The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1868-08-20
6rueral antrlliornrr.
THE SCIENCES.
Evidences OF Remote Civilization 81
the Western COntinent.---Nature o
Electric Discharged.

ENNuRmNeA OF NNmlONG NANNAAAhNANh w
IA Western COntinent.---Nature OF
Electric Discharges.
Judging from the papers which have
been read, the meeting Of the American
Association for the advancement Of Science,
which has been in progress for the week
past, has been very interesting and in
%slructive. On the conclusion Of the gener-
al business on the 18th, DR. j. II. Gibbons,
of Charleston, S. c., read a paper "On the
artistic evidences Of a remote colonization
on the great Western or American Conti-
nent by O maritime people Of distinct
n~ationalities before the modern era" Of
which the following is nm abstract:
Tho antiquities Of America have attracted
the attention Of Europe more than they
have those Of our w country generally
The evidences Of the ~neighboriug State Of
Wisconsin, carefully surveyed by Mr. lap
ham and published with the Smithsonian
collections in 1853, strongly incline us to
believe that the earth mounds OF North
America had an existence anterior 90 the
curious architectural structures in lucetau
or the civilization Of Peru and its ncighbor-
heed The red men Of America were never
char-cd to have invented olphBbetic letters,
vet. OF the head Of the great lakes in the
State Of Wisconsin. there are eleven such
characters apparently used us numerals
formed on headlands OF water courses os Il
O. indicate distances, IN Coptic and EtrJs-
cauclGmCters Eaucu Humboldt describes
tome sculptures on rocks near the banks Of
the Or'ncco. which he considered luuic,
aud smcuE the monuments ct Central
America. several letters ri the Greci0u
alphabet aye di~uuEuisbaDle The prodles
ct faces exhibited iu Che ltroslyrli's
cov,e1 lv M Ca.hcvycod indicate %
vausy 90 nations from different quarters
eli -hC Garth There Or aged mon I'm
metallic 1-mrr wearing leari. 1ud
surlsgu- ornaments that have % hl-sf8u
rhvsia rcwv while sclmCu m cloth caps
aud mGstachs bear much tie Dir Of Ilshirg
uiishiguen Of ihe present time.
There ore women wearing hc-Is ana
children carrying medals on their breasts,
Will. thara are the s,tirtural i.rm7 ana
--1ru.-r1u-,s Of priests. artisans and sls-
men. @ little c0uc1t1red according to am
Eastern c~rtistic ructicc. and negro
t.uaur-s iu~termiugled with those Of the
u~bcI'-iucs. There are PROSTATE figures IN
armor with grave udscrl3us couut-n1uccs,
having native Indians standing on their
backs 20 show them as their ccr1ucrors-
Tho ab1r.ines have forced the foreign ar
lists thus 70 describe events they were not
competent TO in the same style end pcItec-
ton
Thastylc Of the Juiidiue5 erected upon
artificial mounds, ore described to RESENT
bic those east Of the Euphretcs and Of the
Island Of Ceylon. The provisions for the
preservation Of grain and ample supplies
Of water charncterize the habits Of the
East. The mounds Of Wisconsin also dis
play the forms Of arms and weapons Of ou
Eastern people, while numerous imple-
ment, for mining arc also found in the
clrtLvorks.
In thc. collection Of III. Davis, Of New
York, who has given great attention to the
antiquities Of the mounds Of Ohio, was
found O rock weight which approached q
half pound ~Gvoirdupois, @ standard Of an
tiqui,y introduced by the Svrians into Ca
diz OF Spain eleven centuries before the
modern era. II this should be confirmed
By otheTstone weights ofthesamc standard,
Il will open O very curious field fer apccu-
lGtion, as these commercial weights ere
known TO prevail throughout the vast em-
pirc Of China, at Timbuctoo, in the heart
Of Africa, and were used blythe CarthGgen-
ions and Hebrews, 70 which last nation
they were recommended by Moses as per-
feet and Just weights. Such n fact in the
Hebrew writing seems an evidence that
these exact weights existed in hig time.
We Gre inclined 10 attribute to o maritime
people otC very carly antiquity O knowledge
Of the form and movements Of the earth.
The globe with wings, attended By q ser
pent, the emblem Of wisdom, was Q celc-
brGtel symbol over the Egyptian tenn
ples-iu our opinion the result Of some
prominent astronomical discovery. Mr..
Stephens has described n stoco ornament
Of this description with the wings Of the
globe revcrsedi n geographical description
Of the relative positions Of Egypt and Yucca
tan, which are the autipodes Of each other
As II Is only possible 70 give q brief outline
ot very numerous ancient arts, l will only
describe tho appearance Of earthen vases
IN Peru. apparently designed to perform
the functions Of distillntion, n simple art Of
separating q spirit from its combination
employed by the wild Tartars and the peo-
pie Of Ceylon, whose simple contrivance is
described by Dr. Davy. The ancient mari
time nations werc famous for their pottery
and other manufactures, as well as for nau-
teal explorations. The r-escmblanccs we're
strong between the pottery Of different
portions Of America aud those Of the an
cient people Of the Mediterranean.
The union OF O very small portion Of tin
with copper tools and arms, is another in
dicatiou Of early connection between Asia,
Africa and America, SINCE those exhibited
by Mr.. Loyard, from the ruins Of Babylon,
show the Same pcculiarities. Egyptian.
East Indian and Chinese weapons are also
thus prepared TO procure extreme hardness
Of temper. Il is not probable that such
agt was the result OF choice, since copper
alleged with tin is not found native. The
e~arth-mounds commencing Mt the head of
the great Northern lakes attend the great
water courses 10 the Gulf Of Mexico. They
appear 10 have served as places Of defense
aud for trade; contained affairs for worship
and convenience for cattle, like the mud
forts Of India. Among the precept5 Of the
Mosaic law, IN order 10 avoid the eXpen-
slve details Of Egyptian architecture, q
command was given 10 form simple affairs
Of earth, and not TO employ those Of hewn
stone. The reference 10 d more simple
form of worship induces US 10 believe that
the object was a reformation Of -pre-existent
practices. In Peru, there exist, among
what is known as the Inca's Palaces, rem
nants Of Cyelopeon walls.
NATURE OF THE ELrorEIc DIscuAIor
Prof O. y Stoddard read the following
paper on "Ihe nature Of electric dis,
charger
mat theory seems very Unwicldly which
eonceives Of electricity as two fluids impon.
derable and undehnedly rare, quiet when
united, but intensely active when separa.
ted, and that oil the violent effects ore due
to the transfer Of the fluids through bodies.
And this conception constantly manifests
itself in the statements Of the laws and
phenomena Of electricity,
Few, 1t Is believed, will object at present
TO the view that the electric force is mole
cular, that whatever doubt now exists az TO
It's precise mature and mode Of operation,
that Il is connected with, and acts by and
through, those particles which chemistry
contempla,es as atomic that whatever