Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-05-05

little notice Of it. NH I'M ,ac III
Discovery or New People on the West
a crn Continent. rsaie oua
A discovery which, everrin this age of almost
daily revelations of antiquities and wonders of
remote times and people, must strike the world
with wonder, hasja asst been made by the officers
Of the sloop-of-war Decatur. I'M .gsd gdi NJ
/ 1t will be recollected that the Decatur sailed
from Rio in company 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 after
wards discovered by her consort part way
through the Straits of Magellan, and was towed
into the Pacific by the Massachusetts. The
New Orleans Picayune, of the lst instant, pub
fishes letter received from o. III. Green, dated
on board the Decatur, off the Straits Of Ma
gellan, February Is" and which contains some
statements so startling that we make the fol-
lowing extracts. From the apparent respecta-
bility of the source, we see no reason for
doubling the narrative, remarkable as it is.
The writer says: sai
There being no appearance of change OF
weather, obtained leave of absence for a few
days, and accompanied by my classmate and
chum, DR.. cambridge, assistant surgeon, was
and difficulty 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 surprising richness
and beauty, fertile fields-the greatest variety
of fruit trees in full bearing, and signs of civil
lization and refinement meeting us on every
side We had never read any account Of these
people, and thinking this island was wholly
deserted, except by few miserable cannibals
and wild beasts, we had come well armed, and
you can Judge of our surprise.
The inhabitants were utterly astonished at
our appearance, but exhibited no signs Of fear,
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 l ever saw,
the men all ranging from feet to 81, we'll pro-
portoned, very athletic, and straight as an
arrow. The women were among the most per-
feet models Of beauty ever formed, averaging
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.
The ship is in sight that will carry this to
you, and / must now close; only saying that
the official report of DIR. Bainbridge TO the De-
partment will be filed with the most interest
ing and valuable matter, and astonish the
American people. The vessel proves TO be the
clipper ship Creeper, from the Chinchi Islands,
with guano, for your port, and will avail my
self Of this opportunity to send youa speci-
men 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 Magellan existed.
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 at
tached to the main land that about 1900 years
ago. by their records, their country was visited
by q violent 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 waters now flow, stood their great temple
which, according TO their description, MS com
pared to the one now existing we saw, must
have been 1920 feet square, and over 100
feet high, built of the purest pantile marble.
They number about three thousand men,
women and children, and / was assured 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 children multiply too rapidly
they are sacrificed by the priests. This order
comprises about one-tenth Of the population,
and what the ancient Greeks called "Gymnop-
hists" They are all Of one peculiar race,
neither will they admit 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 extreme southwestern point
of the island.
This residence is chosen for the sake Of their
frequent publications. Their diet consists OF
milk, cnrdIed with sour herbs. They eat ap.
Piles, rice, and all fruits and vegetables, esteem
ing il the height Of impiety 10 taste anything
that has lfe They live in little huts or cot
tages, each one by himself avoiding company
and discourse, employing all their time in con-
temptation and their religious duties. They
esteem this life but necessary dispensation
of Nature, which they voluntarily undergo as q
penance, evidently thirsting after the dissolu-
ton Of fheir bodies, and firmly believing that
the soul, at death, is released from prison, and
launches forth into perfect liberty and happi-
ness. Therefore, they are always cheerfully
disposed to die; bewailing those that are alive,
and celebrating the funerals Of the dead with