* ANTIQUITIES STATE OF NEW YORK. BEING THE RESULTS OF EXTENSIVE ORIGINAL SURVEYS AND EXPLORATIONS, WITH A SUPPLEMENT ANTIQUITIES OF THE WEST; ILLUSTRATED BY FOURTEEN QUARTO PLATES AND EIGHTY ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD : By E. G. SQUIEB, M. A., Toreign Member of the British Archaeological Association; Member of the AmeriM Ethnological Society ; the Pennsylvania Academy of Natural Sciences ; the New York Historical Society ; the Massachusetts Historical Society ; the Historical and Antiquarian Society of Tennessee, etc., etc. FEOM THE "SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE. BUFFALO: GEO. H . DERBY AND CO. 1851. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, by E. G. SQUIER, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. Stereotyped by C. DAVISON, 33 Goto St., N- \. C. A. ALVORD, PRINTER, 29 Gold-st., N. Y. PREFACE THE investigations, the results of which are embodied in the following pages, were undertaken in the autumn of 1848, under the joint auspices of the Historical So ciety of New York, and the Smithsonian Institution of Washington. They were originally published in the Second Volume of the " SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE," in a form far too costly to be gene rally accessible. But as it is the design of this Insti tution to promote knowledge, by giving as wide a diffu sion to new facts as possible, its officers have liberally assented to their republication in the present form, and permitted the use of the original plates and engravings, for that purpose. By this means, the work is placed within the reach of all who are interested in the subject of American Antiquities, at a price far below what would have been the cost of its original production. In preparing this edition, the author has added largely to the original Memoir, and has also appended a supple- IV PREFACE. ment, containing a resume or synoptical view of the An cient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. This will enable the general reader to institute all necessary comparisons between the aboriginal remains of New York, and those of the Western States. CONTENTS CHAPTER I.— Introductory Observations, Page 7 to 15 II.— Earth Works, Inclosures, etc., 15 to 85 St. Lawrence County, 15 Jefferson County, 16 Oswego County, 30 Onondaga County, 31 Madison County, 45 Otsego County, 46 Chenango County 46 Cayuga County, 48 Chemung County, 53 Ontario County, . 55 Monroe County, 56 Livingston County 61 Genesee County, 64 Orleans County, 71 Erie County, 72 Chautauque County, 81 Montgomery County, 82 III.— Palisaded Inclosures 85 to 97 IV.— Mounds, Bone-heaps, etc., 97 to 116 V. — Implements, Ornaments, etc., 116 to 137 VI.— Observations on the Probable Origin of the Ancient Monuments of New York, 137 to 142 VIL— Ancient Works in New Hampshire, Penn sylvania, Northern Ohio, etc., 142 to 150 Vin.— General Character of Indian Defences, .... 150 to 164 IX.— Stone Heaps ; Stones of Memorial, Stone Circles> 164 to 177 VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER X.— Comparison of the Defensive Structures of the American Aborigines with those of the Pacific Islanders, Celts, etc., etc.,. . . 177 to 189 XI.— Sepulchral Mounds in Mexico, Central America, etc, 189 to 195 XII. — Sepulchral Monuments of the Ancient World, 195 to 207 XIII.— Probable Funeral Rites of the Mound Builders, 207 to 213 XIV.— The Mounds not general Burial Places; Great Indian Cemeteries of the West, . . 213 to 225 XV.— Aboriginal Sacred Inclosures ; Temples of the North American Indians ; Temples of Mexico, Central America, and Peru ; Temples of the Polynesian Islanders, Hindus, etc ; Primitive Temples of the British Islands ; Symbolism of Temples, 225 to 267 XVI.— Use of Copper and Silver by the American Aborigines, 267 to 293 SUPPLEMENT. Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley ; General Ob servations ; Inclosures for Defence ; Sacred Inclosures; Mounds of Sepulture ; of Sacrifice, etc., etc. ; Imple ments ; Ornaments ; Sculptures, etc., etc., 293 to 343 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS. THE Indian tribes found in possession of the country now embraced within the limits of New England and the Middle States have left few monuments to attest their former pres ence. The fragile structures which they erected for protec tion and defence have long ago crumbled to the earth ; and the sites of their ancient towns and villages are indicated only by the ashes of their long-extinguished fires, and by the few rude relics which the plough of the invader exposes to his curious gaze. Their cemeteries, marked in very rare instances by en during monuments, are now undistinguishable, except where the hand of modern improvement encroaches upon the sanc tity of the grave. The forest-trees, upon the smooth bark of which the Indian hunter commemorated his exploits in war, or success in the chase — the first rude efforts toward a written language — have withered in the lapse of time, or fallen be neath the inexorable ax. The rock upon which the same primitive historian laboriously wrought out his rude, but to 8 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. him significant picture, alone resists the corrosion of years. Perhaps no people equally numerous have passed away with out leaving more decided memorials of their former existence. Excepting the significant names of their sonorous language, which still attach to our mountains, lakes, and streams, little remains to recall the memory of the departed race. But notwithstanding the almost entire absence of monu ments of art clearly referable to the Indian tribes discovered in the actual possession of the region above indicated, it has long been known that many evidences of ancient labor and skill are to be found in the western parts of New York and Penn sylvania, upon the upper tributaries of the Ohio, and along the shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario. Here we find a series of ancient earth-works, intrenched hills, and occasional mounds, or tumuli, concerning which history is mute, and the origin of which has been regarded as involved in impenetrable mystery. These remains became a subject of frequent remark, as the tide of emigration flowed westward 5 and various detached no tices of their existence were, from time to time, made public. No connected view of their extent or character was, however^ given to the world, until 1817, when De Witt Clinton, whose energetic mind neglected no department of inquiry, read a brief memoir upon the subject before the " Literary and Philo sophical Society of New York," which was published in pamph let form, at Albany, in 1818. Mr. Clinton in this memoir did not profess to give a complete view of the matter ; his aim being, in his own language, " to awaken the public mind to a subject of great importance, before the means of investigation were entirely lost." It consequently contains but little more than notices of such ancient earth-works, and other interesting remains of antiquity, as had at that time fallen under his no tice, or of which he had received some distinct information. Its publication was, however, without any immediate effect ; for few individuals, at that period, felt the interest requisite, or possessed the opportunities necessary, to the continuance of INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS. 9 the investigations thus worthily commenced. Nothing further, it is believed, appeared upon the subject, until the publication of McCauley's History of New York, in 1828. This work contained a chapter upon the antiquities of the State, embody ing the essential parts of Mr. Clinton's memoir, together with some facts of considerable interest, which had fallen under the observation of the author himself. Within a few years, public attention has again been directed to the subject by Mr. School- craft, in his " Notes on the Iroquois." Some detached facts have also been presented in local histories and publications, but usually in so loose and vague a manner, as to be of little value for purposes of comparison and research. The observations of all these authorities were merely inci dental, and were limited in their range. By none were pre sented plans, from actual surveys, of any of the ancient works of the State ; a deficiency which, it is evident, could not be supplied by descriptions, however full and accurate, and with out which it has been found impossible to institute the compar isons requisite to correct conclusions as to the date, origin, and probable connections of these remains. It has all along been represented that some of the inclosures were of regular outlines, true circles and ellipses and accurate squares — feat ures which would imply a common origin with the vast system of ancient earth-works of the Mississippi Valley. Submitted to the test of actual survey, I have found that the works which were esteemed entirely regular are the very reverse, and that the builders, instead of constructing them upon geometrical principles, regulated their forms entirely by the nature of the ground upon which they were built. And I may here men tion, that none of the ancient works of this State, of which traces remain displaying any considerable degree of regularity, can lay claim to high antiquity. All of them may be re ferred, with certainty, to the period succeeding the commence ment of European intercourse. Mr. Clinton was unable to learn of the occurrence of any 1* 10 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. remains upon the first terrace back from the lakes, and, upon the basis of the assumed fact of their non-existence, advanced the opinion that the subsidence of the lakes and the formation of this terrace had taken place since these works were erected — a chronological period which I shall not attempt to measure by years. This deduction has been received, I believe, by every succeeding writer upon the subject of our antiquities, without any attempt to verify the assumption upon which it rests. I have, however, found that the works occur indiscrimi nately upon the first and upon the superior terraces, as also upon the islands of the lakes and rivers. Misled by statements which no opportunity was afforded of verifying, I have elsewhere, though in a guarded manner, ven tured the opinion that the ancient remains of western New York belonged to the same system with those of Ohio and the West generally.* Under this hypothesis, the question whether they were the weaker efforts of a colony, starting from the southwestern centers, or the ruder beginnings of a people just emerging from a nomadic state, becoming fixed in their habits, and subsequently migrating southward, next suggested itself ; and I gladly availed myself of the joint liberality of the Smith sonian Institution and the Historical Society of New York, to undertake its investigation. The results of my observations are briefly presented in the following pages. These observa tions extended from the county of St. Lawrence on the north, to Chautauque on the south, embracing the counties of Jeffer son, Oswego, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, Ontario, Wayne, Monroe, Livingston, Orleans, Niagara, Erie, Genesee, and Wyoming. Throughout this entire region ancient remains are found in considerable abundance ; they are also occasionally found in the counties adjoining those above named, upon the principal tributaries of the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Alle- ghany. They are known to extend down the Susquehanna, as * " Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley," p. 1. INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS. 11 far as the valley of the "Wyoming; and a single one was discov ered as far east as Montgomery county, in the neighborhood of Fort Plain. Some, it is said, are to be found in Canada ; but no definite information was received of their localities. It is to be observed that they are most numerous in sections remarkable for their fertility of soil, their proximity to favorable hunting and fishing grounds — in short, possessing the greatest number of requisites to easy subsistence. They are particularly nu merous in Jefferson county, in the vicinity of the central lakes, in the southern part of Monroe, in Livingston, Genesee, and Erie counties. Many are said to exist in Chautauque ; but the lateness of the season, and the unsuspected number of re mains elsewhere claiming attention, prevented me from exam ining them. In respect to the number of these remains, some estimate may be formed from the fact that, in Jefferson county alone, fifteen inclosures were found, sufficiently well preserved to ad mit of being traced throughout. This is exclusive of those (probably a greater number) which have been wholly or in part destroyed, or of which no information could be obtained, in the limited time allotted to the investigation of that county. It is safe to estimate the whole number which originally existed here at between thirty and forty — a greater number than was before known to exist in the State. Erie county probably con tained nearly as many. In the short period of eight weeks devoted to the search, I was enabled to ascertain the localities of not less than one hundred ancient works, and to visit and make surveys of half that number. From the facts which have fallen under my notice, I feel warranted in estimating the num ber which originally existed in the State at from two hundred to two hundred and fifty. Probably one half of these have been obliterated by the plough, or so much encroached upon as to be no longer satisfactorily traced. Were these works of the general large dimensions of those of the Western States, their numbers would be a just ground of '>.;" ^° 12 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. astonishment. They are, however, for the most part, compara tively small, varying from one to four acres — the largest not exceeding sixteen acres in area. The embankments, too, are slight, and the ditches shallow ; the former seldom more than four feet in height, and the latter of corresponding proportions. The work most distinctly marked exists in the town of Oak- field, Genesee county ; it measures, in some places, between seven and eight feet from the bottom of the ditch to the top of the wall. In some cases the embankment is not more than a foot in height, and the trench of the same depth. Lest it should be doubted whether works so slight can be satisfactorily traced, it may be observed, that a regular and continuous ele vation of six inches may always be followed without difficulty. In respect of position, a very great uniformity is to be ob served throughout. Most occupy high and commanding sites near the bluff edges of the broad terraces by which the country rises from the level of the lakes. From the brows of the lime stone ledges, where some of these works occur, in Jefferson and Erie counties, most extensive prospects may be obtained, often terminating in the blue belt of the lakes, distant from ten to forty miles ; the intervening country presenting a beautiful va riety of cleared and forest lands, dotted with houses, churches, and villages. When found upon lower grounds, it is usually upon some dry knoll or little hill, or where banks of streams serve to lend security to the position. A few have been found upon slight elevations in the midst of swamps, where dense for ests and almost impassable marshes protected them from dis covery and attack. In nearly all cases they are placed in close proximity to some unfailing supply of water, near copious springs or running streams. Gateways, opening toward these, are al ways to be observed, and in some cases guarded passages are also visible. These circumstances, in connection with others not less unequivocal, indicate, with great precision, the purposes for which these structures were erected. It has already been mentioned that Messrs. Clinton, Yates, INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS. 13 and Moulton, and others, have concluded, upon the assumption that none of these works occur upon the first and second ter races above the lakes, that the latter have subsided to their present level since their erection. This conclusion does not necessarily follow from the premises. Few positions susceptible of defence, under the system practiced by all rude people, are to be found upon either of these terraces ; the builders, conse quently, availed themselves of the numerous headlands and other defensible positions which border the supposed ancient shores of the lakes, simply because they afforded the most effec tual protection, with the least expenditure of labor. I found an entire uniformity in the indications of occupancy, and in the character of the remains of art discovered within these inclosures, throughout the whole range of their occurrence. The first feature which attracts notice, upon entering them, is a number of pits or excavations in the earth, usually at the points which are most elevated and dry. These pits are occa sionally of considerable size, and are popularly called " wells," although nothing is more obvious than that they never could have been designed for any such purpose. They are usually from three to four,l)ut sometimes from six to eight feet in depth, and of proportionate size at the top. Their purposes become sufficiently evident upon excavation. They were the caches in which the former occupants of these works deposited their stores. Parched corn, now completely carbonized by long exposure, is to be discovered in considerable abundance in many of them. Instances fell under my notice where it had been found un touched to the amount of bushels, in these primitive deposito ries. Traces of the bark and thin slips of wood, by which the deposits were surrounded, are also frequently to be found. In many of these inclosures the sites of the ancient lodges, or cab ins, are still to be traced. These are marked by considerable accumulations of decomposed and carbonaceous matter — stones much burned, charcoal and ashes mingled with the bones of an imals, with numerous fragments of pottery, broken pipes, and 14 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. occasionally rude ornaments, such as beads of stone, bone, and shell. The pottery, I may observe incidentally, is of very good material, and appears to have been worked and ornamented with considerable taste and skill. It is found in great abun dance ; and, in many of the inclosures now under cultivation, bushels of fragments might, if desirable, be collected without difficulty. The material, in common with that of all the abo riginal pottery of the North, is composed of clay tempered (if I may use the term) with pounded quartz and shells, or with fine sand, so as to prevent shrinkage, and resist the action of fire. Most of it is well burned, but none exhibits any appear ance of glazing. The pipes are mostly composed of clay, regu larly and often fancifully moulded, and ornamented in various ways. Some bear the form of animals, the distinctive features of which are well preserved ; others are moulded in the shape of the human head, or are variously fluted and dotted with reg ular figures. They are generally of very good material, the clay of fine quality, and well burned. Some, indeed, are so hard, smooth, and symmetrical, as almost to induce doubts of their aboriginal origin. Some of the terra cottas, other than pipes, are really very creditable specimens of art, and compare favorably with any of the productions of the aborigines which have fallen under my notice. They are, with few exceptions, representations of animals; with the minutest features of which, as well as with their peculiar habits, the American Indians had, from long observation, a thorough acquaintance. CHAPTER II. EARTH-WORKS, INCLOSURES, ETC. FOR the sake of convenience and easy reference, the inclo- sures of earth are arranged according to counties, and so de scribed. Works which were constructed of palisades simply, without embankments or ditches, do not fall within this ar rangement, but will be described collectively in a separate chapter, under the head of " PALISADED INCLOSURES." ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY. A FEW aboriginal monuments are said to have existed in this county. One or two. of these occurred near Pottsdam ; but it is probable they are now nearly, if not quite obliterated. A mound, eight feet in height, still exists on St. Regis Isl and, in the St. Lawrence River. It is crossed by the boundary line separating the territories of the United States and Great Britain. It was excavated by Col. Hawkins, of the United States Boundary Commission, in 1818. Near the surface were human bones in considerable numbers, and in good preserva tion ; but at the base were found traces of fire, charcoal, burned bones, and fragments of pottery, together with some stone implements and ornaments. Upon the Canada shore of the St. Lawrence River, opposite Morrisville in this county, a singular aboriginal deposit was dis covered some years ago, in making the excavations for the St. Lawrence Canal. The principal facts concerning them were communicated to the author by Dr. T. Reynolds, of Brockville, C. W., and are embodied in Vol. I. of the " Smithsonian Con- 16 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. tributions to Knowledge," pp. 201, 202. Among the relics of copper and other materials, discovered at this spot and de scribed as above, was a small terra cotta mask of very good workmanship. An engraving of the size of the original is herewith presented (Fig. 1). Mr. Reynolds, who has the relic in his possession, describes it as follows : " It is of clay, and represents the contour of the Indian head, after which it ap pears to have been molded. It corresponds very nearly in shape with the skulls discovered at the same place, and the foramina, or holes found in the skull, are well represented — showing that it was modeled to resemble the bony structure of the head, not the flesh or living subject. It seems to have been broken off from some idol or image." FIG. 1. JEFFERSON COUNTY. THIS county is bounded on one side by Lake Ontario, and upon the other by the wild, mountainous region which sepa rates the waters of the Hudson River from those of the St. Lawrence. It is intersected by the Black River, one of the most picturesque streams of the State. Its surface is diversi fied : for about ten miles back from the shores of the lake, it is nearly level ; we then reach the ledges of the Trenton lime stone, and the entire country becomes more elevated and irre gular. These natural features, implying an abundance of fish and game, joined to great fertility of soil and easy cultivation, PLATE I. A\\\VI Will/// ^nm* •*$*s-^j*> »r «• t - ^^J7"-^ -"o." t^i»vW^-,- .^_^,i:^' JEFFERSON COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 17 fitted this county for sustaining a large aboriginal population. We are not surprised, therefore, at finding here numerous traces of former occupancy. These consist chiefly of inclosures of irregular outlines, situated, for the most part, upon the bor ders of the high table-land or terrace formed by the abrupt termination of the great limestone deposit of the Trenton group, the base of which, it is supposed, was formerly washed by the waters of Lake Ontario. Quite a number of these works, however, occur upon the lower terrace, in places where the natural features of the ground were favorable to their con struction and objects. Works were examined in this county, in the townships of Watertown, Le Ray, Rutland, Rodman, Adams, and Ellisburgh. The following examples are presented in the order in which they were surveyed PLATE I. Ancient Work, Adams Township, Jefferson County, New York. THIS work occupies a commanding position upon the brow of the second terrace, which is here some hundreds of feet in height, and very abrupt. The ground immediately back of the site of the work is considerably depressed and swampy. It is drained by a little stream (a), which, falling over the cliff, forms a smal.1 but picturesque cascade. The narrow channel of this stream was formerly obstructed by a beaver-dam, which converted the marsh into a deep and impassable pond. The elevation upon which this work is situated, it will thus be seen, was well fitted by nature for defensive purposes — possessing the two primary requisites, difficult approach and an unfailing sup ply of water. The artificial defences consist of an embankment of earth, with an exterior ditch. The forest covers the greater part of 18 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. the work, and here the lines are still well preserved. The embankment has an average height of perhaps three feet, by ten feet in width at the base ; the ditch is of corresponding dimensions. There are not less than seven gateways, varying from eight to thirty feet in width. Upon the right of the work, toward the swamp already mentioned, there is an ab rupt bank not far from thirty feet in height, where the defences are interrupted. At the point indicated by the letter Z>, a large bass-wood (linden) tree is standing upon the embankment. It measures twelve feet in circumference, three feet above the ground. The trees within the inclosure are of the usual size. Upon the northeastern slope of the eminence, within the walls of the inclosure, and where the soil is sandy and dry, are a great number of small pits and depressions in the earth. They are now nearly filled by accumulations of leaves, but they must at first have been from four to six feet in depth. Upon exca vating some of them, it was found that they were the caches in which the former occupants of the work had placed their stores.* And although it seems probable the original deposits had been removed, considerable quantities of parched corn, now * The term cache , literally a hide or place of concealment, is of French origin, and has become current among all the traders and trappers on the frontiers. The practice of caching or hiding goods or provisions on outward marches, to be used upon returning, or by parties following, was derived from the Indians, among whom it was general. A cache is made by digging a hole in the ground, which is lined with sticks, grass, or any material which will protect the contents from the dampness of the earth. After the goods or provisions have been deposited, the earth is carefully covered over, so as best to prevent the penetration of water from above. " It is often, in fact always necessary, at the West, to leave no signs by means of which rival parties or the cunning savages may discover the place of deposit. To this end the excavated earth is car ried to a distance, and carefully concealed, or thrown into a stream, if one is near. The place selected is usually some rolling point, sufficient ly elevated to be secure from inundations. If it be well set with grass, a solid piece of the turf of the size of the proposed excavation is cut out. It is afterward laid back, and taking root in a short time, no JEFFERSON COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC'. 19 carbonized by long exposure, were still to be found within them. There were, perhaps, forty or fifty of these excavations within the walls, and several upon the crown of the eminence at C. Upon removing the leaves at various points within the work, carbonaceous accumulations, bones of animals, fragments of pottery, and other evidences of occupation were discovered. A small portion of the work, indicated on the map, has been clear ed and put under cultivation. Here, just exterior to the wall, upon the brow of the natural bank, at the spot marked d, sev eral skeletons have been exhumed by the plough. They had been buried in a sitting posture, and were very well pre served. By the operation of diluvial causes, the drift has been de posited, in a very singular manner, upon the table-land upon which the above work is situated. In some places it occurs in long, narrow ridges, conforming to the general course of the terrace bank; in others it forms amphitheatres of various sizes ; and in a few instances it assumes a conical shape, re sembling artificial tumuli. A short distance to the right of the work under notice is a small natural amphitheatre, rising in the midst of the marshy grounds, which has been supposed by some to be artificial. Its relative position is indicated by the letter e. signs remain of its ever having been molested. However, as every lo cality does not afford a turfy spot, the camp-fire is sometimes built upon the place, or the animals are penned over it, which effectually destroys all trace of the disturbance."— (Gregg's Commerce of the Prai ries, vol. i. p. 69.) Father Hennepin, in his account of his passage down the Mississippi River, in 1680, describes an operation of this kind in the following terms : " We took up the green sod, and laid it by, and digged a hole in the earth, where we put our goods, and covered them with pieces of timber and earth, and then put in again the green turf: so that it was impossible to suspect that any hole had been digged un der it, for we flung the earth into the river." 20 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. About one and a half miles southeast of the above work, was formerly another of perhaps larger size. It occupied a high, oval-shaped hill, one side of which is very steep, while the other subsides gently to the general level. The embankment ex tended in a semicircular form around that part of the hill not protected by nature ; and, previous to the cultivation of the ground, was upwards of six feet in height from the bottom of the trench. A very slight depression, and the greater luxu riance of the verdure, resulting from the filling of the trench with surface loam, are all that now indicate the original lines. It is said that there was an avenue leading off, for some dis tance, to the westward ; but it is no longer traceable. At the base of this hill is a bowlder, in which are several artificial de pressions, doubtless intended for mortars, and a variety of grooves, in which the stone axes and other implements of the aborigines were rubbed, in order to reduce them to the required shape. PLATE II. No. 1. Ancient Work on " Dry Hill" five miles southeast of Water- town^ Jefferson County, New York. FOLLOWING the brow of the terrace northward from the work first described, for about two miles, we come to another work of somewhat more regular figure, and of larger dimen sions. Most of it is under cultivation, and the outlines are very much defaced. The embankment, upon one side, runs into the forest land, where it is well preserved, measuring, per haps, three feet in height. The darker lines of the engraving show what parts are still distinctly marked ; the dotted lines those which have been ploughed down, and which are no longer distinguishable -from the general level, except by the deeper green and more luxuriant growth of the grass on the line of the PL A TE JI. AGO (SHE GOT DRY HILL" 5 M» S. E. OF WATER TOWN, JfffEKSOMC' M.Y. " ^ ^ 400ft to tJvalncK- 2^ Mf S. E. OF WATERTOWN. JEFFERSON C° M.Y. ;- °c, - '- ° ^' * CW*W/TOW ^ JJ j ? ^ ^^^^^^'^ "* " . > j .1 ^ • * j . ; >j JT. (7. Syuier S~, & 21 JEFFERSON COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 21 ancient trench. The position of the work, it will be seen, cor responds very nearly with that of the one previously described. There is, however, no water near at hand, except a limited sup ply from a small spring. Nevertheless, this seems to have been the site of a very populous aboriginal town. The entire area of the work is covered with accumulations of carbonaceous mat ter, burned stones, fragments of bones, pottery, etc. Indeed, these indications are visible for some distance exterior to the walls, upon the adjacent level. These artificial accumulations have rendered the soil within the inclosure extremely fertile, and it sustains most luxuriant crops. In cultivating the area, many fragments of human bones, some of them burned, have been observed — suggesting the possibility that the ancient vil lage was destroyed by enemies, and that these are the bones of its occupants, who fell in defence of their kindred, and were burned in the fires which consumed their lodges. A little to the northward of the work, there seems to have been an aborig inal cemetery. Here the plough frequently exposes skeletons, buried according to the Indian mode, and accompanied by va rious rude relics of stone and bone. Within and around the work are also found stone axes, flint arrow-heads, and other remnants of savage art. Fragments of pottery and broken pipes of clay are, however, most abundant. Of these bushels might be collected without much difficulty. It is clear that this work was not intended as a place of last resort, but was occupied by a considerable population for a long period. It was undoubtedly a fortified town. It should be remarked, that although now nearly or quite filled up, here were originally a number of pits (popularly known as wells) of considerable size — the caches of the ancient occupants. 22 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. PLATE II. No. 2. Ancient Work two and a half miles southeast of Watertown, Jefferson County, New York. STILL continuing along the brow of the terrace northward, for two and a half or three miles, we reach a third work, the greater part of which is covered with forest, and is consequently well preserved. It is much smaller than any of those before described, and is bounded by a series of right lines, slightly rounded at the angles, which gives it something of the appear ance of a modern field-work. The slope of the terrace bank is here comparatively gentle, and there is a step or table about midway from the brow to the base. Here a number of springs start out, below the stratum of rock. Formerly the walls of the work were continued down "the slope, toward the springs, as indicated by the dotted lines in the plan. They are not now to be traced further than the edge of the terrace. The position of this work is remarkably fine, and was selected with taste and skill. The table-land immediately around it is level ; the soil gravelly and dry. There seems to have been a burial-place in this vicinity, and pipes and fragments of pottery are of common occurrence. It is to be hoped that the remaining portion of this work will be preserved from the encroachments of the plough. PLATE III. No. 1. Ancient Work half a mile west of Burrvitye, near Watertown, Jefferson County, New York. A WORK, differing somewhat from those before described, is situated two miles north of the inclosure last noticed, upon a high promontory or headland, half a mile west of the little village of Burrville. The northern base of this promontory is PLATE Iff. ? I. HALF A MILE WEST OF BURRVILLE, JBFFEKSOM C° M. Y. SCALE. 400 ff U> the LuX. EG J 'fu.ua- ,18 « 8, PUTiAND TP. JEFFERSON C? M.Y. LE RAY TP. JEFFERSON C9 N.Y. . JEFFERSON COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 23 washed by a small and rapid stream, a branch of the east fork of Sandy Creek. Deep ravines lend strength to the position on the remaining sides, except toward the west, where it joins the highlands. Here, extending across the neck of the pro montory, (the only direction from which access is easy,) was formerly an artificial defence, consisting of an embankment of earth and a trench. The plough has filled the one and lev eled the other, but the lines can still be accurately traced by attending to the various circumstances already repeatedly men tioned. At the part marked a, was formerly a large deep pit, resembling the cellar of a dwelling-house. At b, was also an accumulation of large stones, bearing traces of fire ; and which the early settlers, indulging in vague notions of the mineral wealth of the country, called " the Furnace" Most of these stones were used to fill the pit near by ; but enough still remain to mark the site of the supposed "furnace." Whenever the land in this work is ploughed over, many relics of art are disclosed, fragments of pottery, broken pipes, imple ments of stone and bone, beads of similar materials, etc., etc. About a mile northeast of this place, upon a fine level tract of ground, are the traces of an aboriginal village. Rude fire places, constructed of rough stones huddled together, and sur rounded by carbonaceous accumulations, sometimes two feet deep, mark the site of the ancient lodges. These indications are numerous. Here, too, are to be found relics, entirely cor responding with those already noticed, as occurring within and around the ancient inclosures. 24 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. PLATE III. No. 2. Ancient Work, Rutland Township, Jefferson County, New York. THE slightest and much the rudest structure discovered in Jefferson county, is the one here delineated. It is situated about a hundred rods back from the brow of the terrace, already so often referred to, and which here rises abruptly from the inferior level, presenting a bold, and, in some places, a precipitous bank. Notwithstanding its elevation, this terrace has numberless depressions or basins, which are wet and marshy. Upon a slight elevation, in the midst of one of these, and still covered with a primitive forest, is the work in question. It will be ob served that it is exceedingly irregular, and that the lines are interrupted by several wide openings, which are quite too broad to be regarded as gateways. The embankment is not of uniform dimensions. In some places it is elevated but a foot or eighteen inches, by four or five feet base, while in others it is perhaps three feet in height. The ditch is also irregular — in sections scarcely exceeding a large plough furrow in depth and width. In fact, the work seems imperfect, and to have been constructed in haste for temporary purposes. Within the area, which is quite uneven, are several small accumulations of stones, which bear the marks of fire. Upon removing some of them, the proprietor of the ground found ashes and other burnt matter, among which was a carbonized ear of maize. A small but entire vessel of pottery, of considerable symmetry of shape, was also found here some years ago. Human bones have been discovered beneath the leaves ; and in nearly every part of the trench skeletons of adults of both sexes, of children and infants, have been found, covered only by the vegetable accumulations. They seem to have been thrown together promiscuously. They have also been found in a nar- JEFFERSON COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 25 row depression resembling an artificial trench, indicated by a dotted line in the plan, and caused by the subsidence of the earth in a cleft of the limestone substratum. These skeletons, from all accounts, do not seem to have been much decayed, and no difficulty was experienced in recovering them entire. The skulls were in some cases fractured, as if by a blow from a hatchet or club. These circumstances would seem to imply, not only that the work is of comparatively late construction, but also that this was the scene of one of those indiscriminate massacres so common in the history of savage warfare. From the bank of the terrace, near this work, a very exten sive and beautiful prospect is commanded. PLATE III. No. 3. Ancient Work, half a mile west of Lockport, Jefferson County, New York. THE remaining works of Jefferson county, so far as investi gated, are situated on lower grounds, generally near streams, which are made subservient to art for purposes of defence. The work here presented is a good example. It is situated on Black River (Ka-me-hargo), in Le Ray township, half a mile below the little manufacturing town of Lockport. The banks of the river are here very high, and quite inaccessible. The character of the work is well shown in the engraving, and needs little explanation beyond what that affords. It will be seen that the ends of the embankment extend for a short distance down the slope of the river bank, and then curve slightly in wards, as though designed to prevent the flanks being turned by an enemy. The lines, where they cross the road, and be tween the road and the river, are very distinct, and the em bankment is between three and four feet in height. The rest of the work may be traced without much difficulty, although it 2 26 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. has long been under cultivation. Upon the wall, at the point indicated by the letter c, is still standing a pine stump, upwards of three feet in diameter, probably having an age of not less than four hundred years. The usual relics are found within the area of the inclosure ; and in the natural bank at d, a number of skeletons have been disclosed by the plough. They are much decayed, but in respect of position correspond with those found elsewhere in Indian cemeteries. PLATE IV. No. 1. Ancient Work, Le Ray Township, six miles northeast of Water- town. IN the same township with the foregoing work, and about four miles distant, in a northwest direction, is the work here repre sented. It occupies a small sandy elevation, situated in the midst of low grounds. It is lozenge-shaped, and is the most regular of any ancient structure which has fallen under the no tice of the author in the State. Where the lines are interrupted on the north, the ground is considerably elevated, and subsides abruptly, precluding the necessity of an embankment for de fensive purposes. The sites of the ancient lodges, indicated by heaps of burned stones, calcined shells, fragments of pottery, etc., are yet to be traced, notwithstanding that the land has been for a considerable time under cultiyation. Near this work skeletons have been frequently exhumed. iv: ? J "-•1% Acres: • LE RAY TP. JEFFERSON C? N.Y. 6 Miles !f.E. <// WutertoWH,. ie>- (848, LE RAY TP. JEFFERSON C? N.Y. Tteaj- Sandford's Cor-nCr- £.6. Syaier 1848 N. PART OF EILISBURQH T P. JEFF ERSON C* N Y ELLISBURGH TP.JEF FERSON.C0. N.Y- 2h Mat JEFFERSON COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 27 PLATE IV. No. 2. Ancient Work, Le Ray Township, Jefferson County, New York. THREE miles to the westward of the inclosure last described, near " Sandford's Corners," was formerly another work of sim ilar character, but larger size. Only a small portion of the embankment is yet visible ; the dotted lines, however, show the original outlines, according to the recollection of those who were acquainted with the work before it was disturbed. The walls were then not less than six feet in height, measuring from the bottom of the trench. Within the area are found great numbers of the shells of the fresh-water molluscas, accumulations of burnt matter, quan tities of pottery in fragments, with broken pipes, etc. Some of the pipes are of good workmanship and fine finish. In this vicinity, also, have skeletons been found ; all buried in a sit ting posture. Several other works formerly existed in this township, but they have been either entirely or in great part obliterated. One is spoken of near Felt's Mills, but no opportunity was afforded of examining it. PLATE IV. Nos. 3 AND 4. Ancient Works in Ellisburgh Township, Jefferson County, New York. A NUMBER of ancient works formerly existed in Ellisburgh, one of the southern towns of the county. Plate IV., No. 3, is one of those which are yet perfect. It presents no novel features ; is protected in the usual manner, and has the usual relics and traces of occupancy within its walls. Three quarters of a mile to the eastward is another similar, but larger work (Plate IV., 28 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. No. 4), which has been very nearly obliterated by the plough. The sections indicated in the engraving are yet quite distinct ; nor can the parts supplied differ very materially from the origi nal lines. Perhaps no work in the State has more decided evidences of aboriginal occupation. The entire area is covered with traces of ancient habitations, and with relics of art — pot tery, ornaments, and implements. Exterior to the walls, in all directions, but particularly on the level grounds between the two works, the same indications .are abundant. Indeed, the artificial accumulations are so great as materially to augment the fertility of the soil. Caches have been observed here, in some of which the present proprietor of the grounds has found a number of bushels of parched corn, carbonized by long ex posure. It is scattered over the surface, and after rains may be collected in considerable quantities. Here, too, have been found skeletons buried according to the usual custom. The aboriginal population must have been very large at this spot, which, both in respect of soil and the close proximity of springs and pure streams, affords a most beautiful site for an Indian village. About a mile to the southward of this group, upon the land of Mr. Mendall, was another work, of which no trace now remains. Another occurred at a place called Clark's Settle ment, still another at Ellis' Settlement, and others in various parts of the township, concerning which no definite information can now be obtained. Near the neat and pretty village of Pierrepoint's Manor, is also the site of an ancient town, undistinguishable from the fortified village already described, except by the absence of an embankment and trench. Large quantities of relics have been recovered here. A work of considerable size was visible until within a few years, half or three fourths of a mile northwest of the village of Adams, on the lands of Mr. W. Benton. It is described by Mr. Justus Eddy, in a letter to the author, as having been semicircular in form, five hundred feet in diameter, JEFFERSON COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 29 and the open segment facing or rather opening toward a marshy piece of ground, through which flowed a small stream. There were two or three breaks, or passage-ways, in the em bankments. At the time of the settlement of this part of the country by the whites, about fifty years ago, trees two and three feet in diameter were growing upon the wall, and within the area. The embankment was then between three and four feet in height. Within the work were found quantities of pot tery, pipes, and beads, covered with ornamental figures. A star-shaped silver ornament, bearing the initials P. H., was also found. It was quite thin, not exceeding the common sixpence in thickness. Upon an island, outside of Sackett's Harbor, known as Snow-shoe Island, it is said, there are traces of an ancient work. So far as could be gathered, it had been a palisaded structure, unaccompanied by an embankment. Besides the various earth-works above described, there are a number of other interesting objects of antiquarian interest in this county. Among them may be mentioned the "bone-pits" or deposits of human bones. One is found near the village of Brownsville, on Black River. It is described as a pit, ten or twelve feet square, by perhaps four feet deep, in which are pro miscuously heaped together a large number of human skeletons. It will be seen, ultimately, that these accumulations owe their origin to a remarkable custom, common to many of the Indian tribes, of collecting and depositing together the bones of their dead, at stated intervals. Another pit, very unlike this, how ever, exists about three miles east of "Watertown. It is situ ated upon the slope of a hill, and was originally marked by a number of large stones heaped over it. Upon removing these and excavating beneath them, a pit about six feet square, and four deep, was discovered, filled with human bones, all well preserved, but in fragments. Upwards of forty pairs of the patella were counted, showing that at least that number of skeletons had been deposited in the pit. It is said that the 30 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. bones, when first exhumed, exhibited marks such as would result from the gnawing of wild animals ; and from this circum stance, and the fact that they were so much broken up, it has been very plausibly supposed that these are the bones of some party, which had been cut off by enemies, and whose remains were subsequently collected and buried by their friends. All the bones are those of adults. Many of the fragments have been removed and scattered, but several bushels yet remain. No relics of any kind were found with them. A large mound is said to occur " about one mile from Wash- ingtonville, and eleven from Adams, on a cross-road from the ' ridge road,' leading from Lamb's tavern to Washingtonville. It is conical in shape, and thirty feet high." It is questionable whether this is artificial. OSWEGO COUNTY. A GREAT part of this county is low and wet, and it is not generally so well adapted to sustain an aboriginal population as the adjoining counties of Jefferson and Onondaga. Few ancient monuments occur within its limits ; and concerning these, little was ascertained in the course of these investiga tions. The following facts were chiefly derived from J. V. H. Clark, Esq., of Manlius, Onondaga county, whose attention was especially called thereto in the preparation of his forthcoming History of the Onondaga and Oswego Country. Two inclo- sures, elliptical in form, existed in Granby township, in the southern part of the county. One of these occurred on State's Hundred, lot 24. Each contained about two acres, and both had gateways opening to the east. The ditch, in each case, was exterior to the walls. Another formerly existed near ONONDAGA COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 31 Phillipsville, of which no traces now remain ; and still another is said to occur in Granby township, near "Little Utica," in a bend of Ox Creek. Near the town of Fulton, on the west side of Oswego River, is an eminence called "J3o?ie Hill" in which have been found great numbers of human bones promiscuously heaped together. They are much decayed. Intermixed with them were discovered a number of flint arrow-heads. It is probable that none of these remains possessed features differing essentially from those of other parts of the State. ', ONONDAGA COUNTY. PROBABLY no county in the State had originally a greater number of aboriginal monuments within its boundaries, than the county of Onondaga. It has, however, been so long settled, and so generally brought under cultivation, that nearly all ves tiges of its ancient remains have disappeared. The sites of many are, however, still remembered ; but even these will soon be forgotten. It is a fortunate circumstance that the antiqui ties of this county were the first to attract the attention of observers, and our accounts relating to them are more com plete than concerning those of the other parts of the State. Our principal source of information respecting their numbers, localities, and character, is the memoir of De Witt Clinton, already several times alluded to. Mr. Schoolcraft and Mr. J. V. H. Clark, of Manlius, have presented additional informa tion ; and from these authorities we derive most of the facts, and illustrations which follow. Ancient works occurred in the towns of Fabius, De Witt, Lafayette, Camillus, Onondaga, Manlius, Elbridge, and Pom- pey ; but of many of them we know nothing beyond the simple 32 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. fact of their former existence. It should be mentioned that some of the townships here named have been erected within the last few years, and since the date of Mr. Clinton's Me moir. Those in Elbridge, according to Mr. Clinton, occurred near the village of that name, about four miles from Seneca River, upon lands then (1817) occupied by Judge Munro. They were two in number. " One was on a very high hill, and cov ered three acres. It had a gateway opening toward the east ; and upon the west was another, communicating with a spring about ten rods from the fort. It was elliptical in shape : the ditch deep, and the eastern wall eight feet high. The stump of a black-oak tree, certainly one hundred years old, stood upon the embankment. The second work was about half a mile distant, upon lower grounds. It was constructed like the first, but was only half as large. * * * * The early settlers observed, in this vicinity, the shells of testaceous ani mals accumulated, in several places, in considerable masses, together with numerous fragments of pottery. Judge Munro found, in digging the cellar of his house, several pieces of burned clay ; and, in various places, large spots of deep black mould, demonstrating the former existence of buildings or erections of some kind. At one place he observed what appeared to be a well, viz., a hole ten feet deep, and the earth much caved in. Upon digging to the depth of three and a half feet, he came to a quantity of flints, below which he found a great number of human bones." This disposition of the dead, Mr. Clinton conjectures, was made by an enemy ; but we shall soon see that it probably owed its existence to the prac- \, tice of gathering the bones of the dead at stated intervals, and depositing them in pits — a practice common among the Hu- rons and other Indians around the great lakes. Mr. Clark has described some aboriginal remains in this township, which are probably the same ones alluded to by Mr. Clinton. He says: "Upon lot 81, N. E. part, on lands now ONONDAGA COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 33 occupied by Mr. John Munro (previously the Judge Munro farm) was formerly a fort situated on high ground. In 1 793 the ditch and embankment were easily to be traced. Large trees stood upon the wall and in the ditch. The work was square, except that the line of embankment toward the west curved slightly outward. The area was about an acre and a quarter. The walls were about two feet high ; the gateway opened toward the west, and was twelve feet wide. It was situated on a beautiful eminence, nearly surrounded by ravines." " About half a mile N. W. of this work," continues Mr. Clark, " on what is called the Purdy lot, was another work of larger dimensions, containing about four and a half acres of ground. It is situated upon one of the most considerable elevations of the town, and is nearly or quite square, with gateways opening to the east and west. The embankment was originally about three feet high, and an oak tree, two feet in diameter, was standing upon it. On the south side were numerous holes, about two feet deep and six feet apart. Large quantities of broken pottery and fresh water shells are still found here. An oaken chest was discovered here, somewhere about the year 1800, which contained a quantity of silk goods. The folds and colors were easily distinguishable, but the fabric crumbled on exposure. Some copper coins, it is said, were found with the silks. " On lot 84, on the farm now owned by Mr. Caleb Brown, about forty rods south of the road, was formerly a circular work, of upwards of three acres' area. The embankment was about two feet high, the ditch exterior and four or five feet deep. There was a wide gateway upon the west side, and a smaller one on the northeast, opening toward a spring, some rods distant. In digging near the western gateway, fragments of timber, bearing marks of edge tools, were found ; and in an excavation called a well, fourteen feet deep, a quantity of charred Indian corn was discovered. Upon the site of Mr. Brown's house and garden, was also an ancient circular work, inclosing about an 2* 34 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. acre of ground. Within it were cinders, charcoal, etc., as if it had been the site of a blacksmith's shop." " In the town of Pompey," continues Mr. Clinton, " is the highest ground in the county, separating the waters flowing into the Chesapeake and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The most elevated portions of the town exhibit the remains of ancient settlements, and in various places the traces of a numerous population appear. About two miles south from Manlius Square, in this township, I examined the remains of a large town, which were obviously indicated by large spots of black mould, at intervals of a few paces asunder, in which I observed bones of animals, ashes, carbonized grains of corn, etc. — denoting the residence of human beings. This town must have extended at least half a mile from east to west, and three quarters of a mile from north to south. On the east side of this old town there is a perpendicular descent of one hundred feet, into a deep ravine, through which flows a fine stream of water. Upon the north side is a similar ravine. Here there are graves, on each side of the ravine, close to the precipice. Some of the graves contain five or six skeletons, promiscuously thrown to gether. On the south bank of the ravine, gun-barrels, bullets, pieces of lead, and a skull perforated by a bullet have been found. Indeed, relics of this kind are scattered all over these grounds. A mile to the eastward of this town, there is a cem etery, containing three or four acres ; and to the westward of it is still another. " There are, in this vicinity, three old forts, placed in a tri angular position, and within eight miles of each other. One is about a mile south of Jamesville [in the present town of De Witt], the second in a northeastern, and the third in a south eastern direction. They are circular or elliptical in form ; bones are found scattered over their areas ; and standing on a heap of mouldering ashes, within one of them, I saw a white pine-tree, eight and a half feet in circumference, and at least one hundred and thirty years old." ONONDAGA COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 35 Mr. Clinton expresses the opinion that the three "forts" were designed to protect the "town," the vestiges of which at tracted his attention ; and he even goes so far as to conjecture, from the occurrence of bones upon the brows of the northern ravine, that the attack by which the town was destroyed was made from this direction ! Of course this is wholly suppositi tious. The relics of European art, scattered over the site, show clearly enough that this was an Indian village, occupied by the savages subsequent to the commencement of intercourse with the whites. The traces which Mr. Clinton describes are pre cisely those which mark the site of every abandoned Indian settlement throughout the country. This county possessed a very heavy aboriginal population ; probably greater than any equal extent of territory north of the Floridas ; and it is not surprising, therefore, that the traces of ancient occupancy are so abundant.* Mr. Clinton states that it was estimated there were not less than eighty cemeteries in Pompey township alone. McCauley states that one of the three works, mentioned above by Mr. Clinton, was triangular in form, and contained about six acres. Mr. J. Y. H. Clark has described a work situated in part of lot 33 in this township; but whether or not it is one of the three mentioned by Mr. Clinton, it is impossible to determine. " It is about four miles southeast from Manlius village, situated on a slight eminence, which is nearly surrounded by a deep ravine, the banks of which are quite steep and somewhat rocky. The *Mr. Schoolcraft states, on the authority of Le Fort, late chief of the Onondagas, that Ondiaka, the great chronicler of his tribe, informed him, on his last journey to Oneida, that in ancient times, before they had fixed their settlements at Onondaga, and before the Five Nations were confederated, the Onondagas lived below Jamesville and in Pompey ; that in consequence of continued warfare with other tribes, they removed their villages frequently ; and that, after the confederation, their for tifications being no longer necessary, they were allowed to fall into decay. This, he believed, was the origin of the ancient works at these points. — Notes on the Iroquois, p. 442. 86 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. ravine is in shape somewhat like an ox-bow, made by two streams which pass nearly around and then unite. Across this isthmus of this peninsula, if we may so call it, was a wall of earth run ning from northeast to southwest. When first discovered by the early settlers, the embankment was straight, four or five feet high, with an exterior ditch from two to three feet deep. The area thus inclosed is from ten to twelve acres. A portion of the area was free from trees, and was called the Prairie^ and is still noted among the old men as the spot where the first battalion military training was held in the county of Onondaga. But that portion of the work near the wall has recently been cleared of a heavy growth of black-oak timber. Many of the trees were large, and probably one hundred and fifty or two hundred years old. Some were standing in the ditch, and others on the embankment. The plough has defaced the lines to a considerable degree, but they may still be traced the whole extent. Within the inclosure there is a burial-place. Here, too, are to be found numerous fragments of dark-brown pottery, of coarse material."* Mr. Clark mentions that a great number of rude relics have been discovered here. Among other things found in the vicin ity were some small three-pound cannon balls. There is a large rock in the ravine on the south, on which the following charac ters are inscribed, viz. : IIIIIX. They are cut nine inches long, three-quarters of an inch deep, and the same in width, and are perfectly regular. Mr. Clark describes another ancient work "situated on a hill, about a mile and a half south of Delphi in this township, on lot No. 100. It has an area of about eight acres, and occupies an elevated piece of ground, surrounded by a ravine made by two small streams which pass around it and unite on the north. It had a large gateway upon the north and a smaller one on the south. Before the first was a kind of mound. The defences * Sclioolcraft's Notes on the Iroquois, p. 469. ONONDAGA COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 37 consisted of a ditch and pickets. At every place where a picket stood, a slight depression is still distinctly visible. In one cor ner were evident marks of a blacksmith's shop, including various smith's tools, a bed of cinders, and a deposit of charcoal. Be neath one of these piles was found, en cache, a quantity of charred Indian corn, and squash, and pumpkin seeds. A short distance to the south of the work is an extensive cemetery, in which the bodies were buried in rows." Quantities of the implements and FIG. 2. trinkets introduced among the Indians, at the period of the first European intercourse, are found with the skeletons. The pal isades were set in the bottom of the ditch, which, when first known, was six feet deep. About a mile west from this, are the remains of another work of similar character ; and about a mile north of Delphi, on a farm owned by a Mr. Sheldon, is still another. Around a number of these works, the corn hills of the Indians could be traced for a long period after the occu pation of the country by the whites. Medals, crosses, gun-bar rels, knives, axes — in short, every variety of articles introduced by the Europeans after the discovery, are to be found here in abundance. Perhaps the most interesting work, of which any traces yet • 38 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. remain in Pompey township, is the one of which Mr. Clark gives the accompanying plan, and which occurs on lot No. 3, on land owned by Mr. Isaac Keeler. •V B A. *."- FIG. 3. B, parapet — A, mounds — C, look out — D. palisades. Mr. Clark describes this work as follows : " It had been in closed with palisades of cedar, and contained some ten acres of ground. The plan was a parallelogram, divided by two rows of palisades, running east and west, and crossing in the center. The space between the rows was about twelve feet. At the N. W. corner was an isolated bastion and an embrasure. At the period of the first cultivation of the land, many stumps of the palisades, which had been burned off even with the ground, were ploughed up. "Within the southern division of the fort were several mounds, the principal one of which was four feet high, ONONDAGA COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 39 rising on a base of about fifteen feet in diameter, composed chiefly of ashes, in which were found many beads of the size of bullets, and a great variety of trinkets made of red pipe stone. Several hundred pounds of old iron, consisting of axes, gun- barrels, files, knives, etc., etc., were also found in the same place. The smaller mounds contained charred corn, many bushels of FIG. 4, (See next page.) which were ploughed up. At a distance of about thirty rods north of the work was a ditch, nearly forty rods long, and va rying from three to six feet in depth. It seems to have been entirely disconnected from the work in question. The situation of this ancient fort is on an elevation of land rising gradually for about a mile in every direction ; and, at the time of its oc cupancy, several hundred acres of land must have been cleared 40 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. around it. Fragments of pottery, pipes, flint arrow-heads, stone hatchets, etc., etc., are abundantly found on this spot. In many places both within and exterior to the work, were found pits for hiding corn and other articles, en cache." Some small mounds containing human bones, are found on the lands of Mr. S. A. Keene, in this vicinity. A relic of some interest, and which has given rise to no in considerable speculation is a stone bearing an inscription, found in this township in 1820, by Mr. Philo Cleveland. It is about fourteen inches long by twelve broad and eight thick, granitic, and bearing upon one side a rude representation of a tree en twined by an equally rude representation of a serpent, with some letters and a date, as shpwn in the cut inserted on the preceding page, Fig. 4. There seems to be little doubt that the stone was found as represented, and that it is a genuine remnant of antiquity. Some have supposed that it attests that Ponce de Leon, Nar- vaez, or some other Spanish adventurer, penetrated thus far to the northward, during the period of Spanish adventure in Flor ida. The stone is now in the museum of the Albany Institute. Within two miles of Jamesville, in De "Witt township, upon the banks of Butternut Creek, there existed until recently the traces of an inclosure or fort, and in the vicinity many evidences of comparatively late occupation by the Indians. The fort had been rectangular, with bastions, and constructed with cedar pickets, firmly set in the ground. The stumps of the palisades were struck by the plough when the land was first cultivated. It appeared that the cabins which it had inclosed had been arranged with regularity — a practice not common among the Indians before intercourse with the whites. In the year 1810 an oak was felled near this fort, in cutting which a leaden bullet was found imbedded in the wood. One hundred and forty-three cortical layers were counted above it. It must, therefore, have been fired in 1667. Fire-arms were introduced among the Iroquois, by the French, as early as 1 609 — the date of Hud- ONONDAGA COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 41 son's exploration of the river bearing his name. Brass cruci fixes, medals of silver and other metals, dial-plates, and articles of iron, are of frequent occurrence here, mingled with stone axes, and implements and ornaments of bone, shell, and clay, the relics of an earlier period. Among other articles of European origin, a cross of pure gold was found some years ago, bearing the sacred monogram I. H. S. Not far from this spot are two high hills of great regularity, sometimes called mounds, the surfaces of which are covered with pits, which Mr. Schoolcraft conjectures were caches. Some investigators are of opinion that Champlain penetrated into this country in 1615. The reasons in support of this opinion are forcibly put forward by Mr. 0. H. Marshall, of Buffalo, in a paper published in the Bulletin of the New York Historical Society, for March, 1849. From this paper the subjoined account of the Indian fort attacked by Champlain is extracted. It throws light upon the modes of defence common to the Indians at that period, besides being of interest in several other particulars. Says Champlain : " ' On the 10th of October, at 3 P. M., we arrived before the fort of the enemy. Some skirmishing ensued among the Indians, which frustrated our design of not discovering ourselves until the next morning. The impatience of our savages, and the desire they had of witnessing the effects of our fire-arms on the enemy, did not suffer them to wait. When I approached with my little detachment, we showed them what they had never before seen or heard. As soon as they saw us, and heard the balls whistling about their ears, they retired quietly into the fort, carrying with them their killed and wounded. We also fell back upon the main body, having five or six wounded, one of whom died.' " The Indians now retired out of sight of the fort, and refused to listen to the advice of Champlain as to the, best mode of con ducting the siege. He continued to aid them with his men, and, in imitation of the more ancient mode of warfare, planned 42 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. a kind of movable tower, sufficiently high when advanced to the fort to overlook the palisades. It was constructed of pieces of wood placed one upon another, and was finished in one night. " ' The village,' says Chainplain, l was inclosed by four rows of large interlaced palisades, thirty feet high, near a body of unfailing water. Along these palisades the Iroquois had placed conductors to convey water to the outside, to extinguish fire. Galleries were constructed inside of the palisades, protected by a ball-proof parapet of wood, garnished with double pieces of wood. " ' When the tower was finished, two hundred of the strongest men advanced it near to the palisades. I stationed four marks men on its top, who were well protected from the stones and arrows which were discharged by the enemy.' " The French soon drove the Iroquois from the galleries ; but the undisciplined Hurons, instead of setting fire to the palisades, as directed by Champlain, consumed the time in shouting at the enemy, and discharging harmless showers of arrows into the fort. Without discipline, and impatient of restraint, each one acted as his fancy pleased him. They placed the fire on the wrong side of the fort, so that it had no effect. "'When the fire had gone out, they began to pile wood against the palisades, but in such small quantities that it made no impression. The confusion was so great that nothing could be heard. I called out to them, and pointed out, as well as I could, the danger they incurred by their imprudent manage ment ; but they heard nothing by reason of the great noise which they made. Perceiving that I should break my head in calling, that my remonstrances were in vain, and that there were no means of remedying the disorder, I resolved to effect, with my own people, what could be done, and to fire upon those we could discover. " ' In the mean time, the enemy profited by our disorder. They brought and threw water in such abundance, that it poured in streams from the conductors, and extinguished the ONONDAGA COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 43 fire in a very short time. They continued, without cessation, to discharge nights of arrows, which fell on us like hail. Those who were on the tower killed and wounded a great number. '"The battle lasted about three hours. Two of our chiefs, some head-men, and about fifteen others were wounded.' " Mr. Marshall is of the opinion that this fort was situated upon the shores of Onondaga Lake. He arrives at this con clusion from an analysis of the courses and distances traveled by Champlain, the streams which he crossed, etc., and continues: " Another circumstance to aid us in the location, is the de scription given by Champlain of the fort itself. ' It was situated,' says he, ' on the borders of an unfailing body of water.' This he calls ' Etang] a word generally applied to an artificial pond, but sometimes used for a small lake or other natural collection of water. There is nothing that will answer the terms of the description in so many particulars, as the shore of Onondaga Lake ; and it is quite probable that it is there we must look for the location of the fort which was invested by the invaders. " Three miles southeast of its outlet, on the northern bank of the lake, and near the present village of Liverpool, an an cient Indian work was discovered by the early settlers, which may have been the site of the fortification in question. There is reason to believe that the same locality was occupied by Monsieur Dupuis and the Jesuits, when they established them selves among the Onondagas in 1656. " Mr. Clark, of Manlius, thinks that the Count de Frontenac occupied this position when he invaded the Onondaga country, in 1696, and that Col. Van Schaick encamped there while on his expedition against the Onondagas, in 1779." In the account of Frontenac's Expedition, contained in Yol. V. of the Paris Documents, now deposited in the office of the Secretary of State of New York, it is stated that the principal fort of the Onondagas was burned by the Indians upon the approach of the French army. The terms of the account are as follows : — " The cabins of the Indians and the triple pali- 44 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. sade which encircled their fort were found entirely burnt. It was an oblong flanked by four regular bastions. The two rows of pickets, which touched each other, were of the thickness of an ordinary mast ; and at six feet distance outside stood an other palisade of much smaller dimensions, but from forty to fifty feet high." This account also states that the invaders were successful in discovering almost all of the caches in which the Indians had deposited their corn.* In his recently published work, Mr. Clark presents a plan of a stockade work, surveyed by Judge Geddes, and probably the very one referred to by Mr. Marshall. /ss 4fc ^«^s FIG 5. It is situated on the shores of Onondaga Lake, between Brown's pump-works and Liverpool. A fine spring of water rises near it, and quantities of relics, of various kinds, have been found within it. * Documentary History of New York, Vol. I., p. 332. MADISON COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 45 MADISON COUNTY. ON the site of the village of Cazenovia, situated in the town ship of the same name, which adjoins Pompey, Onondaga county, on the east, it is said an ancient earth-work once exist ed. No vestige of it now remains. By some it was represent ed to be circular, by others rectangular. Many rude relics have been found here. There are yet traces of an old palisaded work in the town ship of Cazenovia, about two miles north of Delphi, of which Mr. Clark, in his " History of Onondaga county," gives the fol lowing plan. It will be observed that it essentially corresponds with those in Onondaga county, already described. It has an area of about five acres, and numerous graves of the Indians are to be found both within and with out the walls, in the vi cinity. FIG. 6. In the town of Lenox there were still visible, in 1812, the traces of a work of more modern date. It occupied a position corresponding with most of the defensive structures of the aborigines, at the junction of two deep ravines, the precipitous banks of which not only afforded protection, but precluded the necessity, in great part, of artificial defences. Within the point thus cut off and defended, there is a small eminence, in which there are a number of excavations, containing traces of decayed wood. It may be suggested (though, not knowing their dimensions, the suggestion may be absurd) that the pits were originally de- 46 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. signed for caches. Mr. Schoolcraft supposes that this work was erected by the French — -a supposition which finds support in the regular form of the palisaded outlines, and the circumstance that the ground within and around the work has not yet re turned to a forest state. OTSEGO COUNTY. IT is stated, upon very good authority, that an ancient cir cular earth-work once existed near Unadilla, in this county. Nothing is known concerning it, further than that it was situ ated on low ground. CHENANGO COUNTY. THERE was formerly an ancient inclosure, of small size, within the limits of the village of Oxford, in the township of that name, on the banks of the Chenango River. It is de scribed by Clinton as occupying a small eminence, three or four acres in extent, which rises abruptly from the flats bor dering the river. At the base of this eminence, upon the west ern side, flows the stream, and here the descent is precipitous. A line of embankment and a trench extended in a semicircu lar form from this bank, leaving narrow interruptions at the ends,, for ingress and egress. The area thus inclosed was about three fourths of an acre. At the period of the first settlement, it was covered with a dense forest ; yet, says Mr. Clinton. " the outline of the work could be distinctly traced among the trees, and the elevation from the bottom of the trench to the top of the embankment was about four feet. The stump of a decayed CHENANGO COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 47 pine which stood upon the wall exhibited one hundred and ninety-five cortical layers, and there were many more which could not be counted, as the heart of the tree alone remained. Probably the tree was three or four hundred years old — cer tainly more than two hundred. It probably stood many years after it had completed its growth, and it is reasonable to sup pose that some time elapsed from the period of the construc tion of the work to the commencement of the growth of the tree. " Probably the work was encircled with palisades, but no traces of the wood were discoverable. The situation was very eligible, elevated, commanding a fine prospect, and having no eminence near from which it could be commanded. No im plements or utensils have been found, except some fragments of coarse pottery, roughly ornamented. The Indians have a tradition that the family of the Antones, which is supposed to belong to the Tuscarora nation, is the seventh generation from the inhabitants of this fort ; but of its origin they know nothing. " There is also a place at Norwich in this county, on a high bank of the river, called ' the Castle,' where the Indians lived at the period of our settlement of the country, and where some vestiges of a fortification appear, but in all probability of much more modern date than those at Oxford." In Greene township, about two miles below the village, was formerly a mound of some interest. It was situated about thirty rods back from the bank of the Chenango River, and was originally about six feet in height and forty in diameter. " Until within a few years a large pine stump stood on its top, and a variety of trees covered it when first discovered. One of these showed two hundred consecutive growths. An examination of the mound was made in 1829 by excavation. Great numbers of human bones were found ; and beneath them, at a greater depth, others were found which had evidently been burned. No conjecture could be formed of the number of bo dies deposited here. The skeletons were found lying without order, and so much decayed as to crumble on exposure. At 48 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. one point in the mound a large number, perhaps two hundred, arrow-heads were discovered, collected in a heap. They were of the usual form, and of yellow or black flint. Another pile, of sixty or more, was found in another place, in the same mound ; also a silver band or ring, about two inches in diame ter, wide but thin, and with what appeared to be the remains of a reed pipe within it. A number of stone gouges or chisels, of different shapes, and a piece of mica, cut in the form of a heart, the border much decayed and the laminae separated, were also discovered."* It may be mentioned here, that the character of the lower deposit, and also some of the relics, coincide with some of those found in the mounds of the Mississippi Valley. The ancient mound-builders often burned their dead. The upper and principal collection of bones had probably a comparatively late date, as is shown by the silver bracelet, which, it is presumed, although not so expressly stated, was found with this deposit. CAYUGA COUNTY. PLATE V. No. 1. Ancient Work near Auburn, New York. ONE of the best preserved and most interesting works in the State, is that overlooking the flourishing town of Auburn. It is situated upon a commanding eminence, which rises abruptly from the level grounds upon which the town is built, to the height of perhaps one hundred feet. It is the most elevated spot in the vicinity, and commands a wide and very beautiful prospect. The ground occupied by the work subsides gently from the centre of the area ; but exterior to the walls are steep * Annals of Binghampton. A 'I/BURN, CAYUGA C? MY. s as. fa<*s. MEMTZ TP. C/4YUGA C?MY. CAYUGA COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 49 acclivities and deep ravines, rendering approach in nearly every direction extremely difficult. These natural features are indi cated in the plan, which obviates the necessity for a detailed description. Upon the south are several deep gulleys, separated by sharp, narrow ridges, rendering ascent at this point, in the face of determined defenders, entirely impracticable. It has been conjectured by some that the walls here have been washed away ; but it is clear that there was slight necessity for any defences at this point, and that none ever existed beyond what may still be traced. The number and relative proportions of the gateways or openings are correctly shown in the plan. That upon the north is one hundred and sixty feet wide ; that upon the east sixty feet, and that upon the west thirty feet. These wide, unpro tected spaces would seem to conflict with the supposition, so well sustained by its remaining features, that the work had a defensive origin. It is not improbable, however, that palisades extended across these openings, as well as crowned the embank ments ; for without such additions, as has been already observed, the best of these structures could have afforded but very slight protection. The embankments of this work are now between two and three feet in height, and the trenches of corresponding depth. The area of the work and the ground around it are covered with forest trees. There are several depressions, which, probably, were the caches of the ancient occupants.* It is said that a number of relics have been recovered here from time to time, and among others the head of a banner-staff of thin iron, fourteen inches long and ten broad. It is, of course, of French or English origin, and was probably lost or buried here by the Indians, into whose hands, by purchase or capture, * This work has an accidental approach to regularity ; but it is far from being a true ellipsis, as has been supposed by some who have vis ited it. 3 50 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. it had fallen. We may perhaps refer it back to the days of Champlain and Frontenac, when the armies of France swept the shores of the western lakes, in the vain hope of laying the foundation of a Gallic empire in America. This relic is now in the possession of Mr. J. W. Chedell, of Auburn. McCauley, in his History of New York, presents the sub joined facts bearing upon the question of the probable antiquity of this work, which may not be without their interest. He says : " We examined the stump of a chestnut tree in the moat, which was three feet two inches in diameter, at a point two feet and a half above the surface of the earth. A part of the trunk of the same tree was lying by the stump. As this tree had been cut down, we endeavored to ascertain its age ; and for this purpose we counted the rings or concentric circles, and found them to amount to two hundred and thirty-five. The centre of the tree was hollow, or rather decayed ; and estimating this part as equal to thirty more layers or growths, we calculated the entire age of the tree to be two hundred and fifty-five years. About five years had' elapsed since the tree was cut down. This was in 1825, and would carry back the date of the work to 1555. " At the distance of three paces from this stump was another of chestnut, standing in the ditch. It exceeded three feet in diameter, and the tree must have died standing, and probably remained in that position many years before it fell, from decay. In our opinion, the tree dated back as far as the discovery of the continent. Besides, it may be conjectured, for aught we know to the contrary, that several growths of forest intervened between the abandonment of this work and the date of the present forest."* About two miles northeast of the work above described, upon elevated ground, was another similar work. It is now entirely leveled, and its site can only be ascertained by the fragments * History of New York, Vol. I., p. 112. CAYUGA COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 51 of pottery which are scattered over the ground. It was visible in 1825, when it was visited by McCauley, who says: " It inclosed about two acres, and had a rampart, ditch, and gateway. It is now nearly obliterated by the plough. In its original state, or the condition it was in thirty-five years ago, about the time the land was cleared, the rampart was sev en feet high, and the ditch ten feet wide and three deep. Two persons, the one standing in the ditch, and the other within the inclosure, were unable to see each other. The gateway was on the northeastern side, in the direction of a spring which flowed close by. The work was three hundred and fifty paces in circumference." PLATE V. No. 2. Ancient Work, Mentz Township, Cayuga County^ New York. Six miles northwest of Auburn, and three miles from Troops- ville, in the township of Mentz, is the small but well preserved work of which a plan is here given. The country around is hilly, and the work itself is built upon the crest of a narrow ridge, which extends nearly north and south, and along which the main road passes. There is a hollow, with springs flowing into it. toward the left ; in which direction, it will be observed, a gateway opens. Although the ground has been for many years under cultivation, the lines of embankment are still be tween two and three feet high. A quantity of relics, some of comparatively late date, have been found here. Some skele tons, also, have been disclosed by the plough, both within and without the walls. The plan obviates the necessity for any further description. The existence of this work does not seem to have been hith erto known, beyond the secluded vicinity in which it occurs. It is, however, probable that it is the one alluded to by McCau- 52 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. ley in the following very indefinite terms : " On the east side of the Seneca River, near Montezuma, there are still to be seen the ruins of a small fort. A small mound occurs not far from the fort j it is artificial." Montezuma is situated in the same township with the work above described, and about four miles distant, in a northwestern direction. In the " New York Mag azine," for 1792, mention is made of a couple of ancient works, said to occur south of Cross and Salt Lakes, east of the Seneca River, and falling probably within the limits of the present township of Brutus in Cayuga. or Elbridge in Onondaga county. One of these was in the " form of a parallelogram, two hundred and twenty yards long and fifty-five broad, with openings on either side, one of which led to the waters. Half a mile south was another work of crescent form; large trees were growing upon both." Quantities of well-burned pottery in fragments were found there ; also a slab of stone five feet long, three and a half broad, and six inches thick, upon which were some rude tracings, specimens perhaps of the "picture writing" of the Indians. McCauley mentions an ancient work near the town of Aurora, in the southern part of this county, and near Cayuga Lake. According to this authority, it was situated " two miles from the village, in a southwesterly direction ; the area triangular, and containing two acres. Two of its sides were defended by precipitous banks, and the third by an embankment and ditch. Fragments of earthen vessels and the bones of animals had been found there enveloped in beds of ashes." There are traces of an ancient palisaded work of the Cayugas, in Ledyard township, about four miles southeast of Springport. In fact, the whole country has numerous vestiges, cemeteries, etc., of its aboriginal possessors. VI. XT? 1 AKKEDHKIT /VfAR ELM IRA, CHEMUNG CoAf.Y. £ H If or s ford, ale I, / M/LC f Of CAMANOA/GVA ONTAA/O COl/#rY,/KY. SCALE 2OOft to the Inch CHEMUNG COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 53 CHEMUNG COUNTY. THERE is a work in this county which possesses peculiar in terest, from the circumstance that the embankments still retain unmistakable traces of the palisades with which it was crowned, thus demonstrating the correctness of the conjectures already indulged in, as to the probable construction of the entire system of earth-works of Western New York. The accompanying plan and description are from the note-books of Prof. E. N. Hors- ford, of Harvard University, who visited this work in company with other gentlemen connected with the State Geological Sur vey, at the time that enterprise was in progress. PLATE VI. No. 1. Ancient Work near Elmira, Chemung County, New York. " THIS work is situated about two and a half miles west of Elmira, upon the summit of an eminence, the base of which, upon one side, is washed by Chemung River, and upon the other by the waters of a deep and almost impassable ravine. It is, in fact, a bold headland. The approach is by a narrow path, which in some places will admit of the passage of a single person only, and which traverses the very abrupt crown of the ridge. Toward the top, the ascent is more gradual, and the ground continues to ascend slightly until we reach the defences. The site chosen exhibits the strongest proof of design, being such as to command a most extensive view along the course of the river, and being, except from behind, accessible only by the difficult pathway already mentioned. (i The artificial defences consist of an embankment, with an outer ditch, which extends, as shown in the plan, from the steep 54 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. bank toward the river, to the brow of the ravine upon the other side. This embankment is about two hundred feet long, fourteen feet broad at the base, and about three and a half feet high. The rotting stump of an old pine tree, three feet in di ameter, and a yellow pine tree, nine feet in circumference, are standing upon the wall, and indicate its high antiquity. u What appeared to be a furrow was observed extending along the summit of the embankment throughout its entire length. Upon examination, it was found that this appearance was produced by a succession of holes, about a foot in depth. Just within this chain of holes is another parallel chain, not quite so distinct as the first. Still further inward, and extend ing but part of the way across the area of the work, are several parallel furrows, without accompanying ridges, the design of which is hardly apparent. It will be seen that this work corresponds entirely in position with most of the earth-works of the State, was chosen with ref erence to the same principles, and was defended in precisely the same manner. It is peculiar in still retaining the holes left by the decay of the palisades, which show that it was strengthened by a double line. It is rational to conclude, upon general principles, that all the works of the State were protected in like manner ; although, except in this instance, all traces of the wooden superstructure have disappeared. As already ob served, this work, for the positive light which it throws upon the original character of these ancient defences, is probably the most interesting one in the State. ONTARIO COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. OD ONTARIO COUNTY. PLATE VI. No. 2. Ancient Work near Canandaigua. ONE mile east of the town of Canandaigua, upon the slope of a hill overlooking Canandaigua Lake, is the work here figured. It is unsurpassed for the beauty of its position. A considerable portion of the embankment has been obliterated by cultivation, and another portion by the turnpike road, from Canandaigua to Geneva, which passes through it. The parts which may yet be traced are appropriately indicated in the plan, and enable us to make out the original form of the work with sufficient ex actness. In constructing the road, human bones in considerable quantities were disclosed on the brow of the hill, accompanied by the usual rude relics of Indian art. It is mentioned by Mr. Schoolcraft, that the Senecas deduce their descent from the remarkable eminence upon which this work is situated.* Between three and four miles west of Canandaigua, on the road to Victor, there is a long, narrow trench running nearly in a direction from N. E. to S. W. It may be traced, with occasional interruptions, for some miles, and has been errone ously, but very generally, believed to be a work of art. It marks the line of a long, narrow fissure in the limestone sub stratum, into which the earth has subsided. The water which accumulates in it sinks, to swell the volume of so*me subterra neous stream. The cause of this singular fissure is worthy of the inquiries of geologists. Judge Porter, of Niagara, mentions another ancient inclosure, similar to that above described, in the vicinity of Canandaigua; but its locality could not be ascertained. It is probably now completely destroyed. * Notes on the Iroquois, p. 196. 56 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. PLATE VII. No. 1. Ancient Work near the City of Geneva. ONE and a half miles west of Geneva are the traces of the old Indian " Castle " of Ganundesdga, built by the Senecas, and destroyed by Sullivan in 1779. Near it is a mound thickly covered over with graves. A plan and description of this work will be given in another connection. About two miles beyond, in the same direction, in Seneca township, is another work of more ancient date, a plan of which is here presented. It is situated upon elevated grounds, and coincides generally with those already described. The position, upon the east side, is protected by a steep, natural bank, perhaps sixty feet in height, which subsides into low, marshy grounds. At the foot of the bank is a copious and perennial spring. Upon the west, south, and north, the ground falls off gently ; and here we find the artificial defences. Although the whole has been for some time under cultivation, the lines of entrenchment may be followed throughout nearly their entire extent, without difficulty. The usual evidences of ancient occupancy are found within the area. Half a mile further to the westward, upon a corresponding site, are the traces of an ancient palisaded work, which will be described in its appropriate place. MONROE COUNTY. A NUMBER of aboriginal monuments formerly existed in this county ; but, with the exception of a few small mounds, they have been wholly obliterated, or so much defaced that they can no longer be made out. Two mounds occupy the high, sandy grounds to the westward of Irondequoit Bay, where it con- PLATE, VI I. ? i SCAL£ . (3V3 Hf. JV. w: Of Geneva-.^ ONTARIO C? MY. • SAHONY * IHAJOH . H. MONROE COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 57 nects with Lake Ontario. The point is a remarkable one. The position of the mounds in respect to the natural features around them is indicated in the accompanying sketch, Plate VIL, No. 2. They are small, the largest not exceeding five feet in height. It was found, upon excavation, that they had been previously dis turbed ; and their examination proved fruitless. Some bits of charcoal and a few small fragments of bones were observed mingled with the sand. At various places, upon the eleva tions around them, were scattered fragments of pottery, and arrow-heads and other rude relics are also of frequent occur rence here. The spot was evidently a favorite one with the Indians, the vicinity abounding in fish and game. The waves of the lake have thrown up a narrow bar or bank of sand, called the " Spit" which extends nearly across the mouth of the bay, leaving but a small opening. Upon this bar a few scattered trees are standing, and it was here that the Marquis De Nonville landed with his troops, at the time of his expedition against the Senecas, in 1687. He constructed a stockade at or near this point. Upon the eastern shore of the bay, and occupying a position corresponding with that of the mounds already described, it is said there is another mound of considerable size. It was opened many years ago, and was found to contain human bones. Some eight or ten miles to the southeast, and half a mile east of the village of Penfield, on the banks of Irondequoit Creek, is still another mound, situated upon a headland, which now projects into an artificial pond. It must have been origi nally eight or nine feet in height, by perhaps forty feet base. It is a favorite haunt of " money-diggers," by whom it has been pretty thoroughly excavated. A shaft had been sunk in it but a short time before it was visited by the author ; and at that period many fragments of human bones, much decayed, which had been thrown up from near the base, were bleaching upon the 3* DO ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. surface. The soil is here light and sandy, and a depression is still visible near by, marking the spot whence the material com posing the mound was procured. It could not be ascertained that any relics of art were obtained here. See Plate VII. , Fig. 3. As already observed, most, if not all, of the ancient works which existed in this county are now obliterated. We can consequently do but little more than indicate the sites which they occupied according to the best information obtained from the early settlers. It is asserted that an inclosure of con siderable size exists in the town of Irondequoit, west of Iron- dequoit Bay, and near the Genesee River, about five miles north of Rochester. A day was spent in search of it, but with out success. Its discovery may reward the perseverance of some future explorer.* A fine work once occupied a commanding site at the point known as " Handford's Landing," three miles north of Roches ter. It consisted of a semicircular embankment, the ends of which extended to the very edge of the immense ravine which shuts in the Genesee River below the falls at Rochester. It had three narrow gateways placed at irregular intervals. There is a locality in the town of Parma, about seven miles west of Rochester, where the earth has subsided into the fis sures of the sand rock, forming what has generally been sup posed to be a line of entrenchments. From some distance the apparent ditch has all the regularity of a work of art ; but still it is hard to understand how it came to be regarded as an " Indian Fort," by which name it is currently known in the neighborhood. It would seem incredible that errors of this kind should become general, had not a large experience shown that upon no class of subjects do the mass of men exercise so lit- * McCauley states that there is an ancient work on Irondequoit Bay, in Penfield township, on the north side of the " ridge." No informa tion could be obtained concerning it. MONROE COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 59 tie sound judgment, as upon those which relate to the history and monuments of the past. In the town of Ogden, which adjoins Parma on the south, it is reputed that some ancient works are to be found ; but from the best information which could be obtained, it seems probable that the report has no better foundation than hun dreds of similar ones, subsequently found to be erroneous, and originated, it is very likely, in the discovery of an Indian cem etery, or of the traces of an Indian village. Ascending the valley of the Genesee for twenty miles, we come to a section of country which is very rich in evidences of aboriginal occupancy, but chiefly such as may be referred to a comparatively late date. In the town of Wheatland, and a short distance to the westward of the village of Scottsville, there formerly existed two very interesting earth-works. There is scarcely a trace of them now to be seen. They were visited by Kirkland in 1788. He found the first work " about two miles west of Allen's residence, which was an extensive flat, at a deserted Indian village near the junction of a creek (Allen's Creek) with the Genesee, eight miles north of the old Indian village of Kanawageas, and five miles north of the Magic Spring (Caledonia Springs), so called by the Indians, who believed its waters had the power of petrifying all things subjected to its influence. This work inclosed about six acres, and had six gates. The ditch was about eight feet wide, and in some places six feet deep, and drawn in a circular form on three sides. The fourth side was defended by nature with a high bank, at the foot of which was a fine stream of water. The bank had probably been secured by a stockade, as there appeared to have been a deep covered way in the mid dle of it, down to the water. Some of the trees on the work V appeared to be two or three hundred years old." The usual variety of relics, fragments of pottery, stone chip- pings, etc., have been found upon the site of this work. About half a mile south of this, and upon a greater eminence, Mr. Kirkland 60 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. traced another work, " of less dimensions than the first, but with a deeper ditch, and in a situation more lofty and defen sible." Although it is well remembered by the older settlers in the neighborhood, nothing now remains to indicate that it ever existed, except the greater abundance of stones on the line of the former embankment. The position is such as the builders of these works usually selected for their defences. Upon one side is a high and precipitous bank, at the base of which flows Allen's Creek ; and in every other direction the ground slopes gently. It is altogether a well chosen and very beautiful site. About three miles south of these works, on the bank of the Genesee River, and probably falling in Caledonia township, Livingston county, are to be observed the traces of a mound. It was originally about eight feet high, and was filled with human bones heaped promiscuously together. Still another mound is said to occur a few miles N. W. of Scotts- ville, in the town of Chili. Near the village of West Rush, in the town of Rush, upon the banks of Honeoye Creek, were formerly two considerable inclosures. One of these was situated immediately upon the bank of the creek, which defended it upon one side ; while the other occupied higher ground a hundred rods to the south ward. Each contained about four acres, and the embankments were originally four feet in height. A few slight depressions indicating the ancient caches, with fragments of pottery scat tered around, alone remain to mark the sites of these structures. The whole of this country was occupied by the Senecas ; and their cemeteries, and the traces of their ancient forts and towns, are particularly numerous along the Genesee River, and on the banks of the Honeoye. We shall refer to these in another place. LIVINGSTON COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 61 LIVINGSTON COUNTY. THIS county, which adjoins Monroe on the south, was also a favorite ground with the Senecas. It is unsurpassed in beauty and fertility by any territory of equal extent in the State, and abounds with mementoes of its aboriginal possessors, who yielded it reluctantly into the hands of the invading whites. Here, too, once existed a considerable number of ancient earth works, but the leveling plough has passed over most of them ; and though their sites are still remembered by the early settlers, but few are sufficiently well preserved to admit of ex act survey and measurement. "In 1798," said the venerable Judge Augustus Porter, of Niagara, in a letter to 0. H. Marshall, Esq., of Buffalo. " I surveyed the Indian Reservation of Kanawageas. There were then in the open flats of the Reservation the embankments of an old fort, which included very nearly two acres. It corres ponded in situation and appearance with many others which I have seen in this part of the country, and which seem to bear a high antiquity." The Kanawageas Reservation embraced the township of York in this county. Judge Porter also mentioned that he knew of two other works on the " Smith and Jones's Flat," near Mount Morris, (also in Livingston county,) all of which had the same appearance. A work also occurs in the town of Avon, not far from the beautiful village of Avon Springs, upon the flats of the Gene- see River. It is described by W. H. C. Hosmer, Esq., in the notes to his beautiful poem of " YONONDIO." Another and very similar work once existed in the north eastern part of Avon township, about two and a half miles from the village of Lima. Some portions of the lines may yet be traced, but with difficulty. 62 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. PLATE VIII. No. 1. Ancient Work, Livonia Township, Livingston County, New York. THE work here represented occurs in the township of Livo nia, three miles N. E. of the village of that name. It is situ ated upon the summit of a commanding hill, and is the largest inclosure which fell under the notice of the author, within the limits of the State. It has an area of not less than sixteen acres. Where the lines of the entrenchment were crossed by fences, and consequently preserved from the encroachments of the plough, the embankment and ditch are distinctly visible. Elsewhere, however, the outlines can only be traced by a very gentle undulation of the ground, and by the denser verdure on the course of the ancient trench. With the assistance of Mr. Haddock, the proprietor of the estate, who knew the work be fore it had been materially impaired, the original form was made out with entire satisfaction. General Adams, who had often been over the grounds before the removal of the forest, states that the ditch was breast deep, and the embankment of corresponding height. Caches were formerly discovered here, and fragments of pottery are now abundant. The inclosure had four gateways, one of which, at the north western extremity, opened directly toward a copious spring of water, as shown in the plan. It was thought by General Adams, from certain indications (which might have been caused by the decay of palisades), that slight parallel embankments extended down the slope of the hill, and inclosed the spring here referred to. Be that as it may, the position was well chosen for defence, for which purpose the work was doubtless constructed. A mile and a half to the southward are remains of some old fortified towns of the powerful tribe of the Senecas, for plans vsrr i. m^siimmSmm "m\Wy/IIJl\' °/M'l\v' 'i.'/,'ll sc/tic . 4 00 Feet to the Inc7i uvoti/A TP. L/y/MGsroN c? w. Y. LIVINGSTON COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 63 and descriptions of which the reader is referred to the chapter on " Palisaded Works." It is said that a mound, containing a large number of hu man bones, occurs near the head of Hemlock Lake, in the township of Springwater ; but no opportunity was afforded of visiting it. At various places in the county large cemeteries are found ; but most, if not all, of them may be with safety re ferred to the Senecas. Indeed, many articles of European origin accompany the skeletons. A cemetery of large size, and, from the character of the relics found in the graves, of high antiquity, is now in part covered by the village of Lima. Pipes, pottery, etc., are discovered here in great abundance ; and it is worthy of remark, they are identical with those found within the ancient inclosures. A number of ancient works are reported to exist higher up the Genesee River, in the southern part of Livingston and in Alleghany counties ; but this entire region has been brought so thoroughly under cultivation, that it was esteemed hope less to look for them with a view to their survey or measure ment. The only information of any authentic kind which was received in addition to what is here presented, relates to a re markable work upon a high hill, not far from the falls of the Genesee, in Alleghany county. Says Judge Porter, in a pri vate letter dated Niagara Falls, November 18th, 1848 : " Upon the west side of Genesee River, a mile or two above the falls, there is a hill, the base of which may perhaps cover two acres of ground, circular in form, and shaped like a sugar-loaf, with a truncated summit a fourth of an acre in area. Upon this summit is a breastwork. The height of the hill is between eighty and one hundred feet. I visited it in 1798, before any settlements were made by the whites nearer than Mount Morris." Mr. Moses Long, of Rochester, describes a work which is substantially the same, as follows : " About four miles above the village of Portage, in Alleghany county, is a circular mound 64 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. or hill, which rises probably a hundred feet above the sur rounding interval or ' bottom ' lands. The acclivity is steep on all sides. The Genesee River curves around its base, de scribing nearly a semicircle, and then sweeps on in a tortuous course to the cascades or cataracts below the village of Por tage. The top of the hill is quite level, covered thinly with small forest trees, and its area may comprise an acre. There are appearances of an entrenchment around that part of the summit unprotected by the river. " My guide informed me that he had been acquainted with Skongo, an aged chief, and several other Indians of the Caneadea Reservation, who all concurred in saying, that they had no knowledge nor any tradition in relation to this work. Shongo remembered the invasion of Sullivan, when the Indians cut up their corn and threw it into the river, and then re treated with their movable effects a few miles up the stream to the top of an elevated bluff, where they determined to await the attack of their enemy. I came to the conclusion that the entrenchment might have been made by an advanced detach ment from Sullivan's army." GENESEE COUNTY. A NUMBER of very interesting remains formerly existed in this county ; but few of them are sufficiently well preserved to be satisfactorily traced. In the town of Alabama, in the extreme northwest of the county, were once three of these works, all of small size. The plough has completely defaced them. This town adjoins the town of Shelby, in Orleans county, on the south ; and touches Newsted, in Erie county, on the west. It will ultimately be seen that its ancient works constitute part of a chain extending GENESEE COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 65 from the " Lake Ridge," on the north, to Buffalo Creek on the southwest, a distance of fifty miles. Not less than twenty ancient works are known to occur within this range. PLATE VIII. No. 2. Ancient Work, Oakfteld, Genesee County, New York. IN the town of Oakfield, half a mile west of the little village of Caryville, is found the ancient inclosure, a plan of which is here given. It is remarkable as being the best preserved and most distinct of any in the State which fell under the notice of the author. It is situated upon the western slope of one of the billowy hills which characterize the rolling lands of the West, and between which the streams find their way to the rivers and lakes. The banks of the little stream which washes the work upon the north are steep, but not more than ten feet in height. Upon the brow of the bank, where the stream ap proaches nearest the work, the entrenchment is interrupted, and the slope toward the water is more gentle than elsewhere — indicating an artificial grade. The plan obviates the ne cessity for a detailed description. The embankments will now probably measure six feet in average height, calculating from the bottom of the trench. In the part of the work under cul tivation, it is easy to trace the ancient lodges. Here, too, is to be found the unfailing supply of broken pottery. At the sides of the principal gateway (a) leading into the inclosure from the east, according to the statement of an intelligent aged gen tleman, who was among the earliest settlers in this region, traces of oaken palisades were found, upon excavation, some thirty years ago. They were, of course, almost entirely de cayed. A part of the area is still covered with the original forest, in which are trees of the largest dimensions. An oaken stump upwards of two feet in diameter stands upon the em bankment at the point b. 66 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. About one mile northeast of this work was originally a large inclosure, but which is now entirely destroyed. It was called the " Bone Fort" from the circumstance that the early settlers found within it a mound, six feet in height by thirty at the base, which was entirely made up of human bones slightly cov ered with earth. A few fragments of these bones, scattered over the surface, alone mark the site of the aboriginal sepulchre. The popular opinion concerning this accumulation is, that it contained the bones of the slain, thus heaped together after some severe battle. It will, however, be seen that it probably owed its origin to the same practice to which we are to attribute the " bone pits " found elsewhere, that of collecting together at stated intervals the bones of the dead — a practice very preva lent among the northwestern Indians. There is no doubt but this is one of the works visited by Rev. Samuel Kirkland, Missionary to the Senecas, in 1788. His MS. Journal was in the possession of Messrs. Yates and Moulton, who have given a synopsis of the part relating to this group of remains in the subjoined passages. " Having examined the works (already referred to, in Mon roe county) on the Genesee, he returned to Kanawageas, and resumed his journey west, encamping for the night at a place called Joaika, i. e. Raccoon (Batavia). on the river Tonawande, about twenty-six miles from Kanawageas. Six miles from this place of encampment, he rode to the open fields, and arrived at a place called by the Senecas Tegatainedaghgue, which im ports a ' double-fortified town] or a town with a fort at each end. Here he walked about half a mile with one of the Seneca chiefs, to view the vestiges of this double-fortified town. They con sisted of the remains of two forts : the first contained four acres of ground ; the other, distant about two miles, at the other ex tremity of the ancient town, inclosed about eight acres. The ditch around the first was about five or six feet deep. A small stream of water and a high bank circumscribed nearly one third of the inclosed ground. There were traces of six gates or open- GENESEE COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 67 ings, and near the centre a way was dug to the water. The ground on the opposite side of the water was in some places nearly as high as that on which the fort was built, which might render this covered way to the water necessary. A considerable number of large thrifty oaks had grown up within the inclosed ground, both in the ditch and upon the wall ; some of which appeared to be two hundred years old or more. The ground is of a hard, gravelly kind, intermixed with loam, and more plentifully at the brow of the hill. At some places at the bot tom of the ditch. Mr. Kirkland ran his cane a foot or more in the soil ; from which circumstance he concludes that the ditch was much deeper originally. " Near the western fortification, which was situated on high ground, he found the remains of a funeral pile, where the slain were buried after a great battle, which will be spoken of here after. The mound was about six feet in height by thirty feet diameter at the base. The bones appeared at the surface, pro jecting at many places at the sides. "Pursuing his course toward Buffalo Creek, (his ultimate destination.) Mr. Kirkland discovered the vestiges of another fortified town. He does not delineate it in his MSS., but says: ' On these heights, near the ancient fortified town, the roads part ; we left the path leading to Niagara on our right, and went a course nearly southwest for Buffalo Creek. After leav ing these heights, which afforded an extensive prospect, we traveled over a fine tract of land for about six or seven miles, then came to a barren, white-oak, shrub plain. We passed a steep hill on our right, in some places fifty feet perpendicular, at the bottom of which is a small lake, affording another instance of pagan superstition. The old Indians affirm that formerly a demon, in the form of a dragon, resided in this lake, which fre quently disgorged balls of liquid fire. To appease him, many sacrifices of tobacco had been made by the Indians. At the extremity of the barren plain, we came again to Tonawande River, and forded it about two miles above the Indian town of 68 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. that name. At a short distance on the south side of the same stream, is another fortification.' " FIG. II. Ancient Work, Le Roy, Genesee County, New York. REMNANTS of another ancient work occur in the town of Le Roy, three miles north of the village of the same name, in the southeastern part of this county. The accompanying sketch, GENESEE COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. DU by L. H. Morgan, Esq., of Rochester, although not from an ex act instrumental survey, is sufficiently accurate for all essential purposes. The position which the work occupies is a portion of a high plain or table-land, nearly surrounded by deep ravines, bounded by Fordham's Brook and Allen's Creek, which effect a junction at this point. These streams have worn their beds through the various strata of lime and sandstone to the depth of from seventy to one hundred feet, leaving abrupt banks difficult of ascent.. These natural features are best illustrated by the plan, which precludes the necessity for a minute description. The peninsula measures about 1300 feet from north to south, by 2000 feet at its broadest part, and 1000 feet across the neck connecting it with the general table. Positions simi lar to this were often selected by the aborigines for defensive purposes, but in such cases have usually an embankment and trench extending across the isthmus. In this instance, how ever, the only trace of art is an embankment and ditch, about 1500 feet in length, and running nearly east and west across the broadest part of the peninsula, and not very far back from the edge of the ravine. The part which is laid down in the plan is said to be still very distinct ; the embankment being between three and four feet in height, and the ditch of cor responding depth. The western extremity of the line curves gently outward, and extends some distance down the bank, which is at this point less abrupt than elsewhere. It is said that formerly trenches existed on the courses indicated by dotted lines on the plan ; but the statement is not confirmed by any remaining traces, A number of skeletons have been found here, together with many fragments of pottery. There have also been discovered some heaps of small stones ; which have been supposed to be the missiles of the ancient occupants of the hill, thus got to gether to be used in case of attack. Various relics of art, pipes, beads, stone hatchets, arrow-heads, etc., have been dis- 70 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. closed here by the operations of agricul ture. One of the pipes composed of baked clay is now in the possession of Rev. C. Dewey, of Rochester. It is represented of half size in the accompa nying engraving, Fig. 8. The material is very fine, and the workmanship good ; so good indeed, as to induce some doubt of its aboriginal origin. Another pipe carved from granular limestone was found here, as were also a number of beads, long and coarse, made of clay and burned. According to Mr. Dewey, " the trench was estimated by the early observers at from eight to ten feet deep, and as many wide. The earth in making it had been thrown either way, but much of it inward. The road formerly crossed it by a bridge. "When first known, forest trees were standing both in the trench and on its sides. In size and growth they cor responded with the forests around them. Prostrate upon the ground were numerous trunks of the heart-wood of black cherry trees of larger size, which, it is conjectured, were the remains of more antique forests, preceding the growth of beech and maple. They were in such a state of soundness as to be em ployed for timber by the early settlers."* From all that remains of this work, it is impossible to con jecture for what purposes it was constructed. Indeed, it bears so few evidences of design, that we are led to distrust its arti ficial origin ; a distrust which is strengthened by the circum stance, that in a number of instances, elevations and depres sions bearing some degree of regularity, but resulting from fis sures in a rock substratum or other natural causes, have been * Schoolcraft's Notes on the Iroquois, p. 203. ORLEANS COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 71 mistaken for works of art. The fact that the trench in this instance has a course so nearly parallel with .the edge of the ravine, is also a suspicious circumstance. The spot was not visited by the author; but he is authorized in saying that Prof. Dewey, who gave the first and most complete account of the supposed work, is now inclined to the opinion that it may be the result of natural causes. On what is called the " Knowlton Farm," about one mile south of the town of Batavia,.is a small natural elevation which was used as a burial-place by the Indians. It has been mis taken for a mound. Various relics have been discovered in ploughing over it. ORLEANS COUNTY. IT is not known that many ancient remains occur in this county. There is, however, an interesting work in Shelby township, one and a half miles west of Shelby Centra The following account of it was communicated by Dr. S. M. Bur roughs, of Medina, to 0. Turner, Esq., of Buffalo, by whom it was presented to the author. " It consists of a ditch and embankment, inclosing, in a form nearly circular, about three acres of ground. The ditch is still well defined and several feet in depth. Adjoining this fortification on the south is a swamp, about one mile in width by two in length ; which was once*, if not a lake, an impassable morass. There is a passage-way through the lines of the en trenchment toward the swamp, and this is the sole gateway discoverable. Large quantities of small stones, of a size to be thrown with the hand, are accumulated in piles within and near the work: Here, too, are many arrow-heads of flint (silex), stone axes, and fragments of pottery, exhibiting ornaments in relief. Human skeletons almost entire have been exhumed here. 72 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. Half a mile west of the fort on a sand hill, an immense number of skeletons have been found in a very perfect state. Many seem to have been deposited in the same grave. As some of the skulls appear to have been broken by clubs or tomahawks, is it not probable that this was the site of some great battle ?" ERIE COUNTY. ERIE county ranks next to Jefferson in the number of its ascertained aboriginal monuments. The topographical features of the two counties are much the same, although the former is by far the least elevated. Along the shores of Lake Erie and bordering Buffalo Creek are low and fertile alluvions ; back of these we come to the limestone formation, and the country rises, forming a second grand terrace, along the brow of which most of the ancient works are situated. Within the limits of the late Seneca Reservation, which has been only in part brought under cultivation, there are a number of ancient works, which are unimpaired except by the operation of natural causes. It is extremely difficult, however, to find them, in consequence of the forest and the thick undergrowth. As the Reservation is cleared up, no doubt new ones will be discovered ; and it is to be hoped sufficient interest in these matters may be found to exist among the citizens of Buffalo, to secure their prompt and careful investigation PLATE DC Wo. y. NEAR BUFFALO, ERIE, C? N.Y B.G-. Sgui , a. Grave of SU<Z Jacket \ A, ,i „ Mat-yifemifor '. Ct fifpres&i.ons, na.fu.rctj ERIE COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 73 PLATE IX. No. 1. Ancient Work near Buffalo. ONE of the most interesting works in this county is that here represented. It derives much of its interest from the associa tions connected with it. The site which it occupies was a fa vorite spot with the Senecas, and one of their largest cemeteries occurs within its walls. Here is buried an Indian chief whose name is inseparably interwoven with the history of the Five Nations. He was a man who possessed a rare combination of talents, which, developed under different circumstances, would have secured for him a high position among the greatest states men and proudest orators of the world. This is hardly a proper place to speak of his character ; but his devoted patriotism, his inflexible integrity, the unwavering firmness, calm and lofty dignity, and powerful eloquence with which he opposed the en croachments of the whites, notwithstanding that he knew all resistance was vain and hopeless — command an involuntary tribute to the memory of the last and noblest of the proud and politic Iroquois, the haughty and unbending Red Jacket, who died exulting that the Great Spirit had made him an Indian ! Here, too, is buried Mary Jemison, " the white woman," who, taken a prisoner by the Indians when a child, conformed to their habits, became the wife of one of their chiefs, and remained with them until her death. The story of her life is one of the most eventful of those connected with our border history, filled as it is with thrilling adventures and startling incidents. The work under notice is situated upon the edge of the second terrace, which is here moderately elevated above the fertile al luvions bordering Buffalo Creek. The particular spot which it occupies is considerably higher than any other near it, and the soil is sandy and dry. It will be seen that the terrace bank upon one side is made to subserve the purposes for which the trench and embankment were erected upon the others. 4 74 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. There is now no direct evidence to that effect ; but no doubt can be entertained that, in common with all the other works of the State, the wall was crowned with palisades, which were also carried along the brow of the terrace. The greater portion of this work has been for some time under cultivation ; and the original lines are so much defaced, that they would probably escape the notice of the careless observer. They may, never theless, be distinctly traced throughout their extent. At the point nearest the Indian cemetery, a portion of which is still spared by the plough, the embankment is very distinct, and cannot fail to attract attention. At a short distance to the northward of the work is a low spot of ground or marsh, toward which opens a gateway. From this was probably obtained a portion of the supply of water required by the ancient occu pants of the work. A number of springs start from the foot of the terrace, where the ground is also marshy. Within the walls of this work are to be found the various traces of occu pancy which I have already mentioned, sites of old lodges, fragments of pottery, etc. Tradition fixes upon this spot as the scene of the final and most bloody conflict between the Iroquois and the " Gah-kwas" or Eries — a tradition which has been supposed to derive some sanction from the number of fragments of decayed human bones which are scattered over the area. The old mission-house and church stand in close proximity to this work. The position of the former is indicated in the plan. Red Jacket's house stood above a third of a mile to the southward upon the same elevation ; and the abandoned coun cil-house is still standing, perhaps a mile distant, in the direction of Buffalo. A little distance beyond, in the same direction and near the public road, is a small mound, called " Dah-do-sot" artificial hill, by the Indians, who it is said were accustomed to regard it with much veneration, supposing that it covered the victims slain in some bloody conflict in the olden time. A genuine representative of the Celtic stock had selected it as the PLATE IX 3W. 2.3. JV? 2 tp LANCASTER TP. ERIE CO. NEW YORK ' ^^M^fev: • o o> ^ ^ -• or^- f^ «• ^•°fv&- IVa MILE. S.E. OF N<? 2 S'atne Toivttship. 2 OOft to the Inch ERIE COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 75 site of his cabin, and his worthy but somewhat superstitious spouse was much horrified at the intimation that it probably contained the bones of the unsanctified heathen. A shaft was sunk near the foundation of the cabin to the base of the mound, but nothing of interest was disclosed. A few half-formed ar row-heads, some chippings of horn stone, and some small bits of charcoal were discovered, intermingled with the soil thrown from the excavation. Whatever deposits are contained in the mound, if any, probably occur immediately beneath the apex which is occupied by the cabin of the Celt aforesaid. Its in vestigation is therefore reserved for the hands of some future explorer. It was originally between five and six feet in height by thirty-five or forty feet base, and is composed of the adjacent loam. A depression still exists upon one side, marking the spot whence the material was obtained. PLATE IX. No. 2. Ancient Work, Lancaster, Erie County, New York. IT is not known that any Ancient remains occur nearer the work last described than the one here presented, which is situated upon lot No. 2, of the late Reservation, about four miles southeast of the village of Lancaster, near Little Bufia- lo Creek. It occurs upon the summit of a small eminence, in the midst of a dense and tangled forest, and is reached by a bridle path which passes through it. It approaches more near ly to the form of a true circle than any work which fell under the observation of the author in Western New York. It is small, containing less than an acre. The embankment is how ever very distinct, being not less than three feet in height, and the ditch of equal, depth. Trees, corresponding in all respects with those of the surrounding forest, are standing within the 76 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. area and upon the wall. The ground is here gravelly and dry. A number of caches of considerable size were observed within the inclosure. PLATE IX. No. 3. Ancient Work, Lancaster, Erie County, New York. HALF a mile to the southeast of the above work, and, as nearly as could be ascertained, on lot No. 6, is a work of larger size and more irregular outline. It occupies a beautiful level spot of ground not far from the edge of the second terrace back from the creek. The embankment is somewhat higher than that of the previous work, and, with a single exception, quite as well defined as any observed within the State. It is very slightly reduced from its original height, which may be estimated as having been between seven and nine feet, measur ing from the bottom of the ditch. At the point indicated by the letter a upon the embankment, is standing the stump of a withered pine tree, which is sixteen feet in circumference six feet above the roots. A few rods to the southward of the work is a narrow ravine leading off toward Little Buffalo Creek. Within this is a spring from which flows a small stream. It will be observed that two of the gateways of the work, placed not far apart, open in this direction — leading to the inference that it was here that the water used by the ancient occupants was obtained. A number of large caches also occur within this work. PLATE X. ."oT^ ^3 ^ cX? ^ •> LL v „ <" ^ - • . . ".x«dL, v<0 ^ Ijfc u l^y/o ". Ho-. . ^.^ !^o?^5^- ^K^^II i^^£& ' y BANK OF LITTLE BUFFALO CftffK LANCASTER TP ERIEC'N.Y. /in. 2«& In CLARENCE TP. £ft/£ COUNTY /V.Y. 2/2 M. ,5! <7/- Clawice Hollow . rrV%v* AMEOIIOsQ'B' CLARENCE, ffiM.S of Oar-ewe ERIE COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 77 PLATE X. No. 1. Ancient Work on Late Indian Reservation, Erie County, New York. UPON the opposite bank of the creek already named, and probably on lot No. 3 of the Reservation, is the singular work here presented. The land upon this side of the creek rises abruptly to the height of 150 or 200 feet, forming a high bluff. The edge of this bluff is cut by ravines into spurs or head lands ; and upon one of these the work under notice is situa ted. It is not large, and is singular only in having wide in terruptions in the embankment — so wide, indeed, that were it not from the perfect condition of the lines where they exist, it might be conjectured that the structure was never completed. Caches were noticed here. The ground is covered with a dense forest, which obscures all parts of the work. To the southwestward of this, on lot 29 of the same range and on the south side of " Big Buffalo Creek," is still another similar work, which is described by Mr. Junius Clark, in a private communication, as about eight hundred feet in circum ference, having three gateways and an open space ten rods wide at the southwestern corner. A gateway on the north opens toward a, spring of water, distant about a dozen rods. Other works, probably differing in no essential respect from these, are said to occur at various places upon the southern border of the Reservation. 78 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. PLATE X. No. 2. Ancient Work, Clarence Township, Erie County, New iork. PASSING northward from the localities last mentioned to the distance of five or six miles, keeping upon the limestone plateau, we find another series of remains, composed of a suc cession of works placed a mile or two apart, and extending quite through the town of Clarence. The first of these (No. 2) is two and a half miles south of the little village of " Clarence Hollow." It has been under cultivation for a number of years, and its outlines can now be traced only by carefully observing the stronger vegetable growth upon the course of the ancient trench. Where fence lines crossed the wall, short sections of the embankment are yet visible. Fragments of pottery are scattered over the area. If any of the usual pits ever existed, they have been filled up by the operations of agriculture. PLATE X. No. 3. Ancient Work, Clarence Township, Erie County, New York. A MILE northward of the work last described, and occupy ing a position in no respect well adapted for defence, is the in- closure here presented. It is now much defaced ; the part, however, which has never been cultivated is very distinct, and one or two other short sections may yet with some difficulty be traced. Flint chippings, fragments of pottery, and a num ber of deep caches occur within the area. A large Indian cemetery is said to exist somewhere between this work and the one just noticed. However true this may be, about half a mile to the northwest on the land of a Mr. Fillmore, there is a large deposit of bones, a " bone pit," some fourteen feet square and four or five in depth, filled with crumbling human skele tons. The spot was marked by a very slight elevation of the earth a foot or two in height. PLATE XI. CLARENCE TP. Eft IE COUNTY N. X ^« S. W: of Clau-ence JTollotv N°2 . r V-^^^ii^Sco - % ° ?- s^w^SS^^rw'C ° P^&frJ^^ASSS^'/o- o F/SHEAS FALLS, MEWSTED.TP. c° Jf.y. j/Jf.S. of the WZUvLge, of AJtroT^.) X6.Syu.Ltr 1848. ERIE COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 79 A couple of miles distant, still following the brow of the terrace, and not far back of the village of Clarence, was for merly another similar work now completely destroyed. Still a mile beyond is another (Plate XL, No. 1), which, although upon grounds which have been cleared, is yet perfect. It is situated upon a sandy, slightly elevated peninsula, which pro jects into a low tangled swamp. A narrow strip of dry ground connects it with the higher lands, which border the swamp on the south. It is small, containing less than an acre. The em bankment does not preserve uniform dimensions, but has per haps an average height of three feet. The ditch, too, is irregu lar, both in width and depth, owing probably in some degree to the rocky substratum, which in some places comes nearly or quite to the surface of the ground. The stumps of immense pine trees are standing within the work, as also upon its walls. Here, too, are to be found caches, fragments of pottery, etc. The position, for purposes of concealment and defence, is ad mirably chosen, and recalls to mind the famous stronghold of the Narragansetts in Rhode Island, destroyed in 1676 by the New England colonists under Winthrop and Church. A short distance from this work, upon the brow of a neigh boring elevation, a number of human skeletons have been ex posed by the plough. They probably mark the site of an In dian cemetery. A mile to the eastward, upon a dry, sandy spot, is another of the " bone pits " already several times re ferred to, which is estimated, by those who excavated it origi nally, to have contained four hundred skeletons heaped promis cuously together. They were of individuals of every age and sex. In the same field are found a great variety of Indian relics, also brass cap and belt plates, and other remains of Eu ropean origin. Not far distant, some lime burners discovered, a year or two since, a skeleton surrounded by a quantity of rude ornaments. It had been placed in the cleft of the rock, the mouth of which was covered by a large flint stone Passing onward in the same direction which we have been 80 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. pursuing, we come to the Batavia and Buffalo road, the great thoroughfare over which, previous to the construction of the railroad and canal, passed the entire western trade and travel. Here, at a point a few miles from Clarence, known as the " Vandewater Farm," are the traces of another work. A few sections alone remain, barely sufficient to indicate that it was of considerable size. The road passes through its centre. PLATE XI. No. 2. Ancient Work, Fisher's Falls, Newsted Township, Erie County, New York. THE sole remaining work in this county which was person ally examined by the author is the one here presented. It is situated five miles eastward of the locality last noticed, at a place known as " Fisher's Falls," in the town of Newsted, upon the banks of a creek, at present barbarously designated " Mur der Creek." The creek here plunges down into a deep, nar row gorge with precipitous banks, which continues to the edge of the terrace a fourth of a mile distant. The relative position of the work, which is of large size, is correctly designated on the plan. It is now under cultivation, and is much reduced from its original elevation, but can be traced without difficulty throughout its extent. The older inhabitants affirm that the walls were originally five feet in height, and the ditch of cor responding proportions. Traces of the ancient caches are yet to be observed ; and without the inclosure is a rock, the sur face of which bears a number of artificial depressions hollowed out by the Indians — the rude mortars in which they pounded their corn. This work occurs upon the old Indian trail, which extended from the Genesee River to Batavia, and thence to Buffalo and Niagara. A branch of this trail, after striking the limestone CHATJTAUQUE COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 81 ledge at Tonawanda Creek, followed along its brow to Buffalo Creek. It diverged inwardly at the point under notice, so as to escape the impassable ravine already mentioned. Kirkland, missionary to the Senecas in 1787, passed along this trail on his way to Buffalo, and incidentally refers to a work which he encountered after crossing Tonawanda Creek, and which is probably the one here figured. Besides the ancient remains here noticed, there are no doubt many others of which no information has yet been obtained. It is not probable, however, that they possess any novel fea tures, or differ materially in any respect from those already described. Some " bone pits," in addition to those already mentioned, occur in Clarence township, and will be noticed in another connection. This county abounds in traces of recent Indian occupancy; in fact, the rude cabins of the aborigines have scarcely crumbled away, since they deserted their favorite haunts upon the banks of the Buffalo Creek and its tributaries. A small band are at bay upon the borders of the Tonawanda, sullenly defying the grasping cupidity of those who, Shylock-like, sustained by frau dulent contracts, are impatient to anticipate the certain doom which impends over this scanty remnant, and would deny them the poor boon of laying their bones beside those of their fathers. CHAUTAUQUE COUNTY. THIS county abounds in ancient monuments ; but no oppor tunity was afforded of examining them during the progress of the investigations here recorded. It is probable they are but a continuation of the series extending through Erie county, (which adjoins Chautauque on the northeast,) and it is not likely they present any new features. 82 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. One of the most remarkable occupies an eminence in Sheri dan township, four miles east of Fredonia, on the banks of Beaver Creek. It corresponds, in all respects, with the hill- works already described. Another of like character occurs in the southern part of the same township. MONTGOMERY COUNTY. PLATE XII. Ancient Work, Minden Township. THE work here figured is, in many respects, the most remark able in the State. It is the only one known which is situated upon waters flowing into the Hudson River. Its nearest neigh bors upon the west are the ancient works in Onondaga county, a hundred miles distant. Between it and the Atlantic, we are not aware of the existence of a single monument of like cha racter. It occurs upon the banks of the Otstungo Creek, a branch of the Otsquago — itself a tributary of the Mohawk, about four miles in a southwestern direction from Fort Plain, in the town of Minden. It is known in the vicinity by the name of " In dian Hill.'11 The position is admirably chosen, and is naturally by far the strongest and most defensible of any which fell un der the observation of the author in the entire course of his explorations in this State. It is a high point of land project ing into a bend of the creek, which upon one side has cut away the slate rock, so that it presents a mural front upwards of one hundred feet in height, and entirely inaccessible. Upon the opposite side is a ravine, within which flows a small stream. Here the slope, though not precipitous, is very abrupt ; and if XII. «ip *OQ£*t*avc.I*iGJt. B.G S MONTGOMERY COUNTY EARTH-WORKS, ETC. 83 a line of palisades were carried along its brow, it would be en tirely inaccessible to a savage assailant. Across the narrow isthmus which connects this headland with the adjacent high grounds, is an embankment and ditch two hundred and forty feet in length, extending from the precipice upon the south to the brow of the ravine on the north, along which, curving in ward, it is carried for some distance, terminating at a gigantic pine six feet in diameter. It has been supposed by some that this tree has grown upon the embankment since it was erected ; but it seems most likely that it was the starting point of the ancient builders. The wall is not of uniform height, but at the most elevated point rises perhaps six feet above the bottom of the ditch. No gateway is apparent, but one may have ex isted where the " wood road " now crosses the entrenched line. The plan will afford an accurate idea of the position and its natural strength. The inclosed area is about seven hundred feet long by four hundred and fifty broad at its widest part, and contains very nearly six acres. It is densely covered with immense pines throwing over it a deep gloom, and, with the murmur of the stream at the foot of the precipice, impressing the solitary visitor with feelings of awe, which the professed antiquary might deem it a weakness to acknowledge. Fragments of pottery and a variety of rude implements, as also copper kettles and other articles of European origin, have been found upon excavation within the inclosure and in its immediate vicinity. At c and d, skeletons -have been disclosed by the plough. They were well preserved, and had been bu ried, according to the Indian custom, in a sitting posture. The valley of the Mohawk in this vicinity, it is well known, was the favorite seat of the tribe whose name it bears, and has been made classical ground by the stirring incidents of our early history. It was here the Indians maintained themselves until the period of the Revolution, and it seems probable that it was they who erected the work in question at an earlier or 84 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. later date in their history.* It corresponds in position and character with the works of the other parts of the State, and is precisely such a structure as we might expect to find erected by a very rude people. It could not be ascertained that there are any traditions connected with it ; in fact, its existence is scarcely known beyond its immediate vicinity. The first inti mation concerning it was derived from 0. MORRIS, Esq., of the New York Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, to whom the author would convey his acknowledgments. * In the London Documents preserved in the Office of the Secretary of State, is a paper containing the observations of Wentworth Green- halgh, who in 1677 made a journey from Albany among the Indians to the westward. The following notices of the towns of the Maquaes, or Mohawks, are interesting in this connection : " The Maquaes have four towns, viz. : Cahainaga, Canagora, Canajorha, Tionondogue, besides one small village about 110 miles from Albany. " Cahainaga is double stockaded round ; has four ports, about four feet wide apiece ; contains about twenty-four houses ; and is situate upon the edge of a hill, about a bow-shot from the river side. " Canagora is only singly stockaded, has four ports like the other, contains about sixteen houses, and is situated upon a flat about a stone's throw from the water's edge. " Canajorha is also singly stockaded, with like number of houses, and a similar situation only about two miles distant from the water. " Tionondogue is doubly stockaded round, has four ports, four feet wide apiece, contains about thirty houses, and is situated on a hill about a bow-shot from the river." — Documentary History of New York, Vol. I., p. 11. The Indian town of Canajoharie, or, as it was sometimes called, " Mid dle Mohawk Castle," says Mr. L. H. Morgan, in his valuable " Letters on the Iroquois," was situated at the junction of the creek referred to in the text, the Ot-squa-go, and the Mohawk. " It occupied a little eminence near the present site of Fort Plain, which the Indians called Car-rag-jo-res, The Hill of Health. The name of the village, in the Onei- da dialect, Can-a-jo-har-d-ld-ga, signified a kettle inverted on a pole" XJH. jr.*/. PALOSAIH OF THE SENECA S, HEAR GfMEVA , M.Y. SCAL E . S.S.f PMHI&BII • >\\ V \ CHAPTER III. PALISADED INCLOSURES. BESIDES the earth-works which have already been described, and which furnish the principal objects of antiquarian interest in the State, occasional traces are found of defensive structures of a probably later date. These traces consist chiefly of a suc cession of small holes in the earth, caused by the decay of wooden palisades erected without the addition of an embankment and trench. These holes, which are never visible in cultivated grounds, enable us to follow the outlines and make out the forms of the structures which once existed where they are found. Some of these, as that of Ganundasaga near Geneva, are known to have been occupied within the historical period. And although it seems probable that the embankments of all the inclosures already described were originally crowned with palisades, still I have thought the difference between these and simple palisaded works sufficiently marked to constitute the basis of a classification. We may also premise what in the se quel will probably admit of no doubt in any mind, that these two classes of works are of different eras, though possessing a common origin. PLATE XIII. No. 1. " Ganundasaga Castk? near Geneva. Ontario County, New York. THE traces of this palisaded work are very distinct, and its outline may be followed with the greatest ease. Its preserva tion is entirely due to the circumstance that at the time of the cession of their lands at this point, the Senecas made it a spe- 86 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. cial condition that this spot should never be brought under cultivation. " Here." said they, " sleep our fathers, and they cannot rest well if they hear the plough of the white man above them." The stipulations made by the purchasers have been religiously observed. The site of this ancient palisade slopes gently toward a little stream, called Ganundasaga Creek, which supplied the occu pants of the fort with water. The ground is covered with a close greensward, and some of the apple trees planted by the Indians are still flourishing. In form the work was nearly rectangular, having small bastions at the northwestern and southeastern angles. At a and b are small heaps of stone, bearing traces of exposure to fire, which are probably the re mains of forges or fireplaces. The holes formed by the decay of the pickets are now about a foot deep. A fragment of one of the pickets was removed by Mr. L. H. Morgan, of Rochester, in 1847, and is now in the State Cabinet at Albany. It is of oak. A few paces to the northward of the old fort is a low mound with a broad base, and undoubtedly of artificial origin. It is now about six feet high, and is covered with depressions mark ing the graves of the dead. There is a tradition current among the Indians concerning this mound, to the effect that here in the olden time was slain a powerful giant, above whom the earth was afterward heaped. They believe that the bones of this giant may be found at the base. It would be interesting for a variety of reasons to have this mound excavated. By whatever people erected, it is certain that it was extensively used by the Senecas for purposes of burial. In the cultivated fields surrounding the interesting works here described, numerous relics have been discovered — chiefly, however, of European origin. This fort was destroyed by Sullivan in 1779. He burned the palisade, destroyed the crops in the adjoining fields, and cut down most of the fruit trees which the Indians had planted. PALISADED INCLOSURES. 87 The name Ga-nun-da-sa-ga, given to this locality, Mr. Mor gan informs us, in his " Letters on the Iroquois," signified a new village, or the place of a new settlement, and was also the aboriginal name of the lake, and the creek upon which the In dian village was situated. Geneva was christened Ga-nun-da- sa-ga "by the Senecas, and was known among them by that name exclusively. Mr. Morgan also gives us the following interesting tradition connected with the mound above described. " A Seneca of giant proportions having wandered west to the Mississippi, . and from thence east again to the sea-coast, about the period of the colonization of the country, received a gun from a vessel, together with some ammunition, and an explanation of its use. Having returned to the Senecas at Ga-nun-da-sa-ga, he exhibited to them the wonderful implement of destruction, the first they had ever seen, and taught them how to use it. Soon after, from some mysterious cause, he was found dead ; and this mound was raised over him on the place where he lay. It is averred by the Indians that if the mound should be opened, a skeleton of supernatural size would be found beneath it." PLATE XIII. No. 2. Palisaded Work of the Senecas. Seneca Township, Ontario County, New York. THIS work is situated about four miles to the northwest of that last described, upon a high ridge of land extending north and south, and parallel to and not far distant from another on which is situated an ancient earth-work figured on Plate VII., No. I. A cross road from the " Castle Street Road " to the town of Vienna runs along the crown of the ridge, and longitu dinally through the work under notice. Upon the right of this road the ground has been cultivated, and here the outlines of 88 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. the work are obliterated. Traces of several caches which existed within the lines may however yet be seen. Upon the left, the forest still remains undisturbed ; and here the outlines of the inclosure are quite distinct, yet not sufficiently marked to arrest the attention of the passer. The indications are precisely the same as in the work at Ganundasaga. Fragments of pottery, pipes, and other relics exactly corresponding with those which are so frequent in the earth-works described in a previous chapter, are also found in abundance upon this site. The work does not appear to have had bastions, and is probably of more ancient date than the one just noticed. PLATE XIII. No. 3. Ancient Work of the Cayugas, Ledyard Township, Cayuga County, New York. THIS work is found about twelve miles southwest of Auburn, in the town of Ledyard, Cayuga county. It forms a good il lustration of the character of the aboriginal defences. It is situated upon a high point of ground, formed by the junction of two immense ravines, which here sink some hundreds of feet below the table-lands. A narrow spur, hardly wide enough to permit two to walk abreast, extends down to the bottom of the ravines, starting from the extreme point of the headland. It is still called the " Indian Path," and affords a practicable de scent to the water. At every other point the banks are almost, if not entirely inaccessible. At some distance inward, extending from the bank of one ravine to the other, was originally a line of palisades. The holes left by their decay are still distinct, each about eight inches in diameter. The position is eminently a strong one, and, under the system of attack practiced by the Indians, must have been impregnable. Within the inclosure are to be found caches and other features common to the class XJII. PALISADED INCLOSURES. 89 of works previously described, and with which this work entirely coincides, except that the embankment is wanting. So far as could be ascertained, there is no tradition current respecting this work. Still, as it is known that the principal towns of the Cayugas existed in this vicinity until a very late date, there can be no doubt that this was one of their places of last resort. Very many traces of their former occupancy occur here and along the eastern shores of Cayuga Lake. PLATE XIV. No. 1. Ancient Work of the Senecas, near Victor, Ontario County. New York. THE site occupied by the work here figured and the country adjacent, derives considerable interest from its historical asso ciations. Recent investigations have satisfactorily determined that the Marquis De Nonville penetrated here in his celebrated expedition against the Senecas, in 1687 ; and there is good reason to believe that the traces at present existing are those of the palisaded fort which was destroyed at that time. They occupy the summit of a high hill, so steep upon most sides as to be ascended only with the greatest difficulty. The line of the palisades can now be traced only at intervals ; but from the nature of the ground and the recollection of persons familiar with the site before it was disturbed by the plough, it was found easy to restore with accuracy the parts which have been oblit erated. The sole entrance which can now be made out is at the point marked by the letter a, where the palisades were carried for some distance inward, leaving an open rectangular space, which may have been occupied by a block -house or some thing equivalent. Nearly in front, and at the bottom of a deep and narrow ravine, a copious spring starts out from the hill ; 90 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. probably the one alluded to by De Nonville in his letter of the 25th of August, 1687. "On the next day," says this commander, "the 14th of July, we marched to one of the large villages of the Senecas, where we encamped. We found it burned and a fort nearly quite abandoned ; it was very advantageously situated on a hill. * * * We remained at the four Seneca villages for ten days. All the time was spent in destroying the corn, which was in such great abundance that the loss, including the old corn which was in cache which we burnt, was computed at 400,000 minots (1,200.000 bushels) of Indian corn." The large village alluded to here is no doubt the one which was situated on the eminence now known as "Boughton's Hill," where abundant traces of Indian occupancy at this period are found. These consist of copper kettles, French hatchets, bro ken gun-barrels, arrow-heads, pipes, pottery, burnt corn, etc. The iron recovered here at the time of the first settlement of the country, was sufficiently abundant to repay the cost of clearing the grounds. Indeed it was the source whence the early blacksmiths, for a long distance round, derived the iron for ordinary consumption ; and even now the smithies in the vicinity consume large quantities of the metal which the opera tions of agriculture continue to bring to light. The remains upon Boughton's Hill are mentioned by Mr. Clinton as corresponding in all respects with those which he observed in Onondaga county, and to which he was disposed to ascribe a high antiquity. They may all be referred to the same period, and no doubt mark the sites of Onondaga and Seneca villages in the 17th century.* * Having alluded to the expedition of De Nonville, it will not prove uninteresting to insert the following account of his attack on the Seneca towns, which we find in the " Rochester Democrat," translated from a MS. History of Canada, by M. L'Abbe de Belmont, discovered in the Royal Library of Paris, and printed, for private circulation, under the direction of the Historical Society of Quebec. For further information PLATE XIV PALISADED INCLOStlRES. 91 PLATE XIV. No. 2. Ancient Work of the Senecas, Livonia Township, Livingston County, New York. THE traces of another palisaded work, no doubt erected by the Senecas, but probably at a later period than that near Vic tor, may still be seen on the farm of Gen. Adams, in Livonia township, Livingston county, two miles northeast of the village of Livonia. respecting this famous expedition, the reader is referred to the memoirs upon that subject by Mr. 0. H. Marshall, published by the Historical Society of New York. After a long accoimt of the organization of the expedition, the Abbe de Belmont proceeds : "Never had Canada seen, and never perhaps will it see, a similar spectacle : three barques anchored opposite a camp, composed of one fourth regular troops, with the General's suite ; one fourth habitans in four battalions, with the gentry of the country ; one fourth Christian Indians ; and, finally, a crowd of all the barbarous nations, naked, tattooed and painted over the body with all sorts of figures, wearing horns on their heads, queues down their backs, armed with arrows. We could hear during the night a multitude of languages, and songs and dances in every tongue. The Tsonnontouans (Senecas) came to reconnoitre us, and then went to burn their village and take to flight. " We entered and pushed our batteaux into the water of the little lake of Atcniatarontague (Irondequoit) ; built a fort, and took our depar ture from it on the 12th of July, toward evening. M. de Callieres, Lt. General, led the advanced guard, composed of three hundred Christian Indians on the right, commanded by M. de Sainte Hilene. The pagan savages on the left with three companies — 100 Ottawas, 800 Poux, 100 Chaouanons or Illinois, and 50 Hurons commanded by the interpreters, Nicholas Perrot, Micheloque and Penan, with the runners and volun teers in the centre, making from eight to nine hundred men. At some distance after the advanced guard, came the main body of four battal ions of regulars and four of militia. M. the Marquis was at the head of the regular troops, and M. Dugue of the militia. " The march was a little hurried; the wearied troops were dying of thirst ; the day was hot. The two bodies found themselves too distant 92 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. It occupied a beautiful, broad swell of land, not commanded by any adjacent heights. Upon the west side of the lines is a fine, copious spring ; for which the Indians had constructed a large basin of loose stones. The form and dimensions of the work are given in the accompanying plan. Upon a little ele vation to the left, as also in the forest to the northward, are from each other. The scouts, too, were deceived ; for having come to the deserts (barrens or plains) of Gaensara, (Victor,) they found five or six women who were going round in the fields. This was a lure which the Iroquois held out to the French to make them believe that they were all in their village. In fact, this was the cause of the hasty march of the Marquis, who wished to surround the town before their leaving it. But the principal cause of all that happened was that Garistatsi and Gannagenroguen Agniers (Mohawks) stole from the barque in the night, and went to the Tsonnontouans and told them our number, our plan, and above all, that the savages carried on their heads red head-dresses. " Thereupon all the warriors took off their breech-clothes in order to pass for the Ottawas, who do not wear them, and made them into head dresses, which was of service in enabling them to pass for our allies. Finally the women and old men, loaded with what they had of value, fled to Oniongouen (Cayuga). All the warriors, to the number of eight hundred, having burned their village, resolved to prepare an ambuscade. " The territory of Gaensara is very hilly. The village is upon a high hill, which is mounted by three little hills or terraces ; at the foot is a valley, and opposite some other hills, between which passes a large brook overhung with woods, descending and rapid, Avhich in the valley makes a little marsh, covered with alders. This is the place which they selected for their ambuscade. They divided themselves, posted three hundred men along the falling brook between two hills, in a great thicket of beech trees, and 500 at the bottom of these hills in the marsh and among the alders, with the idea that the first ambuscade of three hundred men should let the army pass and then attack them in the rear, which would force it to fall into the second ambuscade which was con cealed at the bottom of the hills in the marsh. They deceived them selves, nevertheless ; for as the advanced guard which M. de Callieres cammanded was very distant from the body under the command of the Marquis, they believed that it was the entire army. Accordingly as the advanced guard passed near the thicket of beeches, after making a horrible whoop (sakaqua), they fired a volley. "It is inevitably very disadvantageous to be taken by surprise and PALISADED INCLOSURES. 93 extensive cemeteries. Many articles of comparatively late date are found in the graves. The area of the work was about ten acres. Three miles to the eastward formerly existed the traces of a work represented to have been octangular in shape, and of considerable size. It has been wholly obliterated. fall into an ambush. The Ottawas and the heathen Indians all fled ; they were at the left of the French advanced guard composed of the three companies of Du Luth, La Durantajre and Tonti, which they left exposed. The Christian Indians of the Mountain and the Sault, and the Abe- naquis held fast and gave two volleys. " M. the Marquis advanced with the main body, composed of the Royal troops, to occupy the height of the hill where there was a little fort of pickets ; but the terror and disorder of the surprise were such that there was only M. de Valrenne who distinguished himself there, and M. Dugue, who, bringing up the rear-guard, rallied the battalion of Berthier which was in flight, and being at the head of that of Montreal, fired two hundred shots. M. the Marquis en chemise, sword in hand, drew up the main body in battle order and beat the drums at a time that scarcely any one was to be seen. This frightened the three hun dred Tsonnontouans of the ambuscade, who fled from above toward the 500 who were ambushed below. The fear that all the world was upon them, made them fly with so much precipitation that they left their blankets in a heap and nothing more was seen of them. " A council was held ; it was resolved, as it was late, to sleep on the field of battle for fear of another surprise. On going into the place of the ambuscade, 14 Iroquois were found dead or dying. Their heads were cut off and brought into camp. One of those still alive said that there were 800 of them — 300 above and 500 below — and that the Onion- gouens (Cayugas) were to come the next day, which was the reason that they stayed where they were. There were found at several places, during the succeeding days, provisions and some other dead savages — or if not dead our men killed them. "For our loss. Father Angelran, a celebrated Missionary to the Ottawas, was shot through the thighs ; among the French, Nantara, Filliatro and others were killed. " Among our savages, were slain Tegaretouan Le Soleil, of the mountain, a brave Christian in every respect ; Oyernatariben, La Cen- dre Chaud (Hot Ashes), of the Sault. Ooniagon, Le Ciel des Tionnonta- tes, Huron. Three wounded savages and many Frenchmen, who suffered 94 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. In Queen's county there were, some years ago, traces of abo riginal works, which seem to have differed very slightly from a portion of those just noticed. They are thus described by Judge Samuel Jones, in a notice of the local history of Oyster Bay, written in 1812: " When this part of Long Island was first settled by the Europeans, they found two fortifications in the neighborhood of Oyster Bay, upon a neck of land ever since called, from that circumstance, ' Fort Neck.' One of them, the remains of which are very conspicuous, is on the southernmost point of land on the neck adjoining the Salt Meadow. It is nearly, if not exactly, a square ; each side of which is about one hundred feet in length. The breastwork or parapet is of earth ; and there is a ditch on the outside, which appears to have been about six feet wide. The other was on the southernmost point a great deal, were brought in, borne upon litters by our men, who relieved each other several times each day. " On the morrow we marched in battle order, watching for an attack. We descended the hill by a little sloping valley or gorge, through which ran a brook bordered with thick bushes, and which discharges itself at the foot of the hill in a marsh full of deep mud, but planted with alders so thick that one could scarcely see. There it was that they had stationed their two ambuscades, and where perhaps we would have been defeated, if they had not mistaken our advanced guard for the whole army, and been so hasty in firing. The Marquis acted very prudently in not pur suing them, for it \vas a trick of the Iroquois to draw us into a greater ambuscade. The marsh, which is about twenty acres (arpens) in extent, being passed, we found about two or three hundred wretched blankets, several miserable guns, and began to perceive the famous Babylon of the Tsonnontouans, a city or village of bark, situate at the top of a mountain of earth, to which one rises by three terraces (hills). It appeared to us, from a distance, to be crowned with round towers, but these were only large chests (drums) of bark about four feet in length, set the one in the other, some five feet in diameter, in which they keep their Indian corn. The village had been burnt by themselves ; it was now eight days since. We found nothing entire in the town except the town cemetery and the graves. It was filled with snakes and animals, a great mask with teeth and eyes of brass, and a bear-skin with which they PALISADED INCLOSURES. 95 of the Salt Meadow, adjoining the bay, and consisted of pali sades set in the ground. The tide has worn away the meadow where the fort stood, and the place is now part of the bay and covered with water ; but my father has often told me that within his memory part of the palisades were still standing. In the bay, between the Salt Meadow and the beach, are two islands of marsh, called Squaw Islands ; and the uniform tra dition among the Indians is, that the forts were erected by their ancestors for defence against their enemies, and that upon the approach of a foe, they sent their women and children to these islands, which were in consequence called Squaw Isl ands."* Examples of this class of aboriginal remains might be greatly multiplied. Those, however, which have already been pre sented, will serve sufficiently to illustrate their character. In juggle in their cabins. There were in the four corners great boxes of grain which they had not burnt. Thejr had, outside this post, their Indian corn in a picket fort at the top of a little mountain, steep (or cut down, scarped) on all sides, where it was knee high, throughout the fort. " The Tsonnontouans have four large villages, which they change every ten years, in order to bring themselves near the woods and to permit them to grow up again. They call them Gaensara, Tohaiton, which are the two larger, Onnontague, Onnenaba, which are smaller. In the last dwells Ganonketahoui, the principal chief. We cut the standing grain, already ripe enough to eat, and burned the old. It was estimated that we burnt one hundred thousand minots of old grain, and a hundred and fifty thousand minots of that standing in the field, besides the beans, and the hogs that we killed. Sixty persons died of wounds received in the battle, and a multitude perished of want; many fled beyond the great mountains of Onnontague, which separate them from Virginia, and went to dwell in the country of the Adastoez ; the greater part of the captives dispersed, and since that time the Tsonnontouanne nation, which counted ten thousand souls in all, has been reduced to half that number. From here, against the expectations of the Indians, who believed that we were going to Cayuga, Onondaga and the other Iroquois cantons, we went to establish a fort at Niagara, where we arrived after three days' journey." * Coll. N. Y. Hist. Soc., Vol. III., p. 338. 96 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. all are found relics corresponding in every particular with those discovered within the walls of the earth-works described in the preceding chapter, but usually with the addition of articles of later date and known European origin. This circumstance is not without its importance in estimating the probable depend ence between the two classes of remains. CHAPTER IV. MOUNDS, BONE-HEAPS, ETC. VARIOUS references to mounds or tumuli, resembling those found in the Valley of the Mississippi, have been made in the preceding pages. These mounds are far from numerous, and hardly deserve a separate notice. It is, nevertheless, an inter esting fact to know that isolated examples occur, in situations where it is clear no dependence exists between them and the grand system of earth-works of the Western States. It serves to sustain the conclusion that the savage Indian tribes occa sionally constructed mounds ; which are, however, rather to be considered as accidents than the results of a general practice. The purposes of the mounds of New York, so far as can be de termined, seem uniformly to have been those of sepulture. They generally occur upon commanding or remarkable posi tions. Most of them have been excavated, under the impulse of an idle curiosity, or have had their contents scattered by " money-diggers," a ghostly race, of which, singularly enough, even at this day, representatives may be found in almost every village. I was fortunate enough to discover one upon Tona- wanda Island, in Niagara River, which had escaped their mid night attentions. It was originally about fifteen feet in height. At the base appeared to have been a circle of stones, perhaps ten feet in diameter, within which were several small heaps of bones, each comprising three or four skeletons. The bones are of individuals of all ages, and had evidently been deposited after the removal of the flesh. Traces of fire were to be dis covered upon the stones. Some chippings of flint and broken arrow-points, as also some fragments of deer's horns, which ap- 5 98 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. peared to have been worked into form, were found among the bones. The skulls had been crushed by the superincumbent earth. The mounds which formerly existed in Erie, Genesee, Mon roe, Livingston, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Chenango, and Dela ware counties, all appear to have contained human bones, in greater or less quantities, deposited promiscuously, and em bracing the skeletons of individuals of all ages and both sexes. They, probably, all owe their origin to a practice common to many of the North American tribes, of collecting together, at fixed intervals, the bones of their dead, and finally depositing them with many and solemn ceremonies. They were some times heaped together so as to constitute mounds ; at others, placed in pits or trenches dug in the earth ; and it is probable they were in some instances buried in separate graves, placed in long ranges, or deposited in caverns, either promiscuously or with regularity. The period when this second burial took place occurred at different intervals among the different tribes, but was univer sally denominated the " Festival of the Dead." Bartram. speaking of the burial customs of the Floridian Indians, says : " After the bone-house is full, a general solemn funeral takes place. The nearest kindred and friends of the deceased, on a day appointed, repair to the bone-house, take up the respective coffins, and, following one another in the order of seniority, the nearest relations and connections attending their respective corpses, and the multitude succeeding them, singing and la menting alternately, slowly proceed to the place of general interment, when they place the coffins in order, forming a pyra mid. Lastly, they cover all over with earth, which raises a conical hill or mount. They then return to town in order of solemn procession, concluding the day with a festival, which is called the ' Feast of the Dead.' "* The author here quoted * Travels, p. 514. MOUNDS, BONE-HEAPS, ETC. 99 adds, in a note, that it was the opinion of some ingenious men with whom he had conversed, " that all those artificial pyra midal hills, usually called ' Indian Mounts,' were raised on such occasions, and are generally sepulchres ;" from which opinion he takes occasion to dissent. There is no doubt a wide difference between the mounds thus formed and the great bulk of those connected with the vast ancient inclosures of the Western States. The large cemeteries which have been discovered in Ten nessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio, seem to have resulted from a similar practice. In these the skeletons were generally packed in rude coffins composed of flat stones, placed in ranges of great extent. The circumstance that many of these coffins were not more than two or three feet in length, gave rise to the notion of the former existence here of a pigmy race. The discovery of iron and some articles of European origin in one of these cemeteries, in the vicinity of Augusta, Kentucky, shows that this mode of burial existed at a late period among the Indians in that direction. The "bone pits" which occur in some parts of Western New York, Canada, Michigan, etc., have unquestionably a cor responding origin. Several of these have been described in a previous chapter. They are of various sizes, but usually con tain a large number of skeletons. In a few instances the bones appear to have been arranged with some degree of regularity. One of these pits discovered some years ago, in the town of Cambria, Niagara county, was estimated to contain the bones of several thousand individuals.* Another which I visited in * This locality was visited and examined by Mr. 0. Turner, of Buffalo, in 1823. The account of this gentleman is published in his history of the " Holland Purchase," p. 27, and is as follows : " The location commands a view of Lake Ontario and the surrounding country. An area of six acres of level land seems to have been occu pied ; fronting which, upon the circular verge of the mountain, were the distinct remains of a wall. Nearly in the centre of the area was a de- 100 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. the town of Clarence. Erie county, contained not less than four hundred skeletons. A deposit of bones comprising a large number of skeletons was found, not long since, in making some excavations in the town of Black Rock, situated on Niagara River, in Erie county. They were arranged in a circle, with their heads radiating from a large copper kettle, which had been placed in the centre, and filled with bones. Various im plements both of modern and remote date had been placed beside the skeletons. In Canada similar deposits are frequent. Accounts of their discovery and character have appeared in various English pub lications, among which may be named the " British Colonial Newspaper," of September 24th, 1847, and the "Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal," for July, 1848. From a commu nication in the latter, by Edward "W. Bawtree, M.D., the sub joined interesting facts are derived. A quantity of human bones was found in one spot, in 1846, near Barrie, and also a pit containing human bones near St. Vincent's. Great numbers were found in the latter, with several copper and brass kettles, and various trinkets and ornaments in common use among the Indians. This discovery led to the examination of a similar pit, about seven miles from Penetan- queshene, in the township of Giny. " This pit was accident ally noticed by a Canadian while making sugar in the neigh borhood. He was struck by its appearance and the peculiar pository of the dead. It was a pit excavated to the depth of four or five feet, filled with human bones, over which were piles of sandstone. Hundreds seem to have been thrown in promiscuously, of both sexes and all ages. Numerous barbs or arrow-points were found among the bones and in the vicinity. It has been conjectured that this had been the scene of some sanguinary battle, and that these are the bones of the slain. A tree, standing directly over the spot, had been cut down, upon the stump of which could be counted 230 concentric circles of growth. Rude fragments of pottery, pieces of copper, and iron instruments of rude workmanship, had been ploughed up within the area ; also charred wood, corn, and cobs." MOUNDS, BONE-HEAPS, ETC. 101 sound produced at the bottom by stamping there ; and, in turn ing up earth to a little depth, was surprised to find a quan tity of human bones. It was more accurately examined in September. 1847, and found to contain, besides a great number of human skeletons, of both sexes and all ages, twenty-six cop per and brass kettles and boilers ; three large conch-shejls ; pieces of beaver-skin in tolerable preservation ; a fragment of a pipe ; a large iron ax, evidently of French manufacture ; some human hair (that of a woman) ; a copper bracelet ; and a quantity of flat auricular beads, perforated through the centre. " The form of the pit is circular, with an elevated margin ; it is about fifteen feet in diameter, and before it was opened was probably nine feet deep from the level of its margin to its centre and bottom ; it was, in one word, funnel-shaped. It is situated on the top of a gentle rise, with a shallow ravine on the east side, through which, at certain seasons, runs a small stream. The soil is light, free from stones, and dry. A small iron-wood tree, about two inches in diameter, is growing in the centre of the pit. " The kettles in the pit were found ranged at the bottom, resting on pieces of bark, and filled with bones. They had evidently been covered with beaver-skins. The shells and the ax were found in the intervals be tween the kettles. The beads were in the kettles among the bones, gen erally in bunches or strings. " The kettles, of which Fig. 9 is an example, resemble those in use at the present day, and appear to be formed of sheet copper, the rim be- FIG. 9. ing beaten out so as to cover an iron band which passes around the mouth of the vessel. The iron handle, by which they were suspended, hooks into eyes attached to the band above men tioned. The smallest holds about six gallons ; the largest, not far from sixteen gallons. The copper is generally very well 102 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. preserved ; the iron, however, is much corroded. Two of the kettles were of brass. FIG. 10. " The largest of the conch-shells, Fig. 10, weighs three pounds and a quarter, and measures fourteen inches in its longest dia meter. Its outer surface has lost its polish, and is quite honey combed by age and decomposition ; the inside still retains its smooth, lamellated surface. It has lost its color, and appears like chalk. A piece had been cut from its base, probably for making the beads that were found in it.* From the base of the columella of the smallest shell a piece had been cut, evidently for the purpose of manufacturing beads. The extreme point of the base of each shell had a perforation through it. "The ax, Fig. 11, is of nearly the same model with the tomahawk now in use among the Chippeway Indians, though very much larger, measuring eleven inches in length and six inches and a half along its cutting edge. Numbers of these have been found in the neighborhood on newly cleared land. " The pipe is imperfect. It is made of * Dr. Bern W. Budd, of New York, states that this shell, the pyrula perversa, abounds in the Gulf of Mexico and particularly in Mobile Bay. It has also been found by the officers of the U. S. Coast Survey as far north as Cape Fear, in North Carolina. MOUNDS, BONE-HEAPS. ETC. 103 the earthenware of which so many specimens are found in the neighborhood, in the form of vessels and pipes. The spots where the manufacture of these articles was carried on are still to be seen in some places. " The beads are formed of a white, chalky substance, varying in degree of density and hardness ; they are accurately circular, with a circular perforation in the centre ; of different sizes, from a quarter to half an inch, or rather more, in diameter ; but nearly all of the same thickness, not quite the eighth of an inch. They may be compared to a peppermint lozenge with a hole through the centre. They were found in bunches or strings, and a good many were still closely strung on a fibrous, woody substance. The bracelet is a simple band of copper, an inch and a half broad, closely fitting the wrist. The hair is long, evidently that of a woman, and quite fresh in appearance. " Another pit, about two miles from that just noticed, was also examined in September. It is considerably smaller, being not more than nine feet in diameter, by about the same original depth. It is situated on rising ground, in a light, sandy soil, and there is nothing remarkable in its position. A beech tree, six inches thick, grew from its centre. It contained about as many skeletons as the other pit, but had no kettles in it. The bones were of individuals of both sexes, and of all ages. Among them were a few foetal bones. Many of the skulls bore marks of violence, leading to the belief that they were broken before burial. One was pierced by a round hole, like that produced by a musket -ball. A single piece of a brass vessel was found in the pit ; it had been packed in furs. A large number of shell beads, of various sizes, were also ^ found here. Besides these, there were some cylindrical pieces of earthenware and porcelain or glass tubes, from an inch to a quarter of an inch in diameter, and from a quarter to two inches long.* The former had the * These were clearly the European imitations of the much-prized Indian wampum. 104 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. appearance of red and white tobacco-pipes, worn away by fric tion, the latter of red and white glass. A hexagonal body, with flat ends, about an inch and a half in diameter, and an inch thick, was also found. It was composed of some kind of porce lain, of hard texture, nearly vitreous, and much variegated in color, with alternate layers of red, blue, and white. It was perforated through the centre. " The third of these pits was examined in November, 1847. It is situated in the township of Oro, on elevated ground. The soil is a light, sandy loam. It measures about fifteen feet in diameter, has the distinctly defined elevated ring, but the centre less depressed than in those before examined, which may have resulted from the greater bulk of its contents. On its margin grew formerly a large pine, the roots of which had penetrated through the pit in every direction. The bones, which were of all sizes, were scarcely covered with earth. The skeletons amounted to several hundreds in number, and were well pre served. On some, pieces of tendon still remained, and the joints of the small bones in some cases were unseparated. Some of the skulls bore marks of violence. " As in the first noticed pit, so in this, were found twenty-six kettles — four of brass and the rest of copper — one conch-shell, one iron ax, and a number of the flat perforated shell beads. The kettles were arranged in the form of a cross through the centre of the pit, and in a row around the circumference. The points of this cross seem to have corresponded with the cardinal points of the compass. All except two of the kettles were placed with their mouths downward. The shell was found un der one of the kettles, which had been packed with beaver-skins and bark. The kettles were very well preserved, but had all been rendered useless by blows from a tomahawk. The holes were broken in the bases of the vessels. Should any doubt exist as to the purposes of these pits, the fact that the kettles were thus rendered unserviceable would tend to increase that MOUNDS, BONE-HEAPS, ETC. 105 doubt, as it appears to have been a proceeding so very contrary to the habits and ideas of the Indians in general.* "A pipe was found in this pit, described as having been composed of blue limestone or hard clay. On one side it had a human face, the eyes of which were formed of white pearly beads. An iron ax and sundry beads were also found here. " A fourth pit was opened in December, 1 847. It is situated on a gentle slope, in the second concession west of the Pene- tanqueshene road, in the township of Giny. In size it corre sponds very nearly with the two first described, and probably contained about the same number of skeletons. In it were found sixteen conch-shells ; a stone and clay pipe ; a number of copper bracelets and ear ornaments ; eleven beads of red pipe-stone ; copper arrow-heads ; a cup of iron resembling an old iron ladle ; beads of several kinds, and various fragments of furs. The shells were arranged around the bottom of the pit, not in a regular row, but in threes and fours ; the other articles were found mixed with the bones. The bones were of all sizes, and the skulls unin jured except by time. The accompanying sketch (Fig. 12) will sufficiently indicate the character of the pipes. The arrow-heads, as they are sup posed to have been, were simple folds of sheet copper, resembling a roughly-formed ferule to a FlG- 12> walking-stick. Besides the flat circular beads, which were found in great numbers, were a few cylindrical porcelain bead's, etc. The red stone beads were five eighths of an inch broad, * Dr. Bawtree is mistaken in supposing this practice uncommon. The Oregon Indians invariably render useless every article deposited with their dead, so as to remove any temptation to a desecration of the grave which might otherwise exist. A similar practice prevailed among the Floridian Indians. 5* 106 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. and three eighths thick, with small holes at one end, uniting with each other. " There is reason to believe that the above constitute but a very small proportion of the pits that may be found in this neighborhood. The French Canadians, now that their attention has been directed to the subject, say that they are of frequent occurrence in the woods. But besides these larger and more evident excavations, smaller ones of the same shape and appa rent character are often met with. They are usually called 1 potato pits.' So far as they have been examined, they do not contain deposits. Some appear to have been covered with bark at the bottom. One was examined in which were found some pieces of pottery and one or two human bones, mixed with stones and black mould ; which seemed to strengthen the supposition previously formed, that they were Indian graves from which the bones had been removed for interment in the large pits. " A fifth pit has also been examined. It occurs about eight miles from Penetanqueshene, near the centre of the town of Giny. Close by its side is another pit, which is not circular but elongated, with a mound on each side. At the brow of the hill, if it may be so called, and commencing about twenty yards from the pits, there is the appearance of a long ditch extending in a southwestern direction ; another ditch about half the length of this meets it at right angles on the top of the rising ground, and is continued a few yards beyond the point of junction ; a third ditch intersects the short one, as shown in the following plan. '• The two first ditches form two sides of a parallelogram ; but there is no sign of an inclosure at the other sides, where the ground is low and nearly level. The long ditch is seventy- five paces in length, the other half that length. The first ter minates at a moderate-sized gum tree, the latter at the foot of a large birch. These ditches appear to be a succession of small pits or graves, and have an average depth of from one to two feet. Excavation disclosed no bones. Upon the north side of MOUNDS, BONE-HEAPS, ETC. 107 the shorter and upper ditch, several Indian graves were found, not placed in any order, but scattered around at various dis- FIG. 13. tances apart. Three of these were examined and found to contain human bones. In one was an entire skeleton. No implements or ornaments accompanied the bones " The bones in the large pits were covered with three or four feet of earth, which is more than is usually found over them, and the marginal ring was in consequence less apparent. It contained very few relics besides the bones, which, from their 108 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. decayed condition, seemed to indicate that burials here were made at a very remote period." In Isle Ronde, situated near the extremity of Lake Huron, is a burial-place of the aborigines corresponding generally with those just described. It was visited in 1843 by Mr. School- craft, who states that the human remains appeared to have been gathered from their original place of sepulture and finally de posited here. The bones were all arranged longitudinally, from north to south, in a wide grave or trench. There is upon the same island an Indian cemetery of comparatively modern date, in which the interments were made in the ordinary way. Another similar burial-place was visited by Mr. Schoolcraft, in the town of Hamilton, seventeen miles west of the head of Lake Ontario. The burials had been made on a high, dry ridge, in long trenches and rude vaults ; the bones being piled upon each other longitudinally, as at Isle Ronde. The trenches extend over the entire ridge ; and one of these examined by Mr. Schoolcraft was estimated to include not less than fifteen hundred square feet. Various remains of art. pipes, shells, beads, etc., were found with the bones, and among them sev eral brass kettles, in one of which were five infant skulls. The origin of the various cemeteries above noticed admits of no doubt. The same practice which Bartram described as existing among the Floridians, and which we have reason to believe prevailed among the Indians of Tennessee, Kentucky, etc., also existed in a slightly modified form among the more northern tribes. They, too, had their solemn " Festival of the Dead," which is minutely described by Charlevoix, Brabeuf, Creuxius, and other early writers. Says Charlevoix : " This grand ceremony, the most curious and celebrated of all con nected with the Indian religion, took place every eight years among some of the tribes, every ten years among the Hurons and the Iroquois. It was called the ' Fete des Morts] Festival of the Dead, or i Feslin des Ames.1 " It commenced by the appointment of a place where they MOUNDS, BONE-HEAPS, ETC, 109 should meet. They then chose a president of the feast, whose duty it was to arrange everything and send invitations to the neighboring villages. The appointed day arrived, all the In dians assembled and went in procession, two and two, to the cemetery. Among some tribes of stationary habits, the ceme tery was a regular burial-ground outside the village. Some buried their dead at the foot of a tree, and others suspended them on scaffolds to dry ; this last was a common proceeding among them when absent from home on a hunting expedition, so that on their return they might more conveniently carry the body with them. " Arrived at the cemetery, they proceeded to search for the bodies ; they then waited for some time to consider in silence a spectacle so capable of furnishing serious reflections. The women first interrupted the silence by cries of lamentation, which increased the feeling of grief with which each person seemed overcome. They then used to take the bodies, arrange the separate and dry bones, and place them in packets to carry on their shoulders. If any of the bodies were not entirely de composed, they separated the flesh, washed the bones, and wrapped them in new beaver-skins. They then returned in the same procession in which they came, and each deposited his burden in his cabin. During the procession the women continued their lamentations, and the men testified the same marks of grief as on the death of the person whose bones they bore. This was followed by a feast in each house, in honor of the dead of the family. The succeeding days were considered as public days, and were spent in dancing, games, and combats, at which prizes were bestowed. From time to time they ut tered certain cries, which were called ' les cris des aims? u They made presents to strangers, and received presents from them on behalf of the dead. These strangers sometimes came a hundred and fifty leagues. They also took advantage of these occasions to treat on public affairs or select a chief. Everything passed with order, decency and moderation ; and 110 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. every one seemed overcome with sentiments suitable to the oc casion. Even the songs and dances expressed grief in some way. After some days thus spent, all went in procession to a grand council-room fitted for the occasion. They then suspended the bones and bodies in the same state as they had taken them from the cemetery, and placed there the presents intended for the dead. If among the skeletons there happened to be one of a chief, his successor gave a grand feast in his name. In some cases the bodies were paraded from village to village, and everywhere received with great demonstrations of grief and tenderness, and everywhere presents were made to them. They then took them to the spot designated as their final rest ing-place. All their ceremonies were accompanied with music, both instrumental and vocal, to which each marched in cadence. " The last and common place of burial was a large pit, which was lined with the finest skins and anything which they con sidered valuable. The presents destined for the dead were placed on one side ; and when the procession arrived, each family arranged itself on a sort of scaffold around the pit ; and as soon as the bodies were deposited, the women began again to cry and lament. Then all the assistants descended into the pit, and each person took a handful of earth, which he carefully preserved, supposing it would serve to give them success in their undertakings. The bodies and bones were arranged in order, and covered with furs and bark, over which were placed stones, wood and earth. Each person then returned to his home, but the women used to go back from day to day with some sagamatie (pounded parched corn)."* We have, in the quotation from Bartram on page 98, the evi dence, (not the most conclusive, it is true,) that some of the mounds of the South were general cemeteries, and not of a very high antiquity. * Charlevoix, Vol. II., p. 194, ubi supra ; Creuxii Historia Canaden- sis, p. 97. MOUNDS, BONE-HEAPS, ETC. Ill In a letter dated Mt. Sylvan, Mississippi, August, 1847, Mr. R. Morris presents the following facts respecting the mounds of that region. « A mound which I opened last summer, twelve miles southeast from this place, had in it not less than fifty full skeletons, all pretty near the surface. They were packed with out order, with layers of pounded clay between them. Those nearest the top were black and quite fresh, but lower down they were greatly decayed. No relics accompanied them, al though in the graves where the later races buried their dead, are found many ornaments, utensils and weapons. " A few miles from Panola, there is a mound quite full of human bones. Hundreds may be thrown out with a sharpened cane. Another mound, about twelve miles north of the place just named, was opened a year or two since. In the centre was found a structure like a cistern, nearly round, four feet across, and filled with soil. This being removed, an earthen vessel of singular form and material was taken out." Mounds designed as general cemeteries, if indeed there be any in the Western States, are certainly few in number, and of modern date. One, containing many skeletons, disposed in layers, formerly existed in Belmont county, Ohio. Whether it was secondarily appropriated by the Indians or built by them, it is not presumed to say ; the remains found in it were indu bitably of the recent tribes and of late deposit. The tumulus examined by Mr. Jefferson on the low grounds of the Ravenna River, and described in his " Notes on Virgi nia," is attributed by him to the recent tribes of Indians, by whom it was probably built. The stream on which it occurs is one of the lower branches of the James River, which empties into the Atlantic. We have no satisfactory evidence that the race of the mounds passed over the Alleghanies, though they seem to have turned the flank of that range a little upon the north and on the south. The existence of a few tumuli to the east of these mountains, unless in connection with other and extensive works, such as seem to have marked every step of the 112 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. progress of that race, is .therefore of little importance, and not at all conclusive upon this point ; especially as it will hardly be denied that the existing races of Indians did and still do occa sionally construct mounds of small size. This mound was esti mated by Mr. Jefferson to contain the remains of a thousand individuals, a portion of which, particularly toward the surface, were placed without order, while the remainder seemed to have been deposited with a certain degree of regularity. This is certainly a very large estimate of the contents of a barrow but forty feet base by seven feet in height. It will not be out of place to remark here, that by the unpracticed observer, the bones of a hundred skeletons placed together would probably be mistaken for those of several hundred or a thousand. We have, it is true, but very few accounts of the construction of mounds by the existing tribes of Indians. Lewis and Clark noticed, in their travels west of the Mississippi river, a spot " where one of the great chiefs of the Mahas had been interred. He was buried on a hill, and a mound twelve feet in diameter and six feet in height erected over him."* Beck mentions a large mound on the Osage river, which had been erected within the last thirty or forty years, by the 0 sages, in honor of one of their dead chiefs, f Mention is made in the documents * Exp., vol. I., p. 43. " Blackbird (Wash-ing-gah-sahba), chief of the Omahaws, or Mahas, died in 1800, and was interred in a sitting posture on the back of his favorite horse, upon the summit of a high bluff of the Missouri, ' that he might see the white people ascend the river to trade with his nation.' A mound was raised over him, on which food was regularly placed for many years after ; but this has been discontin ued, and the flag-staff which crowned it has been removed." — James Exp., vol. I., p. 204. t Gaz. of Mo., p. 308; James' Exp., vol. II., p. 34. This is probably the same mound referred to by Mr. Sibley, who derived his information from a chief of the Osages. " He stated that the mound was built, when he was a boy, over the body of a chief, called Jean Defoe by the French, who unexpectedly died while his warriors were absent on a hunting expedition. Upon their return they heaped a mound over his remains, enlarging it at intervals for a long period, until it reached its present height." — Featherstonhaugh' 's Trav., p. 70. MOUNDS, BONE-HEAPS, ETC. 113 accompanying the President's message for 1806, of a "mound of considerable size," erected by the Natchez Indians, near Nachitoches, when they were expelled from Louisiana in 1728. They are also said to have fortified themselves near this place. Mr. Catlin observed a conical mound, ten feet in height, at the celebrated pipe-stone quarries of the Cotcau des Prairies, which had been erected over the body of a young chief of the Sioux tribe, who had been accidentally killed on the spot.* James also presents, upon what he deems good authority, an account of the discovery by a hunting party, in 1816, on the banks of the Le Mine river in Missouri, of a newly-made mound ; which, when opened, disclosed the body of a white officer, clothed in regimentals, placed in a sitting posture on a mat, and surrounded by a rude inclosure of logs, twelve feet long, three wide and four high. He had evidently met a violent death, and had been scalped. f To what nation he belonged, and by whom the mound was erected, is unknown. The Mandans sometimes constructed little mounds of earth, not however for burial. They were connected, in some mysterious way, with their cere monies for the dead. " Their dead," says Catlin, " are placed, closely enveloped in skins, upon scaffoldings, above the reach of wild animals. When the scaffolds decay and fall to the ground, the nearest relatives bury the bones excepting the skull. The skulls are arranged in circles of a hundred or more, on the prairies, with their faces all looking to the centre. In the centre of each ring is erected a little mound, three feet high, on which are placed two buffalo skulls, a male and female, and in the centre is reared a medicine pole, supporting many curious articles of mystery and superstition, which they suppose to have the power of guarding and protecting this sacred arrangement. Here the relatives of the dead resort to hold converse with them, bringing a dish of food, which is set before *. N. A. Indians, vol. II. p. 170. f Narrative, vol. I., p. 84. 114 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. the skull at night, and taken away in the morning. Under each skull is constantly kept a bunch of fresh wild sage."* The Indians, it is well known, often heaped a pile of stones over the graves of such of their tribe as met their death by accident, or in the manner of whose death there was something sufficiently peculiar to excite their superstition. Such was the case, in one instance, in Scoharie county, on the Cherry Val ley trail. But the construction of mounds, whether for pur poses of burial or as monuments, except, perhaps, among some of the Southern tribes, was far from common, and cannot be regarded as a custom of general acceptance. The few which they built were clearly, in most instances, the result of caprice, or of circumstances ; and we are not justified in ascribing to them more than a very trifling proportion of the numerous tumuli which dot over the plains and valleys of the West, and which in their numbers, and uniformity of structure and con tents, give conclusive evidence that they were constructed for specific purposes, in accordance with a well-recognized design, and an established and prevailing custom. The practice of depositing the property of the dead in the tomb with them, (almost universal among the American Indians.) is of the highest antiquity. " In all early ages," remarks an erudite writer, " when the disengaged activity of man ever car ries a keen and military edge with it, and his great employ ment is necessarily war and the chase, the weapons of both would naturally be deposited with the dead." We have a strik ing passage of Scripture, which shows the custom to have. been as general as the spirit of ambition or the profession of arms. " They shall not lie down with the mighty which are gone down to hell [the grave] with their weapons of war ; and they have laid their swords under their heads." Josephus tells us, that in David's sepulchre was deposited such a quantity of treasure, that Hyrcanus, the Maccabean, took 3000 talents out of it, * N. A. Indians, Vol. L, p. 90. MOUNDS, BONE-HEAPS, ETC. 115 about 1300 years after David's death, to get rid of Antiochus then besieging Jerusalem. Uniformity in the rites and ceremonies attending burial must not, however, be regarded as necessarily implying connec tions or relations between the nations exhibiting them, for most, if not all of those which may be esteemed of importance, had their origin in those primitive conceptions and notions which are inherent in man, and are in no wise derivative. In the universal recognition of a future existence, may be traced the origin of the immolations and sacrifices made at the tombs or on the pyres of the dead ; the wife and the faithful servant sought to accompany their lord in his future life ; and a numerous retinue was slain at the tomb of the Scythian King and the Peruvian Inca, that they might appear in a future state with a dignity and pomp becoming their earthly great ness. The Mexican slew the techichi at the grave of the dead, that his soul might have a companion in its journey along the dreary, terror-infested pathway, which, according to their superstitions, intervened between earth and the " blessed man sions of the sun." So, too, was the faithful dog of the Indian hunter placed beside him in the grave, that in the blissful " hunting grounds of the West," he might " bear him com pany." The warlike Scandinavian had his horse sacrificed on his funeral pyre, and his weapons buried with him, so that, full-armed and mounted, he might, with becoming state, approach the halls of Odin. — (Mallet, Chap, xii.) In the almost universal belief that the soul of the dead, for a longer or shorter period, lingered around the ashes from which it was separated, we may discover the reason why food and offerings were deposited at the grave ; why it was carefully preserved, and why, at stated intervals, the surviving relatives of the deceased decked it with flowers and performed games around it. In some of these ceremonies it was believed the departed spirit silently participated, and with all, it was supposed to be pleased and gratified. CHAPTER V. IMPLEMENTS, ORNAMENTS, ETC. MOST of the minor relics of art discovered in the State of New York, are such as are known to have been common among the Iroquois and other tribes which once occupied its territories. The character of these is so well known as to ren der unnecessary any detailed notice of the various articles obtained in the course of the explorations here recorded. A brief reference to the more remarkable specimens is therefore all which will be attempted. Upon the site of every Indian town, as also within all of the ancient inclosures, fragments of pottery occur in great abun dance. It is rare, however, that any entire vessels are recov ered. Those which have been found, are for the most part gourd-shaped, with round bottoms, and having little protuber ances near the rim, or oftener a deep groove, whereby they could be suspended. A few cases have been known in which this form was modified, and the bottoms made sufficiently flat to sustain the vessel in an upright position. Fragments found in Jefferson county seem to indicate that occasionally the ves sels were moulded in forms nearly square, but with rounded angles. The usual size was from one to four quarts ; but some must have contained not less than twelve or fourteen quarts. In general there was no attempt at ornament ; but sometimes the exteriors of the pots and vases were elaborately if not taste fully ornamented with dots and lines, which seem to have been formed in a very rude manner with a pointed stick or sharpened bone. Bones which appear to have been adapted for this pur pose are often found. After the commencement of European intercourse, kettles and vessels of iron, copper, brass, and tin, IMPLEMENTS, ORNAMENTS, ETC. 117 quickly superseded the productions of the primitiye potter, whose art at once fell into disuse. Pipes and various articles of clay, which may be denominated terra cottas, continued, nevertheless, to be made. The pipes of native manufacture were preferred, as they still are, to those of European or Amer ican production. After the introduction of tools, and as soon as the Indians became acquainted with foreign models, great improvement was made in their manufacture. The following examples will furnish very good illustrations of the forms of the Indian pipe. Fio. 14. Fig. 14 was found within an inclosure in Jefferson county, Plate IV., No. 4. It is engraved one half the size of the original. It is of fine red clay, smoothly moulded, and two serpents, rudely imitated, are represented coiling around the bowl. Bushels of fragments of pipes have been found within the same inclosure. Some appear to have been worked in the form of the human head, others in representations of animals, and others still in a variety of regular forms. FIG. 15. 118 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. Fig. 15 was found within another in closure in the same county. It differs from the first only in respect of size. Fig. 16 was found on the site of an old Seneca town, in the FIG. 16. town of Livonia, Livingston county. It resembles the other in shape, but is of darker color, and not so well burned. The difference to be observed between it and the others may be ascribed entirely to the difference in the clay composing it. Fig. 1 7. This is a greatly reduced representation of an article of stone found near Mount Morris, in Livingston county, and now in the New York State Cabinet at Albany. It is composed of steatite or " soap stone," and in shape corresponds generally with the pipes of stone found in the mounds of the Mississippi Valley. If intended for a pipe, which seems most likely, it was never finished, as the cavity of the bowl is merely indicated. One or two pipes of stone of very nearly the same shape have been found in this vicinity, but in point of symmetry or finish they are in no way comparable to those of the mounds. IMPLEMENTS. ORNAMENTS, ETC. 119 Some pipes of precisely the same material, and of identical workmanship with those found in the ancient inclosures, have been discovered in modern Indian graves, in Cayuga county. One of these, in the form of a bird, and having eyes made of silver inserted in the head, is now in possession of the author. Various articles of European or American manufacture were found in the same grave. The most beautiful terra cotla which I found in the State, and which in point of accuracy and delicacy of finish is unsur passed by any similar article which I have seen of aboriginal origin, is the head of a fox. of which Fig. 1 8 is a full-size engraving. The engraving fails in conveying the spirit of the FIG. IS. original, which is composed of fine clay, slightly burned. It seems to have been once attached to a body, or perhaps to a vessel of some kind. It closely resembles some of the terra cottas from the mounds of the West and Southwest. It was found upon the site of an ancient inclosure in Jefferson county, in the town of Ellisburgh, near the beautiful village of Pierre- pont Manor. Figs. 19 and 20 were found upon the site of an abandoned Seneca village, in the town of Mendon, Monroe county. The spot is now known as the " Ball Farm," and is remarkable for the number and variety of its ancient relics. Vast quantities of these have been removed from time to time. Some of the 120 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. miniature representations of animals found here are remark able for their accuracy. Fio. 19. The stone ax or hatchet may be found from Cape Horn to Baffin's Bay. Spe cimens taken from the inter vening localities can be dis tinguished from each other only by the difference of the materials of which they are composed. I have found them in Nicaragua precisely resembling those of New York. Little, therefore, need be said concerning them. Fig. 21 was obtained in the vicinity of an ancient work on the Susquehanna River, in Pennsylvania, near the New York State line. It is remarkable for its symme try and size, and also for the manner in which it is hollowed upon the inner FIG. 21. IMPLEMENTS, ORNAMENTS, ETC. 121 side. This last-named feature is well indicated in the engrav ing. Figs. 22 and 23 present a front and reverse view of a very fine stone ax, found in Livingston county, near Avon Springs. FIG. 22. FIG. 23. The material is of intense hardness, resembling porphyry. It is. nevertheless, worked with mathematical accuracy, and highly polished. The edge is very sharp. It is as fine a specimen of the Indian stone ax as ever fell under my notice. Fig. 24 is of a greenish-colored slate, and resembles a kind of ornamental hatch et, made of delicate material, which is found at the South and West. It was obtained near Springport, Cayuga coun ty. For examples of similar articles, the reader is referred to the first volume of the Smithsonian Contributions to Know ledge, p. 218. Fl°- 24- One of the most interesting relics which has yet been dis covered in the State, is an ax of cast copper, of which Fig. 25 6 122 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. is a reduced engraving. The original is four inches long by two and a half broad on the edge, and corresponds in shape with some of those of wrought native copper, which have been found in the mounds of Ohio. From the granulations of the surface, it appears to have been cast in sand. There is no evidence of its having been used for any purpose. Its history, beyond that it was ploughed up somewhere in the vicinity of Auburn, Cayuga county, is unknown. No opportunity has yet been afforded of analyz ing any portion, so as to determine wheth er it has an intermixture of other metals. It appears to be pure copper. An inspec tion serves to satisfy the inquirer that it is of aboriginal origin ; but the questions when and by whom made, are beyond our ability to answer. There is no evidence that the mound-builders understood the smelting of metals ; on the contrary, there is every reason to believe that they obtained their entire supply in a native state, and worked it cold. The Portuguese chronicler of Soto's Expedition into Florida, men tions copper hatchets, and rather vaguely refers to a " smelting of copper," in a country which he did not visit, far to the northward, called " Chisca." The Mexicans and Peruvians made hatchets of copper alloyed with tin. It would seem that this hatchet was obtained from that direction, or made by some Indian artisan after intercourse with the whites had instructed him in the art of working metals. At present it is prudent to say that the discovery of this relic is an anom alous fact, which investigators should only bear in mind, with out venturing to make it the basis of deductions or inferences of any kind. Fig. 26 is an example of the iron ax introduced among the Indians by the French. Thousands of these are found in the western counties of the State. IMPLEMENTS, ORNAMENTS, ETC. 123 \ Figs. 27, 28, and 29 are selected by the author from the collection of relics made in the progress of these explorations, from their resemblance to relics of common oc currence in the mounds of the Mississippi Valley. Fig. 27 is almost identical in shape and material with some of the articles from the mounds, described on page 237 of the first volume of the Smith sonian Contributions. The same may be observed of Fig. 28. The material is the green, variegated slate, of which so many of the above-named relics are composed. No. 27 was found near Scottsville, Wheat- land township, Monroe county ; and No. 28, near Springport, Cayuga county. Near this FIG. 26. FIG. 28 Fio. 27. 124 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. place, also, was found the disk, Fig. 29. It is of green slate, and corresponds entirely with those described on page 221 of the same volume with the preceding. FIG. 29. Fig. 30 is the point of a fish-spear, made of the ulna of the deer ; found in Livingston county. Figs. 31 and 32 are of the same material, and were used as bodkins, or for working clay ; found in Jefferson county. FIG. 30. FIG. 32. FIG. 31. IMPLEMENTS, ORNAMENTS, ETC. 125 Besides these relics, quantities of beads of stone, bone, and shell, ornaments of many kinds and of various materials, as also implements of aboriginal, or European, or American fabric, are found all over the State, but in more abundance in the western counties. They are not of sufficient importance to merit a de tailed notice, and are chiefly interesting as relics of a race fast disappearing, and whose existence will soon be known to his tory alone. It is to be hoped that, however insignificant they may seem, they may be carefully preserved and treasured for public inspection, in places or institutions designated for the purpose.* In the preceding pages, several places have been mentioned, where it appears that various branches of aboriginal art were specially carried on. Such was the case at the point opposite Tonawanda island, on the banks of the Niagara River, where * I am glad to have it in my power to say, that at the urgent sugges tion of Mr. L. H. Morgan, of Rochester, sustained by the recommenda tions of other citizens of the State, the Regents of the University of New York have not only determined to establish a "Historical and Antiquarian Collection," in connection with the State Cabinet of Natural History, but have already made a very creditable beginning. "But few remains of the skill and industry of our predecessors," says Mr. Morgan, in his letters to the Regents, " have come down to us to illus trate the era of Indian occupation. The low state of the arts which existed among them, detracts from the interest with which their relics would otherwise be invested. Such specimens of their arts as we discov er are rude to the last degree, and bespeak a social condition of extreme simplicity. But as illustrations of the state of the aborigines, and as furnishing the unwritten history of their social existence, however inconsiderable they may be in every ordinary sense, they should be sought out and preserved. * * * The utmost efforts of a single person would accumulate but a small cabinet. Numerous individuals in the State have, however, small collections, which singly have little interest, but which, if brought together, would become valuable, and there is every reason to believe that most of these would be cheerfully surrendered to a general cabinet." It is to be hoped that every citizen of the State who may be possessed of relics of any kind, will take means to place them in the State Collection. 12(5 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. the great quantities of flint chippings show there was once a kind of manufactory of arrow-heads. These seem to have been made of the chert, so common among the limestone formations of that region. At various places at the "West, are found the quarries where the ancient inhabitants obtained the material for the manufacture of their arrow and spear-points. Upon the line of the calcareo-silicious deposit, extending through Licking and Muskingum counties in Ohio, constituting what is called "Flint Ridge," are numerous traces of Indian operations. The material found here is admirably adapted for the purposes de sired, and arrow-heads manufactured from it are to be found in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. " The compact silicious material of which this ridge is made up," says Dr Hil- dreth in the Geological Report of Ohio, "seems to have attracted the notice of the aborigines, who have manufactured it largely into arrow and spear-heads, if we may be allowed to judge from the numerous circular excavations which have been made in mining the rock, and the piles of chipped quartz lying on the surface. How extensively it has been worked for these purposes, may be imagined from the countless number of the pits; experience having taught them that the rock recently dug from the earth, could be split with more freedom than that which had lain exposed to the weather. These excavations are found the whole length of the outcrop, from Jackson to Muskingum, but more abundantly at " Flint Ridge," where it is most com pact and diversified with rich colors. To the present inhabit ants it is valuable as furnishing a fine article for mill-stones." Mr. J. W. Foster, in his report, alludes to the same locality as follows : " The stone is fine grained and compact. The aborigines used it for spear and arrow-heads. They seem to have been aware that it works more freely when freshly dug from the earth, than after exposure to the air. They have therefore stripped off the earth to the depth of eight or ten feet. Excavations of IMPLEMENTS, ORNAMENTS, ETC. 127 this kind, occupying acres in extent, occur three miles west of H. Lear's, on the ' Flint Ridge ' road." This locality has a remarkable parallel in what are called the " Pen Pits," in South Wiltshire, England. These cover an area of several hundred acres, and are supposed to have been dug in order to procure a variety of hard green-stone, (a quarry of which underlies the plain,) for the construction of the ancient Celtic querns or mill-stones, fragments of which, partially worked, are found scattered about.* Mr. Featherstonhaugh describes some ancient quarries of the mineral, which he visited, about three miles from the Hot Springs of Arkansas. " Ascending a very lofty hill, composed entirely of this min eral, [novaculite ?] we found several large pits, resembling in verted cones, some of which were from twenty to thirty feet deep and as many in diameter, the insides and bottoms of which were covered with chips of this beautiful mineral, some white, some carmine, and many quite opalescent. In and near these pits, round and long pieces of hard green-stone — which I had seen in a place about eighteen miles distant — -were scattered about, but none of these too large for the hand. These were undoubtedly the quarries from whence the Indians obtained the materials for making their arrow-heads and spears. The pieces of hard green-stone were the tools which the Indians worked with, and the rough mineral, when procured, was taken to their villages to be manufactured."! Edwin James, the Naturalist of Long's expedition, mentions an island in the Ohio, 23 miles below the rapids, called " Flint Island," from the great quantities of fragments of that material found upon it. He supposes it to have been a particular resort * Hist. Anct. Wiltshire, vol. I., p. 35. f Travels in America, p. 111. 128 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. for the manufacture of spear and arrow-heads, by the abori gines.* The manufacture of pottery is the simplest of arts, and its practice in different localities, affords no evidence whatever of derivative character. It would naturally be suggested by the impressions made in the moist clay or soil, by the hands or feet, and would first be practiced where the proper material most abounds, as in the valleys of great rivers. This suggestion is corroborated, by our finding the earliest fictile establishments in the neighborhood of rivers, more or less subject to periodical inundation; the Babylonians, the Egyptians and the Etrurians became potters from their vicinity to the Euphrates, the Nile and the rivers of Northern Italy. In their shape, the vessels of the primitive manufacturer would be most apt to take the form of the natural models he might observe around him. The type of the earliest and rudest productions, was the shell of a nut or the rind of some of the pumpkin tribe ; and this to such an extent, that those acquainted with the vegetable productions of different countries, are generally able, at a glance, to identify their productions in pottery. Those who have examined the col lection in the Museum of Severs, will perceive that the distinc tive characters of Asia, Africa and America, are marked on the potteries of their less-civilized inhabitants. The second type — one that marks considerable progress — is the female bust, with sometimes an attempt to preserve its character as symbolic of * Narrative, vol. L, p. 30. " A hunter or warrior, it is true, expected to make his own arms or implements, yet the manufacture of flint and hornstone into darts, and spears, and arrow-heads, demanded too much skill and mechanical dex terity, for the generality of the Indians to succeed in. According to the Chippeway tradition, before the introduction of firearms, there was a class of men among the northern tribes who were called Makers of Ar row-heads. They selected proper stones, and devoted themselves to this art, taking in exchange for their manufactures, the skins and flesh of animals."— Schooler aft. IMPLEMENTS, ORNAMENTS, ETC. 129 fecundity and abundance. This graceful type was carried to a voluptuous excess by the Greeks. Other subordinate types of form, suggested by eggs, shells, etc., might be noticed. Suffi cient has been said, however, to enforce the remark made at the commencement of this paragraph, and to show how unsafe would be the attempt to deduce dependences or connections, upon so narrow a basis as simple coincidences in the potteries of detached nations. It may be remarked, incidentally, that the degree of skill exhibited in the pottery from the mounds of the West, could only be the result of long practice. The hunter could not have laid aside the bow, and produced works of so much symmetry and so excellent finish. We are justified, therefore, in the be lief, that the manufacture, in this department, devolved upon a class of professional potters, or, at any rate, that it was in the hands of persons, whose experience extended beyond the simple supplying of their individual wants with works of this descrip tion. In all the various specimens of aboriginal pottery which have fallen under notice, we find no evidence of the use of the pot ters' wheel. Notwithstanding the regularity of figure and uni formity of thickness which many of the specimens exhibit, it is evident that they were all moulded by hands. In the immediate vicinity of some of the salt springs, quan tities of broken pottery are often found. This feature has been particularly observed near the Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio Salines. Breckenridge states, that, in clearing out the Saline below St. Grenevieve, in Missouri, some years ago, "wagon-loads of earthenware, some fragments bespeaking vessels as large as a barrel," were found.* These remains have generally been regarded as pertaining to the race of the mounds, on the assumption that the more recent tribes were unacquainted with the art of manufacturing salt, if they were not entirely ignorant 6* * Views of Louisiana, p. 186. 130 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. of its uses. This is a mistake. We have direct evidence that, at the very earliest periods of European intercourse, they were accustomed to manufacture that article. It is specially referred to, and the process described by the unknown historian of De Soto's expedition.* The Salines in Jackson county, Ohio, (23 miles from Chillicothe,) exhibit proofs of having been worked, not only in the presence of broken pottery, but by excavations in the rock, in which the brine was collected. These excavations, resembling "pot holes," are specially remarkable at the ancient and noted " Scioto Saline," in the county above-named. Dr. Hildreth describes them as follows. " When the white hunters and traders came to this country, it was visited by thousands of buffalo, deer, bears, and nearly all the wild animals of the forest, who found the saline waters agreeable to their tastes or needful for their health. So nu merous and so constant were the animal visitors of these springs, that, at certain seasons of the year, the country adjacent was the most valuable and profitable hunting ground which the Indians possessed. They were also in the habit of making salt here from very remote times, as has been ascertained from several of their white captives, who had visited them in company with the Indians. The first attempt at its manufacture by the whites, was after the close of the Indian war, in the year 1797. At that time, and for several years after, the stumps of small trees cut by the squaws, and the ashes, etc., of their fires, where the salt water had been boiled, were plainly to be seen. The Indian women, upon whom all the servile employments fell, collected the salt water by cutting holes in the soft sandstone in the bed of the creek, in the summer and autumn when the water was low. These were generally not more than a foot or two deep, and the same in width. Into these rude cavities the salt water slowly collected, and was afterwards dipped out and boiled into salt in their vessels. The hunters and first salt * Hakluyt's Trans., pp. 736, 749, ubi supra. IMPLEMENTS, ORNAMENTS, ETC. 131 makers pursued the same course, only they sunk their excava tions to the depth of six or eight feet, and finally to the depth of twenty feet into the rock ."* It will be seen that the Salines possessed peculiar attrac tions for the modern tribes. The abundance of their relics, therefore, in such localities is a matter of no surprise.! * First Annual Report of Geolog. Surv. of Ohio, p. 57. •f The subjoined passages, from various authors, relating to the man ufacture of pottery by the existing Indians, no doubt indicate, with great exactness, the modes adopted by the ancient tribes. " The earthenware is formed by the women, who not only form the vessel, but dig and mix the clay. In this they are tolerable artists ; they make kettles of an extraordinary size, pitchers with a small open ing, gallon bottles with long necks, pots or pitchers, for their bear-oil, which will hold forty pints — lastly, large and small plates in the French fashion."— Du Pratz1 Hist, of Louis., p. 360. " In manufacturing their pottery for cooking and domestic purposes, they collect tough clay, beat it into powder, temper it with water, and then spread it over blocks of wood, which are formed into shapes to suit their convenience or fancy. When sufficiently dried, they are removed from the moulds, placed in proper situations and burned to a hardness suitable to the intended uses. Another method practiced by them, is to coat the inner surface of baskets of willow or rushes with clay to any required thickness, and when dry to burn them as above described. In this way they construct large, handsome, and tolerably durable ware ; though, latterly, with such tribes as had much intercourse with the whites, it is not much used, because of the substitution of metal ware in their stead. " When the vessels are large, as in the case for the manufacture of sugar, they are suspended by grape-vines, which, when exposed to the fire, are constantly kept covered with moist clay. Sometimes the rims are made strong, and project a little inwardly, quite round the vessels, so as to admit of their being sustained by flattened pieces of wood, slid underneath these projections, and extending across the centres." — Hun ter's Memoirs of a Captivity among the Indians, p. 289. " They make earthen pots of very different sizes so as to contain from two to ten gallons ; large pitchers to carry water, bowls, dishes, platters, basins, and a prodigious number of other vessels of such anti quated forms as would be tedious to describe, and impossible to name. 132 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. Great numbers of beads, some of late and others of ancient origin, are scattered all over the sites of Indian occupancy in New York. These ornaments have predominated in every age, and among every people, and still maintain their popularity in the most refined communities — one of the relics of the rude state from which all people have, at some period, advanced. The American nations, the hunter tribes no less than the con solidated communities of the centre of the continent, were pro fuse in their use of this species of ornament. The poor but intrepid hunter of the bleak Narraganset was as proud of his rude " braveries " of shell, patiently rubbed into the required shape on the rocks, as the regal Aztec with his necklace of pearls, relieved with gold and gems. The unknown builders of Palenque and the other Palmyras of the tangled evergreen forests of the south, have left engraven upon their sculptured edifices and elaborate statues, the evidence of the importance assigned to this class of ornaments in the list of preserved decorations of their day. So, too, have the mound -builders Their method of glazing them is, they place them over a large fire of smoky pitch pine, which makes them smooth, black, and firm. Their lands abound in proper clay for that use." — Adair, p. 424. " Their pots and boilers are made of clay, mixed with pounded sea- shells, and burned so hard that they are black throughout."— Loskiel, p. 54. " The earthen dishes are made by the Mandan women in great quan tities, and modeled in a thousand forms and tastes. They are made from a tough, black clay, and baked in kilns which are made for the purpose, and are nearly equal in hardness to our own manufacture of pottery, though they have not yet got the art of glazing. They make them so strong and serviceable, however, that they hang them over the fire as we do our iron kettles, and boil their meat in them with perfect success. I have seen some few specimens of such manufacture dug up from mounds and tombs in the southern and middle states, which were looked upon as a great wonder ; when here, this novelty is at once done away with, and the whole mystery; where women can be seen handling them by hundreds, moulding them in fanciful forms, and passing them through the kilns."— Coin's N. A. Indians, vol. I., p. 116. IMPLEMENTS, ORNAMENTS, ETC. 133 left us beside the bones of their dead, and upon the ancient altars of their religion, the evidence that they fully shared the general taste. One form of bead, the wampum, or seawant, peak,or roanok of the North American Indians, not only constituted the most common ornament of their persons, but subserved the purposes of a currency, and figured in their operations of war and peace. Like the quippos of Peru, the wampum was sometimes used to commemorate or record events, and was also regarded as sacred. " The strings and belts of wampum," says Loskiel, " are also docu ments by which the Indians remember the chief articles of treaties made either between themselves or the white people. They refer to them as public records, carefully preserving them for that purpose. At certain seasons they meet to study their meaning, and to renew the ideas of which they were an em blem and confirmation." It is said that the Delawares once kept an account of time by putting a bead of wampum every year upon a belt kept for that purpose. In the records, beads of a certain color were assigned a particular meaning, and their arrangement and the figures which their combination furnished, were the mnemonic symbols by which circumstances and events were recalled. Red was the emblem of war, white of peace. Thus if it were designed to give warning of an approaching evil, or to send an earnest remonstrance, a black belt was deliv ered ; if to declare war, a red belt wrought with the figure of a hatchet in white, etc. — (Smith's Hist, of New York. Char- levoix1 Canada, vol. I., p. 320.) In treaties, the exchange of a wampum belt was equivalent to a ratification. A certain num ber of fathoms was a tribute to powerful neighbors. In its use as a currency, separate values were assigned to the different colors ; the black was double the value of the white. Its man ufacture was open to all who chose to engage in it, and its use so general, that the early colonists in New England, New York, and Virginia, adopted it in their exchanges. The revenues of the colonies were sometimes paid in it, and 134 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. appropriations of a certain amount of wampoag are to be found in the early Legislative records of Connecticut, and probably of other States. Among the Dutch of New Netherlands, six white beads of wampum, or three brown or black beads, were equivalent to a stiver, and received as such.* These beads were made of the compact portions of shells. If of marine shells the columella alone was used. Says Van der Donk, in his history of New Netherlands : " The wampum is made of conch-shells, which are taken from the sea, or which are cast ashore twice a year. They strike off the thin portions of these shells, and preserve the pillars or standards, which they grind even and smooth, and reduce the same to uniform thickness, and drill a hole through every piece, and string the same on strings, which they afterward sell. This is the only article of moneyed medium among the natives, with which any traffic can be driven ; and it is also common with us in pur chasing necessaries and carrying on our trade ; many thousand * Mr. Schoolcraft, in his " Notes on the Iroquois," suggests an anti quarian nomenclature, the principle of which he applies to a limited extent, in the classification of certain relics, chiefly ornamental. The radical names are introduced from the Indian vocabulary, qualified by expletives drawn either from the same source or the English — constitut ing terms " which shall, as far as practicable, be descriptive in their cha racter." The design is stated to be, "to render antiquarian examination exact, and facilitate comparison," so as to relieve archaeological inquiry from much of the vagueness which attends it. The object is certainly a desirable one ; but whether it could be attained in the manner proposed is, at least, doubtful. In the very limited application of the system attempted by Mr. Schoolcraft, out of nine radical divisions or classes, we have no less than seven, each embracing several subdivisions or vari eties, which comprise in their whole range only such articles as might be defined with sufficient exactness, as beads and pendants. Whether archaeological science would be greatly advanced by the substitution of "Meddeka Dental " for perforated bear's tooth, or " Attajeguna Deoseowa " for Stone mortar, is a question which the student of natural history, floundering in the sea of modern scientific nomenclature, is best able to IMPLEMENTS, ORNAMENTS, ETC. 135 strings are exchanged every year for peltries near the sea-shore, where the wampum is only made, and where the peltries are brought for sale." After the introduction of glass and enamel beads by the traders, the wampum deteriorated in value, and be came quite restricted in its use and manufacture. Catlin men tions, as a singular fact, that the far west Indians make no use of it, while along the frontier, below the Missouri Sioux, the different tribes are found loaded down and beautifully orna mented with it. With the introduction of the traders' tinselry, the wampum has lost its significance, and it is believed is no longer used for records, or in the transmission of messages of peace or defiance. Some of the beads found in the mounds, bear a close resem blance to those in use among the Southern Indians. Adair describes large cylindrical beads, " made of the conch-shell, about the length and thickness of a man's forefinger," which bore a near resemblance to ivory, and were attached to the crown of the head, and " so highly valued, that four deer-skins was the price paid for them."* The same author adds : " Be fore we supplied them with our European beads, they had great quantities of wampum, made out of the conch-shell, by rubbing on the hard stones, and so they form them according to their liking. These are bought and sold for a stated current rate, without variation for time or circumstances." The late Prof. Troost, of Nashville, Tenn., found similar beads in the so-called "pigmy graves" in that vicinity; he also found beads composed of the shells of the marginella, which, like many of those found in Ohio, were ground in such a manner that a string could pass through their mouth and perforated back. He observes : " Other beads were made of the columella of the * Ornaments, doubtless very similar to these, and called Runtees, were common among the Virginia Indians. Beverly describes these in a summary way as " made of shell, as the Peak is, only the shape is flat and round like a cheese, and they are drilleU edgeways." Hist. Va. p. 145. 136 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. strombus gigas : I am positive it was of that part of this shell, as I have found these beads in all stages of manufacture from commencement to completion. These columella are often found on the shores of the West Indies ; when the animal of these shells is dead, the shell is constantly rolled and worn down by the waves on the beach, so that the outside and interior whorls soon disappear, and nothing but the solid columella remains. Such columella I have found in a partially decomposed state in the graves — I- have found these artificially worn down to a uniform thickness, and perforated through the centre — I have found them cut in pieces of the size of the beads, and I have found the beads perfect." Professor Troost remarks further that " these are tropical shells, and could not, therefore, have been obtained from the North, nor have been found in the in terior of the country ; they could not have been bought of travel ing pedlers, because it is not to be supposed that such rude people knew anything of commerce ; the aborigines must, consequently, themselves have brought them from those southern regions — not during their hunting excursions, for we are about 2000 miles from the places where they are found." Prof Troost probably under-estimates the extent of exchange and transfer among even very rude tribes ; supposing, however, the race occupying the stone graves, to be the same which built the mounds, (as certain coincidences in the character of their re mains would seem to indicate,) and his conclusion is sustained by developments from the mounds on the Ohio, which are irre sistible in their tendency — establishing a migration from the South, or an alternative altogether opposed to a natural or prob able course of events. Mr. T. Conrad (American Journal of Science and Arts, New Series, vol. II., p. 41) mentions the strombus gigas as occurring on the coast of Florida, but not above the latitude of Tampa Bay. CHAPTER VI. OBSERVATIONS ON THE PROBABLE ORIGIN OP THE ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. BY whom were the aboriginal monuments of Western New York erected, and to what era may they be ascribed ? The consideration of these questions has given rise to a vast amount of speculation, generally not of the most philosophical, nor yet of the most profitable kind. If the results arrived at have been erroneous, unsatisfactory, or extravagant, it may be as cribed to the circumstance that the facts heretofore collected have been too few in number and too poorly authenticated to admit of correct conclusions, not less than to the influence of preconceived notions, and to that constant leaning toward the marvelous, which is a radical defect of many minds. Rigid criticism is especially indispensable in archaeological investiga tions ; yet there is no department of human research in which so wide a range has been given to conjecture. Men seem to have indulged the belief that here nothing is fixed, nothing certain, and have turned aside into this field as one where the severer rules which elsewhere regulate philosophical research are not enforced, and where every species of extravagance may be indulged in with impunity. I might adduce numberless illustrations of this remark. The Indian who wrought the rude outlines upon the rock at Dighton, little dreamed that his work would ultimately come to be regarded as affording indu bitable evidence of Hebrew, Phoenician, and Scandinavian adventure and colonization in America ; and the builders of the rude defences of Western New York, as little suspected that Celt and Tartar, and even the apocryphal Madoc with 138 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. his " ten ships," would, in this the nineteenth century of our faith, be vigorously invoked to yield paternity to their labors ! The probable purposes to which these works were applied are, perhaps, sufficiently evident from what has already been presented. Their positions, general close proximity to water, and other circumstances not less conclusive, imply a defensive origin. The unequivocal traces of long occupancy found within many of them, would further imply that they were fortified towns and villages, and were permanently occupied. Some of the smaller ones, on the other hand, seem rather designed for temporary protection — the citadels in which the builders sought safety for their old men, women, and children, in case of alarm or attack. In respect to date nothing positive can be affirmed. Many of them are now covered with heavy forests ; a circumstance upon which too much importance has been laid, and which in itself may not necessarily be regarded as indicative of great age, for we may plausibly suppose that it was not essential to the purposes of the builders that the forests should be removed. Still I have seen trees from one to three feet in diameter standing upon the embankments and in the trenches ; which would certainly carry back the date of their construction several hundred years, perhaps beyond the period of the dis covery in the fifteenth century. There is nothing, however, in this circumstance, nor in any other bearing upon the subject, which would necessarily imply that they were built by tribes anterior to those found in occupation of the country by the whites. And this brings us at once to the most interesting point of our inquiry, viz. : By whom were these works erected ? I have already mentioned that within them are found many relics of art and many traces of occupancy. These, I had ample opportunities of ascertaining in the course of my inves tigations, are absolutely identical with those which mark the sites of towns and forts known to have been occupied by the Indians, within the historical period. The pottery taken from GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 139 these sites and from within the supposed ancient inclosures, is alike in all respects ; the pipes and ornaments are undistin- guishable ; and the indications of aboriginal dwellings are pre cisely similar, and, so far as can be discovered, have equal claim to antiquity. Near many of these works are found cemeteries, in which well-preserved skeletons are contained, and which, except in the absence of remains of European art, differ in no essential respect from the cemeteries found in connection with the abandoned modern towns and " castles " of the Indians. There are other not less important facts and coincidences, all of which go to establish that if the earth-works of Western New York are of a remote ancient date, they were not only secondarily but generally occupied by the Iroquois or neighbor ing and contemporary nations ; or else — and this hypothesis is most consistent and reasonable — they were erected by them. It may be objected, that if the Indians constructed works of this kind, it could not have escaped the notice of the early explorers, and would have been made the subject of remark by them. The omission is singular, but not unaccountable. They all speak of the defences of the Indians as composed of palisades firmly set in the ground. The simple circumstance of the earth being heaped up around them, to lend them greater firmness, may have been regarded as so natural and simple an expedient, as not to be deserving of special mention, particularly as the embankment, in such a case, would be an entirely subordinate part of the structure. After the intro duction of European implements, enabling the Indians to plant their pickets more firmly in the ground, and to lend them a security before unattainable, the necessity for an embankment was in a great degree obviated. We may thus account for its absence in their later structures, which also underwent some modification of form, suggested by the example or instructions of the whites, or by the new modes of warfare following the introduction of firearms. Thus in the plan of the old Seneca 140 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. fort of Ganundasaga, we find distinct traces of the bastion — a feature observable in none of the more ancient defences. I am aware that the remnants of the Indian stock which still exist in the State, generally profess total ignorance of these works. I do not, however, attach much importance to this cir cumstance. When we consider the extreme likelihood of the forgetfulness of ancient practices, in the lapse of three hundred years, the lack of knowledge upon this point is the weakest of all negative evidence. Cusick, the Indian, in his so-called " His tory of the Six Nations," has, no doubt, correctly described the manner in which they constructed their early defences. " The manner of making a fort : First, they set fire against as many trees as it requires to make the inclosure, rubbing off the coals with their stone axes, so as to make them burn faster. When the tree falls, they put fires to it about three paces apart, and burn it into pieces. These pieces are then brought to the spot required, and set up around, according to the bigness of the fort. The earth is then heaped on both sides. The fort has generally two gates, one for passage and one to the water." " The people," continues Cusick, " had implements with which they made their bows and arrows. Their kettles were made of baked clay ; their awls and needles of sharpened bones ; their pipes of baked clay or soft stone ; a small turtle-shell was used to peel the bark, and a small dry stick to make fire by boring it against seasoned wood." Golden observes of their defences, as they were constructed in his time : " Their castles are generally a square surrounded with palisades, without any bastions or outworks; for, since the general peace, their villages all lie open."* In full view of the facts before presented, I am driven to a conclusion little anticipated when I started upon my explora tion of the monuments of the State, that the earth-works of Western New York were erected by the Iroquois or their west ern neighbors, and do not possess an antiquity going very far * History of the Five Nations, vol. I., p. 9. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 141 back of the discovery. Their general occurrence upon a line parallel to and not far distant from the lakes, favors the hypoth esis that they were built by frontier tribes — a hypothesis entirely conformable to aboriginal traditions. Here, according to these traditions, every foot of ground was contested between the Iroquois and the Gah-kwas and other western tribes ; and here, as a consequence, where most exposed to attack, were permanent defences most necessary. It was not until after the Confederation, that the Five Nations were able to check and finally expel the warlike people which disputed with them the possession of the beautiful and fertile regions bordering the lakes ; and it is not impossible that it was the pressure from this direction which led to that Confederation — an anomaly in the history of the aborigines. Common danger, rather than a far-seeing policy, may be regarded as the impelling cause of the consolidation. In conclusion, I may be permitted to observe, that the an cient remains of Western New York, except so far as they throw light upon the system of defence practiced by the abori ginal inhabitants, and tend to show that they were to a degree fixed and agricultural in their habits, have slight bearing upon the grand ethnological and archaeological questions involved in the ante- Columbian history of the continent. The resemblances which they bear to the defensive structures of other rude na tions, in various parts of the world, are the result of natural causes, and cannot be taken to indicate either a close or re mote connection or dependence. All primitive defences, being designed to resist common modes of attack, are essentially the same in their principles, and seldom differ very much in their details. The aboriginal hunter and the semi-civilized Aztec selected precisely similar positions for their fortresses, and defended them upon the same general plan ; yet it would be palpably unsafe to found conclusions as to the relations of the respective builders, upon the narrow basis of these resemblances alone. CHAPTEK VII. ANCIENT WORKS IN PENNSYLVANIA, OHIO, AND NEW HAMPSHIRE. WITHOUT the boundaries of the State of New York, there are works composed of earth, closely resembling those described in the preceding pages. Among these may be named the small earth-works of Northern Ohio, which the author himself was at one time led to believe constituted part of the grand system of the mound-builders.* The more extensive and accurate information which he has now in his possession con cerning them, as also concerning those of Western New York, has led to an entire modification of his views, and to the con viction that they are all of comparatively late date, and proba bly of common origin. Some similar works are said to occur in Canada ; but we have no account at all satisfactory concerning them. One is mentioned by Laing (Polynesian Nations, p. 109), upon the authority of a third person, as situated upon the summit of a precipitous ridge, near Lake Simcoe, and consisting of an embankment of earth, inclosing a considerable extent of ground. Mr. Schoolcraft also states that there are some ancient enigmatical walls of earth in the vicinity of Dundas, which extend several miles across the country, following the leading ridges of land. These are represented to be from five to eight miles in length, and not far from six feet high, with passages at intervals, as if for gates (Oneota. p. 326). Our knowledge concerning these is too limited to permit any con jecture as to their design. * Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, pp. 2, 46. ANCIENT WORKS IN PENNSYLVANIA, ETC. 143 In the State of Pennsylvania, there are some remains, which may be regarded as the " outliers " of those of New York. They are confined to the upper counties. Those in the Valley of Wyoming are best known. They have, however, been lately so much obliterated, that it is probable they can be no longer traced. One of the number was examined and measured in 1 8 1 7 by a gentleman of Wyoming, whose account is published by Mr. Miner, in his " History of Wyoming." " It is situated in the town of Kingston, Luzerne county, upon a level plain, on the north side of Toby's Creek, about one hundred and fifty feet from its bank, and about half a mile from its confluence with the Susquehanna. It is of an oval or elliptical form, having its longest diameter from northeast to southwest, at right angles to the creek. Its diameters are respectively 337 and 272 feet. On the southwest side appears to have been a gateway, twelve feet wide, opening toward the great eddy of the river into which the creek falls. It consist ed of a single embankment of earth, which in height and thickness appears to have been the same on all sides. Exte rior to the wall is a ditch. The bank of the creek upon the side toward the work is high and steep. The water in the creek is ordinarily sufficiently deep to admit canoes to ascend to the fortification from the river. When the first settlers came to Wyoming, this plain was covered with its native for ests, consisting principally of oak and yellow pine ; and the trees which grew upon the work are said to have been as large as those in any part of the valley. One large oak, upon being cut down, was found to be 700 years old. The Indians have no traditions concerning these fortifications; nor do they appear to have any knowledge of the purposes for which they were erected." — (Miner's History of Wyoming, p. 25.) Traces of a similar work existed on " Jacob's Plains," on the upper flats of Wilkesbarre. " It occupied the highest point on the flats, which in the time of freshets appears like an island in the sea of waters. In size and shape it coincides with that already 144 ANCIENT WORKS IN described. High trees were growing upon the embankment at the period of the first settlement of the country. It is about eighty rods from the river, toward which opened a gate way ; and the old settlers concur in stating that a well [cache?'] existed in the interior near the southern line. On the banks of the river is an ancient burial-place, in which the bodies were laid horizontally in regular rows. In excavating the canal through the bank bordering the flats, perhaps thirty rods south of the fort, another burial-place was disclosed, evidently more ancient, for the bones crumbled to pieces almost immediately upon exposure to the air, and the deposits were far more numerous than in that near the river. The number of skele tons are represented to have been countless, and the dead had been buried in a sitting posture. In this place of deposit no beads were found, while they were common in the other." — (Miner's History, p. 28.) Near this locality, which seems to have been a favorite one with the Indians, medals bearing the head of the First George, and other relics of European origin, are often discovered. Still further to the northwest, near the borders of New York, and forming an unbroken chain with the works of that State, are found other remains. One of these, on the Tioga River, near Athens, was ascribed by the Duke de Rochefou cauld to the French, in the time of De Nonville ! He describes it as follows : " Near the confines of Pennsylvania, a mountain rises from the banks of the River Tioga, in the shape of a sugar-loaf, upon which are to be seen the remains of some entrenchments. These are called by the inhabitants the l Spanish Ramparts,' but I judge that they were thrown up against the Indians, in the time of De Nonville. A breast-work is still remaining." — (Travels in America.) A similar work, circular or elliptical in outline, is said to exist in Lycoming county. Near it are extensive cemeteries. — (Day's Hist. Coll., p. 455.) In the New England States few traces of works of this kind PENNSYLVANIA, OHIO, ETC. 145 are to be found. There are, however, some remains in the State of New Hampshire, which, whatever their origin, are entitled to notice. The subjoined plan of one of these is from a sketch made in 1822 by Jacob B. Moore, Esq., late Libra- 33. rian of the Historical Society of New York, who has also fur nished the accompanying description. "According to your request, I send the inclosed sketch and 7 146 ANCIENT WORKS IN memoranda of an ancient fortification, supposed to have been the work of the Penacook Indians, a once powerful tribe, whose chief seat was in the neighborhood of Concord, New Hampshire. The original name of the town was derived from that of the tribe. The last of the Penacooks long since disappeared, and with them have perished most of the memorials of their race. Enough has come down to us, however, in tradition, added to the brief notes of our historians, to show that the Penacooks were once a numerous, powerful, and warlike tribe. Gookin places them under the general division of the Pawtucketts, which he calls ' the fifth great sachemship of Indians.'* Under the name of Penacooks, were probably included all the Indians inhabiting the valley of the Merrimack, from the great falls at the Amoskeag to the Winnepiseogee Lake, and the great car rying-place on the Pemigewasset. That they were one and the same tribe, is rendered probable from the exact similarity of relics, which have been found at different places, and from the general resemblance of the remains of ancient fortifications, which Tiave been traced near the lower falls of the Winnepise ogee, in Franklin and Sanbornton, and on the table-land known as the Sugar-Ball Plain, in Concord. Tradition ascribes to each the purpose of defence against a common enemy, the Maquaas or Mohawks of the west. " The accompanying sketch was taken in pencil, on a visit to the spot, in company with the Hon. James Clark and several friends in the month of September, 1822. The remains are on the west side of the Winnepiseogee, near the head of Little Bay, in Sanbornton, New Hampshire. The traces of the walls were at that time easily discerned, although most of the stones had been removed to the mill-dam near at hand, on the river. On approaching the site, we called upon a gentleman (James Gib son) who had lived for many years near the spot, and of whom we learnt the following particulars : He had lived in Sanborn- * Gookin, in Mass. Hist. Coll., I., 149. PENNSYLVANIA, OHIO, ETC. 147 ton fifty -two years, and had known the fort some time previous to settling in the place. When he came to the town to reside, the walls were two or three feet high, though in some places they had fallen down, and the whole had evidently much dimin ished in height, since the first erection. They were about three feet in thickness, constructed of stones outwardly, and filled in with clay, shells, gravel, etc., from the Ibed of the river and shores of the bay. The stones of which the walls were constructed were of no great size, and such as men in a savage state would be supposed to use for such a purpose. They were placed together with much order and regularity, and when of their primitive height, the walls must have been very strong — at least, sufficiently strong for all the purposes of defence against an enemy to whom the use of firearms was unknown. " The site of the fortification is nearly level, descending a little from the walls to the bank of the river. "West, for the distance of nearly half a mile, the surface is quite even. In front, or east, on the opposite side of the river, are high banks, upon which at that time stood a thick growth of wood. When the first settlers discovered the fort, there were oak trees of large size standing within the walls. Within the inclosure, and in the mound and vicinity, were found innumerable Indian orna ments, such as crystals cut into the rude shapes of diamonds, squares, pyramids, etc., with ornamental pipes of stone and clay — coarse pottery ornamented with various figures — arrow heads, hatchets of stone, and other common implements of peace and war. " The small island in the bay appears to have been a burial- place, from the great quantity of bones and other remains dis closed by the plough, when settlements were commenced by the whites. Before the island was cultivated, there were several large excavations resembling cellars or wells discovered, for what purpose constructed or used, can of course only be con jectured. There is a tradition that the Penacooks, at the time 148 ANCIENT WORKS IN of their destruction by the Maquaas, had three hundred birch canoes in Little Bay. "After writing thus far, I addressed a note to the Hon. James Clark, of Franklin, New Hampshire, with inquiries as to the present state of these ruins. Mr. Clark was kind enough at once to make a special visit to the site of the ruins, in com pany with Mr. Bamford, son of one of the first settlers. The following is an extract from his reply : " ' The remains of the walls are in part plainly to be traced ; but the ground since our former examination has been several years ploughed and cultivated, so as to now give a very indis tinct view of what they were at our previous visit, when the foundation of the whole could be distinctly traced. No mounds or passage-ways can now be traced. A canal to convey water to a saw and grist mill occupies the place of the mound marked m. The stones used in these walls were obtained on the ground, and were of such size as one man could lift ; they were laid as well as our good walls for fences in the north, and very regu lar ; they were about three feet in thickness and breast high when first discovered. The stones have been used to fill in the dam now adjoining. There were no embankments in the interior. The distance between the outer and inner wall was about sixty feet ; the distance from the north to the south wall was about 250 feet, and from the west wall to the river about 220 feet. There were two other walls extending south to Little Bay. The general elevation of the ground was about ten feet above, and gently sloping to the river bank, which is about five feet above the water of the river. The distance between Great Bay and Little Bay is about 160 rods, with a gradual fall of fifteen feet. Here was a great fishing-place for the Indians.' Mr. Bamford states that he has heard his father and Mr. Gib son say, that on their first acquaintance with this place, they have seen three hundred bark canoes here at a time. This may have been in consequence of the number of bays and lakes near this place. Sanbornton was laid out and surveyed in PENNSYLVANIA, OHIO, ETC. 149 1750 ; but Canterbury, adjoining the bay, was settled as early as 1727. " The remains of a fortification, apparently of similar con struction to that above described, were some years since to be seen on the bluffs east of the Merrimack River, in Concord, on what was formerly known as Sugar-Ball Plain. The walls could readily be traced for some distance, though crumbled nearly to the ground, and overgrown with large trees."* * " A mound 45 or 50 feet in diameter is situated on the northern shore of Ossipee Lake, New Hampshire. It is ten feet high, and was originally covered with timber. The earth is not like that of the mea dow in which it stands, but of the adjacent plain. A slight excavation was made in it a number of years ago, in the course of which three entire skeletons were found, accompanied by two tomahawks and some coarse pottery. On the surrounding meadow were to be seen, when the ground was first cleared, the hills where the corn had anciently grown." — Hist, and Mis. Coll. of N. H., vol. II., p. 47; New Hampshire Gazetteer, p. 207. CHAPTER VIII. GENERAL CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. THE fortifications of the savage or hunter tribes of North America are uniformly represented to have been constructed of rows of pickets, surrounding their villages, or inclosing posi tions naturally strong and easy of defence. The celebrated stronghold of the Narragansetts in Rhode Island, destroyed in 1676 by the New England colonists under Winthrop and Church, was an elevation of five or six acres in extent, situated in the centre of a swamp, and strongly defended by palisades. It was of extraordinary size, and inclosed not far from six hun dred lodges. Of like character was the fort of the Pequots, on the Mystic River, in Connecticut, destroyed by Captain Mason. Accord ing to Hackluyt, the towns of the Indians on the St. Lawrence were defended in a similar manner. The first voyagers describe the aboriginal town of Hochelaga, now Montreal, as circular in form, and surrounded by three lines of palisades. Through these there was but a single entrance, well secured by stakes and bars ; and upon the inside of the defence, were stages or platforms, upon which were placed stones and other missiles^ ready for use, in case of attack. The town contained about fifty lodges.— (Hackluyt, vol. III., p. 220.) Charlevoix observes, that " the Indians of Canada are more expert in erecting their fortifications than in building their houses." He represents that their villages were surrounded by double and frequently by triple rows of palisades, interwoven with'branches of trees, and flanked by redoubts. — (Canada, vol. II., p. 128.) Cham plain also describes a number of forti fied works on the St. Lawrence, above Trois Rivieres, which CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. 151 " were composed of a number of posts set very close together." He also speaks of " forts which were great inclosures, with tiers joined together like pales," within which were the dwellings of the Indians. — (Purchas, vol. IV., pp. 1612, 1644.) Says La Hontan, " their villages were fortified with double palisades of very hard wood, which were as thick as one's thigh, fifteen feet high, with little squares about the middle of the courtines (cur tains). — (Vol. II. } p. 6.) The Indians on the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina are described as possessing corresponding defences. " When they would be very safe," says Beverly, '• they treble the pales." — (Hist. Virg., p. 1 49, See also Amidas and Barlow in Pink., vol. XII., p. 567 ; Heriot, ib., p. 603 ; Lafitau, vol. III., p. 228, etc. etc.) Among the Floridian tribes, the custom of fortifying their villages seems to have been more general than among the In dians of a higher latitude. This may readily be accounted for from the fact that they were more fixed in their habits, consi derably devoted to agriculture, and less averse to labor than those of the north. The chronicler of Soto's Expedition speaks of their towns as defended by " strong works of the height of a lance," composed of " great stakes driven deep in the ground, with poles the bigness of one's arm placed crosswise, both inside and out, and fastened with pins to knit the whole together. Herrara, in his compiled account of the same expedition, has the following confirmation. " The town of Mabila or Mavila (Mobile) consisted of eighty houses seated in a plain, inclosed by piles driven down, with timbers athwart, rammed with long straw and earth between the hollow spaces, so that it looked like a wall smoothed with a trowel ; and at every eighty paces was a tower, where eight men could fight, with many loop-holes and two gates. In the midst of the town was a large square." — (Hist. America, vol. V., p. 324.) Du Pratz also gives a corre sponding account of the defences of the Natchez and neighboring tribes. " Their forts are built circularly, of two rows of large logs of wood, the logs of the inner row being opposite to the 152 CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. jointings of those of the outer row. These logs are about fifteen feet long, five feet of which are sunk in the earth. The outer CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. 153 logs are about two feet thick, the inner ones half as much. At every forty paces along this wall, a circular tower juts out, and at the entrance of the fort, which is always next the river, the two ends of the wall pass beyond each other, leaving a side opening. In the middle of the fort stands a tree, with the branches lopped off within a short distance of the trunk, and this serves as a watch-tower." — (Hist. Louisiana, p. 375.) The following description and illustrative engraving, copied from De Bry, no doubt convey a correct idea of the character of the Floridian defences. " The Indians build their towns in this wise. Having made choice of a spot near a running stream, they level it off as even as they can. They next draw a furrow of the size of the intended town in the form of a circle, in which they plant large round stakes, twice the height of a man, and set closely together. At the place where the entrance is to be, the circle is somewhat drawn in. after the fashion of a snail-shell, making the opening so narrow as not to admit more than two at a time. The bed of the stream is also turned into this entrance. At the head of the entrance a . small round building is usually erected ; within the passage is placed another. Each of them is pierced with slits and holes for observation, and is handsomely finished off after the manner of the country. In these guard -houses are placed those sentinels who can scent the trail of enemies at a great distance. As soon as their sense of smelling tells them that some are near, they hasten out, and, having found them, raise an alarm. The inhabitants, on hearing the shouting, immediately fly to the defence of the town, armed with bows; arrows, and clubs. " In the middle of the town stands the king's palace, sunk somewhat below the level of the ground, on account of the heat of the sun. Around it are ranged the houses of the nobles, all slightly covered with palm-branches; for they make use of them only during nine months of the year, passing, as we have said, the other three months in the woods. When they return, 7* 154 CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. they, take to their houses again ; unless, indeed, they have been burned down in the mean time by their enemies, in which case they build themselves new ones of similar materials. Such is the magnificence of Indian palaces." Among the Indians to the westward of the Mississippi, par ticularly among the Mandans and kindred tribes, a somewhat different system of defence prevailed. The serpentine courses of the rivers, all of which have here high, steep banks, leave many projecting points of land or elevated peninsulas, protected on nearly all sides by the streams, and capable, with little artificial aid, of being made effective for defensive purposes. Mr. Catlin describes the principal village of the Mandans, while that remarkable tribe existed, as protected upon three sides by the river, and upon the fourth " by a strong picket, with an interior ditch, three or four feet in depth." The picket was composed of timbers a foot or more in diameter and eighteen feet high, set firmly in the ground, at a sufficient distance from each other to admit guns to be fired between them. The warriors stationed themselves in the ditch during an attack, and were thus almost completely protected from their assailants. These practices seem, however, to be of comparatively late introduction. — (N. A. Indians, vol. I, p. 81.) Brackenridge ( Views of Louisiana, p. 242) mentions the ruins of an Indian town upon the Missouri River, fifty miles above the mouth of the Shienne. The spot was marked by " great piles of buffalo bones and quantities of earthenware. The village appeared to have been scattered around a kind of citidel or fortification, inclosing from four to five acres, in an oval form." The earth was thrown up about four feet, and a few of the palisades were remaining. The Shienne River is 1300 miles above the mouth of the Missouri. Lewis and Clark also mention a number of remains of Indian fortifications of like character ; but it is to be observed that they distinguish between them and the larger and more imposing ancient works which fell under their notice in the same region. They describe an abandoned village of the Riccarees, called Lahoocat, which CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. 155 was situated in the centre of Goodhope Island. It contained seventeen lodges, surrounded by a circular wall, and is known to have been occupied in 1797. — (Exp., p. 72.) They also men tion the remains of a deserted village, erected by Petit Arc or Little Bow, an Omahaw chief, on the banks of a small creek of the same name, emptying into the Missouri. It was surrounded by a wall of earth, about four feet high. — (Exp., p. 41.) A cir cular work of earth, formerly inclosing a village of the Shiennes, was noticed by these explorers, a short distance above the mouth of the Shienne River. — (Exp., p. 80.) The ancient villages of the Mandans, nine of which were observed in the same vicinity, within a space of twenty miles, were indicated by the walls which surrounded them, the fallen heaps of earth which cov ered the huts, and by the scattered teeth and bones of men and animals. — (Exp., p. 84.) Another defensive work, probably designed for temporary protection, was observed by these gen tlemen in the vicinity of the mouth of the Yellowstone. "It was built upon the level bottom, in the form of a circle, fifty feet in diameter, and was composed of logs lapping over each other, about five feet high, and covered on the outside with bark set upright. The entrance was guarded by a work on each side of it, facing the river." These entrenchments, they were informed, are frequently made by the Minaterees and other Indians at war with the Shoshonees, when pursued by their enemies on horseback. — (Exp., p. 622.) Lieut. Fremont found similar constructions in the vicinity of the Arkansas. A much more feasible method of protection, under such circum stances, is mentioned by Pike. He states that the Sioux, when in danger from their enemies in the plains, soon cover themselves by digging holes with their knives, and throwing up small breastworks. — (Exp., p. 19.) They are represented as being able to bury themselves from sight, in an incredibly short space of time. The numerous traces upon the Missouri, of old villages occu pying similar positions, and having evidently been defended in 156 CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. a like manner with those above described, place it beyond doubt that this method of fortification was not of recent origin among those Indians. Mr. Catlin mentions that there are several ruined villages of the Mandans, Minaterees and Riccarees, on the banks of the river, below the towns then occupied, which have been abandoned since intercourse became established with the whites. Prince Maximilian notices a feature in the defences of the Mandan village of Mih-tutta-hang-kush, which does not seem to have been remarked by any other traveler. This village is represented to have consisted of about sixty huts, surrounded by palisades, forming a defence, at the angles of which were "conical mounds, covered with a facing of wicker-work, and having embrasures, completely commanding the- river and plain." In another place, however, our author adds, that these bastions were erected for the Indians by the whites. — ( Travels in the Interior of North America, by Maximilian, Prince of Weid.—w- 173, 243.) It will thus be seen, from what has already been presented, that, while the Indian tribes on the Atlantic coast and along the Gulf of Mexico, with few exceptions, defended themselves by simple stockades, the Indians to the west of the Mississippi frequently added an embankment of earth, though in other re spects observing a very great uniformity with those nations first named. This difference may be accounted for, to a certain ex tent, by the nature of the soil, which, at the west, is generally readily excavated with the simplest tools. Among the semi-civilized inhabitants of Mexico, Central America, and Peru, similar methods of defence were practiced ; but in the construction of their fortresses they displayed a degree of superiority corresponding to that which, in most other re spects, they sustained over their savage contemporaries. Cortez found himself opposed, upon his first landing on the coast of Tobasco, by the town of the same name, which, according to De Solis, was fortified after the usual method, on the coast CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. 157 The defences consisted of a kind of wall, made of the trunks of large trees, fixed in the ground after the manner of palisades, but so placed that there was room for the Indians to discharge their arrows between them. The work was round, without any traverses or other defences, and at the closing of the circle the extremity of one line covered the other, and formed a narrow, winding street, in which there were two or three little castles of wood which filled up the passage, and in which were posted their sentinels. " This," continues Solis, " was a sufficient fortress against the arms of the new world, when they were happily ignorant of the arts of war and of those methods to attack and defend, in which mankind has been instructed either by malice or necessity." — (De Soils' Hist. Mexico, p. 54.) This town, corresponding entirely with those described by the followers of De Soto, in Florida, seems to have been rudely for tified in comparison with others in the interior of the country, and nearer the seat of Aztec civilization. Here the towns and cities were surrounded not only by palisades, but also by ditches and walls of earth and solid masonry. The skill with which the city of Mexico was protected is amply attested by the chronicler of Cortez' expedition, who also informs us that walls were sometimes erected to guard the frontiers of provinces. The great wall of Tlascalla furnishes, in its extent, a parallel to some of the more imposing defensive structures of the other hemisphere. It was erected, according to Cortez, by the " an cient inhabitants " of that republic as a protection against their enemies ; and Clavigero asserts that other portions of the fron tier were defended in a similar manner. De Solis describes it as " a great wall which ran across a valley from one mountain to another, entirely stopping up the way ; a sumptuous and strong piece of building, which showed the power and greatness of the builders. The outside was of hewn stone, united with mortar of extraordinary strength. It was twenty feet thick and a fathom and a half high ; and on the top was a parapet after the manner of our fortifications. The entrance was nar- 158 CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. row and winding, the wall in that part dividing, and making two walls, which circularly crossed each other for the space of ten paces." Clavigero states that it was six miles in length, eight feet in height, besides the parapet, and eighteen feet in thickness, composed of stone cemented with mortar. Works also existed in Mexico which approached more nearly to the character of the modern forts. They were, for the most part, strong, natural positions, such as isolated eminences, or the summits of steep and rugged mountains. One of these, inclosing the ruins of many imposing temples and edifices, is situated to the north of the city of Mexico, in the department of Zacatecas, which is supposed to have been formerly occupied by the Chichimecs and Otomies. It is now known as the " Ruins of Quemada." The ruins are situated upon the summit of a high hill or cerro, and are inclosed upon the north, where the ground is sloping, by broad, double walls of massive stones cemented with mortar. Upon the south are rugged precipices, affording natural defences. The walls have bastions at intervals, and are entered by four broad roads, or causeways, which extend in different directions over the adjacent plains. The hill of Xochicalco is three hundred feet in height, and a league in circumference, surrounded at the base by a deep and wide ditch. "Whether designed as a temple or fortress, is not apparent. It may have subserved both purposes ; for there is ample evidence, in the records of the conquerors, that the sacred grounds of the Aztecs were their places of last resort, in the defence of which their valor was inflamed by religious zeal. The summit of the hill of Xochicalco is attained by five spiral terraces, faced with cemented stones and supported by bulwarks, and is crowned by the ruins of edifices, which rank among the most imposing remains of the continent. An ancient fortress, which no doubt well illustrates the character of the ancient Mexican defences, is figured and described by Du Paix. " It occupies the summit of a steep, isolated rock, about a league CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. 159 west of Mitlan. This rock is accessible only from the eastern side. The wall is of solid stone, twenty-one feet thick and eighteen high, forming in its wide range, which is about a league in extent, several salient and retiring angles, with curtains interposed. On its assailable side, where is its principal en trance, it is defended by double walls which mutually flank each other. The first or most advanced forms an enceinte, or elliptical rampart, upon which, at short intervals, there are heaps of small round stones for slinging, and in the centre of the crescent there is an oblique gate, to avoid the enfilade or right line of arrows, darts and stones. The second wall, which is joined at its extremities to that of the fortress, is of greater elevation, and forms a sort of tenaille. It differs from the other in having its sides or flanks more open. It has likewise its rampart and heaps of stones. For greater security, batteries were disposed in the Aztec system of defence, in front of the fortification, consisting of loose round stones, about three feet in diameter, placed high, and so balanced as to be easily pre cipitated below. On the plain surface of the rock are various ruins of square buildings, and edifices of considerable size, which were probably the ancient barracks. In the point dia metrically opposite the entrance, is a sally-port or postern, for furnishing the fort with men and provisions, or to facilitate a forced retreat." Near the village of Molcaxac are the remains of an ancient fortress, much resembling that here described. It occupies the summit of a mountain, and consists of four concentric walls of great strength and solidity. — (De Soils, Book II., p. 139; Bradford's Am. Antq.,p. 104.) Another fortress of similar character, is mentioned by Clavigero as existing at Guatusco, twenty-five miles north of Cordova. It consists of high walls of stone, and is only entered . by high and narrow flights of steps. Although the above examples may seem to convey a very accurate idea of the nature of the defensive structures of the 160 CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. Mexicans, it is yet to be regretted that so brief and imperfect accounts of them have been transmitted to us by the early writers. While we are constantly assured of their existence, their great extent and vast strength, we are left in the dark in respect to their details. More is known respecting the military works of Peru, and all accounts concur in representing them as clearly resembling those already described. According to Ulloa, a method of fortifica tion existed, nearly allied to that practiced by the ancient Celts. It consisted in digging three or four ranges of moats quite around the tops of high and steep mountains, protecting them on the inside by walls of earth or stone. These were called pucuras ; and, in some of them, the outer circumvallation is represented as having been upwards of three miles in extent. In respect to their number, he asserts that one scarcely meets with a mountain without them.* Some were composed of rough stones without arrangement, others of adobes. The more irreg ular of these were attributed to the Indians before they were reduced by the Incas. La Yega describes the great fortress of Cuzco as constructed of three immense cyclopean walls, built rather of rocks than stones, surrounding a hill. Acosta meas ured some of the stones, and found them thirty feet in length, eighteen in breadth and six in thickness. The outer wall is said to have been twelve hundred feet in compass. Through the walls were gateways, communicating with the interior? where, according to La Yega, were three strong towers, two of which were square and one round ; the latter appropriated to the use of the Incas, the former to the garrison. Under the towers were subterranean passages of great extent, f It was supplied with water from a fountain in the centre. This is the fortress which so long resisted the attacks of the Spaniards. * Ulloa, vol. I., p. 504; vol. II., p. 113. f McCulloh, p. 272 ; Bradford, p. 169 ; Schneider, (Ulloa, Mem. Phttos. II., p. 457) says they were vaulted, (ceintrees.} CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. 161 Similar works exist near the village of Banos, in Huamalies, occupying the summits of two mountains, placed opposite to each other on either side of the river. The sides of the moun tains are divided into galleries, ranged one above the other, in some places formed by artificial walls, and in others cut in the solid rock.* On the road from Potosi to Tacua, are the ruins of an ancient Peruvian city. Upon one side, it is protected by a deep ravine, and on the other by a rampart, the stones com posing which are dovetailed together in a very singular man ner. Within the walls was a citadel or place of last resort, f Ulloa mentions tfre ruins of a fortified palace of the Incas, near Patasilca, one hundred and twenty miles from Lima. " The ruins are of very great extent : the walls are of tempered clay, and about six feet thick. The principal building stood upon an eminence, but the walls were continued to the foot of it, like regular circumvallations : the ascent wound round the hill leaving many angles which probably served as outworks to defend the place. It is called Fortalesa, and is supposed to have been a frontier point, during the time of the Incas."J There are also evidences that, on the frontiers of certain por tions of Peru, were constructed walls similar in design to that of Tlascalla. Such a one is said to cross the valley of Guarmey.$ Analogous works exist in Chili. || The fortifications of Central America are very much of the same character with those already described. Juarros gives an account of one of these situated upon the river Socoleo. " The approach, as usual to such places, was by a single entrance, and that so narrow as scarcely to permit a horseman to pass it. From the entrance there ran on the right hand a parapet raised on the berme of the fosse, extending along nearly the whole of * Mercuric, Peruano, vol. V., p. 259 ; Stevenson, vol. II., p. 100. f Andrews' Travels in S. A., vol. II., p. 161. J Ulloa, vol. II., p. 27; Stevenson, vol. II., p. 23. § Ruschenberger, p. 361. || Frezier, p. 262; Molina, vol. II., pp. 10, 68. 162 CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. that side ; several vestiges of the counterscarp and curtain of the walls still remain, besides parts of other works, the use of which cannot now be easily discovered. In the court-yard there stood some large columns upon which were placed quantities of pine-wood, that being set on fire, gave light at night to the sur rounding neighborhood. The citadel of this great fortification was in the form of a square graduated pyramid, rising twelve or fourteen yards from the base to the platform on the top, which was sufficient to admit of ten soldiers upon a side, etc. Every part of this fortress was constructed of hewn stones of great size ; one of which being displaced measured three yards in length by one in breadth."* The ruins of Uxmal in Yucatan, described by Mr. Stephens, are represented to be inclosed by a wall of loose stones, f It was not, however, completely traced by that gentleman. In closing the ruins of Tuloom he found a well -constructed wall of regular outline. It forms three sides of a parallelogram, the fourth side to ward the sea, being bounded by a precipitous cliff. " It is of rude construction, and composed of rough, flat stones laid upon each other without mortar or cement of any kind, and varies from eight to thirteen feet in thickness. The south side has two gateways, each about five feet wide. At the distance of six hundred and fifty feet, the wall turns at right angles and runs parallel to the sea. At the angle, elevated so as to give a commanding view, is a watch-tower, twelve feet square, which has two doorways. The interior is plain, and against the back wall is a small altar, at which the guard might offer up prayers for the preservation of the city. The west line parallel with the sea, has a single gateway ; at the angle is another watch- tower, like that before described, and the wall then runs straight to the sea. The whole circuit is 2800 feet."| * Juarros' Hist. Guat., p. 462. f Stephens' Yucatan, vol. I., pp. 165, 230. | Stephens' Yucatan, vol. II., p. 396. CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENCES. 163 The remarkable structures within this work, seem to be of a religious origin, suggesting the probability that it was designed as a sacred inclosure. It is not impossible that, as in the case of some of the works of the Aztecs, it was the citadel of the surrounding population, within which, in times of danger, they sought the protection and assistance of their gods. The forti fied hill in the vicinity of Grenville, Ohio, has a small sacred inclosure within its walls. May it not furnish a rude type of the more imposing work above described, and denote a similar practice ?* * " Ancient Monuments of Mississippi Valley," Plate IX. CHAPTER IX. STONE HEAPS STONES OF MEMORIAL STONE CIRCLES. WE have noticed, on a preceding page, the fact that occasional large heaps of stone, the work of the aborigines, are to be found in the State of New York. Particular reference was made to one in Scoharie county, which is described more in detail in Howe's Gazetteer of New York, as follows : " Between Scoharie creek and Caughnawaga was an Indian trail, and near it, in the north bounds of Scoharie county, has been seen, from time immemorial, a large pile of stones, which has given the name of c stone heap patent ' to the tract on which it occurs, as may be seen from ancient deeds. Indian tradition says that a Mohawk murdered his brother on this spot, and that this heap was erected to commemorate the event. Every individual who passed that way added a stone to the pile, in propitiation of the spirit of the victim."* Dwight, in his travels, mentions a heap of stones of this de scription, which was raised over the body of a warrior killed by accident, on the old Indian trail between Hartford and Farm- ington, the seat of the Tunxis Indians, in Connecticut. Rude heaps of stone of similar character are of frequent occurrence throughout the west. A very remarkable one occurs upon the dividing ridge between Indian and Crooked creeks, about ten miles south-west of Chilicothe, Ohio. It is immediately by the side of the old Indian trail which led from the Shawanoe towns, in the vicinity of Chilicothe, to the mouth of the Scioto River ; and consists of a simple heap of stones, rectangular in * Howe's Gaz. of New York, p. 278. STONE HEAPS STONES OF MEMORIAL, ETC. 165 form, and measuring one hundred and six feet in length by sixty in width, and between three and four in height. The stones are of all sizes, from those not larger than a man's head, to those which can hardly be lifted. They are such as are found in great abundance on the hill slopes — the fragments or debris of the outcropping sandstone layers. Some are water- worn, showing that they were brought up from the creek, near ly half a mile distant : and although they were disposed with no regularity in respect to each other, the heap was originally quite symmetrical in outline. The stones have been thrown out from the centre, and an excavation of considerable depth made in the earth beneath, but without results. The heap is situated upon the highest point of land traversed by the Indian trail : upon the water shed, or dividing ridge between the streams which flow into Brush creek upon the one side and the Scioto River on the other. Another heap of stones of like character, but somewhat less in size, is situated upon the top of a high, narrow hill overlook ing the small valley of Salt creek, near Tarlton, Pickaway county, Ohio. It is remarkable as having large numbers of crumbling human bones, to say nothing of living black snakes intermingled, apparently without order, with the stones. A very extensive prospect is had from this point. Upon the slope of a lower hill near by, appears to have been formerly an Indian village. Many rude relics are uncovered on the spot, by the plough. Smaller, and very irregular heaps are frequent among the hills. These do not generally embrace more than a couple cart-loads of stone, and almost invariably cover a skeleton. Occasionally the amount of stones is much greater. Rude implements are sometimes found with the skeletons. A num ber of such graves have been observed near Sinking Springs, Highland county, Ohio ; also in Adams county in the same State, and in Greenup county, Kentucky, at a point nearly op posite the town of Portsmouth on the Ohio. 166 STONE HEAPS STONES OF MEMORIAL, ETC. A stone heap, somewhat resembling those here described, though considerably less in size, is situated on the Wateree River, in South Carolina, near the mouth of Beaver creek, a few miles above the town of Camden. It is thus described in a MS. letter from Dr. Win. Blanding, late of Camden, ad dressed to Dr. S. Gr. Morton, of Philadelphia : " The land here rises for the distance of one mile, and forms a long hill from north to south. On the north point stands what is called the ' Indian Grave.' It is composed of many tons of small round stones, from one to four and five pounds weight. The pile is thirty feet long from east to west, twelve feet broad, and five feet high, so situated as to command an extensive view of the adjacent country, as far as ' Rocky Mount,' a distance of twenty miles above, and of the river for more than three miles, even at its lowest stages." A large stone heap was observed, a number of years since, on a prairie, in one of the central counties of Tennessee. " Upon removing the stones, near the centre of the pile, was found a stone box, six feet long and three broad, formed by joining with care the edges of flat stones. Within it was found the decayed skeleton of a. man. No weapons or other relics ac companied the skeleton." The smaller stone heaps of the West seem to have been con nected with some system of burial, and were perhaps designed to protect the bodies of those who casually met their death among the hills, or in some rencounter with an enemy, from the attacks of wild animals, as well as to point out their places of sepulture.* It is still customary among some of the Indian * " To perpetuate the memory of any remarkable warriors killed in the woods, I must here observe that every Indian traveler, as he passes that way, throws a stone on the place, according as he likes or dislikes the occasion or manner of death of the deceased. In the woods we often see innumerable heaps of small stones in these places, where, according to tradition, some of their distinguished people were either killed or buried, till the bones could be gathered ; then they add Pelion on Ossa, STONE HEAPS STONES OF MEMORIAL, ETC. 167 tribes to carefully envelope the bodies of their dead, and place them in trees, or on scaffoldings, for the same purpose. Occasionally, after interment in the earth, stakes are driven around the graves for the sake of protection. Whether the large heap first described was raised over the body of some distinguished savage, or as a simple mark or monument upon the Shawanoe trail, it is difficult to determine. The absence of human remains would seem to favor the latter conclusion. However this may be, there is certainly nothing very remark able in the existence of these monuments. The superstitions of the Indians exhibited themselves in a thousand forms. A spot remarkable in any respect, seldom failed to arouse their superstitions, or attract their reverence, and to become in time a great " medicine," or mystery. According to Acosta, the Peruvians had a superstitious practice of casting a stone as an still increasing each heap, as a lasting monument and honor to them, and an incentive to great actions." — Adair's History of the American In dians, p. 184. " At, or soon after burial, the relations of the deceased sometimes cover the grave with stones, and, for years after, occasionally resort to it, and mourn over, or recount the merits and virtues of the silent ten ant." — Hunter's Narrative, p. 309. " They have other sorts of tombs ; as when ah Indian is slain, in that very place they make a heap of stones, (or sticks, when stones are not to be found :) to this memorial, every Indian that passes by, adds a stone, to augment the heap in respect to the deceased hero." — Lawson's Carolina, (1709,) p. 22. LONG describes an Indian burial-place near Piqua, Ohio, where the dead were placed upon the bare limestone rocks, and covered over with slabs of stone. No order was displayed in the arrangement of the graves. A cemetery of like character, in which each grave is marked by a heap of stones, is said to exist in Westmoreland county, Pennsyl vania. The Bheels of the mountain district of India still raise cairns, or rude piles of stones, over the bodies of their chiefs, the tops of which, at par ticular periods, is covered with oil, red lead and vermillion.— Cokman's Hind. Myth., p. 271. 168 STONE HEAPS STONES OF MEMORIAL, ETC. offering, upon any remarkable spot, at the crossings of paths, and on the tops of hills or mountains. " It is therefore," ob serves our authority, " that we find by the highways, great heaps of stones offered, and such other things."* So, too, an early writer on the Housatonic Indians observes : " There is a large heap of stones, I suppose ten cart-loads, in the way to W^anhktukook. which the Indians have thrown together as they passed by the place : for it used to be their custom, every time one passed by, to throw a stone upon it : but what was the end thereof they cannot tell, only that their fathers used to do it, and they do it because it was the custom of their fathers. Some suppose it was designed as an expression of their grati tude to the Supreme Being, that he preserved them to see the place again."f The " Elk-horn pyramid," on the upper Mis souri, is regarded with deep reverence, and no hunter passes it without adding another horn to its proportions. This accumu lation has been going on for a long period, and the pile is now reported to be not far from fifteen feet high, and of correspond ing lateral proportions. It is composed entirely of elk-horns, many of which are to be found upon the adjacent prairies. An instance of this practice of accumulating stones and other ma terials, is mentioned by Mr. Schoolcraft, in which the offerings consisted of sticks and twigs. :f It is highly probable that most of the great heaps of stone scattered over the country, owe their origin to this practice. It is further possible that some of them may have originated in a practice mentioned by Bev erly, who states that the Indians sometimes signalized the conclusion of peace, or some other memorable action, by bury ing a tomahawk, and raising over it a heap of stones. § If such was the fact, " burying the hatchet," was not a mere rhetorical figure among the Indian orators. * Acosta, in Purchas, vol. III., p. 1028. t Hopkins' Memoirs of Housatonic Indians, p. 11. ^ Indian in his Wigwam, p. 78. § Hist. Virginia, p. 164. STONE HEAPS STONES OF MEMORIAL, ETC. 169 Customs, similar in all respects to those described as exist ing among the Indians, prevailed among the ancient Celts, and have hardly become extinct among the Highlanders of Scot land. A cairn, or heap of stones, was the common monument of the dead, and hence arose the saying, " I'll add a stane to yer cairn" in acknowledgment of a service, or in token of re gard. Two motives, however, appear to have existed for throw ing a stone, in passing, to a cairn. In the one case, says Logan, it arose from respect to the deceased, whose memory it was wished to prolong by increasing the size of his funeral mount. The soul of the departed was believed to be pleased with this mark of attention. The other motive for throwing stones to augment a cairn was, to mark with execration the burial-place of a criminal ; a practice which, according to Dr. Smith, was instituted by the Druids. " It is curious," con tinues the above author, " that the same practice should result from views so different ; yet the fact is so, and the author has often, in the days of his youth, passed the grave of a suicide, on which, according to custom, he never failed to fling a stone." At the death of Absalom, we are informed, in execration of his memory, his body was cast in a pit, and a heap of stones raised over him. " And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him. and all Israel fled, every one to his tent." (2 Sam uel xviii. 17.) A similar expression of popular hatred was vis ited upon the avaricious Achan. " And all Israel stoned him with stones, and they raised over him a great heap of stones." (Joshua vii.) We also learn from the Scriptures that the ancients erected heaps of stone to mark spots signalized by some remarkable event. Thus, Jacob raised a pillar of stone to commemorate his wonderful dream. The spot where he parted with his brother Esau, was marked in a like manner. The priests caused a mound of stones to be erected where the Israelites crossed the river Jordan, and Grilgal, their second encampment, 8 170 STONE HEAPS STONES OF MEMORIAL, ETC. was indicated by a heap of stones. Greek historians inform us that a similar custom existed among that people, derived from their ancestors Every memorable field of battle, through out Greece, has its tumulus or polyandrum. The ancients erected heaps of stones in the cross-ways, and every traveler augmented it by adding a stone. These were termed Thermula. The pilgrims of the Middle Ages did the same, when they came within view of the end of their journeys ; the piles which they erected were called Montjoyes. In the passes of the Alps, rude heaps of stone are visible, marking the spot of some deed of violence, or of some catastrophe. Similar heaps were often used to designate boundaries ; and, in the early explorations of the western parts of our own coun try, were erected to mark the corners of surveys, or " loca tions." The bounds between Jacob and Laban were thus indicated. " And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast up betwixt me and thee. This heap be witness and this pillar be witness that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm." ( Genesis xxxi. 51, 52.) We have an instance, mentioned by Lieut. Emory, in which an erect stone was raised by some of the Indians of Northern Mexico in commemoration of a treaty or compact. He says, " At this point, (on the plains bordering the Moro River, New Mexico,) we were attracted to the left by an object which we supposed to be an Indian ; but on corning up to it, we found it to be a sandstone block standing on end, surmounted by ano ther shorter block. A mountain man, versed in these signs, said it was in commemoration of a talk and friendly smoke between some two or three tribes of Indians."* The superstitions of the Indians extended to remarkable objects in nature. A tree or stone of singular form seldom failed to command their reverence. A stone which, from the * Military Keconnoissance from U. S. to California, p. 24. STONE HEAPS STONES OF MEMORIAL, ETC. 171 action of natural causes, has assumed the general form of a man or an animal, is especially an object of regard ; and the fancied resemblance is often heightened by artificial means, as by daubs of paint, indicating the eyes, mouth and other fea tures. Mr. Schoolcraft has presented the public with sketches of a number of these rude idols, all of which were found to the FIG. 35. northwest of the Great Lakes. Number 1 in the cut was brought to the Indian Office at Mackinaw in 1839 : number 2 was found on Thunder Bay Island in Lake Huron in 1820, where it had been set up under a tree. The island is small and barren, and in its solitary, desolate aspect furnished a place eminently appropriate, according to the Indian supersti tion, for the residence of a Manitou or spirit. Number 3 was found by Mr. Schoolcraft about one thousand miles above the Falls of St. An thony, on the Mississippi. It had been set up in a shadowy nook, and was al most entirely concealed by shrubbery.* Figure 36, No. 1, was found in East Hart ford, Connecticut, and depo- FIG. 36. * Indian in his Wigwam, p. 292. 172 STONE HEAPS — STONES OF MEMORIAL, ETC. sited in the Museum of Yale College in 1788. It is thirty-one inches high and seventeen wide ; the material is white granite. It is said the Indians placed their dead before it previous to burial, and afterward returned and danced around it.* Number 2 was found at the base of a mound in South Carolina, and is now in the possession of Dr. S. Gr. Morton, of Philadelphia. It is small, not more than six inches in height, and has evi dently undergone some artificial modification. Single erect stones, or a group of them, of large size, in iso lated situations were also venerated. They are sometimes covered with rude figures, and sacrifices made at their base. Lewis and Clark, Prince Maximilian, and other travelers men tion some of these, which in size and general disposition closely resemble the Celtic cromlech.^ Catlin remarked a singular group of five large boulders, at the Coteau des Prairies, which were regarded with the utmost veneration by the Indians. None venture to approach nearer than three or four rods, and sacrifices are made in humble attitude, by throwing tobacco toward them from a distance.^ It is well known that among the nations of the East, a plain, unwrought stone, placed in the ground, was an emblem of the generative or procreative powers of nature. In India such stones are very abundant, and are denominated Linghams ; and in Central America the same symbol was extensively adopted. It is not improbable that the erection of an obelisk of wood in the centre of the conse crated areas of the Creeks, as described by Bartram, on page 121 of "Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley," had its origin in the primitive practice of erecting these symbolical stones ; which in India, as also in Central America, almost invariably occupy the centres of the sacred inclosures. Stones arranged in a circle, around a central larger one, or amid * Trans. Am. Acad. Arts and Sciences, vol. III., p. 192. f Lewis and Clark, pp. 79, 83 ; Prince Maximilian's Travels, pp. 381, 417. J N. A. Indians, vol. II., p. 202. STONE HEAPS STONES OF MEMORIAL, ETC. 173 several disposed in a peculiar manner, was a very primitive form of the solar temple. The remains of these temples, not withstanding their rudeness, constitute some of the most im posing and interesting monuments of the Old World. If we may credit Beverly, the Indians of Virginia not only erected sacred stones, but had sacred inclosures, corresponding very nearly with the ancient stone circles. He says : " The Indians have posts fixed around their Quioccasan (temple of the idol), which have men's faces carved upon them, and are painted. They are likewise set up around some of their other celebrated places, and make a circle for them to dance about in, on certain solemn occasions. They very often set up pyramidal stones and pillars, which they color with puccoon and other sorts of paint, and which they adorn with peak, roenoke, etc. To these they pay all outward signs of worship and devotion, not as to God, but as they are hieroglyphics of the permanency and im mutability of the Deity : because these, of all sublunary bodies, are the least subject to decay or change ; they also, for the same reason, keep baskets of stones in their cabins."* Besides the rough, upright and wrought stones, constituting inclosures, or occupying the areas of sacred structures, in Cen tral America and Yucatan, accounts of which are given by Mr. Stephens, we have the intelligence of the recent discovery of monuments, in New Grenada, (South America,) which exhibit a still closer relationship to the primitive stone circles and other analogous structures of the other continent. The sub joined account is given in a letter from Signer Yelez, dated Bogota, December, 1846: " In traversing, at different times, the province of Tunja, with the sole purpose of examining the country, I acquired some vague information respecting the presumed existence, in the province of Leiva, of some ruins belonging to a temple or a palace of the times of the ancient Indians. As the account * Hist. Virginia, p. 184. 174 STONE HEAPS STONES OF MEMORIAL, ETC. varied each time that I attempted to inform myself by inqui ries, as to the existence of remains of buildings anterior to the conquest, and as no one affirmed that he had seen them himself, I began to doubt the truth of the report. Nevertheless, as the subject was one that interested me exceedingly, I undertook a journey, in the month of June, 1846, in spite of the time and trouble it would necessarily cost me, in order to put an end to my uncertainty. After traversing the province of Leiva in different directions, without meeting with the object I was in search of, and after advancing as far as the neighborhood of Moniquira, by following the route from Gachantiva to this place, across a beautiful gently sloping plain under cultivation, I discovered a large stone, which, when seen some distance off, did not at first appear as if wrought by the hand of man. On approaching it, I found it was a sort of column, 4£ varas in length by 3£ in diameter. It seemed to me that such stones, although rudely wrought, must have served as columns. On examining the locality, I found, scattered here and there, other stones similar to the first, and at last, 13 stones of the largest size, ranged as in a circle about 50 varas in circumference. It appeared to me that they must have proceeded from some tem ple or palace, extending back to a remote period. Some of these columns have a flattened shape like a fish; each has notches at its extremities, which show clearly what means were employed for making fast to them, and drawing them from the quarry to the site which they now occupy. ;' But now, when I began to despair of meeting with the ru ins of an edifice, which was the main object of my journey, some Indians from a hut pointed out to me a spot some 400 varas distant from the thirteen last-mentioned columns. I imme diately proceeded thither, and great indeed was my joy at be holding ruins ! I found cylindrical columns, exceedingly well wrought, fixed in the ground, and occupying a surface 45 varas long by 22 broad. These ruins extend, in the direction of their length, from east to west ; some arranged in a straight STONE HEAPS STONES OF MEMORIAL, ETC. 175 line running in the same direction, with this peculiarity, that the columns are so near together that their distance from each other does not exceed half a vara. Their circumference also is not over half a vara (sic) ; as to their length, it could not be determined, these remains being so much damaged, that the highest of them is not more than !•£ vara above ground; others are scarcely visible, the ranges to which they belong being in terrupted. The diameter of these columns is precisely alike ; they resemble each other exactly, and are so well turned into a cylindrical shape, that they seemed to me of better workman ship than those now made use of at Bogota ; they form, by their lightness and elegance, a striking contrast with the thirteen enormous fragments mentioned above. " It is impossible to affirm that the edifice in question was only 45 varas long and 22 broad, because, in this space, the columns touch each other. Over the whole extent of the place, which covers a considerable surface, there are scattered numer ous fragments of columns, as also of other stones which appear to have been wrought on one of their faces. At a distance of 100 varas, I also found a spot covered with brambles and a considerable number of stones, which, from a cursory examina tion, I concluded to have been wrought. The columns which remain sunk in the ground, are about twenty-nine in number. " In all that I saw, I observed no trace of mortar, lime, or any other cement. By taking up some of these columns, some may, perhaps, be found. " The examination of these vestiges made a deep impression upon me, and I became convinced that the territory which con tains them, and which is about two miles in extent, must have been occupied by a large city — and, as I conclude, by a nation much more ancient than the Muyscas. " The ignorance which has always reigned in the province of Tunja, explains the little attention shown to monuments so in teresting, and so worthy of being studied. The inhabitants of the country have alone been acquainted with them up to the 176 STONE HEAPS STONES OF MEMORIAL, ETC. present time ; and although not comparable in importance and grandeur to those which have been discovered in Guatemala and Yucatan, they nevertheless attest the existence of ancient populations already far advanced in civilization." Monuments analogous to those here described, are found on the shores of Lake Titicaca, in Peru. Their origin is lost in obscurity, and they are supposed, by M. De Orbigny, who has carefully investigated, and given the world drawings of them to have been the work of a race anterior to the Incas, denoting, perhaps, a more advanced civilization than the monuments of Palenque. They have been described by a number of the early writers, commencing with Pedro de Ceica, one of the followers of Pizarro. M. De Orbigny speaks of them as follows : u These monuments consist of a mound raised nearly a hundred feet, surrounded with pillars — of temples from six to twelve hundred feet in length, opening precisely toward the east, and adorned with colossal angular columns — of porticoes of a single stone, covered with reliefs of skillful execution, though of rude design, displaying symbolical representations of the sun, and the condor his messenger — of basaltic statues loaded with bas-reliefs, in which the design of the carved head is half Egyptian — and lastly, of the interior of a palace formed of enormous blocks of rock completely hewn, whose dimensions are often twenty-one feet in length, twelve in breadth, and six in thickness. In the temples and palaces, the portals are not inclined as among those of the Incas, but perpendicular ; and their vast dimensions, and the imposing masses of which they are composed, surpass in beauty and grandeur all that were afterward built by the sovereigns of Cuzco."* * L'Home Americain, torn. I., p. 323. CHAPTER X. COMPARISON OF THE DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES OF THE AMERI CAN ABORIGINES, WITH THOSE OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDERS, CELTS, ETC. THE resemblances which the defensive works of the mound- builders, as well as of the later and existing Indian tribes, bear to those of many other rude nations, in various parts of the world, are no less striking than interesting. These resem blances have, however, had the effect of misleading superficial investigators, or those who have only paid incidental attention to these subjects. They have hastily inferred that, because certain monuments and aboriginal relics of the United States, such as entrenched hills, tumuli, and instruments and orna ments of stone and copper, sustain analogies, in some instances almost amounting to identities, with those occurring in the British Islands and on the steppes of Russia, that relations must necessarily have existed between the builders, or that they had a common origin. These resemblances are, never theless, the inevitable results of similar conditions ; and the ancient Celts and Scythians, the American Indians, and the natives of Australia, built their hill-forts, and fashioned their flint arrow-points and stone axes in like manner, because they thus accomplished common objects, in the simplest and most obvious mode. Human development must be, if not in pre cisely the same channels, in the same direction, and must pass through the same stages. We cannot be surprised, therefore, that the earlier, as in fact the later monuments of every people, exhibit resemblances more or less striking. What is thus true 8* 178 COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE physically, or rather monumentally, is not less so in respect to intellectual and moral development. And it is not to be denied that the want of a sufficient allowance for natural and inevitable coincidences, has led to many errors in tracing the origin and affinities of nations. We find not only in the British islands, but also in the islands of the Pacific ocean, the almost exact counterparts of the defensive structures of our own country. " The places of defence of the Sandwich Islanders," says Ellis, " were rocky fortresses improved by art, — narrow defiles or valleys, shel tered by projecting eminences, — passes among the mountains, difficult of access, yet allowing their inmates a secure and extensive range, and an unobstructed passage to some stream or spring. The celebrated Pare (fortress), in Atehuru, was of this kind ; the mouth of the valley in which it was situated was built up with a stone wall, and those who fled thither for shelter were usually able to repel their assailants. " Several of these places are very extensive ; that at Maeva, in Huahine, near Mouna Tabui, is probably the best in the islands. It is a square of about half a mile on each side, and incloses many acres of ground well stocked with bread-fruit, containing several springs, and having within its precincts the principal temple of their tutelar deity. The walls are of solid stone-work, twelve feet in height. On the top of the walls, which were even and well paved, and in some places ten or twelve feet thick, the warriors kept watch and slept. Their houses were built within, and it was considered sufficiently large to contain the whole population. There were four prin cipal openings in the wall, at regular distances from each other, that at the west being called the King's road. They were designed for ingress and egress ; and during a siege, were built up with loose stones, when it was considered &pari haabuea, an impregnable fortress."— (Ellis1 Polynesian Researches, vol. I, pp. 313, 314.) The New Zealanders were not deficient in defensive skill. DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES OF THE ABORIGINES. 179 Cook describes one of their strongholds or Heppahs at length. His account, from the light which it affords as to the probable manner in which the embankments of the western works were surmounted, is subjoined entire : " Near this place is a high point or peninsula projecting into the river, and upon it are the remains of a fort, which they call Eppah or Heppah. The best engineers could not have chosen a situation better adapted to enable a small number to defend themselves against a greater. The steepness of the cliffs ren ders it wholly inaccessible from the water, which incloses it on three sides ; and, to the land, it is fortified by a ditch, and a bank raised on the inside. From the top of the bank to the bottom of the ditch is twenty-two feet ; the ditch on the out side is fourteen feet deep, and broad in proportion. The whole seemed to be executed with great judgment, and there had been a row of palisadoes, both on the top of the bank and along the brink of the ditch on the outside ; those on the outside had been driven very deep in the ground, and were inclined towards the ditch so as to project over it ; but of these, the thickest only were left, and upon them were evident marks of fire, so that the place had probably been taken and de stroyed by an enemy. If occasion should make it necessary for a ship to winter or stay here, tents might be built in this place, which is sufficiently spacious, and might easily be made impregnable to the whole country." — (Cootts Second Voyage.) The following additional particulars respecting the construc tion and defence of the Heppah, by a later writer, and a long resident of New Zealand, may serve to explain some of the features of the aboriginal structures of our own country, as also the probable manner in which they were defended. " The fortifications of the natives are called Pa (fort), or E' Pa (the fort). The spots chosen for these defences equally evince sound judgment and habitual fear. The position ac counted as best adapted for the purpose, is the summit of a high hill, overlooking the surrounding country, or a mountain- IbO COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE ous pass, having at its foot a river or running stream. Insular retreats, distant a, few miles from the main, are also in especial repute. The first procedure is to escarp the hill, so as to render the ascent difficult and dangerous to a foe. Remains of such works are to be found on every remarkable elevation throughout the country. The further defences consist of two, sometimes of three stout stockades of irregularly sized posts and poles, varying from eight to thirty feet high from the ground, into which they are thrust from three to seven feet. The large posts are placed about a dozen feet apart, on which are often carved ludicrous representations of men and animals ; the spaces between the poles being filled with stakes, placed close together, and bound firmly with horizontal pieces by a creeper called toro-toro, which is tough and serviceable for a long period. These strongholds have often proved superior to any force the natives could bring against them. Few instances have occurred of a Pa being taken by a brisk siege ; they have failed only when cowardice, treachery, or improvidence have aided the assailants. The stockades that inclose the fort are within a few feet of each other, the outer gate or entrance being much less than the inner opening, which, in time of war, is entered by stepping-stones or small wooden posts like a turn stile. The width is so contracted as scarcely to admit a large- sized man, and between the fences a fosse is often cut, about four feet in depth, sheltering the besieged while discharging their missiles at the enemy. A more confused scene can scarcely be conceived than a Pa during a siege. Some hun dreds of low arched huts lie huddled together without regu larity, streets, or paths ; among these, some native palaces raise their roofs, and platforms (watas) built on trees for the preser vation of food, and not for defensive purposes. Mounds are often erected during a night by an enemy, to overlook the interior of a fort, but they are of rare occurrence. The huts near the tidpa or stockades are covered with earth and clay, to render them secure to the inmates. L_ DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES OF THE ABORIGINES. 181 " Some forts have been selected with consummate skill, having the command of mountain gorges and narrow passes, which might keep in check an army, if defended by a handful of brave men. Various contrivances are invented to render an approach to a fortification difficult of access Sometimes a wooden post with notches for the feet affords the only means of entering the fort. The Pa formed by the celebrated E'Ongi, on a promontory jutting into Lake Moperri, was a work of much merit, and added greatly to the consequence of the self-taught engineer among his countrymen." — (Pollock's New Zealand, vol. II., p. 26.) It appears from these facts, that whatever estimate we may place upon the capabilities of the Pacific and South Sea Islanders in other respects, they are, in the language of a close observer, " sufficiently advanced in civilization to construct fortifications, and adapt them to the nature of the country in which they are required." — (Laing's Polynesian Nations, p. 108.) The defensive works of Great Britain present a great variety of forms, betraying different authors and different eras of con struction. First of all, we have the works of the ancient Celts, of irregular outline, and occupying strong natural posi tions. These are succeeded by the fortified camps and other defences of the Roman era, which are followed by the less regular but more laborious works of the Belgic or Saxon period. During the earliest or Celtic period, a large proportion of the barrows or tumuli scattered over the islands were erected ; then, also, were built those mysterious circles and long avenues which bear so striking a resemblance to the ancient structures of our own country. In the choice of their military positions, the ancient Britons were governed by the same obvious rules which regulated the mound-builders and the American Indians generally — ad vantage in all cases being taken of the natural features of the 182 COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE country. Their defences were usually erected on headlands, a single wall being carried along the brow of the promontory, while the level approaches were protected by a succession of embankments and ditches, with occasional outworks or advance posts. In some instances, steep, isolated hills were selected, which were defended by a series of concentric embankments, completely encircling the summit, — a method of construction, as we have already seen, most frequently adopted by the Peruvians. The subjoined examples of ancient British fortresses, are reduced from plans presented by Sir R C. Hoare. FIG. 37. Fig. 37 is situated in the county of Wilts, in the parish of Colerne, near the road leading to Bath, and is known to British antiquaries under the different titles of " North Wood " and "Bury Wood Camp." "Its shape resembles that of a heart, its pointed part resting in an angle between two streams. DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES OF THE ABORIGINES, 183 Its area comprehends twenty-five acres, and it appears to have had only one entrance toward the S. W., and that placed exactly in the centre of the ramparts, which on this side are double and rectilinear, the ground being level and most acces sible on this side. On the N. "W. side, near the outward val lum, but within the area of the camp, is a small earthen work (a), single ditched, with an entrance to the west." — (Ancient Wiltshire, vol. II., p. 104.) '. M % 1-- ">} "lie j .' FIG. 38. Fig. 38 is situated in the same section of country with the work just described, in the vicinity of Castle Combe, from which it is named. " It is placed," says Hoare, " in a very strange and picturesque situation, on the point of a very steep hill, at whose base flows a rapid brook. It is very difficult of access. The foundation of walls, a raised mound, and other circumstances, induce me to attribute to it a Saxon origin; and history reports its having been ravaged by the Danes. Its area is eight and a half acres ; its form is rather oblong, but 184 COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE wider toward the north, where the ground is most easy of access, and where the adit into the camp has been placed. On entering the work at this point, and proceeding toward the southern extremity, where the ground is most precipitate, we meet with three lines of ramparts, which intersect the area of the camp, through two of which there is an opening ; the eastern point was fortified by a raised mound." — (Ib. vol. II., p. 101.) The singular vitrified forts of Scotland are suggested in this connection. They appear to have been composed of loose stones, which, by some process of vitrification, were made to present the outward features of solid rocks, and have long perplexed anti quarians. Some have attributed the vitrification to lightning, others to accidental conflagration, while a few, more daring in their speculations, have considered them the craters of ex tinguished volcanos ! It has also been supposed that vast de fences of wood once surrounded and surmounted the ramparts, by the casual burning of which they were vitrified. There is, however, every reason to believe, that this feature was the result of design, although it is not easy to explain how it was produced. Dr. Anderson, in a communication to the Society of Anti quarians, in 1777, gives an account of a remarkable work of this description, called Knockferral, in Ross-Shire. It is placed on a high ridge of an oblong-shaped hill, very steep on three sides, the walls being raised on the edge of a precipice all round, except at the end admitting entrance into the area, the inclosed space of nearly an acre being level : features readily recognizable as also belonging to our American " Hill Forts." The ap proaches to this work, as those of all others of the same descrip tion, are strengthened by additional ramparts. " Those at the entry," says our authority, " had extended, as I guessed, about one hundred yards, and seemed to have consisted of cross-walls, one behind the other, eight or ten in number; the ruins of which are still plainly perceptible. Through each of these walls there must have been a gate, so that the besiegers would have DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES OF THE ABORIGINES. 185 been under the necessity of forcing each of these gates succes sively, before they could carry the fort ; on the opposite end of Fio. 39. the hill, as the ground is considerably steeper, the outworks seem not to have extended above twenty yards. Not far from the farther end, was a well (a), now filled up. The wall all around from the inside appears to be only a mound of rub- 186 COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE bish, consisting of loose stones : the vitrified wall is only to be seen from the outside. Here the wall is covered with a crust of about two feet in thickness, consisting of stones immersed among vitrified matter ; some of the stones being half fused themselves, — all of them having evidently suffered a considera ble heat. The crust is of an equal thickness — of about two feet — from the top to the bottom, so as to lie upon, and be sup ported by, a backing of loose stones, forming in section an acute angle. Within the crust of the vitrified matter is another stratum of some thickness, parallel to the former, and consist ing of loose stones, which have been scorched by the fire, but present no marks of fusion." It will be perceived that in position, mode of construction, etc., these defences are indistinguishable from those of America. They might be regarded, so far as their apparent features are concerned, as the work of the same people ; yet they were con structed by different races, separated from each other by ocean wastes, and having little in common, except the possession of those savage passions which have reddened every page of the world's history with blood. They serve only further to illus trate how naturally, and almost of necessity, men similarly cir cumstanced hit upon common methods of meeting their wants, and do not necessarily establish a common origin, nor a constant or casual intercourse. The Roman camps, vestiges of which are abundant through out England and on the continent, also bear a close analogy to a large class of the more regular Western earth-works, though probably differing widely from them in the purposes for which they were erected. " The Romans, from the earliest period, paid particular attention to the security of their armies, by choosing the best situations for their camps that the circum stances would permit. They did not, however, trust to natural strength alone — making it an invariable rule, wherever they came, to inclose themselves within an entrenchment, consisting of a rampart and ditch, strengthened with palisades. The forti- DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES OF THE ABORIGINES. 187 fications were of a stronger or weaker character, according to the nearness of an enemy, or the appearance of danger with which they were threatened at the time. The form of the Roman camp was square, contrary to that adopted by the Greeks, who made theirs round, triangular, or of any other shape, as best suited the nature of the ground." — (Roy's Mili tary Antiquities of England, p. 41.) The angles of the Roman camp were rounded, on a radius of about sixty feet, and there were gateways midway upon each side ; sometimes, if the camps were of large size, there were several passages upon each side. These entrances were usually protected by exterior mounds, or by overlapping walls, and occasionally outworks were erected. The temporary camps, castra astiva, or those not designed for constant occupation, had comparatively slight entrenchments, the ditch being about six feet deep, and the parapet behind it only about four feet high. The castra stativa were generally much smaller than the temporary camps, and were strongly pro tected. They were designed to contain garrisons, either to guard a frontier or keep in awe newly conquered provinces. Two ranges of them were erected shortly after the time of Agri- cola, upon the frontiers of Caledonia, placed at short intervals apart between the Clyde and Forth, and the Tyne and Solway, nearly upon the line afterward occupied by the walls of Had rian, Antoninus Pius, and Severus. The smaller sort of castra stativa were termed castella, answering in a great degree to the field-forts and redoubts made use of by modern armies. The following cut, Fig. 40, is a plan of the camp of a single Roman legion, according to Polybius, and is introduced more to illustrate the different methods of protecting the gateways, than to serve any other purpose. In some of the Western military works, as may be seen by reference to the first volume of Smith sonian Contributions, gateways occur similar to that at A. In the more regular structures of the West, however, the mound covering the gateway is invariably placed interior to the walls, which circumstance, joined to others less equivocal, goes to sus- 188 COMPARATIVE VIEW, ETC. tain the conclusion that such works were not constructed for defence. The Roman camps had frequently two, sometimes FIG. 40. four or more, lines of embankment, with flanking defences, horn- works, etc. The stone and earth circles of England are all ascribed to the Celts; the rectangular works to the Romans. Throughout the islands, no works occur in which the two figures are combined, as in the Mississippi valley. CHAPTER XI. SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS IN MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA, PERuJ AND CHILI. MOUNDS are found in Oregon ; but little is known concerning them, except that they occur in the open prairies, are of small size (seldom more than six or seven feet in height), and are many thousands in number. Some of them were opened by Com. Wilkes. but found to contain nothing beyond a pavement of round stones. Their origin is involved in obscurity. Al though professing to know nothing concerning them, the Indians nevertheless regard them with some degree of veneration. Their priests, or " medicine men," gather the wild herbs which grow upon them, for use in their incantations and superstitious rites. It seems unlikely that they were built by a people so rude as those found in present occupation of the country. — (Ex ploring Expedition, vol. IV., p. 313.) It is not known that any mounds occur in Upper or indeed in Lower California. A few are found in New Mexico, and in the valley of the Gila ; but we are ignorant of their character and contents. The aboriginal Mexicans often buried in the pyramidal structures constituting their temples ; and it is pre sumed, although we have no direct evidence of the fact, that they sometimes erected tumuli over their dead. The plain surrounding the great pyramids of Teotihuacan is covered with mounds, chiefly of stone, and disposed with a great deal of reg ularity; it is called Micoatl, or Path of the Dead* These *Mr. Thompson, in his "Recollections of Mexico (pp. 138, 142), expresses the opinion that what have been very generally supposed to be sepulchral mounds around these pyramids, are not such in fact, 190 SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS IN MEXICO, ETC. pyramids are, however, ascribed to the Toltecs, who preceded the Aztecs in the possession of the valley of Anahuac ; and it is reasonable to believe that the numerous tumuli which sur round them, whatever their purposes, were built by the same hands. If the practice of erecting mounds over the dead prevailed at all among the Mexicans, it must have been to a very limited extent. This is inferred from the silence of all the ancient authorities, who, although giving us very minute accounts of their burial customs, say nothing concerning such structures. It was usual to burn the dead, and the rite was performed with many ceremonies.. In cases where simple inhumation was practised, the body was placed in a sitting posture, in chambers of stone or brick, accompanied by their ornaments and the implements of their profession. Bernal Diaz mentions the explorations of Figuero, an officer among the conquerors, who, in the territory of the Zapoticas, employed himself " in discovering the burial-places of the Caziques, and in opening their graves for the sake of the golden ornaments which the inhabitants of olden times were accustomed to bury with their chiefs. This employment he prosecuted with so much vigor and success, that he collected in this manner over 100.000 dollars worth of gold." — (Lockharfs Diaz, vol. II., p. 322.) It will be observed that Diaz speaks of these tombs as belonging to the people who inhabited the country in the olden time — probably the Toltecs, among which branch of the American family the practice of mound-building seems to have been of universal prevalence. Sepulchral mounds are abundant in many parts of Central America. In the vicinity of the ruins of Ichmul, in Yucatan, they are particularly numerous, covering the plain for miles in every direction. Some of these are forty feet in height. Sev eral have been opened and found to contain chambers, inclos- but simply the ruins of the houses composing an ancient town. His opinion, for reasons which the inquirer will find explained at large in his book, is entitled to consideration. SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS IN MEXICO, ETC. 191 ing skeletons, placed in a sitting position with small vessels of pottery at their feet. — (Norman's Yucatan,}*. 146.) In Hon duras, says Herrara, were many tombs of the inhabitants ; ;' some of which were large plain rooms, and others only like great heaps of earth. In the territory of Zenu," continues this author, " abundance of graves were found in a field near a tem ple, so ancient that large trees were growing over them ; and within them was an immense quantity of gold, besides what the Indians took, and what still is lost underground. These graves were very magnificent, adorned with broad stones and vaults, in which the dead body was laid, and all their wealth, jewels, and arms, women and servants alive, with good stores of provisions and pitchers of their liquors, which denoted the knowledge they had of the immortality of the soul. The dead were buried sitting, clothed and well armed." — (Herrara^ vol. IV., p. 221.) Mr. Stephens excavated a sepulchral mound in the vicinity of San Francisco, in Yucatan. It was a square stone structure, with sides four feet high ; and the top was rounded over with stones and earth. The interior was loose earth and stones, with some layers of large flat stones, the whole very rough. After digging six hours, he came to a flat stone of large size, beneath which was a skeleton. The knees were bent against the stomach, the arms doubled from the elbow, and the hands supporting the neck or head. With this skeleton was found a large vase, the mouth of which was covered with a flat stone. It was empty, except some little, hard, black flakes at the bottom. Mr. Ste phens conjectures that it may have contained some liquid, or the heart of the skeleton. — (Trav. in Yucatan, vol. I., p. 277.) In South America, and particularly in Peru, the custom of erecting mounds over the dead was of general prevalence. The sepulchral tumuli of Peru were called huacas or guacas. They exhibit many features in common with the burial mounds of the Mississippi valley, and establish that funeral customs, in many respects similar to those practised by the race of the 192 SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS IN MEXICO, ETC. mounds, prevailed among the ancient inhabitants of that coun try. Their form is generally that of a simple cone ; sometimes they are slightly elliptical, and occasionally rectangular. Their usual height is said to be not far from forty to fifty feet, though some are mentioned which are upwards of one hundred feet in altitude. They are scattered in great profusion over the coun try ; but, according to Ulloa, are " most abundant within the jurisdiction of the town of Cayambe, where the plains are covered with them, for the reason that formerly here was one of the principal temples of the ancient inhabitants, which it was supposed communicated a sacred character to the surrounding country, which was therefore chosen for the burial-place of the kings and caziques of Quito ; and in imitation of them, all the chiefs of the villages were interred there. The remarkable difference," continues this author, " in the magnitude of these monuments, seems to indicate that the guacas were always suit able to the character, dignity, or riches of the person interred, as indeed the vassals under some of the most potent caziques concurred in raising a mound over his body." — (Ulloa, vol. I., p. 480.) It may be regarded as settled, that, as a general thing, none but the bodies of deceased chieftains and other persons of consequence were deposited in the huacas, and that those of the common people were buried in simple graves. Within the huacas, upon the original surface of the ground, are found chambers constructed of stone, brick, or timber ; some times there are several of them, with connecting galleries, in which the dead were placed. The bodies are usually found occupying a sitting posture. With them were placed a great vari ety of articles, ornaments, and implements. Vast quantities of pottery, of every variety of form and ornament ; articles of gold and silver, comprising ear-rings, pendants, bracelets, and little images of men and animals ; axes of hardened copper and of stone, differing but slightly in shape from those in use at the present day ; spear-heads and mirrors of obsidian (gallinazo stone) ; cloth of cotton, of the wool of the lamas and of other SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS IN MEXICO, ETC. 193 materials ; implements of palm-wood ; marine shells, and a thousand articles of similar character. Vast numbers of these tombs have been opened for the sake of the treasures they con tain.* In Chili, sepulchral mounds of earth and stone are of fre quent occurrence. In them are found, besides the bones of the dead, earthenware, axes, and vessels of stone, admirably worked, and occasionally edged tools of hardened copper. Molina describes, with considerable minuteness, the funeral ceremonies of the Chilian Indians ; which, from the light they may throw upon the customs of the mound-builders, are worthy of notice. " As soon as one of their nation dies, his friends and relations seat themselves on the ground round the body, and weep for a long time ; they afterward expose it, donned in its best clothes, upon a high bier, where it remains during the night, which they pass near it, weeping, or in eating or drinking with those who come to console them. This is called the black entertainment : black being with them, as with us, the sign of mourning. The following day, or within two or three days, they carry the corpse to the burial-place of the family, which is usually situated on a hill or in a wood. The corpse is preceded by two men at full speed on horseback, and is followed by the relations, with loud cries and lamentations, while a woman strews ashes on the track, to prevent the soul from returning. On arriving at the place * The amount of treasure found in some of the huacas is very great. Stevenson states that in the year 1576, a huaca was opened in which was found gold amounting to 46,810 golden ounces ; according to Huinboldt, 5,000,000 francs. We are not surprised at the great value of some of these deposites, in view of the almost incredible quantities of gold and silver possessed by the ancient Peruvians. According to Proctor (Peru in 1823-4), the excavation of the ancient tombs for their contents is still carried on, though it seems that considerable quantities of the precious metals are seldom found. Mr. Proctor mentions that in some instances the spindles of the ancient inhabitants, with the cot ton thread still perfect on them, have been found in the huacas. 9 194 SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS IN MEXICO, ETC. of burial, the corpse is laid on the surface of the ground, sur rounded, if a man, with his arms ; if a woman, with female im plements, and with a great quantity of provisions, and with vessels filled with chica and with wine, which, according to their opinion, are necessary to subsist them during their passage to another world. They sometimes even kill a horse and inter it in the same ground. After these ceremonies, they take leave, with many tears, of the deceased, wishing him a prosperous journey, and cover the body with earth and stones in a pyra midal form, upon which they pour a great quantity of chica" — (Molina1 s Chili, vol. II., p. 82.) The Esquimaux cover their dead with rude heaps of stone, above which they pile the sledges and canoes of the deceased. The bodies are usually closely wrapped in skins, and placed in a sitting posture. — ( Capt. Lyorts Narrative, p. 68.) Kotze- bue mentions a structure of stones which he designates as a " round tower, four fathoms in height," at Kotzebue Sound. It was probably a sepulchral monument of the savages. — (Voyage, vol. I., p. 210.) CHAPTER XII. SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS AND MONUMENTS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD. " THE most enduring monuments of the primeval ages of society," observes a learned archaeologist, " were those erected in memory of the dead ; and it seems that the further we go back into the history of mankind, the deeper we find man's veneration for his departed brethren. The simplest, and also the most durable, method of preserving the memory of the departed, was by raising a barrow, or mound of stones, over his remains ; and accordingly, we find instances of this mode of interment in almost all countries of the globe." The extent to which it prevailed in America, we have already indicated ; and the coincidences in form and structure between the sepulchral monuments of this continent and those of the Old World, have been the subject of incidental remark. These coincidences are, however, sufficiently remarkable to merit further attention ; and it is believed a brief review of the character of the primitive sepulchral monuments of the other continent will serve greatly to illustrate and explain those of our own country, at the same time that it establishes the general prevalence of the custom of mound-burial in past ages. The earliest of human records distinctly refer to the prac tice of erecting mounds of- earth or stone over the dead ; but we find in the pyramids of Egypt — which may be regarded as perfected tumuli — the evidence of its prevalence at a period long anteceding the dawn of written history. In the deep night of antiquity, step by step, had the rude heap of stones 196 SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS AND MONUMENTS which filial regard first gathered over the dead, developed itself, until in its massive proportions and solid strength it emulated the mountains, and bade defiance to time. Homer speaks frequently of the sepulchral tumuli of the heroic age of early Greece, and gives many curious details relating to the ceremonies of the interment. The description of the burial of Patroclus is familiar to most readers ; it, however, conveys so accurate and lively an idea of the practices common to ancient burials, that we cannot do better, in illustration of our subject, than to quote it here. It should be premised that the Homeric heroes were burned before interment. " They still abiding heaped the pile. A hundred feet of breadth from side to side They gave to it, and on the summit placed, With sorrowing hearts, the body of the dead. Many a fat sheep, with many an ox full-horned, They flayed before the pile, busy their task Administering ; and Peleus' son, the fat Taking from every victim, overspread Complete the body with it of his friend Patroclus, and the flayed beasts heaped around. Then, placing flagons on the pile, replete With oil and honey, he inclined their mouths Towards the bier, and slew and added next, Deep groaning and in haste, four martial steeds. Nine dogs the hero at his table fed ; Of which beheading two, their carcasses He added also. Last, twelve gallant sons Of noble Trojans slaying (for his heart Teemed with great vengeance), he applied the force Of hungry flames that should devour the whole." Iliad, Book XXIII., COWPER'S Version. The sacrifices done, and the body consumed, the bones are next collected and the tumulus heaped above. " The Greeks obey ! Where yet the embers glow, Wide o'er the pile the sable wine they throw, And deep subsides the ashy heap below. OF THE ANCIENT WORLD. 197 Next the white bones his sad companions place, With tears collected, in the golden vase. The sacred relics to the tent they bore ; The urn a veil of linen covered o'er. That done, they bid the sepulchre aspire, And cast the deep foundations round the pyre ; High in the midst they heap the swelling bed Of rising earth, memorial of the dead." — Iliad, Book XXIII. The Trojans are made to bury the body of Hector in the same manner: during nine days they collect the wood and raise the pile ; and when fire has completed its part of the work, they also quench the fires with dark wine, and collect the bones of the hero in a golden urn, which they cover with a rich cloth, and place in a " hollow trench ;" above this they pile large stones, and over all heap the tumulus. The body of the dead was not always burned among the Greeks ; on the contrary, burial both by inhumation and incre mation was practised from the earliest times, though one prac tice may have been more common than another at a particular period. In Magna Grsecia, unburnt skeletons have been found, and in tombs close by vases containing the ashes of the dead. — ( Tischiben and Bottiger.) Both skeletons and ashes have been found in Greece itself. — (Stackelberg, die Grdber.der Hellenen.) There are no certain accounts as to whether the body was burned at the place of sepulture, or at a spot designated for that purpose. At any rate, the remains were collected and deposited in a cinerary made of clay or bronze. The coffins of the unburned were sometimes of wood, but generally the work of the potter, though in some cases of masonry or stone. The tombs were usually in a spot designated for the purpose. Sometimes they were placed in the person's own house. After it was forbidden to bury in the city, it became common to select a, certain quarter for burials. The favorite place of se pulture was in the fields or by some frequented highway. The tombs were the inviolate property of the family, so that no 198 SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS AND MONUMENTS other person might bury therein. A variety of articles were placed with the dead — vases, mirrors, ornaments, etc. In cases of burning, they were placed on the pyre. Feasts and offerings to the dead were customary. At stated times the tombs were decked, and sometimes bloody sacrifices were made. In the order of funeral ceremonies, it should be mentioned that the first thing done was to insert a small coin (an obolus) in the mouth of the dead, as a vav\ov for the ferryman of Hades. A similar custom existed among the ancient Mexicans, who in serted a gem of some kind in the lips of the deceased, which was to serve as a heart in the next world. The funeral customs of the Romans were nearly identical with those practised by the Greeks. Their tombs were often simple tumuli, and so denominated. Burial by inhumation and by fire were common practices. In the tombs were placed coins, urns, flasks for holding tears or perfumes, sepulchral lamps, etc. Games were celebrated in honor of the dead, and sacrifices and libations made on their tombs. Among both Greeks and Romans, the expenditures at fu nerals became so great, and the ambition to erect large and costly monuments so general, that it was found necessary to prescribe their dimensions, and check extravagance by law. A pillar or upright stone, in ancient times a sacred emblem, was usually placed upon the tumulus of the dead. Paris wounded Diornedes from behind the pillar on the barrow of Ilus. These pillars were called stelce. Alexander, when he crossed the Hellespont, performed solemn games at the bar rows of the Grecian heroes who fell before the walls of Troy, and anointed with perfumes the stelce on their tops. They were erected on the taphos of the Athenians who fell at Mara thon, and on that of the Lacedaemonians who died at Thermo pylae, and bore the names of the slain. The stelae were con tinued when the barrows were no longer erected ; and the idea of their sanctity is still retained in the monumental stones OF THE ANCIENT WORLD. 199 which plead for safety, by professing to be sacred to the memory of the person above whose grave they are erected. Sometimes the arms or implements of the dead were sus pended around the stela or crowned the barrow of the dead. A spear was fixed on the tomb of the Trojan Hector ; and Mise- nus, the . trumpeter of Hector, and pilot of the Trojan fleet of ^Eneas, had reared upon his tomb the symbols of his deeds. " On it J5neas piously heaped A mighty mound sepulchral. The oar, the trumpet, Arms of the man, the airy summit crowned, From him Misenus named. It still retains That name, and holds it through the lapse of time."* Mneid, IV., 232. Even in the later periods of Grecian history, mounds are occasionally raised over the illustrious dead. Plutarch says that Alexander, on the death of Demaratus, " made a most magnificent funeral for him, his whole army raising him a monument of earth eighty cubits high and of vast circum ference." Semiramis endeavored to eternize the memory of Ninus her husband, by raising a high mound for his tomb. The Scythians, whose tumuli are scattered in great abundance over the plains of Russia, southern Siberia, and Tartary, labored, says Herodotus, " to raise as high a monument of earth * The practice here indicated was one of general prevalence, not only in ancient but in more modern times, and alike among savage and polished nations. The Indians around the Upper Mississippi, to this day, place a pole above the graves of their dead, from which his arms and ornaments are suspended ; so, too, do the Indians of Oregon ; who, however, distrusting the veneration of their fellows, break holes in the kettles, and bend the barrels of the guns which they place on the tombs. The arms and crest of the titled dead are still graven on their monu ments, and the unstrung lyre and broken sword indicate the graves of the poet and the warrior. The stelae are still to be seen on the barrows of the ancient Scythians and Scandinavians, though none are found crowning the sepulchral mounds of America. 200 SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS AND MONUMENTS for their dead as possible." This author has left us a remarka ble description of their mode of interment, which is amply confirmed by the exploration of their tombs. " The body of the king, having been transported through the various pro vinces of the kingdom, was brought at last to the Gerri, who live in the remotest parts of Scythia, where the sepulchres are. Here the corpse was placed upon a couch, encompassed on all sides by spears fixed in the ground: upon the whole were placed pieces of wood, covered with branches of willow. They strangled one of the deceased's concubines, his groom, cook, and most confidential servant, whose bodies they placed around the dead ; they slew horses also, and deposited with him the first fruits of all things, and the choicest of his effects, and finally some golden goblets, for they possessed neither silver nor brass. This done, they heaped the earth above with great care, and endeavored to make as high a mound as possible." — (Melpomene, LXXI. ) The richness of the Scythian barrows is extraordinary ; and according to Strahlenberg, the local governors of Siberia used formerly to authorize caravans or expeditions " to visit and ransack the tombs," reserving to themselves a tenth of the treasures recovered. — (Siberia, p. 366.) In the second volume of the British Archasologia, is an account of the opening of one of the large tumuli in southern Siberia. After removing the superincumbent earth and stones, three -vaults, constructed of unhewn stones and of rude workmanship, were discovered. The central one was largest, and contained the remains of the individual over whom the tumulus had been erected. It also contained his sword, spear, bow, quiver, arrows, etc. In the vault at his feet, were the skeleton and trappings of a horse ; in the vault at his head, a female skeleton, supposed to be that of his wife. The male skeleton reclined against the head of the vault, on a sheet of pure gold, extending from head to foot, and another of like dimensions was spread over it. It had been wrapped in a rich mantle, studded with rubies and eme ralds. The female skeleton was enveloped in like manner j a OF THE ANCIENT WORLD. 201 golden chain of many links, set with rubies, went round her neck, and there were bracelets of gold upon her arms. The four sheets of gold weighed forty pounds. In some instances, the bodies were burned before interment. All of the Scythian barrows contain numerous relics of art, orna ments of gold and silver and precious stones, weapons and implements of war, domestic utensils, mirrors, images and idols, vases of metal and pottery, grains of the millet kind, etc., etc. — (Strahlenberg, pp. 264, 268 ; RenncPs Herodotus, p. 110.) These ancient tombs, which are called Bogri by the Rus sians, are often plain mounds. Some were set round with rough stones in a circle or square : others with hewn stones. In the squares the corner-stone was usually higher and broader than the others, and sometimes bore inscriptions. Occasion ally, the barrow was surmounted with a stone, or stela. In Rajast'han, the practice of burying the distinguished dead under tumuli still exists. Previous to interment, the body is burned, as is also the wife of the deceased, who in all cases accompanies her lord. Monumental pillars are also erected, rudely carved with emblematic figures. They are placed in lines, irregular groups, and in circles, and are numer ous in the vicinity of every large town. These tombs are places of sacrifice, and to them the Rajpoot repairs at stated intervals, to make offerings to the manes of his ancestors.— (Tod's Rajasthan, vol. I., pp. 72, 75 ) A singular variety of tumular structures, maintaining a cer tain resemblance to those of other portions of the globe, but having many essentially peculiar features, is found in Sweden. They are, for the chief part, circular : sometimes, however, there is a square inclosure of upright stones, with a conical barrow in the centre, which has its base surrounded with up right stones ; midway between this and the summit, the cir cumference is marked by a second ring of upright stones ; close to the summit, a third belt encircles it, and the crest of the barrow is crowned by a cromlech, or group of stones. Another 9* 202 SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS AND MONUMENTS variety has a circle of upright stones around the base of a carnedd, or stone mound. A third variety has a circular belt of upright stones around a conical barrow, which is surmounted by a single upright stone. In connection with these, is a re markable variety of stone inclosures. Some consist of a simple circle of upright stones ; two of which, placed opposite each other, are larger and taller than the rest. Others are circular, with a small avenue of approach of four stones on each side ; others are large circles, with every sixth stone of larger size than the others, and the two north and south, of still greater dimensions ; others are triangular, with a large stone in the centre, and another at each corner; others triangular, with each side curving inward, but without the large stones in the centre and corners ; others are square. The structures last named are frequently surrounded by valla, and inclosures are seen contiguous to and even forming part of tumuli. — (Sjoborg Samlingarfor Nor dens Porndlskare, fyc., 2 vols. 4to., Stockholm, 1822 ; Zur Alterthumskunde des Nordens, Von J. J. A. Wbrsace, Leipzig. 1847.) Mr. Worsaae divides these barrows, according to the charac ter of their contents, into three classes ; FIRST. — Barrows of the Stone Age. — These contain unburned corpses, inclosed in rude stone chambers ; the implements and utensils found in them are of stone or flint. SECOND. — Barrows of the Bronze Age. — Containing burned human remains, deposited in vases or little stone chests : also, arms and utensils of bronze or copper. THIRD. — Barrows of the Iron Age. — Burned human remains : arms and utensils of iron, etc. These barrows are often of regular forms, triangular, square, oval, shipform, etc. ; generally surrounded by upright stones, as above. This classification differs somewhat from that usually adopted, in which the "age of fire" and the "age of hills" distinguish the earlier and later periods of Scandinavian monumental his tory. Odin is said to have introduced the practice of burning, OF THE ANCIENT WORLD. 203 'and also that of the wife sacrificing herself with her deceased lord. — (Mallei's Northern Antiq., Chap. XII.) Among all the rude nations of the north and west of Europe, for an indefinite period before the dawn of civilization, burial customs, strictly analogous to those already described, existed. The dead were buried with or without burning, and with them were deposited numerous relics of art, which, in the greater or less skill which they exhibit, mark the eras of burial, and the gradual advance of the builders. The Germans, says Tacitus, " added to the funeral pile the arms of the deceased and his horse," and both Caesar and Pomponius agree in saying that the inhabitants of Belgium and Gaul buried or burned with the dead whatever was valued by them in their lifetime. The burial-mounds of the ancient Britons, both of the Celtic and Saxon periods, evince similar practices on the part of their builders. For obvious reasons, the mounds of the United States have oftenest been compared to these ; and, upon the narrow basis of certain coincidences in structure, a common origin has been ascribed to both. This circumstance, in con nection with others, justifies a more detailed notice of the British barrows than would otherwise be required. They have been systematically investigated by many learned and indefati gable antiquarians, the result of whose inquiries, so far as they relate to the modes of interment practised by the ancient inhabitants, are compendiously presented by Sir R. C. Hoare, in his splendid work, entitled " Ancient Wiltshire." " Four distinct modes of interment were practised by the ancient Britons : — 1. The body placed generally in a cist, with its legs bent up toward the head, and frequently accompanied by daggers of brass, drinking cups, &c. 2. The body extended at full length, accompanied by articles of brass and iron, such as spear-heads, lances, swords, and the umbos of shields. 3. Interment by incremation ; when the body of the de- 204 SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS AND MONUMENTS ceased was consumed by fire, and the bones and ashes deposited either on the floor of the barrow, or in a cist cut in the chalk. This is called a simple interment. 4. Urn burial, with incremation, when the body was burned, and the bones and ashes deposited within a sepulchral urn, which is generally, though not in all cases, reversed. By the web of cloth still remaining in some instances, it appears that the ashes were wrapped up in a linen cloth and fastened by a small brass pin, several of which, intermixed with the ashes, have been found. " Of these modes of burial, the first was probably most primitive; articles of iron bespeak a later period; and it is further probable, that the two modes of burying the body by fire were adopted at one and the same period. We have in stances where the body has been inclosed in a wooden chest, riveted with brass, or within the more simple covering of an unbarked timber tree." A very remarkable resemblance in form exists between the various kinds of British barrows and the mounds of this coun try; in this respect, indeed, there is scarcely a perceptible difference between them. The curious will find in Hoare's Ancient Wiltshire, 1812; Stukeley's Stonehenge and Itinera- rium ; Rowland's Antiquities of Anglesey, 1723; Camden's Britannia ; Grose's Antiquities ; in the British Archaeologia, thirty volumes, quarto; Higgins's Celtic Druids, 1827 ; Bor- lase's Ancient Cornwall ; and in numerous other works upon the subject, abundant illustrations of the correctness of this obser vation. Sir R. C. Hoare has attempted to make the variety of form exhibited by these barrows the basis of a classification, distinguishing the eras of their construction, and even the caste and condition of the dead which they cover. It is probable that some varieties of form may have predominated at a par ticular period, and that the dimensions of the barrow may have, in some degree, corresponded with the rank of the dead. Fur- OF THE ANCIENT WORLD. 205 ther than this, however, the theory is not well sustained. Sir Richard enumerates not less than eleven kinds of tumuli, dis tinguished from each other by their form, viz : 1st. The Long Barrow, which resembles half an egg, cut lengthwise, one end a little broader than the other, generally ditched around the base, sometimes inclosed in a circle, and occasionally set round with upright stones. Supposed to be the oldest form of the Celtic barrows. Contents : usually a number of skeletons at the broad end, lying in a confused man ner, and generally covered with a pile of stones or flints. In other parts, stags' horns, fragments of rude pottery, and burnt bones. 2d. The Bowl Barrow, the form of which is indicated by the name, with or without a ditch, and having a slight depression in the top. Supposed to be a family mausoleum. 3d. The Bell Barrow, a modification of the Bowl Barrow, supposed to have been formed by placing a new top thereon, for additional interment. 4th. The Druid Barrows, inclosed by a vallum and ditch, the latter always interior to the former ; the number of mounds within the inclosure, varying from one to fifteen or twenty. Contents : skeletons, small cups, beads of amber, glass, and jet, small lance-heads, and very rarely, sepulchral urns, all of elegant workmanship. Sir Richard supposes, from the pre dominance of ornaments, that they were devoted to females. Supposed to be family cemeteries. 5th. The Pond, Barrow, consisting of a simple circular vallum or ditch. Fosbroke doubts whether these should be denomi nated barrows, and suggests that they may have been Druidi- cal tribunals. They are identical in form with many of the small circles of the "West. No remains found in them. 6th. The Twin Barrow, comprised of two barrows joining each other, and inclosed in a circle. Supposed by Sir Richard 206 SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS AND MONUMENTS, ETC. to be the monuments of individuals closely allied to each other by blood or friendship. The remaining classes are but slight and hardly appreciable modifications of those already described. The rude natives of New Zealand erect tumuli over their dead, who are sometimes burned previous to interment. Their arms and ornaments are deposited with them. Custom rigor ously enjoins that these monuments to the departed should be carefully watched over. A woman at Clarence River, who neglected to weed and trim her husband's tumulus, was put to death in consequence of her neglect. — (Angas' Australia and New Zealand, vol. II., p. 280 ; Grafs Australia, vol. L, p. 227.) Similar monuments, most usually constructed of stone, and sometimes of great size and regularity, were often erected over the dead by the natives of the larger Polynesian Islands, where they still remain, enduring records of the primitive cus toms of the islanders. — (Ellis's Polynesian Researches, vol. III., pp. 242, 325 ; Beechey's Nar., pp. 20, 37 ; La Perouse Voy., vol. Ill, p. 194.) Without noticing further the burial customs of nations, an cient and modern, in the various quarters of the globe, enough has been presented to show the general prevalence of mound- sepulture, and the nearly uniform, practices which attended it. As remarked at the outset, it is the simplest method of per petuating the memory of the dead. Its general adoption by different and widely separated people, must not, therefore, be taken to indicate any extraordinary dependence. CHAPTER XIII. PROBABLE FUNERAL RITES OP THE MOUND-BUILDERS. FROM various features discovered in the sepulchral mounds of New York as well as in those of the West, it has been sug gested that sacrifices or ceremonies of some kind, in which fire performed a part, were solemnized above the dead. The gen eral occurrence of a layer of charcoal at some point near the surface of the mound, bearing evidence of having been heaped over while burning, and sometimes having mingled with it human bones, the bones of animals, and relics of art, affords ample basis for the conjecture. We have seen that in the burials of Chili, sacrifices and libations were made at the tumuli of the dead ; in Peru, the burial rites were very similar, and in cases where the deceased was of the Inca race, or a person of consequence, his wives and domestics were put to death, that they might accompany and serve him in another world. On the death of the Inca Huyana Capac, it is said that over one thousand victims were slain at his tomb. Similar practices pre vailed among many of the South American savage tribes ; also in Central America and in Mexico. In the latter country, the arms, implements, and ornaments of the deceased were burned or buried with him ; and, as we have already said, an animal resembling a dog, called by the Mexicans techichi, was killed, to accompany his soul in its journey to the world of spirits. If the body was burned, the ashes were collected in an earthen pot ; in this was deposited a gem. which it was supposed would serve in the next world for a heart ; and the urn was buried in a deep 208 PROBABLE FUNERAL RITES ditch.* Eighty days thereafter, oblations of meats and drinks were made over the grave. On the decease of persons of con sequence, their slaves and servants were put to death ; some times in great numbers. Analogous customs prevailed among the Natchez, when, on the death of the Suns, many human vic tims were sacrificed. Among the savage North American tribes, no custom was more general than that of making oblations at the tombs of the dead : dogs were sometimes sacrificed at the burial ; and horses are now occasionally slain by the "Western tribes upon the graves of their owners. Libations in some cases were made at the tomb, and repeated at intervals for years. According to Charlevoix. at the " Feasts of the Dead," or general burial of the Hurons and Iroquois, dances, games, and combats constituted a part of the ceremonies of the occasion. Yanegas (Hist. California, L, p. 104) says, The California Indians bury or burn their dead indifferently, as chances to be most convenient. Vancouver ( Voy. III., pp. 182, 242) men tions two instances, in which the natives of the Northwest coast burned their dead ; but we are not left to infer that the cus tom was general. A singular funeral custom is mentioned as prevailing among the Takali, or Carriers, one of the Oregon tribes, and a branch of the great Algonquin family. They always burn their dead upon a pyre ; in case the deceased has a wife, she is obliged to lie by the side of the corpse until the fire * " They (the Mexicans) made it the office of the priests to inter the dead and perform the funeral obsequies. They buried them in their own gardens, and in the courts of their own houses. Some were carried to the places of sacrifice in the mountains ; others were burned, and the ashes afterward buried in the temples ; and with all were buried what ever they had of apparel, stones, and jewels. They did put the ashes of the dead in pots, and with them their valuables, how rich soever they might be. If it were a king or lord who was dead, they offered slaves to be put to death, and gave apparel to such as came to the interment.