Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1855-04-07

A STANCE RACE OF PEOPLE.

~ CA1AN0c Ek6ANC Oc N00A AAC'
The following interesting extract, from a
letter published in the Picayune, is ffem Lieut..
q. H. GREEN, written from on board U. s. ship
Decatur, while ind.bound in the Straits of
Magellan. The writer says:
aThere being no appearance Of 4 change ofwea-
ther, l obtained leave of absence for q few days,
and accompanied by my class mate and chum,
d.. Bainbridge, Assistant Surgeon, was landed on
Terra del Fuego. With great labor and difficulty
we scrambled up the mountain sides, which line
the whole southeast shore Of these straits, and If
ter ascending 1890 feet. we came upon a plain Of
surprising richness and beauty. Fertile fields
the greatest variety of fruit trees in full bearing,
and signs of civilization and refinement meeting
US on every side. We had never read any &C.
count of these people, and thinking this island
was wholly deserted, except by . few miserable
cannibaIs and wild beasts, we had come well arm
ed, and you can Judge Of our surprise. The inha-
bitants were utterly astonished at our appear
ance, but exhibited no signs OF fear, nor any un-
friendliness. Our dress amused them, and being
the first white men ever seen by them, they ina
gined that we had come from their God, the Sun,
on some peculiar errand of good. They are the
noblest race l ever saw, the men all ranging from
6 feet to 6 ga, well proportional, very athletic,
and straight a. an arrow. The women were
the most perfect models Of beauty ever formed,
averaging S feet high, very plump, with small
feet and hands, and with a jet'black eye that takes
you by storm. We surrendered at discretion, and
remained two weeks with this strange people.
They number about three thousand men, wo'
men and children, and | was assured the popula-
ton has not varied two hundred, q they prove by
thsir traditions, for immemorable ages. As the
aged grow feeble they are left to die, and if the
children multiply too rapidly, they are sacrificed
BY the priests, This order comprises about one.
tenth Of the population, and what the ancient
Grscians called "Gymnosophists," They ere all
Of one peculiar race; neithsr viii they admit .
stranger into their order. They i've, for the most
part, near the beautiful stream called Tanuhan,
which takes its rise in the mountains, passes thro'
the magnificent valley Of Leuvu, and empties in
to the Atlantic ut the extreme southwestern point
of the island.
This resi- dsnce is chosen for the sake of their
frequent publications. Their diet consists of milk
eurdled with sour herbs. They eat apples, rice,
and all fruits and vegetables, esteeming it the very
height Of impiety to taste anything that has life.
They live in little hus or cottages, each one by
himself, avoiding company and discourse, and en-
ploy ing oil their time in contemplation and their
religious duties. They esteem this life but ne
csnary dispensation Of Nature, which they vol
unfairly undo - q penance, evidently thirsting
after the dissolution of their bodies; and firmly
believing that the soul, a death, is released from
its prison, and launches forth into perfect liberty
and happiness. Therefore, they are always cheer
fully disposed to die, bewailins those that are
alive, and celebrating the funerals Of the dead
with joyful solemnities and triumph.
Their teachers of religion speak the Latin Ian
guage, and have traditions from successive priests
through half a hundred centuries.
They tell Us this island was once attached to
the main land, that about 1900 yean ago, by
their records, their country was visited by = vio-
lent earthquake, which occasioned the rent now
known - the Straits Of Magellan, that on the
top Of the mountain which lifted its head to the
sun, whose base rested where the waters now
low, stood their great temple-which, according
to their description, as compared to the one now
we saw, must have been 1890 square
feet and over 100 feet high, and built Of the
purest pantils marble. A thousand reflections
crowd upon the mind in viewing this people and
this paradiss, before unknown to the world. The
ships in night that win carry this to you, and I
must now close, only saying that the Official re-
port Of d.. Bainbridge to the Department will be
filed with the most interesting and valuable mat
ter, and sstonish the American people. The YES
sl proves the clipper ship sCrseper," from the
Chinehi Islands, with guano for your port; and
I avail myself Of this opportunity to send you I
specimen Of painting on porcelain said to be over
5000 years old and IN image made Of gold and
iron, taken in ons Of thsir wan many ysazs be-
forsths straits Of Magellan existsd.p
uIt will Be rseollscted the account W rave
some time since Of the deliberate murder Of I
Nj. Vaughan, It J. B. tombstone store on the
haraDgouin, By = man named Chaplin. We
perceive that the pssoner has had his trial 10
Point Coupss parish, and found guilty Of man.
slaughter.