Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1855-06-20
SC0rERY OF NEW FEOPLE,

$ strike the world with wonder. has ius
: been made by the officers of the sloop @
: of war Decatur It will be recollecte
that the Decatur sailed from Rio in com
: pany with the Massachusetts, propeller
? that they parted company, and that fo
f some weeks the loss of the Decatur Wa:
looked upon as certain. She was after
wards discovered by her consort. part
way through the Straits of Magellan, and
was towed into the Pacific By the Mass
achusetts. The New Orleana Pcayune
of the lst lust. publishes a letter, receiv-
ed from o Ii Green, dated on board the
Decatur, 'foff the Straits of Magellan
Feb. l5,' and which contains some state
ments so startling tLat we make the fol.
lowing extracts. From the apparent res
pectability of the source, we see no reason
for doubling the narrative, remarkable as
1t Is. The writer says
There being no appearance OF a change
of weather, | obtained leave of absence
for a few days, and accompanied by nv
classmate and chum DR. Bainbridge.
Assistant Surgeon, was landed on Terra
del Fuego. With great labor and diff
Guilty we scrambled up the mountain
sides, which line the whole Southeast
shore of these Straits and after ascending
| $500 feet, we came upon plain of sur
passing richness and b:auty fertile fields
the greatest variety offru;t trees in full
bearing, and signs of civilization and re-
hnement meeting US on every side. We
| had never read accounts of these people,
and thinking this island was wholly
deserted, except by few mis- ;able can
| nlbals and wild beats, we had come well
| armed and you can judge of our surprise.
The inhabitants were utterly astonished
at our appearance, but exhibited no signs
If fears, nor any unfriendliness Our
dress amused 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 six feet to
six and three fourths, we'll proper toned,
very athletic, and straight as an arrow
| The women were among the most perfect
models of beauty ever formed, averaging
| i've feet high, very plump, with small feet
and hands, and with jet black eye which
takes you by storm. We surrendered 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 halfa a hundred
centuries.
They tell me that this island was once
attached to the main land that about
1900 years ago by their records, their
country was visited by violent earth
quake, 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 waters now flow. stood their
great temple, which, according to their
description, as compared to the one now
existing, must have been 1900 feet to
square, and over 100 feet high, built of
the purest pantile marble
The ship is in sight that will carry this
to you and [ must now close; only say
ing that the official report of DR.. Balm
bridge to the Del artment, will be filed
with the most interesting and valuable
matter, and astonish the American pco-
pie. The vesse! proves to be the clipper
ship Creepcr. from the Chinchi Islands
with euano, for your port, and [ will avail
myself OF this opportunity to send a
specimen of proclaim. said to be over
three thousand years old, and an image.
made of gold and iron, taken in one OF
their wars many years before the straits
of Magellan existed.
The number of inhabitants is about
three thousand men, women and children
and [ was assured that the population
had not varied two hundred, as they
prove by their traditions for immemori-
al ages. As the aged grow feeble they
are left to die, and if they multiply too
rapidly they are sacrificed by the priests
This order comprises about one tenth of
the population. and what the ancient
Greeks called 'Gymnophists.' They are
: all of one peculiar race, neither will they
admit a stranger into their order. They
live, for the most part, near the beautiful
stream called Tanucan, which takes its
rise In the mountains, passes through tho
magnificent valley of Leuvu, and empties
into the Atlantic at the Southwestern
point of the Island
This residence is chosen for the sake o
their frequent publications. Milk. curdleC
with TBS. constitutes their diet Rice
+, apples, and all fruits and vegetables theJ
5 esteem highly, deeming it tue height o
impiety to tast anything that has life
They live in little cottages, each one b.
himself, avoiding company aud discourse
employing all their time in contemplation
} and their religious duties. They esteem
this life but necessary dispensation 0
! Nature which they voluntarily do as
penance, evidently thrsting after th
t dissolution of their bodies. and frml,
! believing that the soul at death is relic
! we'd from prison, and launches forth int
; perfect liberty and happiness. Therefor
: they are always cheerfully disposed t
die, bewaiting those that are alive, an
celebrating the funerals Of the dead wit
: joyful solemnities and triumph -Bnfal
Democracy