Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1855-07-06
Nj | S C. ELLAN N Y
Discovery Of a new People.

strike tho world with wonder, has just been
made by tho officers Of tho sloop-of.war De.
catur. II il rccolected that tho Decatur
sailed from Rio in company with the Mas.
sachuSetb tpropcll,r)-.hat they parted
company, and that for some weeks tho los'
Of tho Decatur was looked upon As certain.
She was afterwards discovered by her con-
sort part way through the Straighu Of Ma.
gellan and was t5wcd into tho Pacific by the
Massachusetts,. The New orlsans picayuns
contained a letter received from o. IT. Groon
datod on board tho Decatur, Feb. ~, which
contains some statements ~ startling, tha,
W, make the following extracts. From tho
apparent rspcciahilty Of tho source, We
SO no reason for doubling tho narrative, 70
markAble rs Il u, Tho writer uv':
Their, hoing n, appearance of change Of
weather. obtained lonvr of Ah',noo for a
few davs, and accompanied nv my class.
mate and chum, NJ Bnirhridcr. assistant
surgeon. was landed on Terra dol fucso.
With great labor and difficulty wcs-ran-
hlcl up the mountain sides, which limo tho
whole southeast shore n thrs' Straits, and
ar,sr ascending $500 feet, wo camo upon a
plain n surprising richness and beauty
fertile felis-,he greatest variety of fruit
trcr. in iull bearing, and firns of civilira,
ton and rrfn0mcn, meeting Ne on every side.
We bad never road any account NJ thcS'
people. and thinking tho island WIS wholly
d-,rrtrl. cyrspt hy few miserable canni.
halls and wild beasts, We had com, wellarm.
ci. and YOU can judge ofour 'urrri''. The
inhabitants were utterly as,oni'hcd AZ our
appearance. hat exhibited n, sirns ~ f'1r
ind ndunrrirnlliness. our dress amus,i them
md l~in- the frst men ever sSrn ly thcm
lbry imagined We hal come from their god,
the .un. IN some peculiar crrani of good.
rhcr are the nphlcst race I over uw. ;hr
men ranging from f-,t To -. vol Tro-
por,ioac,l. vcry athletic, and .;rnirh, a' an
arrow. Tho women vorc anon. N, mos,
psrfr-, model, OF beauty ever frm,l. aver.
a.iu. f,', very plump, with small f'r'
and hnni.. and with a ~ black cyc, which
,,to. v,r by s,gr, wo surrendered at
discretion and rrmain,I two week, will
,h. .,rang, r,orl,.
Their teacher. Of religion .r.ak ,he latin
language, and have traditions from -ucccr
.ivc priests through half hunirri ortu
Thcv trll u. tha, thi. island was onrr at
achci In the main land that about l9Ol
wear. n-o. hy tlsir r,c1ris, their couutr,
VA. visited by yiolcu, earthquake, vhicl
ocrasion,i tA' rcnt now known A. 'h.
Strait or Magellan that oo th" top OF 'h'
mountain which i''''a D" ",'' 70 '"' '""
who's ha'' Is''"' "n''' u, "','.' "o'
Gov, stool '''lr ir''' ''u'l'.-"''.' -
e"7i'nf To '''r ''''''p''n' TO ''.' ~.
90 'hc ono now existing We N"' mus, '", Nv.
hc'n lI,s'' i''' 'l"a''' am '''' ''''"
feet high, bull. OF 'A' r'T'' p'n''n' mar
bl'.
The ship - IN ''i'' 'n'' VIII car! Wv
to yon' and m''' no" CO on'y ''y'.
That the ''''''' ',' y. W. '','",'''-
the department wiz y. "'''' "''' Wv
interesting ana 'A'ua''' ''A,U'' '''" ~ ''''
ni'h the American poop''. '"'''T,'' Prov
70 bc th. clipper 'hlP Or'P.r' ITO" 'l
Chineha Islands vain rn'no ''' your P''' ~
and will ava" myself '' 'h,' "pP'''u"''
I" '."' ! ou ''''',' W., ", 49, ''"','7 - ~ -
'''a'"' ''' w. N ' ~ - - -, 80 -. ,
an '"aE., 'a''' VI N''' '''.' '''"' 80, -
ono OF ,n,,' var 'u."! ""'' ''' "
'''''' OF '''' ''' 'A'''
They number about three thousand mon
women and children and was "Sur'a u
population hH' not varied two handT,4' "
they prove by their traditions rom ''n".
mortal ages AZ the aged gro" i'e''o '',
are left To de- and II the ch,IdF'n mu''p'
too rapidly thcy are sacrificed 10y 'hep'l''r
The order comprises about on'-ten'h o' "
population, and arc what the ancient 'ra'S
called " GymnoPhists.' They are all
one peculiar race neither will they admit
stranger into their order They l've' 10
the most part, near tho beautiful s'rea'
called hnucan, which takes is rise in ii
mountains, passes through the maSn'heer
/
,b, IJ,,I
r,,--,,.... &. ,L,.., ~ Lo s,t.
80, -, .,.ir.,,i,,, Tbcv "a, n,