Smyrna times., 1860-08-09
American Antiquities.


yident that the great valleys of The Ohio and !.
lsssipp1 were once the abode of mighty ma !. =
aud refned--warlike and brave :
descendants of those nights nations to whom :
have alluded, and who settled in this country =
ong before the appearance Of the Saviour on
be earth. &
Near Lexington, Kentucky. are the remains
4 an ancient ca tacomb, formed in solid rock
# limestone. This curiosity was discovered
n the year l776, by the early settlers of that
country. The mouth of the cavern was care
ully concealed with stones, which on being
'emoyed, opened into cave of immense magnI-
Jude. sliit i
The sides Of this spacious apartment were
found, upon examination, be. entinto~ nitches
or compartments, occupied by figures represent
ing men. BY further investigation, these
figures were discovered TO be mummes-per.
sons preserved by the art Of embalmlng, and
exhibited as,ate of perfection. equal to that 7
known at any time among the Egyptians: and !
you will bear 10 mind that this art was prac-
Itised by that people, three thousand four hun
bred and seventy FIVE years. previous to this
discovery in Kentucky. The catacomb was
capable Of holding two thousand subjects.
Again there is found on the Ohio, near 20
miles below Wabash river, another remarkable
with smooth perpendicular walls, and level
floor. The walls are covered with hierogly-
phic figures, cut in solid stone, and are well
executed. Among them are representations Of
animals unknown to the present generation.-r
| This cave is one OF the greatest curiosities on
the Ohio, aud is connected with dark dismal
cavern, nearly the same size, which is located
directly above il, and which is accessible
Through chiInney-like aperture.
When we view the ancient mounds, and Iu-
\ null of the West, we are lost in wonder. 10
view of the Number, magnitude and obscurlty
of their origin. There are several hundreds
Of these works 10 the valleys of the Ohio and
4 Mississippi rivers, and some of them are found
TO be filled with thousands of human skeletons.
indicating that they were place of deposit oil
the dead. They also bear the appearances Of
having been contiguous to some large and popu-
lous city. as
Many strange and curious antiquities have
: been from time TO time exhumed from these
mounds, and ID it not significant, that ID grea
majority ofinsgances, there exists remarkable
resemblance between these relics found IN thu
! nineteenth century, and articles which wer'
: known tohave been used among the Romans
Greoisns and Egyptians, before the days o
Chrisl?-CIevslaad PlaindeaIer.
} AN English paper says; "Wesleyan Metno
v dism is one of the wonders of the age and of th
/. world. The increase of its membership durinI
/ the past ecclesiastical year was l5.450 fu
I members, and 26,746 remain on trial. Th
: candidates for the ministry are more numerou
e than in any former year. The Missionar
y collections for The year amount TO S79O,OOO.
= PRoF. Lowe, the dronaut. is making prepu
/ Ia mt in ia or 81
: balloon from Philadslphia. The subscriptio
10 aid Of the enterprise is progressing, and thu
! far one thousand dollars have been subscribed
!" the amount required for expenses being fv
= thousand.
e. POPULATION or CENTREyILLE, MD.--Tt
d. deputy Marshal of Queen Anne's states Il
following as the following as the population
le Centreville, as of the fret of June last:
. Whites. Slaves. Free Blacks. TOta
492 2e5 I57 8;
This is but snail increase upon the Gems
Of 1850.
Lady Franklin, the devoted widow Of d
Arctic eavigatpr, has, by voluntarily registe
ing. herself as in annual subscriber 10 the fen
of The corps, become an honorary member
the North Middlesex (Eng.) Rifles. Miss B'
dett Coplls isslso volunteer Of this class,
The exodus from ireland continues thus
: at as great ratio as. in 1859. The populate
Z oflhe country il now 533, 500 persnns less lh
it was in 1851, whes The last census was !
ken.
Mrs. lane G, Swisshelm, sthe strong-miu
ed,' is occurring about The country for
benefit of her creditors. Her subject is the
y Dancial history Of her married life.
be Mr.. Jerome Ronaparte, of Baltimore, sal
of for Europe in the steamer Africa Wednesd
ire He goes to France, it is said, 10 advocate
sas claims az heir Of the late Prince Jerome.
ON Hon. g. NJ. Conrad, Secretary of War un
'h President Fillmore, is at Washington. end
lne yoring to effect union Of the Bell and Dot
\. las interests, SO that only single ticket 81
-. "a; be run.
cry BAD SpLIr.--It is said that Chang
ese Eng, the Siamese twins, differ in politics
Both are veteran Democrats, but Chang is q
!, for Breckenridge, and Eng for Douglas,
has A " leading" broker is one whom the b
,m- and bears are willing to follow. A SORT
en- financial Grizzly Adams
nly Whoever is lucky enough to have no
sss, given him is justified, surely, ia desiring
rel 'sliye in the PRESENT"
ssn CHuRcH DEs1RoyEp.-Th Baptist chu
ess at Rehoboth, Somerset county, Md, was a
erv dentally DESTROYED BY FIRE, one day last w
bus One Of Hon. a. II. Stephens servants
will committed 10 jail last week, ia Augusta,
any having robbed his master Of some $500.
Elk PREstDENT PIERcE has received the
ex- gree Of L. l. d. from Dartmouth College,
the II,
'aer ACCOUNTING 10 the New York CommerI
gsu Sl5,00O a day are spent in New York
70 oysters. SIS sga
is =,
strv II is proposed TO erect monument in w
esta ington TO the memory Of The late Joseph q
ture John b. Cough 10 occurring in Lordo
ma crowded houses.