appearance of a change
of weather, I obtained leave of absence
for few days, and accompanied by my
classmate and chum, DR.. Bainbridge, AS
sistant Surgeon, was landed on Terra del
Fuego. With great labor and difficulty
we scrambled up the mountain-sides,
which line the whole south east shores of
these Straits, and after ascending $500
feet, we came upon plain of surprising
richness and beauty; fertile felds-the
greatest variety of fruit trees in full bear
ing, and signs of civilization and refine
ment meeting us on every side. We had
never read any account of these people,
and thinking this island was wholly de-
serted, except by few cannibals and
wild beasts, we had come we'll armed, and
you can judge of our surprise. The in
habitants were utterly astonished at our
appearance, but exhibiting no signs of
fear, nor unfriendliness. Our dress a.
unused them, and being the first white
men ever seen by them, they imagined that
we had come from their God, the Sun, on
some peculiar errand of good. They are
the noblest race [ ever saw, the men all
ranging from 6 feet to 63, well proper
toned, very Athletic, and straight as an
arrow. The women were among the most
perfect models of beauty ever formed, av-
eraging 5 feet high, very plump, with
all feet and hands, and with jet black
eye which takes you by storm. We sur
rendered at discretion, and remained two
weeks with this strange people.
Their teachers of religion speak the
Latin language, and have traditions from
successive priests, through half hundred
centuries.
They tell US that this island was once
attached to the main land; that about
1900 years ago, by their records, their
country was visited by an earthquake,
which occasioned the rent now known as
the Straits of Magellan; that on the top
of the mountain which lifted its head to
the sun, whose base rested where the wa
ters now flow. stood their great temple
which according to their description, as
compared to the one now existing we saw,
must have been 17,200 feet square, and
over 100 feet high, built of the purest
pantile marble.
The ship is in sight that will carry this
to you, and l must now close; only saying
that the official report of DR.. Bainbridge
to the Department, will be filed with the
most interesting and valuable matter, and
astonish the American people. The ves-
sci proves to be the clipper ship Creeper,
from the Chinchi Islands, with guano, for
your port, and I will avail myself of this
opportunity to send you specimen of
painting on porcelain, said to be over
5000 years old; and an image, made of
gold and iron, taken in one of their wars
many years before the Straits of Magel-
Ian existed.
They number about three thousand
men, women and children, and | was as
sured the population has not varied two
hundred, as they prove by their traditions,
for immemorial ages. AS the aged grow
feeble they are left to die, and if the chill
dren multiply too rapidly they arc sacri-
feed by their priests. This order COM
prises about one-tcnth of the population,
and what the ancient Greeks called
'Gymnophists They are all of one Pc
culiar race, neither will they admit a
stranger into their order. They live, foI
the most part. near the beautiful stream
called Tanucan, which takes its rise in
the mountains, passes through the mag
nifcent valley of Leuvu, and empties in
to the Atlantic at the extreme south west
ern point.
This residence is chosen for the
J sake of their frequent publication
, Their diet consists of milk, curdled with
sour herbs. They eat apples, rice, and
all fruits and vegetables, esteeming it the
: hight of impiety to taste any thing thai
has life. They live in little huts OF cot
tages, each one by himself, avoiding com
' pany and discourse, employing all theil
3 time in contemplation, and their religious
: duties They esteem this life but ne
cessary dispensation of Nature, which
: they voluntarily undo as penace, evi
. IDENTIFY thirsting after the dissolution o
! their bodies; and firmly believing that thu
soul at death, is released from prison, anc
f launches forth into perfect liberty ant
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