Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1859-07-01
from The D0aI0n JDuTHAI-
PERUVIAN ANTIQUITIES.

state of the industrial ana ORNATE "l@
among the Peruvians we're promulgated
bv the Spanish writers who told the story
of Pizarro's conquest of the empire OF the
Incas. and these accounts have been re-
ceived as furnishing truthful picture of
the achievements of the Peruvian kings,
and the ingenuity of the Peruvian people,
whose sad history has awakened the sym
pathy of the civilized world. The re-
searches of antiquarians into the actual
condition of the mechanic and industrial
arts among them, however, fails to sustain
this favorable impression. An interesting
paper on this subject was lately read by
Hon. Thomas Ewbank, formerly Com
missioner of Patents, before the Ameri-
can chronological and New York Histori-
cal Societies, being report on a collec-
ton of Peruvian antiquities recently
brought to this country by Mr.. Charles
W. Ferris. The articles comprise pot
terry, stone implements, woven fabrics,
dress ornaments, beads, ear-dro IS, shawl
pins, and various works in metals, mostly
derived from tombs on the sites of old
towns on the Andes. OF the earthenware
specimens, while a few of the vases or
water-pots are of good forms, the rest are
modelled after vegetable and living pat
terns-as melons, gourds, ducks, parrots,
and other kinds of birds, turtles, lamas,
toads, sharks, &c-the latter by no means
striking copies of the originals The
head Of female shows the mode of ar
ranging the hair behind. An old woman
with a large water jar at her back, and
held by a strap passing across her forhead,
: is a pretty fair intimation that Peruvian
females were little better off in bearing
burdens than North American squaws.-
Traces of painting remain on some Of
the vases, and two or three are adorned
with figures in relief. The articles in
stone comprise axes, chisels and other
tools, mortars in the form of lamas with
cavities in their backs, spirited but i'm
perfect figure of female with burden
on her back, and what is more interes.
ting, hobs or weights of various forms
used in spinning The metallic speci
mems in the collection are, as a whole, O
an inferior character. With few excep
tions the whole are cast, and are of cop
per slightly alleged with tin, hence the
are easily cut with penknife. Such
the average composition of old Peruvian
edged tools. The reason for not maxim!
them harder is presumed to have beef
that they would have been brittle, an,
when broken would be useless, wherea
NJ the use of a small amount of tin left Their
- so far maIleable that the edges whe
= blunted could be drawn out afresh by tn
hammer. Among the articles in bronz
are axes, knives, needles or bodkins fou
or five inches long, human faces with r.
supposed to be representations of the SUI
and small busts pretty fairly designed.
A part of the collection-consists of art
Giles of dress, taken from the mummies
chieftain and his wife--a poncho, aprC
and shawl. They are of cotton, rath
i'm. loosely woveI.-the poncho sixty by thi
ty, the apron foot square, and the sha'
thirty-six by thirty-one. They are orn
mented by fringes of blue and red feat
ers, and peculiar silver looking spangl'
in the form Of fishes, two and half inc
m es long and one and half inches wide.
in These latter are rude and wild in outliI
and with abortive attempts to indicate ra,
cen fins and eyes, by light indentations W
a chisel-formed tool. A more striki
,ro- object was taken from the forehead of +
ter chief, viz, a large frontlet of the sa
lose metal as the fishes. This insignia of hi
eiy or or office, of an oval form, is five ant
ace; half inches wide and eight inches hi
and and was reduced by hammering to
out thickness Of stout paper. Some figu
etch are slightly raised on the face, but III
inds telligible, with the exception of three f
here es, similar in outline to those on the dr.
, for es. The workmanship is primitive
hers The metal Of this frontlet and the f.
him is low alloy of silver, and undoubte
use a natural one. An examination of Il
articles confirms the well-understood
that the Peruyians had no tools for
The ting metals, their resources for form
r by and finishing which being limited to {
loubt ing, hammering and abrasion. The et
nple, are excessively and invariably ragge
well Nothing approaching to smooth or C
pre- cut is observable among them.
, the place in strong relief the remark
II the young Inca to Garcilasu, that the S
allied iards deserved all the gold they had
S D'ool en- away for having introduced sci.
: r. into Peru. The pottery, before ALI
sure to, MIR. Ewing says, does not surpass
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