The true Democrat., 1855-10-16
Discovery ot a New People on the Wes-
 tern Continent.

tern continent.
 A discovery, which even in this age of al- most daily revelations of antiquities and won ders of remote times and people, must strike the world with wonder, has ust been made by the officers of the sloop of war Decatur
 It will be rccolected that they sailed from Rio i'll company with the Massachusetts (pro- peller)-that they parted company, and that for some weeks the loss of the Decatur was looked upon as certain. She was afterwards discovered by her consort, part way through the Straits of Magellan, and was lowed into the Pacific by the Massachusetts. The New Orleans Picayune of the 1st ult., publishes a letter, received from 0. H. Green, dated on board the Decatur, "of the Straits of Magellan, Feb. 15,'' and which contains some statements so startling that we make the following extlacts From the apparent responsibility of the source, we see no reason for doubting the narrative, remarkable as it is. The writer says:
 | There being no appearance of change of | the weather obtained leave of absence for few days, and accompanied by my classmate and chum, Dr. Balubridge, assistant surgeon, was landed on Terra del Fuego With great labor and difficulty we scrambled up the moun- tain sides which line the whole south east shore of these Straits, and after ascending $500 feet, we came upon plain of surpassing rich ness and beauty; fertile fieds-the greatest va- iety Of fruit trees in full bearing, and signs of civilization and refinement meeting us on eve- ry side. We had never read any account of these people, and thinking this island was wholly deserted, except by few miserable cannlbals and wild beasts, we had come well armed, and you can iudg of our surprise. | The inhabitants were utterly astonished at our appearance, but exhibited no signs of fear nor any unfriendliness. Our dress amused them they imagined that we had come from their God, the sun, on some peculiar errand of good. They are the noblest race 1 ever saw, the men all ranging from 6 feet to 63l well proportoned, very athletic and straight as an arrow The women were among the most perfect 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 dis cretion, 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 Dr. Brainbridge to the Depart ment will be filled with the most interesting and valuable matter, and astonish the Ameri- can people. The vessel proves to be the clip per ship Creeper, from the Chiucha Islands, with guano, for your port, and will avail my SCH ol Ihls opportunity to send you speCl- men of painting on porcelain, said to be over 5000 years old and an image made of gold and iron, and 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 attached to the main land; that about 1900 years ago, by their records, their country was visited by violent earthquake, which occasioned the rent now known as the Straits of Maggellan- 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 com- pared to the one now existing, we saw, must have been IT, 200 feet square and over HOO feet high, built of the purest pantle marble
 They number about three thousand men, women, and chrildren, and was assured the population has not varied two hundred as they prove by their traditions, for immemoral 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 tenth of the population f and what the ancient Greeks called "Gymno- ' phists." They are all of one peculiar race,