Eastern times., 1856-04-10
Mtstellanp.
American Antiquities.

The Louisville Journal has an interesting
article on this subject. 1t says
"The antiquities of America extend from
the shores of the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean,
and from the great lakes and British provinces
to Peru and Brazil in South America. These
ruins are not illustrated or even alluded to by
any written history. Their origin is lost to
view behind the impenetrabIe veil imposed by
unnumbered cycles of unchronicled centuries.
Immense forests growing over the ruins of
large cities, and the gigantic size of trees, with
indications that other generations of trees
sprang up, grew and decayed before them,
prove that these ruins preceded the Christian
era.
Neither history or tradition induces the orr
gin or rise OF those vast mounds that are found
scattered over the North American continent.
They stand in silent grandeur, monuments of
race of people that have long since passed
away, leaving no other trace of their exist
ence.
1t is fashionable TO speak of the eastern con-
tnent the Old World, yet it is not known
to be entitled TO this appellation.
Who can say the Andes or Sierra Nevada
are not older than the Alps or the Himalaya.
Who is prepared to prove that the ruins of
Uxmal and Palenque and the pyramids of Cho-
lula, in Mexico, do not take precedence in the
age of the sphinxes and pyramids of Egypt or
winged lions of Assyria!
History traces the rise end fall of Nneveh,
Of Babylon and of Thebes-but we have no
record of the rise, progress and fall of those
great cities in Central America, which the Ia
borious researches Of Stevens and Catherwood
brought 10 light.
There the human n-faced bulls, and the
winged lions of Nineveh end their equivalents
in the grotesque carving in stone of hideous
forms of men and animals. Who can say that
these rude sculptures of America did not pre-
cede those of Asia.
The existence of numerous and immense
ruins in America, of what were once large
cities, is fixed fact, and we must be content
to remain in utter ignorance of the epoch in
which they fourished.
The most extensive of these ruins is 10 be
found at Uxmal and Palenque in the south
eastern part of Mexico.
At Uxmal are immense pyramids, coated
with stone, and quadrangular stone edifces
and terraces. The highest of these pyramids
is 130 feet, and on the summit it supports a
temple. On one of the facades of the temple
are four human figures cut in stone with great
exactness and elegance. The hands are
crossed upon the breast, and the head is COW
cred with something like helmet-about the
neck is garment of the skin of an alligator,
and over each body is figure of deaths head
and bones.
At Palenque are immense ruins of city Of
great extent, with the remains of a royal pal
ace. One temple, that of Copan, was $50 feel
by $50, and is supposed to have been as large
as ST. Peters at Rome.
Another temple of great dimensions is here
having an entrance by portico 100 fee
long and 10 broad-it stands on an elevation
of 60 feet.
The pillars of the portico are adorned with
hieroglyphics and other devices.
Different objects of worship have been found
representations of gods which were worshipec
in this country. These temples with IA larg'
buildings and many other objects of curiosity
stand here as monuments of ancient greatness
} TO remind us of the remote origin of mighty
empire. This city has been described as tn