Stranica 16 [16]
OCR
re 7. ae lg A A" há Fi ¥ i Ti í i pine stump four and a-half feet across, with its roots extending over the-embankments, showing that it has grown there since the erection of the earthwork, This place, from present appearances, was doubtless the only one approachable by land, and a rise of a few feet of water, almost surrounding the work, would insulate it, and add much to its defence. The eastern and southern portions, where there are tumuli, and where, from appearances, the inhabitants resided, is from fifteen to eighteen feet above, and descends abruptly to the now swampy grounds. On the north is a large tamarack swamp, which is said to contain about twelve thousand acres. The ‘Nation’ River is about a mile to the north-west, and the intervening land is low, while the south-east and south ground rises gently at a distance of fifty or eighty rods. The soil on this table land is rich, and at every step evidences are present of its having been at one time thickly inhabited. pieces of earthenware, and hollow and smooth pieces of stone, doubtless used for culinary purposes. The timber, which was mostly pine, except a small portion on the westerly part, is all cut down —indeed the original forest is entirely gone within the enclosure proper. The tumuli number, situate at the corners of a parallelogram, The ground is strewn with broken are four in containing between one and two acres of ground, within which are to be seen the regular streets and lines of a village. Outside of the mounds, on three sides, are double lines of circumvallation: on the fourth side, which faces the south-east side, there is but one, The elevations of ground which we have called tumuli are but slightly raised above the On opening these mounds they are found to be composed of earth, charcoal, and ashes, and containing human bones, pointed bones from the leg of the deer, horns and skulls of the same animals, human skulls, bones of the beaver, muscle shells of the genus Unio, such as are now found on the shores of the St. Lawrence Riyer, and which were doubtless used as food, since they are very common about such mounds, With these there were great quantities of earthenware, some being of the most elaborate workmanship, On the surface of the ground were scattered numbers of smooth pieces of quartz and sandstones, One stone on a boulder of hornblendic gneiss was hollowed out into a in length, twelve in general level, Say from two to four feet. cavity of sixteen inches breadth, and four and a-half inches in depth; had it not been broken cff at one end, it would probably have held a gallon, From the tumuli have been exhumed a large variety of bones and bone points, the tooth of a walrus, having holes drilled through it as though it had been used for an instrument. “The other work, situated in the Township of Edwardsburg, near Spencerville, on an elevated piece of ground, is well chosen for defence, and overlooks the surrounding country to a great distance. It consists of an embankment in the shape of a moccasined foot, the heel pointing to the south, and enclosing about three and a-half acres of ground ; the location being the front half of Lot 27, in the Seventh Concession of Edwardsburg. This enclosure has been cultivated for several years. Some parts of the embankment are some enormous pine stumps, one of which is nearly five feet in diameter. Many pieces of pottery have been found in the enclosure, similar to those discovered in Augusta ; also pieces of clay pipes, one of them richly ornamented, and a stone implement sharpened to a point, which was doubtless used for There are also human bones scattered over the field, which the plow has turned up. The ‘terra cotta’ found here is elaborate in its workmanship, and is as hard as the stoneware of the present day. It seems to be composed of quartz pounded up and mixed with clay, which adds to its hardness; and as to beauty of shape, some of the restored articles will compare favorably with those shown in the Italian Department at the Centennial. These vessels have been found from four to eight and three-quarter inches in diameter. Mr. Guest also found a few rounded pieces of pottery in the shape of coin, about the size of a quarter of a dollar and less, as well as some rounded pieces of Stealite, with holes through the centre. He also discovered one beautifully polished bone needle, about five inches long, with an eye rudely perforated, and a piece of ivory in the shape of a knife, made of a shark’s tooth, which had some marks upon it, transversely, by which the owner evidently intended to identify it. In a subsequent visit, he also obtained an earthen pipe complete, and a piece of human skull with several notches cut in its edge, and evidently intended for a saw, The great size of the trees, the stumps of which remain upon the embankment, are, in some degree, chronological evidences of the long time that has elapsed since these monuments were erected; and the fact of the bones of the walrus and shark being found, shows the acquaintance of the original occupants with the sea; while the entire absence of s/one pipes and arrow heads of. the same material (which belong to a later age, properly designated the Indian), as dressing skins. well as the entire deficiency of metals, or anything European to connect them with the Western or
