i 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
Papt 17 ( >- 
 
THE 
 
 WONDERS 
 
 OF 
 
 CREATION, 
 
 NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL. 
 
 BEING AN ACCOUNT 
 
 OF THE MOST REMARKABLE MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, LAKES, 
 CATARACTS, MINERAL SPRINGS, MISCELLANEOUS CURI- 
 OSITIES, AND ANTIQUITIES IN THE WORLD. 
 
 COMPILED FROM 
 
 GEOGRAPHERS, HISTORIANS, AND TRAVELLERS, 
 OF THE GREATEST CELEBRITY. ' 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 
 BY D. R. PRESTON, 
 
 AUTHOR OF THE JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR, &C 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 Here nature joins her charms with those of art, 
 T' inform the mind and sooth the wayward heart. 
 Nature unfolds a wide diffused store, 
 E'en far as Nile's loud thundering cat'racts roar ; 
 
 And ART her moss grown domes these works sublime! 
 
 Now crumbling 'neath the fretting foot of time. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 BOSTON': 
 
 PUBLISHED BY JOHN M. DUNHAM. 
 
 1808. 
 
(k US' 
 
 1 
 
 / 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 IT will be first necessary to enter into the 
 general plan of the work. The first volume 
 is devoted to the curiosities and antiquities 
 of America. Under North America, is in- 
 serted the principal Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, 
 Caves, Cataracts, Mineral Springs, Miscel- 
 laneous Curiosities, and Antiquities. Under 
 South America will be found the same arti- 
 cles ; together with its valuable mines, some 
 particulars of the manners, customs, &c. of 
 the ancient Mexicans, and Peruvians, and 
 the opinions and remarks of the most pro- 
 found writers who have written on the sub- 
 ject of the first peopling of the American 
 Continent. The curiosities and antiquities 
 of Europe, Asia, and Africa, being least in- 
 teresting to us, are condensed together, in 
 order to form the second volume. In a pub- 
 lication like this, much originality cannot be 
 expected ; it has been the chief aim of the 
 
i»REFACL. 
 
 Compiler, to make his extracts from the most 
 -authentic, and classic writers, whether Eu- 
 ropean or American, and to arrange them in 
 the most clear and perspicuous manner ; at- 
 tending throughout more to the useful than 
 the ornamental. 
 
 For the purpose of making this compila- 
 tion worthy the encouragement and appro- 
 bation of the public, he has spared no exer- 
 tions on his part ; having perused nearly three 
 hundred volumes, of different authors, upon 
 a variety of subjects, whether relating to 
 Geography, Travels, History, or Antiqui- 
 ties, for the purpose of either comparing 
 their different accounts, or of making extracts. 
 He would be deficient in gratitude, a virtue 
 which all ought to practise, if he omitted to 
 mention in this public manner, his obliga- 
 tions to three of the most profound authors 
 and distinguished scholars, who have illu- 
 mined, by their labours, the horizon of Amer- 
 ican literature ; Dr. Morse, Dr. Water- 
 house, and the Rev. Mr. Harris. These, 
 not only spoke in terms of approbation of this 
 publication ; but have higher claims to our 
 esteem. To Dr. Morse, for the willingness 
 with which he gave his assent to our making 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 what extracts we chose from his " Geogra- 
 phy" and " Gazetteer/' To Dr. Water- 
 house, for the use of his " Manuscript Jour- 
 nal," of his Tour to the Saratoga Springs, con- 
 taining a critical analysis of these celebrated 
 springs. To the Rev. Mr, Harris, for the 
 readiness with which he gave us leave to 
 make any compilations of utility to us, from 
 his ingenious " Tour to the Ohio." 
 
 Here the reader may expatiate on things 
 worthy admiration, and view, as they rise, 
 those wonders, which owe their existence to 
 the immediate hand of God, or the effect of 
 human invention. He must not be discour- 
 aged by the length of the journey, for he 
 will find such a variety of entertaining ob- 
 jects by the way, as will make him forget the 
 pains he may take in climbing the rugged 
 Alps, or traversing the deserts of Africa. 
 Besides, if he make proper reflections on the 
 surprising works of Providence, as well as 
 those the art of man has produced, he will 
 not only have the pleasure of gratifying his 
 curiosity, but probably enlarge his stock 
 both of piety and knowledge. 
 
 In short, every part of the world has been 
 gleaned, from the frigid to the temperate re- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 gions, in order to obtain the most rare and 
 charming flowrets, to form an odoriferous 
 Boquet, of the most variegated beauty, whose 
 collected sweets, might exhale the most de- 
 licious odours to the senses of the delighted 
 readers. 
 
 As the outlines, and manuscript of this 
 work, before publication, received the ap- 
 probation of several distinguished literati of 
 our country, the author submits it with more 
 confidence to the public ordeal, conscious, 
 however, that it will either rise or fall, ac- 
 cording to its intrinsic merit. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 Mountains. Stoney, page 13 ; Alleghany, 14 ; Agamenticus, 27 ; 
 West River, 29 ; Sideling Hills, 30 ; Green, 31 ; Enchanted, 
 33 ; Pilot, 34 ; Split Rock, 35 ; Dorset, 36 ; Shining, 37 ; Salt, 
 38 ; Vernon, do. ; Monticello, 40 ; Morne Garou, St. Vincents, 
 41 ; Mount Misery, St. Christophers, 45 ; Orizaba, 48 ; Popo- 
 catepu, do. ; Tztaccihuatl, do. ; Juruyo, Mexico, 49. 
 
 Rivers. Missisippi, 51 ; St. Laurence, 59 ; Potowmac, 62 ; Hud- 
 son, 65 ; Ohio, 67 ; Connecticut, 69 ; Alatahama, 70 ; Peace, 72. 
 
 Lakes. Superior, 75 ; Huron, 79 ; Michigan, 81 ; Ontario, 82 ; 
 Erie, 87 ; Champlain, 90 ; Ouaguaphenagaw, 91 ; Thousand 
 Islands, 93 ; Slave, 95 ; Nicuragua, 96 ; Tar, do. 
 
 Caves. Cavern at Clarenden, 102 ; Cave' at Dorset, 103 ; Wam- 
 pom Rock, do. ; Purgatory, 104.; Cave in Mammoth, do. ; Put- 
 nam's Cave, do. ; Cave of Whaney and Goffe, 107 ; Cavern at 
 Sepascot, 108; Devil's Den, 110; Grotto of Sweetara, 113; 
 Madison's Cave, 114; Blowing Cave, 118; Cave near the Kan- 
 hawa, 119 ; Cave near the north Mountain, do. ; Habitation of 
 the Great Spirit, do. ; Manito ah Wigwam, 121. 
 
 Cataracts. Falls of the Niagara, 122 ; Falling Spring, 139 ; 
 Fall at Walpole, 140 ; Hookset Fall, 141 ; Amoskeag, do. ; Cat- 
 aract in the Passaik, do. ; Fall in the Pawtucket, 142 ; Cataract 
 in the Little River, do. ; Ohiopyle Falls, 143 ; Hudson's Brook, 
 144; Fall in the Powow, 145; Cascade in the Queechy, do. ; 
 Bellow's Fall, 1 46 ; Cohos Fall, do. ; Fall in the Montmorenci, 
 do. ; Fall in the Chaudiere, 148 ; Fall of the Patowmac, 149 ; 
 Pasaick Fall, 150 ; St. Anthony's Fall, 151. 
 
 Min. Springs. Saratoga, 153; Lebanon, 159 ; Stafford, 161: 
 Green, 164 ; Bartetourt, 165 ; Jackson's mountain, do. ; Sulphur, 
 166 ; Burning, do. ; Natural Well, 167 ; Oil, do. ; Hot, 168 ; 
 Fountain nearLongLake,do. ; SixMiles,169; Alligator Hole, 170. 
 
 Miscellaneous Curiosities. Passage of the Patowmac through 
 the Blue Ridge, 172 ; of the Tennessee through Cumberland 
 mountain, 175 ; Rock Bridge, 176 ; Natural Bridge, 180 ; Pet- 
 rified mountain, 182 ; Fossile Hill, 183. Precipice near the 
 Portage la Loche, do. ; Dismal Swamp, 187 ; Preston's Salines, 
 188 ; Prairies, 190 ; Change in Putney and Connecticut rivers, 
 do. ; Floating Gardens. Mexico, 190. 
 
 Antiquities. Sarcophagus of Columbus and his brother Bar- 
 tholomew, St. Domingo, 195 ; Subterraneous Wall, 196; La- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 bours of the Aborigines, Historic Sculptures, 198 ; Monumen*. 
 tal pillar, at Ottasse, 199 ; Altars near Keowe, 200 ; Conical 
 Mounts and square pillars, near Fort St. James, do. ; the Theory 
 of Jefferson, 202 ; Madison, 207 ; and Harris, 222, concerning 
 the origin and authors of the numerous antiquities found in the 
 Western Territory ; Skeletons of the mammoth, found in diffe- 
 rent parts of our country, 240 ; Mexico, Square Palace of 
 Montezuma, 246 ; Pleasure Houses, 248 ; Gardens, do. ; House 
 of Sorrow, 249 ; Temple of Viztlipuzli, do ; Chapel, 250 ; Chap- 
 el of Thalock, do. ; Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, 251. 
 
 SOUTH AMERICA. 
 Mountains. Andes, 253 ; Chimborazo, do. ; Pariacaca, 254 ; 
 
 Pinchincha, 255 ; Cotopaxi, 258; Eruption in the year 1783, 
 
 do. ; Pambamorca, singular phenomenon on its summit, 259 ; 
 
 Passage of the mules across the mountains, 260 ; Cascades, 260 ; 
 
 Natural Bridge, 262 ; Deserts, do. ; Three chains of mountains ; 
 
 that of the coast of Venezuela, 263 ; that of Parima, 265 ; and 
 
 that of Chaquitos, 266. 
 Rivers. Amazon, or Maranon, 269 ; Ucaial, 271 ; De la Plata, 
 
 273 ; Oronoko, 274 ; Passage of a stream through Crystal 
 
 mountain, 275. 
 Lakes. Parima, 276 ; Titicaca, 277. 
 Cataracts. Cataract of the river Bogata. 
 Mineral Springs. Petrifying water at Oropesa, 278 ; Baths of 
 
 the Incas, do.; Springs from the mountain of Balcondotta, 279. 
 Mines. Ores of Gold, 279 ; Mines of Gold ; Ores of Silver, 288 ; 
 
 Mines of Potosi, 284 ; Mines in Carangus, 286. 
 
 Antiquities. Surprising castle at Cusco, 288 ; Towers, 289 ; 
 Palaces of the Incas, 290 ; Gardens, do. ; Temples of the Sun, do. ; 
 Chapel of the Moon ; of Venus or Chasea ; of Thunder and Light- 
 ning; of the Rainbow; of the High Priest ; Nunnery for the Vir- 
 gins of the Sun, 291 ; An account of the Mexicans and Peruvians, 
 and their different systems of government, 293 ; The opinions and 
 arguments of various authors, upon the important questions, from 
 what nations was this vast continent first settled, and in. what man- 
 ner were their emigrations performed, 318, 
 
THE 
 
 WONDERS OF CREATION, 
 
 NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL. 
 
 NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 ACCORDING to our plan, we shall first 
 describe those wonders, whether natural or artifi- 
 cial, that are scattered over the vast American con- 
 tinent ; conceiving, that to traverse our own coun- 
 try first, and afterward proceed to other regions, 
 would be the most agreeable route to Americans. 
 In forming our mountains in the new world, nature 
 has constructed her works on a large scale ; pre- 
 senting to our view objects, whose magnitude and 
 situation naturally engage our attention. The cen- 
 tre of North America seems to present a vast fer- 
 tile plain, watered by the Missouri and its aux- 
 iliary streams. On the west, so far as discovered, 
 a range of mountains proceeds from New Mexico, 
 in a northern direction, and joins the ridge called 
 the Stony mountains, which extend to the vicinity 
 of the Arctic ocean. The Stony mountains are 
 
14 
 
 said to be about 3500 feet above their base, which 
 may perhaps be 3000 feet above the sea. In gener- 
 al, from the accounts of navigators who have visit- 
 ed this coast, it seems to resemble Norway, being 
 a wide alpine country of great extent ; while the 
 shore, like that of Norway, presents innumerable 
 creeks and islands. This alpine tract, from the 
 Stony mountains and Mackenzie's river west- 
 ward, to the source of the Oregan and Beering's 
 strait, may perhaps contain the highest mountains 
 in North America, when completely explored by 
 the eye of science. On the northeast, Green- 
 land, Labrador, and the countries around Hudson 
 sea, present irregular masses, covered with eternal 
 snow, with black naked peaks, resembling in form 
 the spires of the Alps, but of far inferior elevation, 
 mountains generally decreasing in height toward 
 the pole. 
 
 The most celebrated mountains in North Amer- 
 ica, are those called the Apalachian or Alleghany, 
 passing through the territory of the United States, 
 from the southwest to the northeast. Accord- 
 ing to the best maps, they commence on the north 
 of Georgia, where they give source to many rivers, 
 running south to the Gulf of Mexico ; and to the 
 Tennessee, and others running north. There are 
 several collateral ridges, as the Iron or Bald moun- 
 tains, the White Oak mountains, and others ; the 
 exterior skirt on the northwest being the Cum- 
 berland mountains* The Apalachian chain thence 
 extends through the western territory of Virginia, 
 accompanied with its collateral ridges ; the breadth' 
 
15 
 
 of the whole being often seventy miles, and pro- 
 ceeds through Pennsylvania, then passes Hudson 
 river, and afterward rises to more elevation, but 
 seems to expire in New Brunswick. The Apala- 
 chian chain may thus extend about 900 miles in 
 length, and from 60 to 200 miles in breadth. In 
 no chain, perhaps, are the collateral ridges more 
 distinct ; and a naturalist would at once pronounce, 
 that the central or highest must be granitic, the 
 next schistose, and the exterior belts calcareous. 
 The granite seems commonly to consist of white 
 feltspar, bluish or rather pellucid quartz, and black 
 mica. The schistose band, generally metallifer- 
 ous in other regions, here presents copper ore ; 
 and in Canada lead and silver ore are said to have 
 been discovered. The limestone contains, as usual, 
 many petrifactions, particularly the cornu ammonis, 
 a small scollop shell, and several sorts of corals. 
 The height of the chief summits does not appear to be 
 precisely ascertained, but probably does not exceed 
 4000 feet above the sea, and they are often clothed 
 with forests. Pinkerton. 
 
 The name of the various branches taken collect- 
 ively, appears not yet to have been determined. 
 Some writers have called them the Endless moun- 
 tains ; others the Apalachian mountains, from 
 a tribe of Indians, who live on a river which pro- 
 ceeds from this mountain, called the Apalachi- 
 cola ; but the most common name is the Alle- 
 ghany mountains, so called, from the principals 
 ridge : this ridge is prescriptively styled the 
 spine of the United States. 
 
16 
 
 The towering mountains, which appear in the 
 state of New Hampshire, where they assume the 
 name of the White mountains, are thought the high- 
 est lands in New England. In clear weather they are 
 discovered, before any other land, by vessels coming 
 in to the eastern coast ; but by reason of their white 
 appearance, are frequently mistaken for clouds. 
 They are visible on the land at the distance of 80 
 miles on the south and southeast sides ; they ap- 
 pear higher when viewed from the northeast, and 
 it is said, they are seen from the neighbourhood of 
 Chamblee and Quebec. The Indians gave them the 
 name of Agiocochook : they had an ancient tra- 
 dition that the country was once drowned, with all 
 its inhabitants, except one Powaw and his wife, 
 who, foreseeing the flood, fled to these mountains, 
 where they were preserved, and that from them 
 the country was repeopled. They had a super- 
 stitious veneration for the summit, as the habita- 
 tion of invisible beings : they never venture to 
 ascend it, and always endeavour to dissuade eve* 
 ry one from the attempt. From them, and the 
 captives whom they sometimes led to Canada 
 through the passes of these mountains, many fic- 
 tions have been propagated, which have given rise 
 to marvellous and incredible stories ; particularly, 
 it has been reported, that at immense and inaccess- 
 ible heights, there have been seen carbuncles, which 
 are supposed to appear luminous in the night. 
 Here nature has formed her works on a large scale, 
 and presents to view, many objects w^hich do not 
 ordinarily occur. A person who is unacquainted 
 
17 
 
 with a mountainous country, cannot, upon his first 
 coming into it, make an adequate judgment of 
 heights and distances ; he will imagine every thing 
 to be nearer and less than it really is, until, by expe- 
 rience he learns to correct his apprehensions, and 
 accommodate his eye to the magnitude and situa- 
 tion of the objects around him. When amaze- 
 ment is excited by the grandeur and sublimity of 
 the scenes presented to view, it is necessary to curb 
 the imagination and exercise judgment with math- 
 ematical precision, or the temptation to romance 
 will be invincible. The White mountains are the 
 most elevated part of a ridge, which extends north- 
 east and southwest to an immense distance. 
 The area of the base is an irregular figure, the 
 whole circuit of which is not less than 60 miles. 
 The number of summits within this area cannot, at 
 present be ascertained ; the country around them 
 being a thick wilderness. The greatest number 
 which can be seen at once, is at Dartmouth, on the 
 northwest side, where seven summits appear at one 
 view, of which four are bald. Of these, the three 
 highest are most distant, being on the eastern side 
 of the cluster ; one of these is the mountain, which 
 makes so majestic an appearance all along the shore 
 of the eastern countries of Massachusetts : it has 
 lately been distinguished by the name of Mount 
 Washington. To arrive at the foot of this moun- 
 tain, there is a continual ascent of 12 miles from 
 the plain of Pigwacket, which brings the traveller 
 -to the height of land, between Saco and Ameris- 
 coggin rivers. At this height there is a level of 
 B 2 
 
18 
 
 about a mile square, part of which is a meadow, 
 formerly a beaver pond, with a dam at each end. 
 Here, though elevated more than 3000 feet above 
 the level of the sea, the traveller finds himself in a 
 deep valley. On the east is a steep mountain, out 
 of which issue several springs, one of which is the 
 fountain of Ellis river, a branch of Saco, which 
 runs south ; another of Peabody river, a branch of 
 Ameriscoggin, which runs north. From this mea- 
 dow toward the west there is an uninterrupted as- 
 cent, on a ridge, between two deep gullies, to the 
 summit of Mount Washington. The lower part 
 of the mountain is shaded by a thick growth of 
 spruce and fir. The surface is composed of rocks, 
 covered with very long green moss, which extends 
 from one rock to another, and is, in many places, 
 so thick and strong, as to bear a man's weight. This 
 immense bed of moss serves as a sponge to re- 
 tain the moisture brought by the clouds and va- 
 pours, which are frequently rising and gathering 
 round the mountains ; the thick growth of wood 
 prevents the rays of the sun from penetrating to 
 exhale it ; so that there is a constant supply of wa- 
 ter deposited in the crevices of the rocks, and issu- 
 ing in the form of springs, from every part of the 
 mountain. The rocks which compose the surface 
 of the mountain, are in some parts slate, in others 
 flint ; some specimens of rock crystal have been 
 found, but of no great value. No limestone has 
 yet been discovered, though the most likely rocks 
 have been tried with aquafortis. There is one pre- 
 cipice on the eastern side, not only completely per- 
 
19 
 
 pendicular, but composed of square stones, as reg- 
 ular as a piece of masonry : it is about five feet high, 
 and from 15 to 20 in length. The uppermost rocks 
 of the mountain, are the common quartz, of a dark 
 grey colour ; when broken, they shew very small 
 shining specks, but there is no such appearance on 
 the exterior part. The eastern side of the moun- 
 tain rises in an angle of 45 degrees, and requires six 
 or seven hours hard labour to ascend it. Many of the 
 precipices are so steep, as to oblige the traveller to 
 use his hands, as well as feet, and to hold by the 
 trees, which diminish in size until they degenerate 
 into shrubs and bushes. Above these, are low vines, 
 some bearing red, and others blue berries, and the 
 uppermost vegetation is a species of grass, called 
 winter grass, mixed with the moss of the rocks. 
 Having surmounted the upper and steepest preci- 
 pice, there is a large area, called the plain. It is a 
 dry heath, composed of rocks covered with moss, 
 and bearing the appearance of a pasture in the be- 
 ginning of the winter season. In some openings 
 between the rocks, there are springs of water, in 
 others, dry gravel. Here the grouse or heath bird 
 resorts, and is generally out of danger. The extent 
 of this plain is uncertain ; from the eastern side, 
 to the foot of the pinnacle, or sugar loaf, it is nearly 
 level, and it may be walked over in less than an 
 hour. The sugar loaf is a pyramidal heap of grey 
 rocks, which, in some places are formed like wind- 
 ing steps. This pinnacle has been ascended in one 
 hour and a half. The traveller having gained the 
 summit, is recompensed for his toil, if the sky be 
 
20 
 
 serene, with a most noble and extensive prospect. 
 On the southeast side, there is a view of the At- 
 lantic ocean, the nearest part of which is 65 miles, 
 in a direct line. On the west and north, the pros- 
 pect is bounded by the high lands, which separate 
 the waters of Connecticut and Ameriscoggin riv- 
 ers, from those of Lake Champlain and St. Law- 
 rence. On the south it extends to the furthermost 
 mountains of New Hampshire, comprehending a 
 view of the Lake Winipiseogee. On every side of 
 these mountains, are long winding gullies, begin- 
 ning at the precipice below the plain, and deepening 
 in the descent. In winter, the snow lodges in these 
 gullies, and being driven by the northwest and 
 northeast winds, from the top, is deepest in those 
 which are situated on the southerly side. It is ob- 
 served to lie longer in the spring on the south, than 
 on the northwest side, which is the case with 
 many other hills in New Hampshire. A ranging 
 company, who ascended the highest mountain on 
 the northwest part, April 29th, 1725, found the 
 snow four feet deep on that side ; the summit was 
 almost bare of snow, though covered with white frost 
 and ice, and a small pond of water, near the top, 
 was hard frozen. In 1 774, some men who were 
 making a road through the eastern pass of the 
 mountains, ascended the mountain to the summit 
 on the 6th of June ; and on the south side, in one of 
 the deep gullies, found a body of snow 13 feet deep, 
 and so hard as to bear them. On the 19th of the 
 same month, sqme of the same party ascended again, 
 and in the same spot the snow was five feet deep. 
 
21 
 
 In the first week in September, 1785, two men who 
 attempted to ascend the mountain, found the bald 
 top covered with snow and ice, then newly formed, 
 and they could not reach the summit ; but this does 
 not happen every year so soon ; for the mountain 
 has been ascended as late as the first week in Octo- 
 ber, when the snow was upon it ; and though the 
 mountains begin to be covered at times with snow, 
 as early as September, yet it goes off again, and sel- 
 dom gets fixed until the end of October, or the be- 
 ginning of November ; but from that time it re- 
 mains until July. In the year 1784, snow was 
 seen on the south side of the largest mountain, un- 
 til the 12th of July ; in 1790, it lay until the month 
 of August. During the period of 9 or 10 months, 
 the mountains exhibit more or less of that bright 
 appearance, from which they are denominated 
 white. In the spring, when the snow is partly dis- 
 solved, they appear of a pale blue, streaked with 
 white ; and after it is wholly gone, at the distance 
 of 60 miles, they are altogether of the same pale 
 blue, nearly approaching a sky colour ; while at the 
 same time, viewed at the distance of 8 miles, or 
 less, they appear of the proper colour of the rock. 
 These changes are observed by people who live 
 within constant view of them ; and from these facts 
 and observations, it may with certainty be conclud- 
 ed, that the whiteness of them is wholly caused by 
 the snow, and not by any other white substance, as 
 some suppose. There are indeed in the summer 
 months, some streaks, which appear brighter than 
 other parts ; but these, when viewed attentively 
 
22 
 
 with a telescope, are plainly discerned to be the edges 
 or sides of the long deep gullies, enlightened by the 
 sun, and the dark parts are the shaded sides of the 
 same. In the course of a day, these spots may be 
 seen to vary, according to the position of the sun. 
 A company of gentlemen visited these mountains 
 in July, 1 784, with a view to make particular ob- 
 servations on the several phenomena which might 
 occur. It happened, unfortunately, that thick clouds 
 covered the mountains almost the whole time ; so 
 that some of the instruments, which, with much la- 
 bour, they had carried up, were rendered useless. 
 These were a sextant, a telescope, an instrument for 
 ascertaining the bearings of distant objects, a ba- 
 rometer, a thermometer, and several others for dif- 
 ferent purposes. In the barometer, the mercury 
 ranged at 22° 6', and the thermometer stood at 44°. 
 It was their intention to have placed one of each at 
 the foot of the mountain, at the same time that the 
 others were carried to the top, for the purpose of 
 making corresponding observations ; but they were 
 unhappily broken in the course of the journey 
 through the rugged roads and thick woods ; and 
 the barometer, which was carried to the summit, 
 had suffered so much agitation, that an allowance 
 was necessary to be made, in calculating the height 
 of the mountain, which was computed, in round 
 numbers, at 5500 feet above the meadow, in the 
 valley below, and nearly 10,000 feet above the level 
 of the sea. They intended to have made a geo- 
 metrical mensuration of the altitude ; but in the mea- 
 dow, they could not obtain a base of sufficient length, 
 
23 
 
 nor see the summit of the sugar loaf ; and in another 
 place, where these inconveniences were removed, 
 they were prevented by the almost continual obscu- 
 ration of the mountains by clouds. Their exercise 
 in ascending the mountain, was so violent, that 
 when Dr. Cutler, who carried the thermometer, 
 took it out of his bosom, the mercury stood at fever 
 heat, but it soon fell to 44° ; and by the time that he 
 had adjusted his barometer and thermometer, the 
 cold had nearly deprived him of the use of his fin- 
 gers. On the uppermost rock, the Rev. Mr. Lit- 
 tle began to engrave the letters N. H. but was so 
 chilled with the cold, that he gave the instruments 
 to Col. Whipple, who finished the letters. Under 
 a stone they left a plate of lead, on which their 
 names were engraven. The sun shone clear while 
 they were passing over the plain ; but immediately 
 after their arrival at the highest summit, they had 
 the mortification to be enveloped in a dense cloud, 
 which came up the opposite side of the mountain. 
 This unfortunate circumstance prevented their 
 making any further use of their instruments. Be- 
 ing thus involved, as they were descending 
 from the plain, in one of the long deep gullies, not 
 being able to see to the bottom, on a sudden, their 
 pilot slipped, and was gone out of sight, though 
 happily, without any other damage, than tearing his 
 clothes. This accident obliged them to stop ; when 
 they turned their eyes upward, they were astonish- 
 ed at the immense depth and steepness of the place, 
 which they had descended, by fixing their heels on 
 the prominent parts of the rock, and found it im~ 
 
24 
 
 practicable to reascend the same way ; but having 
 discovered a winding gully of a more gradual as- 
 cent, in this they got to the plain, and then came 
 down on the eastern side. This deep gully was on 
 the southeast. From these circumstances, it may 
 be inferred, that it is more practicable and safe to 
 ascend or descend on the ridges, than in the gullies 
 of the mountain. These vast and irregular heights, 
 being copiously replenished with water, exhibit a 
 great variety of beautiful cascades ; some of which 
 •fall in a perpendicular sheet or spout, others are 
 winding and sloping, others spread and form a ba- 
 son in the rock, and then gush in a cataract over its 
 ^dge. A poetic fancy may find full gratification 
 amidst these wild and rugged scenes, if its ardour 
 be not checked by the fatigue of the approach. Al- 
 most every thing in nature, which can be supposed 
 capable of inspiring ideas of the sublime and beau- 
 tiful, is here realized. Aged mountains, stupen- 
 dous elevations, rolling clouds, impending rocks, 
 verdant woods, crystal streams, the gentle rill, and 
 the roaring torrent, all conspire to amaze, to sooth, 
 and to enrapture. On the western part of these 
 mountains is a pass, commonly called the notch, 
 which in the narrowest part, measures but 22 feet, 
 between two perpendicular rocks. From the height 
 above it, a brook descends, and meanders through a 
 meadow, formerly a beaver pond. It is surround- 
 ed by rocks, which on one side are perpendicular, 
 and on the other, rise in an angle of 45 degrees ; a 
 strikingly picturesque scene ! This defile was known 
 to the Indians, who formerly led their captives 
 
25 
 
 through it to Canada ; but it had been forgotten or 
 neglected, until the year 1771, when two hunters, 
 passed through it, and from their report, the propri- 
 etors of lands on the northern parts of Connecti- 
 cut river, formed the plan of a road through it, to 
 the upper Coos, from which it is distant 25 miles. 
 Along the eastern side of the meadow, under the 
 perpendicular rock, is a causeway of large logs, 
 sunk in the mud by rocks, blown with gunpowder, 
 from the mountain. On this foundation, is con- 
 structed a road, which passes through the narrow 
 defile, at the south end of the meadow, leaving a 
 passage for the rivulet, which glides along the west- 
 ern side. This rivulet, which gives rise to Saco, 
 descends towards the south ; and at a little dis- 
 tance from the defile, its waters are augmented by 
 two streams from the left, one of which descends in 
 a trench of two feet wide, and is called the flume, 
 from the near resemblance which it bears to an ar- 
 tificial flume. Over these are thrown strong bridg- 
 es ; and the whole construction of this road is firm 
 and durable ; much labour has been expended upon 
 it, and the net proceeds of a confiscated estate were 
 applied to defray the expense. In the descent, the 
 pass widens, and the stream increases ; but for eight or 
 ten miles from the notch, the mountains on each side 
 are so near, as to leave room only for the river and 
 its intervals, which are not more than half a mile 
 wide. In the course of this descent, several curi- 
 ous objects present themselves to view. On the 
 side of one mountain is a projection, resem- 
 bling a shelf, on which stanc} four large square 
 c 
 
26 
 
 rocks, in a form resembling as many huge folio vol- 
 umes. In two or three places, at immense heights, 
 and perfectly inaccessible, appear rocks of a white 
 and red hue, the surfaces of which are polished like 
 a mirror, by the constant trickling of water over 
 them. These being exposed to the west and south, 
 are capable, in the night, of reflecting the moon 
 and star beams to the wondering traveller, in the 
 deep, dark valley below, and by the help of imagina- 
 tion, are sufficient to give rise to the fiction of car- 
 buncles. To encompass these mountains, as the roads 
 are laid out through the eastern and western passes, 
 and round the northern side of the whole cluster, it is 
 necessary to gravel more than seventy miles, and to 
 ford eight considerable rivers, beside many smaller 
 streams. The distance between the heads of riv- 
 ers, which pursue such different courses from this 
 immense elevation, and which fall into the sea so 
 many hundred miles asunder, is so small, that a trav- 
 eller may, in the course of a day, drink the waters 
 of Saco, Ameriscoggin and Connecticut rivers. 
 These waters are all perfectly limpid and sweet, 
 excepting one brook, on the eastern side of Mount 
 Washington, which has a saponaceous taste, and is 
 covered with a very thick and strong froth. It is 
 said, that there is a part of the mountain where the 
 magnetic needle refuses to traverse : this is prob- 
 ably caused by a body of iron ore. It is also said, 
 that a mineral, supposed to be lead, has been dis- 
 covered near the eastern pass ; but that the spot 
 cannot now be found. What stores the bowels of 
 /he mountains contain, time must unfold : all searches 
 
27 
 
 for subterraneous treasures, having hitherto proved 
 fruitless. The most certain riches which they yield, 
 are the freshets^ which bring down the soil to the 
 intervals below, and form a fine mould, producing, 
 by the aid of cultivation, corn and herbage in the 
 most luxuriant plenty. Dr. Belknap. 
 
 Agamenticus, a remarkable mountain, lies about 
 four leagues north of the entrance of Piscataqua, and 
 there are three inferior summits, called Frost's 
 hills, at a small distance, on the northwest. These 
 are situated within the county of York, formerly 
 the Province of Maine. The first ridge is contin- 
 ued through the towns of Rochester, Barrington, 
 and Nottingham, and the several summits are dis- 
 tinguished by different names, as Teneriffe, Sad- 
 dleback, &c. but the general name is the Blue hills. 
 Beyond these, are several higher ones, as mount Ma- 
 jor, Moose mountain, &c. These are not in a contin- 
 ued range, but detached ; between them are many 
 smaller elevations. Farther back the mountains 
 rise higher ; and among the third range, Chocorua, 
 Ossapy, and Kyarsarge, claim the preeminence. 
 Beyond these, is the lofty ridge, called the height of 
 land, because it separates the branches of the river 
 Connecticut from those of the Merrimack. In 
 this ridge is the Grand Monadnock, 22 miles east 
 of the river Connecticut. Thirty miles north of 
 this, lies Sunnapee mountain, and 48 miles farther, 
 in the same direction, is Mooshelock. The ridge 
 then is continued northeasterly, dividing the wa- 
 ters of the river Connecticut from those of Saco and 
 Ameriscoggin. Here the mountains rise much 
 
28 
 
 higher, and the most elevated summits in this range 
 are the White mountains. 
 
 Over the tops of several of the highest moun- 
 tains, are small collections of water, and on others, 
 marshy spots, which are frequented by aquatic birds. 
 The roads over those mountains which are passa- 
 ble, are frequently wet and miry, while the vallies 
 below are dry. About two or three feet under the 
 surface of the mountain, is a firm earth, called the 
 pan, which is impenetrable by water ; the rains and 
 dews are therefore retained in the softer soil, or 
 formed into springs and brooks. This soil is made 
 by the rotting of fallen leaves and wood, the growth 
 of past ages. 
 
 Several phenomena respecting the larger moun- 
 tains, afford matter of amusement, and some are of 
 real use. People who live near them, humorously 
 style the mountains their almanack ; because, by the 
 ascent and attraction of vapours, they can form a 
 judgment of the weather. If a cloud is attracted 
 by a mountain and hovers on its top, they predict 
 rain ; and if after rain, the mountain continues cap- 
 ped, they expect a repetition of showers. A storm 
 is preceded for several hours, by a roaring of the 
 mountain, which may be heard 10 or 12 miles. 
 This is frequently observed by people who live near 
 the Grand Monadnock. It is also said, that when 
 there is a perfect calm on the south side, there is 
 sometimes a furious wind on the north, which 
 drives the snow, so that it is seen whirling far 
 above the trees. At Moultonborough, lying under 
 the southwest side of the great Ossapy mountain, 
 
29 
 
 it is observed, that in a northeast storm, the wind, 
 falls over the mountain like water over a dam ; and 
 with such force as frequently to unroof the houses. 
 The altitude of this mountain has not been ascer- 
 tained ; but that of the Grand Monadnock was 
 measured in 1 780, by J^Winthrop, Esq. and an- 
 nounced an elevation of 3254 feet above the level 
 of the sea. The base of this mountain is about five 
 miles in diameter from north to south ; and about 
 three from east to west. Its summit is a bald rock ; 
 and on the sides are some appearances of the explo- 
 sion of subterraneous fires. A similar phenome- 
 non has been observed on West river mountain, in 
 the township of Chesterfield, adjoining Connecticut 
 river. In 1730, the garrison of Fort Dummer, 
 distant four miles, was alarmed w T ith frequent explo- 
 sions, and with columns of fire and smoke, emitted 
 from the mountain. The like appearances have 
 been observed at various times since ; particularly 
 one in 1754, which was the most violent of any. 
 There are two places, where the rocks bear marks 
 of having been heated and calcined. A company 
 of persons having conceived a notion of precious 
 metals being contained in this mountain, have pen- 
 etrated it in various directions, and have found fur- 
 ther evidences of internal fires, particularly a large 
 quantity of scorise ; in some parts loose, in others, 
 adhering to the rocks. The only valuable effect of 
 their industry, is the discovery of a fine, soft, yel- 
 low earth, which when burned, is changed into a 
 brown pigment ; and another of the colour of the 
 peach, blossom. There is also observed on thfl 
 C 2 
 
30 
 
 earth, which has been thrown out, a white incrus - 
 tation, which has the taste of nitre. The top of the 
 mountain is an area of about 20 rods square, which 
 is hollow ; and in a wet season, is filled with water, 
 as is common on the tops of mountains ; but there is 
 no appearance of such a crater as is peculiar to volca- 
 no s. Under the mountain, are many fragments 
 of rocks which have fallen from it ; but whether by 
 explosions, or any other convulsions, or by the force 
 of the frost, cannot be ascertained. Dr. Belknap. 
 The mountain, called Sideling hills, is eight miles 
 over. This is not like the neighbouring Alleghany 
 mountains, a distinct ridge, but a succession of 
 ridges, with long ascents and descents on the main 
 sides, and intermediate risings and short vallies be- 
 tween. " It was a fine clear morning," says Mr. 
 Harris, u when we began to ascend. As we advanc- 
 ed, the prospect widened and became very interest- 
 ing. The deep and gloomy valley below was a vast 
 wilderness, skirted by mountains of every hue and 
 form ; some craggy and bare, and others covered 
 to the top ; but even this extensive wild was pleas- 
 ing, and gave scope to boundless reflection. Quit- 
 ting the elevated region to which we had reached, 
 we descended about half a mile, and then rose 
 another and more lofty gradation. Hence the view 
 was still more diversified and magnificent, crowded 
 with mountains upon mountains in every direction, 
 between and beyond which were seen the blue tops 
 of others more distant, mellowed down to the soft- 
 est shades, until all was lost in unison with the 
 clouds. As we descended, we beheld the mists ris- 
 
31 
 
 ing from the deep vallies, and the clouds thicken- 
 ing around. It was cold and blustering, and we 
 expected an immediate tempest and rain ; but as we 
 mounted the third ridge, the clouds broke away over 
 our heads ; and as they dispersed, the sun would 
 shine between, and give a glittering radiance to the 
 opening scene. We soon got beyond the clouded 
 region, and saw the misty volumes floating down to 
 the vallies and encircling the lower hills ; so that 
 before we reached the summit, we had the pleasure 
 of looking abroad in an unclouded sky : 
 
 — — — " Here could we survey 
 
 The gathered tempests rolling far beneath, 
 And stand above the storm." 
 
 The whole horizon was fringed with piles of distant 
 mountains. The intermediate vallies were filled 
 with clouds, or obscured with thick mists and shades ; 
 but the lofty summits, gilded with the blaze of day, 
 lighted up under an azure heaven, gave a surpris- 
 ing grandeur and brilliancy to the whole scene." 
 
 Through the large tract of country which lies 
 between the west side of Connecticut river, and the 
 east side of Hudson river and Lake Champlain, 
 there is one continued range, termed " the Green 
 mountains," from which Vermont derives its name. 
 These mountains begin in the province of Canada ; 
 from thence they extend through the states of Ver- 
 mont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, and termi- 
 nate within a few miles of the sea coast. Their gen- 
 eral direction is from N. N. E. to S. S. W. ; and 
 their extent is through a tract of country not less 
 
than 400 miles in length. They are one continued 
 range or collection of mountains, appearing as if 
 they were piled one upon another. They are gen- 
 erally from 12 to 15 miles in width, are much in- 
 tersected with vallies, abound with springs and 
 streams of water, and are every where covered 
 with woods. Their appearance, is among the most 
 grand and majestic phenomena, which nature ex- 
 hibits. The altitude of Kellington peak, one of the 
 Green mountains, by a mensuration made in 1792, 
 admitting the waters of the river St. Lawrence at 
 Quebec to be of the same level as the sea, is 3454 
 feet above the level of the ocean. The altitude at 
 which a perpetual congelation takes place in this lat- 
 itude (43° 30') is about 8066 feet above the level of 
 the sea. This is near four fifths of a mile higher than 
 the tops of our highest mountains. But although 
 they are far below the freezing point in summer, 
 their phenomena and productions are very much 
 affected by the degree of cold, to which they are 
 constantly exposed. The tops of these mountains 
 are generally composed of rocks, covered over with 
 moss. The trees appear to be very aged, but they 
 are of a small size ; and all of them of the species 
 called evergreens > pine, spruce, hemlock, and fir, 
 intermixed with shrubs and bushes. The powers 
 of vegetation regularly diminish as we approach the 
 summit of a high mountain ; the trees degenerate 
 in their dimensions, and frequently terminate in a 
 shrubbery of spruce and hemlock, two or three feet 
 high, whose branches are so interwoven and knit 
 together, as to prevent a passage between them* 
 
33 
 
 Trees thus diminished, with shrubs and vines bear- 
 ing different berries, and a species of grass, called 
 winter grass, mixed with the moss of the rocks, are 
 all the vegetable productions, which nature brings 
 forth on the heights of these mountains. Wil- 
 liams' History of Vermont. 
 
 The Enchanted mountain, about two miles from 
 Brasstown, (Tennessee) is famous for curiosities. 
 There are on several rocks, a number of impres- 
 sions resembling the tracks of turkies, bears, horses, 
 and human beings, as visible and perfect, as they 
 could be made on snow or sand. The latter are 
 remarkable for having uniformly six toes each ; one 
 only excepted, which appears to be the print of a 
 negro's foot. By this we must suppose the origi - 
 nals to have been the progeny of Titan or Anak. 
 One of these tracks is very large, the length of the 
 foot 16 inches, the distance of the extremes of the 
 outer toes, 13 inches, the proximate breadth behind 
 the toes seven inches, the diameter of the heel ball five. 
 One of the horse tracks is likewise of an uncom- 
 mon size, the transverse and conjugate diameters 
 are eight by ten inches ; perhaps the horse theGreat 
 Warrior rode. There are many other fanciful 
 figures, the meaning of which it is difficult to de- 
 cipher. The most favourable conjecture concern- 
 ing them is, that they are the real tracks of the an- 
 imals they represent ; and what gives probability 
 to this conjecture, is the circumstance of a horse's 
 foot having apparently slipped several inches and 
 recovered again ; and the figures having all the 
 same direction like the trail of a company on a jour- 
 
34 
 
 ney. If it be a lusus natures, the old dame never 
 sported more seriously ; if the operation of chance, 
 perhaps there was never more apparent design ; if 
 it were done by art, it might be to perpetuate the 
 remembrance of some remarkable event of war or 
 engagement fought on the ground. The vast heaps 
 of stones near the place, supposed the tombs of 
 warriors slai n in battle, seem to favour the suppo- 
 sition. The texture of the rocks is soft. The part 
 on which the sun has the greatest influence, and 
 which is the most indurated, can easily be cut 
 with a knife, and appears to be of the nature of pipe- 
 stone. Some of the Cherokees entertain an opin- 
 ion that it always rains when any person visits the 
 place, as if sympathetic nature wept at the recol- 
 lection of the dreadful catastrophe which these fig- 
 ures were intended to commemorate. 
 
 In Montgomery county, (New York) is a small 
 rapid stream emptying into Scroon lake, west of 
 Lake George : it runs under a hill, the base of 
 which is 60 or 70 yards diameter, forming a curi- 
 ous and most beautiful arch as white as snow. 
 The fury of the water and the roughness of the 
 bottom, added to the terrific noise within, has 
 hitherto prevented any person from passing through 
 the chasm. Dr. Morse. 
 
 The Ararat, or Pilot mountain, 16 miles north- 
 west of Salem, (North Carolina) is worthy at- 
 tention. It is discernible at the distance of 60 
 or 70 miles, overlooking the country below. It 
 was in former times called the Pilot, by the In- 
 dians, as it served them for a beacon, to conduct 
 
35 
 
 their routes in the northern and southern wars. 
 On approaching it, a grand display of nature's work- 
 manship, in rude dress, is exhibited. From its 
 broad base, the mountain rises in easy ascent, like 
 a pyramid, near a mile high, to where it is not more 
 than the area of an acre broad ; when, on a sudden, 
 a vast stupendous rock, having the appearance of 
 a large castle, with its battlements, erects its per- 
 pendicular height to upwards of 300 feet, and ter- 
 minates in a flat, which is generally as level as a 
 floor. To ascend this precipice, there is only one 
 way, which, through cavities and fissures of the 
 rock, is with some difficulty and danger effected. 
 When on the summit, the eye is entertained with a 
 vast delightsome prospect of the Apalachian moun- 
 tains, on the north, and a wide extended level 
 country below, on the south ; while the streams of 
 the Yadkin and Dan, on the right and left hand, are 
 discovered at several distant places, winding through 
 the fertile low ground, on their way towards the 
 ocean. Dr. Morse. i 
 
 In the township of Wills borough, (New York)* is 
 a curious split rock. A point of a mountain, which 
 projected about 50 yards into Lake Cham plain, ap- 
 pears to have been broken by some violent shock of 
 nature. It is removed from the main rock or moun- 
 tain, about 20 feet, and the opposite sides so ex- 
 actly suit each other, that one needs no other proof 
 of their having been once united. The point brok- 
 en off contains about half an acre, and is covered 
 with wood. The height of the rock, on each side the 
 fissure, is about 12 feet ; round this point is a sp\- 
 
36 
 
 cious bay, sheltered from the southwest and 
 northwest winds by the surrounding hills and 
 woods. On the west side are four or five finely 
 cultivated farms, which altogether, at certain sea- 
 sons, and in certain situations, form one of the 
 most beautiful landscapes imaginable. Sailing un- 
 der this coast for several miles before you come to 
 split rock, the mountains rude and barren, seem to 
 hang over the traveller and threaten destruction. 
 A water, boundless to the sight, lies before him : 
 man feels his own littleness, and infidelity itself, 
 pays an unwilling homage to the Creator. Instant- 
 ly and unexpectedly the scene changes, and peep- 
 ing with greedy eye through the fissure, nature pre- 
 sents to the view a silver bason, a verdant lawn, a 
 humble cottage, a golden harvest, a majestic forest, 
 a lofty mountain, an azure sky, rising one above 
 another " in just gradation to the amazing whole." 
 Dr. Morse. 
 
 In Dorset, (Vermont) is a mountain exceedingly 
 high, the top of which, for at least three parts of the 
 year, is enveloped with clouds ; it is not unfrequent 
 to see its top rising a great height above them, and 
 the rain descending in cataracts down their sides, 
 with almost the velocity of the falls of Niagara, 
 while the sun beams shoot their brightest rays on 
 tlie adjacent fields and neighbourhood. In 1780, 
 a ponderous rock, about 20 tons weight, broke off 
 from this mountain, and forced its way near 400 
 yards down a precipice ; the firmest rooted trees, 
 the most enormous crags bowed submissive* and 
 when it reached the bottom, so irresistible was its 
 
force, that it burled itself about 15 feet under the 
 earth. The place where it sunk is a small flat 
 piece of low land which receives the waters of Dor- 
 set, Danby, and the East mountain : here they 
 divide, one part takes its course to the north, and 
 is the head of Otter creek, the other part assumes 
 a southwesterly direction through Manchester, 
 Sunderland, and Aslington, and from thence into 
 the state of New York. Graham. 
 
 The Shining mountains, bounding Louisiana on 
 the west are little known. That range, of which 
 the Shining mountains are a part, begins at Mexi- 
 co, and continuing northward on the back, or to 
 the east of California, separate the waters of those 
 rivers that fall either into the Gulf of Mexico, or 
 the Gulf of California. From thence continuing 
 their course still northward, between the sources 
 of the Missisippi and the rivers that run into the 
 South sea, they appear to end in about 47 or 48° of 
 north latitude ; where a number of rivers arise, 
 and empty themselves either into the South sea, in- 
 to Hudson's bay, or into the waters that communi- 
 cate between these two seas. Among these moun- 
 tains, those that lie to the west of the river St. 
 Pierre, are called Shining mountains, from an infi- 
 nite number of crystal stones, of an amazing size, 
 which, when the sun shines full upon them, sparkle 
 so as to be seen at a great distance. It is said, that 
 a little to the northwest of the heads of the Mis- 
 souri and St. Pierre, there is a nation rather smaller 
 and whiter than the neighbouring tribes, who culti- 
 vate the ground, and in some measure the arts. 
 D 
 
38 
 
 Also, that some of the nations inhabiting those parts 
 that lie to the west of the Shining mountains, have 
 gold so plenty among them, that they make their 
 most common utensils of it. The people dwelling 
 near them are supposed to be some of the different 
 tribes that were tributary to the Mexican kings, 
 and who fled from their native country, to seek an 
 asylum in these parts, about the time of the con- 
 quest of Mexico by the Spaniards, more than two 
 centuries ago. Carver. 
 
 That there exists a Salt mountain in the prov- 
 ince of Louisiana is beyond a doubt. There has 
 been found about 1000 miles up the Missouri, and 
 not far from that river, a Salt mountain ! I The 
 existence of such a mountain might well be ques- 
 tioned, were it not for the testimony of several re- 
 spectable and enterprising traders, who have visit- 
 ed it, and who have exhibited several bushels to the 
 curiosity of the people of St. Louis, where some of 
 it still remains. A specimen of the same salt has 
 been sent to Marietta. This mountain is said to be 
 180 miles long, and 45 in width, composed of solid 
 rock salt, without any trees or shrubs on it ! Salt 
 springs are very numerous beneath the surface of 
 the mountain, and they flow through the fissures 
 and cavities of it. Dr. Morse. 
 
 Mount Vernon, though not remarkable, as a 
 mountain ; yet, being the residence of our late ven- 
 erable Washington, deserves attention. The seat 
 is situated 9 miles below Alexandria, on the banks 
 of the Patowmac ; the way to it, however, by land, 
 is much farther, on account of the numerous creeks 
 
39 
 
 that fall into the Patowmac, the mouths of which it 
 is impossible to pass near to. Very thick woods re- 
 main standing within four or five miles of the place ; 
 the roads through them are very bad, and so many 
 of them cross one another in different direc- 
 tions, that it is a matter of very great difficulty to find 
 out the right one. The mount is a high part of the 
 bank of the river, which rises abruptly about 200 
 feet above the level of the water. The river before 
 it is 3 miles wide, and on the opposite side it forms 
 a bay about the same breadth, which extends for a 
 considerable way up the country. This, at first 
 sight, appears to be a continuation of the river ; but 
 the Patowmac takes a very sudden turn to the left, 
 2 or 3 miles above the house, and is quickly lost to 
 the view. Downwards to the right, there is a pros- 
 pect of it for 12 miles. The Maryland shore, on 
 the opposite side, is beautifully diversified with 
 hills, which are mostly covered with wood : in 
 many places, however, little patches of cultivated 
 ground appear, ornamented with houses. The 
 scenery altogether is most delightful. The house, 
 which stands about 60 yards from the edge of the 
 mount, is of wood, cut and painted, so as to resem- 
 ble hewn stone. The rear is towards the river, 
 at which side is a portico of 96 feet in length, sup- 
 ported by 8 pillars. The front is uniform, and at 
 a distance looks tolerably well. The dwelling 
 house is in the centre, and communicates with the 
 wings on each side, by means of covered ways, run- 
 ning in a curved direction. Behind these wings 
 en the one side, are the different offices belonging 
 
40 
 
 to the house, and also to the farm, and on the other, 
 the cabins for the slaves. In front, the breadth of 
 the whole building, is a lawn with a gravel walk 
 round it, planted with trees, and separated by hedges 
 on either side, from the farm yard and garden. As 
 for the garden, it wears exactly the appearance of a 
 nursery, and every thing about the place indicates 
 that more attention is paid to profit than pleasure* 
 The ground in the rear of the house is also laid out 
 in a lawn, and the declivity of the mount towards the 
 water, is a deer park. Nor shall we pass without 
 some notice of Monticello, (or little mountain in the 
 Italian language) the charming country residence 
 of our present President, Thomas Jefferson. This 
 mountain is about three miles from Charlottesville, 
 and two from Milton, which is on the head waters of 
 Rivanna river. It is thickly wooded on one side, and 
 walks are carried round it with different degrees of 
 obliquity, running into each other. On the south 
 side is the garden, and a large vineyard, that pro- 
 duces abundance of fine fruit. The house is most 
 singularly situated, being built on the top of the 
 mountain, the apex of which has been cut off, so as 
 to leave an area of about an acre and a half. At 
 present (1796) it is in an unfinished state ; but if 
 carried on according to the plan laid down, it will 
 be one of the most elegant private habitations in 
 the United States. A large apartment is laid out 
 for a library and museum, meant to extend the 
 breadth of the house ; the windows of which are 
 to open into an extensive green-house and aviary. 
 In the centre is another very spacious apartment^ 
 
41 
 
 of an octagon form, reaching from the front to the 
 rear of the house ; the large folding glass doors of 
 which, at each end, open under a portico. An 
 apartment like this, extending from front to back, is 
 very common in a Virginian house : it is called a 
 saloon, and during summer is the one generally 
 preferred by the family, on account of its being 
 more airy and spacious than any other. The house 
 commands a magnificent prospect on the one side 
 of the blue ridge of mountains for near 40 miles, and 
 an the opposite one, of the low country, in appear- 
 ance, like an extended heath, covered with trees, 
 the tops of which alone are visible. The mists and 
 vapours arising from the low grounds, give a con- 
 tinual variety to the scene. Weld. 
 
 The Volcanic mountain, in the island of St. Vin- 
 cent's, called Morne Garou, is too remarkable to be 
 passed in silence. The mountain in question is 
 situated on the northwest part of the island, and 
 is the highest in it. It is constantly reported to 
 have emitted volcanic eruptions ; and the ravines at 
 the bottom seem to corroborate the traditions of the 
 inhabitants in this respect. Mr. Anderson is the 
 only person who ever ascended to its summit. He 
 began his journey the 26th February, 1784, having 
 been furnished by a friend with two stout negros 
 and a boy. They arrived at the foot of the moun- 
 tain before 7 in the morning, having each a good 
 cutlass, to cut through the woods, or to defend 
 themselves in case of an attack from the caribbees, 
 or runaway negros. Having scrambled up a rock 
 upwards of 40 feet high, they found themselves irt 
 D 2 
 
42 
 
 the bottom of a deep ravine, which having ascended 
 a little way, they arrived at the habitation of Mr. 
 Gasco. The difficulty of going through woods in 
 the West Indies is yery great. It was upwards of 
 2 hours before they got upon the ridge, and there 
 the passage became more difficult : they were now 
 surrounded by a thick forest : the fatigue of cut- 
 ting their way soon became intolerable to the ne- 
 gros ; so that in the afternoon, Mr. Anderson re*- 
 turned to Mr. Gasco's to spend the night. Early 
 next morning he set out in company only with the 
 boy. He proceeded up the ravine about a mile and 
 a half, without any considerable obstruction. How- 
 ever, it now began to narrow fast ; and there were 
 many rocks and precipices to climb over. At length 
 the ravine terminated at the bottom of a very high 
 precipice. It was impossible to know the extent of 
 this, as the top was covered with thick wood : he 
 began to ascend, digging holes with his cutlass to 
 put his feet in, and taking hold of the tufts as 
 lightly as possible. Notwithstanding all his care, 
 however, he frequently slipped down a considera- 
 ble way ; but as it was only loose sand, he could 
 easily push his cutlass into it, and thus, by takings 
 hold of it, recover himself again. On getting up 
 to the top of the precipice, he found himself on a 
 very narrow ridge, covered with wood, and bound- 
 ed by 2 ravines : proceeding onwards, they found 
 the ridge exceedingly narrow, with a tremendous 
 gulf on each side, into which they were every mo- 
 ment in danger of falling. Here a sulphureous 
 smell began to be perceived, which our an 
 
&new must proceed from the top of the mountain, 
 as the wind then blew that way, and as it grew 
 stronger as he advanced, he was in hopes its sum- 
 mit could not be far distant* Perceiving a rising 
 before him, he imagined, that by getting upon it he 
 might have a view of the top of the mountain ; but 
 when this was done, he could only see a peak on 
 the northwest side of the mountain, to which, by 
 appearance, he judged himself little nearer than 
 when at the bottom* The woods now became ex- 
 tremely difficult to pass through : in a little time he 
 had a view of the ravine on the left, which was of 
 prodigious depth, and ran from near the top of the 
 mountain to the sea. Its bottom seemed to be a 
 rock, nearly resembling lava in colour. About 4 
 in the afternoon, he had no prospect of the top of 
 the mountain, but imagined, that if he could get 
 into the ravine before night, he might easily reach 
 it next morning. After cutting through a great 
 way, however, he found himself, about sunset, on 
 the brink of a precipice, where he narrowly escap- 
 ed falling. They were now about half way down, 
 but all the rest of the way seemed a perpendicular 
 precipice, which it was impossible to pass : the 
 top of the mountain was yet a great way oft, and 
 there was no other resource, than to attempt the 
 ridge they had left. The evening was now so far 
 advanced, that they took up their residence where 
 they were. At day break, they renewed their 
 work, and soon had the satisfaction to perceive the 
 came thin, and about 12 o'clock they ob- 
 tained a full view of the summit, about a mile dis- 
 
44 
 
 tant. It seemed to be composed of 6 Or 7 ridges, 
 very much broken in the sides. Mr. Anderson 
 directed his course towards a high peak, that over- 
 looked a large excavation, where the ridges met, 
 and which he supposed to be the centre of the vol- 
 cano. The fatigue of the work, however, reduced 
 them to such a situation that they were scarcely 
 able to stand. The negros now refused to pro- 
 ceed, so that Mr. Anderson was obliged to return, 
 and reached Mr. Malonne's that night, near a mile 
 from the foot of the mountain. On the 4th of 
 March, our traveller set out about 4 in the morning, 
 in company with a Mr. Fraser. They met with 
 little difficulty until they came to the place from 
 whence they had returned* Within a quarter of a 
 mile of the top, they found the climate suddenly al- 
 tered, the air being extremely cold, and the sum- 
 mit of the mountain barren.. About noon they 
 reached the summit, and were surprised at the 
 sight of an extraordinary cavity. It is situated hi 
 the centre of the mountain. Its diameter is some- 
 what more than a mile, and its circumference a cir- 
 cle. Its depth is about a quarter of a mile, and it 
 narrows very regularly to the bottom. Its sides 
 are smooth and covered with moss, except towards- 
 the south, where there are a number of small 
 holes and fissures. This is the only place to goto 
 the bottom. On the west, is a section of a red 
 granite cut smooth, and having the same declivity 
 with the other parts. All the rest of the surround- 
 ing sides seem to be composed of sand, which has 
 undergone the action of fire : it has a crust smooth, 
 
45 
 
 and about an inch thick, almost as hard as rock ; 
 on breaking which, nothing appears but sand. In 
 the centre stands a burning mountain, about a mile 
 in circumference: out of the summit rises a small 
 eminence 10 feet high, and conical ; from the 
 apex of which a column of smoke constantly issues. 
 Great quantities of smoke issue from most parts of 
 the mountain ; and the heat is so intense that it is 
 impossible to ascend it. At the bottom, on the 
 north side, is a very large rock split asunder ; each 
 of the halves which are rent in all directions, are 
 separated to a considerable distance from each oth- 
 er, and the crevices have glossy efflorescences, tast- 
 ing like vitriol. From the external appearances of 
 this mountain, he conjectures that it had but lately 
 began to burn, as on several parts he saw shrubs 
 and grass which seemed to have been but recently 
 scorched and burnt : there were also several holes 
 on the south, from which smoke issued, that ap- 
 peared to have broken out but lately. On the two 
 opposite sides of the mountain, are two lakes of wa- 
 ter, about a stone's throw in breadth : they appear 
 to be deep in the middle, and have a bottom of a 
 kind of clay. The water is chalybeate, and has a 
 pleasant taste. These lakes probably derive their 
 existence from the rain water running down the 
 sides of the crater. Wonders of Nature and Art. 
 At St. Christopher's, also, is a mountain not un- 
 worthy notice. We shall extract an account of it 
 from a letter of the Rev. Mr. Smith, to one of his 
 friends. From Chianne, about 8 miles from Basse 
 Terre, proceeding through the woods, our traveller,. 
 
46 
 
 with 9 others, began to ascend the mountain, the as- 
 cent growing steeper and steeper, the higher they 
 advanced ; and in like proportion, the large trees 
 began to grow shorter. Before they passed all the 
 trees, they entered among the clouds, which felt 
 raw and cold. From those woods to the top, which 
 is almost half a mile, there are no trees at all, and 
 scarcely a bush. Being at last arrived at the top 
 with great fatigue, the clouds were at least half a 
 mile beneath them, but the wind dispersing them, 
 a charming view was opened of the woods and plan- 
 tations below, besides an unbounded prospect of the 
 Atlantic ocean. The top of this mountain is a 
 small plain, not 300 yards wide, extending at the 
 verge of a deep cavity, exactly round, and about a 
 mile in circumference. He judges its perpendicu- 
 lar depth to be about 220 yards, and observes, he 
 looked down into it with horror, observing large 
 and continual clouds of steam arise from the veins 
 of sulphur, &c. with which the bottom of it abounds. 
 The rim of this cavity, except where it joins to and 
 makes part of the plain, is not above 20 yards 
 broad ; and the inside of it, for at least half way 
 downwards, appears to be solid rock, overrun w T ith 
 moss. " Upon maturely weighing the whole state 
 of this mountain," says he, u we unanimously agreed 
 it was on fire under us, and that the cavity was 
 formerly (perhaps ages ago) occasioned by some furi- 
 ous and dreadful eruption, when it might have been a 
 volcano for a while, like Vesuvius or iEtna." Upon 
 the rim of the cavity, to the southeast, there is a 
 large and steep rocky mount, called Mount Misery. 
 
It is the highest point of land on St. Christopher's^ 
 its height being reckoned a mile and a half, per- 
 pendicular from the sea. The whole breadth of 
 one part of the above mentioned rim is taken up by 
 a large single rock, almost as smooth as if it had 
 been cut by the chisel. From angle to angle at the 
 base, it measures 7 or 8 yards, is somewhat blunted, 
 or rather broken off at the top, and a third part 
 downwards, from thence, it seems to be cracked 
 quite through, sideways. The colour of the rock 
 resembles the red part of oriental granite, and like 
 that, is extremely hard. Near this pyramid, by 
 the help of bushes and roots, they ventured to slide 
 down 40 or 50 yards into the ' cavity, until they 
 eame to some wild banannas, which were ready to 
 quench their thirst, with most clear and excellent 
 water, that run out of them upon sticking a pen- 
 knife just where the leaves join to the top of the bo- 
 dy of the tree, and to form a small hollow, as if on 
 purpose to receive the blessings of Heaven, the 
 rain and the dew, and reserve them for the thirsty 
 traveller. Keeping on in a steep descent, through 
 the wood of banannas, cabbage trees, &c. they ar- 
 rived at the bottom of the cavity, when having 
 crossed a little plain, they came to an uneaven spot 
 of ground, consisting of 30 acres or upwards. 
 Here they found a very large rock, jutting out of 
 the side of the hill ; at the bottom of it were 3 or 4 
 round holes in the earth as wide as a hat-crown, 
 from whence issued hot steams, like smoke out of 
 chimneys, which tinged the edges of the holes with 
 seemingly, fair brimstone. Wonders of Nature and 
 Art. 
 
48 
 
 There are numbers of volcanic mountains in the 
 Mexican empire, that have overwhelmed the 
 country at different times. Pojauhtecal, called by 
 the Spaniards, Volcan de Orizaba, began to send 
 forth smoke in 1 545, and continued to do so for 20 
 years ; but after that, for the space of more than 
 two centuries, there has not been observed the 
 smallest sign of burning. This celebrated moun- 
 tain, which is of a conical figure, is indisputably the 
 highest land in all Mexico ; and, on account of its 
 height, is the first land descried by seamen who 
 are steering that way, at the distance of 50 leagues. 
 It is higher than the Peak of Teneriffe. Its top is 
 always covered with snow, and its border adorned 
 with large cedars, pine, and other trees of valuable 
 wood, which make the prospect of it every way 
 beautiful. The Popocatepu and Tztaceihuatl, which 
 lie near each other, 33 miles southeast from 
 Mexico, are also of a surprising height. Popocat- 
 epu, for which they have substituted the name of 
 Volcan, has a mouth or vent, more than half a mile 
 wide, from which, in the time of the Mexican kings, 
 it frequently emitted flames ; and in the sixteenth 
 century, many times threw out quantities of ashes 
 upon the places adjacent ; but since that time hard- 
 ly any smoke has been observed. Tztaceihuatl, or 
 Seirra Nevada, threw out, also, at some- times, 
 smoke and ashes. Both mountains have tops al- 
 ways covered with snow in such quantities, as to 
 supply, with what precipitates from the neighbour- 
 ing rocks, the cities of Mexico, Gilopoli, Cholula, 
 and the adjacent places, to the distance of 40 miles 
 
49 
 
 from these mountains, where an incredible quantity- 
 is yearly consumed in cooling and congealingliqu^ vs. 
 
 The mountain Juruyo, situated in the valley of 
 Urecho, is a great curiosity. Before the year 1760, 
 there was nothing of it but a small hill, where there 
 was a sugar plantation. But on the 29th of Sep- 
 tember, 1760, it burst with furious shocks, and en- 
 tirely consumed the sugar works, and the neigh- 
 bouring village of Guacana ; and from that time 
 has continued to emit fire and burning rocks, which 
 have formed themselves into 3 high mountains, 
 whose circumference was nearly 6 miles in 1766 ; 
 according to the account communicated by the 
 Governor of that province, who was an eye witness 
 of the fact. The ashes at the eruption were forced 
 to the almost incredible distance of 150 miles. 
 Dr. Morse. 
 
 De Rochefoucauld s travels present some valua- 
 ble information concerning the orology of North 
 America. The primitive calcareous rock is ming- 
 led, in veins or banks, with the granitic, and is ev- 
 idently contemporary. Near Philadelphia, large 
 pieces of talc appear instead of mica. There are 
 also veins of horneblende, quartz, and marble, in 
 the position of metallic veins. It is a remarkable 
 feature in the mineralogy, that the granitic moun- 
 tains approach nearest to the sea, while at a greater 
 distance the rocks are calcareous ; and the red 
 primitive limestone is sometimes covered with 
 breccia and argillaceous schistose. The lakes of 
 Upper Canada are surrounded with calcav 
 rocks ; while in Lower Canada, from Montreal to 
 
 E 
 
50 
 
 the sea, the granite predominates* At the isle of 
 St. Helen, this substance is apparent, and the moun- 
 tain of Beloeil displays much black schorl. The 
 black slate of our traveller is the black schistose 
 limestone of Kalm. The rock of Quebec is said 
 to consist of grey granite, mingled with schorls ; 
 and was called the rock of diamonds, because quartz 
 and crystals were found. In the vicinity blocks of 
 granite are mingled with limestone, and the bank of 
 Newfoundland is supposed to be a mass of granite 
 covered with sand. Towards New York and Bos- 
 ton the rocks are of a soft granite, interspersed 
 With limestone and schistose ; but towards Caroli- 
 na and Florida the granitic mountains are at a con- 
 siderable distance from the sea, which seems grad- 
 ually to have retired. But from the travels of 
 Kalm, a more skilful naturalist, it would appear, 
 that the rocks of North America often consist of a 
 eubstance unknown to modern systems of mineralo- 
 gy, and which it has been proposed to term calcare- 
 ous granite, the absence of felspar being supplied 
 by limestone. He describes this substance as con- 
 sisting of grey limestone, purple, or garnet colour- 
 ed quartz, and black mica. The limestone effer- 
 vesces strongly with aqua fortis ; and there are 
 some particles of felspar. Another mountain near 
 the river, St. Lawrence, is composed of red felspar, 
 black mica, white limestone, with grains of the 
 purple or red quartz. Sometimes this calcareous 
 granite is schistose, or assumes the form of gneiss. 
 Part of the hills near the isle of Orleans, is com- 
 posed of grey quartz, reddish and grey limestone,, 
 
Si 
 
 r.««...»» 
 
 and grains of sand. Near fort St. Frederic, or 
 Crown Point, Kalm observed fragments of granite 
 mixed with schorl, without any addition ; and he 
 found ammonites about two feet in diameter. — 
 Towards the lake Champlain he observed quanti- 
 ties of red sand, which seemed to be decomposed 
 or pounded garnets. The Apalachian mountains 
 he does not appear to have examined ; but he men- 
 tions the calcareous granite as frequent in Penn- 
 sylvania, and often used in buildings at Philadel- 
 phia. He describes the lapis ollaris of New Eng- 
 land as sometimes spotted with starry asbestos ; 
 while green soap rock and amianthus are common 
 in Pennsylvania. The hatchets of the savages were 
 frequently of fine basalt ; their knives of quartz and 
 petrosilex ; their kettles of lapis ollaris, grey or 
 green ; and their tobacco pipes of the same sub- 
 stance, but those of the chiefs, of beautiful red ser- 
 pentine, from the west of the Missisippi. 
 
 mmtm ssm£**~' 
 
 RIVERS. 
 
 THE noble river Missisippi, both for its extent 
 and utility, claims precedence among the most con- 
 siderable rivers in North America. Its source has 
 been traced to three small lakes, about latitude 47°, 
 and enters the sea in latitude 29°, after a compar- 
 ative course of about 1400 British miles. The 
 
52 
 
 Missisippi receives the waters of the Ohio and 
 Illinois, and their numerous branches from the east, 
 and the Missouri, and other rivers from the west. 
 These mighty streams united, are borne down 
 with increasing majesty, through vast forests, and 
 meadows, and discharged into the Gulf of Mexico. 
 The great length and uncommon depth, says Mr. 
 Hutchins, and the excessive muddiness and salu- 
 brious quality of its waters after its junction with 
 the Missouri are very singular. The direction 
 of the channel is so crooked, that from New Orleans 
 to the mouth of the Ohio, a distance which does 
 not exceed 460 miles in a straight line, is about 856 
 by water. It may be shortened at least 250 miles, 
 by cutting across eight or ten necks of land, some 
 of which are not thirty yards wide. Charlevoix 
 relates, that in the year 1F22, at Point Coupee or 
 Cut Point, the river made a great turn, and some 
 Canadians by deepening the channel of a small 
 brook, diverted the waters of the river into it. The 
 impetuosity of the stream was so violent, and the 
 soil of so rich and loose a quality, that in a short 
 time the point was cut entirely through, and travel- 
 lers saved fourteen leagues of their voyage. The 
 old bed has no water in it,, the times of the periodi- 
 cal overflowings excepted. The new channel has 
 since been sounded with a line of 30 fathoms,, with- 
 out finding bottom. Several other points of great 
 extent, have, in like manner, been since cut off, and 
 the river diverted into new channels* In the spring 
 floods the Missisippi is very high, and the current 
 so strong, that it is with difficulty it can be ascended j 
 
53 
 
 but this disadvantage is remedied in some meas- 
 ure by eddies or counter currents, which are gene- 
 rally found in the bends close to the banks of the 
 river, and assist the ascending boats. The cur- 
 rent at this season descends at the rate of about 
 five miles an hour. In autumn, when the waters 
 are low, it does not run faster than two miles ; 
 but it is rapid m such parts of the river as have clus- 
 ters of islands, shoals, and sand banks. The cir- 
 cumference of many of these shoals being several 
 miles, the voyage is longer and in some parts more 
 dangerous than in the spring. The merchandize 
 necessary for the commerce of the upper settle- 
 ments, on or near the Missisippi, is conveyed in 
 the spring and autumn in batteaux, rowed by eigh- 
 teen or twenty men, and carrying about forty tons. 
 From New Orleans to the Illinois, the voyage is 
 generally performed in eight or ten weeks. A pro- 
 digious number of islands, some of which are of 
 great extent, intersperse that mighty river. Its waters 
 after overflowing its banks below the river Ibber- 
 ville on the east, and the river Rouge on the west, 
 never return within them again, there being many 
 outlets or streams by which they are conducted in- 
 to the bay of Mexico, more especially on the west 
 side of the Missisippi, dividing the country into 
 numerous islands. These singularities distinguish 
 it from every known river in the world. Below the 
 Ibberville the land begins to be very low on both 
 sides of the river, across the country, and gradual- 
 ly declines, as it approaches nearer the sea. The 
 island of New Orleans, and the lands opposite, are 
 E 2 
 
to all appearance of no long date ; for in digging* 
 ever so little below the surface, you find water, and 
 great quantities of trees. The many beaches and 
 breakers, as well as inlets which have arisen out of 
 the channel, within the last half century, at the 
 several mouths of the river, are convincing proofs 
 that this peninsula was wholly formed in the same 
 manner. And it is certain, that when La Salle 
 sailed down the Mississippi to the sea, the opening 
 of that river was very different from, what it is at 
 present. The nearer you approach the sea, this 
 truth becomes more striking. The bars that cross 
 most of these small channels, opened by the cur^ 
 rent, have been multiplied by means of the trees car* 
 ried down with the streams ; one of which, stopped 
 by its roots or branches in a shallow part, is sufficient 
 to obstruct the passage of thousands more, and to 
 hx. them at the same place. Astonishing collections 
 of trees are daily seen in passing between the Bal- 
 ize and the Missouri. No human force is suf- 
 ficient to remove them, and the mud carried down 
 by the river, serves to bind and cement them to- 
 gether. They are graduallv covered,, and every 
 inundation, not only extends their length and 
 breadth, but adds another layer to their height. In 
 less than ten years time, canes, shrubs, and aquatic 
 timber grow on them, and form points and islands 
 which forcibly shift the bed of the river. Nothing 
 can be asserted with certainty respecting the length 
 of this river. Its source is not known, but suppos- 
 ed to be upwards of 3000 miles from the sea as. the 
 river runs. We only know that from St. Anthony's 
 
55 
 
 falls, in latitude 45°, it glides with a pleasant clear 
 current, and receives many large and very exten- 
 sive tributary streams, before its junction with 
 the Missouri, without greatly increasing the breadth 
 of the Missisippi, though they do its depth and ra- 
 pidity. The muddy waters of the Missouri, dis- 
 colour the lower part of the river, until it empties 
 into the bay of Mexico. The Missouri is a longer, 
 broader, and deeper river than the Missisippi, and 
 affords a more extensive navigation ; it is in fact, 
 the principal river, contributing more to the com- 
 mon stream than does the Missisippi. It has been 
 ascended by French traders about twelve or thir- 
 teen hundred miles, and from the depth of the wa- 
 ter and breadth of the river at that distance,, it ap- 
 peared to be navigable many miles further. From 
 the Missouri river to nearly opposite the Ohio, the 
 western bank of the Missisippi is, some few places 
 excepted, higher than the eastern. From Mine 
 au fer, to the Ibberville, the eastern bank is higher 
 than the western, on which there is not a single 
 discernible rising or eminence for the distance of 
 750 miles. From the Ibberville to the sea there 
 are no eminences on either side, though the eastern 
 bank appears rather the highest of the two, as far as 
 the English turn. Thence the banks gradually di- 
 minish in height to the mouths of the river, where 
 they are but a few feet higher than the common sur- 
 face of the water. The slime which the annual 
 floods of the river Missisippi leave on the surface 
 of the adjacent shores, may be compared with that 
 of tjie Nile, which deposites a similar manure, and 
 
56 
 
 for many ages past has insured the fertility of Egypt. 
 When its banks shall have been cultivated as the 
 excellency of its soil and temperature of its climate 
 deserve, its population will equal that of any other 
 part of the world. The trade, wealth, and power of 
 America, may, at some future period, depend, and 
 perhaps centre upon the Missisippi. This also re- 
 sembles the Nile in the number of its mouths, all 
 issuing into a sea that may be compared to the 
 Mediterranean, which is bounded on the north and 
 south by the two continents of Europe and Africa, 
 as the Mexican bay is by North and South America. 
 The smaller mouths of this river might be easily 
 stopped, by means of those floating trees, with which 
 the river, during the floods, is always covered. The 
 whole force of the channel being united, the only 
 opening then left would probably grow deep, and 
 the bar be removed. Dr. Morse. 
 
 From the preceding description, it appears, that 
 setting aside the capricious destinations of the savage 
 tribes, the Missouri must be regarded as the chief 
 river which constitutes what is called the Missisippi. 
 Measured on the same merely comparative scale, 
 which has been adopted to give a general idea of 
 the length of the rivers in Europe and Asia, the 
 Missouri or Missisippi will be about 2000 miles in 
 length. The great river of St. Lawrence is far in- 
 ferior, being chiefly remarkable for its breadth. In 
 South America, the Maranon, or river of Amazons, 
 measured on the same comparative scale, will be 
 found to be about 2300, and the Rio de la Plata 
 about 1 900. In the same comparative way, nieas- 
 
sr 
 
 tired on the accurate planisphere of Mr* Arrow*- 
 smith, the Kian Ku exceeds the Missouri, and rivals 
 the Maranon, which last is probably also rivalled 
 by the Ob. Some deceptions have arisen on this 
 curious subject, as the large rivers in America have 
 been computed by actual navigation of the whole, 
 or a part, in which every winding is taken into the 
 account ; while the length of those in Asia has been 
 merely assumed from the general appearance in 
 maps, without due attention to the innumerable de- 
 viations. A favourable climate, and other circum- 
 stances, render the American rivers more naviga- 
 ble ; the Ob being impeded by ice, and the Kian 
 Ku by the alpine rocks of Tibet. ^ Pinkerton. 
 
 From the accounts of captains Clark and Lewis, 
 now on their return from a tour through the interi- 
 or parts of Louisiana, we are enabled to collect the 
 following interesting particulars. It appears that 
 
 * The Missisippi should properly be termed the Missouri, the last 
 being the most considerable river, and rising from sources in the 
 western chain, about 600 British miles more remote than the far- 
 thest source of the Missisippi, so that the comparative course of the 
 Missouri may be about 2000 British miles. Le Page du Pratz, in 
 his history of Louisiana, says, that the French word Missisippi is a 
 contraction of the savage term Meact Chassipi, which literally de- 
 notes the ancient father of rivers. Mr. Hutchins observes, that 
 the natives still call it Meschasipi. The precise import of the word 
 does not seem to be completely ascertained. It is believed, however, 
 that the word signifies the great river ; or, according to some, Fish 
 river. The terminating word, sippi, or sipi, has a very extensive 
 range in North America, and unquestionably means a river. When 
 the army of Soto visited Florida, in 1 539, they found different names, 
 applied to the river, in different places : but nothing like Missisippi 
 occurs in that celebrated expedition. Pxnkerton. 
 
58 
 
 fehey have discovered a more practicable route, than 
 that of Mackenzie, to the Pacific ocean. Their 
 route is by the way of the Missouri to the foot of 
 the rapids below the great falls of that river, a dis- 
 tance of 2575 miles, thence by land passing by the 
 Rocky mountains, to a navigable part of Kooskoos- 
 ke 340, and with the Kooskooske 73 miles, Lewis' 
 river 154 miles, and the Columbia 413 to the Pacific 
 ocean, making the total distance from the confluence 
 of the Missouri and Missisippi, to the discharge 
 of the Columbia into the Pacific ocean, 3555 miles. 
 The navigation of the Missouri may be deemed 
 good ; its difficulties arise from its falling banks, 
 timber imbedded in the mud of its channel, its 
 sand bars, and the steady rapidity of its current ; 
 all which may be overcome with a great degree of 
 certainty, by using the necessary precautions. The 
 passage by land of 340 miles, from the falls of the 
 Missouri to the Kooskooske, is the most formida- 
 ble part of the track proposed across the continent. 
 Of this distance, 200 miles is along a good road, 
 and 140 over tremendous mountains, which, for 60 
 miles, are covered with eternal snows. A passage, 
 however, is practicable, from the latter part of June 
 to the last of September ; and the cheap rate at 
 which horses are to be obtained from the Indians 
 of the Rocky mountains, and west of them, reduce 
 the expenses of transportation to a mere trifle. 
 The navigation of the Kooskooske, Lewis' river, 
 and the Columbia, is safe and good from the first 
 of April to the middle of August, by making three 
 portages on the latter river. The first of which, in 
 
59 
 
 descending, is 1200 paces, at the falls of Columbia, 
 26X) miles up that river ; the second, of 2 miles, at 
 the long narrows, 6 miles below the falls ; and a 
 third, also of 2 miles, at the great rapids, 65 mile* 
 lower down. The tide flows up the Columbia 183 
 miles, and within 7 miles of the great rapids. Large 
 sloops may with safety ascend as high as tide water, 
 and vessels of 300 tons burthen, reach the entrance 
 of the Multnomah river, a large southern branch of 
 the Columbia, which takes its rise on the confines 
 of New Mexico, with the Callorado and Apostles' 
 river, discharging itself into the Columbia, 125 
 miles from its entrance into the Pacific ocean. This, 
 track across the continent may be considered as of 
 immense advantage to the fur trade, as all the fur* 
 collected in nine tenths of the most valuable fur 
 country in America, may be conveyed to the mouth 
 of the Columbia, and shipped from thence to the 
 East Indies, by the first of August in each year ; 
 and will, of course, reach Canton earlier than those 
 which are annually exported from Montreal, arrive 
 in Great Britain. 
 
 The river St. Lawrence, after the Missisippi, 
 well deserves the precedence among the mighty 
 rivers of the new world. It derives its source from 
 lake Ontario. From this lake, to Montreal, it is 
 called Iroquois. From Montreal, it assumes the 
 name of St. Lawrence ; and continuing its course, 
 passes by Quebec, meets the tide near 500 miles 
 from the sea, and is so far navigable for large ves- 
 sels. After having received in its course, St. 
 John's, Seguina, Despraires, Ottawa, Trois Ki- 
 
66 
 
 Tieres, and innumerable other smaller streams, it 
 falls into the ocean at cape Rosieras, by a mouth 90 
 miles broad, in which is the island of Anticosti. 
 Beyond the town of Sorelle, 15 leagues from Mon- 
 treal, the St. Lawrence expands to a great breadth. 
 Here it abounds with small islands, situated so 
 closely to each other, that it is impossible to think 
 without astonishment, of large vessels, like those 
 which go to Montreal, passing between them ; the 
 channel through them is very intricate. This wide 
 part of the river is called Lac St. Pierre ; the great- 
 est breadth of it is about 4 leagues and a half, and 
 its length, from the islands at the head of the lake 
 downwards, about 8 leagues. From hence to Que- 
 bec, the river is not more than 2 miles across, and 
 in some parts, it narrows to the breadth of three 
 quarters of a mile. The tide ebbs and fiows in the 
 river within a few leagues of Lac St. Pierre ; the 
 expansion of the water at the lake, and the strong- 
 current which sets out from it, prevents its action 
 higher up. From Montreal, as far as the town of 
 Trois Rivieres, which stands 4 leagues below Lac 
 St. Pierre, the shores on each side of the St. Law- 
 rence are very flat ; the land then begins to rise, 
 and on the southeast side it continues lofty the 
 whole way down to Quebec. On the opposite side, 
 however, below Trois Rivieres, the banks vary con- 
 siderably ; in some places they are high, in others, 
 very low, until you approach within a few leagues 
 of Quebec, when they assume a bold and grand ap- 
 pearance on each side. The scenery along various 
 parts of the river is very fine j it is impossible, in- 
 
61 
 
 deed, but there must be a variety of pleasing view* 
 along a noble river like the St. Lawrence, winding 
 for hundreds of miles through a rich country, diver- 
 sified with rising grounds, woodlands, and cultiva- 
 ted plains. What particularly attracts the atten- 
 tion, however, in going down this river, is, the 
 beautiful disposition of the towns and villages on 
 its banks. Nearly all the settlements in Lower 
 Canada are situated close upon the borders of the 
 rivers, and from this circumstance, the scenery along 
 the St. Lawrence and others, differs materially from 
 that along the rivers in the United States. The 
 banks of the Hudson river, which are more culti- 
 vated than those of any of the other large rivers 
 here, are wild and desolate in comparison with those 
 of the Su Lawrence. For several leagues below 
 Montreal, the houses stand so closely together, 
 that it appears as if it were but one village, which 
 extended the whole way* All the houses have a 
 remarkably neat appearance at a distance, and in 
 each village, though it be ever so small, there is a 
 church. The churches are kept in the neatest or- 
 der, and most of them have spires, covered, accord- 
 ing to the custom of the country, with tin, that f 
 from being put on in a particular manner, never be- 
 comes rusty.* It is pleasing beyond description, 
 to behold one of those villages opening to the view, 
 as you sail round a point of land covered with trees, 
 the houses in it overhanging the river, and the spires 
 
 * The square plates of tin are nailed on diagonally, and the cor- 
 »er* are carefully folded over the heads of the nails, «o as to pr«- 
 vent any moisture from getting to them. 
 F 
 
62 
 
 of the churches sparkling through the groves, with 
 which they are encircled, before the rays of the set- 
 ting sun. There is scarcely any part of the river, 
 where you pass along for more than a league, with- 
 out seeing a village or church. Near Montreal, 
 there are two or three considerable mountains, the 
 largest of which stands at the distance of a mile 
 from the town. The view from hence, is grand 
 beyond description. A prodigious expanse of 
 country is laid open to the eye, with the noble river 
 of St. Lawrence winding through it, which may be 
 traced from the remotest part of the horizon. The 
 liver comes from the right, and flows smoothly on, 
 after passing down the tremendous rapids above 
 the town, where it is hurried over huge rocks, with 
 a noise that is heard even up the mountain. On 
 the left, below you, appears the town of Montreal, 
 with its churches, monasteries, and glittering spires, 
 and the shipping under its old walls ; several little 
 islands in the neighbourhood of the town, partly 
 improved, partly overgrown with wood, add greatly 
 to the beauty of the scene. La Prarie, with its 
 large church, on the distant side of the river, is seen 
 to the greatest advantage, and beyond it a range of 
 lofty mountains, which terminate the prospect. 
 Such an endless variety, and such a grandeur is 
 there in the view from this part of the mountain, 
 that even those who are most habituated to the 
 view, always find it a fresh subject of admiration. 
 Weld. 
 
 The Patowmac takes its rise on the northeast 
 sjde of the Alleghany mountains, and after running 
 
63 
 
 In a meandering direction for upwards of 400 miles,, 
 falls into tire Ches-apeak bay. At its confluence 
 with the bay, it is 7 miles and a half wide ; about 
 30 miles higher, at Nominy bay, 4 and a half ; at 
 Aquia, 3 ; at Hallowing point, 1 and a half, and at 
 Alexandria, and from thence to the Federal city, it 
 is 1 mile and a quarter wide. The depth of water 
 at its mouth, is 7 fathoms ; at St. George's island, 
 5 ; at Alexandria 4, and from thence to Washing- 
 ton, 7 miles distant, 3 fathoms. The navigation of 
 the Patowmac, from the Chesapeak bay to the city, 
 140 miles distant, is remarkably safe, and so plain, 
 that any navigator of common abilities, that has once 
 sailed up the river, might venture to take up a ves- 
 sel drawing 12 feet of water, without a pilot. This 
 could not be said of any other river on the conti- 
 nent, from the St. Lawrence to the Missisippi. In 
 its course it receives several large streams, the prin- 
 cipal of which falls in at the Federal city. This 
 river is called f.e eastern branch of the Patowmac ; 
 but it scarcely deserves that name, as it extends no 
 more than 30 miles up the country • At its mouth, 
 it is nearly as wide as the main branch of the river ; 
 and close to the city, the water is in many places 
 30 feet deep. Thousands of vessels might lie here, 
 and sheltered from all danger, arising either from 
 freshets, or frcm ice upon thi breaking up of a severe 
 winter. Thus it appears that the Federal city is 
 possessed of some essential qualifications for mak- 
 ing it a place of importance ; namely, a good har- 
 bour, from which there is a ready passage to the 
 ocean, and a fine situation for trading with the inte- 
 rior parts of the country. 
 
64 
 
 The waters in the Patowmac continue near the 
 same depth that it is opposite to the city,^ for one 
 mile higher, where a large rock rises up in the mid- 
 dle of the river, on each side of which there are 
 sand banks. It is said there is a deep channel be- 
 tween this rock and the shore, but it is so intricate 
 that it would be dangerous to attempt to take a large 
 
 * The city of Washington is laid out on the neck of land be- 
 tween the forks formed by the eastern and western or main branch 
 •f the Patowmac river. This neck of land, together with an adja- 
 cent territory, which, in the whole, is ten miles square, was ceded to 
 Congress by the states of Maryland and Virginia. The ground on 
 which the city immediately stands, was the property of private in- 
 dividuals, who readily relinquished their claim to one half of it in 
 favour of Congress, conscious that the value of what was left to them 
 would increase, and amply compensate them for their loss. The 
 profits arising from the sale of that part which had thus been ced- 
 led to Congress, will be sufficient, it is expected, to pay for the pub- 
 He buildings, for the watering of the city, and also for paving and 
 Hghting of the 6treets. The plan of the city was drawn by a French- 
 man of the name of L* Enfant, and is on a scale well suited to the 
 extent of the country, one thoufand, two hundred miles in length, 
 and one thousand in breadth, of which it is to be the metropolis ; 
 for the ground already marked out for it, is not less than 14 miles in 
 circumference. The streets run north, south, east, and west ; but 
 to prevent that sameness, necessarily ensuing from the streets all 
 crossing one another at right angles, a number of avenues are laid 
 out in different parts of the city, which run transversely, and in 
 several places, where these avenues intersect each other, are to be 
 hollow squares. The streets, which cross each other at right an- 
 gles, are from 90 to 100 feet wide, and the avenues 160 feet. One 
 of these is named after each state, and a hollow square also allottad 
 to each, as a suitable place for statues, columns, &c. which, at some 
 future period, the people of any one of these states may wish te 
 erect to the memory of great men that may appear in the country. 
 On a small eminence, due west of the capitol, is to be an equestrian 
 statue of our ever Jameated hero, Gensrai. Washington. 
 
65 
 
 vessel through it. The navigation, however, is safe 
 to the little falls for river craft, 5 miles further on ;. 
 here a canal, which extends 2 miles and a half, the 
 length of these falls or rapids, has been cut and per- 
 fected, which opens a free passage for boats, as 'far 
 as the great falls, which are 7 miles from the oth- 
 ers. The descent of the river at these, is 76 feet in 
 a mile and a quarter ; but it is intended to make a- 
 nother canal here also ; a part of it is already cut, 
 and every exertion is making to have the whole 
 completed with expedition. From hence to fort 
 Cumberland, 191 miles above the Federal city, 
 there is a free navigation, and boats are continually 
 passing up and down- Beyond this,, the passage in 
 the river is obstructed in numerous places ; but 
 there is a possibility of opening it ; and as soon as 
 the company, formed for the purpose, have suffi- 
 cient funds, it will certainly be done. Weld. 
 
 Hudson river may be classed, among our prin- 
 cipal rivers, -its length being near 250 miles, and 
 passing its whole course in the state of New York. 
 It rises in a mountainous country, between the lakes 
 Champlain and Ontario- In its course southeast- 
 erly, it approaches within 8 miles of lake George ; 
 then, after a short course, it turns southerly, and 
 receives the Socondaga from the southwest, which, 
 heads in the neighbourhood of Mohawk river. The 
 course of the river thence to New York is uniform- 
 ly south, 12 or 15° west. From Albany to lake 
 George is 65 miles. This distance, the rrver is 
 navigable only for batteaux, and has two portages 
 of half a mile each. The views on each side, be- 
 f2 
 
66 
 
 frween New York and Albany, are delightful. The 
 following are the remarks of a late traveller, (Weld) 
 on ascending the river between these places. 
 
 " Scarcely a breath of air was stirring at the time 
 of our departure, but the tide carried us up at the 
 rate of two miles an hour. The sky remained all 
 clay as serene as possible, and as the water was per- 
 fectly smooth, it reflected, in a beautiful manner, the 
 images of the various objects on the shore, and of 
 the numerous vessels dispersed along the river at 
 different distances, and which seemed to glide along, 
 as it were by the power of magic, for the sails hung 
 loose and motionless. The sun, setting in all his 
 glory, added fresh beauties to this calm and peaceful 
 scene, and permitted us for the last time to behold 
 the distant spires of New York, illumined by his 
 parting rays. To describe all the grand and beauti- 
 ful prospects presented to the view on passing along 
 this noble river, would be an endless task ; all the 
 various effects that can be supposed to arise from a 
 combination of wood and water, of hill and dale, are 
 here seen in the greatest perfection. In some plac- 
 es, the river expands to the breadth of 5 or 6 miles, 
 in others, it narrows to that of a few hundred yards, 
 and in various parts it is interspersed with islands ; 
 m some places again, its course can be traced as far 
 as the eye can reach ; whilst in others, it is suddenly 
 lost to the view, as it winds between its lofty banks ; 
 here, "mountains covered with rocks and trees, rise 
 almost perpendicularly out of the water ; there, a 
 fine champaign country presents itself, cultivated to 
 the very margin of the river, whilst neat, fine farm 
 
67 
 
 houses and distant towns embellish the charming 
 landscapes." The banks of Hudson river, espe- 
 cially on the western side, as far as the highlands 
 extend, are chiefly rocky cliffs. The passage 
 through the highlands, which is 16 or 18 miles, af- 
 fords a wild, romantic scene. In this narrow pass, 
 on each side of which the mountains tower to a 
 great height, the wind, if there be any, is collected 
 and compressed, and blows continually, as through 
 a bellows ; vessels, in passing through it, are often 
 obliged to lower their sails. The tide flows a few 
 miles above Albany, which is about 160 miles from 
 New York. Ship navigation to Albany is inter- 
 rupted by a number of islands and shoals, 6 or 8 
 miles below the city, called the overslaugh. It has 
 been in contemplation to confine the river to one 
 channel, by which means it will be deepened, and 
 the difficulty of approaching Albany with vessels of 
 a larger size, avoided. Dr. Morse. 
 
 The Ohio is one of the most beautiful rivers on 
 earth. Its current gentle, waters clear, and bosom 
 smooth and unbroken by rocks and rapids^ a single in- 
 stance only excepted. It is a quarter of a mile wide 
 at fort Pitt ; 500 yards at the mouth of the Great 
 Kanhaway ; one mile and 25 poles at Louisville ; a 
 quarter of a mile on the rapids, 3 or 4 miles below 
 Louisville ; half a mile where the low country be* 
 gins, 20 miles above Green river ; 1 mile and a quar- 
 ter at the receipt of the Tennessee ; and a mile wide 
 at the mouth. Its length is as follows : from fort Pitt 
 to Log's town, 18£ miles-; Big Beaver creek, 10J ; 
 Little Beaver creek, 13£ ; Yellow creek. 11 i; Two 
 
68 
 
 creeks, 21 \ ; Long Reach, 53% ; end Long Reach, 
 16^; Muskingum, 25-j- ; Little Kanhaway, 12^-; 
 Hockhocking, 16 ; Great Kanhaway, 82i; Guian- 
 dot, 43J; Sandy creek, 14^; Sioto, 4S\ ; Little 
 Miami, 126| ; Licking creek, 8 ; Great Miami, 
 26J ; Big Bones, 32£ ; Kentucky, 44^ ; Rapids, 
 77 \-; Low country, 155^; Buffaloe river, 64i ; 
 Wabash, 97$ ; Big Cave, 42f ; Shawanee river, 
 52i; Cherokee, 13 ; Massac, 11 ; Missisippi, 46 ; 
 whole distance, 1188. In common winter and 
 spring tides, it affords 15 feet water to Louisville, 
 10 feet to Le Tarte's rapids, 40 miles above the 
 mouth of the Great Kanhaway, and a sufficiency at 
 all times for light batteaux and canoes to fort Pitt.. 
 The rapids are in latitude 38 • 8'. The inundations 
 begin about the last of March, and subside in July. 
 The rapids at Louisville descend about 30 feet in a 
 length of a mile and a half* The bed of the river 
 there is a solid rock, and is divided by an island in- 
 to two branches, the southern of which is about 200 
 yards wide, and is dry four months in the year. 
 The bed of the northern branch is worn into chan- 
 nels by the constant course of the water, and attri- 
 tion of the pebble stones carried on with that, so as 
 to be passable for batteaux, through the greater part 
 of the year* Yet it is thought that the southern 
 arm may be the most easily opened for constant 
 navigation. The rise of the waters in these rapids 
 does not exceed 10 or 12 feet. A part of this island 
 is so high as to have been never overflowed, and to 
 command the settlement at Louisville, which is op- 
 posite to it. .The fort, however, is situated at the 
 head of the falls. Jefferson. 
 
69 
 
 The Connecticut is also a beautiful river. The 
 ©riginal Indian name, which it still bears, signifies 
 the long river. * This river has its source in a ridge 
 of mountains which extend northeasterly to the 
 Gulf of St. Lawrence. The head of its northwest- 
 ern branch, is about 25 miles beyond the latitude of 
 45* ; and so far it has been surveyed. When it 
 first enters Vermont it is about 10 rods wide ; and 
 in the course of 60 miles increases in its width to 24 
 rods. Its course, between Vermont and New 
 Hampshire, a distance of 200 miles, is southwest- 
 erly ; from thence to its mouth, the course is more 
 southerly. After running about 400 miles through 
 the country, and receiving a great number of other 
 streams and rivers, it discharges itself into the 
 ocean at Seabrook. In the months of April or 
 May, it overflows its banks ; and for a length of 
 300 miles, forms and fertilizes a vast tract of rich 
 meadow. Vessels of 80 or 100 tons, go up this 
 river as far as Hartford in Connecticut, 50 miles 
 from its mouth. It is navigable for boats 300 miles 
 further, except the falls, which the states of Ver- 
 mont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, are now 
 making navigable by locks. While it increases the 
 richness, and serves to transport the produce by its 
 
 * The names which the original inhabitants assigned to our moun- 
 tains, plains, and vallies, are mostly lost. Many of our rivers, bays, 
 and falls of water, are yet known by their ancient Indian names ; 
 on account of their originality, antiquity, signification, singularity, 
 and sound, these names ought to be carefully preserved. In every 
 respect they are far preferable to the unmeaning application and 
 constant repetition of an improper English name. 
 
70 
 
 perpetual majestic movement through an immense 
 tract of country, it is always adding beauty and 
 grandeur to the prospect. Williams 7 Hist. Ver. 
 
 Alatamaha is a noble river, which has its source 
 in the Cherokee mountains, near the head of Tugilo, 
 the great west branch of Savanna, and before it 
 leaves the mountains, is joined and augmented by 
 innumerable rivulets ; thence it descends through 
 the hilly country, with all its collateral branches, and 
 winds rapidly among the hills 250 miles, and then 
 enters the flat plain country, by the name of the " 
 Oakmulge : thence meandering 150 miles, it is 
 joined on the east side by the Ocone, which likewise 
 heads in the lower ridges of the mountains. After 
 this confluence, having now gained a vast acquisi- 
 tion of waters, it assumes the name of Alatamaha, 
 when it becomes a majestic river, flowing with gen- 
 tle windings through a vast forest, near 100 miles, 
 and enters the Atlantic by several mouths. The 
 north channel glides by the heights of Darien, on 
 the east bank, about 10 miles above the bar ; and 
 running from thence with several turnings, enters 
 the ocean between Sapello and Wolf islands. The 
 south channel, which is esteemed the largest, after 
 it separates from the north, descends gently, wind- 
 ing by M'lntosh's and Broughton's islands ; and last- 
 ly, by the west course of St. Simon's island, enters 
 the ocean through St. Simon's sound, between the 
 south end of the island of that name, and the north 
 end of Jekyl island. 
 
 " How gently flow thy peaceful floods, O Alata- 
 maha !" exclaims the enthusiastic Bartram : " How 
 
sublimely rise to view, on thy elevated shores^ yon 
 magnolian groves, from whose tops the surrounding 
 expanse is perfumed, by clouds of incense, blended 
 with the exhaling balm of the liquid amber, and 
 odours continually arising from circumambient aro- 
 matic groves of illicium, myrica, laurus, and bigno- 
 nia. When exhausted with working my canoe," 
 says the same traveller, " against the impetuous 
 current, (which becomes stronger by reason of the 
 mighty floods of the river) with collected force, 
 pressing through the first hilly ascents, where the 
 shores on each side the river present to view rocky 
 cliffs, rising above the surface of the water, in nearly 
 flat horizontal masses, (washed smooth by the de- 
 scending floods, and which appear to be a composi- 
 tion of sandy limestone) I resigned my b.ark to the 
 friendly current, reserving to myself the control of 
 the helm. My progress was rendered delightful 
 by the sylvan elegance of the groves, cheerful mea- 
 dows, and high distant forests, which in grand order 
 presented themselves to view. The winding banks 
 of the river, and the high projecting promontories, 
 unfolded fresh scenes of grandeur and sublimity. 
 The forests and distant hills reechoed the cheering 
 social lowings of domestic herds. The air was fill- 
 ed with the loud and shrill hoopings of the wary ' 
 sharpsighted crane. Behold, on yon decayed, de- 
 foliated cypress tree, the solitary woodpelican, de- 
 jectedly perched upon its utmost elevated spire ; he 
 there, like an ancient venerable sage, sets himself 
 up as a mark of derision for the safety of his kin- 
 dred tribes. The crying bird, • another faithful 
 
?2 
 
 guardian, screaming in the gloomy thickets, warns 
 the feathered tribes of approaching peril ; and the 
 plumage of the swift sailing squadrons of Spanish 
 curlew, white as the robe of innocence, gleam in the 
 cerulean skies. Thus tranquil and secure, and 
 meditating on the marvellous scenes of primitive 
 nature, as yet unmodified by the hand of man, I 
 gently descended the peaceful stream, on whose 
 polished surface were depicted the mutable shadows 
 from its pensile banks ; whilst myriads of finny in- 
 habitants sported in its pellucid floods." 
 
 We shall give some account of the Unjigah, or 
 Peace river, as described by Mackenzie, in his voy- 
 age, in 1793, to discover a route to the Pacific 
 ocean. The most southernmost source of this 
 river is in a lake, about two miles in length, and from 
 300 to 500 yards wide, latitude 54° 24' north ; lon- 
 gitude 221° west of Greenwich. This mighty- 
 stream, after a winding course through a vast extent 
 of country, receiving many large rivers in its prog- 
 ress, and passing through the Slave lake, empties 
 itself into the Frozen ocean, in 70° north latitude, 
 and about 135 degrees, west longitude. About 50 
 miles this side of what is called the old establish- 
 ment, is the fall. The river at this place is about 
 400 yards broad, and the fall about 20 feet high. 
 Here are two carrying places ; the first is 800 paces 
 in length, and the last, in about a mile onwards, is 
 something more than two thirds of that distance. 
 The country, in general, is low, from the entrance 
 of the river to the falls ; and with the exception of a 
 few open parts covered with grass, it\ is clothed 
 
with wood. Where the banks are very low, the 
 soil is good, being composed of the sediment of the 
 river, and petrified leaves and vegetables. Where 
 they are more elevated, they display a face of yel- 
 lowish clay, mixed with small stones. On a line 
 with. the falls, and on either side of the river, there 
 are said to be very extensive plains, which afford 
 pasture to numerous herds of buffaloes. The banks 
 of the river, from the falls, are in general lofty, ex- 
 cept at low woody points, accidentally formed in 
 the manner already mentioned : they also display, 
 in all their parts, a face of clay, intermixed with 
 stone. In some places, there likewise appears a 
 black mould. On proceeding onward, in latitude 
 55° 58 x 48 xv , the west side of the river displays a 
 succession of the most beautiful scenery that can be 
 conceived. The ground rises at intervals to a con- 
 siderable height, and stretches inwards to a consid- 
 erable distance. At every interval or pause in the 
 rise, there is a very gently ascending space or lawn, 
 which is alternate with abrupt precipices to the sum- 
 mit of the whole, or, at least, as far as the eye can 
 distinguish : this magnificent theatre of nature has 
 all the decorations, which the trees and animals can 
 afford it : groves of poplars, in every shape, vary the 
 scene, and their intervals are enlivened with vast 
 herds of elks and buffaloes ; the former choosing 
 the steeps and uplands, and the latter preferring the 
 plains. At the time of Mackenzie's arrival, the 
 buffaloes were attended with their young ones, who 
 were frisking about them ; and it appeared that the 
 elks would soon exhibit the same enlivening cir- 
 
74 
 
 cumstance. The whole country displayed a delight- 
 ful appearance ; fruits on the exuberant trees were 
 advancing fast to a state of maturity, and the velvet 
 rind of their branches, reflecting the oblique rays of 
 a rising or setting sun, added a splendid gaiety to 
 the scene, which no expressions are qualified to 
 describe. 
 
 In 56 degrees of north latitude, the appearance 
 of the country becomes more sublime. The river 
 in this place is not more than 50 yards wide, and 
 flows between stupendous rocks, from whence huge 
 fragments sometimes tumble down, and falling 
 from such a height, dash into small stones, with 
 sharp points, and form the beach between the rocky 
 projections. Along the face of some of these pre- 
 cipices, there appears a stratum of a bituminous 
 substance, which resembles coal ; some of the 
 pieces of it appear to be excellent fuel, others re- 
 sist, for a considerable time, the action of fire, and 
 do not emit the least flame. The most difficult 
 and dangerous carrying place, both on account of 
 the rapidity of the current, and danger of the pas- 
 sage, is in lat. 56° 0' 8" and long. 120° 29' 30" west 
 from Greenwich. Here their toil (Mackenzie and 
 his party) was almost incredible, being obliged to 
 cut down wood and make themselves a passage 
 through morasses and over mountains almost im- 
 passible for seven miles, and to carry their ladened 
 canoe for that distance on their backs. After all, 
 they observe, that the Indian carrying way, though 
 allowed to be 10 mile s, will be found more safe and 
 expeditious, than the passage which their toil and 
 
75 
 
 perseverance formed and surmounted. Immedi- 
 ately above this carrying way, it is thus described : 
 u About 200 yards below us, the stream rushed, 
 with an astonishing but silent velocity, between 
 perpendicular rocks, which are not more than 35 
 yards asunder ; when the water is high, it runs 
 over these rocks, in a channel three times that 
 breadth, where it is bounded by far more elevated 
 precipices. In the former are deep round holes, 
 some of which are full of water, while others are 
 empty, in whose bosom are small round stones, as 
 smooth as marbles. Some of these natural cylinders 
 would contain 200 gallons. At a small distance 
 below the first of these rocks, the channel widens 
 in a kind of zigzag progression ; and it was real- 
 ly awful to behold with what infinite force the 
 water drives against the rocks on one side, and 
 with what impetuous strength it . is repelled to the 
 other ; it then falls back, as it were, into a more 
 strait but rugged passage, over which it is tossed 
 in high, foaming, half formed billows, as far as the 
 eye could follow it." 
 
 LAKES. 
 
 LAKE Superior, formerly termed the upper 
 lake, from its northern situation, is so called on ac- 
 count of its being superior in magnitude to any of 
 the lakes on this vast continent. It might justly 
 
76 
 
 be termed the Caspian of America, and is suppos- 
 ed to be the largest body of fresh water on the globe* 
 Its circumference, according to the French charts, 
 is about 1500 miles. According to Mackenzie, 
 its greatest breadth is 120 miles, and its circumfer- 
 ence, including the bays, but 1200. The water in 
 general appears to lie on a bed of rocks : when it 
 is calm and the sun shines bright, a person may sit 
 in a canoe T where the depth is upwards of six fath- 
 oms, and plainly see huge piles of stone at the bot- 
 tom, of different shapes, some of which appear as if 
 they were hewn. The water at the same time ap- 
 pears as pure and as transparent as air ; and the 
 canoe seems as if hung suspended in that element. 
 It is impossible to look attentively through this 
 limpid medium at the rocks below, without finding, 
 before many minutes are elapsed, your head swim 
 and your eyes no longer able to behold the dazzling 
 scene. Another extraordinary property in the 
 waters of this lake, is, that although the water at the 
 surface, is much warmed by the heat of the sun, yet 
 when drawn up from about a fathom depth, it is 
 very cold. It is situated between 46 and 50 N. lat. 
 and between 9 and 18 W. long, from the meridian of 
 Philadelphia. There are many islands in this lake, 
 two of which are very large, and if the land of 
 them is proper for cultivation, there appears to be 
 sufficient to form on each a considerable province, 
 especially on Isle Royal, which cannot be less than 
 an hundred miles long, and in many places 40 
 broad. But it is difficult to ascertain the exact 
 length or breadth of either. Even the French, who 
 
77 
 
 always kept a small schooner on this lake, whilst 
 they were in possession of Canada, by which they 
 could have made this discover}', have only acquired 
 a slight knowledge of the external parts of these 
 islands. u From what I could learn," says Car- 
 ver, " from the discourse of the neighbouring In- 
 dians, they suppose them from their first formation, 
 to have been the residence of the Great Spirit ; and 
 relate many ridiculous stories, inchantments, and 
 magical tricks that have been experienced by such 
 as were obliged through stress of weather to shelter 
 on them. One of the Chipeway chiefs told me 
 that some of their people being once driven on the 
 island of Maurepas, which lies towards the north- 
 east part of the lake, found on it a large quantity of 
 a heavy, shining, yellow sand, that from their de- 
 scription must have been gold dust. Being struck 
 with the beautiful appearance of it, in the morning, 
 when they reentered their canoe, they attempted to 
 bring some away ; but a spirit of an amazing size, 
 according to their account, 60 feet in height, strode 
 into the water after them, and commanded them to 
 deliver back what they had taken away. Terrified 
 at his gigantic stature, they were glad to restore their 
 shining treasure ; on which they were suffered to 
 depart without further molestation. Since this 
 incident, no Indian that has ever heard of it, will 
 venture near the same haunted coast. Beside 
 this, they recounted to me many other stories of 
 these islands, equally fabulous." A few Indians 
 inhabit round the eastern borders of this lake, sup- 
 posed to be the remains of the Algonquins, who 
 G 2 
 
78 
 
 formerly possessed this country, but who have 
 been nearfy extirpated by the Iroquois of Canada. 
 Lake Superior has nearly 40 rivers that fall into it, 
 some of which are of considerable size. On the 
 south side of it is a remarkable point or cape, of about 
 60 miles in length, called point Chegomegan. It 
 might as properly be termed a peninsula, as it is 
 nearly separated from the continent, on the east 
 side, by a narrow bay, that extends from east to 
 west. Canoes have but a short portage across the 
 isthmus, whereas if they coast it round, it is more 
 than a hundred miles. Two large rivers empty 
 themselves into this lake, on the north and north- 
 east side ; one is called the Nipegon river, or as 
 the French pronounce it, Allanipegon, which leads 
 to a band of Chipeways, inhabiting a lake of the 
 same name ; and the other is termed the Michipi- 
 cooton river, the source of which is situated to- 
 wards James"' bay, from whence there is but a short 
 carriage to another river, which empties itself into 
 that bay, at a fort belonging to the company. The 
 country on the north and east parts of this lake is 
 very mountainous and barren. The lake abounds 
 with a great variety of fish. There are trouts 
 weighing from five to fifty pounds, pickerel, red 
 and w r hite carp, black bass, herrings, and white 
 fish. These last weigh from four to sixteen pounds. 
 This lake is as much affected by storms as the At- 
 lantic ocean ; the waves run as high, and are equal- 
 ly dangerous to ships. It discharges its waters 
 from the southeast corner, through the straits of 
 St. Marie. Lake Superior, as before observed. 
 
79 
 
 though supplied by near 40 rivers, many of which 
 are large, yet it does not appear that one tenth part 
 of the waters which it receives, is discharged by 
 the abovementioned strait. Great part of the wa- 
 ters evaporate, and Providence doubtless makes 
 use of this inland sea, to furnish the interior parts 
 of the country with that supply of vapours, without 
 which, like the interior parts of Africa, they must 
 have been a mere desert. The lake is often cover- 
 ed with fog, which when the wind is easterly falls 
 on the western shore in torrents of rain. Di\ Morse. 
 
 Lake Huron, the entrance into which from lake 
 Superior, is by the straits of St. Marie, is next in 
 size to this lake. It lies between 43° 30\ and 46* 
 3C X of north latitude, and between 6° and 8° west 
 longitude from Philadelphia. Its shape is nearly 
 triangular, and its circumference about 1000 miles. 
 On the north side of it is an island, remarkable for 
 being near 100 miles in length, and no more than 
 eight miles broad. Its name is Manataulin, which 
 signifies a place of spirits, and is considered by the 
 natives as sacred. 
 
 About the middle of the southwest side of the 
 lake, is Saganaum bay ; is bout 80 miles in length, 
 and in general, about 18 or 20 miles broad. The 
 capes, that separate this bay from the lake, are 18 
 miles distant from each other ; near the middle of 
 the intermediate space, stand two islands, which 
 greatly tend to facilitate the passage of canoes and 
 small vessels, by affording them shelter, as without 
 this security, it would not be prudent to venture 
 
80 
 
 across so wide a sea ; and the coasting round the 
 bay, would make the voyage tedious. 
 
 Halfway between Saganaum bay and the north- 
 west corner of the lake, lies another, called Thunder 
 bay. The Indians, and travellers, who have visited 
 those parts, from time immemorial, have unani- 
 mously agreed to call it by this name, on account 
 of the continual thunder they have always observed 
 here. There seems to be no visible reason for this 
 appellation ; the country, in general, not being sub- 
 ject to thunder, nor the hills around of a remarka- 
 ble height, neither does the external parts of them 
 seem to be covered with any sulphureous substance. 
 But as this phenomenon must originate from some 
 natural cause, it is conjectured that the shores of 
 the bay, or the adjacent mountains, are either im- 
 pregnated with an uncommon quantity of sulphure- 
 ous matter, or contain some metal or mineral apt to 
 attract, in a great degree, the electrical particles r 
 that are hourly borne over them by the passing 
 clouds. 
 
 The fish in this lake are much the same as those 
 in lake Superior; Some of the land on its banks 
 is very fertile, and proper for cultivation ; but in 
 other parts it is sandy and barren* The promon- 
 tory that separates this lake from lake Michigan, is 
 composed of a vast plain, upwards of 100 miles 
 long, but varying in its breadth, being from 10 to. 
 15 miles broad. This tract is divided almost equal- 
 ly between the Chipeways and Ottawaws. At the 
 northeast corner, this lake has a communication 
 with lake Michigan, by the straits of Michillimak- 
 
81 
 
 kinak. This strait is six miles broad, and the fort 
 of its name stands on an island at the mouth of the 
 strait. Carver. 
 
 Lake Michigan is divided on the northeast from 
 lake Huron, by the straits of Michillimakkinak ; 
 and is situated between latitude 42° 10', and 46° 30' 
 north ; and between'1 1° and 13° west longitude from 
 Philadelphia. Its greatest length is 280 miles, its 
 breadth about 40, and its circumference 945 miles, 
 and contains, by computation, 10,368,000 acres. 
 There is a remarkable string of small islands begin- 
 ning over against Askin's farm, and running about 
 30 miles southwest into the lake. These are called 
 the Beaver islands. Their situation is pleasant, but 
 the soil is barren. 
 
 On the northwest parts of this lake, the waters 
 branch out into two bays ; that on the northward is 
 called Noquet's bay ; the other to the southward, 
 Puan's, or Green bay ; which last, with the lake, 
 forms a long peninsula, called cape Townsend, or 
 Vermillion point. Fort la Bay, an ancient fortifica- 
 tion, built by the French for the protection of their 
 trade, is situated on the southern extremity of Green 
 bay. This bay is about 90 miles long, but differs 
 much in its breadth, being in some places only 15 
 miles, in others from 20 to 30. It lies nearly from 
 northeast to southwest. At the entrance of it from 
 the lake are a string of islands, extending north and 
 south, called the Grand Traverse. These are about 
 30 miles in length, and serve to facilitate the pass- 
 age of canoes, as they shelter them from the winds, 
 which sometimes come with violence across the 
 
82 
 
 lake. These islands are mostly small and rocky. 
 Many of the rocks are of an amazing size, and ap- 
 pear as if fashioned by the hands of artists. On 
 the largest and best of these islands stands a town 
 of the Ottawaws. 
 
 The country adjacent, either to the east or west 
 side of the lake, is composed of but an indifferent 
 soil, except where small brooks or rivers empty 
 themselves into it : on the banks of these it is ex- 
 tremely fertile. Near the borders of the lake grow 
 a great number of sand cherries, which are not less 
 remarkable for the manner of their growth, than for 
 their flavour. They grow upon a small shrub, not 
 more than four feet high, the boughs of which are 
 so loaded, that they lie in clusters on the sandr As 
 they grow only on the sand, the warmth of which 
 probably contributes to bring them to such perfec- 
 tion ; they are called by the French cherries de sable. 
 There also grow, round the lake,- gooseberries, black 
 currants, and an abundance of juniper. The waters 
 of this, as well as the other great lakes, are clear and 
 wholesome, and of sufficient depth for the naviga- 
 tion of small ships. In this lake are several kinds 
 of fish ; particularly trout, of an excellent quality, 
 weighing from 20 to 60 pounds ; and some have 
 been taken in the strait which weighed 90 pounds. 
 Lake Michigan receives many small rivers from 
 the north and east, some 150, and even 200 yards 
 broad, at their mouths. Carver. 
 
 Lake Ontario is the most easterly of the four 
 large lakes, through which the boundary line passes 
 that separates the United States from the province 
 
83 
 
 of Upper Canada. It is situated between 45° and 
 45°, north latitude, and between 1° and 5°, west 
 longitude. Its length is 220 miles from east to 
 west, and 70 miles wide in the broadest part, and 
 according to calculation, contains 2,390,000 acres. 
 This lake is less subject to storms, than any of the 
 others, and its waters, in general, considering their 
 great expanse, are wonderfully tranquil. The depth 
 of water in the lake is very great ; in some places it 
 is unfathomable. On looking over the side of a 
 vessel, the water owing to its great depth, appears 
 to be of a blackish'colour ; but it is nevertheless ve- 
 ry clear ; any white substance thrown overboard, 
 may be discerned at the depth of several fathoms 
 from the surface ; it is, however, by no means, so 
 clear and transparent as the waters of some of the 
 other lakes. The water is well tasted, and is that 
 which is constantly used on board the vessels that 
 traverse it. It receives the waters of Genessee river, 
 on the southern side, and those of Onondago, at 
 fort Oswego, on the southeast side. It has a com- 
 munication with lake Erie by the river Niagara, 
 which falls into it on the southern shore, about 30 
 miles to the eastward of the western extremity of 
 this lake. It is near 300 yards wide at its mouthy 
 and is the largest body of water flowing into lake 
 Ontario. On the northeast it discharges its waters 
 into Cateraqui river, which, after passing Montreal, 
 assumes the name of St. Lawrence, till it flows in the 
 Atlantic. This lake, and all the rivers which fail 
 into it, abound with excellent salmon, and many dif- 
 ferent kinds of sea fish, which come up the river 
 
84 
 
 St* LaWrence ; it also abounds with such a great 
 variety of fresh water fish, that it is supposed there 
 are many kinds, which have never yet been named. 
 It is confidently asserted, not only by the Indians, 
 but also by great numbers of the white people, who 
 live on the shores of lake Ontario, that the waters of 
 this lake rise and fall alternately, every seven years ; 
 others, on the contrary, deny that such a fluctuation 
 does take place ; and, indeed, it differs so material- 
 ly from any that has been observed in large bodies 
 of water in other parts of the globe, that we are 
 tempted to believe it is merely an imaginary change ; 
 nevertheless, when it is considered, that according 
 to the belief of the oldest inhabitants of the countrv. 
 such a periodical ebbing and flowing of the waters 
 of the lake takes place, and that it has never been 
 clearly proved to the contrary, we are bound to sus- 
 pend our opinion on the subject. What Carver 
 relates, rather tends to confirm the opinion that the 
 waters of the lake do rise. " I had like," he says, 
 " to have omitted a very extraordinary circumstance 
 relative to the straits ; [the straits of Michillimak- 
 kinak, between lakes Michigan and Huron.] Ac- 
 cording to observations made by the French, whilst 
 they were in possession of the fort there, although 
 there is no diurnal flood or ebb to be perceived in 
 these waters, yet from an exact attention to their 
 state, a periodical alteration in them has been dis- 
 covered. It was observed, that they arose by grad- 
 ual, but almost imperceptible degrees, till they had 
 reached the height of three feet ; this was accom- 
 plished in seven years and a half ; and in the same 
 
85 
 
 space of time, they as gently decreased, till they had 
 reached their former situation ; so that in fifteen 
 years, they had completed this inexplicable revolu- 
 tion. At the time I was there (about 40 years ago) 
 the truth of these observations could not be con- 
 firmed by the English, as they had then been only 
 a few years in possession of the fort ; but they all 
 agreed that some alteration in the limits of the 
 straits was apparent." It is to be lamented, that 
 succeeding years have not thrown more light on the 
 subject ; for since the fort has been in possession of 
 the English, persons competent to determine the 
 truth of observations of such a nature, have never 
 staid a sufficient length of time there, to have had it 
 in their power to do so. A long series of minute 
 observations are necessary to determine positively, 
 whether the waters of the lake do or do not rise and 
 fall periodically. It is well known, for instance, 
 that in wet seasons, the waters rise much above 
 their ordinary level, and that, in very dry seasons, 
 they sink considerably below it ; a close attention, 
 therefore, ought to be paid to the quantity of rain 
 that falls, and to evaporation ; and it ought to be 
 ascertained, in what degree the height of the lake is 
 altered thereby ; otherwise, if the lake happened to 
 be higher or lower than usual on the seventh year, 
 it would be impossible to say, with accuracy, wheth- 
 er it were owing to the state of the weather, or to 
 certain laws of nature, that we are yet unacquaint- 
 ed with. At the same time, great attention ought 
 to be paid to the state of the winds ; as well in re- 
 cpect to their direction, as to their velocity, for the 
 
86 
 ^^ t 
 
 height of the waters, of all the lakes is materially af- 
 fected thereby. At a future day, when the country 
 becomes more populous and more wealthy, persons 
 will no doubt be found, who will have leisure for 
 making the observations, necessary for determining 
 whether the lakes do or do not undergo a periodi- 
 cal change ; but, at present, the inhabitants on the 
 borders of them, are too much engaged in commer- 
 cial and agricultural pursuits, to attend to matters of 
 mere speculation, which, however they might amuse 
 the philosopher, could be productive of no solid ad- 
 vantages to the generality of the inhabitants of the 
 country. 
 
 It is believed by many persons, that the waters of 
 lake Ontario not only rise and fall every seventh 
 year, but that they are likewise influenced by a tide, 
 which ebbs and flows frequently in the course of 24 
 hours. Gentlemen of the country assert that a reg- 
 ular tide was observable at the bay of Canti ; that 
 in order to satisfy themselves on the subject, they 
 had stood for several hours together, on more than 
 one occasion, at a mill, at the head of the bay, and 
 that they had observed the waters to ebb and flow 
 every four hours, to the height of 14 inches. There 
 can be no doubt, however, but that the frequent ebb- 
 ing and flowing of the water at this place, must be 
 caused by the wind ; for no such regular fluctuation 
 is observable at Niagara, at Kingston, or on the op- 
 en shores of the lake ; and, owing to the formation 
 of the bay of Canti, the height of the water must 
 necessarily vary there with every slight change of 
 the wind.* The bay of Canti is a long, crooked ia- 
 
87 
 
 let, that grows narrower at the upper end, like -a 
 funnel ; not only, therefore, a change of wind up or 
 down the bay would make a difference in the height 
 of the water at the uppermost extremity of it, but, 
 owing to the waters being concentrated there at one 
 point, they would be seen to rise or fall, if impelled 
 even in the same direction, whether up or down the 
 hay, more or less forcibly at one time of the day 
 than at another. Now it is very seldom that the 
 wind, at any part of the day or night, would be 
 found to blow precisely with the same force, for a 
 given space of two hours, that it had blown for the 
 preceding space of two hours ; an appearance like a 
 tide must therefore be seen almost constantly at the 
 head of this bay, whenever there was a breeze. 
 No elevation has ever been observed here during a 
 perfect calm. Weld. 
 
 Lake Erie is of an eliptical form, and situated be- 
 tween latitude 42° 10' and 46' 3G' north, and be- 
 tween 1 1° and l.S° west longitude. Its length about 
 500 miles, and its breadth, at the widest part, about 
 90. The depth of water in this lake, is not more 
 than 20 fathoms, and in calm weather, vessels may 
 securely ride at anchor in any part of it ; but when 
 stormy, the anchorage in an open part of the lake is 
 not safe, the sands at bottom not being firm, and the 
 anchors apt, therefore, to loose their hold. When- 
 ever there is a gale of wind, the waters immediately 
 become turbid, owing to the quantity of yellow 
 sand that is washed up from the bottom of the lake ; 
 m calm weather the water is clear, and of a deep 
 greenish colour. Th£ northern shore of the lake 
 
88 
 
 is very rocky, as likewise are the shores of the isl- 
 ands, of which there are several clusters toward the 
 western extremity of the lake ; but along most 
 parts of the southern shore is a fine gravelly beach. 
 The height of the land bordering on the lake is very 
 unequal ; in some places, long ranges of steep 
 mountains rise from the very edge of the water ; in 
 others, the shores are so flat and low, that when the 
 lake is raised a little above its usual level, in conse- 
 quence of a strong gale of wind setting in toward 
 the shore, the country is deluged for miles. A bat- 
 teau is far preferable to a keel boat in coursing the 
 lake. In navigating the lake in a batteau, it is 
 customary to keep as close as possible to the land ; 
 and whenever there is any danger of a storm, you 
 Tun the vessel on shore, which may be done with 
 safety, as the bottom is perfectly flat. There is a 
 great deficiency of good harbours along the shores 
 of this lake. On its northern side there are but two 
 places which afford shelter to vessels drawing more 
 than seven feet water, viz. Long point, and point 
 Abineau ; and these only afford a partial shelter. 
 If the wind should shift to the southward while ves- 
 sels happen to be lying under them, they are thereby 
 exposed to all the dangers of a rocky lee shore. On 
 the southern shore, the first harbour you come to in 
 going from fort Erie, standing at the eastern ex- 
 tremity of lake Erie, is that of Presqu' isle. Vessels 
 drawing eight feet water may there ride in perfect 
 safety ; but it is a matter of no small difficulty to 
 get into the harbour, owing to a long sand bar 
 which extends across the mouth of it. Presqu 5 
 
89 
 
 isle is situated at the distance of 60 miles from fort 
 Erie. Beyond this, nearly midway between the 
 eastern and western extremities of the lake, there is 
 another harbour, capable of containing small ves- 
 sels, at the mouth of Cayahega river, and another at 
 the mouth of Sandusky river, which falls into the 
 lake within the north western territory of the States. 
 On going up the lake, it often happens that vessels, 
 even after they have got close under these islands, 
 the nearest of which is not less than 240 miles 
 from fort Erie, are driven back by storms the whole 
 way to that fort. The islands at the western end 
 of the lake, which are of various sizes, lie very 
 close to each other, and the scenery amongst them 
 is very pleasing. The largest of them are not 
 more than 14 miles in circumference, and many 
 would scarcely be found to admeasure as many 
 yards round. They are all covered with wood of 
 some kind or other, even to the very smallest. The 
 larger islands produce a variety of fine timber, 
 amongst which are found oaks, hickory trees, and 
 red cedars. None of these islands are much elevat- 
 ed above the lake, nor are they diversified with any 
 rising grounds ; most of them, indeed, are as flat 
 as if they had been overflowed with water, and in 
 the interior parts of some of the largest of them 
 there are extensive ponds and marshes. The fine 
 timber, which these islands produce, indicates that 
 the soil must be uncommonly fertile. Here are 
 found in great numbers, amongst the woods, rac- 
 coons and squirrels ; bears are also, at times, found 
 upon some of these islands during the winter season, 
 h2 
 
90 
 
 when the lake is frozen between the main land and 
 the islands. All the islands are dreadfully infected 
 with serpents, and on some of them rattlesnakes are 
 so numerous, that in the height of summer, it is 
 dangerous to land* Weld. 
 
 Lake Champlain may be esteemed no inconsid- 
 erable body of waters. Reckoning its length from 
 Fairhaven to St. John's, a course nearly north, it 
 will amount to about 200 miles. Its width is from 
 one to eighteen miles, being very different in diffe- 
 rent places ; the mean width may be estimated at 
 nve miles. This will give 1000 square miles, or 
 640 thousand acres, as the area of its surface. Its 
 depth is sufficient for the navigation of the largest 
 vessels. It contains about 60 islands of different 
 sizes ; the most considerable are N. and S. Hero, 
 and Motte island. The waters which form this 
 lake are collected from a vast tract of country ; and 
 the streams which arise in more than one half of 
 Vermont, flow into it. There are several, which 
 also fall into its eastern side, from the province of 
 Canada. It is probable the rivers which flow into 
 the west side, are as large, numerous, and exten- 
 sive, as those on the east. The waters therefore 
 from which lake Champlain is formed, seem to be 
 collected, from a tract of country, of a larger ex- 
 tent, than the whole state of Vermont. There are 
 many marks and indications that the surface of this 
 lake, was formerly 30 or 40 feet higher than it is 
 now. The rocks in many places appear to be mark- 
 ed, and stained with the former surface of the lake, 
 many feet higher than it has been, from its first 
 
91 
 
 discovery by Sir Samuel Champlain, in 1608. Fos- 
 sile shells, the limbs and bodies of trees, are fre- 
 quently found at the depth of 15 or 20 feet in the 
 earth ; this is the case not only along the shores, 
 but in the low lands, at the distance of two or three 
 miles from them. The soil in many places near 
 the shore, is evidently of the same factitious kind, 
 as the intervals formed by the rivers. These and 
 other circumstances, have left no doubt in the minds 
 of the inhabitants along the lake shore, that the wa- 
 ters of it were formerly much higher, and spread 
 to a much greater extent, than they now do. The 
 waters generally rise from about the 20th of April 
 until the 20th of June. Their rise is commonly 
 from four to six feet, the greatest variation is not 
 more than eight feet. The lake is early froze 
 round the shores, but it is not commonly wholly 
 shut up with ice, until the middle of January. Be- 
 tween the 6th, and the 15th of April, the ice gene- 
 rally goes off, and it is not uncommon for many 
 square miles of it to disappear in one day. Dr. 
 Williams. 
 
 The scenery along various parts of this lake is 
 extremely grand and picturesque, particularly be- 
 yond Crown point ; the shores are there beauti- 
 fully ornamented with hanging woods and rocks : 
 and the mountains on the western side, rise up in 
 ranges on^behind the other, in the most magnifi- 
 cent manner. Weld. 
 
 The vast lake or marsh called Ouaguaphenagaw, 
 which lies between Flint and Oakmulge rivers., 
 and from whence the river St. Mary has its source, 
 
92 
 
 occupies a space of near 300 miles in circuit. TJiis 
 yast accumulation of waters, in the wet season, ap- 
 pears as a lake, and contains some large islands or 
 knolls of rich high lands, one of which the pres- 
 ent generation of Creeks represent to be a most 
 blissful spot of the earth ; they say it is inhabited 
 by a peculiar race of Indians, whose women are in- 
 comparably beautiful ; they also tell you, that this 
 terrestrial paradise has been seen by some of their 
 enterprising hunters, when in pursuit of game, who 
 being lost in inextricable swamps, and bogs, and on 
 the point of perishing, were unexpectedly relieved 
 by a company of beautiful women, whom they call 
 daughters of the sun, who kindly gave them such 
 provisions as they had with them, which were 
 chiefly fruit, oranges, dates, &c. and some corn 
 cakes, and then enjoined them to fly for safety to 
 their own country ; for that their husbands were 
 fierce men, and cruel to strangers. They further 
 say, that these hunters had a view of their settle- 
 ments, situated on the elevated banks of an island 
 or promontory, in a beautiful lake ; but that in 
 their endeavours to approach it, they were involved 
 in perpetual labyrinths, and like enchanted land, 
 jstill as they imagined they had just gained it, it 
 seemed to fly before them, alternately appearing 
 and disappearing. They resolved at length, to 
 leave the delusive pursuit, and to return ; which 
 after a number of inexpressible difficulties, they ef- 
 fected. When they reported their adventures to 
 their countrymen, their young warriors were in - 
 flamed with an irresistible desire to invade, and 
 
aiake a conquest of so charming a country ; but all 
 their attempts have hitherto proved abortive, never 
 having been able again to find that enchanting spot, 
 nor even any road or pathway to it ; yet they say 
 that they frequently meet with certain signs of be- 
 ing inhabited, as the building of canoes, footsteps 
 of men, he. They tell another story concerning 
 the inhabitants of this sequestered country t which 
 seems probable enough ; which is, that they are the 
 posterity of a fugitive remnant of the ancient Ya- 
 mases, who escaped massacre after a bloody and de- 
 cisive conflict between them and the Creek nation, 
 (who it is certain, conquered and nearly extermi- 
 nated that once powerful people) and here found an 
 asylum, remote and secure from the fury of their 
 proud conquerors. It is however certain that there 
 is a vast lake, or drowned swamp, well known and 
 often visited both by white and Indian hunters, and 
 on its environs the most valuable hunting grounds 
 in Florida. Weld. 
 
 The lake of a Thousand Islands, so called on 
 account of the multiplicity of them which it con- 
 tains, is the last lake, in descending the St. Law- 
 rence, before you arrive at lake Ontario. Many of 
 these islands are scarcely larger than a batteau, 
 and none of them, except such as are situated at the 
 upper and lower extremities of the lake, appear to 
 contain more than 15 acres each. They are all 
 covered with wood, even to the very smallest. The 
 trees on these last are stunted in their growth, but 
 the larger islands produce as fine timber as is to be 
 found on the main shores of the lake. Many of 
 
94 
 
 these islands arc situated so closely together, that it 
 would be easy to throw a pebble from one to the 
 other ; notwithstanding which circumstance, the 
 passage between them is perfectly safe and commo- 
 dious for batteaux, and between some of them that 
 are even thus close together, is water sufficient for 
 a frigate. The water is uncommonly clear. The 
 shores of these islands are rocky ; most of them 
 rise very boldly, and some exhibit perpendicular 
 masses of rock toward the water, upwards of 20 
 feet high. The scenery presented to view in sail- 
 ing between these islands is beautiful in the high- 
 est degree. Some times, after passing through a 
 narrow strait, you find yourself in a bason, land- 
 locked on every side, that appears to have no com- 
 munication with the lake, excegt by the passage 
 through which you entered ; you are looking about 
 perhaps, for an outlet, to enable you to proceed, 
 thinking at last to see some little channel, which 
 will just admit your batteau, when on a sudden, an 
 expanded sheet of water opens upon you, whose 
 boundary is the horizon alone ; again in a few min- 
 utes, you find yourself land locked, and again a 
 spacious passage as suddenly presents itself ; at 
 other times, when in the middle of one of these ba- 
 sons, between a cluster of islands, a dozen different 
 channels, like so many noble rivers, meet the eye, 
 perhaps equally unexpectedly, and on each side the 
 islands appear regularly retiring until they sink 
 from the sight in the distance. Every minute, 
 during the passage of this lake, the prospect va- 
 ries. The numerous Indian hunting encampments 
 
95 
 
 on the different islands, with the smoke of their 
 fires rising up between the trees, add considerably 
 to the beauty of the scenery. The lake of a 
 Thousand Islands is 25 miles in length, and about 
 six in breadth* Weld. 
 
 The Slave lake, through which the Peace river 
 passes, in latitude about 61° 28' north, is a large col- 
 lection of waters, being according to Mackenzie's 
 chart, near 150 miles in length, and 69 in breadth, 
 and filled with numerous islands. The country a- 
 round,in some places, is one continued view of high 
 hills, and islands of solid 'rocks, whose surface is 
 occasionally enlivened with moss, shrubs, and a few 
 scattered trees, of a very stinted growth, from an in- 
 sufficiency of soil to nourish them. But notwithstand- 
 ing their barren appearance, almost every part of 
 them produces berries of various kinds, such as cran- 
 berries,juniperberries, raspberries, partridgeberries, 
 gooseberries, and the pathagomenan, which is some- 
 thing like a raspberry. It grows on a small stalk 
 about one and a half feet high, in wet, mossy spots. 
 These fruits are in great abundance, though they 
 are not to be found in the same places, but in sit- 
 uations and aspects suited to their peculiar natures. 
 In others, the land which bounds the lake is loose 
 and sandy, but well covered with wood, composed 
 of trees of a large growth. It gradually rises from 
 the shores, and at some distance, forms a ridge of 
 high land, running along the coast, thick with 
 wood, and a rocky summit rising above it. This 
 lake abounds with fish, the principal of which are, 
 pike, carp, poisson inconnu, white fish, and trout* 
 
96 
 
 The principal lake, in Spanish North America, 
 so far as yet explored, is that of Nicaragua, which 
 is about 170 British miles in length, northwest to 
 southeast, and about half that breadth. This grand 
 lake is situated in the province of the same name 
 toward the south of the isthmus, and has a great 
 outlet, the river St. Juan, to the Gulf of Mexico, 
 while a smaller stream is supposed to flow into the 
 Pacific. In the hands of an enterprising people, 
 this lake would supply the long wished for passage 
 from the Atlantic into the Pacific, and in the most 
 direct course that could be desired. Nature has al- 
 ready supplied half the means, and it is probable, 
 that a complete passage might have been opened, at 
 half the expense wasted in fruitless expeditions to 
 discover such a passage by the northwest, or north- 
 east. This speculation must depend on circum- 
 stances, but if a passage were once opened, the 
 force of the ocean would probably enlarge it ; and 
 a tribute at this new sound would be a considerable 
 source of revenue. Pinkerton. 
 
 A remarkable production of nature, in the island 
 of Trinidad, is Tar lake, called by the French La 
 Bray. It lies on the leeward side of the island, 
 about half way from the Bocas to the south end, 
 where the mangrove swamps are interrupted by 
 sand banks and hills, and on a point of land which 
 extends into the sea about two miles, opposite the 
 mountains of Paria on the north of the gulf. This 
 cape is about 50 feet above the level of the sea. 
 From the sea it appears a mass of black vitrified 
 rocks ; but an a close examination, it is found a 
 
97 
 
 composition of bituminous scoria, vitrified sand, 
 and earth, cemented together ; in some parts, beds 
 of cinders only are found. In approaching this 
 cape, there is a strong sulphureous smell. This 
 point of land is about two miles broad, and on the 
 east and west sides, from the distance of about half 
 a mile from the sea, falls with a gentle declivity to 
 it, and is joined to the main land on the south, by 
 the continuation of the mangrove swamps ; so that 
 the bituminous plain is on the highest part of it, 
 and only separated from the sea by a margin of 
 wood. Its colour and even surface present, at first, 
 the aspect of a lake of water ; but it is probable 
 that it got the appellation of lake, when seen in the 
 hot and dry weather, at which time its surface to 
 the depth of an inch is liquid, and then, from its 
 adhesive quality, it cannot be walked upon. It is 
 about three miles in circumference. At my first 
 approach, says Mr. Anderson, it appeared a plain, 
 smooth as glass ; but when I had proceeded some 
 yards, I found it divided into areola? of different 
 sizes and shapes. The chasms or divisions anato- 
 mosed through every part of it, the surface of the 
 areolae smooth and horizontal, the margins undu- 
 lated, each undulation enlarged to the bottom till 
 they join the opposite. On the surface, the margin 
 or first undulation is distant from the opposite from 
 four to six feet, and the same depth before they coal- 
 esce ; but where the angles of the areolae oppose, 
 the chasms or ramifications are wider and deeper. 
 When I was at it, all the chasms were full of wa- 
 ter, the whole forming one true, horizontal plain, 
 
98 
 
 which rendered my investigation of itditEcult and 
 tedious, being necessitated to plunge into the water 
 a great depth, in passing from one areolae to anoth- 
 er. The most accurate idea that can be formed of 
 its surface, will be from the areolae and the ramifi- 
 cations on the back of a turtle. Some parts of the 
 surface are covered with a thin and brittle scoria, a 
 little elevated. As to its depth I can form no idea 
 of it ; for in no part could I find a substratum of 
 any other substance : in some parts, however, I 
 found calcined earth mixed with it. Although I 
 smelt sulphur very strong on passing over many 
 parts of this plain, I could discover no appearance 
 of it, nor any rent or crack, through which the 
 steams might issue : probably, it was from some 
 part of the adjacent woods ; for although sulphur is 
 the basis of this bituminous matter, yet the smells 
 are very different, and easily distinguished, for its 
 smell comes the nearest to pitch of any thing I know. 
 A piece put in the fire, will boil up a long time, 
 without suffering much diminution, and after a long 
 time's severe heat, the surface will burn, and form 
 a thin scoria, under which the rest remains liquid. 
 Heat seems not to render it fluid, nor to occupy a 
 larger space than when cold ; from which, I imag- 
 ine there is but little alteration on it during the dry 
 months, as the solar rays cannot exert their force 
 above an inch below the surface. I was told by 
 one person, that in the dry season the whole was a 
 smooth mass ; and by another, that the ravines con- 
 tained water fit for use during the year. But nei- 
 ther of these assertions caa I believe : for if, accord- 
 
99 
 
 ing to the first, it was a homogeneous mass, some- 
 thing more than an external cause must affect it, to 
 give it the present appearances : nor without some 
 hidden cause can the second be granted. Although 
 the bottoms of these ramified channels admit not of 
 absorption, yet, from their open exposure, and the 
 black surface of the circumjacent parts, evaporation 
 must go on amazingly quick, and a short time of 
 dry weather must soon empty them ; nor from the 
 situation and structure of the place, is there a possi- 
 bility of supply but from the clouds. 
 
 To show that the progress of evaporation is in- 
 conceivably quick here, at the time I visited it^ 
 there were, on an average, two thirds of the time, 
 incessant torrents of rain ; but from the afternoon 
 being dry with a gentle breeze, (as is generally the 
 case during the rainy season in this island) there ev- 
 idently was an equilibrium between the rain and 
 the evaporation ; for in the course of three days, I 
 saw it twice, and perceived no alteration on the 
 height of the water, nor any outlet for it but by 
 evaporation. 
 
 I take tills substance to be the bitumen asphaltum 
 of Linnaeus. Mixed with a little common greese, 
 or pitch, it is much used for the bottoms of ships, 
 for which intention it is collected by many ; and I 
 should conceive it a preservative against the borer 
 so destructive to ships in this part of the world. 
 
 Beside this place, where it is found in a solid 
 state, it is found liquid in many parts of the woods. 
 The soil, in general, for some distance round La 
 Bray, consists of cinders and burnt earths ; and 
 
100 
 
 where not so, it is a strong argillaceous soil, the 
 whole exceedingly fertile. Every part of the coun- 
 try, to the distance of 30 miles, has every appear- 
 ance of being formed by convulsions of nature, 
 from subterraneous fires. In several parts of the 
 woods are hot springs ; some, by Fahrenheit's ther- 
 mometer, were 20 and 22 degrees hotter than the 
 atmosphere at the time of trial. From its position 
 to them, this part of the island has certainly experi- 
 enced the effects of volcanic eruptions, which have 
 heaped up those prodigious masses of mountains 
 that terminate the province of Paria on the north ; 
 and, no doubt, there has been, and still is, a com- 
 munication between them. One of these moun- 
 tains, opposite La Bray in Trinidad, has every ap- 
 pearance of a volcanic mountain. However, the 
 volcanic effects have been very weak here, as no 
 traces of them extend above two miles from the 
 sea, in this part of the island, and the greater part of 
 it has had its origin from a very different cause to 
 that of volcanos ; but they have certainly laid the 
 foundation of it, as is evident from the high ridge of 
 mountains, which surround its windward side, to 
 protect it from the depredations of the ocean, and is 
 its only barrier against that overbearing element., 
 and may probably be called the skeleton of the island. 
 I find the whole island formed of an argillaceous 
 earth, either in its primitive state, or under its vari- 
 ous metamorphoses. The bases of the mountains 
 are composed of schistus argillaceous, and talcum 
 lithormargo ; but the plains or lowlands remaining 
 nearly in the same moist state as at its formation, 
 
101 
 
 the component particles have not experienced the 
 vicissitudes of nature, so much as the more elevated 
 parts, consequently, retain more of their primitive 
 form and properties. As argillaceous earth is 
 formed from the sediment of the ocean, from the 
 situation of Trinidad to the continent, its formation 
 is easily accounted for, granting first the formation 
 of the ridge of mountains that bounds its windward 
 side, and the high mountains on the continent that 
 nearly joins it : for the great influx of currents into 
 the gulf of Paria, from the coasts of Brasil and An- 
 dalusia, must bring a vast quantity of light earthy 
 particles from the mouth of the numerous large 
 rivers, which traverse these parts of the continent j 
 but the currents being repelled by these ridges of 
 mountains, eddies and smooth water will be produc- 
 ed where they meet and oppose, and therefore the 
 earthy particles would subside and form banks of 
 mud, and, by fresh accumulations, would soon form 
 dry land : and from these causes it is evident, such 
 a tract of country as Trinidad must be formed. 
 But these causes still exist, and the effect from them 
 is evident ; for the island is daily growing on the 
 leeward side, as may be seen from the mud beds, 
 that extend a great way into the gulf, and these con- 
 stantly increase. But, from the great influx from 
 the ocean at the south end of the island, and its 
 egress into the Atlantic again, through the Bocas, a 
 channel must ever exist between the continent and 
 Trinidad. Wonders of Nature end Art. 
 
102 
 
 CAVES. 
 
 THE first article we shall insert, under this head, 
 is an account of a singular cavern, lately discover- 
 ed, at Clarendon, (Vermont) on the southeast side 
 of a mountain. 
 
 The mouth of this cave is not more than two and 
 a half feet in diameter. In its descent, the passage 
 makes an angle with the horizon of about 35 or 40° ; 
 but continues of nearly the same diameter, through 
 the whole length, which is 31 -J- feet. At that dis- 
 tance from the mouth, it opens into a spacious room, 
 20 feet long, 12^ feet wide, and 18 or 20 feet high. 
 Every part of the floor, sides, and roofs of this 
 room, appear to be a solid rock, but very rough 
 and uneven. The water is continually percolat- 
 ing through the top, and has formed stalactites of 
 various forms, many of which are conical, and 
 some have the appearance of massive columns. 
 At the north part of this room, there is another 
 aperture of about forty inches diameter, very 
 rough, and uneven. This aperture is the be- 
 ginning of another passage, through the internal 
 parts of a solid rock. The direction of this pas- 
 sage is oblique, and full of steps or notches, and its 
 length about 24 feet. Descending through this 
 aperture, another spacious room opens to view. 
 The dimensions of this apartment are 20 feet in 
 width, 30 in length, and 20 in height. In the spring 
 of the year, the whole of this lower room is full of 
 
103 
 
 water, and at all other seasons, water is to be found 
 in the lower parts of it, No animal has ever been 
 found to reside in this cave, and it evidently appears 
 to be the production of nature, untouched by the 
 hand of man. Williams' Hist. Vermont. 
 
 There is another cave in the same state, on a 
 mountain in Dorset. It is an excavation in a solid 
 marble rock. The entrance, which is a perpendic- 
 ular ledge, 20 feet in height, is about 12 feet broad, 
 and as many in height. Within, it descends about 
 25 degrees, is 25 feet in breadth, 20 feet in height, 
 and 150 in length. At the farther extremity, two 
 narrow passages run off to an unknown distance in- 
 to the mountain, in very few places affording room 
 for persons to stand erect. There are, in this cav- 
 ern, no stalactites, nor, indeed, any. other proper pe- 
 trifactions. There is found, however, in several 
 places, a white, friable, calcareous earthy that appears 
 to be formed by water, which percolates through 
 the incumbent strata, and which, from the descent 
 ©f the cavern and the rise of the rock above, is, 
 within 30 feet of the entrance, 150 feet in thickness* 
 Dr. Morse. 
 
 In the town of Wrentham, (Massachusetts) is a 
 curious cavern, called Wampom's rock, from an In- 
 dian family of that name, who resided in it for a 
 number of years. It is situated on the south side 
 of a hill, and is surrounded by a number of broken 
 rocks. It is nearly square, each side measuring 
 about nine feet. The height is about eight feet in 
 front, but from the centre it lessens to about four 
 
104 
 
 feet* At present, it serves only as a shelter for cat- 
 tle and sheep. Dr. Morse. 
 
 In the town of Middle town, (Rhode Island) is a 
 place called Purgatory. It joins to the sea, on the 
 east side of the island. It is a large cavity or open- 
 ing, in a high bed of rocks, about 12 feet in diame- 
 ter at top, and about 40 feet deep before you reach 
 the water, of which, as it joins the sea, it has always 
 a large depth. The rocks on each side appear to 
 have been once united, and were probably separat- 
 ed by some convulsion in nature. Dr. Morse. 
 
 In the township of Shrewsbury, Monmouth coun- 
 ty, (New Jersey) on the side of a branch of Nave- 
 sink river, is a remarkable cave, in which there are 
 three rooms. The cave is about 30 feet long, and 
 15 broad. Each of the rooms are arched ; the cen- 
 tre of the arch is about five feet from the bottom of 
 the cave ; the sides not more than two and a half. 
 The mouth of the cave is small ; the bottom is a 
 loose sand, and the arch is formed in a soft rock, 
 through the pores of which, the moisture is slowly 
 exudated, and falls in drops on the sand below. 
 Dr. Morse. 
 
 In Pomfret, (Connecticut) is a cavern, which, on 
 account of a singular incident that happened there, 
 may, with propriety be called Putnam's den. The 
 aperture of the den, on the east side of a very high 
 ledge of rocks, is about two feet square, from thence 
 it descends obliquely 15 feet, then running hori- 
 zontally about 10 more, it ascends gradually 16 feet 
 toward its termination. The sides are composed 
 of smooth and solid rocks, w r hich seem to have been 
 
105 
 
 divided from each other by some former earthquake. 
 The top and bottom are also of stone, and it is in no 
 place high enough for a man to raise himself upright. 
 The incident above alluded to, is thus related by 
 Colonel Humphreys, in his " Life of General Put- 
 nam." 
 
 " In one night, he (General Putnam) had TO fine 
 sheep and goats killed by a she wolf, which, with 
 her whelps, had for several years infested the vicin- 
 ity. The young were commonly destroyed by the 
 vigilance of the hunters, but the old one was too sa- 
 gacious to come within reach of gun shot. The 
 wolf, at length, became such a nuisance, that Mr. 
 Putnam entered into a combination with five of his 
 neighbours to hunt alternately until they could de- 
 stroy her. Two, by rotation, were to continue in 
 pursuit. Having followed her to Connecticut riv- 
 er, and found she had turned back in a direct course 
 towards Pomfret, they immediately returned, and 
 by 10 o'clock the next morning, the bloodhounds 
 had driven her into a den, about three miles from 
 the house of Mr. Putnam. The people soon col- 
 lected with dogs, guns, fire, straw, and sulphur, 
 to attack the common enemy. With this appara- 
 tus, several unsuccessful efforts were made to force 
 her from the den. The hounds came back badly 
 wounded, and refused to return. The smoke of 
 blazing straw had no effect, nor did the fumes of 
 burnt brimstone compel her to quit her retirement. 
 Wearied with such fruitless attempts, (which had 
 brought the time to 10 o'clock at night) Mr. Put- 
 nam tried once more to make his dog enter, but in 
 
106 
 
 vain. He proposed to his negro man to go down 
 into the cavern and shoot the wolf ; the negro de- 
 clined the hazardous service. Then it was that 
 his master, angry at the disappointment, and de- 
 claring he was ashamed to have a coward in his 
 family, resolved himself to destroy the ferocious 
 beast. His neighbours strongly remonstrated a- 
 gainst the perilous enterprize ; but he knowing that 
 wild animals w r ere intimidated by fire, and having 
 provided several strips of birch bark, the only com- 
 bustible material which he could obtain, that would 
 afford light in this deep and darksome cave, prepar- 
 ed for his descent. Having accordingly divested 
 himself of his coat and waistcoat, and having a long 
 rope ^ac.rd round his legs, by which he might be 
 pulleu S«>Hsi at a concerted signal, he entered head 
 foremost, with the flaming torch in his hand. Hav- 
 ing groped his passage to the horizontal part of the 
 den, the most terrifying darkness appeared in front 
 of the dim circle of light afforded by his torch. It 
 was silent as the house of death. None but mon- 
 sters of the desert had ever before explored this 
 solitary mansion of horror. He, cautiously, pro- 
 ceeding onward, came to the ascent, which he slow- 
 ly mounted on his hands and knees, until he discov- 
 ered the glaring eyeballs of the wolf, who was set- 
 ting at the extremity of the cavern. Startled at the 
 sight of fire, she gnashed her teeth, and gave a sul- 
 len growl. As soon as he had made the necessary 
 discovery, he kicked the rope, as a signal for pulling 
 him out. The people at the mouth of the den, 
 who had listened with painful anxiety, hearing the 
 
107 
 
 growling of the wolf, and supposing their friend to 
 be in the most imminent danger, drew him forth 
 with such celerity, that his shirt was stripped over 
 his head, and his skin severely lacerated. After he 
 had adjusted his cloaths, and loaded his gun with 
 nine buckshot, holding a torch in one hand, and the 
 musquet in the other, he descended the second time. 
 When he drew nearer than before, the wolf, assum- 
 ing a still more fierce and terrible appearance, howl- 
 ing, rolling her eyes, snapping her teeth, and drop- 
 ping her head between her legs, was evidently in 
 the attitude and on the point of springing at him. 
 At the critical instant, he levelled, and fired at her 
 head. Stunned with the shock, and suffocated with 
 the smoke, he immediately found himself drawn 
 out of the cave. But having refreshed himself, and 
 permitted the smoke to dissipate, he went down the 
 third time. Once more he came within sight of 
 the wolf, who appearing very passive, he applied 
 the torch to her nose, and perceiving her dead, he 
 took hold of her ears, and then kicking the rope, 
 (still tied round his legs) the people above, with no 
 small exultation, dragged them both cut together." 
 Two miles west of New Haven (Connecticut) is 
 a mountain, on the top of which is a cave, remarka- 
 ble for having been the residence of Generals Wha- 
 ley and Goffe, two of the judges of Charles I. who 
 was beheaded. They arrived at Boston, July, 1660, 
 and came to New Haven the following year, and re- 
 tired and concealed themselves behind West moun- 
 tain, three miles from New Haven. They soon af- 
 ter removed to Milford, where they lived conceal- 
 
108 
 
 ed until October, 1664, when they returned to New 
 Haven, and immediately proceeded to Hadley, 
 where they remained concealed for about ten years, 
 in which time Whaley died, and Goffe soon after 
 fled. In 1665, John Dixwell, Esq. another of the 
 king's judges, visited them while in Hadley, and 
 afterwards proceeded to New Haven, where he 
 lived many years, and was known by the name of 
 John Davids. Here he died, and was buried in 
 the public burying place, where his grave stone is 
 standing to this day, with this inscription : u J. D. 
 Esq. deceased March 18th, in the 82d year of his 
 age, 1688." Dr. Morse. 
 
 In the year 1 792, an extraordinary cavern was 
 discovered, at a place called by the Indians Sepaa* 
 cot, on the estate of the Miss Rutsens, in Dutchess 
 county, (New York.) A lad, passing by chance 
 near its entrance, which lies between two huge 
 rocks on the declivity of a steep hill, on prying into 
 the gloomy recess, he saw the top of a ladder, by 
 which he descended about 10 feet, and found him- 
 self in a subterraneous apartment, more capacious 
 than he chose to investigate. *He found, however, 
 that it had been the abode of persons, who, proba- 
 bly, during the war, not daring to be seen openly, 
 had taken shelter there, as bits of cloth and pieces 
 of leather were scattered about on the floor. He 
 then left the place, and little more was thought 
 about it, until some weeks ago, when the w T riter of 
 this account made one of a party, who went from 
 the seat of a gentleman in the neighbourhood, on 
 purpose to examine it. We found the entrance 
 
109 
 
 much smaller than we had expected, and with some 
 difficulty gained the ladder, by means of which the 
 remaining descent was easy. We had six candles 
 with us to scrutinize the recesses of the apartment, 
 where, perhaps, light, for upwards of 5000 years 
 before, had never gleamed. We found the cave di- 
 vided by a narrow passage into two divisions : the 
 first being about 17 feet in length, and so low, that 
 a child of eight years of age, could but just walk up- 
 right in it, the breadth about eight or ten feet. The 
 second between 12 and 14 feet in length, but much 
 higher and broader than the first. In this last room 
 we found that three bats had taken up their winter 
 quarters, and hung suspended from the roof, as it 
 were, by the very tips of their wings. But what 
 makes the cave peculiarly worthy of notice, is the 
 petrifying quality of the water, which, by a gentle 
 oozing, drops from every part of the ceiling, the 
 whole of which exactly resembles a mill gutter in a 
 frosty morning, with a thousand icicles impending. 
 These concretions are formed by the water, and 
 probably, are constantly increasing. They have al- 
 most every appearance of icicles, and may be brok- 
 en off by the hand, if not more than two inches in 
 circumference. They appear of a consistence 
 much like indurated lime, almost transparent, and 
 are all perforated quite through the whole length, 
 with a hole of the size of that in a tobacco pipe, 
 through which aperture the water unremittingly 
 drops, although very slowly. When a person is in 
 the remotest room, and the lights are removed into 
 the first, these pendent drops of water make an ap- 
 
110 
 
 pearance more splendid than can well be imagined. 
 Some of these stony icicles have at length reached 
 the bottom of the cave, and now form pillars, some 
 more than two feet in girth, of the appearance of 
 marble, and almost as hard. They put one in mind 
 of Solomon's Jachin and Boaz ; imagination very 
 easily giving them pedestals and chapiters, and even 
 wreathen works. But what we most admired, was 
 the skeleton of a large snake, turned into solid stone 
 by the petrifying quality of the water before men- 
 tioned. It was with some difficulty torn up with 
 an axe, from the rock it laid upon, (some of which 
 adhered to it) and is now in the possession of the 
 relator. We found the inmost recess of this cav- 
 ern very warm, and felt the w r ant of free air, by dif- 
 ficult respiration, although the candles burnt per- 
 fectly clear. Museum. 
 
 In the township of Chester, (New Hampshire) a 
 singular cavern has been discovered. About five 
 miles distance from Chester meeting house, near 
 the road leading to Concord, is an eminence called 
 Rattlesnake hill. Its base is nearly circular, and 
 about half a mile in diameter. It is very rugged > 
 especially on the southern side, where it is almost 
 perpendicular ; and its summit frowns tremendous, 
 above 400 feet high. In this side, at the height of 
 10 yards, is an aperture in the rocks, of about five 
 feet high, and 20 inches broad, which is the en- 
 trance of what is called the Devil's den ; concerning 
 which, many frightful stories are told, to increase 
 the terrors of the evening, among the children of 
 the neighbouring villages ; and, indeed, the eyes 
 
Ill 
 
 of men sometimes assume a * peculiar brightness 
 while recounting the imaginary dangers, which 
 they had there fortunately escaped. This en- 
 trance is about six feet long ; it then contracts it* 
 height to about two feet and a half, and displays its 
 breadth horizontally on the right 15 feet, where it 
 is irregularly lost among the contiguous rocks. 
 This form of the cavity continues about 10 feet, 
 when it suddenly becomes about eight feet high, 
 and three wide, the sides nearly perpendicular, 
 continuing thus about nine feet. In the midway of 
 which, on the same plane, and nearly at right angles 
 on the left, is an aperture of five feet high and four 
 wide, which continues 10 or 12 feet, where it is lost 
 irregularly among the rocks. Opposite to this, on 
 tfie right, lies a spacious chamber, parallel to the 
 said plane, elevated about four feet, 15 or 20 feet 
 square, and about three feet high ; floored and ceil- 
 ed by 13 regular rock, from the upper part of which 
 are dependent many excrescences, nearly in the 
 form of a pear, some of which are more than an 
 inch long ; but there is a much greater number of 
 every possible inferior size ; these are easily sepa- 
 rable from the rock, and several of them are depos- 
 ited in the museum at Cambridge, where they are 
 shewn for petrified water. T Qen ' colour and con- 
 sistence are those of a common stone ; but when ap- 
 proached in the cave with a flambeau, they throw 
 about a sparkling lustre of almost every hue. This 
 appearance is caused by a large drop of water, 
 which hangs about the end of each ; and when the 
 echo of its fall has reverberated round the vault,, 
 
112 
 
 another begins to kindle in succession. At the end 
 of the above mentioned nine feet, is a perpendicu- 
 lar descent of about four feet, where the passage, 
 becoming not more than 18 inches wide, but a 
 least 15 feet high, and still nearly perpendicular, 
 bends gently to the right, in an arch of a very large 
 circle, for about 30 feet ; where eight or nine feet of 
 the height falls into breadth, and all in seven or 
 eight feet more is lost among the rocks in incon- 
 siderable chinks. The general direction of this 
 . cave is nearly north, and upon an ascent of about 
 three degrees. The cavity is terminated by rocks, 
 on all sides, save that the above mentioned 30 feet 
 has a gravelly bottom, at the farther end of which 
 rises a small rivulet, strongly impregnated with sul- 
 phur. This rivulet increases i mperceptibly in its 
 descent, along the 30 feet ; when it falls suddenly 
 into a transverse chink, about three inches wide, 
 which receives it perpendicularly about 10 feet, 
 when the little subterraneous cascade is intercepted 
 by some thin lip of a rock, and thrown about in 
 quite a merry strain, for such a solitary mansion. 
 The rocks, which wall this narrow passage, are cas- 
 ed with a shell of a reddish colour, about half an 
 inch thick, which is easily separable from the rock, 
 in flakes as large as a man's hand. These flakes 
 emit a strong scent of sulphur, when thrown into 
 the fire^ ; and this circumstance has given rise to a 
 conjecture, that subterraneous fires have formerly 
 raged here ; but whatever truth there may be in 
 this opinion, the cave is now exceedingly cold, and 
 
113 
 
 a more gloomy situation is scarcely imaginable. 
 Belknap's Hist. Nexv Hamps hire. 
 
 On the east side of Suetara, a river of Pennsyl- 
 vania, which falls into the Susquehanna, close to its 
 waters, is a remarkable grotto. Its entrance is ve- 
 ry spacious, and there is somewhat of a descent to- 
 ward the other extremity ; insomuch that it is 
 supposed the surface of the river is rather high- 
 er than the bottom of the cave. The upper 
 part is like an arched roof of solid limestone 
 rock, perhaps 20 feet thick. On entering, are 
 found many apartments, some of them very high, 
 like the choir of a church. There is, as it were, a 
 continual rein within the cave, for the water petri- 
 fying as it falls, pillars are gradually formed to sup- 
 port the roof. I saw this cave, says the relator, 
 about 30 years ago, and observed 10 such pillars, 
 each six inches in diameter, and six feet high ; all 
 so ranged, that the pillars inclosed by them, resem- 
 bled a sanctuary in a Roman church : and I can as- 
 sure you, that no royal throne ever exhibited more 
 grandeur, than the delightful prospect of this lusw; 
 naturae* Satisfied with the view of this, we discov- 
 ered the resemblances of several monuments, incor- 
 porated into the wall, as if the bodies of departed 
 heroes were there deposited. Our guide then con- 
 ducted us to a place, where, he said, hung the bell. 
 This is a piece of stone issuing out of the roof, 
 which, when struck, sounds like a bell. Some of 
 the stalactites are of a colour resembling sugar can- 
 dy, and others resemble loaf sugar ; but it is a pity 
 that their beauty is now almost destroyed by the 
 k 2 
 
114 
 
 country people. The water, as it falls, runs down 
 the declivity, and it is both wholesome and pleasant 
 to drink, when it has discharged its petrifying mat- 
 ter. It is remarkable that we found several holes 
 at the bottom of the cave, going down perpendicu- 
 larly, perhaps into the abyss, which renders it dan- 
 gerous to be without a light. At the end of the 
 cave, there is a pretty stream, which takes its course 
 through part of it, and then looses itself among the 
 rocks ; here is also its exit, by an aperture which is 
 very narrow. Through this the vapours continual- 
 ly pass outwards, with a strong current of air, and 
 at night, these vapours ascending, resemble a great 
 furnace. Part of these vapours and fogs appear, on 
 ascending, to be condensed at the head of this great 
 alembic, and the more volatile parts are carried off 
 through the aperture communicating with the exte- 
 rior air, before mentioned, by the force of the air in 
 its passage. American Philosophical Transactions* 
 Among the numerous caves scattered in different 
 parts of North America, that called Madison's, 
 claims a conspicuous place ; situated on the north 
 side of the Blue ridge, near the intersection of the 
 Rockingham and Augusta line with the south fork 
 of the southern river of Shenandoah, (Virginia.) It 
 is in the heart of a mountain, about 200 feet high, 
 which is so steep on one side, that a person standing 
 on the top of it, might easily throw a pebble into the 
 river which flows round the base ; the opposite side 
 of it is, however, very easy of ascent, and on this 
 side the path leading to the cavern runs, excepting 
 for the last 20 yards, when it suddenly turns along 
 
115 
 
 the steep part of the mountain, which is extremely 
 rugged, and covered with immense rocks and trees, 
 from top to bottom. The mouth of the cavern, on 
 this steep side, about two thirds of the way up, is 
 guarded by a huge pendent stone, which seems 
 ready to drop every instant, and it is hardly possible 
 to stGop under it, without reflecting with a certain 
 degree of awe, that were it to drop, nothing could 
 save you from perishing within the dreary walls of 
 that mansion to which it affords an entrance. 
 
 Preparatory to entering, says a late writer,^ the 
 guide, whom I had procured from a nighbouring 
 house, lighted the ends of three or four splinters of 
 pitch pine, a large bundle of which he had brought 
 with him : they burnt out very fast, but while they 
 last are most excellent torches. The fire he brought 
 along with him, by means of a bit of green hickory 
 wood, which, when first lighted, will burn slowly 
 without any blaze till the whole is consumed. 
 
 The first apartment you enter is about 25 feet 
 high, and 15 broad, and extends a considerable way 
 to the right and left, the floor ascending towards 
 the former ; here it is very moist, from the quan- 
 tity of water continually trickling from the roof. 
 Fahrenheit's thermometer, which stood at 67° in 
 the air, fell to 61° in this room. A few yards to 
 the left, on the side opposite to you on entering, a 
 passage presents itself, which leads to a sort of an- 
 tichamber as it were, from whence you proceed in- 
 to the sound room, so named from the prodigious 
 reverberation of the sound of a voice, or musical 
 f Mr. Weld. 
 
116 
 
 instrument at the inside. This room is about 20 
 feet square ; it is arched at top, and the sides of it, 
 as well as of that apartment which you first enter, 
 are beautifully ornamented with stalactites. Re- 
 turning from hence into the antichamber, and after- 
 wards taking two or three turns to the right and 
 left, you enter a long passage about 13 feet wide, 
 and perhaps about 15 in height perpendicularly : 
 but if it were measured from the floor to the high- 
 est part of the roof obliquely, the distance would 
 be found much greater, as the walls on both sides 
 slope very considerably, and finally meet at top. 
 This passage descends very rapidly, and is, I should 
 suppose, about 60 yards long. Toward the end it 
 narrows considerably, and terminates in a pool of 
 clear water, about three or four feet deep. How 
 far this pool extends it is impossible to say. A 
 canoe was once brought down by a party, for the 
 purpose of examination ; but they said, that after 
 proceeding a little way upon the water, the canoe 
 would not float, and they were forced to return. 
 Their fears, most probably, led them to suppose it 
 was so. I fired a pistol with a ball over the water, 
 but the report was echoed from the after part of the 
 cavern, and not from that part beyond the water, 
 so that I should suppose the passage extended 
 much further than could be traced with the eye. 
 The walls of this passage consist of a solid rock of 
 limestone on each side, which appears to have been 
 separated by some convulsion. The floor is of a- 
 deep sandy earth, and it has repeatedly been dug 
 up for the purpose of getting saltpetre, with which 
 
nr 
 
 the earth is strongly impregnated. The earth, after 
 being dug up, is mixed with water, and when the 
 grosser particles fall to the bottom, the water is 
 drawn off and evaporated ; from the residue the 
 saltpetre is procured. There are many other cav- 
 erns in this neighbourhood, and also farther to the 
 westward, in Virginia ; from all of them great 
 quantities of salt petre are thus obtained. The gun- 
 powder made with it, in the back country, forms a 
 principal article of commerce, and is sent to Phila- 
 delphia in exchange for European manufactures. 
 About two thirds of the way down this long pas- 
 sage just described, is a large aperture in the wall 
 on the right, leading to another apartment, the bot- 
 tom of which is about 10 feet below the floor of the 
 passage, and it is no easy matter to get down into 
 it, as the sides are very steep and extremely slip- 
 pery. This is the largest and most beautiful room 
 in the whole cavern ; it is somewhat of an oval 
 form, about 60 feet in length, 30 in breadth, and in 
 some parts nearly 50 feet high. The petrifactions 
 formed by the water dropping from above, are most 
 beautiful, and hang down from the ceiling in the 
 form of elegant drapery, the folds of which are sim- 
 ilar to what those of large blankets or carpets would 
 be if suspended by one corner in a lofty room. If 
 struck w r ith a stick a deep hollow sound is produc- 
 ed, which echoes through the vaults of the cavern. 
 In other parts of this room the petrifactions have 
 commenced at the bottom, and formed into pillars 
 of different heights, some of them reach nearly to 
 the roof. If you go to a remote part of this apart- 
 
118 
 
 ment, and leave a person with a lighted torch mov- 
 ing about amidst those pillars, a thousand imagin- 
 ary forms present themselves, and you might almost 
 fancy yourself in the infernal regions, with spectres 
 and monsters on every side. The floor of this room 
 slopes down gradually from one end to the other, 
 and terminates in a pool of water, which appears to 
 be on a level with that at the end of the long pas- 
 sage ; from their situation it is most probable that 
 they communicate together. The thermometer 
 which I had with me, stood in the remotest part of 
 the chamber, at 55°. From hence we returned to 
 the mouth of the cavern, and on coming into the 
 light it appeared as if we really had been in the in- 
 fernal regions ; for our faces, hands, and clothes, 
 were smutted all over, every part of the cave being 
 covered with soot from the smoke of the pine torches 
 which are so often carried in. The smoke 'from 
 the pitch pine is particularly thick and heavy. Be- 
 fore this cave was much visited, and the walls black- 
 ened by the smoke, its beauty, I was told by some 
 of the old inhabitants, was great indeed, for the 
 petrifactions on the roof and walls are all of the dead 
 white kind. 
 
 A Blowing cave has been discovered at the Pan- 
 ther gap, in the ridge which divides the waters of 
 the Cow and Calf pastures (Virginia.) It is in the 
 side of a hill, is of about 100 feet diameter, and 
 emits constantly a current of air, of such force, as 
 to keep the weeds postrate to the distance of 20 
 yards before it. This current is strongest in dry, 
 frosty weadier, and in long spells of rain weakest. 
 
U9 
 
 Regular inspirations and expirations of air, by cav- 
 erns and fissures, have been probably enough ac- 
 counted for, by supposing them combined with in- 
 termitting fountains ; as they must of course inhale 
 air, while their reservoirs are emptying themselves, 
 and again emit it while filling. But a constant is- 
 sue of air, only varying in its force as the weather 
 is dryer or damper, will require a new hypothesis. 
 Dr. Morse. 
 
 In the county of Munroe (Virginia) near the 
 Kanhawa, there is a remarkable cave extending en- 
 tirely through the base of a high mountain, the dis- 
 tance of upwards of two miles. Persons have 
 passed from one side of this mountain to the other, 
 through this subterraneous passage. The earth, on 
 the bottom of this cave, is'strongly impregnated with 
 nitre ; and saltpetre in any quantity may be made 
 from it. Dr. Morse. 
 
 Another singular cave, in the same state, is near 
 the North mountain, in the county of Frederick. 
 The entrance into this is on the top of an extensive 
 ridge. You descend about 30 or 40 feet, as into 
 a well, from whence the cave then extends, nearly 
 horizontally, 400 feet into the earth, preserving a 
 breadth of from 20 to 50 feet, of a height of from 
 15 to 12 feet. After entering the cave a few feet, 
 the mercury, which in the open air was at 50°, rose 
 to 57° of Fahrenheit's thermometer. Dr. Morse. 
 
 In the bank of the Ohio river, about 130 miles 
 above its junction with the Missisippi, is a latge 
 cave, called by the Indians, u The habitation of the 
 Great Spirit." For about three or four miles be- 
 
120 
 
 fore you come to this place, you are presented with 
 a scene truly romantic. On the Indian side of the ^ 
 river you see large ponderous rocks piled one upon 
 another, of different colours, shapes, and sizes. 
 Some appear to have gone through the hands of the 
 most skilful artists ; some represent the ruins of 
 ancient edifices ; others thrown promiscuously in 
 and out of the river, as if nature intended to shew 
 us with what ease she could handle those mountains 
 of solid rock. You see again purling streams wind- 
 ing their course down their rugged front ; whose 
 appearance in a moonlight night, added to the mur- 
 muring noise they occasion, is truly beautiful, 
 though it rather disposes the mind to solemnity : 
 while others project so far that they seem almost 
 disposed to leave their doubtful situation. After a 
 small relief from this scene, you come to a second, 
 which is something similar to the first ; and here, 
 with strict scrutiny, you discover the cave. Before 
 its mouth stands a delightful grove of cypress trees, 
 arranged immediately on the bank of the river,, 
 They have a very fine appearance, and add much to 
 the cheerfulness of the place. The mouth of the 
 cave is but a few feet above the ordinary level of 
 the river, and is formed by a semicircular arch of 
 about 80 feet at its base, and 25 feet in height, the • 
 top projecting considerably over, forming a regular 
 concave. From the entrance to the extremity, 
 which is about 180 feet, it has a regular and gradu- 
 al ascent. On either side is a solid bench of rock ; 
 the arch coming to a point above the middle of the 
 cave, where you discover an opening sufficiently 
 
121 
 
 large to receive the body of a man, through which 
 comes a small stream of very clear and well tasted 
 water, which is made use of by those who visit this 
 place. From this hole a second cave is discovered, 
 whose dimensions, form, &c. are not known. The 
 rock is of limestone. The sides of the cave are 
 filled with inscriptions, names of persons, dates, 
 &c. Harris' Tour. 
 
 On the west of Lake Ontario, is a curious cavern, 
 called by the Messisaugas Indians, Manito'ah Wig- 
 wam, or house of the devil. The mountains which 
 border on this lake, at this place, break off abruptly, 
 and form a precipice of 200 feet perpendicular de- 
 scent ; at the bottom of which the cavern begins. 
 The first opening is large enough for three men to 
 walk conveniently abreast. It continues of this big^ 
 ness for 70 yards in a horizontal direction ; then 
 it falls almost perpendicularly 50 yards, which may 
 be descended by irregular steps from one to four 
 feet distant from each other. It then continues 40 
 yards horizontally, at the end of which is another 
 descent, down which are no steps. In spring and 
 autumn, there are, once in about a week, explosions 
 from this cavern which shake the ground for 16 
 miles around. Dr. Morse. 
 
122 
 
 CATARACTS. 
 
 THE cataracts of Niagara, deserve a conspicu- 
 ous place under this head, as being the most stu- 
 pendous of the kind either in this or any other 
 country. They are situated in Niagara river, 
 about 10 miles from the town of Niagara or New- 
 ark. The road leading from lake Ontario to Erie 
 runs within a few hundred yards of them. This 
 road is carried along the top of the lofty steep banks 
 of the river : for a considerable way it runs close to 
 their very edge, and in passing along it, the eye of 
 the traveller is entertained with a variety of the 
 most grand and beautiful prospects. The river in- 
 stead of growing narrower as you proceed upwards, 
 widens considerably : at the end of nine or ten 
 miles it expands to the length of a mile, and here it 
 assumes much the appearance of a lake ; it is en- 
 closed, seemingly, on all sides, by high hills, and 
 the current, owing to the great depth of the water, 
 is so gentle as to be scarcely perceptible from the 
 top of the banks. It continues thus broad for a 
 mile or two, when on a sudden the waters are con- 
 tracted between the high hills on each side. From 
 hence up to the falls the current is exceedingly ir- 
 regular and rapid. At the upper end of this broad 
 part of the river, and nearly at the foot of the banks, 
 is situated a small village, that has been called 
 Queenstown, but which, in the adjacent country f 
 is better known by the name of" the Landing." 
 
123 
 
 About halfway up the banks, at the distance of 
 a few hundred yards from Queenstown, there is a 
 very extensive range of wooden barracks, which, 
 when viewed a little way oif, appears to great ad- 
 vantage. From the town of Niagara to Queens- 
 town, the country in the neighbourhood of the river 
 is very level ; but here it puts on a different aspect ; 
 a confused range of hills, covered with oaks of an 
 immense size, suddenly rises up before you, and 
 the road that winds up the side of them is so steep 
 and rugged, that it is absolutely necessary for the 
 traveller to leave his carriage, if he should be in 
 one, and proceed to the top on foot. Beyond these 
 hills you again come to a level unbroken country ; 
 but the soil here differs materially from that on the 
 opposite side ; it consists of a rich dark earth inter- 
 mixed with clay, and abounding with stones ; 
 whereas on the side next lake Ontario, the soil is 
 of a yellowish cast, in some places inclining to 
 gravel and in others to sand. 
 
 From the brow of one of the hills in this ridge, 
 which overhangs the little village of Queenstown, 
 the eye of the traveller is gratified with one of the 
 finest prospects in nature ; you stand amidst a 
 clump of large oaks, a little to the left of the road, 
 and looking downwards, perceive through the 
 branches of the trees with which the hill is clothed, 
 from the summit to the base, the tops of the houses 
 of Queenstown, and in front of the village, the ships 
 moored in the river ; the ships are at least 200 feet 
 below you, and their masts appear like slender reeds 
 peeping up among the thick foliage of the trees. 
 
124 
 
 Carrying your eye forward, you may trace the riv- 
 er in ail its windings, and finally see it disembogue 
 into lake Ontario, between the town and the fort ; 
 the lake itself terminates your view in this direc- 
 tion, except merely at one part of the horizon, 
 where you just get a glimpse of the blue hills of 
 Toronto. The shore of the river, on the right 
 hand, remains in its natural state, covered with one 
 continual forest ; but on the opposite side of the 
 country is interspersed with cultivated fields, and 
 neat farm houses down to the water's edge. The 
 country beyond the hills is much less cleared than 
 that which lies towards the town of Niagara, on the 
 navigable part of the river. 
 
 From the sudden change of the face of the coun- 
 try in the neighbourhood of Queenstown, and the 
 equally sudden change in the river with respect to 
 its breadth, depth, and current, conjectures have 
 been formed, that the great falls of the river must 
 originally have been situated at the spot where the 
 waters are so abruptly contracted between the hills ; 
 and indeed it is % highly probable that this was the 
 case, for it is a fact well ascertained, that the fall* 
 have receded very considerably since they were vis- 
 ited by Europeans, and that they are still receding 
 every year. So great was our impatience, that 
 every step we advanced towards these stupendous 
 falls, our expectations rose to a higher pitch ; our 
 eyes were continually on the look out for the white 
 mist which hovers over them ; and an hundred 
 times, I believe, did we stop our carriage in hopes 
 of hearing their thundering sounds; neither how- 
 
125 
 
 ever was the mist to be seen, nor the sound to be 
 heard, when we came to the foot of the hills ; nor af- 
 ter having crossed over them, were our eyes or ea?s 
 more gratified. This occasioned no inconsidera- 
 ble disappointment, and we could not but express 
 our doubts to each other, that the wonderous ac- 
 counts we had heard of the falls were without foun- 
 dation. These doubts were nearly confirmed, when 
 we found that after having approached within half 
 a mile of the place, the mist was but just discerni- 
 ble, and that the sound even then was not to be 
 heard ; yet it is nevertheless true,, that the tremen- 
 dous noise of the falls may be distinctly heard, at 
 times, at the distance of 40 miles ; and the cloud 
 formed from the spray maybe scen.still farther off; 
 but it is only when the air is very clear, and there is 
 a fine blue sky ; which however are very common 
 occurrences in this country, that the cloud can be 
 seen at such a great distance. The hearing the 
 sound of the falls afar off, also depends upon the 
 state of the atmosphere ; it is observed, that the 
 sound can be heard at the greatest distance, just 
 before a heavy fall of rain, and when the wind is in 
 a favourable point to convey the sound toward the 
 listener. The day we approached the falls was 
 thick and cloud}'. 
 
 On that part of the road leading to lake Erie, 
 which draws nearest to the Mis, there i.; a small 
 village : here we alighted, and having disposed of 
 our horses, and made a slight repast, we crossed 
 over some fields toward a deep hollow place, sur- 
 rounded with large trees > from the bottom of which 
 L2 
 
126 
 
 issued thick rolumes of whitish mist, that had 
 much the appearance of smoke rising from large 
 heaps of burning weeds. Having come to the 
 edge of this hollow place, we descended a steep 
 bank of about 50 yards, and then walked for some 
 distance over a wet marshy piece of ground, cover- 
 ed with thick bushes, at last came to the Tabic 
 reck. This rock is situated a little to the front of 
 the Great fall, above the top of which it is elevat- 
 ed about 40 feet. The view from it is sublime ; 
 but before I attempt to give an idea of this 
 view, it will be necessary to take a more gene* 
 ral survey of the river and falls. 
 
 Niagara river issues from the eastern extremity 
 of lake Erie, and after a course of 36 miles, dis- 
 charges itself into lake Ontario. For the first few 
 miles from lake Erie, the breadth of the river is 
 about 300 yards, and it is deep enough for vessels 
 drawing nine or ten feet water,* but the current is 
 so extremely rapid and irregular, and the channel 
 so intricate, on account of the numberless large 
 rocks in different places, that no other vessels than 
 batteaux ever attempt to pass along it. As you 
 proceed downwards, the riyer widens, no rocks are 
 to to be seen either along the shores or in the chan- 
 nel, and the waters glide smoothly along, though the 
 current continues very strong. The river is navi- 
 gable with safety for batteaux as far as fort Chipe- 
 way, about three miles above the falls ; but here 
 the bed of it again becomes rocky, and the waters 
 are violently agitated, by passing down successive 
 rapids, so much so indeed, that were a boat, by any 
 
12T 
 
 chance, to be carried a little way beyond Chipeway, 
 where people usually stop, nothing could save it 
 from being dashed to pieces, long before it came to 
 the falls. With such astonishing impetuosity do 
 the waves break on the rocks, in these rapids, that 
 the mere sight of them from the top of the bank is 
 sufficient to make you shudder. I must observe, 
 however, that it is only on each side of the river 
 that the waters are so much troubled ; in the mid- 
 dle of it, though the current is also there uncom- 
 monly swift, yet the breakers are not so dangerous 
 but boats may pass down, if dexterously managed, 
 to an island which divides the river at the very falls.. 
 Notwithstanding the great danger in getting to this 
 island, and the greater danger of coming from it, 
 yet, many persons have the foolhardiness to proceed 
 thither, merely for the sake of beholding the falls 
 from the opposite side of it, or for the sake of hav- 
 ing it in their power to say that they had been upon 
 it. The river forces its way amidst the rocks with 
 redoubled impetuosity, as it approaches towards 
 the falls ; at last, coming to the brink of the tremen- 
 dous precipice, it tumbles headlong to the bottom, 
 without meeting any interruption from rocks in its 
 descent. Just at the precipice, the river takes a 
 considerable bend to the right, and the line to the 
 falls, instead of extending from bank to bank in the 
 shortest direction, runs obliquely across. The 
 width of the falls is considerably greater than the 
 width of the river, admeasured some way below the 
 precipice. The river does not rush down the pre- 
 cipice in one unbroken sheet ; but it is divided by 
 
128 
 
 islands into three distinct collateral falls. The 
 most stupendous of these, is that on the northwest- 
 ern side of the river, commonly called the Great, or 
 Horseshoe fall. The height of this is only 142 
 feet, whereas the others are each 160 feet high ; but 
 to its inferior height, it is indebted principally for 
 its grandeur ; the precipice, and, of course, the bed 
 of the river above it, being so much lower at the one 
 side than the other, by far the greater part of the wa- 
 ter of the river finds its way to the lower side,and rush- 
 es downwith greater velocity at that side than it does 
 at the other, as the rapids above the precipice are 
 strongest there. It is from the centre of the Horse- 
 shoe fall, that arises tha t prodigious cloud of mist, 
 which may be seen so far off. The extent of the 
 Horseshoe fall can only be ascertained by the eye ; 
 the general opinion is that it is not less than 600 
 yards in circumference. The island which sepa- 
 rates it from the next fall is supposed to be about 
 350 yards wide ; the second fall is about five yards 
 wide ; the next island about 30 yards : and the 
 third, commonly called the fort Schloper fail, from 
 being situated toward the side of the river on which 
 that fort stands, is judged to admeasure, at least, 
 as much as the large island. The whole extent of 
 the precipice, therefore, including the islands, is, 
 according to this computation, 1335 yards. This 
 is certainly not an exaggerated statement. The 
 quantity of water carried down the falls is prodig- 
 ious. It will be found to amount to 670,255 tons 
 per minute ; though calculated from the following 
 data, which ought to be correct, as determined by a 
 
129 
 
 person of experience, viz. that where lake Erie, to- 
 wards its eastern extremity, is 2\ miles wide, the 
 water is six feet deep, and the current runs at the 
 rate of two knots an hour ; but Niagara river, be- 
 tween this part of lake Erie and the falls, receives 
 the waters of several large creeks, the quantity car- 
 ried down the falls must, therefore, be greater than 
 the foregoing computation makes it to be ; if we 
 say that 672,000 tons of water are precipitated down 
 the falls every minute, the quantity will not, proba- 
 bly, be much overrated. To return to the Table 
 rock, situated on the verge of the Horseshoe fall. 
 Here the spectator has an unobstructed view of the 
 tremendous rapids above the falls, and of the cir- 
 cumjacent shores, covered with thick woods ; of 
 the Horseshoe fall, some yards below him ; of the 
 fort Schloper fall at a distance to the left ; and of 
 the frightful gulf beneath, into which, if he has 
 but courage to approach to the exposed edge of the 
 rock, he may look down perpendicularly. The as- 
 tonishment excited in the mind of the spectator, by 
 the vastness of the different objects, which he con- 
 templates from hence, is great indeed, and few per- 
 sons, oncoming here for the first time, can for some 
 minutes collect themselves sufficiently to be able to 
 form any tolerable conception of the stupendous 
 scene before them. It is impossible for the eye to 
 embrace the whole of it at once ; it must gradually 
 make itself acquainted,. in the first place, with the 
 component parts of the scene, each one of which is 
 in itself an object of wonder ; and such a length of 
 time does this operation require, that many who 
 
130 
 
 have had an opportunity of contemplating the scene 
 for years together, have thought that every time 
 they beheld it, each part has appeared more won- 
 derful and more sublime, and that it has only been 
 at the time of their last visit, that they have been 
 able to discover all the grandeur of the cataract* 
 
 The next spot from which we surveyed the falls*, 
 was from the part of the cliff nearly opposite to that 
 end of the fort Schloper fall which lies next to the 
 island* You stand here, on the edge of the cliff, 
 behind some bushes, the tops of which have been cut 
 down in order to open the view* From hence you 
 have a better prospect of the whole cataract, and are 
 enabled to form a more correct idea of the position 
 of the precipice, than from any other place. The 
 prospect from hence is more beautiful, but I think 
 less grand than from any other spot.. The officer 
 who was so polite as to direct our movements, 
 shewed us a drawing of his which exhibited a view 
 of the cataract in the depth of winter. The ice at 
 this season of the year accumulates at the bottom 
 of the cataract in immense mounds, and huge 
 icicles, like the pillars of a massy building, hang 
 pendent in many places from the top of the preci- 
 pice, reaching nearly to the bottom. Leaving this 
 place, we returned through the woods bordering 
 upon the precipice upon the open fields, and then 
 directed our course by a circuitous path, to a part 
 of the cliff where it is possible to descend to the 
 bottom of the cataract. The river, for many miles 
 below the precipice, is bounded on each side by 
 stfeep, and in most parts perpendicular cliffs, form- 
 
131 
 
 eel of earth and rocks, and it is impossible to de- 
 scend to the bottom of them, except at two places, 
 where large masses of earth and rocks have crumb- 
 led down, and ladders have been placed from one 
 break to another, for the accommodation of pas- 
 sengers. The first of these places which you come 
 to in walking along the river, from the Horseshoe 
 fall downwards, is called the Indian Ladder. These 
 ladders, of which there are several, one below an- 
 other, consist simply of long pine trees, with notches 
 cut in their sides, for the passenger to rest his feet 
 on. The trees, even when first placed there, would 
 vibrate as you stepped upon them, owing to their 
 being so long and so slender ; age has rendered 
 them still less firm, and they now certainly cannot 
 be deemed safe, though many persons are still in 
 the habit of descending by their means. We did 
 not attempt this route, but proceeded to the other 
 place, which is lower down the river, called Mrs. 
 Simcoe's ladder, having been originally placed there 
 for the accommodation of the lady of the late gov- 
 ernor. This route is much more frequented than 
 the other ; the ladders are strong and firmly plac- 
 ed, and none of them, owing to the frequent breaks 
 in the cliffs, are required to be of such a great 
 length, but that even a lady might pass up or 
 down them without fear of danger. 
 
 On arriving at the bottom of the cliff, you find 
 yourself in the midst of huge piles of misshapen 
 rocks, with great masses of earth and rocks project- 
 ing from the sides of the cliff, and overgrown with 
 pines and cedars, hanging over your head, appar- 
 
132 
 
 entry ready to crumble down and crush you to at- 
 oms. Many of the large trees grow with their 
 heads downwards ; being suspended by their roots, 
 which had taken such a firm hold in the ground, at 
 the top of the cliff, that when part of it gave way the 
 trees did not fall altogether. The river before you 
 here is somewhat more than a quarter of a mile 
 wide ; and on the opposite of it, a little to the right, 
 the fort Schloper fall is seen to great advantage : 
 what you see of the Horseshoe fall also appears in 
 a very favourable point of view ; the projecting 
 cliff conceals nearly one half of it. The fort Schlo- 
 per fall is skirted at bottom by milk white foam, 
 which ascends in thick volumes from the rocks ; 
 but it is not seen to rise above the fall like a cloud of 
 smoke, as is the case at Horseshoe fall ; neverthe- 
 less, the spray is so considerable, that it descends 
 on the opposite side of the river, at the foot of Sim- 
 coe's ladder, like rain. 
 
 Having reached the margin of the river, we pro- 
 ceeded towards the Great fall, along the strand, 
 which for a considerable part of the way thither, 
 consists of horizontal beds of limestone rock, cov- 
 ered with gravel, except, indeed, where great piles 
 of stone have fallen from the sides of -the cliff. 
 These horizontal beds of rocks, in some places, ex- 
 tend very far into the river, forming points which 
 break the force of the current, and occasion strong 
 eddies, along particular parts of the shore. Here 
 great numbers of the bodies of fishes, squirrels, 
 foxes, and various other animals, that, unable to 
 stem the current of the river above the falls, hare 
 
been carried down them, and consequently killed, 
 are washed up. The shore is likewise found strew- 
 ed with trees, and large pieces of timber, that have 
 been swept away from the saw mills above the falls, 
 and carried down the precipice. 
 
 Among the stories current in the country, relat- 
 ing to this cataract, there is one that records the 
 helpless fate of a poor Indian, which I select, as the 
 truth of it is unquestionable. The unfortunate he- 
 ro of this tale, intoxicated, it seems, with spirits, 
 had laid himself down to sleep at the bottom of his 
 canoe, which was fastened to the beach at the dis- 
 tance of some miles above the falls. His squaw 
 sat on the shore to watch him : whilst they were 
 in this situation, a sailor from one of the ships of 
 war on the neighbouring lakes, happened to pass 
 by ; he was struck with the charms of the squaw, 
 and instantly determined upon enjoying them. The 
 faithful creature, however, unwilling to gratify his 
 desires, hastened to the canoe to arouse her hus- 
 band ; but before she could effect her purpose, the 
 sailor cut the cord, by which the canoe was fasten- 
 ed, and set it adrift. It quickly floated away with 
 the stream from the fatal spot, and ere many min- 
 utes elapsed, was carried down in the midst of the 
 rapids. Here it was distinctly seen by several per- 
 sons that were standing on the adjacent shore, 
 whose attention had been caught by the singularity 
 of the appearance of a canoe in such a part of the 
 river. The violent motion of the waves soon awoke 
 the Indian, he started up, looked wildly around, 
 and perceiving his danger, instantly seized his 
 
134 
 
 paddle, and made the most surprising exertions to 
 save himself ; but finding in a little time that all 
 his efforts would be of no avail, in stemming the 
 impetuosity of the current, he with great composure 
 put aside his paddle, wrapt himself up in his blank- 
 et, and again laid himself down in the bottom of 
 his canoe. In a few seconds he was hurried down 
 the precipice ; but neither he nor his canoe were 
 ever seen more. It is supposed that not more than 
 one third of the different things that happen to be 
 carried down by the falls, reappear at the bottom. 
 From the foot of Simcoe's ladder you may walk 
 along the strand for some distance without incon- 
 venience ; but as you approach the Horseshoe fall, 
 the way becomes more and more rugged. In some 
 places, where the cliff has crumbled down, huge 
 mounds of earth, rocks, and trees, reaching to the 
 water's edge, oppose your course, it seems impos- 
 sible to pass them ; and indeed, without a guide, a 
 stranger would never find his way to the opposite 
 side : for to get there it is necessary to mount near- 
 ly to their top, and then to crawl on your hands and 
 knees, through long dark holes where passages are 
 left open between the torn up rocks and trees. Af- 
 ter passing these mounds, you have to climb from 
 rock to rock close under the cliff, for there is but 
 little space here between the cliff and rivef, and 
 those rocks are so slippery, owing to the continual 
 moisture from the spray, which descends very heav- 
 ily, that without the utmost precaution it is scarcely 
 possible to escape a fall. 
 
There is nothing whatsoever to prevent you from 
 passing to the very foot of the Great fall ; and you 
 might even proceed behind the prodigious sheet of 
 water that comes pouring down from the top of the 
 precipice, for the water falls from the edge of a pro- 
 jecting rock ; and moreover, caverns of a very consid- 
 erable size have been hollowed out of the rocks, at 
 the bottom of the precipice, owing to the violent eb- 
 ullition of the water, which extends some way under- 
 neath the bed of the upper part of the river. I ad- 
 vanced within about six yards of the cdgQ of the sheet 
 of water, just far enough to peep into the cayerni 
 behind it ; but here my breath was nearly taken 
 away by the violent whirlwind that always rages at 
 ' the bottom of the cataract, occasioned by the con- 
 cussion of such a vast body of water, against the 
 rocks. I confess I had no inclination at thistime 
 to go farther, nor did any of us afterward at- 
 tempt to explore the dreary confines of these cav- 
 erns, where death seemed to await him that should 
 be daring enough to enter their threatening jaws. 
 No words can convey an adequate idea of the aw- 
 ful grandeur of the scene at this place. Your 
 senses are apalled by the sight of the immenst 
 body of water that comes pouring down so closely 
 to you from the top of the stupendous precipice, 
 and by the thundering sound of the billows dashing 
 against the rocky sides of the caverns below ; you 
 tremble with reverential fear, when you consider 
 that a blast of the whirlwind might sweep you from 
 off the slippery rocks on which you stand, and pre* 
 cipitate you into the dreadful gulf beneath, from 
 
136 
 
 -whence all the power of man could not extricate 
 you ; you feel what an insignificant being you arc 
 in the creation, and your mind is forcibly impress- 
 ed with an awful idea of the power of that mighty 
 Being who commanded the waters to flow. 
 
 Since the falls of Niagara were first discovered, 
 they have receded very considerably, owing to the 
 clisrupture of the rocks which form the precipice. 
 The rocks at the bottom are first loosened by the 
 constant action of die water upon them : they are 
 wards carried away, and those at top being thus 
 undermined, are socn broken by the weight of water 
 rushing over them : even in the memory of many of 
 the present inhabitants of the country, the falls have 
 receded several yards. A British officer, who had 
 been employed on lake Erie upwards of 30 years ^ 
 informed me, that when he first came into the coun- 
 try, it was a common practice for young men to go 
 to the island in the middle of the falls ; that after 
 dining there, they used frequendy to dare each oth- 
 er to w r alk int o the river toward certain large rocks 
 in the midst of the rapids ; and sometimes to pro- 
 ceed through the water even beyond these rocks. 
 No such rocks are to be seen at present ; and were 
 a man to advance two yards into the river from the 
 island, he would be inevitably swept away by the 
 torrent. It has been conjectured that the falls of 
 Niagara were originally situated at Queenstown ; 
 and indeed the more pains you take to examine the 
 course of the river from the present falls down- 
 ward, the more reason is there to imagine that such 
 a conjecture is well founded. From the precipice 
 
137 
 
 nearly down to Queenstown, the bed of the river is 
 strewed with large rocks, and the banks are broken 
 and rugged ; circumstances which plainly denote 
 that some great disruption has taken place along 
 this part of the river, and we need be at no loss to 
 account for it, as there are evident marks of the 
 action of water upon the sides of the banks, and 
 considerably above their present bases : now the 
 river has never been known to rise near these marks 
 during the greatest floods ; it is plain, therefore, 
 that its bed must have been once much more elevat- 
 ed than it is at present. Below Queenstown, how- 
 ever, there are no traces on the banks to lead us to 
 imagine that the level of the water was ever much 
 higher there than it is now. The sudden increase 
 of the depth of the river just below the hills at 
 Queenstown, and its sudden expansion there at the 
 same time seem to indicate that the waters must for 
 a great length of time have fallen from the top of 
 the hills, and thus have formed that extensive deep 
 bason below the village* In the river, a mile or 
 two above Queenstown, there is a tremendous 
 whirlpool, owing to a deep hole in the bed ; this 
 hole was probably also formed by the waters falling 
 for a great length of time on the same spot, in con- 
 sequence of the rocks which composed the then 
 precipice having remained firmer than those at any 
 other place did. Tradition tells us, that the Great 
 fall, instead of having been in the form of a horse- 
 shoe, once projected in the middle. For a century 
 past, however, it has nearly remained in the pres- 
 ent form ; and as the ebullition of the water at the 
 
 M 2 
 
138 
 
 bottom of the cataract is so much greater at the 
 centre of this fall than in any other part, and as the 
 water consequently acts with more force there in 
 undermining the precipice than at any other part, 
 it is not unlikely that it may remain nearly in the 
 same form for ages to come. 
 
 At the bottom of the Horseshoe fall, is found a 
 kind of white concrete substance, generally called 
 spray. Some persons have supposed that it is 
 formed from the earth, and particles of the water, 
 which descending, owing to their great specific 
 gravity, quicker than the other particles, adhere to 
 the rocks, and are there formed into a mass. This 
 concrete substance has precisely the appearance of 
 petrified froth ; and it is remarkable, that it is found 
 adhering to those rocks, against which the greatest 
 quantity of the froth, that floats upon the water, i& 
 washed by the eddies. 
 
 We did not think of ascending the cliff till the ev- 
 ening was far advanced. Just as we left the foot of 
 the Great fall, the sun broke through the clouds, 
 and one of the most beautiful and perfect rainbows 
 that ever I beheld, was exhibited in the spray that 
 a r ose from the fall. It is only at evening and morn- 
 ing that the rainbow is seen in perfection ; for the 
 banks of the river, and the steep precipice, shade the 
 sun from the spray, at the bottom of the fall, in the 
 middle of the day. 
 
 The falls of Niagara are much less difficult of ac- 
 cess now, than they were some years ago. Charle- 
 voix, who visited them in the year 1720, tells us, 
 that they were only to be viewed from one spot, 
 
139 
 
 and that from thence the spectator had only a side 
 prospect of them. Had he been able to have de- 
 scended to the bottom, he would have had ocular 
 demonstration of the existence of caverns beneath 
 the precipice, which he supposed to be the case^ 
 from the hollow sound of the falling of the waters ; 
 from the number of carcasses washed up there on 
 different parts of the strand, and would also have 
 been convinced of the truth of a circumstance which 
 he totally disbelieved, namely, that fish were often- 
 times unable to stem the rapid current above the 
 falls, and were consequently carried down the pre- 
 cipice. 
 
 The most favourable season for visiting the falls^ 
 is about the middle of September ; for then the 
 woods are seen in all their glory, beautifully varie- 
 gated with the rich tints of autumn ; and the specta- 
 tor is not then annoyed with vermin. In the sum- 
 mer season, you meet with rattlesnakes at every 
 step, and musketoes swarm so thickly in the air 
 that, to use a phrase of the country, " You might 
 cut them w T ith a knife." The cold nights in the be- 
 ginning of September, effectually banish these nox- 
 ious animals. Weld's Travels. 
 
 The Falling spring in Augusta, (Virginia) forms 
 in its course a remarkable cascade. It is a water of 
 James' river, where it is called Jackson's river, ris- 
 ing in the warm spring mountains, about 20 miles 
 X of the warm spring, and flowing into that 
 v . About three quarters of a mile from its 
 
 it fails over a rock 200 feet into the va 
 .7. The sheet of water is broken in its breadth 
 
140 
 
 by the rocks, in two or threeplaces, but not at all in its 
 height. Between the sheet and rock, at the bottom 
 you may walk across dry. This cataract will bear 
 no comparison with that of Niagara, as to the quan- 
 tity of water composing it ; the sheet being only 12 
 or 15 feet wide above, and somewhat more spread 
 below ; but it is higher by more than 50 feet. Dr. 
 Morse. 
 
 There is a remarkable fall in Connecticut river, 
 at Walpole, known by the name of the Great fall. 
 The breadth of the river, above the fall, is 22 rods. 
 A large rock divides the stream into two channels, 
 each about 90 feet wide, on the top of the shelving 
 bank. When the water is low, the eastern channel 
 appears crossed by a bar of solid rock, and the whole 
 stream falls into the western channel, where it is 
 contracted to the breadth of 16 feet, and flows with 
 astonishing rapidity ; but the depth of the water is 
 not known, nor has the perpendicular height of the 
 fall been ascertained. There are several pitches, 
 one above another, in the length of half a mile, the 
 largest of which, is that where the rock divides the 
 stream. Notwithstanding the velocity of the cur- 
 rent, the salmon pass up the fall, and are taken ma- 
 ny miles above ; but the shad proceed no farther. 
 In the rocks of this fall, are many cavities of various 
 depths, made by the circular motion of small stones, 
 impelled by the force of the descending water. On 
 the steep sides of the island rock, hang several arm 
 chairs, fastened to ladders, and secured by a coun- 
 terpoise, in which fishermen sit to catch salmon and 
 shad with dipping nets. 
 
141 
 
 Merrimack river is remarkable as containing two 
 falls. In its course through New Hampshire, it 
 passes over several falls, the most beautiful of 
 which is called the isle of Hookset, but the grandest 
 is Amoskeag. Hookset is about eight miles below 
 the town of Concord, the descent of the water is not 
 more than 15 feet perpendicular in 30 rods, a high 
 rock divides the stream, and a smaller rock lies be- 
 tween that and the western shore. From an emi- 
 nence on the western side, there is a delightsome 
 landscape ; the waters above and below the fall, the 
 verdant banks, the cultivated fields, and the distant 
 hills, in the back ground, form a picturesque scene, 
 which relieves the eye of the traveller from the dull 
 uniformity of a road through the woods. 
 
 Eight miles below Hookset, lies Amoskeag fall, 
 it consists of three large pitches, one below the oth- 
 er, and the water is supposed to fall about 80 feet in 
 the course of half a mile. The river here is so 
 crooked, that the whole of the fall cannot be viewed 
 at once ; though the second pitch, which may be 
 seen from the road on the western side, appears tru- 
 ly majestic. In the middle of the upper part of the 
 fall, is a high, rocky island, on some parts of which 
 there are several holes, like those at the Great fall, 
 in Connecticut. 
 
 The Cataract, or great falls, in the Passaik river, 
 which rises in Morris county, is one of the greatest 
 natural curiosites in New Jersey. The river is 
 about 40 yards wide, and moves in a slow, gentle 
 current, until coming within a short distance of a 
 deep cleft in a rock, which' crosses the channel, it 
 
142 
 
 descends, and falls above 70 feet perpendicularly, 
 in one entire sheet. One. end of the cleft, which 
 was evidently made by some violent convulsion in 
 nature, is closed ; at the other, the water rushes 
 out with incredible swiftness, forming an acute an* 
 gle with its former direction, and is received into a 
 large bason, whence it takes a winding course 
 through the rocks, and spreads into abroad, smooth 
 stream. The cleft is from four to twelve feet 
 broad. The falling of the water occasions a cloud 
 of vapour to arise, which, by floating amidst the sun 
 beams, presents to the view rainbows, that add 
 beauty to the tremendous scene. Dr. Morse. 
 
 Four miles northeast of Providence, (Rhode 
 Island) lies a small village, called Pawtucket, 
 through which runs a river of the same name. In 
 this river is a beautiful fall of water, directly over 
 which a bridge has been built, which divides Mas* 
 sachusetts from Rhode Island. The fall, in its 
 whole length, is upwards of 50 feet. The water 
 passes through several chasms in a rock, which runs 
 diametrically across the bed of the stream, and 
 serves as a dam to the water. This is a busy place, 
 and the seat of various branches of manufactures. 
 Dr. Morse. 
 
 In the Little river, a branch of the Thames, 
 (Connecticut) is a remarkable cataract. A rock, 
 10 or 12 feet in perpendicular height, extends quite 
 across the channel of the river. Over this, the 
 whole river, in one entire sheet, pitches upon a bed 
 of rock below. Here the river is compressed into 
 a very narrow channel between two craggy cliffs, 
 
145 
 
 one of which towers to a considerable height. The 
 channel descends gradually, is very crooked, and 
 covered with pointed rocks. Upon these the wa» 
 ter swiftly tumbles, foaming with the most violent 
 agitation, 15 or 20 rods, into a broad bason, which 
 spreads before it. At the bottom of the perpendic- 
 ular falls, the rocks are curiously excavated by the 
 constant pouring of the water. Some of the cavi- 
 ties, which are all of a circular form, are five or six 
 feet deep. The smoothness of the water above its 
 descent ; the regularity and beauty of the perpen- 
 dicular fall ; the tremendous roughness of the oth- 
 er, and the craggy towering cliff which impends 
 over the whole, present to the view of the spectator, 
 a scene indescribably delightful and majestic. Dr. 
 Morse. 
 
 44 The Yohiogany river," says Mr. Harris, " pur- 
 suing a north westerly course, as it passes through 
 a gap in Laurel hill, it precipitates itself over a ledge 
 of rocks, which lie nearly at right angles to the 
 course of the stream, and forms a noble cascade, 
 called the Ohiopyle falls. Dr. Rittenhouse, who 
 has published a description of these falls, accompa- 
 nied with an engraving, found the perpendicular 
 height of the cataract to be " about 20 feet," and 
 the breadth of the river 240 feet. For a consider- 
 able distance below the falls, the river is very rapid, 
 and boils and foams vehemently, occasioning a con- 
 tinual mist to arise from it. The river at this place 
 runs to the southwest, but presently winds round to 
 the northwj st, and, continuing this general course 
 for 30 or 40 miles, it loses its name by uniting with 
 
144 
 
 the Monongahela, which comes from the south- 
 ward, and contains, perhaps, twice as much water." 
 In the north part of the township of Adams, in 
 Berkshire county, (Massachusetts) is a singular cu- 
 riosity. A pretty mill stream, called Hudson's 
 brook, which rises in Vermont, and falls into the 
 north branch of Hoosuck river, has, for 30 or 40 
 rods, formed a deep channel through a quarry of 
 white marble. The hill, gradually descending to- 
 wards the south, terminates in a steep precipice, 
 down which, probably, the water once tumbled ; 
 but finding, in some places, natural chasms in the 
 rocks, and in others, wearing them away, as is evi- 
 dent from their appearance, it has formed a channel 
 in some places more than 60 feet deep. Over this 
 channel, where deepest, some of the rocks remain, 
 and form a natural bridge. From the top of this 
 bridge to the water, it is 62 feet ; its length is 
 about 12 or 15, and its breadth about 10. Partly 
 under this bridge, and about 12 feet below it is ano- 
 ther, which is wider, but not so long ; for at the 
 east end they form one body of rock, 12 or 14 feet 
 thick, and under this the water flows. It is evi- 
 dent, from the appearance of the rocks, that the wa- 
 ter, in some places, formerly flowed 40 or 50 feet 
 above its present bed. Many cavities of different 
 figures and dimensions, but generally circular, are 
 worn out in the rocks. One of these in the solid 
 rock, is about four feet in diameter, and four or five 
 feet deep ; the rock is on one side worn through at 
 the bottom. A little above the bridge, on the west 
 side of the chasm, is a cave or little room, which 
 
145 
 
 has a convenient entrance at the north, and a pas- 
 sage out at the east. From the west side of this 
 cave, a chasm extends into the hill, but soon be- 
 comes too narrow to pass. The rocks here, which 
 are mostly white, though in some places clouded 
 or streaked with other colours, appear to be of that 
 species of coarse white marble, which is common at 
 Lanesborough, and in other towns in Berkshire 
 county. Dr. Morse. 
 
 Powow river, which rises in New Hampshire, 
 deserves notice on account of its falls. At the falls, 
 the descent of the water, in the distance of 50 rods, 
 is 500 feet, and in its passage carries one bloomery, 
 five saw mills, seven grist mills, two linseed mills, 
 one fulling mill, and one snuff mill, besides several 
 wheels, auxiliary to different labours. The rapid 
 fall of the water ; the dams, at very short distances, 
 crossing the river ; the various wheels and mills a- 
 rising almost immediately one over another ; and 
 the very irregular and grotesque situation of the 
 houses, and other buildings, on the adjoining 
 grounds, give this place a romantic appearance, 
 and afford, in the whole, one of the most singular 
 views to be found in this country. Dr. Morse. 
 
 At the mouth of Queechy, commonly called Wa- 
 ter Queechy river, (Vermont) there is one of the 
 most beautiful cascades in New England. The 
 river, here about 258 feet wide, pours over a ledge 
 of rocks, 40 feet high, in an almost perpendicular 
 manner, just broken enough to throw the water in 
 every fantastical and delightful form. Dr. Morse. 
 
146 
 
 At Rockingham, (Vermont) there are some curi- 
 ous and most beautiful falls of water, called Bel- 
 low's falls : it passes over a bar of solid rock, about 
 GOO yards in a zigzag direction, and with a most 
 astonishing velocity. It is a real phenomenon, and 
 well worthy the attention of the traveller. Over 
 this fall is a good wooden bridge, built by colonel 
 Hale. Graham. 
 
 There is a remarkable fall in the Mohawk river* 
 near the small village of Cohos. This river takes 
 its rise to the northeast of lake Oneida, and after a 
 course of 140 miles^-disembogues into the Hudson 
 or North river, about 10 miles above Albany. The 
 Cohos fall is about three miles from its mouth. 
 The breadth of the river is 300 yards ; a ledge of 
 rocks extends quite across, and from the top of 
 them the water falls about 50 feet perpendicular \ 
 the line of the fall from one side of the river to the 
 other, is nearly straight. The appearance of this 
 fall varies very much, according to the quantity of 
 water ; when the river is full, the water descends 
 in an unbroken sheet from one bank to the other, 
 whilst at other times, the greater part of the rocks 
 are left uncovered. The rocks are of a remarkable 
 dark colour, and so also is the earth in the banks, 
 which rise to a great height on either side. There 
 is a very pleasing view of this cataract as you pass 
 over the bridge across the river, about three quar- 
 ters of a mile lower down. Weld. 
 
 We shall here describe two beautiful scenes in 
 the vicinity of Quebec. The one is the fall of the 
 river Montmorenci, whose stream runs into the St. 
 
147 
 
 Lawrence, about seven miles below Quebec ; the 
 other, that of the Chaudiere, whose stream joins the 
 same river, nearly at an equal distance above the 
 city. The Montmorenci runs in a very irregular 
 course, through a wide and thickly wooded coun- 
 try, over abed of broken rocks, till it comes to the 
 brink of a precipice, down which it descends in one 
 uninterrupted, and nearly perpendicular fall of 240 
 feet. The stream of water in this river, except at 
 the time of floods, is but scanty, but being broken 
 into foam by rushing with such rapidity as it does 
 over the rocks at the top of the precipice, it is there- 
 by much dilated, and in its fall, appears to be a 
 sheet of water of no inconsiderable magnitude. 
 The breadth of the river at top, lVom bank to bank 
 is about 50 feet only. In its fall, the water has the 
 exact appearance of snow, as when thrown in h 
 from the roof of a house, and it seemingly desc 
 with a very slow motion. The spray at the bottom 
 is considerable, and when the sun happens to shine 
 bright in the middle of the day, the prismatic col- 
 ours are exhibited in it, in all their variety and lustre. 
 At the bottom of the precipice, the water is confined 
 in a sort of bason, as it were, by a mass of rock, ex- 
 tending nearly across the fall, and out of this, it 
 flows with a gentle current to the St. Lawrence^ 
 which is about 300 yards distant. The banks of 
 the Montmorenci, below the precipice, are nearly 
 perpendicular on one side, and on both inaccessible 
 so that it a person be desirous of getting to the bot- 
 tom of the full, he must descend down the banks of 
 the St. Lawrence, and walk along the margin of that 
 
14S 
 
 river, till he comes to the chasm through which the 
 Montmorenci flows. To a person sailing along 
 the St. Lawrence, past the mouth of the chasm, the 
 fall appears in great beauty. 
 
 General Haldimand was so delighted with the 
 scene, that he has built a house close to this cata- 
 ract. In front of the house is a neat lawn, that runs 
 down the whole way to the St. Lawrence. There 
 is also a summer house, situated nearly at the top of 
 the fall, hanging directly over the precipice, so that 
 if a bullet were dropped from the window, it would 
 descend in a perpendicular line, at least 200 feet. 
 This house is supported by large beams of timber, 
 fixed in the sides of the chasm, and, in order to get 
 to it, you have to pass over several flights of steps, 
 and cne or two wooden galleries, which are support- 
 ed in the same manner. The view from hence is 
 tremendously grand. 
 
 The fall in the river Chaudiere is not half the 
 height of that of Montmorenci, but then it is no less 
 than 250 feet in breadth. The scenery around this 
 cataract, is much superior in every respect to that, 
 in the neighbourhood of the Montmorenci. Contig- 
 uous to the latter, there are few trees of any great 
 magnitude, and nothing is near to relieve the eye ; 
 you have the fall, and nothing but the fall to con- 
 template. The banks of La Chaudiere, on the con- 
 trary, are covered with trees of the largest growth, 
 and amidst the piles of broken rocks, which lie scat- 
 tered about the place, you have some of the wildest 
 and most romantic views imaginable. As for the 
 fall itself, its grandeur varies with the season.. 
 
149' 
 
 When the river is full, a body of water comes rush- 
 ing over the rocks of the precipice, that astonishes 
 the beholder ; but in dry weather, and, indeed, dur- 
 ing the greater part of the summer, we may say, 
 the quantity of water is but trifling. At this sea- 
 son, [August] there are few but what would prefer 
 the falls of the Montmorenci river, and we are 
 tempted to imagine that, upon the whole, the gene- 
 rality of people would give it the preference at all 
 times. Weld. 
 
 The view of the Great falls of the river of Pa- 
 towmac, from the Maryland shore, is pleasing, but 
 not so much so, as from the opposite side. u Hav- 
 ing reached the river close to the falls," says Mr. 
 WeM, u I rode along through the woods, with 
 which its banks are covered, for some distance 
 higher up, to a place where there was a ferry, and 
 where I crossed into Virginia. From the place 
 where I landed, to the falls, which is a distance of 
 about three miles, there is a wild romantic path* 
 running along the margin of the river, and winding 
 at the same time round the base of a high hill cov- 
 ered with lofty trees and rocks. Near to the shore, 
 almost the whole way, there are clusters of small 
 islands, covered with trees, which suddenly oppos- 
 ing the rapid course of the stream, form very dan- 
 gerous eddies, in which boats are frequently lost 
 when navigated by men who are not active 
 careful. On the shore prodigious heaps of white 1 
 sand are washed up by the waves ; and in many 
 places the path is rendered almost impassable by 
 piles of large trees, which have been brought d 
 M 2 
 
150 
 
 from the upper country by floods, and drifted to- 
 gether." 
 
 u The river, at the ferry, is about one mile and a 
 quarter wide, and it continues much the same 
 breadth as far as the falls, where it is considerably 
 contracted and confined in its channel by immense 
 rocks on either side. There also its course is very 
 suddenly altered, so much so indeed, that below 
 the falls for a short distance it runs in an opposite 
 direction from what it did above ; but soon after it 
 resumes its former course. The water does not 
 descend perpendicularly, excepting in one part close 
 to the Virginian shore, when the height is about 
 50 feet ; but comes rushing down with tremendous 
 impetuosity over a ledge of rocks in several differ- 
 ent falls. The best view of the cataract is from the 
 top of a pile of rocks, about 60 feet above the level 
 of the water, and which, owing to the bend in the 
 river, is situate nearly opposite to the falls. The 
 river comes from the right, then gradually turning, 
 precipitates itself down the falls, and winds along at 
 the foot of the rocks on which you stand, with great 
 velocity. The rocks are of a slate colour, and lie 
 in strata ; the surface of them in many places is 
 sparkling and glossy." 
 
 Between Newark and the Posaick river, is a 
 marsh, which extends upwards of 20 miles, and is 
 about two miles wide where you pass over it. The 
 road is here formed with large logs laid close to- 
 gether, and on each side are ditches to keep it dry. 
 The Posaick river runs close upon the borders of 
 this marsh ; and there is an excellent wooden 
 
151 
 
 bridge across it. About 15 miles above it, there is 
 a remarkable fall in the river. The river, at the 
 fall, is about 40 yards wide, and flows with a gen- 
 tle current till it comes within a few perches of the 
 edge of the fall, when it suddenly precipitates it- 
 self, in one entire sheet, over a ledge of rocks, of 
 nearly eight feet in perpendicular height : below, 
 it runs on through a chasm, formed of immense 
 rocks on each side ; they are higher than the fall, 
 and seem to have once been united together. In 
 this neighbourhood there is a mine of very rich 
 copper. Weld. 
 
 St. Anthony's falls receive their name from Fa- 
 ther Louis Hennipin, a French missionary, who 
 travelled in these parts in the year 1680, and was 
 the first European ever seen by the natives. This 
 amazing body of waters, which are about 250 yards 
 over, form a most pleasing cataract ; they fall per- 
 pendicularly about 30 feet, and the rapids below, in 
 the space of 300 yards more, render the descent 
 considerably greater ; so that when viewed at a 
 distance, they appear to be much higher than they 
 really are. In the middle of the falls stands a small 
 island about 40 feet broad, and somewhat longer, on 
 which grow a few cragged hemlock and spruce 
 trees ; and about half way between this island and 
 the eastern shore, is a rock, lying at the very edge 
 of the fall, in an oblong position, that appears to be 
 about five or six feet broad, and 30 or 40 long. 
 These falls vary muqji from all others, as you may 
 approach to them without finding the least obstruc- 
 tion from any intervening hill or precipice. The 
 
152 
 
 country around them is extremely beautiful. It Is 
 not an uninterrupted plain, where the eye finds no 
 relief ; but composed of many gentle ascents, which 
 in the summer are covered with the finest verdure, 
 and interspersed with little groves, that give a 
 pleasing variety to the prospect. On the whole, 
 when the falls are included, which may be seen at 
 the distance of four miles, a more pleasing and pic- 
 turesque view cannot be found throughout the uni- 
 verse. We have endeavoured to give the reader 
 as just an idea of this enchanting spot, as possible ; 
 but all description, whether of the pencil or the pen, 
 must fall infinitely short of the original. At a small 
 distance below the falls, stands a little island, of 
 about an acre and a half, on which grows a great 
 number of oak trees, every branch able to support 
 the weight, was full of eagles' nests. The reason 
 that this kind of bird resorts in such numbers to 
 this spot, is, that they are here secure from the at- 
 tacks either of man or beast, their retreat being 
 guarded by the rapids, which the Indians never At- 
 tempt to pass. Another reason is, that they find a 
 constant supply of food for themselves and their 
 young, from the animals and fish which are dashed 
 to pieces by the falls, and driven on the adjacent 
 coast. Carver. 
 
153 
 
 MINERAL SPRINGS. 
 
 WE shall begin this article, with an account of 
 the medicinal springs in the county of Saratoga,^ 
 as being more celebrated than any in the United 
 States. These, which are most frequented on ac- 
 count of superior accommodations, are called Balls- 
 town springs, from their being found within the 
 limits of a town of that name. They are situated 
 about 12 miles west of Stillwater, and about 14 
 from that part of the banks of the Hudson or North 
 river, famous for the victory of general Gates, over 
 general Burgoyne. They are 206 miles from the 
 city of New York, 36 north of Albany, and about 
 30 south of lake George. 
 
 These medicinal springs are found in the bottom 
 of a valley, or excavation, forming a kind of bason, 
 of about 50 acres in extent. In this hollow, grow 
 lofty pines, which are overtopped by others that cov- 
 er and ornament the hills, which rise at a greater or 
 less distance above the brim of the bason. A brook 
 runs through this singular valley, and empties itself 
 by the only natural slope in it. The woods are pret- 
 ty well cleared near the springs. There is a large 
 house for entertainment, with neat bathing houses, 
 and shower baths for the convenience of invalids. 
 
 * The compiler here acknowledges the kindness of Dr. Water- 
 house, in giving him free permission to extract from any part of 
 his excellent Manuscript Journal, containing the most accurate 
 analysis of these medicinal waters that has ever been made. 
 
154 
 
 These, together with the greatest part of this val- 
 ley, belong to a merchant of eminence in New York -> 
 (Nicholas Low, Esq.) The largest spring, how- 
 ever, belongs to the public. Sir William Johnson 
 made this benevolent reservation, when he sold this 
 tract of land to private individuals. In tracing the 
 history of these medicinal springs, I could only 
 learn that an Indian chief discovered them to a sick 
 French officer, in the early part of their wars with 
 the English. But whether they were these very 
 springs in this bason, or those at ten miles distance, 
 properly called the Saratoga springs, I know not. 
 
 The soil, for half a dozen miles round this 
 place, is poor and sandy, producing little less than 
 pine trees, shrub oaks, fern, and mullen. In the 
 neighbouring hills, ores have been accidently found, 
 especially iron and copper, or rather what the min- 
 eralogists call ferruginous and capreous pyrites. 
 These have been accidentally discovered ; for in a 
 country like this, covered with wood, there is yet 
 no temptation, to explore the earth beyond its sur- 
 face for fuel. 
 
 The valley of Ballstown and its environs may be 
 made an enchanting spot, equal, nay superior in 
 some respects, to any of the watering places in Eu- 
 rope. There is, for example, a smaller bason, so 
 near to the one already mentioned, that were they 
 of equal size, their two circles would form the fig- 
 ure 8. This small bason is so regular in its form, 
 as to seem the result of art, rather than nature. It 
 is not improbable, that in this hollow, a spring of 
 water similar 'to that in the large bason, may be dis.- 
 
155 
 
 covered, and be converted, by the hand of taste, in- 
 to an ornamental fountain. A little higher up, or- 
 chestras for music may be erected, and even houses 
 for entertainment built on the very brim of this bowl 
 of nature's forming. 
 
 The Kayaderassorss river, which is about 10 
 yards wide, gives several hints to the man of taste, 
 to turn its waters to the use and beauty of the fu- 
 ture town which these medicinal springs will one 
 day raise in this place. 
 
 The medicinal waters which have made this spot 
 so famous of late, are remarkably limpid, consid- 
 ering they contain iron, and mineral alkali, common 
 salt, and lime. They are brisk and sparkling, like 
 champaigne. In drinking, they strike the nose and 
 palate, like bottled cyder ; and slightly affect the 
 head of some people, by their inebriating quality. 
 They derive this exhilerating property, from what 
 some philosophers call the spiritus mineralis ; or 
 what Bergman calls the aerial acid ; Fourcroy, the 
 cretacious acid; and Dr. Priestly, fixed air ; and 
 is that animating something which gives activity to 
 yeast, and life to malt liquors. It is used in the 
 neighbourhood of the springs, instead of yeast, in 
 making bread, and is found to raise it more speed- 
 ily and effectually than any other ferment in ordi- 
 nary use. 
 
 Its purity gives it a decided preference over the 
 sediment of beer, which is the leaven commonly 
 used by families who make their own bread. Horses 
 drink these waters with avidity. 
 
 The effects on flame and on animal life, which the 
 
156 
 
 philosopher expects to find from the well known 
 properties of fixed air, the ignorant country people 
 consider with different sensations. They see with 
 astonishment, that a candle will not burn near the 
 surface of these waters ; that fish and frogs are 
 killed in a few minutes, and that geese and ducks 
 cannot swim in these springs but a few minutes, 
 before they expire ! 
 
 These waters are apt to burst bottles when cork- 
 ed in very hot weather, especially during a thunder 
 storm ; but with care may be transported in bottles 
 to any distance. These waters boil with a very 
 moderate degree of heat ; they are, nevertheless, 
 remarkably cold ; for when the mercury of Fahren- 
 heit's thermometer stood at 86 in the open air, and 
 79 in the brook running near the spring ; it stood 
 in one of those mineral springs at 49, and in the 
 other at 51. The first was constantly secluded 
 from the rays of the sun ; the last always exposed 
 without a covering. 
 
 The most celebrated chalybeate waters in Europe 
 are, 1st the Pyrmont, from a town so called in the 
 circle of Westphalia, just on the confines of Bruns- 
 wick ; £d the Spa, (or, as we pronounce it, Spaw) 
 which is a beautiful village in the bishopric of 
 Leige, in Flanders ; and 3d the Seltzer, from a 
 town of that name in the archbishopric of Triers, 
 in Germany. The Pyrmont is the richest of all 
 the chalybeates ; the Spaw is the next, and these 
 are they which very near resemble the waters of 
 Ballstown, in the county of Saratoga, in taste, 
 chymical analysis, and medicinal virtues. 
 
157 
 
 The Pyrmont water, the Spaw, and the Seltzer, 
 form a considerable article of commerce. 
 
 The Saratoga waters are equally precious, and 
 m^y become as valuable, in a commercial view, in 
 the United States, as the former are in Europe, 
 when they are drank ; not merely medicinally, but 
 as a luxury. A few men of opulence and enter- 
 prize might give our chalybeates a circulation 
 through ihe United States, which would be as lu- 
 crative to them, as beneficial to the public. Physi- 
 cians seldom direct their patients to drink more 
 than three quarts of these waters in 12 hours ; some? 
 who visit these springs, drink the enormous quan- 
 tity of three gallons, and even more, in a day. 
 Cold as they are, they may be drunken with safety 
 in the hottest weather, owing to that exhilarating 
 volatile spirit already mentioned. They increase 
 every natural excavation, and what is a little extra- 
 ordinary, they are cathartic, diuretic, and sudorific, 
 at the same time. On the first trial they are apt to 
 disagree with many people ; they create uneasiness 
 in the stomach and bowels, and cause a heat in the 
 glands of the throat, until they begin to pass off free- 
 ly by the kidneys. Then they become pleasant, and 
 operate agreeably. They blacken the teeth, and 
 also the alvine faces. They are deemed specific in 
 anorexia, or want of appetite ; and in dyspepsia, or 
 difficulty of digestion. They are highly servicea- 
 ble in most hypochondriac cases, and are equally 
 . serviceable in some difficulties and obstructions, 
 which will be more particularly mentioned hereaf- 
 ter. They give relief in the stone and gravel. Their 
 o 
 
158 
 
 credit is not so well established in the gout, nor in 
 the rheumatism. They are manifestly prejudicial 
 to the consumptive, and to the constitutions or 
 habits that are prone to inflammations. Their use 
 occasions heats in the glands of the throat, and 
 stiffness of the neck ; and In such as are subject to 
 teeth ache, an aggravation of the pain. 
 
 They are highly and justly celebrated in cutane- 
 ous diseases ; but here discretion is requisite. 
 They throw out pimples in those who have them 
 not ; and increase all irruptions already out. They 
 inflame sores, which render it necessary to drop 
 their use for a few days, and then begin again ; at 
 length they cease to have this effect, the sores dry 
 up, and they vanish. Exercise in a carriage, or on 
 horseback, generally assists their salutary opera- 
 tion. But much cannot and ought not to be ex> 
 pected without temperance, especially in eating. 
 
 Thousands drink and bathe in these Saratoga wa- 
 ters (for by that name I include those at Ballstown 
 as well as those in the limits of the town of Sarato- 
 ga) in the course of a year : the majority declare 
 themselves pleased and benefited by their use ; 
 many reap no advantage whatever, and some are 
 destroyed by them. In fine, they are a very pow- 
 erful and precious remedy in the hands of the judi- 
 cious, and ought to be enumerated among the most 
 valuable productions of our country. 
 
 About 15 miles from Ballstown valley, and with- 
 in the limits of the town of Saratoga, there is a clus- 
 ter of springs, which are more properly called Sara- 
 toga Springs. They are situated in a shallow vale, 
 
159 
 
 •r marsh, in several respects resembling those of 
 Ballstown. These waters appear to have received 
 as strong if not stronger impregnation of the same 
 kind of ingredients that enter those of Ballstown, 
 and may be a stream of the same fountain running 
 through the same kind of calcareous earth. One of 
 these springs is covered by a natural cretacious, or 
 rather calcareous pyramid, about five or six feet 
 high. This hollow pyramid, or cone, has a hollow 
 in the top about six inches over. If we look into 
 the hole we see the mineral water boiling vehe- 
 mently like a pot over the fire ; the water is never- 
 theless intensely cold ; and is, I think, in every 
 respect, smarter than at Ballstown. The calcare- 
 ous matter extends for several rods from the basis 
 of the pyramid. There are several idle stories re- 
 lated of this spring. One is, that it overflows at 
 certain stages of the moon. This is not true. As 
 this is found to be false, they tell you it overflows 
 once a year ; but this I believe has as little founda- 
 tion in truth as the other. People who live at these 
 springs think they must relate something marvel- 
 lous, by way of enhancing the value of the waters, 
 and reconciling you to the great expense attending 
 these visits. 
 
 There is another medicinal spring at the pleasant 
 village of New Lebanon, which is situated partly ia 
 a vale, and partly on the declivity of hills. 
 
 The spring discovers itself on a commanding 
 eminence, overlooking a fine valley, and surround- 
 ed with several good houses, which afford much 
 better accomodations for the valetudinarian?, than 
 
160 
 
 are to be found at any of the springs in the county 
 of Saratoga. I confess rc^seif at a loss to deter- 
 mine the contents of these waters by chymical analy- 
 sis, or any of the ordinary tests. I suspect this im- 
 pregnation is from some cause weakened. Except- 
 ing from their warmth, which is about that of new 
 milk, I should never have suspected them to come 
 under the head of medicinal waters. They are 
 used for the various purposes of cookery, and for 
 common drink by the neighbours ; and I never 
 could discover any other effects from drinking them, 
 than what we might expect from rain or river water 
 of that temperature. 
 
 There was no visible change produced in this 
 w ater by the addition of an alkali, nor by a solution 
 of alum ; nor was any effervescence raised by the 
 oil of vitriol ; neither did it change the colours of 
 gold, silver, or copper ; nor did it redden beef or 
 mutton boiled in it ; nor did it extract black tinc- 
 ture from galls ; neither did it curdle milk, the 
 whites of eggs or soap. 
 
 The qualities of the waters of the pool at Leba- 
 non is, therefore, very different from those of Sara- 
 toga. These are mild, and warmish, those very 
 cold, smart and exhilarating. 
 
 Frogs are found in the pool of Lebanon, and 
 plants grow and flourish in and around it ; but 
 plants will not grow within the vapour of those of 
 Saratoga, and as for small animals, they soon ex- 
 pire in it. Hence we conclude that, spiritas mi?i- 
 ercjis, which seme call aerial acid, or fixed air, 
 abounds in the one, but not in the other. 
 
161 
 
 Yet the Lebanon is famous for having wrought 
 many cures, especially in rheumatisms, stiff joints, 
 and scabby eruptions, and even in visceral obstruc- 
 tions and indigestions ; all of which is very proba- 
 ble. If a person who has brought on a train of 
 chronic complaints, by intemperance in eating and 
 drinking, should swallow four or five quarts of rain 
 or river water in a day, he would not feel so keen 
 an appetite for animal food, or thirst for spirituous 
 liquors. Hence such a course of water drinking, 
 will open obstructions, rince out impurities, render 
 perspiration free, and thus remove the unnatural 
 load from the animal machine, which causes and 
 keeps up its disorders. Possibly, however, there 
 may be something so subtile in these waters as to 
 elude the scrutinizing hand of the chymists, since 
 they all allow that the analysis cf mineral waters is 
 one among the most difficult things in the chym- 
 ical art." 
 
 In the new town of Renssalaer, nearly opposite 
 the city of Albany, a medicinal spring has lately 
 been discovered, combining most of the valuable 
 properties of the celebrated waters of Saratoga. 
 Should further experiments confirm the favourable 
 opinion already entertained of this spring, it will 
 prove a fortunate discovery for the city of Albany, 
 and for the country adjoining, as well as for the in* 
 valids who annually resort to Saratoga, under many 
 inconveniences, and at a great expense. 
 
 At Stafford, in the county of Tolland (Connecti- 
 cut) is a mineral spring which has obtained con- 
 siderable celebrity. It is situated at the foot of 
 o2 
 
162 
 
 a lofty hill, near the western branch of the Willa- 
 inantick, and about 25 rods from the confluence of 
 the several streams which form that river. The 
 spring- was known and used by the Indian natives. 
 When setting out on their hunting parties, from 
 the southward, they for many years after the settle- 
 ment of the town, used to resort to the spring to 
 erect wigwams in the neighbourhood, and to drink 
 of and bathe in the water. It was not till the years 
 1765 and 1767, that the waters began to be consid- 
 erably used by the English. For a number of 
 years the spring was visited by large numbers from 
 various parts of the country. The resort to it has 
 continued every year to the present time ; and for 
 two or three years past has been greatly increasing. 
 The mineral water cf Stafford is very strongly chaly- 
 beate. It is undoubtedly more highly impregnated 
 with iron, than any other water yet discovered in this 
 country. The carbonic acid is, in this water, the 
 solvent of the iron. The water has also been 
 found to contain a small portion of the sulphurated 
 hydrogen gas. The sirup of violets, and other 
 purple vegetable juices, instantly strike the water a 
 beautiful green. Powder of the galls of Aleppo, of 
 Peruvian and white oak bark, and hyson tea, on be- 
 ing mixed with it, almost immediately produce a 
 brilliant purple tinge. Caustic, fixed alkali, throws 
 down a precipitate of a reddish brown colour. 
 Silver, on being wet with the water, acquires a 
 blackish hue. Prussiates of lime and potash pro- 
 duce in it a very discernible blue tinge. Two gal- 
 lons of water afford by evaporation 12 grains of 
 
163 
 
 sediment. The temperature of the water by Fah- 
 renheit's thermometer, is from 50 to 52\ This is 
 nearly the same in every season of the year. It 
 never freezes at the fountain in the coldest weather* 
 Its taste, when first taken from the spring, is lively 
 and somewhat pungent, and its appearance perfect- 
 ly transparent. Being removed a few hours, it 
 grows turbid and mawkish to the taste. When 
 the water has been suffered to stand a considerable 
 time in the bathing vats, the whole surface is cover- 
 ed with a shining pellicle, exhibiting the various 
 colours of the rainbow, and a very copious sedi- 
 ment of a reddish brown colour, and apparently of 
 the ferruginous kind, is deposited at the bottom, 
 and adheres to the sides of the vats. This phe- 
 nomenon undoubtedly arises from the extrication 
 of the carbonic acid, by which the iron contained in 
 the water is held in solution. The effects of the 
 water when used as a remedy are various. To al- 
 most all, it proves diuretic. It sometimes operates 
 as a cathartic, frequently excites a nausea, and 
 sometimes proves emetic. It is generally in a 
 greater or less degree, diaphoretic. This water 
 has been highly celebrated for the cure of cutaneous 
 affections. When used with prudence, and persist- 
 ed in for a sufficient space of time, a failure in ob- 
 taining relief, in those generally obstinate and very 
 troublesome complaints, rarely happened. In drop- 
 sical affections, in the gout, rheumatism, piles, in 
 the foulest ulcers, of the scorbutic, scrophulous, and 
 even cancerous kinds, in loss of appetite, an impair- 
 ed state of the digestive faculties, in loss of motion 
 
164 
 
 from paralytic affections, in long continued weak- 
 nesses of the eyes, in nervous headaches, and in all 
 those peculiar female cases, where a strong and 
 powerfully aperient chalybeate can be considered 
 as a proper remedy, the mineral waters of Stafford 
 have been found highly beneficial. The prospects 
 in the immediate vicinity of the spring, are most 
 6trikingly picturesque. Great inconvenience was 
 formerly suffered by visitors, from the almost total 
 want of accommodations in the vicinity of the 
 spring ; but that evil is now in a good degree re- 
 moved. Dr. Morse. 
 
 The Green springs are also celebrated for their 
 medicinal qualities. They lie about 20 miles 
 from Columbia, (Virginia) on the road running al- 
 most wholly through a pine forest. In the neigh- 
 bourhood of the springs, beside the tavern and the 
 quarters of the slaves, there is but one more build- 
 ing at this place. This is a large farm house, where 
 people that resort to these springs, are accommo- 
 dated with lodgings, about as good as those at the 
 tavern, which are wretched indeed. These habita- 
 tions stand in the centre of a cleared spot of land of 
 about 50 acres, surrounded with wood. The 
 springs are just on the margin of the wood, at the 
 bottom of a slope, which begins at the houses, and 
 are covered with a few boards, merely to keep the 
 leaves from falling in. The waters are chalybeate ^ 
 and are drank chiefly by persons from the low coun- 
 try, whose constitutions have been relaxed by the 
 heats of summer. Weld. 
 
165 
 
 In the western part of Botetourt county, situated 
 in the same state, in a delightful climate, are seve- 
 ral medicinal springs, whereto numbers of people 
 resort towards the latter end of summer, as much 
 for the sake of escaping the heat in the low country, 
 as for drinking the waters. Those most frequent- 
 ed are called the Sweet springs, and are situated at 
 the foot of the Alleghany mountains. During the 
 last season, upwards of 200 persons resorted to 
 them with servants and horses. The accommoda- 
 tions at the springs are most wretched at present ; 
 but a set of gentlemen from South Carolina have, 
 it is said, purchased the place, and are going to erect 
 several commodious dwellings in the neighbour- 
 hood for the reception of company. 
 
 Beside these springs, there are others in Jack- 
 son's mountain, a ridge which runs between the 
 Blue mountains and the Alleghany. One of the 
 springs here is warm, and another quite hot ; a few 
 paces from the latter, a spring of common water is- 
 sues from the earth, but which, from the contrast, 
 is generally thought to be as remarkable for its 
 coldness, as the water of the adjoining one is for 
 its heat. There is also a sulphur spring near these ; 
 leaves of trees falling into it become thickly incrust- 
 ed with sulphur in a very short time, and silver is 
 turned black almost immediately. At a future pe- 
 riod the medicinal qualities of all those springs 
 will probably be accurately ascertained ; at present 
 they are but very little known. As for the relief 
 obtained by those persons that frequent the Sweet 
 springs, in particular, it is strongly conjectured that 
 
166 
 
 they arc more indebted for it to the change of the 
 climate, than to the rare qualities of the waters. 
 
 Weld. 
 There is a sulphur spring on Howard's creek, or 
 Green Briar. In the low grounds of the Great 
 Kanhaway, seven miles above the mouth of Elk 
 river, is a singular curiosity. It is a hole in the 
 earth of the capacity of 30 or 40 gallons, from 
 which issues constantly a bituminous vapour, in so 
 strong a current, as to give to the sand about it* 
 orifice the motion which it has in a boiling spring. 
 On presenting a lighted candle or torch within 1 8 
 inches of the hole, k flames up in a column of 18 
 J nches diameter, and four or five feet in height, 
 which sometimes burns out within 20 minutes, and 
 at other times has been known to continue three 
 days, and then has been still left burning. The 
 flame is unsteady, of the density of that of burning 
 spirits, and smells like burning pit coal. Water 
 sometimes collects in the bason, which is remarka- 
 bly cold, and is kept in ebullition by the vapor issu- 
 ing through it. If the vapor be fired in that state, 
 the water soon becomes so warm, that the hand 
 cannot bear it, and evaporates wholly in a short 
 time. Jefferson. 
 
 The Burning spring, in the western parts of Vir- 
 ginia, is an extraordinary curiosity. It was known 
 a long time to the hunters. They frequently en- 
 camped by it for the sake of obtaining good water. 
 Some of them arrived late one night, and, after 
 making a fire, took a brand to light them to the 
 spring. On their coming to it, some fire dropped 
 
167 
 
 from the brand, and in an instant the water was in 
 aflame, and so continued ; over which they could 
 roast their meat as soon as by the greatest fire. It 
 was left in this situation, and continued burning for 
 three months without intermission. The fire was 
 extinguished by excluding the air from it, or smoth- 
 ering it. The water taken from it in a vessel will 
 not burn. This shews that the fire is occasioned 
 by nothing more than a vapour that ascends from 
 the water. Dr. Morse. 
 
 After these, may be mentioned the Natural Well, 
 on the lands of a Mr. Lewis, in Frederick county. 
 It is somewhat larger than a common w v_Il ; the 
 water rises in it as near the surface of the earth as 
 in the neighbouring artificial wells, and is of a depth 
 as yet unknown. It is said there is a current in it 
 tending sensibly downwards. If this be true, it 
 probably feeds some fountain, of which it is the 
 natural reservoir, distinguished from others, like 
 that of Madison's, by being inaccessible. It is 
 used with a bucket and windlas, as an ordinary welL 
 Dr. Morse. 
 
 There is a creek in the northern parts of Penn- 
 sylvania, called Oil creek, which empties into the 
 Alleghany river. It issues from a spring, on the 
 top of which floats an oil, similar to that called Bar. 
 badoes tar ; and from which one man may gather sev- 
 en gallons in a day. The troops sent to guard the 
 western posts, halted at this spring, collected some 
 of the oil, and bathed their joints with it. This 
 gave them great relief from the rheumatic com- 
 plaints with which they were afflicted. The wa- 
 
168 
 
 ters, of which the troops drank freely, operated as 
 a gentle cathartic. Dr. Morse. 
 
 Dr. Hunter and Mr. Dunba* i Louisiana in 
 
 the autumn of 1803, and beginning of 1804. Ac- 
 cording to him the country abounds in salt springs, 
 some of which are of equal strength with the water 
 of the ocean. He visited the famous medicinal 
 or hot springs of Ouachitta, and found them a- 
 mongst the greatest natural curiosities in the coun- 
 try. They issue from a hill, or mountain, of up- 
 wards of 200 feet in height, and near 100 from its 
 base ; and on immersing the thermometer, it rose 
 in some to 130, and, in others, to 150 degrees, Fah- 
 renheit ; the surface of the ground, for some dis- 
 tance round, is so warm, as to be felt by the feet in 
 passing over it, and snow melts on it immediately 
 as it falls. The doctor is of opinion, that they pos- 
 sess extraordinary medicinal virtues. Dr. Morse. 
 
 A few miles distant from Long lake, (Florida) is 
 a vast fountain of hot mineral water, which issues 
 from a high ridge on the river St. Juans, in a great 
 cove, or bay, a few miles above the mouth of the 
 creek, which you ascend from the lake. It boils up 
 with great force, forming immediately a vast circu- 
 lar bason, capacious enough for several shallops to 
 ride in, and runs with rapidity into the river 3, or.. 
 400 yards distant. The creek, which is formed 
 instantly by this admirable fountain, is wide and 
 deep enough for a sloop to sail up into the bason. 
 The water is perfectly diaphanous, and here are 
 continually a great variety of fish ; they appear as 
 plain, as though lying before your eyes, although 
 
169 
 
 many feet deep in the water. This tepid water has 
 a most disagreeable taste, brassy, and vitriolic, and 
 very offensive to the smell, much like bilge water, 
 or the washing of a gun barrel, and is smelt at a 
 great distance, A pale bluish or pearl coloured co- 
 agulum covers every inanimate substance that lies 
 in the water, as logs, limbs of trees, &c. Alligators 
 and gar are numerous in the bason, as also many 
 other tribes of fish. The forbidding taste and smell 
 of these waters seem to be owing to vitriolic and 
 sulphureous fumes or vapours, and these being con- 
 densed, form this coagulum, which represents 
 flakes of pearly clouds in the clear waters in the ba- 
 son. A charming orange grove, with magnolias, 
 oaks, and palms, half surround this vast fountain. 
 A delightful stream of water issues from the ridge , 
 meandering along, and enters the creek just below 
 the bason. Bartram. 
 
 Six Miles springs is a singular curiosity, situated 
 a small distance up the Little river, which falls into 
 St. George's lake. This enchanting fountain throws 
 up, from dark, rocky caverns below, tons of water 
 every minute, forming a bason, capacious enough 
 for shallops to ride in, and a creek of four or five 
 feet depth of water, and 20 yards over, which runs 
 six miles through green meadows, pouring its lim- 
 pid waters into the great lake George, where they 
 remain unmixed. About 20 yards from the upper 
 edge of the bason, and directly opposite the mouth 
 of the creek, is a continual ebullition, where the wa- 
 ters are thrown up in such abundance and force, as 
 to jet and swell up two or three feet above the sur- 
 p 
 
170 
 
 face : white sand, and small particles of shells are 
 thrown up with the waters, near the top, when they 
 diverge from the centre, subside with the expand- 
 ing flood, and sink again, forming a large funnel 
 round about the aperture, or mouth of the fountain, 
 which is a vast perforation through a bed of rocks. 
 Here you behold a vast circular expanse of water, 
 where, at the same instant, numerous bands of fish 
 are seen, some clothed in the most brilliant col- 
 ours : the voracious crocodile, stretched along at 
 full length, as the great trunk of a tree, the devour- 
 ing garfish, inimical trout, and all the varieties of 
 gilded bream, the barbed catfish, stingray, skate, and 
 flounder, spotted bass, sheep's head, and omnious 
 drum, all in their respective bands, with free inter- 
 course performing their evolutions ; there are no 
 signs of enmity, no attempts to devour each other ; 
 the different bands seem peaceably to move a little 
 aside, as it were, to make room for the others to pass 
 by. Bartram. 
 
 The Alligator hole, about 12 miles from the riv- 
 er Little St. Juan's, lately formed by an extraordi- 
 nary eruption, is one of those vast circular sinks, 
 described by Bartram. This is on the verge of a 
 spacious meadow ; some detached groups of rocks, 
 and large spreading live oaks, shade it on every side ; 
 it is about 60 yards over, and the surface of the wa- 
 ter six or seven feet below the bason ; the water is 
 cool, and pleasant to drink, and well stored with fish. 
 The account of this eruption, by a person who was 
 present, and which was confirmed by the Indians, 
 is thus. Being near the place, before it had any 
 
1M 
 
 existence in its present form, as he was looking for 
 horses in these parts, he was astonished by a rush- 
 ing noise, like a mighty hurricane, and looking 
 round, saw the earth overflowed by torrents of wa- 
 ter, which came, wave after wave, rushing down a 
 vale near him, which it filled with water, and soon 
 began to overwhelm the higher grounds, attended 
 with a terrific noise and tremour of the earth ; re- 
 covering from his surprise, he resolved to proceed 
 for the place from whence the noise seemed to 
 come, and soon came in sight of the fountain, and 
 saw, with amazement, the floods rushing upwards 
 many feet high, and the waters spreading themselves 
 far and near. He at length concluded, that the 
 fountains of the deep were again broken up, and 
 that an universal deluge had commenced, and in- 
 stantly fled to alarm the town, about nine miles dis- 
 tant ; but before he could reach it, he met several of 
 the inhabitants, who, already alarmed by the noise, 
 were hurrying on toward the place ; upon which he 
 returned with them : taking their stand on an emi- 
 nence to watch its progress, and the event. It con- 
 tinued to jet and flow in this manner several days, 
 forming a large, rapid creek or river, descending and 
 following the windings of the valley for seven or 
 eight miles, emptying itself into a vast savanna, 
 where was a lake, which received and gave vent to 
 its waters. The fountain, however, gradually ceas- 
 ed to overflow, and finally withdrew itself beneath 
 the surface of the earth, leaving this capacious ba- 
 son of waters, which, though continually near full, 
 kas never since overflowed. There yet remains 
 
172 
 
 the dry bed of the canal, generally four, five, and 
 six feet below the natural surface of the land ; the 
 perpendicular, ragged banks of which, on each side, 
 shew the different strata of the earth, and, at places 
 where ridges, or a swelling bank crossed and oppos- 
 ed its course and fury, are vast heaps of fragments 
 of rocks, white chalk, stones, and pebbles, which 
 were collected and thrown into the lateral vallies* 
 until the main stream prevailed over and forced 
 them aside, overflowing the levels and meadows, for 
 some miles distance from the principal stream. 
 
 -*«ISKS^Sa«W^--* 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS CURIOSITIES. 
 
 AS there are many interesting articles that would 
 not with propriety, come under any of the above 
 heads, we thought it most proper to include them, 
 under the general denomination of Miscellaneous 
 Curiosities, and shall first begin with an account of 
 the passage of the Patowmac through the Blue 
 ridge, which Mr. Jefferson classes among the most 
 sublime scenes in nature.* 
 
 * A late ingenious 'traveller, Mr. Weld, does not seem to think 
 tins scene is so stupendous. * The passage," says he, u of the riven 
 through the ridge at this place i9 certainly a curious scene, and de- 
 serving of attention ; but I am far from thinking with Mr. Jeffer- 
 son, that it is " one of the most stupendous scenes in nature, and 
 worth a voyage acro»« the Atlantic f mot kas it been wj lot t* 
 
its 
 
 You place yourself on a very high point of land. 
 On your right comes up the Shenandoah, having 
 ranged along the foot of the mountain a hundred 
 miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the 
 Patowmac, in quest of a passage also. In the mo- 
 ment of their junction, they rush together against 
 the mountain, rend it asunder, and pass off to the 
 sea. The first glance of this scene hurries our 
 senses into the opinion, that this earth has been 
 created in time, that the mountains were formed 
 first, that the rivers began to flow afterwards, that 
 in this place particularly, they have been dammed 
 up by the Blue ridge of mountains, which have 
 formed an ocean which filled the whole valley ; that 
 continuing to rise, they have at length broken over 
 at this spot, and have torn the mountain down from 
 its summit to its base. The piles of rocks on each 
 hand, but particularly on the Shenandoah, the evi- 
 dent marks of their disrupture, and avulsion from 
 
 meet with any person that had been a spectator of the scene, after 
 reading his description of it, but what also differed with him very 
 materially in opinion. To find numberless scenes more stupen- 
 dous, it would be needless to go farther than Wales. A river, it is 
 true, is not to be met with, in that country, equal in size to the 
 Patowmac, but many are to be seen there rushing over their stony 
 beds with more turbulence and impetuosity, than either the Pa- 
 towmac or Shenandoah. The rocks, the precipices, and the moun- 
 tains of the Blue ridge, at this place, are diminutive and uninterest- 
 ing also, compared with those which abound in that country. In- 
 deed, from every part of Mr. Jefferson's description, it appears as 
 if he had beheld the scene, not in its present state, but at the very 
 moment when the disruption happened, and when every thing wa* 
 in a state of tumult and confuiio»." 
 P 2 
 
174 
 
 their beds by the most powerful agents of nature, 
 corroborate the impression. But the distant fin- 
 ishing which nature has given to the picture, is of 
 a very different character. It is a true contrast to 
 the foreground. It is as placid and delightful, as 
 that is wild and tremendous : for the mountain 
 being cloven asunder, she presents to your eye, 
 through the clift, a small catch of smooth blue hori- 
 zon, at an infinite distance in the plain country j in- 
 viting you, as it were, from the riot and tumultuous 
 roaring around, to pass through the breach and 
 participate of the calm below. Here it ultimately 
 composes itself ; and that way too the road hap- 
 pens actually to lead. You cross the Patowmac 
 above the junction, pass along its side through the 
 base of the mountain for three miles, its terrible 
 precipices hanging in fragments over you, and 
 within about 20 miles reach Fredericktown, and 
 the fine country around it. This scene so stupen- 
 dous ! so worthy the attention of all ! yet here are 
 people who have passed their lives within half a 
 dozen miles, and have never been to surrey these 
 monuments of a war between rivers and mountains, 
 which must have shaken the earth itself to its cen- 
 tre. The height of these mountains have never 
 been ascertained with any degree of exactness- 
 The Alleghany being the great ridge which divides 
 the waters of the Atlantic from those of the Missi- 
 sippi, its summit is doubtless more elevated above 
 the ocean than that of any other mountain. But its 
 relative height, compared with the base on which it 
 stands, is not so great as that of some others j the 
 
17o 
 
 tountry rising behind the successive ridges like the 
 steps of stairs. The mountains of the Blue ridge, 
 and of those of the Peaks of Otter^ are thought to 
 be of a greater height, measuring from their base, 
 than any others in the country, and perhaps in the 
 United States. From data upon which may be 
 formed a tolerable conjecture, we suppose the high- 
 est peak to be about 4000 feet perpendicular, which 
 is not a fifth part of the height of the mountains of 
 South America. Jefferson. 
 
 The Tennessee, which rises in the mountains of 
 Virginia, is the largest branch of the Ohio. The 
 whirl or sack is the place where this river breaks 
 through the Great ridge, or Cumberland mountain, 
 
 * Mr. Weld's idea is, that the height ascribed to the Peaks of 
 Otter is rather exaggerated. "According to Mr. Jefferson, the prin- 
 cipal peak is about 4000 feet in perpendicular height ; but it 
 must be observed, that Mr. Jefferson does not say that he measured 
 the height himself ; on the contrary, he acknowledges that the 
 height of the mountains in America have never yet been ascertain- 
 ed with any degree of exactness ; it is only from certain data from 
 which he says, a tolerable conjecture may be formed, that he sup- 
 poses this to be the loftiest peak. Positively to assert that this 
 peak is not so high, without having measured it in any manner, 
 would be absurd ; as I did not measure it, I do not therefore pre- 
 tend to contradict Mr. Jefferson ; I have only to say, that the most 
 elevated of the Peaks of Otter, appeared to me but a very insignifi- 
 cant mountain in comparison with Snowden, in Wales, and every 
 person that I conversed with that had seen both, and I conversed 
 with many, made the same remark. Now the highest Peak of 
 Snowden is found by triangular admeasurement to be no more than 
 3568 feet, reckoning from the quay at Carnarvon. None of tkc 
 other mountains in the Blue ridge are supposed, from the same 
 data, to be more than 2,000 feet in perpendicular height." 
 
ire 
 
 in latitude about 35°, and is reckoned a greater cu- 
 riosity than the bursting of the Patowmac through 
 the Blue ridge. The river which a few miles 
 above is half a mile wide, is here compressed to 
 the width of about 70 yards. Just as it enters the 
 mountain, a large rock projects from the northern 
 shore, in an oblique direction, which renders the 
 bed of the river still narrower, and causes a double 
 bend ; the water of the river is of course thrown with 
 great rapidity against the southern shore, whence 
 it rebounds around the point of the rock, and pro- 
 duces a whirl, which is about 80 yards in circum- 
 ference. Canoes have often been carried into this 
 whirl, and escaped by the dexterity of the rowers, 
 without damage. In less than a mile below the 
 whirl, the river spreads into its common width, and, 
 except muscle shoals, flows beautiful and placid, 
 until it mingles with the Ohio. Dr. Morse. 
 
 The Rock bridge, in the county of Rockbridge, 
 (Virginia) may also be classed among the greatest 
 curiosities in the United States. It stands about 
 10 miles from Fluvanna river, and about the same 
 distance from the Blue ridge. It extends across 
 a deep cleft in a mountain, which by some great 
 convulsion of nature, has been split asunder from 
 top to bottom, and it seems to have been left there 
 purposely to afford a passage from one side of the 
 chasm to the other. The cleft or chasm is about 
 two miles long, and is in some places upwards of 
 300 feet deep ; the depth varies according to th« 
 height of the mountain, being deepest where the 
 mountain is most lofty. The breadth of the chasm 
 
177 
 
 also varies in different places ; but in ever} 7 part it 
 it is uniformly wider at top, than towards the bot- 
 tom. That the two sides of the chasm were once 
 united, appears evident, not only from projecting 
 rocks on the one side, corresponding with suitable 
 cavities on the other, but also from the different 
 strata of earth, sand, clay, &c. being exactly similar 
 from top to bottom on both sides ; but by what great 
 agent they were separated, whether by fire or by 
 water, remains hidden amongst those arcana of na- 
 ture, which we vainly endeavour to develope. 
 
 The arch consists of a sold mass of stone, or of 
 several stones cemented so strongly together, that 
 they appear but as one. This mass, it is to be sup- 
 posed, at the time that the hill was rent asunder, was 
 drawn across the fissure from adhering closely to 
 one side, and being loosened from its bed of earth 
 at the opposite one. It seems as probable that th« 
 mass of stone forming the arch was thus forcibly 
 plucked from one side, and drawn across the fissure, 
 as that the hill should have remained disunited at 
 this one spot from top to bottom, and that a passage 
 should afterward have been forced through it by- 
 water. The road leading to the bridge runs through 
 a thick wood, and up a hill ; having ascended which, 
 nearly to the top, you pause for a moment at find- 
 ing a sudden discontinuance of the trees at one 
 side ; but the amazement which fills the mind is 
 great indeed, when, on going a few paces towards 
 the part which appears thus open, you find yourself 
 on the brink of a tremendous precipice. You in- 
 voluntarily draw back, stare round, then again come 
 
ITS 
 
 forward to satisfy yourself that what you have seen 
 is real, and not the illusions of fancy. You now 
 perceive, that you are upon the top of the bridge, 
 to the very edge of which, on one side, you may 
 approach with safety, and look down into the abyss, 
 being protected from falling by a parapet of fixed 
 rocks. The walls, as it were, of the bridge at this 
 side are so perpendicular, that a person leaning 
 over the parapet of rock might let fall a plummet 
 from the hand to the very bottom of the chasm. 
 On the opposite side this is not the case, nor is 
 there any parapet ; but from the edge of the road, 
 which runs over the bridge, is a gradual slope to 
 the brink of the chasm, upon which it is somewhat 
 dangerous to venture. This slope is thickly cov^ 
 ered with large trees, principally cedars and pines. 
 The opposite side was also well furnished with 
 trees formerly, but all those that grew near the edge 
 of the bridge have been cut down by different peo- 
 ple, for the sake of seeing them tumble to the bot- 
 tom. Before the trees were destroyed in this mau- 
 ner, you might have passed over the bridge without 
 having had any idea of being upon it ; for the 
 breadth of it is no less than 80 feet. The road 
 runs nearly in the middle, and is frequented dailjr 
 by waggons. 
 
 At the distance of a few yards from the bridge, 
 a narrow path appears, winding along the sides of 
 the fissure, amidst immense rocks and trees, down 
 to the bottom of the bridge. Here the stupendous 
 arch appears in all its glory, and seems to touch the 
 rery skies. To behold it without rapture, indeed*. 
 
179 
 
 is impossible ; and the more critically it is exam- 
 ined, the more beautiful and the more surprising 
 does it appear. The height of the bridge to the top 
 of the parapet, is 213 feet by admeasurement with 
 aline, the thickness of the arch 40 feet, the space of 
 the arch at top 90 feet, and the distance between the 
 abutments at bottom 50 feet. The abutments consist 
 of a solid mass of limestone on either side, and, to- 
 gether with the arch, seem as if they had been chis- 
 elled out by the hand of art. A small stream, call- 
 ed Cedar creek, running at the bottom of the fissure, 
 over a bed of roeks, adds much to the beauty of the 
 scene. 
 
 The fissure takes a very sudden turn just above 
 the bridge, according to the course of the stream, 
 so that when you stand below, and look under the 
 arch, the view is intercepted at the distance of about 
 50 yards from the bridge. Mr. Jefferson's state- 
 ment, that the fissure continues strait, terminating 
 with a pleasing view of the North mountains, is er- 
 roneous. The sides of the chasm are thickly cov- 
 ered in every part with trees, excepting where the 
 huge rocks of limestone appear. 
 
 Beside this view from below, the bridge is seen 
 to very great advantage from a pinnacle of rocks, 
 about 50 feet below the top of the fissure ; for here 
 not only the arch is seen in all its beauty, but the 
 spectator is impressed in the most forcible manner 
 with ideas of its grandeur, from being enabled at 
 the same time to look down into the profound gulf 
 over which it passes. Weld. 
 
180 
 
 Another natural bridge, in the county of Lee, is 
 well worthy attention. This bridge is 134 feet 
 higher than the Rock bridge, in Rockbridge county ; 
 being 339 feet in perpendicular height ; its summit 
 projects 85 feet over its base ; it fronts to the south- 
 west, and is arched as regular as it could be by the 
 chisel of art : the arch in front is about 200 feet 
 high, and slopes off to 60 feet to the distance of 106 
 feet from the entrance ; from its mouth in a straight 
 direction, measures 406 feet ; thence at right an- 
 gles, 300 ; thence crossing the second line at 30 
 feet from the wall, to the other end, 340 feet ; the 
 roof is regularly arched, and gradually descends to 
 1 8 feet, which is the lowest part of the intersection 
 of the second angle ; it then rises to 20, 30, 40, and 
 75 feet, which is the height of the northeast en- 
 trance. The stream of water which runs under this 
 bridge, is from 35 — 40, to 55 feet wide, at its com- 
 mon height. The head of this stream, (Stock 
 creek) is from three to five miles above the bridge, 
 rising out of a knob or spur of Clinch mountain, 
 &nd empties itself three miles below into Clinch 
 river. This creek is suddenly raised by rains, at 
 times, to 15 and 18 feet perpendicular, but it soon 
 runs out. There is a waggon road over the bridge, 
 which is only used in time of freshets, and that is 
 the only part that can be crossed. On approaching 
 the southwest front, it produces the most pleasing 
 and awful sensation ; the front is a solid rock of 
 limestone, the surface very smooth and regular, 
 formed in a semicircle, the rock of a bright yellow 
 colour, which colour is heightened by the rays of 
 
181 
 
 the sun ; the arch is partly obscured by a spur of 
 the ridge, which runs down the edge of the creek, 
 in front of the arch. Across the creek, stand sev- 
 eral beautiful trees ; the most elegant and luxuriant 
 is a cucumber tree, teeming with rich fruit ; this, 
 with two white cedars, and three walnut trees, adds 
 very much to the beauty of the scene ; to describe 
 it, would be a vain attempt, and which can only be 
 attempted by a skilful artist. If the scene below 
 creates such pleasing sensations, what must that 
 from above produce ? It fills the mind with horror ; 
 from the summit of the bridge where the road pass- 
 es, to the verge of the fissure, the mountain de- 
 scends about 45 degrees of an angle, and is from 
 45 to 50 feet perpendicular height ; you involunta- 
 rily slide down feet foremost, holding on to every 
 twig you pass, until you reach the verge, which is 
 from six to eight feet less steep ; the rock is cover- 
 ed with a thick stratum of earth, which gives growth 
 to many large trees. From this landing place to 
 the verge is a descent of nine feet, so steep, that it 
 cannot be approached near enough to look over. 
 To the west of the arch about 400 yards, the ascent 
 to the verge is much leveller, where you may look 
 down the abyss. My guide was an old hunter, who 
 had for many years been accustomed to clamber- 
 ing over the steepest mountains. On approaching 
 the verge, the horror of the scene below, intimidat* 
 ed him for a few moments, but he could presently 
 walk along the verge with composure. This bridge 
 may be passed by thousands, without a knowledge 
 
182 
 
 of it, unless attracted by the roaring of the paters 
 below. Dr. Morse. 
 
 In Schoharie, (New York) is a singular curiosi- 
 ty. a Perhaps," sa} r s a writer in the Balance, 
 " there is not a more astonishing instance of petri- 
 faction in the western world, than is to be seen 
 about a half of a mile southeast from the court 
 house in Schoharie county. It is a hill, whose sjjze 
 almost entitles it to the appellation of a mountain, 
 which may be pronounced a mere mass of petrified 
 shells. I went to the top of the hill, which is some 
 thousand feet higher than the ground where the court 
 house stands, and examined the rock as I went up, 
 and then along the top of the ridge for one mile. 
 The rock is generally covered with a thin soil, but 
 lies bare at different intervals, not far distant from 
 each other, in its whole extent ; and, in some plac- 
 es, projects from the ground, 10 or 12 feet. Every 
 inch of the rock exhibits petrified shells in their 
 perfect form. In one place, I broke off a piece of 
 the rock, in a deep fissure, 10 feet from the surface 
 of the rock, and found it to be of the same composi- 
 tion. Wherever the rock is exposed to the sun, it 
 resembles brimstone ; where it is hid from the sun, 
 it is dark, coarse, and rough. It seems to be com- 
 posed wholly of river shells ; I could find no oyster 
 shells. There is one thing particularly worthy of 
 remark. Although it is a ridge so elevated, that 
 no water of a petrifying quality, or otherwise, can 
 possibly run there, I saw a bench of moss, which a 
 gentleman had found there, perfectly petrified." 
 
18S 
 
 Bartram describes nearly a similar instance of 
 petrifaction. " Before I leave Augusta," (Geor- 
 gia) says he, " I shall recite a curious phenomenon, 
 which may furnish ample matter for philoso phical 
 discussion. On the Georgia side of the Savanna 
 river, about 15 miles below Silver bluff, the road 
 crosses a ridge of high swelling hills of uncommon 
 elevation, and perhaps 70 feet higher than the sur- 
 face of the river ; these hills are from three feet be- 
 low the common vegetative surface, to the depth of 
 20 or SO feet, composed entirely of fossil oyster 
 shells, internally of the colour and consistency of 
 clear, white marble : they are of an incredible mag- 
 nitude, generally 15 or 20 inches in length, from 
 six to eight wide, and two to four in thickness, and 
 their hollows sufficient to receive an ordinary man's 
 foot ; they appear all to have been opened before 
 the period of petrifaction ; a transmutation they seem 
 evidently to have suffered ; they are undoubtedly 
 very ancient, or perhaps antediluvian. The adja- 
 cent inhabitants burn them to lime, for building. 
 The heaps of shells lie upon a stratum of yellowish 
 sandy mould of several feet in depth, upon a founda* 
 tion of soft, white rocks, that has the outward ap- 
 pearance of free stone, but, on a strict examination, 
 is really a testaceous concrete, or composition of 
 sand and pulverized sea shells." 
 
 The tremendous precipice near the Portage la 
 Loche, is worthy the attention of the reader. This 
 portage is the ridge that divides the waters which 
 discharge themselves into Hudson's bay, from 
 those that flow into the northern ocean ; and is in 
 
184 
 
 latitude 56* 20', and longitude 109* 15 v west. It 
 is of a level surface, in some parts abounding with 
 stones ; but in general it is an entire sand, and 
 covered with the cypress, the pine, the spruce, fir, 
 and other trees natural to its soil. Within three 
 miles of the northwest termination, there is a small 
 round lake, whose diameter does not exceed a mile, 
 and which affords a trifling respite to the labour of 
 carrying. Within a mile of the termination of the 
 portage is a very steep precipice, whose ascent and 
 descent appears to be equally impracticable in any 
 way, as it consists of a succession of eight hills ; 
 'some of which are almost perpendicular ; never- 
 theless, the Canadians contrive to surmount all 
 these difficulties, even with their canoes and lad- 
 ing. This precipice, which rises upwards of 1000 
 feet above the plain beneath it, commands a most 
 extensive, romantic, and ravishing prospect. From 
 thence the eye looks down on the course of the lit- 
 tle river, by some called the Swan river, and by 
 others the Clear Water and Pelican river, beauti- 
 fully meandering for upwards of 30 miles. The - 
 valley, which is at once refreshed and adorned by 
 it, is about three miles in breadth, and is confined 
 by two lofty ridges of equal height, displaying a 
 most delightful intermixture of wood and lawn, and 
 stretching on till the blue mist obscures the pros- 
 pect. Some parts of the inclining heights are cov- 
 ered with stately forests, relieved by promontories 
 of the finest verdure, where the elk and buffalo find 
 pasture. These are contrasted by spots where fire 
 has destroyed the woods, and left a dreary void be- 
 
185 
 
 hind it. Nor, when I beheld this wonderful dis- 
 play of uncultivated nature, says the indefatigable 
 Mackenzie, from whose travels this account is ex- 
 tracted, was the moving scenery of human occupa- 
 tion wanting to complete the picture. From this 
 elevated situation, I beheld my people, diminished, 
 as it were, to half their size, employed in pitching 
 their tents in a charming meadow ; and among the 
 canoes, which, being turned upon their sides, pre- 
 sented their reddened bottoms in contrast with the 
 surrounding verdure. At the same time, the pro- 
 cess of gumming them produced numerous small 
 spires of smoke, which, as they rose, enlivened the 
 scene, and at length, blended with the larger col- 
 umns that ascended from the fires where the suppers 
 were preparing. It was in the month of September 
 when I enjoyed a scene, of which I do not presume 
 to give an adequate description ; and as it was the 
 running season of the elk, the whistling of that an- 
 imal was heard in all the variety wdiich the echoes 
 Gould afford it* 
 
 Let us now proceed to a less cheerful scene, the 
 Dismal swamp, in Virg. whose gloomy recesses are 
 not altogether unworthy of notice. It commences 
 at nine miles from Norfolk, and extends into North 
 Carolina, occupying in the whole about 150,000 
 acres. This great tract is entirely covered with 
 trees ; juniper and cypress trees grow where there 
 is most moisture ; and on the dry parts, white and 
 red oaks, and a variety of pines. 
 
 These t*ees grow to an enormous size, and be- 
 tween them the brushwood springs up so thick that 
 Q.2 
 
186 
 
 the swamp in many parts is absolutely impervious. 
 In this respect it differs totally from the common 
 woods in the country. It abounds also with cane 
 reeds, and with long rich grass, upon which cattle 
 feed with great avidity, and become fat in a short 
 space of time j the canes, indeed, are considered to 
 be the best green food that can be given them. The 
 people who live on the borders of the swamp, drive 
 all their cattle into it to feed ; care however is tak- 
 en to train them to come back regularly to the farms 
 every night by themselves, otherwise it w r ould be 
 impossible to find them. This is effected by turn- 
 ing into the smamp with them, for the first few 
 weeks they are sent thither to feed, two or three 
 old milk cows accustomed to the plaee, round whose 
 necks are fastened small bells. The cows come 
 back every evening to be milked ; the rest of the 
 cattle herd with these, following the noise of the 
 bells ; and when they return to the farm, a handful 
 of salt, or something of which they are equally fond, 
 is given to each as an inducement for them to re- 
 turn again. In a short time the cattle become fa- 
 miliar with the place, and having been accustomed 
 from the first day to return, they regularly walk to 
 the farms every evening. 
 
 In the interior parts large herds of wild cattle are 
 found, most probably originally lost on being turned 
 in to feed. Bears, wolves, deer, and other wild in- 
 digenous animals are also met with there. Stories 
 are common in the neighbourhood of wild men be- 
 ing found in it, who were lost, it is supposed, in the 
 swamp, when children. The swamp varies much 
 
187 
 
 in different parts ; in some the surface of it is quite 
 dry, and firm enough to bear a horse / in others it 
 is overflowed with water ; and elsewhere so miry 
 that a man would sink up to his neck if he attempt- 
 ed to walk upon it ; in the driest part, if a trench is 
 cut only a few feet deep, the water gushes in, and it 
 is filled immediately. Where the canal that connects 
 the water of Albemarle sound with Norfolk is cut, 
 the water in many places flows in from the sides, 
 at the depth of three feet from the surface, in large 
 streams, without intermission ; in its colour it ex- 
 actly resembles brandy, which is supposed to be oc- 
 casioned by the roots of juniper trees ; it is per- 
 fectly clear, and by no means unpalatable ; it is 
 said to possess a diuretic quality ; and the people 
 in the neighbourhood, who think it very wholesome, 
 prefer it to any other. Certainly there is something 
 very uncommon in the nature of the swamp, for 
 the people living upon the borders of it, do not suf- 
 fer by fever and ague, or bilious complaints, as is 
 generally the complaint with those resident in the 
 neighbourhood of other swamps and marshes* 
 Whether it is the medicinal quality of the water, 
 however, which keeps them in better health or not, 
 has not been determined. 
 
 As the Dismal swamp is so near to Norfolk, 
 where there is a constant demand for shingles, 
 staves, &c. for exportation, and as the best of these, 
 articles are made from the trees growing upon the 
 swamp, it of course becomes a valuable species of 
 property. The canal now cutting through it will 
 also enhance its value, as when it is completed, 
 
188 
 
 lumber can then be readily sent from the remotest 
 parts. The more southern parts of it, when cleared, 
 answer uncommonly well for the culture of rice ; 
 but in the neighbourhood of Norfolk,^ as far as 10 
 feet deep from the surface, there seems to be noth- 
 ing but roots and fibres of different herbs mixed 
 with a whitish sand, which would not answer for 
 the purpose, as rice requires a very rich soil. The 
 trees, however, that grow upon it, are a most prof- 
 itable crop, and instead of cutting them all down 
 promiscuously, as commonly is done, they only 
 fell such as have attained a large size, by which 
 means they have a continued succession, for the 
 manufacture of those articles above mentioned. 
 Eighty thousand acres of the swamp are the prop- 
 erty of a company incorporated under the title of 
 " The Dismal Swamp Company." Before the war 
 broke out, a large number of negroes were con- 
 stantly employed by the company in cutting and 
 manufacturing staves, &c. and their affairs were 
 going on very prosperously ; but at the same 
 time that Norfolk was burnt they lost all their ne- 
 groes, and very little lias been done by them 
 since. The lumber now sent to Norfolk is taken 
 principally off those parts of the swamp which are 
 private property. Weld. 
 
 On the North Fork of Holstein,half a mile south 
 of the river, and 17 or 18 from Abington, are Pres- 
 ton's Salines, (in Tennessee) which are deserving 
 observation. The tract also which contains these 
 salines is a great natural curiosity. It was discov- 
 ered by Capt. Charles Campbell, about 1745, \v\\9 
 
189 
 
 was one of the first explorers of the western coun- 
 try. In 1753, he procured a patent for it from the 
 governor of Virginia. His son, the late Gen. Wil- 
 liam Campbell, the same who behaved so gallantly 
 in the American war in the years 1780, and 1781, 
 became owner of it on his death ; but it was not till 
 the time of his death, when salt was very scarce 
 and dear, that salt water was discovered, and salt 
 made by a poor man. Since that time, under the 
 direction of Col. Arthur Campbell, it has been im- 
 proved to a considerable extent, and many thous- 
 ands of inhabitants are supplied from it with salt of 
 a superior quality, and at a low price. The tract 
 consists of about 300 acres of flat marsh land, of as 
 rich a soil as can be imagined. In this flat, pita are 
 sunk, in order to obtain salt water. The best is 
 found from 30 .to 40 feet deep ; after passing 
 through the rich soil or mud, from six to ten feet, 
 you come to a very brittle limestone rock, with 
 cracks or chasms, through which the salt water is- 
 sues into the pits, whence it is drawn by buckets, 
 and put into the boilers, which are placed in furna- 
 ces adjoining the pits. The hills that surround this 
 fiat are covered with fine timber. Near this Mr. 
 King has a well more than 200 feet deep, 10 feet 
 square, constantly more than half full of water. 
 Thirty two gallons of this, and some of the other 
 =, make one bushel of salt. Two hundred 
 bushels have been made in a day. It is equal to 
 Liverpool salt. He can supply the state of Ten- 
 nessee and the southwest of Virginia with this vaL- 
 uable article. The bones of the giant sized man*- 
 
190 
 
 moth have- been dug up, by labourers, near these 
 salines, in sinking salt pits. They were from three 
 to seven feet below the surface of the earth. Other 
 bones of this enormous animal have been found at 
 a lick near Nashville. 
 
 Under the head, of Miscellaneous Curiosities, 
 we shall also mention the extensive meadows, or, 
 as the French call them prairies, which answer to 
 what in the southern states are termed savannas. 
 They are rich, fertile plains, without the least vest- 
 ige of trees, but enriched with luxurious grass. 
 Some of these, in the state of Ohio, are from 30 to 
 40 miles in extent. On passing them, as far as the 
 eye can discern, there is not a tree to be seen ; but 
 there is plenty of deer, wild cattle, bears, wolves, 
 and innumerable flocks of turkies ; these with the 
 verdant grass, form a rich, and diversified land- 
 scape,, In clearing out a spring, near some ruins, 
 a copper coin has been lately discovered, on the 
 bank of the Little Miami river, near its entrance 
 into the Ohio, at the depth of about four feet be- 
 neath the surface of the earth. From afac simile, 
 it appears that the characters impressed on the coin, 
 are the ancient Persian. Dr. Morse. 
 
 A singular change which happened in Poultney 
 river, (Vermont) in 1783, we shall describe for the 
 gratification of the curious. This river empties in- 
 to East bay, which communicates with lake Cham- 
 plain, at Whitehall. A little above its junction 
 with East bay, a ridge of land crosses in a norther- 
 ly direction, the river running a northwesterly 
 course, on meeting the ridge, turned suddenly to 
 
191 
 
 the northeast, and, keeping that course about half a 
 mile, then turning westerly, passed the ridge over a 
 very high ledge of rocks. For several years, the 
 river had gradually worn away the bank on the side 
 of the ridge, just in the bend where the river turned 
 to the northeast. In May, 1783, during a remark- 
 able freshet, the river at this place broke the ridge, 
 and, meeting no rock, it wore a channel 60 feet 
 deep, nearly to a level with the stream below, leav- 
 ing the former channel and falls dry. The channel 
 of the river, for a considerable way above this place, 
 was lowered to a great depth, so that the low mead- 
 ow lands, along the river, which before were over- 
 flowed with every freshet, have now become a dry 
 plain. The earth, thrown out of this prodigious 
 chasm, filled East bay, for several miles, where it 
 had been navigable for vessels of 40 tons burden, so 
 that a canoe could with difficulty pass at low water, 
 and even obstructed the navigation at Fiddler's El- 
 bow, a narrow place near the entrance from White- 
 hall to South bay. These obstructions, (both at the 
 Narrows, and in East bay) have since been mostly 
 removed, by the force of the current. Similar al- 
 terations seem to have been made in other rivers. 
 Connecticut river has lowered its channel from 80 
 to 100 feet perpendicular, through the whole length 
 of this state. From the various steps, ranged one 
 above another, and which must, at various times, 
 have formed the bank of. the river, the alterations 
 seem not to have been made at once, nor in a con- 
 tinuance through the whole length of the river, but 
 
192 
 
 at remote and unequal periods. These changes ap- 
 pear, in some instances, to have been occasioned by 
 the river suddenly shifting its channel, as was the 
 case of the river at Fairhaven ; in some instances, 
 by a gradual attrition of the rocks, which, in some 
 remote period of antiquity, formed numerous cata- 
 racts. On the plain where Dartmouth college 
 stands, which is nearly 100 feet above the present 
 bed of the river, logs of timber have been dug up, at 
 the depth of 25 and 30 feet below the surface. 
 This is about the depth of the river at present in the 
 highest freshets, and of what is called the made, or 
 meadow lands on the river, and both are formed in 
 the same manner with alternate strata of clay, sand, 
 and gravel. Some of the earth, which has in a 
 lapse of time, been scooped out of the immense 
 chasm, has, doubtless, been carried into the sea ; 
 while large quantities have served to fill the nume- 
 rous lakes, of larger or smaller dimensions, through 
 which the river once made its way. In Burlington, 
 on the Winouski, a little above the chasm worn in 
 the rocks, as mentioned above, is a large bow of in- 
 tervale land. On a part of this, which now lies 
 considerably higher than the river, a well was dug 
 by the owner, a Mr. Lane, in the summer of 1786-. 
 Through the whole depth of the well, which was 50 
 feet, the earth was composed of a fine river sand ; 
 25 feet below the surface, were dug up a large num- 
 ber of frogs, in a torpid state, which were found 
 bedded in the earth like small stones. After being 
 exposed a short time to the air, they discovered 
 signs of life, and soon were able to leap about- 
 
193 
 
 They did not, however, continue, but presently be- 
 came languid, and died. This was probably owing 
 to their being exposed to the burning heat of a sum- 
 mer's sun, without water. They might unques- 
 tionably, have recovered the usual vigour of their 
 species, had more attention been paid to them. 
 These frogs must have been buried in the spot 
 where they were found, by some extraordinary in- 
 undation of the river, while in that state of torpor, 
 in which they_ always pass the winter in those cli- 
 mates, and have continued in that situation for cen- 
 turies. Forty nine feet below the surface, in the 
 same well, was found a log of timber. Dr. Morse. 
 The greatest curiosity in the city of Mexico, is 
 their floating gardens. When the Mexicans, about 
 1 325, were subdued by the Colhuan and Tepanecan 
 nations, and confined to the small islands in the 
 lake, having no land to cultivate, they were taught 
 by necessity to form moveable gardens, which float- 
 ed on the lake. Their construction is very simple. 
 They take willows and the roots of marsh plants, 
 and other materials which are light, and twist them 
 together, and so firmly unite them, as to form a sort 
 of platform, which is capable of supporting the 
 earth of the garden. Upon this foundation, they 
 lay the light bushes, which float on the lake, and 
 over them spread the mud and dirt, which they 
 draw up from the bottom of the lake. Their regu- 
 lar figure is quadrangular ; their length and breadth 
 various, but generally about eight rods long, and 
 three wide ; and their elevation, from the surface 
 of the water, is less than a foot. These were the 
 R 
 
194 
 
 £rst fields the Mexicans owned, after the founda- 
 tion of Mexico ; there they first cultivated the 
 maize, great pepper, and other things, necessary for 
 their support. From the industry of the people, 
 their fields soon became numerous. At present, 
 they cultivate flowers, and every sort of garden 
 herbs upon them. Every day of the year, at sun- 
 rise, innumerable vessels, or boats, loaded with va- 
 rious kinds of flowers and herbs, which are cultiva- 
 ted in these gardens, are seen arriving by the canal, 
 at the great market place of Mexico. All plants 
 thrive in them surprisingly ; the mud of the lake 
 makes a very rich soil, which requires no water 
 from the clouds. In the largest gardens, there is 
 commonly a little tree, and a little hut, to shelter tht 
 cultivator, and defend him from the rain or sun. 
 When the owner of a garden, or the chinampa, as 
 he is called, wishes to change his situation, to get 
 out of a bad neighbourhood, or to come nearer 
 his family, he gets into his little boat, and by his 
 own strength alone, if the garden is small, or with 
 the assistance of others, if it is large, conducts it 
 wherever he pleases, with the little tree and hut up- 
 on it. That part of the island where these floating 
 gardens are, is a place of delightful recreation, 
 where the senses receive the highest possible grati- 
 fication. Dr. Morse. 
 
195 
 
 ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 AS some account of the place, where rest the re- 
 mains of that great discoverer, Christopher Colum- 
 bus, must be interesting to our readers, we shaM 
 proceed to gratify their wishes. 
 
 The cathedral belonging to the Spanish part of 
 St. Domingo, has the honour to possess the remains 
 of a man, whose genius has had an influence over 
 the whole world, those of Christopher Columbus. 
 This great man, this father of the art of modern 
 navigation, desired to have his ashes conveyed to 
 the island, that may be considered as the foundation 
 of his fame. There is no one, certainly, who does 
 not expect to hear of a mausoleum of Columbus, in 
 the metropolitan church of Santo Domingo ; but so 
 far, alas ! from any such thing existing, the certi- 
 tude of his mortal remains being deposited here, is 
 in some sort, supported only by tradition. Moreau 
 de Saint Mery, in his description of this island, 
 anxious to obtain correct information of Columbus, 
 made applications for this purpose to a number of 
 men in office ; the following is one of the certifi- 
 cates he obtained : " I, Don Pedro de Galvez, pre* 
 ceptor, canon, &c. do certify, that the sanctuary be- 
 ing taken down, in order to be rebuilt, there was 
 found, in the side of the choir where the gospel is 
 sung, a stone case, with a leaden urn in the inside of 
 it, a little damaged, which contained several human 
 fcones ; also, that it is remembered, that there is a- 
 
196 
 
 nother, of the same description, on the epistle side ? 
 also, that according to a tradition, handed down 
 through the old people of this country, and a chap- 
 ter of the synod of this holy cathedral church, that 
 the case found in the gospel side, contains the re- 
 mains of admiral Christopher Columbus ; and that 
 found in the epistle side, those of his brother Bar- 
 tholomew. In witness whereof, I have hereunto 
 set my hand, this 26th day of April, 1 783." What 
 a subject of reflection for the philosopher ! Scarcely 
 are three hundred years past since the discovery of 
 this new world, and already we hardly know what 
 are become of the precious remains of this saga- 
 cious, enterprising, and intrepid discoverer ! But 
 what must excite our astonishment more than all 
 the rest, is, that even the family of Columbus has 
 fallen into the general supin'eness, to give it no hard- 
 er name. Columbus has not received even the tar- 
 dy justice that is rendered to great men, when death 
 has disarmed envy of its sting. It was not enough, 
 that, during his life time, he should see the name of 
 another given to the discovery, by which he had, in 
 a manner augmented the universe, every thing must 
 unite to reward his labours, by the most shameful, 
 and most unheard of ingratitude. 
 
 Under this head, we shall class a singular curios- 
 ity, found in Rowan county, (North Carolina) 10 
 miles from Salisbury, 200 from the sea, and 70 
 from the mountains, called a subterraneous wall. 
 It stands on uneven ground, near a small brook. 
 The stones of the wall are all of one kind, and con- 
 tain iron ore. They are of various sizes, but gene- 
 
197 
 
 rally weighing about four pounds. All are of a 
 Long figure, commonly seven inches in length, some- 
 times twelve. The ends of the stones form the 
 sides of the wall. Some of these ends are square, 
 others nearly of the form of a parallelogram, trian- 
 gle, rhombus, or rhomboides ; but most of them ir- 
 regular. Some preserve their dimension through 
 the whole length ; others terminate like a wedge. 
 The alternate position of great and little ends, aid 
 in keeping the work square. The surface of some 
 is plain, of some concave, of others convex. Where 
 the stones are not firm, they are curiously wedged 
 by others. The most irregular are thrown into the 
 middle of the wall. Every stone is covered with 
 cement, which, next to the stone, has the appear- 
 ance of iron rust. Where it is thin, the rust has 
 penetrated through. Sometimes the cement is an 
 inch thick, and where wet, has the fine, soft, oily 
 feeling of putty. The thickness of the wall is uni- 
 formly 22 inches, the length yet discovered is about 
 COO feet, and the height 12 or 14. Both sides of 
 the wall are plastered with the substance in which, 
 the stones are laid. The top of the wall appears to 
 run nearly parallel with the top of the ground, being 
 generally about a foot below the surface. In one 
 place, it is several feet. There is a bend or curve 
 of six feet or more, after which it proceeds in its 
 former direction. The whole appears to be form- 
 ed in the most skilful manner, but when, or for what 
 purpose, is left entirely to conjecture. Six or eight 
 miles from this wall, another has since been discov- 
 ered, 40 feet long, four or five feet high, seven inch-* 
 * 2 
 
19* 
 
 cs thick. These stones are all of one length, but of 
 different kinds. Dr. Morse. 
 
 The ancient labours of the aborigines of this 
 country, found in different parts, but more especial- 
 ly in the Western Territory, are singular objects of 
 curiosity. 
 
 Within four miles of the junction of the Elk and 
 Kanhawa rivers, is a curious specimen of Indian 
 labour, and of their progress in one of the arts. 
 This specimen is found upon a rock of hard free 
 stone, which lies sloping to the south, touching the 
 margin ol the river, and presents a flat surface of 
 this rock, about 12 feet in length, and 9 in breadth, 
 with a plain side to the east of eight or nine feet in 
 thickness. Upon the upper surface of this rock, 
 and also upon the side, we see the outlines of sev- 
 eral figures, cut without relief, except in one in- 
 stance ; and somewhat larger than the life. The 
 depth of the outline may be half an inch ; its width 
 three quarters nearly, in some places. In one line, 
 ascending from the part of the rock nearest the riv- 
 er, there is a tortoise ; a spread eagle, executed 
 with great expression, particularly the head, to 
 which is given a shallow relief ; and a child, the 
 outline of which is very well drawn. In a parallel 
 line there are other figures ; but among them, that 
 of a woman only can be traced. These are very 
 indistinct. Upon the side of the rock, are two 
 awkward figures, which particularly caught my at- 
 tention. One is that of a man, with his arms uplift- 
 ed, and his hands spread out, as if engaged in 
 prayer. His head is made to terminate in a point j 
 
199 
 
 or rather he has the appearance of something upon 
 the head, of a triangular or conical form. Near to 
 him is another similar figure, suspended by a cord 
 fastened to his heels. I recollect the story which 
 father Hennepin relates of one of the missionaries 
 from Canada, who was treated in somewhat a simi- 
 lar manner ; but whether this piece of seemingly- 
 historical sculpture has reference to such an event, 
 can be only matter of conjecture. A turkey, bad- 
 ly executed, with a few other figures, may also be 
 seen. The labour and die perseverance requisite 
 to cut these rude figures in a rock so hard, that 
 steel appeared to make but little impression upon 
 it, must have been great indeed. Madison. 
 
 In the midst of a large oblong square, adjoining 
 the town of Ottasse ^which is surrounded with a 
 low bank) is standing a high pillar, round like a 
 pin ; it is about 40 feet in height, and between two 
 and three in diameter, at the earth, gradually taper- 
 ing upwards to a point ; it is one piece of pine 
 wood, and arises from the centre of a low, circular, 
 artificial hill ; but it hangs a little to cne side. The 
 Indians say that their ancestors found it in the same 
 situation , when they first arrived, and possessed the 
 country ; and that the red men or Indians, then the 
 possessors, whom they vanquished, were as igno- 
 rant as themselves concerning it ; saying, that their 
 ancestors likewise found it standing. This mon- 
 ument excites the following queries : for what 
 purpose was it designed ? What method they 
 employed to bring it to the spot, and how they 
 raised it erect ? There is no species of the pine, 
 
200 
 
 whose wood, i. e. so large a portion of the trunk, is 
 supposed to be incorruptible, exposed in the open 
 air to all weathers, but the long leaved pine (Pina- 
 palustris) and there is none growing within 12 or 
 15 miles of this place. Bartram. 
 
 There has been observed in the environs of 
 Keowe, a town of the Cherokees, on the base of the 
 rocky hills, immediately ascending from the low 
 grounds near the river bank, a number of singular 
 antiquities, the work of the ancients ; they seem to 
 have been altars for sacrifice or sepulchres ; they 
 are constructed of four flat stones, two set on an 
 edge for the sides, one closed one end, and a very 
 large flat one lays horizontally at top, so that the 
 other end was open ; this fabric, was four or five 
 feet in length, two feet high, ; and three in width. 
 The Indians and traders can give no account of 
 them ; they are on the surface of the ground, and 
 are of different dimensions. Bartram. 
 
 " I made a little excursion," says Bartram, " up 
 the Savanna river, four or five miles above for 
 James, to see some remarkable Indian monuments- 
 These wonderful labours of the ancients stand* in a 
 level plain, very near the bank of the river, now 20 
 or 30 yards from it ; they consist of conical mounts 
 of earth, and four square terraces, &c. The great 
 mount is in the form of a cone, about 40 or 50 feet 
 high, and the circumference of its base 2 or 300 
 yards, entirely composed of the loamy rich earth of 
 the low grounds j the top or apex is flat ; a spiral 
 path leading from the ground to the top, is still vis- 
 ible ; where now grows a large beautiful red cedar 
 
201 
 
 (Jimiperus Americana ;) there appears four niches, 
 excavated out of the sides of this hill at different 
 heights from the base, fronting the four cardinal 
 points ; these niches or sentry boxes, are entered 
 into from the winding path, and seem to have been 
 meant for resting places, or look outs. The land 
 hereabouts is exceeding fertile and productive. We 
 know not what could induce the Indians to form 
 this mound, the ground for a great space being sub- 
 ject to inundations, at least once a year ; from 
 whence we may conclude they had no settled hab- 
 itations here. We must suppose, however, that 
 they were to serve some important purpose, in 
 those days, as they were public works, and would 
 have required the labour of a whole nation, circum- 
 stanced as they were, to have constructed one in an 
 age. There are several less ones round about the 
 great one, with some very large tetragon ter- 
 races on each side, near 100 yards in length, and 
 their surface four, six, eight, and ten feet above the 
 ground. We suppose, however, that as there is 
 generally a narrow space in these low kinds, imme^ 
 diately bordering on the river's bank, which is 8 or 
 10 feet higher than the adjoining low grounds, that 
 lie between the stream and the heights of the adja- 
 cent main land ; which, when the river overflows 
 its banks, are many feet under water, when, at the 
 same time this ridge on the river's bank, is above 
 water and dry : and at such inundations, appears as 
 an island in the river. Now these people might 
 have had a town on this ridge, and this mount, raised 
 for a refuge in case of an inundation, which are un- 
 
202 
 
 foreseen, and surprise them suddenly, spring and 
 autumn." 
 
 As no persons have so critically described the 
 antiquities of our country, or given more ingenuous 
 theories concerning their origin and use, than those 
 profound investigators, Jefferson, Madison, and 
 Harris, we shall give the reader the pleasure of 
 reading their remarks on these subjects entire. 
 Those of Jefferson claim the first place* I know of 
 no such thing existing, says he, as an Indian mon- 
 ument ; for I would not honour with that name 
 arrow points, stone hatchets, stone pipes, and half 
 shapen images. Of labour on the large scale, I think 
 there is no remains as respectable as would be a 
 common ditch for draining of lands, unless indeed 
 it would be the barrows, of which many are to be 
 found all over this country. These are of different 
 sizes, some constructed of earth, and others of loos* 
 stones. That they were repositories of the dead,, 
 has been obvious to all ; but on what particular oc- 
 casion constructed, was a matter of doubt. Some 
 have thought they covered the bones of those who 
 have fallen in battles fought on the spot of inter- 
 ment. Some ascribed them to the custom, said to 
 prevail among the Indians, of collecting at certain 
 periods the bones of all their dead, wheresoever de- 
 posited at the time of death. Others again suppos- 
 ed them the general sepulchres for towns, conjec- 
 tured to have been on or near these grounds ; and 
 this opinion was supported by the quality of the 
 lands in which they are found (those constructed of 
 earth being generally in the softest and most fertile 
 
205 
 
 meadow grounds on river sides) and by a tradition 
 said to be handed down from the aboriginal In- 
 dians, that when they settled in a town, the first 
 person who died was placed erect, and earth put 
 about him so as to cover and support him ; that, 
 when another died, a narrow passage was dug to 
 the first, the second reclined against him, and the 
 cover of earth replaced, and so on. There being 
 one of these in my neighbourhood, I wished to sat- 
 isfy myself whether any, and which of these opin- 
 ions, were just. For this purpose I determined to 
 open and examine it thoroughly. It was situated 
 on the low grounds of the Rivanna, about two miles 
 above its principal fork, and opposite some hills, on 
 which has been an Indian town. It was of a sphe- 
 roidical form, of about 40 feet in diameter at the 
 base, and had been of about 12 feet altitude, though 
 now reduced by the plough to 7i, having been un- 
 der cultivation about a dozen years. Before this, 
 it was covered with trees of 12 inches diameter, 
 and round the base Was an excavation of five feet 
 depth and width, from whence the earth had been 
 taken, of which the hillock was formed. I first dug 
 superficially in several parts of it, and came to col- 
 lections of human bones, at different depths, from 
 six inches to three feet below the surface. These 
 were lying in the utmost confusion, some vertical, 
 some oblique, some horizontal, and directed to ev- 
 ery point of the compass, entangled, and held to- 
 gether in clusters by the earth. Bones of the most 
 distant parts were found together ; as, for instance^ 
 the small bones of the foot in the hollow of the 
 
204 
 
 scull ; many sculls would sometimes be in contact, 
 lying on the face, on the side, on the back, top or 
 bottom, so as, on the whole, to give the idea of 
 bones emptied promiscuously from a bag or basket, 
 and covered with earth, without any attention to 
 their order. 
 
 The bones, of which the greatest number remain- 
 ed, were sculls, jaw bones, teeth, the bones of the 
 arms, thighs, legs, feet, and hands. A few ribs re- 
 mained, some vertebrae of the neck and spine, with- 
 out their processes, and one instance only of the 
 bones, which serve as a base to the vertebral column. 
 The sculls were so tender, that they generally fell to 
 pieces on being touched. The other bones were 
 stronger. There were some teeth which were 
 judged to be smaller than those of an adult ; a 
 scull, which on a slight view, appeared to be that of 
 an infant, but it fell to pieces on being taken out, so 
 as to prevent satisfactory examination ; a rib, and 
 a fragment of the under jaw of a person about 
 half grown ; another rib of an infant, and part of the 
 jaw of a child, which had not cut its teeth. This 
 last furnishing the most decisive proof of the burial 
 of children here, I was particular in my attention 
 to it. It was part of the right half of the under 
 jaw. The processes by which it was articulated to 
 the temporal bones, were entire, and the bone it- 
 self, firm to where it had been broken off, which, as 
 nearly as! could judge, was about the place of the 
 eye tooth. Its upper edge, wherein would have 
 been the sockets of the teeth, was perfectly smooth. 
 Measuring it with that of an adult, by placing their 
 
205 
 
 hinder processes together, its broken end extended 
 to the penultimate grinder of the adult. This bone 
 was white, all the others of a sand colour. The 
 bones of infants being soft, they probably decay 
 sooner, which might have been the cause so few 
 were found here. I proceeded then to make a per- 
 pendicular cut through the bodv of the barrow, that 
 I might examine its internal structure. This pass- 
 ed about three feet from its centre, was opened to 
 the former surface of the earth, and was wide 
 enough for a man to walk through, and examine its 
 sides. At the bottom, that is, on the level of the 
 circumjacent plain, I found bones ; above these, a 
 few stones, brought from a cliffa quarter of amile off, 
 and from the river, one eighth of a mile off; then a 
 large interval of earth, then a stratum of bones, and 
 so on. At one end of the section were four strata 
 of bones, plainly distinguishable ; at the other, 
 three ; the strata in one part not ranging with those 
 in another. The bones nearest the surface were 
 least decayed. No holes were discovered in any 
 of them, as if made with bullets, arrows, or any 
 other weapons. I conjectured, that in this barrow, 
 might have been a thousand skeletons. Every one 
 will readily seize the circumstances above related, 
 which militate against the opinion, that it covered 
 the bones only of persons fallen in battle ; and a- 
 gainst the tradition also, which would make it the 
 common sepulchre of a town, in which the bodies 
 were placed upright, and touching each other. Ap- 
 pearances certainly indicate that it has derived both 
 origin and growth from the accustomary collection 
 
206 
 
 of bones, and deposition of them together ; that the 
 first collection had been deposited on the common 
 surface of the earth, a few stones put over it, and then 
 a covering of earth, that the second had been laid 
 on this, had covered more or less of it in propor- 
 tion to the number of bones, and was then also cov- 
 ered with earth ; and so on. The following are 
 the circumstances which give it this aspect : 1. The 
 number of bones. 2. Their confused position. 3. 
 Their being in different strata. 4. The strata in 
 one part having no correspondence with those in 
 another. 5. The different states of decay in these 
 strata, which seem to indicate a difference in the 
 time of inhumation. 6. The existence of infant 
 bones among them. But, on whatever occasion 
 tfiey may have been made, they are of considerable 
 notoriety among the Indians ; for a party passing 
 about 30 years ago, through the part of the country, 
 where this barrow is, went through the woods di- 
 rectly to it, without any instructions or inquiry, and 
 having staid about it some time, with expressions 
 which were construed to be those of sorrow, they 
 returned to the high road, which they had left about 
 six miles tc pay this visit, and pursued their jour- 
 ney. There is another barrow much resembling 
 this in the low grounds of the south branch of She- 
 nandoah, where it is crossed by the road leading 
 from the Rock fish gap to Staunton, both of these 
 have, within these dozen years, been cleared of their 
 trees, and put under cultivation, are much reduced 
 in their height, and spread in width by the plough, 
 and will, probably, disappear in time. There is 
 another on the hill in the Blue ridge of mountains, 
 
207 
 
 a few miles north of Wood's gap, which is made up 
 of small stones thrown together. This has been 
 opened, and found to contain human hones, as the 
 others do. There are also many others in other 
 parts of the country. 
 
 The theory of Madison, concerning the ancient 
 fortifications, shall next engage our attention. In 
 a letter to Dr. Barton, he thus proceeds : Having 
 lately visited that beautiful river Kanhawa, and a 
 considerable part of the country within its neigh- 
 bourhood, an opportunity was afforded, of examining 
 with attention, some of those remarkable phenome- 
 na, which there present themselves, and which have 
 been so much the subject of conversation, and of lit- 
 erary discussion. To remove error, of what v: r 
 kind, is, in effect, to promote the progress of in 
 ligence ; with this view, I will endeavour to prove 
 to you, that my journey has enabled me to sti 
 one, at least, from that long catalogue, which so of- 
 ten tortures human ingenuity. You have often 
 heard of those remarkable fortifications, with v. 
 the western country abounds ; and you know also, 
 how much it has puzzled some of our literati, who sup- 
 posed themselves, no doubt, most profound in histor- 
 ical, geographical, and philosophical lore, to give a 
 satisfactory account of such surprising monuments 
 of military labour and art. 
 
 Some have called to their aid the bold and inde- 
 fatigable Ferdinando Soto ; others, the fabulous 
 Welch prince of the 12th century; and all have 
 made a thousand conjectures, as lifeless as either 
 Soto or the prince. Had they first examined into 
 
208 
 
 die fact, and endeavoured to settle this most essen- 
 tial prerequisite, they would soon have seen, that 
 the inquiry might be very easily terminated ; and 
 that what had so greatly excited the admiration of 
 the curious, existed only in their own imaginations. 
 No one was more impressed than myself with the 
 general opinion, that there did exist regular and 
 extensive fortifications, of great antiquity, in many 
 parts of that vast country, which is washed by th* 
 various tributary streams of the Ohio and the Mis- 
 sisippi. The first specimen which I beheld, was 
 examined with an ardent curiosity, and with a full 
 conviction, that it was the work of a people, skilled 
 in the means of military defence. The appearance 
 is imposing : the mind seems to acquiesce in the 
 current opinion, and more disposed to join in afruit- 
 less admiration, than to question the reality of those 
 fortifications. But as my observations were ex- 
 tended, and new specimens daily presented them- 
 selves, the delusion vanished ; I became convinc- 
 ed, that those works were not fortifications, and 
 never had the smallest relation to military defence. 
 The reasons, upon which this conviction, so con* 
 trary to that which has been generally received, 
 was founded, I shall now submit to your considera- 
 tion. Only let me first observe, that those suppos- 
 ed fortifications differ as to area and form. Some 
 are found on the banks of rivers, presenting a semi- 
 ellipsis, the greater axis running along the banks ; 
 others are nearly circular, remote from water, and 
 small ; their diameters seldom exceeding 40 or 50 
 yards. The first of these species is the largest ; 
 
209 
 
 their longer axis, at a mean rate, may be estimated 
 at 250 yards ; their shorter, at 200 or 220. It is 
 said, and I believe upon good authority, that some 
 hive been found large enough to comprehend 50 
 acres, and even more. Some are also reported to 
 be square ; but I did not see any of that form. I 
 shall confine myself to those which I have seen, and 
 which are to be met with in the low grounds of the 
 rivers Kanhawa, Elk, and Guyandot, or their adja- 
 cent uplands ; though I am persuaded the conclu- 
 sion, which I undertake to establish, will be applica- 
 ble to all those works, which have been dignified 
 with the appellation of fortifications, in whatever 
 part of the western country they may be found, 
 since, from the information I have obtained, thejre 
 are certain striking features, in which they all agree, 
 and which indicate one common origin and destina- 
 tion. 
 
 f . These works were not designed for fortifica- 
 tions, because many of them have the ditch within 
 the enclosure, and because the earth thrown up, on 
 the supposed parapet, wants the elevation necessary 
 for a defensive work. Both these circumstances 
 occur, without exception, so far as my observations 
 went, in all those which present an entire, or nearly 
 a regular circle. The imaginary breastwork in- 
 duces a belief, that it never exceeded four or five 
 fjct in height. At present, the bank seldom rises 
 more than three feet above the plain, and it is well 
 known, that in ground which does not wash, a bank 
 of earth, thrown up in the usual way, will lose very 
 little of its height in a century, or 20 centuries ; one 
 s 2 
 
210 
 
 fourth for depression, would be more than a suffi- 
 cient allowance. But we will not rest our argu- 
 ment upon what may, perhaps, be deemed a dispu- 
 table point. The ditch, even at this day, affords a 
 certain criterion by which we may judge of the ori- 
 ginal elevation of the bank. Its width seldom ex- 
 ceeds four feet at its margin ; its depth is little 
 more than two feet. Such a ditch, making every al- 
 lowance for the operation of these causes, which tend 
 continually to diminish its depth, whilst some of 
 them are, at the same time, increasing its width, could 
 not have yielded more earth, than would form a 
 bank of the elevation mentioned. If the width now, 
 be not greater than that ascribed, we may be as- 
 sured that originally, it was a very trifling fosse. 
 
 But you will naturally ask, are there not some 
 found, which present a different aspect, and which 
 evidence more laborious efforts ? No, on the contra- 
 ry, it is remarkable, that the kind of which I am now 
 writing, have as constant a similitude to each other, 
 as those rude edifices, or cabins, which our first set- 
 tlers reared. 
 
 The description of one will answer for all ; there 
 is no anomaly, except now and then, in the diameter 
 of the circle ; and here, the variation will only 
 amount to a few yards. Permit me now to ask^ 
 whether the military art does not necessarily require 
 that the ditch should be exterior ; and whether 
 among any people advanced to such a degree of im- 
 provement in the arts, as to attempt defensive works 
 by throwing up earth, a single instance can be ad- 
 duced, in which the ditch has not an exterior posi- 
 
211 
 
 tion ? Again, can we believe that a work, having a 
 bank or ditch not higher or deeper than I have men- 
 tioned, could be intended as a fortification ? The 
 moment which gave birth to the idea of a defensive 
 work, would also show that it must, in its execution, 
 be rendered adequate to the end contemplated. It 
 is scarcely worth while to go back to L ivy or Poly- 
 bius, upon this occasion. But they both inform us, 
 u that the Romans, in the early period of their war- 
 fare, dug trenches, which were, at least, eight feet 
 broad, by six deep : that they were often 12 feet in 
 breadth, sometimes 15 or 20 ; that of the earth dug 
 out of the fosse, and thrown on the side of the camp, 
 they formed the parapet, or breastwork ; and to 
 make it more firm, mingled with it tuft, cut in a 
 certain size and form. Upon the brow of the par- 
 apet, palisadoes were also planted, firmly fixed, and 
 closely connected." The form of the fortification 
 was always square. System appears to have been 
 the tutelar deity of the Romans. They alwavs pro- 
 ceeded upon one plan. As to the form, indeed, 
 there appears to be no reason why that should not 
 vary, not only among different nations, but with the 
 same nation, as different situations might require. 
 The Creeks generally preferred the round figure ; 
 but with them, the nature of places decided the 
 question as to form. In other respects, the decis- 
 ion must be made according to fixed and unalterable 
 principles. The same reasons which determined 
 every particular as to height, depth, and position of 
 the earth thruwn up, among the Romans, would 
 equally determine the conduct of any other nation. 
 
212 
 
 What defence required ; what would oppose a 
 sufficient obstacle to human agility, was the point 
 to be decided ; and this point to be decided in near- 
 ly the same manner by every people unacquainted 
 with gunpowder. The decision would not admit 
 of such fosses and parapets as we find dispersed 
 over the western countiy. Man, in this new world, 
 has lost no portion of his former agility. 
 
 2. Because, near to most of these imaginary for- 
 tifications, and I think I may say, near to every one, 
 which is formed upon the plan first -mentioned, in a 
 direct line with the gate way, you will find, a mound 
 of an easy ascent, from 10 to 12 feet in height. 
 These mounds effectually command the whole en- 
 closure. There is not a missile weapon which 
 would not, from the height and distance of the 
 mound, fall within the fortification ; nor would they 
 fall in vain. But to rear a fortification, and then 
 build a castle or mound without, at the distance of 
 40 or 50 yards, which would give to an enemy the 
 entire command of such a fortification, would be as 
 little recommended by an Esquimaux, as by a Bo- 
 naparte. The truth is, no such blunder has been 
 committed ; there is no discordancy of means to be 
 here found. On the contrary, we may trace a per- 
 fect harmony of parts. These mounds are univer- 
 sally cemeteries. Wherever they have been open- 
 ed, we find human bones, and Indian relics. They 
 have grown up gradually, as death robbed a family 
 of its relatives, or a tribe of its warriors. Alter- 
 nate strata of bones and earth, mingled with stones 
 and Indian relics, establish this position. And 
 
213 
 
 hence it is, that we find near the summit of these 
 mounds articles of European manufacture, such as 
 the tomahawk and knives ; but never are they seen 
 at any depth in the mound. Beside, it is well 
 known, that among many of the Indian tribes, the 
 bones of the deceased are annually collected and de- 
 posited in one place ; that funeral rites are then 
 solemnized with the warmest expressions of love 
 and friendship ; and that this untutored race, urg- 
 ed by the feelings of nature, consign to the bosom 
 of the earth, along with the remains of their deceas- 
 ed relatives and friends, food, weapons of war, and 
 often those articles which they possessed and most 
 highly valued when alive. This custom has reared, 
 beyond a doubt, these numerous mounds ; thus, in- 
 stead of having any relation to military arrange- 
 ments, or involving the absurdity before mentioned, 
 they furnish, on the contrary, strong evidence, that 
 the enclosures themselves were not destined for de- 
 fensive works ; because, reared as these mounds 
 have been, by small, yet successful annual incre- 
 ments, they plainly evince that the enclosures, 
 which are so near them, have been not the tempo- 
 rary stations of a retiring or weakened army, but 
 the fixed habitation of a family, and a long line of 
 descendants. 
 
 That these mounds, or repositories of the dead, 
 sometimes also called barrows, were formed by 
 depositions of bones and earth, at different periods, 
 is now rendered certain, by the perfect examination 
 to which one of them, situated on the Rivanna, was 
 subjected by the author of the Notes on Virginia. 
 
214 
 
 His penetrating genius seldom touches a subject, 
 without throwing upon it new light ; upon this he 
 has shewn all that can be desired. The manner in 
 which the barrow was opened, afforded an opportu- 
 nity of viewing its interior with accuracy. " Ap- 
 pearances," says he, " certainly indicate that it has 
 derived both origin and growth from the accustom- 
 ary collection of bones, and deposition of them to- 
 gether ; that the first collection had been depos- 
 ited on the common surface of the earth, a few 
 stones put over it, and then a covering of earth ; 
 that the second had been laid over this, had covered 
 more or less of it, in proportion to the number of 
 bones 5 and was then also covered with earth, and so 
 on. The following are, the particular circumstances 
 which gave it this aspect. 
 
 1. The number of bones. 2. Their confused 
 position. 3. Their being in different strata. 4. 
 The strata in one part having no correspondence 
 with those in another. 5. The different states of 
 decay in these strata, which seem to indicate a dif- 
 ference in the time of inhumation. 6. The exist- 
 ence of infant bones among them." p. 173, first 
 Paris ed. 
 
 The number of bones in this barrow or mound, 
 which was only 40 feet in diameter at the base, and 
 above 12 in height, authorized the conjecture that 
 it contained a thousand skeletons. Now as all these 
 numerous mounds, or barrows, have the most obvi- 
 ous similarity, we may conclude, that what is true 
 of one of them is, ceteris paribus, applicable to all. 
 The only difference consists in their dimensions. 
 
215 
 
 I visited one, situated on the low grounds of the 
 Kanhawa, which might almost be called the pyra- 
 mid of the west. Its base measured 140 yards in 
 circumference ; its altitude is nearly 40 feet. It 
 resembles a truncated cone ; upon the top there is a 
 level of 12 or 13 feet in diameter. A tall oak, of 
 two feet and a half in diameter, which had grown on 
 the top, and had long looked down upon the humble 
 foresters below, had experienced a revolutionary 
 breeze, which swept it from its majestic station, ap- 
 parently, about six or seven years before my visit. 
 Within a few miles of this stands another, which is 
 said to be higher. No kind of excavation near the 
 mound is to be seen. On the contrary, it is prob- 
 able, from the examination which was made, that 
 the earth composing the mound was brought from 
 some distance ; it is also highly probable, that this 
 was done at different periods, for we cannot believe 
 that savages would submit to the patient exertion of 
 labour requisite to perform such a work, at any one 
 undertaking. Near to this large one are several 
 upon a much smaller scale. But if that upon the 
 Rivanna, which was so accurately examined, con- 
 tained the bones of a thousand persons, this upon 
 the Kanhawa would contain 40 times that number, 
 estimating their capacities by cones. But who will 
 believe that war has ever been glutted with so ma- 
 ny Indian victims by any one battle ? The probabil- 
 ity seems to be, that these mounds, formed upon so 
 large a scale, were national burying places j espec- 
 ially as they are not connected with any particular 
 enclosure ; whilst those upon a smaller scale, and 
 
216 
 
 which are immediately connected with such a work, 
 were the repositories of those who had there once 
 enjoyed a fixed habitation. But whether this con- 
 jecture be admitted or not, the inference, from what 
 has been said under this head, that those enclo- 
 sures could not be designed as fortifications, will, I 
 think, be obvious to every one. 
 
 3. Because these supposed fortifications, not un- 
 frequently lie at the very bottom of a hill, from 
 which stones might be rolled in thousands into ev- 
 ery part of them, to the no small annoyance, we may 
 readily conceive, to the besieged. 
 
 4. Because, in those works, which are remote 
 from a river or a creek, you find no certain indica- 
 tions of a well ; and yet that water is a very neces- 
 sary article to a besieged army, will be acknowledg- 
 ed on all hands. 
 
 5. Because those works are so numerous, that, 
 supposing them to be fortifications, we must believe 
 every inch of that extensive country, in which they 
 are found, has been most valiantly and obstinately 
 disputed. For, upon the Kanhawa, to the extent of 
 80, or 100 miles, and also upon many of the rivers, 
 which empty their waters into it, there is scarcely a 
 square mile, in which you will not meet with seve- 
 ral. Indeed, they are as thick, and as irregularly 
 dispersed, as you have seen the habitation of farm- 
 ers, or planters, in a rich and well settled country ; 
 but, notwithstanding their frequency, you no where 
 see such advantageous positions selected, as the na- 
 ture of the ground, and other circumstances, would 
 immediately have recommended to the rudest en- 
 
127 
 
 gineer, either for the purpose of opposing inroads, 
 or of giving protection to an army, which was too 
 weak to withstand an invading enemy. The union 
 of Elk and Kanhawa rivers, aifords a point of de- 
 fence, which could not have escaped the attention of 
 any people ; and yet we find no fortification at this 
 place, but many through the low grounds in its vi- 
 cinity. 
 
 I could add many other reasons : I might ob- 
 serve, that some are upon so small a scale, whilst 
 others are upon one so large, as equally oppose the 
 idea of their beingplaces of defence. If one of 40, or 
 50 yards in diameter, should be deemed too small 
 for a defensive work, what shall we say to that 
 whose outline embraces fifty or even an hundred 
 acres ? What tribe of Indians would furnish men 
 sufficient to defend such a breastwork in all its 
 points ? But, I believe, the reasons assigned, when 
 collectively taken, will be deemed conclusive ; or, 
 as abundantly establishing a perfect conviction, that 
 these western enclosures were not designed for for- 
 tifications. This was my object. What was the 
 real design of them, may be left to future inquiry. 
 It is true, that we want here a compass to guide us, 
 and are left to find our way through this night of 
 time, in the best manner we can. I have already 
 said, that these enclosures carried along with them 
 strong evidence of their being fixed habitations. If 
 so, then they were designed merely as lines of de- 
 marcation ; shewing the particular spot, or portion 
 of ground, which a family wished to appropriate ; 
 and, indeed, they may be considered as exemplars 
 T 
 
218 
 
 of the manner in which land limits would be ascer- 
 tained, previous to that period when geometry be- 
 gins to point out a mode more worthy of intelligent 
 beings. This rude mode might, in a sequel of 
 years, have introduced a geometry among the abo- 
 rigines of America. Though they had not a Nile 
 to obliterate land marks, still, the desire of saving 
 labour, would produce in one case, what anxiety to 
 preserve property did in the other. If the same 
 mode has not been continued, it has arisen from the 
 means, which European and American art has sup- 
 plied, of accomplishing the same end with much 
 more facility. The people inhabiting this country 
 must have been numerous. The frequency of their 
 burying places is a proof. The traveller finds them 
 in every direction, and, often, many in every mile. 
 Under a mild climate, a people will always multi- 
 ply in proportion to the quantity of food, which they 
 can procure. Here, the waters contain fish in con- 
 siderable abundance, some weighing not less than 
 GO, or 80 pounds. Not far distant, are those ex- 
 ve and fertile plains, which were crowded with 
 wild animals. The mildness of the climate is also 
 remarkable. It appears to equal that of Richmond 
 or Williamsburg ; though the huge range of moun- 
 tains, which attend the Alleghany, have not yet dis- 
 appeared, and though the latitude of the place where 
 Elk and Kanhawa rivers meet, according to an ob- 
 servation which I made, with an imperfect instru- 
 ment, is S8° 2'. All these circumstances were high- 
 ly favourable to population, and also to permanent 
 residence. Another circumstance, the face of the 
 
219 
 
 country, on locality, would serve to prevent this in- 
 crease of population from diffusing itself on every 
 side, and, consequently, would condense a tribe ; 
 for the Kanhawa, and its tributary streams, are 
 hemmed in by high and craggy hills, often approach- 
 ing to mountains, and beyond which, to a conside- 
 rable extent, the country in general is fit only for 
 the habitation of wild beasts. It is true, that on 
 the northwest side of the Ohio, there are works, 
 which seem to claim higher pretensions to the rank 
 assigned them. They present more elevated para- 
 pets, deeper ditches, with other indications of mili- 
 tary art. Perhaps, however, when more accurately 
 examined, in all their aspects, they will be found to 
 be only the habitation of the chief of some powerful 
 tribe. The love of distinction prevails with no less 
 force in the savage, than the civilized breast. Mac- 
 kenzie, in his unadorned narratives, mentions fre- 
 quently the habitation of the chief, or king, as much 
 larger, and even as commodious, when compared 
 with those of inferior rank. In latitudes so high as 
 those which he traversed, with heroic perseverance, 
 necessity compelled the savage to contrive more 
 warm and durable habitations ; but the same prin- 
 ciple, which would give mayks of distinction to the 
 residence of the chieftain in 6nc climate, would pro- 
 duce the same effect in any other, though they 
 might assume different appearances. Besides, it 
 might not be improper to recollect, in an examina- 
 tion of these works, that the French began to build 
 forts in the Miami, and Illinois country, as early as 
 
220 
 
 the year 1680 ; and that they were afterwards sys- 
 tematically continued, until the loss of Canada. 
 
 Lastly, we are arrived to the ingenious investi- 
 gation of the Rev. Mr. Harris. The various 
 mounds and walls of earth, discovered in various 
 parts of the western region, have excited the aston- 
 ishment of all who have seen or heard of them. 
 When, and by whom they were constructed, and 
 for what purpose, are questions, which have hither- 
 to baffled the researches of the most inquisitive an- 
 tiquarians. The present race of Indians retain no 
 traditions, that can lead to any discovery. Their 
 history is lost in the oblivion of ages. The uniform 
 regularity, and prodigious extent of the works, are 
 convincing proofs, that they were erected by a peo- 
 ple, not only numerous, but well acquainted with 
 the art of fortification and defence. The large 
 trees, with which these long deserted monuments 
 are overgrown, apparently of the same age with the 
 surrounding forests, intimate the length of years 
 that the whole has remained an uncultivated waste, 
 and add the testimony of remote antiquity to these 
 venerable works. * All serves to surprise and em- 
 barrass the mind. 
 
 These works are scattered over the whole face of 
 the country. You cannot ride £0 miles in any di- 
 rection, without finding some of the mounds, or 
 
 * * On the sides, and even up to the summit of these ranv 
 parts and mounds, having grown for ages past, and regularly gone 
 to decay, some of the richest and finest timber of the forest, produc- 
 ing an increment of vegetable mould, nearly equal in depth, to that 
 which forms the whole surface of the surrounding country" 
 
221 
 
 vestiges of the ramparts. As those at Marietta, 
 have been most accurately examined and measured, 
 I shall be more particular in my description of them, 
 which I shall compile principally from the account 
 given of them, by the Rev. Dr. Cutler, and Capt. 
 J. Heart ; using the measurement of General Rufus 
 Putnam, and taking the liberty of blending with 
 their statements, such remarks as I made myself on 
 the spot. 
 
 The situation of these works is on an elevated 
 plain, above the present bank of the Muskingum, 
 on the east side, and about half a mile from its 
 junction with the Ohio. They consist ©f walls and 
 mounds of earth, in direct lines, and in square and 
 circular forms. The largest, Square fort, by some 
 called the town, contains 40 acres, encompassed by 
 a wall of earth from six to ten feet high, and from 
 25 to 36 feet in breadth, at the base. On each side 
 are three openings, at equal distances, resembling 
 12 gateways. The entrances at the middle are the 
 largest, particularly on the side next the Muskin- 
 gum. From this outlet is a covert way formed of 
 two parallel walls of earth, 251 feet distant from 
 each other, measuring from centre to centre. The 
 walls at the most elevated part of the insides, are 
 21 feet in height, and 42 in breadth, at the base ; 
 but on the outside, average only five feet high. This 
 forms a passage of about 360 feet in length, leading 
 by a gradual descent to the low grounds, where it 
 probably, at the time of its construction, reached to 
 the margin of the river. Its walls commence at 60 
 feet from the ramparts of the ferrt, and increase in 
 T2 
 
222 
 
 elevation as the way descends, towards the river : 
 and the bottom is crowned in the centre, in the man- 
 ner of a well formed turnpike road. Within the 
 walls of the fort, at the northwest corner, is an ob- 
 long, elevated square, 188 feet long, 132 broad, and 
 .9 feet high ; level on the summit, and nearly per- 
 pendicular at the sides. At the centre of each of 
 the sides, the earth is projected, forming gradual as- 
 cents to the top, equally regular, and about six feet 
 in width. Near the south wall is another elevated 
 square, 150 feet by 120, and 8 feet high ; similar to 
 the other, excepting that instead of an ascent to go 
 tip on the side next the wall, there is a hollow way 
 10 feet wide, leading toward the centre, and thea 
 rising with a gradual slope to the top. At the south- 
 east corner, is a third elevated square, 108 by 54 
 feet, with ascents at the ends ; but not so high nor 
 so perfect as the other. A little to the southwest 
 of the centre of the fort, is a circular mound, about 
 30 feet in diameter, and 5 in height ; near which 
 are four small excavations at equal distances, and 
 opposite each other. - At the southwest corner of 
 the fort is a semicircular parapet, crowned with a 
 mound, which guards the opening in the wall. To- 
 ward the southeast is a smaller fort, containing 20 
 acres, with a gateway in the centre of each side 7 
 and at each corner. These openings are defended 
 with circular mounds. On the outside of the small- 
 er fort is a mound, in form of a sugar loaf, oi a mag- 
 nitude and height which strike the beholder with 
 astonishment. Its base is a regular circle 115 feet 
 in diameter, and its perpendicular altitude is 30 
 
223 
 
 feet. It is surrounded with a ditch four feet deep, 
 and 15 wide, and defended by a parapet four feet 
 high, through which is an opening or gateway, to- 
 ward the fort, 20 feet wide. There are other walls, 
 mounds, and excavations, less conspicuous and en- 
 tire, but exhibiting equal proofs of art and design. 
 The places called graves, are small mounds of earth, 
 from some of which human bones have been taken. 
 In one were found the bones, in their natural posi- 
 tion, of a man buried nearly east and west, with a 
 quantity of isinglass on his breast. In the others 
 the bones laid promiscuously, some of them appear- 
 ed partly burnt and calcined by fire, and stones evi- 
 dently burnt, charcoal, arrow heads, and fragments 
 of a kind of earthen ware. 
 
 An opening being made at the summit of the 
 great conic mound, there was found the bones of an 
 adult in a horizontal position, covered with a flat 
 stone. Beneath this skeleton were thin stones 
 placed vertically at small and different distances, but 
 no bones were discovered. That this venerable 
 monument might not be defaced, the opening was 
 closed without farther search. It is worthy of re- 
 mark, that the walls and mounds were not thrown 
 up from ditches, but raised by bringing the earth 
 from some distance, or taking it up uniformly from 
 the surface of the plain. The parapets were prob- 
 ably made of equal height, and breadth ; but the 
 waste of time has rendered them lower and broader 
 in some parts than others. It is in vain to conjec- 
 ture what tools or machines were employed, in the 
 construction of these works j but there is no reason 
 
224 
 
 to suppose that any of the implements were of iron* 
 Plates of copper have been found in some of the 
 mounds, but they appear to be parts of armour. 
 Nothing that would answer the purpose of a shovel 
 has ever been discovered. Adverting to this cir- 
 cumstance, how astonishing must be the constancv 
 and patience necessary to endure the tediousness, 
 and overcome the difficulty, of such labours, and 
 succeed in spite of the unfitness of the instruments 
 that were employed ! 
 
 At the commencement of the settlement, the 
 whole of these works was covered with a prodig- 
 ious growth of trees. u When I arrived," says Dr. 
 Cutler, " the ground was in part cleared, but many 
 large trees yet remained on the walls around. The 
 only possible data for forming any probable conjec- 
 ture respecting the antiquity of the works, I con- 
 ceived, must be derived from the growth upon 
 them. By the concentric circles, each of which de- 
 notes the annual growth, the age of the trees might 
 be ascertained. For this purpose, a number of the 
 trees were felled ; and in the presence of governor 
 St. Clair, and many other gentlemen, the number of 
 circles were carefully counted. The trees of the 
 greatest size were hollow. In the largest of these 
 which were sound, there were from 3 to 400 circles. 
 One tree, somewhat decayed at the centre, was found 
 to contain at least 463 circles. Its age was undoubt- 
 edly more than 463 years. Other trees, in a grow- 
 ing state, were, from their appearance, much older. 
 There were likewise the strongest marks of a pre- 
 vious growth as large as the present. Decayed 
 
225 
 
 stumps could be traced at the surface of the ground, 
 on different parts of the works, which measured 
 from six to eight feet in diameter. In one of the 
 angles of a square, a decayed stump measured eight 
 feet in diameter at the surface of the ground ; and 
 though the body of the tree was so mouldered as 
 scarcely to be perceived above the surface of the 
 earth, we were able to trace the decayed wood, un- 
 der the leaves and rubbish, nearly 100 feet, A 
 thrifty beech, containing 133 circles, appeared to 
 have vegetated within the space that had been oc- 
 cupied by an ancient predecessor, of a different kind 
 of wood. Admitting the age of the present growth to 
 be 450, and that it had been preceded by one of 
 equal size and age, which, as probably as otherwise, 
 was not the first, the works have been deserted more 
 than 900 years. If they were occupied 100 years, 
 they were erected more than 1000 years ago." 
 
 The works at Marietta, although very capacious, 
 are not comparable either in height or extent to 
 some others that have been discovered. About 
 90 miles farther up in the country, on a large plain, 
 bounded by one of the western branches of the Mus- 
 kingum, are a train of ancient works, nearly two 
 miles in extent ; the ramparts of which are yet in 
 some places upwards of 18 feet perpendicular 
 height. At Licking are very extensive works, 
 some of them different in construction from those 
 at Marietta ; particularly several circular forts with 
 but one entrance. They are formed of a parapet 
 from 7 to 12 feet in height, without any ditch ; the 
 interior being of the same level with the plain oa 
 
226 
 
 which they are raised. Forts of this kind, which 
 are also found in other places, are from 3 chains to 
 15, and more, in diameter. There • are also large 
 walls and mounds on the Great Miami, and on the 
 Scioto. On a side hill at Wakkatomaka, are circu- 
 lar breastworks and redoubts, rising one above an- 
 other. 
 
 That these parapets were erected for defence, I 
 think very probable ; indeed this has been a prevail- 
 ing opinion. It is true, that their present height 
 is not such as to secure the besieged from missile 
 weapons ; but two circumstances have contributed 
 to lower them several feet ; 1st, the gradual wash- 
 ing away of the earth, of which they are composed j 
 and 2dly, the filling up of the interior, and the ac- 
 cretion of soil over the whole surface of the plain, 
 by the annual deposit of leaves, and the decay of 
 timber. This accretion is widened by finding logs 
 completely covered, and the utensils, &c. of the an- 
 cient possessors, four and five feet below the sur- 
 face. These utensils, which lie pretty much on the 
 same level, are entirely different in kind and shape 
 from the stone tools, and flint arrow heads of the 
 northern Indians, which are frequently picked up 
 on the surface: they undoubtedly belonged to a 
 people better acquainted with the arts, and seem to 
 have been for other uses than those of the latter 
 possessors of the region. It is not unlikely, that 
 these " fenced cities," were rendered secure by a 
 wooden wall, or palisade on the top of the parapet, 
 and that the passages were gateways, protected by 
 towers, which would be able to defend the whole 
 
227 
 
 distance of the wall between them ; while those in 
 front would ward off the assailants at the passage. 
 The elevated squares might be the foundations of 
 larger towers and arsenals. Their vicinity to the 
 walls, agree with such a conjecture. The excava- 
 tions or caves were undoubtedly wells, now filled 
 up ; water being an essential article in a besieged 
 place. ^ Some of these are above 40 feet in diam- 
 eter, and about five feet in depth. I know that 
 some have conjectured that these works were only 
 sacred enclosures, and that the elevated squares 
 were the area of temples, or places of sacrifice ; and 
 it must be confessed they bear considerable resem- 
 blance to those described by Clavigero, to which an- 
 cient accounts in Mexico have attributed their ap- 
 propriation. 
 
 On a subject where all is conjecture, it is impos- 
 sible to form a decided opinion. That opinion 
 must have the preference, which has the most prob- 
 ability in its favour. Allowing these works to have 
 been erected by emigrants from the north of Asia, 
 which I think has more than the support of proba- 
 bility, from the attestations of correspondent struc- 
 teb in the country they left, and the intimations of 
 *>ry in the region where they finally settled ; I 
 
 * Mr. Kalin in his travels, informs us that his countrymen, the 
 Swedes, on their arrival in that part of America called New Jer- 
 sey, in making a settlement on the river Delaware, discovered some 
 welfe at the depth of 20 feet, that were enclosed by walls of bri6lc j 
 a species of manufacture with which we are certain none of the 
 savage tribes of America were acquainted, either at the time of 
 their discovery, or in any posterior period of their history. 
 
228 
 
 say, allowing them to have been erected by Asiatic 
 emigrants, they must have been places of defence ; 
 for the journeying of these hordes was not the ex- 
 cursion of a colony in search of a settlement, but 
 the flight of a discomfited people before their pur- 
 suers. The Mexican annals testify this. The 
 smaller mounds on the great plains are filled with 
 bones, laid in various directions, in an equal state 
 of decay, and appear to be piled over heaps of slain, 
 after some great batde. Whereas the larger 
 mounds, near the fenced cities, are composed of 
 strata, if I may so say, of bones in more regular or- 
 der, of full grown people and of infants, and in dif- 
 ferent stages of decay ; and seem formed of the bo- 
 dies of such, as died of sickness, or were killed in 
 occasional skirmishes, at different times, and with 
 intervals, perhaps, of some years. In some have 
 been found plates of copper, rivetted together, cop- 
 per beads, various implements of stone, and a very 
 curious kind of porcelain. None of the Indians, who 
 now inhabit these regions, have the art of making 
 earthen ware ; much more, of melting metals, and 
 forming them into ornaments ; nor have they any 
 distinct tradition that their ancestors had. They 
 regard these things when they find them, witrrfhe 
 same surprise and curiosity, that we do. It is 
 true, that in the voyage of captains Armadas and 
 Barlow, to the coast of Virginia, in 1584, mention 
 is made of earthen pots used by the natives,'* " very 
 
 * " From the great number of artificial mounds of earth, to be 
 seen through the settlement of the Natches, it must, at some former 
 
229 
 
 large, white, and sweet ;" but I suspect they were 
 not of their own" manufacture, but the relics of a 
 former and more highly civilized race* This may 
 also be true of the copper beads, which the Indians 
 wore, as related by Verazzano, in his voyage to 
 Florida, in 1524. Whereas it is well known, that 
 the Mexicans were skilled in the art of casting met- 
 als, and in pottery.^ I have mentioned that the 
 relics of the ancient inhabitants are found several 
 feet below the surface* While at Marietta, I was 
 careful to observe the appearance of the soil, where 
 workmen were digging cellars, and, in several in- 
 stances, found at the depth of four and five feet, 
 some evidences of former settlers ; particularly in 
 one instance, a well laid hearth of flat stones, with 
 cinders of pitcoal, charcoal, Sec. At Waterford^ 
 at a place where the river had undermined the bank v 
 under the roots of a sycamore stump, whose diame- 
 ter was more than four feet, and five feet below the 
 surface, I also discerned a hearth. The ground on 
 which the stones were laid, was reddened by the 
 
 period, have been well populated. These mounds, or tumuli, are 
 generally square, and flat on the top. Add to this circumstance, in 
 favour of the former population of that district, the following fact K 
 which is very conclusive ; in all parts where new plantations are 
 opened, broken Indian earthen ware is to be met with ; some of 
 the pieces are in tolerable preservation, and retain distinctly the o- 
 riginal ornaments, but none of it appears to have been ever glazed.'* 
 
 Ellicot's Journal. 
 
 * "They had an excellent manufacture of earthen ware, of three 
 colours, red, black, and white, painted in different patterns." Bern. 
 Diaz Del Castillo. 
 U 
 
230 
 
 and otfak, and bones were above. The time 
 for such an accumulation of soil, and for the growth 
 of so large a tree, must have been many centuries. 
 Among the antiquities of. this territory, (though 
 without the limits of the state of Ohio) may also 
 be mentioned the inscriptions engraven on a large 
 stratum of rocks, on the southeast side of the river 
 Ohio, about two miles below the mouth of Indian, 
 or King's creek, which empties into the Ohio, 50 
 miles below Pittsburg. The greater part of the 
 rocks lie nearly in a horizontal direction, and so 
 close to the cdgG of the river, that, at times, the wa- 
 ter entirely covers them. At the distance of a few 
 yards, however, from the bank of the river, there 
 are several large masses of the same species of 
 reck, on which are inscriptions also. These, it is 
 probable, have been formerly attached to the hori- 
 zontal stratum, and have either been removed by 
 the hand of man, or by some violent inundation of 
 the river. It is, at least, certain, that the inscrip- 
 tions upon loth ure of the same kind, and there can 
 be little doubt, that they have both been engraven 
 at the same time. 
 
 Having given this sketch of the antiquities of 
 this part of the country, I will endeavour to throw 
 some light upon their origin and authors. The Ab- 
 be Clavigero commences his history of Mexico, 
 with an account of the Toliecas, the oldest nation 
 of which there is any account in that part of the 
 world. He describes them as celebrated for their 
 superior civilization, and skill in astronomy and 
 the arts. He says, they understood the method of 
 
casting gold arid silver into whatever forms they 
 pleased, and that they acquired the greatest reputa- 
 tion for the cutting of all kinds of gems. From the 
 ancient historic paintings and traditions of this na- 
 tion, it appears, that, banished from the: 
 country, they began an emigration in th 
 Tecpatl, that is, about the middle 
 tury. # In the course of their 
 sometimes rested but a short time at a p] 
 at other times tarried long^ erected them hou s, 
 and attended to the concerns of agriculture. Jin 
 this wandering manner did they travel, alv 
 southwards, for the snace of 104 v ar- 
 
 rived at a place, to which they gave the 
 Tollantzinco, about 50 miles to the east of 
 spot, where, some centuries after, was fo 
 ed the city of Mexico. They appear to 
 numerous, enterprizing, and powerful pec 
 may seem, indeed, that 104 years is hardly i 
 cient for so long a peregrination, and for the erec- 
 tion of worics of such extent and magnitude, as t3 
 found through all the continent of America, as 
 far as it has yet been discovered, from the la! 
 the Woods to Mexico. Let it, however, be observ- 
 ed, that the limited time, depending partly i 
 tradition, and partly upon hieroglyphical annals, 
 not accurately understood 800 years after 
 were commenced, may not be chronological!', 
 act. The fact, however, of an emigration, at an 
 
 * Clavigero says 59G, but afterward he says, " their departure 
 Happened in 544, and their monarchy commenced in 667." 
 
232 
 
 early period, from a more northern region, of a iui~ 
 fnerous and warlike people, cannot be doubted. 
 That they erected the fortifications and mounds as 
 they progressed onwards, seems highly probable. 
 Like works and tumuli are found in Mexico ; and 
 by the ancient historians, are ascribed to the Tolte- 
 -cas. Being of a more recent date, than those we 
 have been describing, their contents are more per- 
 fect; the vases and other implements are more en- 
 tire, and the bones are not so much decayed. Like 
 the mounds in the more northern regions, they con- 
 tain a variety of valuable articles, which were inter- 
 red with the dead. Hence the historians of the 
 discovery of America remark, that " the insatiable 
 avarice of the conquerors of Mexico and Peru, ri- 
 fled the Indian sepulchres of the gold and jewels, 
 (bijoux) of which they were full." 3 * 
 
 Admitting the date given by Clavigero, as an 
 -authority, and supposing them to have commenced 
 •their route, in the year of Christ 544, and that they 
 reached the Muskingum 53 years afterward ; we 
 shall be carried back 1209 years from the present, 
 {1803.) The calculation of Dr. Cutler upon the 
 age of the trees, makes 900 years, which allows 
 S09 years for the forest to have started up after the 
 places were forsaken. As the sepulchral mounds 
 of the ancient Mexicans, resembled those of which 
 we are treating, so their fortifications are of the 
 same structure. Clavigero declares, " It is certain 
 and indubitable, from the depositions made by Cor- 
 
 * Lafita*. 
 
233 
 
 tez, and all those who saw the ancient cities, of that 
 empire, that the Mexicans and all the neighbouring 
 nations, lived in societies, raised, walls, bastions, 
 palisades, ditches, and entrenchments for their de- 
 fence. It is true, such fortifications were not com- 
 parable to those of the Europeans, because neither 
 was their military architecture perfected,norhad they 
 occasion to cover themselves from artillery, of which 
 they had no experience, or conception ; but they 
 gave plain proofs of their industry in inventing ma- 
 ny different kinds of expedients, to defend them- 
 selves from their native enemies." Speaking in 
 another place, of the Mexican antiquities in the 
 royal armoury, in Madrid, he says, " We are cer- 
 tain, from the testimony of all the writers of Mexi- 
 co, that those nations used such plates of copper in 
 war, and that they covered their breasts, their arms, 
 and thighs with them, to defend themselves from 
 arrows." In connection with the warlike character 
 and military genius of the Toltecas, it may be men- 
 tioned, that, " Tendille, a Mexican, remarking a 
 partly gilt helmet of one of Cortez's soldiers, ob- 
 served, that it resembled one which had belonged 
 to their ancestors, and which was placed on the 
 head of their god Kuitzicopochtli, and therefore 
 expressed a wish to carry it to Montezuma. Ac- 
 cordingly, Cortez gave it to him."* 
 
 Having described the elevated mounds, and 
 squares, and forts in the western parts of North A- 
 merica, and in Mexico, it may be well to inquire, if 
 
 * Conquest of Mexico. 
 U 2 
 
234 
 
 «\vch are found in any other part of the world, and 
 whether we may not thus discover whence America 
 was first peopled. For this purpose, I have col- 
 lected the following documents. The most early 
 accounts, which history affords of these kinds of tu- 
 muli, is in the Melpomene of Herodotus, c. 71, 
 where it is said, that u the sepulchres of the Scythi- 
 an kings are in the country of the Gerrhians, who 
 Jive in the remotest parts of Scythia, where the Bo- 
 rysthenes is first known to be navigable. They lay 
 the king in the sepulchre prepared for him, upon a 
 bed, encompassed on all sides with spears fixed in 
 the ground. Upon the whole are disposed pieces 
 of wood covered with branches of willow. In the 
 spaces which remain vacant, they bury one of the 
 king's concubines, whom they previously strangle^ 
 together with the cupbearer, the cook, the groom, 
 the waiter, his horses, and the choicest of his ef- 
 fects. To these, they add cups of gold, for silver 
 and brass are not used among them. This done, 
 they throw up the earth with great care, and endeav- 
 our to raise a mound as high as possible." Here 
 we receive the best and most authentic account of 
 -the Scythian mode of sepulture ; and it refers us 
 to the very regions, where multitudes of these 
 mounds exist at this day. 
 
 Olaus Wormius says, these sepulchral barrows 
 are works of no slight labour, or small expense. 
 The length of time, the number of the people, and 
 the toil bestowed upon their construction, rude as 
 many appear, mark strongly the zealous efforts 
 which they employed to do honour to the deceased, 
 
235 
 
 and to perpetuate the glory of their princes, heroes, 
 mid benefactors. Peringskiold describes several of 
 the same kind in Sweden, particularly a large one 
 at Upsal, 150 yards in circumference, and 30 yards 
 high ; the antiquity of which he supposes to be at 
 least 3000 years. * 
 
 M. Cocherell gives an account of a Gaulish mon- 
 ument of similar structure and contents, in Nor- 
 mandy. Stones, axes wrought to the finest edge, 
 spears, lances, arrow heads, &c. were found among 
 the bones it contained.! 
 
 Terfeus relates 4 that Odinus brought the first 
 urns into the northern regions, introduced there the 
 custom of burning the dead, of putting the most 
 valuable things of the deceased into the grave with 
 their ashes, and of erecting monuments and laying 
 stones over the sepulchres of the most eminent per- 
 sons. On this occasion he quotes Stephanes in 
 these words ; " Primitus nam que defunctis justa 
 solvituri in campo piano, juxta Regiam, aut defuncti 
 prsedium, circulum mirae magnitudinis lapidibus 
 efformabant, oblongum tamen viginti circiter orgy- 
 arum longitudine, latitudine trium. In hoc de- 
 functi cremabant cadaver, cineres collectos, urnis 
 in cludebant, ac in circi meditullio locatos, grandi- 
 bus undique stripabant lapidibus, arena glebaque 
 terresti replebant, ac in form am monticuli desuper 
 collem extruebant." Strahlenburg says he found 
 
 * Monumenta Sueo Gothica. 
 
 f Quoted in Montfaucon, Antiquite Expliquee. 
 
 J Series Dynast. Reg. Dan. 
 
236 
 
 every thing to correspond with this description, both 
 as to the stones and the dimensions. 
 
 The Russians call these sepulchres Bogri, or 
 Mutiguii ; and vast numbers of them are found in 
 Siberia, and in the deserts which border on that 
 government southwards. " In these tombs are 
 found all sorts of vessels, urns, ornaments, trinkets^ 
 cimetars, daggers, plates, medals, and jewels of 
 gold, silver, &c. The graves of the poorer sort 
 have likewise such things in them of copper and 
 brass, arrows, &cc." " As to the graves themselves 
 they are of different structures. Some are only 
 raised up of earth as high as houses, and placed so 
 near together, and in such numbers on the spacious 
 plains, that, at a distance, they appear like a pdge 
 of hills. Others are set round with rough hewn 
 stones, and some with square free stones, and are 
 either of an oblong or a triangular form. In some 
 places these tombs are entirely built with stone. 
 Hence we find in the ancient maps of Tartary the 
 Greater, a number of mounds called c the pyramid- 
 ical sepulchres of the Tartarian kings f by which 
 they must needs mean these monuments, though 
 they are not so properly pyramids." In the fifth 
 volume of the French translation of the travels of 
 Professor Pallas is a long and circumstantial ac- 
 count of these ancient monuments. 
 
 M. De Stehlin, secretary to the Imperial Acade- 
 my at Petersburg, declares that there is not one in- 
 stance of the tumuli being found to the northward of 
 latitude 58°. They are of all dimensions. The 
 circumference of some is 30 Russian toises, others 
 
237 
 
 50, 100, and even 500 toises. Their altitudes are 
 also various, from 5 to 6, 12, and even 30 toises. 
 Each toise measuring seven English feet. The 
 Russians in effecting a practicable road to China, 
 discovered in latitude 50° north, between the rivers 
 Irtish and Obalet, a desert of a very considerable 
 extent, overspread in many parts with tumuli or 
 barrows. This desert constitutes the southern 
 boundary of Siberia. Historians and journalists 
 make mention of these tumuli, with several partic- 
 ulars concerning them. 
 
 M. Strahlenburg, in his history of Russia and 
 Tartary, relates that, in the year 1 720, some Rus- 
 sian regiments, being sent from Tobolsk i, the cap- 
 ital of Siberia, up the river Irtish, to the great 
 plains or deserts, found in the tumuli there many 
 ornamental antiquities ; as they likewise did on the 
 western boundary of the desert, between the rivers 
 Tobol and Ischim. He farther mentions, that 
 Scythian antiquities are annually brought from the 
 pagan tombs which lie on each side the river Ir- 
 tish, on the deserts of the Calmuck Tartars ; and 
 that a vast number of molten images, and other 
 things in gold, silver, and other metals, have been 
 brought from the Siberian and Tartarian tombs ; 
 some of which he has engraved in his history. 
 
 Mr. Bell, in his journey from Petersburg to Pe- 
 kin, informs us that eight or ten days journey from 
 Tomsky, situated on the river Tom (which falls in- 
 to the Oby, and empties itself into the Frozen 
 ocean, in latitude 53 • and 54* north, and which 
 makes the northeast boundary of the great desert 
 
Z3S 
 
 mentioned above by Strahlenburg) are found many 
 tombs and burying places, of ancient heroes, as re- 
 ported, who probably fell in battle ; but when and 
 between whom, and upon what occasion these bat- 
 tles were fought, is not certain. The account which 
 Mr. Bell received from the Tartars in the Baraba, 
 is that Tamerlane had 'many engagements with the 
 Calmuck Tartars in this country, whom he in vain 
 attempted to subdue. • Many persons go every 
 summer from Tom sky to these tumuli, and find 
 considerable quantities of gold, silver, and brass, 
 and some precious stones, among the ashes and re- 
 mains of dead bodies ; also hilts of swords, armour, 
 ornaments for saddles and bridles, and other trap- 
 pings ; with the bones of those animals to which the 
 others belonged, among which are the bones of ele- 
 phants. From these circumstances it appears, that 
 when any chief, or person of distinction, was inter- 
 red, it was usual to bury in the same tumulus with 
 him, his armg, and favourite horse, &c. And this 
 custom, which is reputed to be of great antiquity, 
 prevails at this day among the Calmucks, and other 
 Tartarian hordes. The borderers upon those des- 
 erts have for years continued to dig for the treasure 
 deposited in these tumuli, which still remain unex- 
 hausted. The Russian court being informed of 
 these depredations, sent a principal officer with suf- 
 ficient troops, to open such of these tumuli as were 
 too large for the marauding parties to undertake, 
 and to secure their contents. The officer, upon 
 taking a survey of the numberless monuments of the 
 dead spread over this vast desert, concluded that 
 
239 
 
 the barrow of the largest dimensions most probably- 
 contained the remains of the prince, or chief ; and 
 he was not mistaken ; for after removing a very- 
 deep covering of earth and stones, the workmen 
 eame to three vaults constructed of stones of rude 
 workmanship ; containing the bones, habiliments, 
 and rich ornaments, armour, &c. &c. of the chief. 
 A particular account of this tumulus, by Mr. Der- 
 medoif at Petersburg, accompanied with four large 
 drawings of the antiquities, is inserted in the second 
 volume of the Archeologia. 
 
 The situation, construction, form, and general 
 contents of these Asiatic tumuli, and the ancient 
 American mounds, are so similar, that there can be 
 no hesitation in ascribing them to the same people. 
 Other strong reasons for believing that the aborig- 
 ines of America were descendants from the ancient 
 Scythians, and passed into this continent from the 
 eastern parts of Asia, are, that many of the customs 
 of the Scythians are still in use among the Indian 
 tribes ; in particular that of scalping their prison- 
 ers, and of putting them to death by a variety of in- 
 genious and protracted tortures. They have many 
 things, also, in common with the Tartar tribes of 
 Asia ; as the fabric and constructive of birch ca- 
 noes ; the method of marching in what we call 
 u Indian file ;" and the construction of implements 
 of war, and instruments of the chase. Whereas 
 the northern nations, by whom they seem to have 
 been encroached upon, and gradually expelled from 
 the first settlements they made, till they were finally 
 driven into Mexico and Peru, most probably mi- 
 
240 
 
 grated from the northwest parts of Europe. This 
 seems probable from the character and physiogno- 
 my discoverable in the people, who have emigrated 
 from the northeast extremity of the American con- 
 tinent. 
 
 As the tusks, grinders, and skeletons of the Mam- 
 moth, found in different parts of our territories, 
 have excited considerable attention, we shall give 
 Mr. Jefferson's observations on the subject. The 
 tradition of the Indians is, that he was carnivorous, 
 and still exists in the northern parts of America. A 
 delegation of warriors from the Delaware tribe, 
 having visited the governor of Virginia, during the 
 revolution, on matters of business ; after these had 
 been discussed, and settled in council, the governor 
 asked them some questions relative to their coun- 
 try ; and among others, what they knew or had 
 heard of the animal whose bones were found at the 
 Salt licks on the Ohio. Their chief speaker imme- 
 diately put himself in an attitude of oratory, and 
 with a pomp suited to what he conceived the eleva- 
 tion of his subject, informed him that it was a tradi- 
 tion handed down from their fathers, " That in an- 
 cient times a herd of these tremendous animals 
 came to the Big Bone licks, and began an universal 
 destruction of the bears, deer, elks, buffaloes, and 
 other animals which had been created for the use of 
 the Indians : that the Great Man above, looking 
 down and seeing this, was so enraged, that he seiz- 
 ed his lightning, descended on the earth, seated 
 himself on a neighbouring mountain, on a rock, of 
 which his seat and the print of his feet are still to 
 
241 
 
 be seen ; and hurled his bolts among them till the 
 whole were slaughtered except the big bull, who 
 presenting his forehead to the shafts, shook them off 
 as they fell ; but missing one, at length, it wounded 
 him in the side ; whereon, springing round, he 
 bounded over the Ohio, over the Wabash, the Ili- 
 nois, and finally over the great lakes, w T here he is 
 living at this day." It is well known that on the 
 Ohio, and in many parts of America farther north, 
 tusks, grinders, and skeletons of unparalleled mag- 
 nitude are found in great numbers, some lying on 
 the surface of the earth, and some a little below it. 
 Mr. Stanley, taken prisoner by the Indians near 
 the mouth of the Tennessee, relates, that being car- 
 ried over the mountains west of the Missouri, to a 
 river which runs westwardly ; these bones abound- 
 ed there : and that the natives described to him 
 the animal to which they belonged, *is still existing 
 in the northern parts of their country ; from which 
 description he judged it to be an elephant. Bones 
 of the same kind have been found, some feet below 
 the surface of the earth, in salines opened on the 
 North Holston, a branch of the Tennessee, about the 
 latitude of 36° 30' north. From the accounts pub- 
 lished in Europe, I suppose it to be decided, that 
 thes he same kind with those found in Sibe^- 
 
 ria. In are mentioned of like animal re-> 
 
 mains found in the more southern climates of both 
 hemispheres ; but they are either so loosely men- 
 tioned as to leave a doubt of the fact, so inaccurate- 
 ly described as not to authorize the classing them 
 with the great northern bones, or so rare as to fo 
 
242 
 
 a suspicion that they have been carried thither as 
 curiosities, from more northern nations. So that 
 . on the whole there seems to be no certain vestiges 
 of the existence of this animal farther south than 
 the salines last mentioned. It is remarkable that 
 the tusks and skeletons have been ascribed by the 
 naturalists of Europe, to the elephant, while the 
 grinders have been given to the hippopotamus, or 
 river horse. Yet it is acknowledged that the tusks 
 and skeletons are much larger than those of the el- 
 ephant, and the grinders many times greater than 
 those of the hippopotamus, and essentially different 
 in form. Wherever these grinders are found, there 
 also we find the tusks and skeleton ; but no skele- 
 ton of the hippopotamus nor grinders of the ele- 
 phant. It will not be said that the hippopotamus 
 and the elephant come always to the same spot ; the 
 former to deposit his grinders, and the latter his 
 tusks and skeleton. For what become of the parts 
 not deposited there ? We must agree then that these 
 remains belong to each other, that they are of one and 
 the same animal, that this was not a hippopotamus, 
 because the hippopotamus has no tusks, nor such a 
 frame ; and because the grinders differ in their size 
 as well as in the number and form of their points. 
 That it was not an elephant, I think ascertained by 
 proofs equally decisive. I will not avail myself of 
 the authority of the celebrated anatomist (Hunter) 
 who from an examination of the form and structure 
 of the tusks, has declared they were essentially dif- 
 ferent from those of the elephant ; because another 
 anatomist (D' Aubenton) equally celebrated, has de- 
 
248 
 
 clared, on a like examination, that they are precise- 
 ly the same. Between two such authorities I will 
 suppose this circumstance equivocal. 
 
 But, 1. The skeleton of the mammoth (for so the 
 incognitum has been called) bespeaks an animal of 
 five or six times the cubic volume of the elephant, 
 as BufFon has admitted. 2. The grinders are five 
 times as large, are square, and the grinding surface 
 studded with four or five rows of blunt points : 
 whereas those of the elephant are broad and thin? 
 and their grinding surface flat. 3. I have never 
 heard an instance, and suppose there has been none, 
 of the grinder of an elephant being found in Amer- 
 ica. 4. From the known temperature and consti- 
 tution of the elephant, he could never have existed 
 in these regions where the remains of the mammoth 
 have been found. The elephant is a native only of 
 the torrid zone and its vicinities ; if, with the as- 
 sistance of warm apartments, and warm clothing, 
 he has been preserved in life in the temperate cli- 
 mates of Europe, it has only been for a small por- 
 tion of what would have been his natural period ; 
 and no instance of his multiplication in them has 
 ever been known. But no bones of the mammoth, 
 as I before observed, have ever been found farther 
 south than the salines of the Holston, and they have 
 been found as far north as the arctic circle. These , 
 therefore, who are of opinion that the elephant and 
 mammoth are the same, must believe, 1. That the 
 elephant known to us can exist and multiply in the 
 frozen zone ; or, 2. Thp.t an internal fire may once 
 have warmed these regions, and since abandoned 
 
244 
 
 them ; of which, however, the globe exhibits no 
 unequivocal indications ; or, 3. That the obliquity 
 of the elliptic, when these elephants lived, was so 
 great as to include within the tropics all these re- 
 gions in which the bones are found, the tropics be- 
 ing, as before observed, the natural limits of habita- 
 tion for the elephant. But if it be admitted that 
 this obliquity has really decreased, and we adopt 
 the highest rate of decrease yet pretended, that is,, 
 of one minute in a century, to transfer the northern 
 tropic to the arctic circle, would carry the existence 
 of these supposed elephants 250,000 years back ; a 
 period far beyond our conception of the duration of 
 animal bones left exposed to the open air, as these 
 are in many instances. Besides, though these re- 
 gions would then be supposed within the tropics, yet 
 their winters would have been too severe for the 
 sensibility of the elephant. They would have had 
 too but one day and one night in the year, a circum- 
 stance to which we have no reason to suppose the 
 nature of the elephant fitted. However, it has been 
 demonstrated, that, if a variation of obliquity in the 
 elliptic takes place at all, it is vibratory, and never 
 exceeds the limits of nine degrees, which is not suf- 
 ficient to bring these bones within the tropics. One 
 of these hypotheses, or some other equally volun- 
 tary and inadmissible to cautious philosophy, must 
 be adopted, to support the opinion that these are the 
 bones of the elephant. For my own part, I find it 
 easier to believe that an animal may have existed, 
 resembling the elephant in his tusks, and general 
 anatomy, while his nature was in other respects, ex- 
 
245 
 
 tremely different. From the 30th degree of south 
 latitude, to the 30th of north, are nearly the limits 
 which nature has fixed for the existence and multi- 
 plication of the elephant known to us. Proceeding 
 thence northerly to 36 30 degrees, we enter those 
 assigned to the mammoth. The further we advance 
 north, the more their vestiges multiply, as far as 
 the earth has been exposed in that direction: and 
 it is as probable as otherwise, that this progression 
 continues to the pole itself, if land extends so far. 
 The centre of the frozen zone then may be the 
 acme of their vigour, as that of the torrid is of the 
 elephant. Thus nature seems to have drawn a belt 
 of separation between these two tremendous ani- 
 mals ; whose breadth indeed is not precisely known, 
 though at present we may suppose it about 6i de- 
 grees of latitude ; to have assigned to the elephant 
 the regions south of these confines, and these north 
 to the mammoth, founding the constitution of the 
 one in her extreme of heat, and that of the other in 
 the extreme of cold. When the Creator has there- 
 fore separated their nature as far as the extent of 
 the scale of animal life allowed to this planet would 
 permit, it seems perverse to declare it the same, 
 from a partial resemblance of their tusks and bones. 
 But to whatever animal we ascribe these remains, it 
 is certain such an one has existed in America, and 
 that it has been the largest of all terrestrial beings. 
 There are some antiquities in and near Mexico^ 
 worth attention. The ancient city of Mexico, as it 
 stood on the same ground the present city stands 
 on, was probably square, or pretty near that figure » 
 w 2 
 
246 
 
 and its dimensions may be guessed at from the 
 number of families residing in.it, which the histo- 
 ries of its conquest make to be about 60,000. There 
 was a noble square in the middle of the city, which 
 at the time of the great fair, was resorted to by a 
 prodigious concourse of people, and contained a 
 great number of booths and tents, wherein they 
 lodged their merchandize. The city was divided 
 into two parts ; the one inhabited by the court, the 
 nobility, and persons of distinction ; the other by- 
 tradesmen, and persons of inferior rank. The for- 
 mer part was much the largest, where the streets 
 were spacious, the houses of white hewn stone, one 
 story high, and they had flat roofs, adorned with 
 battlements. Their ceilings were of cedar, cypress, 
 or other odoriferous wood ; and their hangings 
 either of furs, and beautiful feathers, or cotton linen 
 painted with a variety of figures of plants and ani- 
 mals : but notwithstanding their wealth, none of 
 the nobility were served in plate, which was the 
 prerogative only of the emperor. 
 
 The palace of Montezuma, the last emperor, was 
 ao very large, that it had SO gates, which opened 
 into as many different streets, the principal front 
 making one side of the above mentioned square. 
 The materials of this building were polished jasper, 
 black, red, and white ; and over each gate were the 
 arms of Montezuma, being a griffin, with the wings 
 extended, and a tiger in its talons. The whole con- 
 sisted of several square courts, and \v T as so vastly 
 extensive, as to contain apartments for 3000 of the 
 emperor's womem, and a proportionable number of 
 
247 
 
 4 
 
 domestics. Another palace assigned to Cortez and.jp 
 his army, was likewise of a surprising extent, con-' 
 taining commodious rooms and apartments, for 500 
 Spaniards, and 6000 Indians, auxiliaries : and 
 when the Spanish general had planted his artillery, 
 and placed his guards, it had much the appearance 
 of a fortress, being surrounded with a thick stone 
 wall, and flanked with towers. 
 
 When Cortez and his army first entered the 
 streets of Mexico, they were met by 200 noblemen 
 of the emperor's household, clothed in one livery, 
 with large plumes of feathers on their heads, all of 
 the same fashion and colour. These, after meeting 
 and paying their compliments to the Spanish gene- 
 ral, fell back, and then dividing themselves, made 
 a lane for the Spaniards. Then came another bo- 
 dy of the nobility, of a superior dignity, who made 
 a most splendid appearance ; and in the midst of 
 them, was the emperor Montezuma, carried in a 
 chair of beaten gold, on the shoulders of his favour- 
 ite courtiers, whilst four of them sustained a cano- 
 py over his head. The whole was adorned with 
 beautiful feathers, through which the gold appeared 
 predominant, and the emperor was preceded by 
 three officers with rods of gold, the harbingers of 
 his approach, on whose appearance, the people fell 
 upon their faces, not daring to look upon their mon- 
 arch. Cortez dismounting when the Mexican em- 
 peror drew near, the latter alighted from his chair ? 
 and carpets were spread in the streets for him to 
 tread on. He advanced with a solemn slow pace, 
 leaning on the arms of two of his relations, and was 
 
248 
 
 met by Cortez with a profound reverence, which 
 the emperor answered, by touching the ground 
 with his hand, and afterward held it to his lips, 
 which was looked upon as a great condescension, 
 and added to the esteem and veneration, his sub- 
 jects already had for the Spaniards. The confer- 
 ence between the Mexican emperor and Cortez was 
 short at this interview, after which, Montezuma 
 commanded one of his princes to conduct the gene- 
 ral to the palace appointed for his residence, and 
 then returned to his own. 
 
 Beside the two palaces already mentioned, Mon- 
 tezuma had several pleasure houses, in and about 
 the city ; in one of which, were great galleries, 
 supported by pillars of jasper, and stored with all 
 sorts of land fowl and birds, that Mexico produced. 
 The sea fowl were preserved in reservoirs of salt 
 water ; and those that were bred up in lakes and 
 rivers, in others of fresh water ; and so numerous 
 were these fowl, that it is said to have been the bu- 
 siness of 300 men to look after them. In one 
 square of the palace, were kept all manner of wild 
 beasts, in their respective dens, or cages, in a most 
 singular order. In another square of the same pal- 
 ace, were apartments for dwarfs and monsters, fools 
 and naturals, of the human species, kept for the di- 
 version or service of the court. Here were also 
 armouries, well stored with all sorts of Indian weap- 
 ons j and the artificers, that formed and cleaned 
 these arms, had apartments in the same quarter. 
 
 All these palaces of the Mexican emperors, had 
 spacious and elegant gardens, laid out in fine shad? 
 
249 
 
 walks, beds of fragrant and medicinal herbs, and 
 parterres of beautiful flowers, and embellished with 
 magnificent summer houses, baths, arbours, and 
 fountains. But there was a building in the most 
 solitary part of the gardens, which surprised the 
 Spaniards more than any thing they met with, and 
 it was called the house of sorrow, because the em- 
 peror used to retire thither on the death of his rela- 
 tions, or on any calamity, public or private. The 
 roof, the ceiling, and the sides, were black ; and on- 
 ly just so much light was admitted, as to discover 
 the dismal obscurity. In this gloomy mansion, the 
 Spanish authors pretend, that Montezuma used to 
 converse familiarly with the prince of darkness. 
 
 The principal of the Mexican temples, was dedi- 
 cated to Viztlipuzli, the god of war. The whole 
 edifice formed a large square, and was encompass- 
 ed by a wall of hewn stone, and adorned on the out- 
 side, with knots of twisted serpents. At a litde 
 distance from the chief gate, was a place of wor- 
 ship, built of stone, having an ascent of 30 steps, 
 which led to a long flat roof, and the front of it, as 
 the Spaniards relate, was decorated with the sculls 
 of men, who had been sacrificed to their idols. On 
 each side of the square was a magnificent gate, and 
 over every one of them, four statues, supposed to 
 represent some subordinate deities. At the foot 
 of the wall within, were th^ apartments of the 
 priests, and of the inferior officers and servants ; 
 and yet there was room enough left for eight or ten 
 thousand persons to dance on solemn festivals. In 
 the middle of the square, was a structure of a pyra- 
 
250 
 
 midal form, three sides of which were smooth, and 
 the fourth ascended by 120 steps. There was a 
 terrace on the top, 40 feet square, laid with jasper 
 of different colours. This was surrounded with 
 twisted rails, and on each side was a marble statue, 
 supporting a large candlestick, between which, was 
 a green stone, five spans high from the ground, 
 which terminated in a point ; and on this, r ;it is said, 
 they extended the human victims, they sacrificed, 
 throwing them on their backs, and ripping them op- 
 en with sharp flints, instead of knives ; after which, 
 they tore out their hearts, and offered them to their 
 idols. 
 
 On the farther side, opposite the stairs, stood a 
 chapel of exquisite materials and architecture, 
 where an idol was placed above an altar. This im- 
 age was of the human form, and set on a throne sus- 
 tained by an azure globe, which they called heaven, 
 and from the sides of it issued four rods, whose 
 ends resembled the heads of serpents. On the head 
 of the image was a helmet, adorned with plumes of 
 various colours, and its countenance was severe and 
 terrible. In the right hand, it held a twining ser- 
 pent, which served for a staff ; and in the left hand, 
 four arrows, which were revered as the gift of heav- 
 en. It likewise bore a shield, adorned with fine 
 white plumes, in form of a cross. 
 
 On the left hand was another chapel, in which 
 was the image of Tlalock, another of the Mexican 
 deities, almost in every respect resembling the 
 former. These two idols were so intimately unit- 
 ed, in the opinion of the poor Indians, that they as- 
 
251 
 
 cribed to them the same attributes, and paid them 
 the same honours. The walls and altars of these 
 chapels were immensely rich, being covered with 
 jewels and precious stones, set on feathers of vari- 
 ous colours. There were eight of these temples in 
 Mexico, of similar architecture, and equal wealth ; 
 beside 2000 small ones, dedicated to so many dif- 
 ferent gods, every street having its tutelar deity ; 
 every distress, or calamity, its particular altar. 
 
 On an island in the lake, about two leagues from 
 Mexico, was situated Iztacpalapa, the two cities 
 having a communication by a spacious stone cause- 
 way. This town consisted of 10,000 houses, many 
 of which were built like those of Mexico. The 
 rooms of the Cacique's palace, were hung with cot- 
 ton linen, finely painted ; and among the curiosities 
 in the garden, he had a square reservoir, with stairs 
 to go down to the bottom, each side being 400 paces* 
 Another city, called Cholula, was, for beauty, like 
 Valladolid, in Spain, containing 20,000 souls, and 
 having suburbs of equal dimensions. The city of 
 Tlascala was also built with stone and brick, like 
 the houses of Mexico, and was situated on four em- 
 inences, which were united and defended by a stone 
 wall ; so well were the Mexicans skilled in archi- 
 tecture, in those days, though now there are not any 
 towns in the country built of brick or stone, except 
 those in possession of the Spaniards. As to the 
 Indian antiquities about Mexico, the Spaniards 
 have destroyed the greatest part of them, but about 
 7 leagues from the city, there still remain two re- 
 markable pieces, viz. the pyramids of the sun and 
 
252 
 
 moon, the founders of which are not known. They 
 appear cut out in steps, like those of Egypt ; and 
 on the top of them once stood two images of a mon- 
 strous size, representing the sun and moon, which 
 the Indians worshipped. The pyramid of the sun 
 stands about 200 paces from the other, and is about 
 a fourth part higher. Wonders of Nature and Art* 
 
 *i m i--- : i— -« « 
 
253 
 
 SOUTH AMERICA. 
 MOUNTAINS. 
 
 THE mountains of South America constitute 
 some of the grandest objects in natural geography ; 
 being not only the most lofty on the face of the 
 globe, but intermixed with volcanoes of the most 
 sublime and terrible description. The extent is al- 
 so prodigious, the Andes stretching in one line from 
 the capes of Isidro and Pilares, in the southern ex- 
 tremity of the continent, to the west side of the 
 gulf of Darien, a space of no less than 4600 mile« f 
 as they generally follow the windings of the coast, 
 at the medial distance of about 100 miles. The 
 chief summits are near the equator, not far from the 
 city of Quito. 
 
 Chimborazo, the highest of these mountains, 
 about 100 British miles to the south of Quito, and 
 about 10 miles to the north of Riobamba, was com- 
 puted by the mathematicians, sent by the king of 
 France, at 3217 toises above the level of the sea, 
 or 20,280 feet : about 5000 feet higher than Mont 
 Blanc. But these mountains are elevated on the 
 high plain of Quito, which constitutes more than 
 one third of the computed height ; so that, con- 
 x 
 
254 
 
 sidered as mere excrescences from the land, they 
 still yield to Mont Blanc. Pinkerton. 
 
 Acosta relates, that he once ascended one of the 
 highest of these mountains in Peru, called Pariaca- 
 ea ; and that he went prepared according to the 
 best instructions he could get, with several more 
 who had the like curiosity ; but, notwithstanding 
 all his precautions, when he came near the top, he 
 was seized with such pains, that he thought he 
 should have fallen to the ground ; and, the rest of 
 the company feeling similar emotions, they all hast- 
 ened down as fast as they could, without waiting 
 for one another. They were all taken with violent 
 retchings, and not only brought up green phlegm, 
 and choler, but a great deal of blood. This lasted 
 for three or four hours, till they had descended to 
 the lower part of the mountain ; but it seems the 
 sickness generally goes off before they get to the 
 bottom, and is attended with no ill consequences. 
 People, who pass this ridge of mountains, in any 
 part of them for upwards of 500 leagues, are affect- 
 ed in like manner, but more in some places than in 
 others. Acosta had passed the Andes at four dif- 
 ferent places, and always felt the like disorder, but 
 not so much as at Pariacaca ; and the best remedy 
 they found against it, was, to stop their mouths, 
 noses, and ears, as much as possible, the air being 
 so subtile and piercing, that it affects the entrails 
 both of men and beasts. This, indeed, is no won- 
 der, since the height of the Andes is such, that the 
 Alps, in comparison to them, seem but as ordinary 
 houses in regard to lofty towers* Hence, our author 
 
255 
 
 concluded, that the air on the top of these moun- 
 tains, was too pure and subtile for animals to breathe 
 in, they requiring a grosser medium ;* and this, 
 he supposed, occasioned the above mentioned dis- 
 order in the stomach. As to the retchings, com- 
 plained of by those who pass the Andes, it is re- 
 markable, that those who have travelled over that 
 high chain of them in Chili, called the Cordillera, 
 are not affected with such disorders, but only with 
 a difficulty of breathing, which is perceived more 
 or less on the tops of all high mountains ; so that 
 in Peru, there may possibly be a concurrence of 
 some other causes, beside the thinness of the air, 
 to produce the above effects, since the mountains of 
 Chili are considerably higher, and, consequently 
 ihe air at the top of them is more rarefied. 
 
 In order to give a more perfect idea of the cli- 
 mate on the top of these mountains, we shall give 
 some account of that which prevailed on Pichincha, 
 when the mathematicians, sent thither by the kings 
 
 * As too gross, so too rare an air is unfit for respiration, as ap- 
 pears, not only from experiments made by the air pump, but from 
 the accounts of those, who have been on the tops of very lofty 
 mountains, where the air is considerably rarefied. A clergyman 
 who had 'Visited the high mountains of Armenia, told Mr. Boyle> 
 that, whilst he was on the upper part of them, he was forced to 
 fetch his breath oftener than usual ; and, taking notice of it when 
 he came down, the people told him it was what they themselves had 
 frequently experienced. The same ecclesiastic made the like obser- 
 vation, on the top of a mountain in the Cevennes ; and a traveller 
 on one of the highest ridges of the Pyrenees, called Pic de Midi, 
 found the same inconvenience, he and his company being obliged te 
 breathe shorter and oftener than in the lower air. 
 
256 
 
 of France and Spain, were stationed there, in order 
 to make observations on the figure of the earth. It 
 ought to be observed, that this mountain is almost 
 directly under the equinoctial, and that though it is 
 famous for its great height, it is 1278 feet, in a per- 
 pendicular line, lower than the mountain of Coto- 
 paxi ; but it will be impossible for the reader to con- 
 ceive the comparative coldness of the summit of the 
 last mentioned mountain, from that felt on this, 
 since it must exceed every idea that can be formed 
 in the human mind, though both are situated in the 
 midst of the torrid zone. 
 
 Pichincha was formerly a volcgno, but the mouth, 
 on one of its sides, is, at present, covered with 
 sand and calcined matter, and neither fire nor smoke 
 is seen to issue from it. Don Ulloa observes, that 
 they found the cold on its top extremely intense, 
 and the wind violent ; they were also frequently so 
 involved in so thick a fog, or, in other words, a 
 eloud, that an object, at six or eight paces distant., 
 ?ras scarcely perceptible. The air grew clear by 
 the clouds descending nearer to the surface of the 
 earth, where they surrounded the mountain on all 
 sides, to a vast distance, representing the sea, with 
 the rock standing like an island in the centre. 
 When this happened, they heard the dreadful noise 
 of the tempests, that discharged themselves on the 
 city of Quito, and the neighbouring country. 
 Looking down, they saw the lightning issue from 
 the clouds, and heard the thunder roll far beneath 
 them. While the lower parts were involved in 
 clouds and rara 5 jhey enjoyed a delightful serenity ; 
 
257 
 
 the wind was abated, the sky clear, and the enliven- 
 ing rays of the sun moderated the severity of the 
 cold. But, when the clouds rose, their thickness 
 rendered respiration difficult, snow and hail fell 
 continually, and the wind returned with all its vio- 
 lence ; so that it was impossible to overcome entire- 
 ly, the fear of being, together with their hut, blown 
 down the precipice, or of being buried beneath it, 
 by the daily accumulation of ice and snow. Their 
 fears were likewise increased by the fall of enor- 
 mous fragments of rocks. Though the smallest 
 crevice visible in their hut, was stopped, the wind 
 was so piercing that it penetrated through ; and 
 though the hut was small, crowded with inhabit- 
 ants, and had several lamps constantly burning, 
 the cold was so great, that every person was obliged 
 to have a chafmgdish of coals, and several men 
 were constantly employed every morning to re- 
 move the snow which fell in the night. By the se- 
 verity of the cold, their feet were swelled, and 
 grew so tender, that they could not walk without 
 extreme pain ; their hands were also covered with 
 chilblains, and their lips so swelled and chapped, 
 that every motion, in speaking, made them bleed.* 
 
 * Mr. Bouguer, who was engaged in the same expedition, says, 
 " There is, in all this range of mountains, as far as I have travelled, 
 a constant inferior boundary, beyond which, the snow never melts ; 
 this boundary, in the midst of the torrid zone, I found to be 2434 
 fathoms above the level of the South sea. The snow, indeed, falls 
 much lower, but then it is subject to be melted the very same day, 
 whereas, above that, it preserves itself, 
 
 " The gather'd winter of a thousand years.'* 
 X 2 
 
258 
 
 Cotopaxi, by barometrical experiments, is esti- 
 mated at 18,600 feet, and situated about 25 miles 
 S. E. of Quito. It became a volcano at the first arri- 
 val of the Spaniards in this country ; and anew erup- 
 tion happened in 1743, which had been for some 
 days preceded by a continual rumbling in its bowels ; 
 after which an aperture was made in its summit, and 
 likewise in three others near the middle of its de- 
 clivity, at that period buried under prodigious 
 masses of snow. The ignited substances ejected 
 on that occasion, mixed with the vast quantity of 
 snow and ice, melting amidst the flames, were car- 
 ried down with such amazing rapidity, that, in an 
 instant, the plain from Cailao to Latacunga, was in- 
 undated ; the houses of the poor inhabitants were 
 borne down, and great numbers of them perished. 
 The river of Latacunga was the canal of this dread- 
 ful flood ; till, being too small for receiving the 
 prodigious current, it overflowed the adjacent coun- 
 try, carried away all the buildings within its reach 
 and rendered the land, near the town of the same 
 e, like a vast lake. The inhabitants retired to 
 a spot of higher ground behind the town, while 
 those parts of it that stood within the current, were 
 entirely destroyed. During three days the volcano 
 ejected cinders, while torrents of melted snow and 
 ice, poured down its sides. The fire lasted several 
 days longer, and was accompanied with terrible 
 roarings of the wind, rushing through the mouth 
 of die volcano. At last all was quiet, and neither 
 fire nor smoke were to be seen. But, in May, 1 744, 
 the Same forced a passage through several other 
 
259 
 
 parts of the sides of the mountain ;'so that, in clear 
 nights, the flames being reflected by the transparent 
 ice, formed a very grand and beautiful illumina- 
 tion. But on the 13th of November following, it eject- 
 ed such prodigious quantities of fire and ignited sub- 
 stances, that an inundation, equal to the former, soon 
 ensued ; and the inhabitants of the town of Lata- 
 cunga, for some time, gave themselves over for lost. 
 We are told that there are fiery meteors about 
 these mountains, sometimes so high in the air, as to 
 resemble stars ; and sometimes so low, as to fright- 
 en the mules, by buzzing about their ears and feet. 
 But a phenomenon, which in this climate must ap- 
 pear very extraordinary, is said by Mr. Bouguer, 
 to happen almost every day on the tops of these 
 mountains ; though these gentlemen were the first 
 who ever mentioned them in Europe. The first 
 time, our author observed, was when they were on 
 the summit of Pambamorca ; a mountain not so 
 high as Pichincha. A cloud, in which they were 
 involved at break of day, dissipating, they saw the 
 rising sun extremely splendid, and the cloud passed 
 on the other side, opposite to the sun, where it ap- 
 peared very thin, and was about 20 yards from the 
 place where they were standing ; when each of them 
 saw in it, as in a lookingglass, his own image, and, 
 what appeared still more extraordinary, the head 
 was encompassed with a glory, like that seen round 
 the heads of saints in pictures ; each head being, as 
 it were, the centre of three concentric irises of very 
 lively colours, and each with the same varieties as 
 a rainbow, the red being outward ; the last or most 
 
260 
 
 external colours of one, touched the first of the fol- 
 lowing ; and at the same distance from them all, 
 was a fourth arch entirely white. These were per- 
 pendicular to the horizon ; and as the person mov- 
 ed, the phenomenon moved also. But, what was 
 very extraordinary, though there were six or seven 
 persons, each could see none but his own shadow, 
 because the cloud had an uneven surface. The di- 
 ameter of the arches gradually altered with the as- 
 cent of the sun above the horizon ; and the phe- 
 nomenon itself, after continuing a considerable 
 time, insensibly vanished. Several of the gentle- 
 men, both French and Spanish, have particularly 
 described this phenomenon ; and Mr. Bouguer 
 concludes with saying j " This was a kind of apoth- 
 eosis to each spectator ; and I cannot forbear men- 
 tioning again, that each enjoyed the secret pleasure 
 of seeing himself adorned with all these crowns, 
 without perceiving those of his neighbours. I must, 
 however, observe, that this phenomenon never ap- 
 pears, but when the aqueous particles of the cloud 
 are frozen." 
 
 Ulloa observes, that the roads, over some of these 
 mountains, are not the least of these many extraor- 
 dinary particulars relating to them. These are in 
 many places so narrow, that the mules have scarce- 
 ly room to set their feet ; and in others there is 
 a continued series of precipices. These roads are, 
 likewise, full of holes, near three quarters of a yard 
 deep, in which the mules put their fore and hind 
 feet. Whence they sometimes draw their bellies, 
 and their riders' legs, along the ground. These 
 
261 
 
 holes indeed serve as steps, without which the 
 precipices would be in a manner impassable ; but, 
 should the mule happen to put his feet between two 
 of these holes, or not place them right, the rider 
 falls, and if on the side of the precipice, inevitably 
 perishes. But the manner of descending appears 
 still more dangerous. On one side are frequent 
 steep eminences, and on the other dreadful abysses ; 
 and, as they generally follow the direction of the 
 mountain, the road, instead of being on a level, 
 forms steep eminences and declivities. The mules 
 are sensible of the caution necessary in these de- 
 scents ; for coming to the top of an eminence they 
 stop, and having placed their fore feet close togetlv- 
 *r, put their hind feet a little forwards, as if going 
 to lie down. Having in this attitude taken a sur- 
 vey of the road, they slide down with the swiftness 
 of a meteor. All the rider has to do is to keep 
 himself fast in the saddle, for the least motion is 
 sufficient to destroy the equilibrium of the mule, ia 
 which case they both unavoidably perish. 
 
 The tediousness and danger of the way, howev- 
 er, is in some parts alleviated and rendered more 
 tolerable by the fine prospects and agreeable cas- 
 cades, naturally formed among the rocks and moun- 
 tains. In some parts, the water in the valley springs 
 up to a great height, like artificial fountains, amongst 
 odoriferous plants and flowers, that yield a delight- 
 ful prospect. Many of these streams and springs 
 are so exceedingly cold, that a man can scarcely 
 drink them, or hold his hand in them above a min- 
 ute ; but in some places there are hot springs which 
 
262 
 
 leave a green tincture in the channel, through which 
 they pass, and are reckoned good against many dis- 
 tempers. From most of the mountains descend 
 large and rapid rivers ; and we read of a natural 
 bridge of rocks over one of them, from the vault of 
 which hang several pieces of stone resembling ici- 
 cles, formed as the water drops from the rock, into va- 
 rious shapes and of different colours. This bridge is 
 broad enough for three or four carts to pass abreast^ 
 and there is another bridge near it laid over by art 
 (as some say) between two rocks ; but our author, 
 who saw it, thinks it rather the work of nature. It 
 is so far above the river that he could not hear th« 
 atream, though it runs with great rapidity ; and 
 though the river be of a considerable breadth, it ap- 
 peared like a brook, when he looked down from th* 
 bridge, which he could not do without horror. 
 
 Acosta tells us that there are mountainous, unin- 
 habited deserts, where a sudden blast of air some- 
 times strikes a traveller dead in an instant, and that 
 the Spaniards formerly passed these mountains in 
 their way to Chili ; but now either go by sea, or 
 take another road by land, to avoid the danger 
 of crossing them, in which journey many have 
 perished, and others have lost their fingers and 
 toes, and have been rendered cripples. The same 
 author relates, that general Costilla marching over 
 them with his army, great part of his men sudden- 
 ly fell down dead, and that bodies remained there 
 without stench or corruption. As incredible as this 
 appears, it seems to be confirmed by the reports of 
 European seamen, who assure us, that they have 
 
263 
 
 seen great numbers of bodies of men, women, and 
 children, lying dead upon the sands in Peru, and 
 looking as fresh as if they had not lain there a week ; 
 but, when they were handled, they proved as dry 
 and light as a sponge or piece of cork. Whatever 
 was the cause of the death of those people, it is 
 agreed on all hands, that the dryness of the Peru- 
 vian air, and the heat of the sands, preserved their 
 bodies from putrefaction. Wonders of Nature and 
 Art. 
 
 According to Homboldt, who lately visited South 
 America, (see Journal de Physique, Messidor an, ix. 
 July, 1801) there are three remarkable chains of 
 mountains, which proceed from west to east paral- 
 lel to the equator ; and which by their height de- 
 serve attention as much as the Carpathian moun- 
 tains, or the Pyrenees, though it has been supposed 
 that, on the east of the Andes, immense plains ex- 
 tend to the shores of Guiana and Brazil, and even 
 to Buenos Ayres, and Patagonia. 
 
 The most northern range, or that of the coast of 
 Venezuela, is the most lofty, but narrowest. From 
 the high plain of Quito, the great chain of the An- 
 des extends, by Popayan and Choco, on the west of 
 the river Atrato, towards the Isthmus, where on the 
 banks of the Chagre, it only forms mountainous 
 land about 1200 feet high. From the same Andes 
 proceed several branches, one called the Sierra de 
 Abibe, towards the province of St. Marta. This 
 chain of the coast is restricted, as it approaches the 
 gulf of Mexico, and cape of Vela, and afterward 
 runs due east toward the mountain of Paria, or er- 
 
264 
 
 en to the isle of Trinidad. The greatest height is 
 in the two Sierras Nevadas of St. Marta,andof Me- 
 rida. The first being near 5000 varas, or Spanish 
 yards, and the second, 5400 varas, about 2350 
 toises, or 14,000 English feet, above the sea. Sev- 
 eral mountains of this chain are, perhaps, equal in 
 height to Mont Blanc ; perpetually covered with 
 snow, and often pouring from their sides, streams 
 of boiling sulphureous water : and the highest 
 peaks are solitary amidst mountains of little height ; 
 that of Meridais near the plain of Caraccas, which 
 is only 260 feet above the sea. The vallies in the 
 branch, on the west of the lagoon of Maracaybo, are 
 narrow, and run from north to south. That part 
 which extends from Merida to the east, has vales 
 running east and west, formed by parallel ridges ; 
 ©ne of which passes to cape Codera, while the sec- 
 ond is three or four leagues further to the south. 
 Our author supposes that the wide plains were for- 
 merly lakes ; but is too fond of bending nature to his 
 theories, while he ought to have been contented 
 with the observation of facts. The general height 
 of the chain of the coast, is from six to eight hun- 
 dred toises, the Nevada of Merida, as already 
 mentioned, 2350, and the Silla de Caraccas, 1316 ; 
 lowering towards the east, cape Codera is only 1 76 
 toises. But this depression is only of the primitive 
 rock, for there are secondary calcareous mountains 
 from cape Unara, which are higher than the gneiss, 
 or foliated granite, and the micaceous schistus. 
 These calcareous mountains, covered with calcare- 
 ous freestone, follow this chain on its southern side, 
 
265 
 
 and increase in height towards the eastern point of 
 the continent. The chain of the coast is more steep 
 towards the north than the south ; and there is a 
 dreadful perpendicular precipice of 1300toises, in 
 the Silla de Caraccas, above Caravelledo, the north- 
 ern part of this chain being, perhaps, broken by the 
 gulf of Mexico. 
 
 The second chain, that of Parima, or of the cat- 
 aracts of Oronoko, is little known, and was scarcely 
 deemed passable till within these 30 years, since the 
 expedition of Ituriaga and Solano. The volcano of 
 Duida is in latitude 5° 13 minutes. This chain 
 leaves the Andes, near Popayan, and, 'stretching 
 west to east from the source of the Guaviari, appears 
 to stretch to the northeast of that river, forming the 
 cataracts of Maypura, and Atures, in the Oronoko, 
 latitude 5°, which are truly dreadful, but present 
 the only passage yet opened towards the vale of 
 Amazons. Thence, so far as can be judged front 
 our author's confused description, this chain contin- 
 ued its course northeast to the river Caronis, the 
 breadth being, sometimes, not less than 120 leagues : 
 Homboldt must mean, that branches occur of that 
 length. Further to the east, the continuation is lit- 
 tle known. The ferocity of the Guaicas and Gua- 
 jaribos, forbid any approach beyond the little cata- 
 ract on the east of Chiguera, but Don Antonio San- 
 tos, disguised as an Indian, passed from the mouth 
 of the river Caronis, to the little lake of Parima, and 
 disclosed the continuation of this range, between 
 4° and 5° north latitude, where it is about 60 , 
 leagues in breadth, dividing the waters which fall 
 
 Y 
 
266 
 
 into the Oronoko, and Esquibo, from those that faH 
 into the river Amazons. Further to the east, this 
 range becomes still wider, descending south along 
 the Mao, where the Dutch style a part of it Dorado, 
 or the mountain of gold ; being composed of bright 
 micaceous schistus, which has given a like reputa- 
 tion to a small isle, in the lake of Parima. To the 
 east of Esquibo, this range takes a southeast direc- 
 tion, and joins the granitic mountains of Guiana, 
 which give source to the river of Surinam, and 
 others. This last group of mountains is of great 
 extent, the same gneiss being found at 8° 2(y, and 
 2° 14\ This wide range is inhabited by a number 
 of savage tribes, little or not at all known in Europe. 
 No where does it seem to rise to an equal height 
 with the northern range of the coast, the mountain 
 of Duida, not far from Esneralda, being reputed 
 the highest, and, measured by Homboldt, was found 
 1323 toises above the sea ; but it is a picturesque 
 and majestic mountain, ejecting flames towards the 
 end of the rainy season, and situated near a beauti- 
 ful plain, covered with palm trees and anannas. 
 Towards the east, it seems to expire in broken 
 rocks ; but there is no appearance throughout of 
 any secondary strata, the rocks being granite, gne- 
 iss, micaceous schistus, and horneblende slate. 
 
 The third chain of primitive mountains, or that 
 of Chiquitos, is only known to our author, by the 
 accounts of those, who have passed the Pampas. 
 It unites the Andes of Peru and Chili, with the 
 mountains of Brazil and Paraguay, stretching from 
 La Paz, Potosi, and Tucaman, through the prov- 
 
267 
 
 ihces of Moxos, Chiquitos, and Chaco, towards the 
 government of the Mines, and of St. Paul, in Bra- 
 zil. The highest summits appear to be between 
 15° and 20° ; the rivers there, passing to that of 
 Amazons, or that of La Plata. 
 
 Between these three great ridges, are three im- 
 mense vallies, that of Oronoko, that of the river of 
 Amazons, and that of the Pampas of Buenos Ayres, 
 from 19° to 52° south latitude, all opening to the 
 east, but shut on the west of the Andes. The 
 middle valley, or that of the Amazons, is covered 
 with forests, so thick, that the rivers alone form 
 roads ; while those of Oronoko and Pampas, are 
 savannas, or grassy plains, with a* few scattered 
 palms ; and so level, that for 800 square leagues, 
 there is no inequality above eight or ten inches in 
 height. In the northern plain, the primitive rock 
 is covered with limestone, gypsum, and freestone ; 
 while in that Gf Amazons, the granite every where 
 rises to day. The general inclination is to the 
 northwest, which, according to our author, is the 
 usual arrangement of primitive rocks. Petrifac- 
 tions are uncommon even in the Andes, where 
 there are sometimes patches of gypsum, and secon- 
 dary limestone ; while the range of Parima con- 
 sists entirely of granite, and other primitive rocks. 
 But in a calcareous freestone of the northern ridges 
 of the coast, Homboldt found vast numbers of 
 shells, seemingly of recent petrifaction, a3 they air 
 those of the sea, now nine miles distant. The be- 
 lernnitc and ammonite, seem unknown, though *• 
 
268 
 
 common in Europe. In the plain of Gronoko, pet- 
 rified trees are found in a coarse breccia. 
 
 Among the primitive rocks, granite forms the 
 chain of Pari ma ; while in that of the coast, it is 
 covered, or mingled with gneiss, and micaceous 
 schistus. It is sometimes stratified in beds, from 
 two to three feet thick : and sometimes contains 
 large crystals of felspar. The micaceous schistus 
 sometimes presents red garnets, and sappare ; and 
 in the gneiss of the mountain of Avila, green gar- 
 nets appear. Sometimes nodules of granite are 
 found in the same substance, or, in gneiss consist- 
 ing of finer grains, gathered by some local attrac- 
 tion. In the range of P&rima, there occur large 
 masses of most brilliant talc, formerly imparting 
 such reputation to the Dorado, situated between the 
 rivers Esquibo and Mao, and other mountains, 
 which, like burnished gold, reflect the light of the 
 tun. Smectite, or soft jad, is formed into idols ; 
 and Condamine discovered that variety of hard jad-, 
 called Amazon stone, a name idly applied to the blue 
 felspar of Siberia. Schistose chlorite also occurs ; 
 and beautiful homeblende slate rises through the 
 streets of Guaiana, or S. Thome. Other sub- 
 stances are, decomposed felspar or kaolin, primi- 
 tive limestone, pyrites, and antimony, native gold, 
 grey copper, and malachite. The copper mines of 
 Aroa are alone worked, producing about 1500 quin- 
 tals, yearly. Slate is rare, but sometimes covers 
 the micaceous schistus ; and, in the northern chain, 
 there are rocks of serpentine, veined with bluish 
 
269 
 
 statite. The greenstein of Werner, sometimes oc- 
 curs in that ridge. 
 
 Among the rocks called transitive by Werner, 
 as connecting the primitive with the secondary, are 
 trap, green slate, amygdaloid, and the schistose por- 
 phyry of that author, green with crystals of felspar. 
 The secondary rocks are limestone, gypsum, argil- 
 laceous schistus, and freestone, or calcareous sand- 
 stone, with coarse breccia. Pinkerton. 
 
 RIVERS. 
 
 THE river of Amazons, so called from a female 
 tribe, innured to arms, discovered on its banks, by 
 the first navigators, but more properly by a native 
 term the Maranon, is celebrated as the most dis- 
 tinguished river, not only in South America, but in 
 the whole world ; and this reputation is, no doubt, 
 just, when its magnitude is considered, as well as 
 its length. For in the latter attribute it seems to 
 be rivalled by the Kian Ku of China, and, perhaps, 
 by the Ob of Siberia. When on the comparative 
 scale of merely tracing the course by an accurate 
 map, and allowing for the great changes of di 
 tion, the length may be estimated at about 2300 
 miles ; and that of the Rio de la Plata, about 1900 ; 
 but the estuary of Ob is frozen, and that of the Ki- 
 an Ku cannot exceed a mile or two in breadth, 
 while the two grand rivers are of surprising maj 
 
 Y 2 
 
270 
 
 tude. The voyage of Condaminc contains the 
 most accurate description, which has yet appeared, 
 of this grand river. The source is not yet abso- 
 lutely ascertained. The celebrated mathematician 
 just quoted, says, that the Ucaial is the chief 
 stream, as its sources are more remote than those 
 of the supposed Maranon ; and it is a considerable 
 river in the same parallel, where the other is only a 
 torrent. On the other hand, the Maranon makes a 
 greater circuit, and is of extraordinary depth. Ac- 
 cording to Ulloa, the Maranon issues from the 
 lake of Lauricbcha, near the city of Guanueo, south 
 latitude 11°, whence it directs its course south for 
 about 60 miles, then bends east, through the coun* 
 try of Juaxa, where, after falling from the east side 
 of the Andes, it passes north to the city of J ken. 
 Thence it proceeds in its long progress towards the 
 fast, and joins the Atlantic, after a course, includ- 
 ing all the windings, of 11 GO leagues, or S300 miles- 
 Ulloa also doubts, whether the Ucaial must not 
 be regarded as the principal stream. In the valua- 
 ble map of La Cruz, what he calls the ancient 
 Maranon, or Pari, corresponds with the description 
 of Ulloa -, but receives the Apurimac, a river oi 
 longer course, rising near the town of Arequipa, 
 on the west of the great lake of Titicaca, south lati- 
 tude, 16° 30'. If this representation be just, there 
 is no doubt, that the Apurimac is the original and 
 proper riverof Amazons ; and both of these sources 
 belong to the Ucaial. The new Maranon, accord- 
 rag to La Cruz, rises, indeed, from the lake of Lau- 
 vkocha, near the source of the Pari ; but runs 
 
s 271 
 
 northwest, instead of passing south, as Ulloa sup- 
 poses, by confounding the old and the new Mara- 
 non, and the lake of Lauricocha, with that of Chin- 
 chay, a few miles to the south, which last gives 
 source to the Pari. 
 
 These improvements in the geography seem to 
 establish beyond all doubt, that the Ucaial, from its 
 remotest branch the 1 Apurimac, must be regarded 
 as the genuine Maranon ; while the river called the 
 new Maranon (for the name towards its source is 
 omitted) is of far shorter course, and was once styl- 
 ed the Maranon, from a mistake in its fountain. 
 In the map of La Cruz, though the course of the 
 Ucaial be more direct, it amounts to about 17 de- 
 grees at its junction with the supposed Maranon, 
 Which may be called the river of Lauricocha, while 
 the latter does not exceed 14 degrees and a half. 
 The Ucaial, thus consisting of two main sources, 
 the old Maranon or Pari, and the Apurimac, after 
 passing the great chain of the Andes, bends some- 
 times northwest, sometimes northeast, till it re- 
 ceives the new Maranon. But the course of the 
 Ucaial being through a more remote country, and 
 more unexplored than that of the Lauricocha ; its 
 chief features, and natural history, are less known ; 
 and the savages on its banks unfortunately massa- 
 cred their missionary in 1695, so that Condamine 
 and Ulloa are alike ignorant concerning this noble 
 river, which probably presents objects more grand 
 and interesting than those of the Lauricocha. The 
 Apurimac, struggling through the Andes, must 
 ) afford many striking sceaes, still lost to scien- 
 
2T2 
 
 tific observation. The Lauricocha or new Mara- 
 non, on the contrary, has been repeatedly describ- 
 ed, and was navigated by Condamine from near the 
 town of Jaen, where it begins to be navigable ; 
 thence passing northeast, it arrives at the exterior 
 ridge of the Andes, which it cleaves at a pass call- 
 ed Pongo, a word in the Peruvian language imply- 
 ing a gate. This sublime scene displays the Lau- 
 ricocha confined between two parallel walls of al- 
 most perpendicular rock. From a breadth of 250 
 fathoms, the river is here contracted to near 25 - r 
 but the rapidity is not extreme, and a raft passes 
 two leagues in about an hour. After the junction 
 of these two great livers, the Maranon, besides 
 smaller streams, receives from the north the Napo, 
 the Parana, Yupuro, and the great Negro, which 
 has received the Parima ; and from the south the 
 Cuchivara or Araza, and the prodigious stream 
 called Madera, consisting of the Bene, the Mamo- 
 re, and the Yfcenas, the chief sources of which are 
 from the eastern side of the Andes, watering a vast 
 extent of this wide continent. The Madera may 
 indeed be regarded as another grand source of the 
 river of Amazons ; which is also joined from the 
 south by the Topaisa and Shingu, while its estuary 
 is connected with the great Brazilian river called 
 Tocantinas. Like the Missouri and St. Lawrence, 
 the Marancn is discoloured with mud. The breadth, 
 at the Portuguese boundary, is said to be a league, ■ 
 but it is generally about two miles, and no bottom 
 is found at 1( is. The effect of the tides is 
 
 perceivable to the distance of 600 miles, but Conda- 
 
273 
 
 mine thinks that the swell is occasioned by the pro- 
 gress of the tide of the preceding day. The banks 
 are generally crowned with vast forests of lofty 
 trees, among which are many of a rare and medici- 
 nal nature. Serpents of prodigious size are found 
 in the marshes, and alligators are also common. 
 It seems certain, from the disquisition of Conda- 
 mine, that some female warriors stiil*exist towards 
 the north of this great river. After it has received 
 the Shingu, the breadth from shore to shore cannot 
 be discovered by the eye. Near its mouth the Bo- 
 re rises from 12 to 15 feet in height, and the noise 
 of this eruption is heard at the distance of 2 leagues. 
 The Rio de la Plata, or river of silver, is the 
 conjunct flood of the Paraguay, the Pilcomayo, the 
 Parana, and the Urucuay. The main streams are 
 the Paraguay and the Parana, and it would sfem 
 that the latter is the longest and most considerable, 
 rising in the great mine mountains of Brazil, lati- 
 tude 19 degrees, and bending south, then west till it 
 receives the Iba Parana, after which it bends S. W. 
 till it is joined by the Paraguay, while the conjunct 
 rivers are still called the Parana by the natives, and 
 the Rio de la Plata by the Spaniards. Yet the 
 length of the Paraguay, according to the map of 
 La Cri\z, does not yield half a degree to that of 
 Parana ; and the straightness of its course gives it 
 the appearance of the principal river. The grand 
 cataract of the Parana is" in latitude 24°, not far 
 from the citv of Ciravra ; but it is rather a series 
 of rapids, for a space of 12 leagues, amidst rocks of 
 tremendous and singular forms. This noble river 
 
274 
 
 is also studded with numerous islands, and Spanish 
 vessels navigate to ths town of Assumption, about 
 40 leagues from the sea. On the shores are often 
 found geods enclosing crystals , but the natural 
 history of the Parana is nearly as obscure as that of 
 the Ucaial. The breadth of the estuary is such 
 that the land cannot be discovered from a ship in 
 the middle of the stream. 
 
 The third great river in South America is th« 
 Oronoko, of a most singular and perplexed course. 
 According to La Cruz, it rises in the small lake of 
 Ipava, north latitude 5° 5' ; and thence winds al- 
 most in a spiral form, first passing to the southeast 
 it enters the lake of Parima, and issues by two out- 
 lets on the norfh and south of that lake towards th* 
 west ; but after receiving the Guaviari, it bends 
 north, then northeast, till it enters the Atlantic 
 ocean by an extended delta, opposite to the isle of 
 Trinidad ; but the chief estuary is considerably to 
 the southeast of that island. Many rivers of great 
 size fiow into the Oronoko : and in addition to its 
 singular form, there are other remarkable pecu- 
 liarities. From the southeast of the lake of Parima, 
 which seems to be a kind of inundation formed by 
 the Oronoko, the White river, called also that of 
 Parima, joins the Black river, and thence the great 
 flood of die Maranon. Another stream, the Siaba, 
 flows from the southwest of the lake into the Black 
 river, and joins another stream, which directly con- 
 nects the Maranon with the Oronoko. There is 
 always a communication between the Black river 
 and the Maranon, by the Joa Parana. 
 
275 
 
 Hence there are three communications between 
 these great rivers ; a circumstance so uncommon, 
 that when one only was asserted by Spanish au- 
 thors, it was rejected by geographical theorists as 
 contrary to the usual course of nature ; and Conda- 
 mine was obliged to enter into a formal disquisition, 
 in order to reestablish it. A route laid down by 
 La Cruz, that of Solano the governor of Caraccas 
 seems to confirm the authenticity of his intelligence 
 concerning the environs of the lake of Parima ; 
 and little doubt can remain concerning these wonder- 
 ful inland navigations, thus prepared by the hand of 
 nature, and which, in the possession of an industri- 
 ous people, would render Guiana, or new Andalusia, 
 one of the most flourishing countries in the world. 
 
 PlNKERTON. 
 
 We shall only mention one more river, or at 
 least a considerable stream of water, remarkable 
 for its subterraneous passage. This is in the west- 
 ern parts of Tucuman, a province of Paraguay, 
 where it seems there is a very large and lofty moun- 
 tain, which from its glittering when the sun shines 
 upon it, is called the Crystal mountain. Under 
 this is extended a frightful. cavern, through which 
 runs a liver with so many windings and turnings 
 that the water is 24 or 30 hours in its passage from 
 one side of the mountain to the other, according to 
 the' computation of some Portuguese, who were 
 rash enough to make the experiment, by hazarding 
 their persons on a rafter made of canes. Wonders 
 Nature and Art* 
 
276 
 
 LAKES. 
 
 NO part of the globe displays so great a number 
 of lakes as North America ; and the southern part 
 of the continent is perhaps equally remarkable by 
 their rarity. Many supposed lakes, as that of Za- 
 rayos, or Sharayos, in the course of the river Para- 
 guay, only exist during the annual inundations, 
 which are on a far grander scale than those of the 
 Ganges, and may be said to deluge whole provinces. 
 The celebrated lake Parima, called also Paranapi- 
 tinca or the White sea, is represented by La Cruz 
 as more than 100 British miles in length, by 50 in 
 breadth. This size, and even its existence, have 
 been doubted, as was the noted city El Dorado, the 
 streets of which were paved with gold, a fable 
 which seems to have arisen from a rock of talc 
 reflecting, like a mirror, the golden rays of the sun. 
 According to La Cruz, this lake receives the Oro- 
 noko on the northwest, which afterward emerges, 
 and pursues a westerly course, till it finally bends 
 north and east. The Parima also gives source to 
 the great river of the same name, likewise called 
 the Rio Blanco, which joins the river Negro, and 
 great river of Amazons. In this part of South A- 
 merica, there is, as it were, a contest betwixt land 
 and water ; and so level and mutable is the soil, 
 that the rivers seem dubious which course to pur- 
 sue, as they fiow in every direction, and branches 
 of the Oronoko communicate with the tributary 
 
277 
 
 rivers of the immense Marauon. The natural his- 
 tory of the celebrated lake of Painna would not be 
 a little interesting, but a deep obscurity pervades 
 these regions. 
 
 The lake of Titicaca, nearly in the same parallel 
 and in the kingdom of Peru, may be regarded as 
 the most important in South America. Ulloa says 
 that it is of an oval figure, the circumference about 
 240 miles ; and the depth 70 or 80 fathoms. It 
 receives 10 or 12 rivers, and several rivulets ; but 
 the water, though not saline, is nauseous, being 
 probably tainted with sulphur or bitumen. It con- 
 tains two kinds of fish, and is frequented by geese 
 and wild fowl. In an isle of this lake, Mango Ca- 
 pac, the founder of the Peruvian monarchy, report- 
 ed that the sun, his father, had placed him, with his 
 sister and consort Oello ; andhere a temple was ded- 
 icated to the sun, the most splendid in the kingdom, 
 and profusely decorated with plates of gold and 
 silver. On the Spanish invasion, these treasures 
 are said to have been thrown into the lake. Pink- 
 
 EfcTOW. 
 
 >QO< 
 
 CATARACTS. 
 
 AMONG the numerous cataracts that serve to 
 heighten the effects of this grand alpine seen, i v, 
 that strikes the eye in every direction, in these wild 
 regions, Bougucr mentions that of the river Bo- 
 55 
 
2T8 
 
 gata, which passes the city of the same name, also 
 called Santa Fe, about eight leagues before it joins 
 the Magdalena, said to be a vertical fall of more 
 than 1200 feet. However this be, the various 
 scenes among the Andes must be variegated with 
 every feature of sublimity. 
 
 >oo< 
 
 MINERAL SPRINGS. 
 
 IN the sandy plains near the coast of Peru, there 
 are very few springs ; but a great variety in that 
 part which is remote from the sea ; amongst which 
 there is one near Oropesa, whose water is very hot ; 
 and after running a little way it petrifies and forms 
 a rock. It 13 said the natives use this stone in 
 building their houses, it being soft, light, easily 
 wrought, and yet very durable. Travellers also 
 tell us of springs of liquid matter much resembling 
 tar, and put to the same uses by seafaring people. 
 Wonders of Nature and Art. 
 
 At the baths of the Incas, (an appellation given 
 to the ancient kings of Peru) there is a spring of 
 water that issues out hot and boiling, and another 
 near it as cold as ice, which used to be tempered and 
 mingled together for those princes to bathe in. 
 
 Near Cusco there is said to be a fountain, whose 
 waters, after a short course, turn into salt. 
 
 From the top of the mountain Balconotta, by 
 some reckoned the highest in Peru, there rise two 
 
279 
 
 springs, which run different ways, and soon form 
 two considerable streams. Their waters, when 
 they first issue from the rocks, are of ash colour, 
 hot and smoking, and smell like burning coals ; 
 which smell they retain a great way from their 
 source, till they mingle with other streams, and be- 
 come cool. To these we may add another fountain 
 in Peru, which sends forth a stream almost as red 
 as blood, from whence it has received the name of 
 the Red river. Wonders of Nature and Art . 
 
 MINES. 
 
 EVERY part of South America affords mines 
 of gold and silver, but those rich metals are most 
 abundantly found in Chili and Peru, as well as 
 large quantities of copper, tin, lead, and quicksilver. 
 It is observed, that gold is most frequently found 
 native of all the metals, being rarely met with in a 
 state of ore, and then intermixed with the ores of 
 other metals : but though native gold be free from 
 the penetrating sulphurs which reduce other met- 
 als to ores, it is very seldom found pure, but almost 
 constantly a mixture of silver with it, and frequent- 
 ly of copper. If it have any considerable quantity 
 of copper in it, it is easily discovered by its hard- 
 ness j but the silver is not so readily detected. 
 Sometimes native gold is found in the mints in 
 pure masses, so large as to weigh 12, 14, or 16 
 
280 
 
 ounces ; but those are very rare. Its more com- 
 mon appearance in its loose state, is in form of 
 what is called gold dust ; that is, small particles 
 mixed among the sand of rivers, which is very fre- 
 quent in Guinea, and many other parts of the world. 
 But native gold is also found in a middle state, as to 
 size, between the two kinds just mentioned, in the 
 cliffs or perpendicular fissures of the solid strata 
 in the mountains of Chili. These fissures are usu- 
 ally filled with a reddish earth, the native gold be- 
 ing either loose amongst it, or immersed in a debas- 
 ed crystalline stone of a bluish hue, and generally 
 in flattish pieces, from the size of a small pea, to 
 that of a horse bean. 
 
 When they have dug out this red marie, it is car- 
 ried on mules to the lavaderos, as they call them, a 
 -sort of basons of water, where it undergoes several 
 repeated lotions in different waters, till the earthy 
 and impure parts are all separated and carried away 
 by the stream, and the gold left at the bottom. In 
 these forms gold frequently appears in those parts 
 of the world where it abounds ; but still the great- 
 est quantities of it are found bedded in masses of 
 hard stone, which lie at vast depths, being often dug 
 at 150 fathoms. There is no peculiar stone in 
 which it is immersed, but it is met with indiscrim- 
 inately in several kinds, some softer ; some hard- 
 er, and even in earths. The richest masses are 
 usually a whitish but opaque stone, which is a de- 
 based crystal, containing a great deal of white earth, 
 often tinged likewise with black, and sometimes 
 with other colours. In this stone the gold lies in a 
 
281 
 
 great variety of figures, sometimes like small 
 branches, at other times interwoven in narrower or 
 broader veins, or in little flat spangles intermixed 
 with specks of black. But besides this sort, there 
 are many coarser stones in the mines of Peru, which 
 contain considerable quantities of gold, visible in 
 large or small spots, and these are of all colours^ 
 but generally white or reddish. In these stones the 
 gold is commonly in small spangles. 
 
 In order to separate the geld when dug out of the 
 mines, they first break the ore with iron mallets, and 
 then carry it to the mills, where it is ground to a 
 very fine powder, which is afterward passed through 
 several brass wire sieves. The powder thus pre- 
 pared, is laid in wooden troughs, with a proper 
 quantity of mercury and water, where it is worked 
 together, and there left to saturate in the sun and 
 air for 48 hours. During this time the mercury 
 imbibes all the gold, without cohering with the 
 coarser earth or sand, which upon inclining the 
 trough, is easily washed away with the water. The 
 mass which then remains is nothing but gold, mer- 
 cury, and some fine earth, which last they disen- 
 gage from the mass by repeated effusions of hot 
 water ; and the mercury they separate by distilla- 
 tions in large alembics. The gold in this s : 
 though not yet perfectly pure, is called virgin gold, 
 as well as that found in the sand of rivers, or tBat 
 in grains in the mines, as none of them have passed 
 the fire. After this they usually fuse it in cruci- 
 bles, and cast it into plates or ingots. 
 z2 
 
282 
 
 The next metal we shall proceed to consider, is 
 silver, and of this the mines of Peru, and some oth- 
 er parts of America, afford the greatest quantities 
 of any in the world. This metal, as well as gold, 
 is found native more frequently than in a state of 
 ere ; what are commonly called silver ores, being 
 no other than stones of various kinds, in which are 
 bedded large quantities of native silver. Some- 
 times it is also found in the softer fossils, as earths ; 
 sometimes it is found loose among strata of sand. 
 That which is lodged in stone is usually deposited 
 in fiat masses variously streaked, ridged, and often 
 resembling silver lace ; that in earths is frequently 
 branched, and that among sand, in small roundish 
 @r oblong granules. However, though silver is thus 
 native and pure, it is frequently met with in a state 
 of ore, and sometimes embodied in the ores of otheP 
 metals. The proper and peculiar ores of silver are 
 also very various in their appearance ; but its most 
 usual ore is a singular and remarkable body, being 
 naturally malleable. The colour of this is a black- 
 ish blue, and it so nearly resembles lead, that many 
 have mistaken it for that metal, in its native state. 
 It is found in large irregular masses, sometimes of 
 a laminated structure, extremely heavy, and very 
 rich in metal, containing often three fourths of pure 
 silver ; but among these are usually found some of 
 a more debased nature, containing much less silver, 
 and distinguished from the rest by their not being 
 malleable, and of a paler colour. Another appear- 
 ance of silver in the state of ore, is in brownish 
 masses? obscurely transparent, and somewhat re- 
 
283 
 
 sembling the coarser sorts of amber. These are 
 usually of an irregular shape, often in the form of 
 common pebbles, but sometimes flatted and with 
 rugged edges. This sort of ore breaks with a slight 
 blow, and is also very rich in silver, usually con- 
 taining near two thirds of its weight in metal. But 
 there is yet another appearance of silver ore, supe- 
 rior to all other ores in beauty, being a compact 
 substance, of a regular texture, of a very bright red, 
 a smooth even surface, and considerably pellucid. 
 This very much resembles the native sandarach,^ 
 and is sometimes exactly of the same fine florid red 
 of that body, but more frequently approaches to a 
 crimson. These are the more usual appearances 
 of silver in a state of ore, but it is found with num- 
 berless accidental variations ; and there are stones 
 of all colours and consistences wrought in different 
 places, for the silver they contain. 
 
 In the mines of Peru, some of the ores, as they are 
 called, are grey spotted with blue and red ; others 
 have various shades of red, with mixtures of yel- 
 low or brown ; and others are black, green, or yel- 
 low. Some of these are of the nature of one or oth- 
 er of the ores above described, only debased by 
 adventitious mixtures ; the others are stones where- 
 in native silver is lodged, which are commonly con- 
 founded with the rest under the name of silver ores. 
 
 • This is a preparation of orpiment, and is the same with what 
 is otherwise called red arsenic ; but there is also a white gum nam- 
 ed sandarach, obtained from the trunk and thick branches of the: 
 great juniper tree, by incision6 nude in the heats of summer. 
 
•2S4 
 
 The black ores are the richest and most easily 
 wrought, and the silver they yield is of the best 
 quality. The veins of silver are usually richer in 
 the middle than towards the extremities ; but the 
 richest places are those where the veins intersect. 
 
 The most celebrated mines of Peru, are those of 
 Potosi, which have now been opened nearly 260 
 years, and yet continue to be wrought with equal 
 advantage, as when first discovered ; only with this 
 difference, that the veins, which were then almost 
 on the surface of the mountain, are now sunk to pro- 
 digious depths, some of the pits, or wells, being 
 200 fathoms deep, and yet not incommoded with 
 water. What renders the working of the mines ex- 
 ceedingly dangerous, are the exhalations arising 
 from them, which are even felt on the outside, and 
 affect animals that graze in the neighbourhood : 
 but within, they stupify the miners, none of whom 
 can bear so noxious an air, above a day together. 
 Sometimes, it is so fatal as to kill on the spot, and 
 oblige them to stop up the veins from whence it ex- 
 hales. The mines of Potosi are the least subject to 
 these vapours, and yet without the herb paraguay, 
 the infusion whereof is drank by the miners, as we 
 do tea, these mines must soon be abandoned. Some 
 millions of Indians have perished in them, and pro- 
 digious numbers continue to be destroyed every 
 year. 
 
 The mountain of Potosi, which is famous for the 
 immense quantity of silver it has produced, was 
 first discovered to contain that metal, by a mere ac- 
 cident. An Indian, -named Gualca, pursuing some 
 
285 
 
 wild goats upon this mountain, and coming to a very 
 steep part, laid hold of a shrub, in order to ascend 
 with the greater celerity -, but, it being unable to 
 support his weight, came up by the roots, and dis- 
 covered a mass of fine silver ; and, at the same 
 time, he found some lumps of the same metal, 
 among the clods, which adhered to the roots. The 
 Indian, who lived at Porco, hastened home, washed 
 the silver, and made use of it, repairing, when his 
 stock was exhausted, to his perpetual fund. At 
 length, an intimate friend, perceiving the happy 
 change in his circumstances, eagerly inquired the 
 cause ; and repeated his questions with such ear- 
 nestness, that Gualca, confiding in his friendship, 
 revealed the secret. For sometime, they resorted 
 to the mountain for fresh supplies, till, Gualca re- 
 fusing to discover his method of purifying the met- 
 al, the other, in revenge, revealed the secret to his 
 master, who went, in April 1545, to view this for- 
 tunate breach in the mountain ; and the mine was 
 instantly worked with immense advantage. 
 
 The first mine had the name of The Discoverer, 
 from its occasioning the discovery of other sources 
 of wealth, enclosed in the bowels of this mountain ; 
 for, in a few days, another was found, no less rich, 
 and was named the Tin mine ; afterward, another 
 was found, and distinguished by the name of Rica, 
 or Rich, as exceeding all the rest. At length, ano- 
 ther was discovered, which was called the Mendie- 
 ta. These are the principal mines of this celebrat- 
 ed mountain ; but there are several smaller, cross/* 
 ing it in all directions. 
 
286 
 
 The importance of these discoveries induced peo- 
 ple to flock to Potosi from all parts, particularly 
 from the city of Plata, which stands about 75 miles 
 from the mountain, whence the town of Potosi is at 
 present, near six miles in circuit, and inhabited bj 
 many noble families, particularly those concerned 
 in the mines. The air, at the mountains, is, indeed, 
 so cold, as to render all the adjacent country re- 
 markably barren ; for it produces neither corn, 
 fruit, nor herbs : and yet the town is so plentifully 
 supplied, as to be in want of nothing, the trade for 
 provisions being greater there than in any other 
 place, Lima excepted. Some provinces sent the 
 best of their corn and fruit, others, their cattle, oth- 
 ers, their manufactures ; while others resort thith- 
 er with European goods, as to a sure market. A 
 Spanish author declares, on the best authority, that 
 before the year 1633, it appeared by the public ac- 
 counts, that the silver, produced by this mountain, 
 amounted to 395,619,000 dollars ; which, in 93 
 years, the time since it had then been discovered, a- 
 mounted to 41,255,043 dollars per annum. Hence 
 an idea may be formed of the immense trade, that 
 has, for many years, been carried on in this town 
 which consists entirely of silver 7 extracted from this 
 mountain, and is still very considerable, though 
 some diminution has been perceived in its produce. 
 In the province of Carangus, which is remarka- 
 bly cold, there are many silver mines, constantly 
 worked ; among which, one called Turko, is remark- 
 able for the ore named by miners machacado, the 
 fibres of the silver forming an admirable intermix- 
 
287 
 ••••••••• m 
 
 ture with the stones, in which they are contained. 
 Beside, in the barren, sandy deserts, extending to- 
 wards the coast of the South sea, are found, by dig- 
 ging in the sand, detached lumps of silver, unmixed 
 with any ore or stone, but what adheres to the met- 
 al, they having all the appearance of melted silver, 
 with black terrene particles on the outside. The 
 size and figure of these lumps are very different, 
 some weighing about two marks, or 16 ounces, and 
 some above 100 marks. These lumps of silver are 
 found in different parts of the same ground, though 
 seldom near each other. 
 
 The manner of separating silver from its ore, is 
 nearly the same as in gold. They break the ore in 
 the stamping mill, till it is reduced to powder, and 
 then mix it up with mercury into a sort of paste, 
 which they knead in the troughs, till the water has 
 by degrees, washed away all the earthy particles. 
 After this, they strain off part of the mercury from 
 it through a woollen bag, to serve again, and the 
 rest is made to evaporate by the fire. The silver 
 that remains behind, is, last of all, perfectly refined 
 from all heterogeneous matter, by a solution of lead, 
 which, exhaling from it, carries off in fumes, the 
 copper, or other alloy. 
 
 Another part of the riches of Peru, are its mines 
 of quicksilver ; those of Guancavellca, or Oropesa, 
 are more famous than the rich mints of Carniola, in 
 Europe. Chili also abounds with mines of copper, 
 but we shall not enlarge upon this subject. Won- 
 ders of Nature and Art. 
 
288 
 
 ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 THE reader will not expect any thing very ex- 
 traordinary under this head, in a part of the world, 
 whose inhabitants have been generally supposed un- 
 polished and barbarous : but as the Incas of Peru 
 are famous in history, it may not be amiss to give a 
 short account of some of the noble structures, which 
 the Spaniards found, when they first invaded the 
 country. At that time, Cusco was the capital of 
 the kingdom, and there was a castle built in such a 
 surprising manner, that many people who saw it, 
 imagined it could not have been raised, without the 
 assistance of enchantment. This fortress stood on 
 the top of a hill, and on the edge of a precipice, 
 which, towards the town, was perfectly perpendic- 
 ular. Towards the country, it was defended by 
 triple semicircular walls, of such height and thick- 
 ness, that they were proof against all the force that 
 could be brought against them. Some of the stones 
 were of such a prodigious size, that it was inconceiv- 
 able how they were hewn out of the quarry, or 
 brought to the place, the natives having no iron 
 tools, no beasts to draw them, nor engines to raise 
 them to such a height. They were dragged, how- 
 ever, by the strength of men, 12 or 15 leagues, over 
 hills and vallies, and along the most difficult roads ; 
 and there is one stone in particular, to which the 
 Indians gave the name of Syacusa, or " the Wea- 
 ry ," because it never arrived at the place for which 
 
#89 
 
 it was designed. This rock is said to have been 
 drawn 15 leagues by 20,000 Indians, over very rug* 
 ged and uneven roads ; but, notwithstanding all 
 their care and strength, it got the better of them, 
 and tumbling down the hill, killed several hundred 
 men, who were endeavouring to poise the weight. 
 They raised it, however, once again, and, with in- 
 credible pains, dragged it to the plain in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Cusco, where they were obliged to 
 leave it, being unable to get it up the hill on which 
 the castle was situated. Between each wall of the 
 castle, there was a space of 25 or 30 feet, which 
 was filled up with earth, and eveiy wall had a 
 breastwork on the top of it. 
 
 Beyond these walls were three large towers, stand- 
 ing in a triangle, answerable to the bending of the 
 walls. The principal of these three towers had a 
 fountain of excellent water, brought to it by a sub- 
 terraneous aqueduct, the source of which was only 
 known to the Inca and his council, least an enemy 
 should discover the stream, and cut it off in case of 
 a siege. This tower was round, and in it, the Inca 
 had an apartment, nobly furnished, like the rest of 
 his palaces. The other two were square, and con- 
 tained rooms for the garrison, who were all of the 
 royal blood. Underneath these towers were apart- 
 ments as large as those above, and they had a com- 
 munication with each other, by a subterraneous lab- 
 yrinth, through which, it was difficult for a stranger 
 to find his way without a guide. It is said, that 
 part of the new city of Cusco, was built with the 
 stones found in the ruins of this fortress, 
 A a 
 
'290 
 
 The palaces of the Incas in Cusco, beside the cas- 
 tle just mentioned, were very spacious and magnifi- 
 cent, some of the halls being 200 paces in length, 
 and 50 or 60 in breadth ; insomuch that the Span- 
 iards converted one of them into a cathedral church. 
 The stones of these buildings were so well joined 
 together, that they needed no cement ; but some- 
 times, for the sake of ornament, they closed up the 
 seams of their structures with melted gold and sil- 
 ver, which occasioned the total destruction of most 
 of them, the Spaniards subverting the very founda- 
 tions in hopes of finding treasure. Most of the 
 apartments were decorated with figures of men, 
 beasts, birds, and other animals, cast in gold ; and 
 on the walls, instead of tapestry, were plants and 
 flowers of the same metal, intermixed with serpents, 
 butterflies, and other reptiles and insects. It seems 
 there were no chairs in these palaces, but the Inca 
 himself sat on a stool made of gold, without arms 
 or back, having a pedestal of the same metal. They 
 had also cisterns of gold in their bagnios, and the 
 utensils of their kitchens, used in the meanest of- 
 fices, were likewise of gold : but they neither pur- 
 chased houses nor lands with this metal, as we do ; 
 but used it as an ornament when living, and buried 
 it with them when they died. The royal gardens 
 were not only planted with great variety of trees, 
 flowers, &c. but the figures of those, and all sorts of 
 animals were made of gold, and placed in the walks 
 to adorn them. 
 
 These magnificent palaces, however, were great- 
 ly inferior to the temple of the sun, which was en- 
 
291 
 
 richedwith the greatest treasures that the world 
 ever beheld. It was built of freestone, and lined 
 with goldj the ceiling being also of the same metal, 
 though the roof itself was no better than common 
 thatch. It was divided into several cloisters, or 
 apartments, in the principal whereof, towards the 
 east, was placed the image of the sun, consisting of 
 one gold plate, that covered the whole breadth of 
 the chapel, and twice as thick as the plates that cov- 
 ered the other walls. This image was of a circular 
 form, representing the sun, with his rays darting 
 from him, much in the same manner as he is drawn 
 by European painters ; and, on each side of it, 
 were placed the bodies of the deceased Incas, so 
 embalmed, that they seemed tp be alive. These 
 were placed on thrones of gold ; but on the arrival 
 of the Spaniards, they were concealed by the In- 
 dians, with most of the treasures of the temple. 
 This temple had several gates, covered with gold ; 
 and round the top of it, on the outside, was a cor- 
 nice three feet deep, consisting of gold plate. 
 
 Beside the chapel of the sun, there were five oth- 
 ers of a pyramidal form, the first of which was ded- 
 icated to the moon, deemed the sister and wife of 
 the sun ; and the doors and walls of this structure 
 were covered with silver. Here was the image of 
 the moon, of a round form, with a woman's face in 
 the middle of it ; and on each side of the image 
 were placed the bodies of the deceased empresses, 
 ranged in order. 
 
 Next to this chapel was that of Venus, by the Pe- 
 ruvians called Chasea, who was much esteemed as 
 
292 
 
 an attendant on the sun, as the rest of the stars 
 were r deemed maids of honour to the moon; and 
 this chapel was likewise plated with silver. 
 
 The third chapel was dedicated to thunder and 
 lightning, which they looked upon as servants of the 
 sun ; and this was ceiled and wainscoted with plates 
 of gold. 
 
 The fourth was dedicated to the rainbow, as ow- 
 ing its original to the sun ; and this was also cover- 
 ed with gold, and had on one side of it, a represen- 
 tation of the rainbow. 
 
 The fifth chapel was an apartment for the use of 
 the high priest, and others, who officiated in the 
 temple, who were all of the royal blood ; and this, 
 Jike the chapel of the sun, was adorned with gold; 
 
 There was no other image worshipped in the 
 temple, but that of the sun, but they had the figures 
 of men, women, and children, and of various birds, 
 beasts, and other animals, of wrought gold, placed 
 in it for ornament ; and all the vessels and utensils 
 were of the same precious metal. We likewise 
 read of a sort of nunnery, wherein were kept a 
 thousand or fifteen hundred virgins, all of the blood 
 of the emperors, who were intended only for the 
 service of the temple. Nor was it only in the city 
 of Cusco that a temple was erected, but almost eve- 
 ry large town in the country had one adorned in the 
 like sumptuous manner. 
 
 The Mexicans and Peruvians being far advanced 
 before the rest of the aborigines in civilization, 
 some account of them, together with their different 
 systems of govctnmsnt, will not be uninteresting, 
 
* 29.3 
 
 When compared with other parts of the new 
 world, Mexico and Peru may be considered as pol- 
 ished states ; but if the comparisons be made with 
 people of the ancient continent, the inferiority of 
 America, in improvement, will be conspicuous, and 
 neither the Mexicans nor Peruvians, will be enti- 
 tled to rank with those nations, which merit the 
 name of civilized. They, like the rude tribes 
 around them, were totally unacquainted with the 
 useful metals, and the progress they had made in 
 extending their dominion over the animal creation, 
 was inconsiderable. Mexico was first subjected to 
 Spain ; but our acquaintance with its laws and man- 
 ners, is not, from that circumstance, more com- 
 plete. Cortez, and the rapacious adventurers who 
 followed him, had not leisure or capacity, to enrich 
 either civil or natural history with new observations. 
 It is rather from incidents which they relate occa- 
 sionally, than from their own deductions and re- 
 marks, that we are enabled to form some idea of 
 the genius and manners of the people. The obscu- 
 rity in which the .ignorance of its conquerors in- 
 volved the annals of Mexico, was augmented by the 
 superstition of those who succeeded them. As the 
 memory of past events was preserved among them, 
 by figures painted on skins, cloth, &c. the early 
 missionaries, unable to comprehend their meaning* 
 and struck with their uncouth forms, conceived 
 them to be monuments of idolatry, which ought to 
 be destroyed. In consequence of this fanatical 
 zeal -of the monks who first visited New Spain, and 
 which their successors soon began to lament, what- 
 a a 2 
 
294 
 
 ever knowledge of remote events such rude monu- 
 ments contained, was entirely lost, and no informa- 
 tion remained concerning the ancient revolutions 
 and policy of the empire, but what was derived from 
 tradition, or from some fragments of their histori- 
 cal paintings that escaped the barbarous researches 
 ©f these monks. 
 
 Their country, as the Mexicans relate, was orig- 
 inally possessed by small independent tribes, whose 
 mode of life and manners, resembled those of the 
 rudest savages. But about a period corresponding 
 to the beginning of the 10th century, several tribes 
 moved from unknown regions towards the north 
 and northwest, and settled in different provinces of 
 Anabac (New Spain.) These, more civilized 
 than the originals, began to form them to the arts 
 of social life. At length, near the beginning of the 
 13th century, the Mexicans, more polished than 
 any of the former, advanced from the gulf of Cali- 
 fornia, and took possession of the plains adjacent to 
 the great lake. In about 50 years they founded a 
 town, since called Mexico. The Mexicans, long 
 after jheir new establishment, continued, like other 
 martial tribes, unacquainted with regal dominion, 
 and were governed in peace, and conducted in war 
 by such as were preeminent either for wisdom or 
 valour. But as their power and territories increas- 
 ed, the 'supreme authority concentred at last in a 
 single person ; and when Cortez invaded the coun- 
 try, Montezuma was the ninth monarch who had 
 swayed the Mexican sceptre, not by hereditary 
 •rip;lv? but by election. According to* this, the du- 
 
295- 
 
 ration of their empire was very short. From the 
 first migration of their tribe, they can reckon little 
 more than 300 years. From the establishment of 
 their government, not above 130 years by one ac- 
 count, or 197 by another. If we suppose the Mex- 
 ican state to have been of higher antiquity, as the 
 Spanish accounts would lead us to suppose, it is dif- 
 ficult to conceive how, among a people, possessing 
 the art of recording by pictures, and who considered 
 it essential to teach their children to repeat the his- 
 torical songs which celebrated the exploits of their 
 ancestors, the knowledge of past transactions should 
 be so limited. If we adopt their own system, it is 
 no less difficult to account either for that improved 
 state of society, or for the extensive dominion, to 
 which their empire had attained, when visited 
 by the Spaniards. 
 
 But it is not by theory that history decides ; it 
 produces facts. In collecting these, in the present 
 inquiry, some occur that suggest an idea of consid- 
 erable improvement, while others seem to indicate 
 the reverse. Both shall be laid before the reader, 
 that, from comparing them, he may determine on 
 which side the evidence lies. The right of private 
 property was perfectly understood. Among sav- 
 age tribes, an idea of a title to exclusive possession 
 was hardly known. But in Mexico, the distinction 
 between real and moveable possessions, between 
 property in lands, and goods, had taken place. Ev- 
 ery person denominated a freeman, had land held 
 by various tenures. Some held it in right, and it 
 descended to their heirs. The title of others, 'Was 
 
296 
 
 derived from the office or dignity they enjoyed ; 
 and when deprived of the latter, they lost the for- 
 mer. Both these modes were deemed noble, and 
 peculiar to the highest class. The body of the peo- 
 ple held their property by a different tenure. In 
 each district a portion of land was measured out, 
 according to the number of families. This was 
 cultivated by the whole ; its produce was deposit- 
 ed in a common warehouse, and divided according 
 to their respective exigences. 
 
 The number and greatness of the cities of Mexi- 
 co, is one of the most striking circumstances that 
 distinguish it from its neighbours. The Spaniards 
 in their travels, accustomed to see the natives in a 
 savage state, were astonished, on entering New 
 Spain, to find them residing in extensive towns. 
 In the fervour of admiration, they compared Zemp- 
 oalla, though a town only of the second size, to cit- 
 ies of note in their own country. When, after- 
 ward, they visited Tlascala, Cholula, Tacuba, Te- 
 zeuco,and Mexico itself, their amazement increased 
 so much, that it led them to convey ideas of their 
 magnitude and populousness, bordering on what is 
 incredible. Some abatement, therefore, ought to 
 be made from their calculation of the inhabitants of 
 the Mexican cities, and we may fix the standard of 
 their population less than they have done ; but still 
 they will appear of such consequence, as are not to 
 be found but among people who have made consid- 
 erable progress in the arts of social life. 
 
 The separation of professions among the Mexi- 
 cans, is another symptom of improvement. Arts> 
 
297 
 
 in the early ages of society, are so few and simple, 
 that each man is sufficiently master of them all, to 
 gratify every demand of his desires. But in pro- 
 portion as refinement spreads, the distinction of 
 professions becomes more necessary, and conse- 
 quently they branch out into numerous divisions. 
 Among the Mexicans this separation had taken 
 place to a considerable extent. The functions of 
 the mason, weaver, goldsmith, painter, and of sev- 
 eral other crafts, were carried on by different per- 
 sons. To one object alone each confined his indus- 
 try. Their various productions were brought into 
 commerce, and by the exchange of them in the mar- 
 kets held in the cities, their mutual wants were sup* 
 plied. 
 
 The distinction of ranks was also established in 
 Mexico. Among the savage tribes, strangers to 
 the idea of property, the difference in condition re*- 
 sulting from it is unknown. But among the Mexi- 
 cans, the body of the people were in a most humil- 
 iating state. Those called Mayeques, resembled 
 in condition those peasants, who, under the feudal 
 system, were considered as instruments of labour. 
 The Mayeques were conveyed, together with the 
 lands on which they were settled, from one proprie- 
 tor to another. Others were reduced to the lowest 
 form of subjection, that of domestic servitude. 
 Their condition was held to be so vile, that a per- 
 son who killed one of them, received no kind of 
 punishment. The nobles holding large territories, 
 were divided into various classes j to each of which, 
 titles of honour belonged. The monarch, exalted 
 
298 
 
 above all, enjoyed extensive power and supreme 
 dignity. Thus the distinction of ranks was com- 
 pletely established. Each knew what he could 
 claim, and what he owed* The people in the pres- 
 ence of their sovereign, durst not lift their eyes 
 from the ground. The nobles themselves, when 
 admitted to an ordinance, entered barefooted in 
 mean garments, and as his slaves, paid him homage 
 approaching to adoration. This respect, from in- 
 feriors to those r.bove them, was established with 
 such accuracy, that it incorporated with their Ian* 
 guage, and influenced its genius and idiom.. 
 
 The spirit of the Mexicans, thus familiarized to 
 sub6rdination, was prepared for submitting to mo- 
 narchical government. But the description of then- 
 policy and laws by the Spaniards, is so inaccurate, 
 that it is difficult to delineate their constitution with 
 precision. Sometimes they represent the monarch 
 as absolute, deciding according to his will. On 
 other occasions, we discover traces of established 
 customs and laws, framed to circumscribe the pow- 
 er of the crown ; and we meet with rights and priv- 
 ileges of the nobles, which seem opposed against its v 
 encroachments, This inconsistency has arisen from 
 inattention to the innovations of Montezuma. His 
 aspiring ambition subverted the ancient system, and 
 introduced a pure despotism. The chiefs of the 
 first rank, submitted to the yoke with such reluc- 
 tance, that from impatience to shake it off, many of 
 them courted the protection of Cortez. It is not 
 then under the reign of Montezuma, but under 
 those of his predecessors, that we can discover the 
 
299 
 
 original form and genius of Mexican policy. That 
 body of citizens who formed the nobility, were the 
 most respectable order in the state. Their number 
 was great. It appears there were in the empire 30 
 of this order, each of whom had in his territories, 
 about 100,000 people, and subordinate to these 
 there were about 3000 nobles of a lower class. The 
 territories belonging to the chiefs of Tezeuco and 
 Tacuba were hardly inferior in extent to those of 
 the Mexican monarch. Each possessed complete 
 territorial jurisdiction, and levied taxes from their 
 own vassals. But all followed the standard of 
 Mexico in war. 
 
 In tracing these outlines of the constitution, an 
 image of feudal policy in its most rigid form pre- 
 sents itself, and we discern a nobility possessing al- 
 most independent authority, a people depressed in- 
 to the lowest state of subjection, and a king entrust- 
 ed with the executive power. Its spirit and prin- 
 ciples seem to have operated in the same manner 
 in the new world. The jurisdiction of the crown 
 was very limited. All real and effective power 
 was • retained by the nobles, in their own hands. 
 Jealous of their rights, they guarded with anxiety 
 the encroachments of their sovereigns. By a law 
 of the empire, it was provided, that the king should 
 not determine concerning any point of importance 
 without the approbation of the council composed of 
 the nobility. The nobles did not permit the crown 
 to descend by inheritance, but election. The right 
 of election was originally vested in the whole body 
 of nobles, but was afterward committed to six elec- 
 
300 
 
 tors. From respect to their kings, the choice gen* 
 erally fell upon some of the family. But as activ- 
 ity and valour were more prized by a people perpet- 
 ually engaged in war, than a strict adherence to 
 birth, collaterals of mature age or distinguished 
 merit, were often preferred to those who were near- 
 er the throne in direct descent. To this maxim 
 the Mexicans appear to have been indebted for such 
 a succession of able and warlike princes. While 
 the jurisdiction of their monarchs continued to be 
 limited, it is probable it was exercised with little 
 ostentation. But as their authority increased, their 
 splendour increased. It was in this state the Span- 
 iards beheld it, and struck with the appearance of 
 the court, they describe its pomp at great length. 
 But it was not in mere parade the potentates exhib- 
 ited their power, they manifested more beneficially 
 iii the regularity with which they conducted their 
 internal administration. Judges were appointed 
 for each department, and if we may rely on the 
 Spanish writers, justice was administered in the 
 Mexican empire with a degree of order and equity, 
 resembling what takes place in societies highly civ- 
 ilized. Their attention in providing for the gov- 
 ernment was not less sagacious. Taxes were laid 
 upon land, upon the produce of industry, and upon 
 commodities of every kind exposed for sale. As 
 the use of money was umknown, all the taxes were 
 paid in kind, and thus not only the natural produc- 
 tions of all the provinces, but every species of man- 
 ufacture, and every work of ingenuity and art, were 
 collected in the public storehouses. 
 
301 
 
 Their improved state is likewise visible in their 
 police. The institution of public couriers to convey 
 intelligence from one part of the empire to the other, 
 was a refinement not introduced into any kingdom 
 of Europe at that time. The structure of the cap- 
 ital ka a lake, with artificial dykes, and causeways, 
 which seemed as avenues to it, erected in the water 
 with no less ingenuity than labour, seems an idea 
 that could only occur to civilized people. 
 
 Their progress in the arts is considered as the 
 most decisive proof of their refinement. They rep- 
 resented men, animals, and other objects, by such a 
 disposition of coloured feathers, as produced all the 
 effects of light and shade. Their ornaments of gold 
 and silver have been described to be of a fabric no 
 less curious. Whether any of their works with 
 feathers, in imitation of painting, be still extant in 
 Spain, we have not learned ; but many of their or- 
 naments in gold and silver, as well as utensils em- 
 ployed in common life, are deposited in the cabinet 
 lately opened by the king of Spain ; and we are in- 
 formed that these boasted efforts of their art, are 
 uncouth representations of common objects, or 
 coarse images of human or some animal forms, 
 destitute of propriety. But however these may be 
 ranked, when viewed as works of art, a different 
 station belongs to them, when considered as rec- 
 ords of their country. The noblest invention of 
 man is that of writing. But the fin>t essays of this 
 art were very rude, and it advanced wly. 
 
 When the warrior wished to transmit some knowl- 
 edge of his exploits to distant ages ; when the gnu> 
 
 B B 
 
302 
 
 itude of a people, to their king, prompted them to 
 hand down an account of his deeds to posterity ; 
 the first method that seems to have occurred to 
 them, was to delineate, in the best manner they 
 could, figures representing the action they wished to 
 preserve. Of this, properly called picture painting 
 we find many traces among the savage tribes. 
 When a leader returns, he strips a tree of its bark, 
 and with red paint scratches on it some figures, 
 which represent the order of his march, the num- 
 ber of his followers, the enemy whom he attacked, 
 the scalps and captives brought home. Compared 
 with these essays, the works of the Mexicans may 
 be considered as far superior. They were not ac- 
 quainted, it is true, with any other method, but that 
 of delineating objects which they wished to repre- 
 sent. But they could exhibit a more complex se- 
 ries of events, and describe, by a proper disposition 
 of the figures, the occurrences of a king's reign ; 
 the progress of an infant's education, from its birth 
 -to maturity j the different distinctions and recom- 
 penses conferred upon warriors, in proportion to 
 their deserts. Nevertheless, the style of these 
 paintings is the same. They represent things, not 
 words. They may, therefore, be considered as the 
 earliest essay of men, in their progress in the art of 
 writing. The defect in this mode must have been 
 early felt- To paint every occurrence was a tedious 
 operation ; and as affairs became more complicated, 
 its annals must have swelled to an enormous bulk. 
 Besides^ no object could be delineated but those of 
 sense, the conceptions of the mind had no corporeal 
 
303 
 
 form, and as long as picture writing could not con- 
 vey an idea of these, it must have been defective. 
 But it is only in the notation of numbers, that we 
 discern any attempt to exhibit ideas which had no 
 corporeal form. They had invented artificial marks, 
 or signs of convention, for this purpose. By means 
 of these, they computed the years of the kings' 
 reigns, as well as the tribute to be paid into the 
 treasury. The figure of a circle represented unit* 
 and in small numbers, the computation was made 
 by repeating it. Larger numbers were expressed 
 by a peculiar mark, and they had all such as denot- 
 ed all integral numbers, from 20 to 8000. The 
 short duration of their empire prevented them from 
 advancing farther in that course which conducts 
 men from the labours of delineating real objects, to 
 the simplicity of alphabetical writing. Their mode 
 of computing time, may be considered as more de- 
 cisive of improvement. They divided their year 
 into 18 months, each consisting of 26 days, amount, 
 ing in all to 360. But observing that the course of 
 the sun was not completed in that time, they added 
 five days in the year. These they termed supernu- 
 merary or waste ; on these no work was done, or 
 sacred rite performed. They were devoted to fes- 
 tivity and pastime. 
 
 Such are the most striking particulars, which ex- 
 hibit them considerably refined. Other circum- 
 stances exhibit them in a different view. Like the 
 rude tribes, they were incessantly engaged in war, 
 and their motives seem to have been the same. 
 They fought, to gratify their vengeance, by shed- 
 
304 
 
 ding the blood of their enemies. In battle, they 
 were chiefly intent on taking prisoners. No cap- 
 tive was ever ransomed or saved. All were sacri- 
 ficed, and their flesh devoured with the same bar- 
 barous joy, as among the fiercest savages. This 
 ferocity prevailed among all the nations of New 
 Spain. In proportion as mankind combine, and 
 live under the influence of equal laws and regular 
 policy, their manners soften, and sentiments of hu- 
 manity arise. But to these sentiments the Mexi- 
 cans seem to have been perfect strangers ; among 
 them w_ar was carried on with such barbarity, that 
 we cannot but suspect their degree of civilization 
 very imperfect. 
 
 Their funeral rites were bloody. When any 
 person of distinction died, a number of his attend- 
 ants were chosen to accompany him to the other 
 world. 
 
 Though their agriculture was more extensive 
 than the roving tribes, it seems not to have suppli- 
 ed them with such subsistence as men require, 
 when engaged in efforts of active industry. 
 
 The idea of the extent of the Mexican empire, 
 which has been considered, and with justice, as the 
 most decisive proof of a considerable progress in 
 regular government and police, seems admitted 
 without due examination. The Spanish writers, to 
 magnify the valour of their countrymen, represent 
 the dominions of Montezuma, as stretching over 
 all the provinces of New Spain, from the north to 
 the southern ocean. But a greater part of the 
 mountainous country was possessed by the Oto- 
 
305 
 
 mies, a fierce, uncivilized nation, who seem to have 
 been the residue of the original inhabitants. The 
 provinces towards the north and west of Mexico, 
 were occupied by the Chichemicas, and other tribes 
 of hunters. None of these bowed to the Mexican 
 king. Even in the interior country, many cities 
 and prd^inces had not submitted. Tlascala, though 
 only 21 leagues distant from the capital, was an in- 
 dependent republic. Cholula, though still nearer, 
 had been subjected only a short time before the ar- 
 rival of the Spaniards. Tepeaca, distant 30 leagues, 
 seems to have been a separate state, governed by 
 its own laws. Mecho&can, whose frontier extend- 
 ed within 40 leagues of Mexico, was a powerful 
 kingdom, the enemies of the Mexicans. From 
 hence it seems, that the high ideas we are taught to 
 entertain of this empire, ought to be diminished. 
 In consequence of this independence of several 
 states in New Spain, there was not any considera- 
 ble intercourse in its various provinces. Eyen in 
 the interior, far distant from the capital, there seems 
 to have been no roads to facilitate the communica- 
 tion of one district with another; and when the 
 Spaniards attempted to penetrate into it, they had 
 to open their way through forests and marshes. 
 
 Another striking proof of this imperfection iw 
 their intercourse, is their want of money, or a stand- 
 ard to estimate the value of commodities. Until 
 this discovery has been made, all their transactions 
 must be so awkward, so operose, and so limited, 
 that we may pronounce they have advanced but lit- 
 tle in« their career. All their commercial intercourse 
 BB 2 
 
306 
 
 was carried on by barter. But even in the new 
 world, this inconvenience began to be felt, and some 
 efforts were made towards supplying that defect. 
 The Mexicans had began to employ a common 
 standard of value, which rendered smaller trans-* 
 actions more easy. As chocolate was the fa- 
 vourite drink, the nuts or almonds of cocoa, of 
 which it is composed, w r ere of such universal con- 
 sumption, that, in their markets, these were wil- 
 lingly received for small commodities. Thus they 
 came to be the instruments of commerce, and the 
 value of what one wished to dispose of, was esti- 
 mated by the number of the nuts of the cocoa, which 
 he might expect to exchange for it. This seems tQ 
 be the utmost length to which they had advanced 
 towards the discovery of an expedient for money. 
 In such a rude state were many of their prov- 
 inces when visited by the Spaniards, that even 
 their cities seemed rather to be the habitations of 
 men just emerging from obscurity, than the resi- 
 dence of a polished people. And the temple of 
 Mexico, the most famous of New Spain, which has 
 been represented as a magnificent building, raised 
 to such a height, that the ascent to it was by a stair- 
 case of 114 steps, was a solid mass of earth of a 
 square form, faced partly with stone. Its base on 
 each side extended 90 feet, and decreasing gradu- 
 ally as it advanced in height, it terminated in a 
 qudi angle of about 30 feet, where were placed a 
 shrine of the deity, and two altars on which the vic- 
 tims were sacrificed. All the other temples were 
 gpnstructed on the same plan. Greater ingenuity 
 
sor 
 
 was displayed in the houses of the king, and those 
 of the nobility. There some elegance was visible, 
 and a commodious arrangement of apartments at- 
 tended to. But if buildings corresponding to such 
 descriptions had existed, it is probable that some 
 remains would still be visible j as only two centu- 
 ries and a half have elapsed since the conquest of 
 New Spain. 
 
 From these facts, it seems to be evident, that the 
 state of society in Mexico, was considerably ad- 
 ranced beyond that of the savage tribes around 
 them. But it is no less manifest, that, with re- 
 spect to many particulars, the Spanish accounts of 
 their progress appear highly embellished. 
 
 On one particular, however, our guides have rep- 
 resented the Mexicans to be more barbarous, per- 
 haps, than they really were. Their religious ten- 
 ets, and the rites of their worship, are described as 
 wild and cruel in an extreme degree. Religion, 
 among the Mexicans, was formed into a regular 
 system, with its complete train of priests, temples, 
 victims, and festivals. But from the extravagance 
 of their notions, or the barbarity of their rites, no 
 certain conclusion can be drawn concerning the de- 
 gree of their civilization. For nations, long after 
 their ideas begin to enlarge, and their manners to 
 refine, adhere to their ancient superstitions. The 
 aspect of their superstition was gloomy and atro- 
 cious. Its divinities were clothed with terror, and 
 delighted in vengeance. The figures of serpents, 
 of tigers, and of other destructive animals, deco- 
 rated their temples. Fear was the only principle 
 
308 
 
 that inspired their votaries. Fasts, mortifications, 
 and penances, were the means which they employ- 
 ed to appease their wrath, and they never approach- 
 ed their altars, without sprinkling them with their 
 own blood. But human sacrifices were deemed 
 most acceptable. To what circumstances it was 
 owing that superstition assumed such a dreadful 
 form among the Mexicans, we have not sufficient 
 knowledge of their history to determine ; but its 
 influence is visible, and produced an effect that is 
 singular in the history of the human species. 
 
 Peru boasts of higher antiquity than Mexico. 
 By accounts collected by the Spaniards, it had sub- 
 sisted 400 years under 12 successive monarchs. 
 But the knowledge of their history, which the Pe- 
 ruvians could communicate, must have been very 
 imperfect. Like the other aborigines, they were 
 totally unacquainted with the art of writing, and 
 destitute of the only means, by which past transac- 
 tions could be preserved. The quipos, or knots 
 on cords of different colours, imperfectly supplied 
 the place of writing. The quipos seem to have 
 been a device for rendering calculation more accu- 
 rate. By the various colours, different objects 
 were denoted, and by each knot, a distinct number. 
 Thus an account was taken of the inhabitants in 
 each province, or of the productions collected for 
 public use. But, as by these knots, no abstract 
 idea, or operation of the mind could be represented, 
 they contributed little towards preserving the mem- 
 ory of ancient events. We can rest upon nothing, 
 therefore, in their story, as authentic, but a few 
 
309 
 
 facts, so interwoven in the system of their religion 
 and policy, as preserved them from being lost ; and 
 upon the description of such customs and institu- 
 tions as continued in force at the time of the con- 
 quest. The Peruvians had not advanced beyond 
 the savage state, when Manco Capac, and his con- 
 sort Mama Ocollo, appeared, to instruct and civil- 
 ize them. Who these personages were, whether 
 they imported their system of legislation, and 
 knowledge of arts, from some country more im- 
 proved, or, if natives of Peru, how they acquired 
 ideas so far superior to those of the people, their 
 traditions convey no information. Manco Capac> 
 and his consort, taking advantage of their super- 
 stitions, pretended to be children of the sun, and de- 
 livered their instructions in his name. The au- 
 thority of the first Inca did not reach many leagues 
 from Cusco ; but in process of time, his successors 
 extended their dominion over all the regions west 
 of the Andes, from Chili to Quito. The most 
 striking circumstance in the Peruvian government, 
 is the influence of religion upon its genius and laws. 
 The Inca appeared, not only a legislator, but as the 
 messenger of heaven. His precepts were received 
 not merely as the injunctions of a superior, but as 
 the mandates of a deity. His race was held sacred, 
 and in order to preserve it distinct, the sons of Man- 
 co Capac married their own sisters, and no person 
 was ever admitted to the throne who could not 
 claim it by such a pure descent. 
 
 The children of the sun were deemed to be under 
 the immediate protection of the deity from whom 
 
310 
 
 they issued, and by him every order of the reigning 
 Inca was supposed to be dictated. Whenever the 
 decrees of a prince are considered as commands of 
 the deity, it is not only an act of rebellion, but of 
 impiety, to dispute, or oppose his will. Obedience 
 then becomes a duty of religion. Another conse- 
 quence of this establishment was, that all crimes 
 were punished capitally. They were not consider- 
 ed as transgressions of human laws, but those of the 
 Deity. Kach, without distinction, called for ven- 
 geance, and could only be expiated by the blood of 
 the offender. Among a people of corrupt morals, 
 maxims so severe, would be more apt to multiply 
 crimes, than restrain them. But the Peruvians of 
 simple manners, were held in such awe by this rigid 
 deception, that the number of offenders was small. 
 Manco Capac turned the veneration of his follow- 
 ers towards natural objects. The sun, as the great 
 source of joy and fertility, attracted their principal 
 homage. The moon and stars, as cooperating with 
 him, were entitled to secondary honours. Wher- 
 ever the propensity in the human mind to acknowl- 
 edge and adore some superior power, takes this di- 
 rection, and is employed in contemplating the order 
 and beneficence in nature, the spirit of superstition 
 is mild. Wherever imaginary beings, created by 
 the fancy and the fears of men, are supposed to -pre- 
 side in nature, and become the objects of worship, 
 superstition always assumes a more atrocious form. 
 Of the latter, we have an example among the Mexi- 
 cans ; of the former, among the people of Peru. 
 They had not, indeed, made such progress in obser- 
 
311 
 
 vation, as to have attained just conceptions of th« 
 Deity ; nor was there in their language any proper 
 name of the Supreme Power, which intimated that 
 they had formed any idea of him as governor of the 
 world. But, by directing their veneration towards 
 that glorious luminary, which, by its vivifying ener- 
 gy, is the best emblem of beneficence, the rite* 
 which they deemed acceptable to him, were inno- 
 cent and humane. They offered to the sun a part 
 of those productions, which his genial warmth had 
 produced. They sacrificed, as an oblation of grati- 
 tude, some of those animals who were indebted to 
 his influence for nourishment. They presented to 
 his choice, specimens of those works of ingenuity, 
 which his light had guided the hand of man in 
 forming. 
 
 The influence of this religion operated upon their 
 civil institutions, and tended to correct any thing 
 that was averse to gentleness of character. The 
 sovereign, conscious that the submission of his peo- 
 ple, flowed from their belief of his heavenly de- 
 scent, was continually reminded of a distinction, 
 which prompted him to imitate that beneficent pow- 
 er he was supposed to represent. Hence, there 
 hardly occurs in the history of Peru, any instance 
 •of rebellion against the reigning prince, and among 
 twelve successive monarchs, there was not one ty- 
 rant. Even their wars were carried on with a spir- 
 it very different from that of other nations. They 
 ;bt not like the Pvlexicans, to glut blood thirsty 
 man sacrifices. They conquered 
 in order to reclaim, and civilize the vanquished, 
 
312 
 
 and to diffuse the knowledge of their own institu- 
 tions and arts. The Incas admitted the people 
 whom they subdued, to a participation of all the 
 advantages enjoyed by their subjects. This prac- 
 tice, resembling the humanity of the most polished 
 nations, must be ascribed like other peculiarities, 
 observed in the Peruvian manners, to the genius of 
 their religion. 
 
 The state of property in Peru, contributed to give 
 a mild turn of character to the people. All the 
 lands capable of cultivation were divided into three 
 shares. One was consecrated to the sun, and what- 
 ever it produced was applied towards celebrating 
 the rites of religion. The other belonged to the 
 Inca, and was set apart for government. The third 
 and largest share, was reserved for the people. No 
 person had an exclusive right to his share. He 
 possessed it only for a year, at the expiration of 
 which, a new division was made, in proportion to 
 the rank, number, and exigences of each family. 
 These lands were cultivated by the community. 
 The people, summoned by an officer, repaired in a 
 body to the fields, and performed their common 
 task ; while songs, and musical instruments, cheer- 
 ed them in their labours. By this distribution of 
 territ®ry, the idea of a common interest, and of 
 mutual subserviency was continually inculcated. 
 Though the institutions of the Incas were so fram- 
 ed as to strengthen the bonds of union among their 
 subjects, there was great inequality in condition. 
 A great body of the people called Yanaconas, were 
 in servitude. Their garb and houses were different 
 
313 
 
 from those of freemen. Next to them were such 
 of the people as were free, but distinguished by no 
 honours. Above them were raised those whom 
 the Spaniards called Orejones. They formed the 
 order of nobles, and held every office of power or 
 trust. At the head of all were the children of the 
 sun, who were as much exalted above the Orejones, 
 as they were elevated beyond the people. 
 
 Such a form of society was favourable to the 
 progress in the arts. In Peru, agriculture was car- 
 ried on with greater skill than in other parts of A- 
 merica. The quantity of soil under cultivation, 
 was in proportion to the exigences of the state. 
 The evil of a bad season was but little felt ; for the 
 product of the lands consecrated to the sun, and 
 those set apart for the Inca, being deposited in the 
 warehouses, it remained there as provision for times 
 of scarcity. As the extent of cultivation was de- 
 termined with attention, their invention and indus- 
 try were called forth to extraordinary exertions by 
 certain defects peculiar to their soil, and climate. 
 The use of the plough was unknown ; they tilled 
 the earth with a kind of mattock of hard wood. 
 Both sexes joined in the labours of agriculture. 
 The children of the sun set the example, by culti- 
 vating a field near Cusco, and dignified this func- 
 tion by denominating it their triumph over the 
 earth. The ingenuity of the Peruvians is obvious 
 likewise in the construction of their houses and 
 public buildings. Their houses were generally of 
 a square form, the walls about eight feet high, built 
 with bricks hardened in the sun, the door low and 
 c c 
 
314 
 
 strait, and without any windows. Simple as these 
 structures were, yet they were so durable, that many 
 of them still subsist. But it was in the temples of 
 the sun, and in the buildings for the residence of 
 their kings, that the Peruvians displayed all their 
 art. These ruins of royal buildings are found in 
 every province, and by their frequency, demon- 
 strate that they are monuments of a powerful peo- 
 ple. The temple of Pachacamac, together with a 
 palace of the Inca, and a fortress, were so connected 
 together as to form one structure, above half a 
 league in circuit. In this prodigious pile, the same 
 taste is conspicuous as in the other works of the 
 Peruvians. These, however, were not the noblest 
 or most useful works of the Incas. The two great 
 roads from Cusco to Quito, extending above 500 
 leagues, are entitled to still higher praise. The 
 one was conducted through the interior country, the 
 other through the plains on the sea coast. These 
 roads were 15 feet in breadth. In the country, lit- 
 tle more seems to have been done than to plant 
 trees, or to fix posts at certain intervals, in order to 
 mark the route to travellers. To open a path 
 through the mountainous country was more ar- 
 duous. Eminences were levelled, and hollows fill- 
 ed up ; and it was fenced with a bank of turf. At 
 proper distances, storehouses were erected for the 
 accommodation of the Inca, and his attendants, in his 
 progress through his dominions. From the man- 
 ner in which the road was formed, in this higher 
 and more impervious region, it has proved more 
 durable ; and though nothing has been done to keep 
 
315 
 
 it in repair, its course may be still traced. Such 
 was the celebrated road of the Incas ; and it must 
 be considered as a striking proof of great progress 
 in improvement. The formation of these roads in- 
 troduced another improvement. In its course from 
 north to south, the road was intersected by the tor- 
 rents which roll from the Andes toward the west- 
 ern ocean. These were unnavigable. The Peru- 
 vians, unacquainted with the use of arches, or the 
 manner of working in wood, suggested a device 
 which supplied the defect. They formed strong- 
 cables, by twisting together some pliable withs or 
 osiers, six of which they stretched across the stream 
 parallel to each other. These they bound together, 
 by interweaving smaller ropes so close, as to form 
 a compact piece of net work, which being covered 
 with branches of trees and earth, they passed over 
 with security. In the level country, where the riv- 
 ers became broad and still, they are passed in bal- 
 zas, or floats, in the construction of which they ex- 
 celled all the aborigines. 
 
 They had made some progress, also, in the ele- 
 gant arts. They possessed the precious metals in 
 abundance. They obtained gold by searching the 
 channels of rivers, or washing the earth in which 
 particles were contained. But to procure silver, 
 more skill was requisite. To obtain this metal, 
 they hollowed caverns on the banks of rivers, and 
 the sides of mountains, and emptied such veins as 
 did not dip suddenly beyond their reach. They 
 had discovered the manner of smelting and refining 
 this, by a simple operation. Hence, the ores were 
 
316 
 
 melted with such facility, that the quantity of silver 
 in Peru, was so considerable, that many of the uten- 
 sils employed in common, were made of it. In or- 
 namental works, their ingenuity has been highly 
 celebrated. Many of these have been dug out of the 
 guacas, or mounds of earth raised over their dead* 
 Among these are mirrors of hard shining stones 
 well polished ; vessels of earthern ware, hatchets, 
 and other instruments, some destined for war, oth- 
 ers for labour. Some of flint, some of copper, 
 hardened to such a degree, as to supply the place 
 of iron on several occasions ; but its use had not 
 become general. Either the metal was so rare, or 
 the operation by which it was hardened so tedious, 
 that their instruments of copper were few and small. 
 But even to this imperfect metal they were indebt- 
 ed for their superiority to the other people of A- 
 merica in various arts. 
 
 But, notwithstanding the circumstances, which 
 seem to indicate an high degree of improvement, 
 others occur, that suggest the idea of a society, still 
 in its first stages of civilization. Cusco was the 
 only place entitled to the name of a city. Every 
 where else, the people lived mostly in detached hab- 
 itations, dispersed over the country, or, at most,set- 
 tled in small villages. But until men are brought to 
 assemble in numerous bodies, and are incorporated in 
 such close union, as to enjoy frequent intercourse, 
 and to feel mutual dependence, they never can im- 
 bibe perfectly the spirit, or assume the manners of 
 social life. In consequence of this imperfect union, 
 
317 
 
 the separation of professions in Peru, was not so 
 complete as among the Mexicans. 
 
 From the want of cities, another consequence 
 followed. There was little commercial intercourse 
 among them. The activity of commerce is coeval 
 with the foundations of cities ; and from the mo- 
 ment that the members of any community settle in 
 considerable numbers in one place, its operations 
 become vigorous. But in Peru, from the singular 
 mode of dividing property, and the manner in 
 which the people were settled, there was scarcely 
 any species of commerce carried on between the 
 provinces. But the unwarlike spirit of the Peru- 
 vians, was the most fatal defect of their characters. 
 The Mexicans maintained the struggle in defence 
 of their liberties, with such persevering fortitude, 
 that with difficulty the Spaniards triumphed over 
 them. Peru was subdued at once, and almost 
 without resistance. Though the traditional histo- 
 ry of the Peruvians represents all their princes fre- 
 quently at the head of armies, which they led to vic- 
 tory : few symptoms of such martial spirit appear 
 in any of their operations subsequent to the inva- 
 sion of the Spaniards. The influence, perhaps, of 
 these institutions, which rendered their manners 
 gentle, gave their minds this unmanly softness ; 
 perhaps the constant serenity of the climate may 
 have enervated the vigour of their frame ; perhaps, 
 some principle in their government, unknown to 
 us, was the occasion of this political debility. 
 Whatever was the cause, the fact is certain, and 
 there is not an instance in history, of any people so 
 c c 2 
 
318 
 
 little advanced in refinement, so totally destitute of 
 military talents and enterprise. This character has 
 descended to their posterity. But, beside these 
 capital defects in the political state of Peru, some 
 detached circumstances and facts occur in the Span- 
 ish writers, which discover a considerable remain- 
 der of barbarity in their manners. On the death 
 of the Incas, and of other eminent persons, a con- 
 siderable number of their attendants were put to 
 death, and interred around their guaca, that they 
 might appear m the next world with their former 
 dignity, and be served with the same respect. On 
 the death of Huana Capac, the most powerful of 
 their monarchs, above a thousand victims were 
 doomed to accompany him. In one particular, 
 their manners appear to have been more barbarous 
 than those of most rude tribes. Though ac- 
 quainted with the use of fire in preparing maize, 
 and other vegetables for food, they devoured both 
 flesh and fish perfectly raw, and astonished the Span- 
 iards with a practice so repugnant to the ideas of 
 all civilized people. Abridged from Dr. Robert- 
 son. 
 
 As a knowledge from whence came the original, ' 
 or first settlers of this vast continent, must be high- 
 ly interesting to every inquisitive mind, that wishes 
 to form clear ideas on this subject, as far as they 
 can be ascei'tained, we shall gratify the curiosity of 
 our readers, by laying before them the observations 
 and remarks of the most classical writers, from the 
 commencement of the first epochs in the annals of 
 history, to the present period. 
 
319 
 
 Most of the writers who have taken up the pen on 
 this subject, differ greatly in their sentiments. This 
 country is supposed to have been known to many of 
 the ancients. Plato has asserted in his Timaeus, 
 that beyond the island Atalantis, which, according 
 to his description, was in the Western ocean, there 
 were a large number of other islands, and behind 
 those, a vast continent. 
 
 Oviedo, a Spanish author, affirms, that the Antil* 
 les are the Hesperides of the poets ; at length re- 
 stored to the kings of Spain, the descendants of 
 king Hesperus, who lived upwards of 3000 years 
 ago. 
 
 Father Gregorio Garcia, a Spaniard, employed 
 in the miss ionsrof Mexico and Peru, endeavoured 
 to prove from the traditions of the Mexicans, Pe- 
 ruvians, and others ; and from the variety of char- 
 acters, customs, and languages observable, that a 
 variety of nations must have peopled the new world. 
 
 Father Acosta, a Spanish author, discredits the 
 conclusions of those who have supposed the aborig- 
 ines of America to have found a passage by sea, be- 
 cause no ancient author has described the compass ; 
 and concludes, that it must be either by the north 
 of Asia and Europe, which adjoin to each other, or 
 by those regions lying southward of the straits of 
 Magellan. 
 
 De Laet, a Flemish writer, controverts these opin- 
 ions and many others. His hypothesis is, that Amer- 
 ica was peopled by the Scythians, or Tartars ; and 
 that the transmigration of these people, happened 
 soon after the dispersion of the grandsons of Noah. 
 
320 
 
 He declares, that the most northern Americans 
 have a greater resemblance to the Scythians, Tar- 
 tars, and Samceides, than to any other nations. In 
 answer to Grotius, that some of the Norwegians 
 passed into America by the way of Greenland, and 
 over a vast continent, he says, that Greenland was 
 not discovered till the year 964 ; and both Gomera 
 and Herrera inform us, that the Chichimques were 
 settled on the lake of Mexico, in 721 ; that these 
 savages, according to the traditions of the Mexi- 
 cans, who dispossessed them, came from New 
 Mexico, andthe neighbourhood of California ; con- 
 sequently, North America must have been inhabit- 
 ed many ages before it could receive any inhabit- 
 ants from Norway, by way of Greenland. De Laet 
 adds, that it is related by Pliny, and some other wri- 
 ters, that on many of the islands near the western 
 coast of Africa, particularly the Canaries, some an- 
 cient edifices were seen ; it is probable, from their 
 beingnow deserted, that the inhabitants have passed 
 to America. This migration, he says, must have 
 happened more than 2000 years ago, at a time when 
 the Spaniards were much troubled by the Cartha- 
 ginians, from whom, having obtained a knowledge 
 of navigation, they might have retired to the Antil- 
 les, by the way of the western isles. He thinks, al- 
 so, that Great Britain, Ireland, and the Orcades, 
 w^ere extremely convenient places for the purpose 
 of migration. As a proof, he quotes a passage 
 from the History of Wales, written in 11 FO, by Dr. 
 D. Powel. That Madoc, a son of prince Owen, 
 Gwynnith, being disgusted at the wars which broke 
 
321 
 
 out between his brothers, after their father's death, 
 fitted out several vessels, and having furnished them 
 with necessaries for a long voyage, went in quest of 
 new lands to the westward of Ireland ; there he dis» 
 covered fertile countries, but destitute of inhabit 
 ants ; landing part of his people, he returned home, 
 raised new levies, and afterward transported them 
 to his colony, 
 
 Emanuel de Morez, a Portuguese, asserts, that 
 America has been peopled by the Carthaginians 
 and Israelites : as proofs, he brings the discoveries 
 made by the former, far beyond the coast of Afri- 
 ca ; the progress of which being stopped by the 
 senate of Carthage, those who were in the newly 
 discovered countries, cut off from all communica- 
 tion with their countrymen, and destitute of the ne- 
 cessaries of life, fell into a state of barbarism. He 
 thinks there is a perfect resemblance between the 
 Israelites and the Brazilians, in every thing, except 
 circumcision. 
 
 De Hornn, a learned Dutchman, declares, he 
 does not believe America could have been peopled 
 before the flood, considering the short space of 
 time between the creation of the world, and that 
 event. After the deluge, men and animals pene- 
 trated into that country by sea and land, some 
 through accident, others from design. The birds 
 flew thither, by resting on the rocks and islands, 
 scattered in the ocean. He supposes the country 
 began to be peopled by the north, and that the prim* 
 hive colonies spread themselves, by means of the 
 isthmus of Panama, through the whole continent* 
 
322 
 
 It is his opinion, that the founders of the Indian 
 colonies, were Scythians. That the Phoenicians 
 and Carthaginians afterward got footing across the 
 Atlantic ocean, and the Chinese by the Pacific -, and 
 that other nations might, from time to time, have 
 landed there by one or other of these ways, or have 
 been thrown on the coast by tempests ; since through 
 the whole continent we meet with undoubted marks 
 of a mixture of the northern nations, with those who 
 have come from other places. That some Jews and 
 Christians might have been carried there by similar 
 events, but at a time when the whole of the new 
 world was already peopled. He supposes, also 
 another migration of the Phoenicians to have taken 
 place : this was during the three years voyage, made 
 by the Tyrian fleet in the service of king Solomon. 
 He asserts, on the authority of Josephus, that the 
 port at which this embarkation was made, lay in the 
 Mediterranean. The fleet, according to him, went 
 in quest of elephant's teeth, and peacocks, to the 
 western coast of Africa, which is Tarshish ; then 
 to Ophir for gold, which is Hayti, or the island of 
 Hispaniola ; in this opinion he is supported by Co- 
 lumbus, who, when he discovered that island, 
 thought he could trace the furnaces for refining 
 gold. 
 
 Pierre de Charlevoix, a Frenchman, who visited 
 North America, in 1720, has also written on the 
 subject. He seems to think its first settlers were 
 from Tartary and Scythia. This he confirms, by 
 observing, that the lions and tigers found in Amer- 
 ica, must have come from those countries -, for, al- 
 
323 
 
 though many of these animals are found near the 
 tropics, yet they might have come there, by gradu- 
 ally advancing southward, till they met with cli- 
 mates more congenial to their natures. He quotes 
 Solinus and Pliny, to prove that the Scythian An- 
 thropophagi, once depopulated the country, as far 
 as the promontory of Tabin ; and also Mark Pol, a 
 Venetian, who says, that to the northeast of China 
 and Tartary, there are vast uninhabited countries ; 
 which tends to confirm any conjectures concerning 
 the retreat of numbers of Scythians into America. 
 He adds, we find in the ancients, the names of some 
 of these nations. Pliny speaks of the Tabians ; 
 Solinus mentions the Apuleans, who had for neigh- 
 bours the Massagetes, who, Pliny since assures us, 
 have disappeared. Ammianus Marcellinus tells 
 us, that the fear of the Anthropophagi, obliged ma- 
 ny of the inhabitants to take refuge elsewhere. 
 From these authorities, he concludes, that more 
 than one nation in America, had a Scythian or Tar- 
 tarian original. 
 
 James Adair, Esq. who published a history of 
 the Indians in 1772, declares, without hesitation, 
 that they are the descendants of the Israelites, either 
 whilst they were a maritime power, or soon after 
 their general captivity. This he endeavours to 
 prove from their religious rites, their civil and mar- 
 tial customs, their marriages, their funeral ceremo- 
 nies, their manners, traditions, language, and from 
 a variety of other particulars : and he fancies he 
 finds a full and indisputable proof in each. He 
 observes that, though some have supposed the A- 
 
324 
 
 mericans to be the descendants of the Chinese, yet 
 neither their religion, laws, nor customs, agree in 
 the smallest particular. Besides, China, he says, 
 is about 8000 miles distant from the American con- 
 tinent ; and we are not informed, by any ancient 
 author y of their use of the compass, their maritime 
 skill, or so much as any inclination that way, be- 
 side small coasting voyages. The winds blow, 
 likewise, with little variation, from east to west, 
 within the latitudes 30 and odd, north and south, 
 these could not then, drive them on the American 
 coast, it lying in a contrary direction. Neither 
 could persons come to America from the north, by 
 the way of Tartary or ancient Scythia ; which, from 
 its situation, never having been, or can be, a mari- 
 time power ; and it is impracticable for any to 
 come to America by sea, from that quarter. Be- 
 sides, the remaining traces of their religious cere- 
 monies, and civil and martial customs, are quite 
 opposite to the like vestiges of the old Scythians. 
 Even in the moderate northern climates there is 
 not to be seen the least trace of any ancient stately 
 buildings, or any thick settlements, as still remain 
 in the less healthy regions of Mexico and Peru : 
 and several Indian nations assure us, they crossed 
 the Missisippi, before they made their present 
 northern settlements ; which, connected with the 
 former arguments, he concludes will sufficiently ex- 
 plode the opinion that the Americans are descended 
 from the Tartars, or ancient Scythians. 
 
 Dr. Robertson, in his history of America, having 
 recapitulated and canvassed the most plausible 
 
325 
 
 opinions on this subject, comes to the following 
 conclusions. That America was not peopled by 
 any nation from the ancient continent, who had 
 made any considerable progress in civilization ; be- 
 cause when America was first discovered, its in- 
 habitants were unacquainted with the necessary arts 
 of life ; and if they had ever been acquainted with 
 them, their utility would have been so great, that it 
 is impossible they should have been lost. There- 
 fore the ancestors of the first settlers in America 
 were uncivilized, and unacquainted with the arts 
 of life. 
 
 America could not have been peopled by any 
 colony from the more southern -nations of the an- 
 cient continent ; because none of these tribes pos- 
 sessed enterprize, ingenuity, or power to under- 
 take such a distant voyage ; but more especially, 
 because, that in America there is not an animal, 
 which belongs to the temperate countries of the 
 eastern continent. The first care of the Spaniards, 
 when they settled in America, was to stock it with 
 domestic animals. The first settlers of Virginia 
 and New England, brought over with them horses, 
 cattle, sheep, &c. Hence the people who first set- 
 tled in America, did not originate from those coun- 
 tries where these animals abound, otherwise they 
 would have brought numbers with them. 
 
 Since the animals, in the northern regions of A- 
 merica, correspond with those found in Europe, in 
 the same latitudes ; while those in the tropical re- 
 gions are indigenous, and widely different from 
 those which inhabit the corresponding regions o» 
 
326 
 
 the eastern continent, it is probable, that all the 
 original American animals were of those kinds 
 which inhabit northern regions only, and that the 
 two continents, towards the northern extremity, are 
 so nearly united, as that these animals might pass 
 from one to the other. 
 
 It having been established by the last voyage of 
 Capt. Cook, that at Kamtschatka, in latitude 66° 
 north, the continents of Asia and America are sep- 
 arated by a strait only 18 miles wide, and that the 
 inhabitants on each continent are similar, and fre- 
 quently pass and repass in canoes from one to the 
 other ; from these and other circumstances, it is 
 rendered highly probable that America was peo- 
 pled from the northeast parts of Asia. But since 
 the Esquimaux Indians are distinct from all the na- 
 tions in America, in language, in disposition, and 
 in habits of life ; and in all these respects bear a 
 near resemblance to the northern Europeans, it is 
 believed that the Esquimaux Indians emigrated 
 from the northwest parts of Europe. 
 
 Several circumstances tend to confirm this belief. 
 As early as the ninth century, the Norwegians dis- 
 covered Greenland, and planted colonies there. 
 The communication with that country was renewed 
 in the last century. Some Lutheran and Moravian 
 missionaries, prompted by zeal for propagating 
 Christianity, have ventured to settle in this frozen 
 n. From them we learn, that the northwest 
 coast of Greenland is separated from America, but 
 by a narrow strait, if separated at all ; that the Es- 
 quimaux of America perfectly resemble die Green- 
 
327 
 
 landers, in their aspect, mode of living, dress, and 
 probably language. By these facts, not only the 
 consanguinity of the Esquimaux and Greenlanders 
 is established ; but the possibility of peopling A- 
 m erica from the northwest parts of Europe. On 
 the whole, it appears rational to conclude, that the 
 progenitors of all the American nations, from Cape 
 Horn to the southern limits of Labrador, from the 
 similarity of their aspect, colour, &c. migrated from 
 the northeast parts of Asia ; and that the nations 
 which inhabit Labrador, Esquimaux, and the parts 
 adjacent, from their unlikeness to the American 
 nations, and their resemblance to the northern Eu- 
 ropeans, came over from the northwest parts of 
 Europe. 
 
 The Abbe Clavigero, a native of America, and a 
 later writer than Dr. Robertson, thus sums up his 
 opinion on the subject. The Americans are de- 
 scended from different nations dispersed after the 
 confusion of tongues. No person will doubt this 
 who has any knowledge of the multitude and di- 
 versity of the American languages. In Mexico 
 alone 35 have been discovered. In South America 
 still more are known. Between some of these lan- 
 guages there is a great affinity ; but others are as 
 different from each other as English or Hebrew. 
 No living or dead languages can differ more than 
 those of the Mexicans, Otomies, Tarascas, Mayas, 
 and Miztecas, languages prevailing in the provinces 
 of Mexico. It would, therefore, be absurd to say, 
 that languages so different, were different dialects 
 of one original. 
 
328 
 
 The Americans do not derive their origin from 
 any people now existing as a nation on the eastern 
 continent. This inference is founded on the same 
 argument with the preceding ; since, if the Ameri- 
 cans were descendants from any of these nations, 
 it would be possible to trace their origin, by 
 some marks in their languages, in spite of the an- 
 tiquity of their separation : but any such traces 
 have not yet been discovered, although diligent 
 search has been made. We have, says Clavigero, 
 compared the Mexican and other American lan- 
 guages with many others which" are now living, and 
 with those which are dead, but have not been able 
 to discover any affinity among them. If the Amer- 
 icans are descended from different nations, dispers- 
 ed soon after the confusion of tongues, and have 
 since been separated from those others who peopled 
 the countries on the eastern continent, authors will 
 labour in vain, to seek in the language or customs 
 of the Asiatics, for the origin of the Americans. 
 
 The Abbe Clavigero has, also, some interesting 
 remarks on the manner in which the inhabitants and 
 animals originally passed to America. The men 
 and animals passed there from the old continent. 
 This is confirmed by the sacred writings. Moses, 
 who declares Noah the father of all men who sur- 
 vived the flood, says that in that general inundation 
 of the earth, all its quadrupeds, birds, and reptiles 
 perished, except a few of the several species which 
 were saved in the ark, to replenish the earth with 
 their kinds. The different quarters of the world, 
 therefore, must have been supplied from this source. 
 
329 
 
 The first settlers might either pass to America 
 in vessels designedly, or be carried on it accident- 
 ally, by adverse winds. They might pass by land, 
 if there is a union of the continents ; or make their 
 passage over some frozen arm of the sea. The na- 
 tions who first peopled Anahuac, now New Spain, 
 might pass from the northern countries of Europe, 
 into the northern parts of America, or from the 
 most eastern parts of Asia, to the most western 
 parts of America. This conclusion is founded on 
 the general tradition of those nations, which unani- 
 mously say, that their ancestors came into Anahuac 
 from the countries of the north and northwest. 
 This tradition is confirmed by the remains of many 
 ancient edifices, built by those people in their mi- 
 grations. A party of Spaniards, in 1606, going 
 from New Mexico to the river which they called Ti- 
 zon, 600 miles from that province towards the N. W. 
 they found some large edifices, and met with some 
 Indians who spoke the Mexican language, and who 
 told them, that a few days journey from that river, 
 towards the north, was the kingdom of Tollan, Azt- 
 lan, Copalla, and several others with Mexican 
 names. Boourini says, that in the paintings of the 
 Toltecas was represented the migration of their an- 
 cestors through Asia and the northern countries of 
 America, until they established themselves in the 
 country of Tollan. As to the other nations of A- 
 merica, as they have no tradition concerning the 
 fray by which their ancestors came to the new 
 world, we can say nothing certain. It is possible, 
 they passed the same way in which the ancestors of 
 D D 2 
 
330 
 
 the Mexicans passed ; but it is more probable they 
 passed by a different route. The ancestors of the 
 nations of South America, might pass there by the 
 way in which the animals of hot countries passed ; 
 and the ancestors of the nations of Esquimaux and 
 Labrador, and the countries adjacent, might pass 
 there from the northwest parts of Europe. 
 
 It is probable, that the quadrupeds and reptiles 
 passed to America by land. St. Augustine solves 
 the difficulty of peopling the islands with animals, 
 by supposing either that the angels transported 
 them thither, (a solution, which, though it cuts off 
 every difficulty in the passage of animals to the new 
 world, would not be satisfactory in the present age) 
 that they might swim to the islands, or have been 
 carried there by men for the sake of hunting, or 
 formed there by the Creator in the beginning : oth- 
 ers have supposed that beasts might pass over some 
 frozen strait, or arm of the sea. But as neither of 
 these opinions can be supported, as Clavigero 
 shews in his history, the probability is, that the 
 quadrupeds and reptiles passed to America by land, 
 and that the two continents were once united. 
 This was the opinion of BufFon, Grotius, Acosta, 
 and other great men. That this earth has experi- 
 enced great changes since the flood, is evident. 
 Earthquakes have swallowed up large tracts of 
 land ; subterraneous fires have thrown up others - r 
 the sea, in some places, has been forced to retreat 
 many miles from the shore ; in others, it has made 
 encroachments, and, in many instances, separated 
 territories which were formerly united. Large 
 
331 
 
 tracts of land have been also formed at the mouths 
 of rivers. We have many examples of these revo- 
 lutions. Sicily was formerly united to the conti- 
 nent. The straits of Gibraltar, as Diodorus, Stra- 
 bo, and other ancient authors affirm, were formed by 
 a violent irruption of the ocean, upon the land, be- 
 tween Abyla and Calpe. The people of Ceylon 
 have a tradition, that a similar irruption separated 
 their island from the peninsula of India. The 
 same is believed by the inhabitants of Malabar, 
 with respect to the isles of Maldivia, and by the 
 Malayans with respect to Sumatra. Ceylon has 
 lost 30 or 40 leagues of land, by the sea ; and Ton- 
 gres, a place in the low countries, has gained 30 
 leagues ; and Florida, and the southern American 
 states, have gained as much from the bay of Mexi- 
 co, and the islands between North and South A- 
 merica. The northern part of Egypt owes its ex- 
 istence to the inundations of the Nile ; and the 
 province of Yellow river, in China, and part of 
 Louisiana, in America, have both been formed by 
 the mud of rivers. The peninsula of Yucatan has 
 the appearance of having once formed part of the 
 bed of the sea. In the strait between America and 
 Asia, many islands are found, that were probably 
 the mountains on that part of the land, which we 
 suppose to have been swallowed up by earthquakes ; 
 this is rendered more probable by the number of 
 volcanoes, which have been discovered in Kamts- 
 chatka. The sinking of that land, and the separa- 
 tion of the continents, was, probably, occasioned by 
 those earthquakes, mentioned in the histories of the 
 
332 
 
 Americans, forming an sera as memorable as that 
 of the deluge. 
 
 The quadrupeds and reptiles, probably, passed 
 by different routes. Among the American beasts, 
 many are averse to cold ; such as the apes, dantes, 
 crocodiles, &c. Others, formed to inhabit cold 
 countries : such as martins, reindeer, and gluttons. 
 The former could not go there through any country 
 in the frigid zone ; they would have perished in 
 their passage. What inducement could they have 
 to quit a climate congenial to their natures, and go 
 they knew not whither, through a cold region they 
 could not endure ? The apes in New Spain, passed 
 there from South America. Once they did not in- 
 habit that country, and it is known they came from 
 the south. The centre of their population is the 
 country under the equator, and 14° or 15° each side 
 of it. It decreases, as you depart from this tract 
 on each side, till you arrive at the tropics, where 
 none are found, except in a few districts, which, 
 from their peculiar situation, are as hot as the equi- 
 noctial country. None can imagine that the apes 
 travelled to America through the regions of the 
 north, nor that they were transported thither by 
 men ; for some are of a ferocious disposition, and 
 unlikely to be selected as companions on a long 
 voyage, to people a new country. Beside, there is 
 a greater difficulty to surmount : as they could not 
 have been conducted over the seas and countries of 
 the north on account of the cold, they must have 
 been transported from the warm countries of the 
 old, to the warm countries of the new world, over a 
 
S33 
 
 sea, subject to a clime not dissimilar to the native 
 country of those quadrupeds ; that is, by the coun- 
 tries of the southern parts of Asia, to about the 
 same latitudes in America, over the Indian and Pa- 
 cific oceans ; or from the western countries of Afri- 
 ca, to the eastern countries of America, over the 
 Atlantic ocean. If men, then, transported these an- 
 imals from one world to the other, they did it across 
 those seas. But was this accidental or designed ? 
 If the former, how and why did they carry so many 
 animals with them ? If the latter, if they were de- 
 termined to pass from the old to the new continent, 
 who informed them of the new world ? Who shew- 
 ed them the situation of those countries ? How did 
 they venture to cross such vast seas without a com- 
 pass ? In what vessels did they pass ? If landed 
 there happily, why does there not remain among 
 them, some memory of their constructions ? Why 
 — but it is needless to start more objections ; those 
 already mentioned, can never be answered. 
 
 There remains no other solution but that of ad- 
 mitting an ancient union between the equinoctial 
 countries of America, and those of Africa ; and a 
 connection of the northern countries of America, 
 with Europe on the east, and Asia uu the west; so 
 that there has probably been a period since the 
 flood, when there was but One Continent. 
 
 The beasts of cold climates passed over northern 
 isthmuses, which, probably connected Europe, A- 
 merica, and Asia ; and the animals and reptiles, 
 peculiar to hot countries, passed over the isthmus 
 that connected South America with Africa. For 
 
334 
 
 ......... 
 
 the reasons already mentioned induce us to believe 
 that there was formerly a tract of land, which united 
 the most eastern part of Brazil, to the most western 
 part of Africa ; and that all the space of land may 
 have been sunk by violent earthquakes, leaving on- 
 ly some traces of it in that chain of islands, of which 
 Cape de Verd, Fernando de Norona, Ascension, 
 and St. Matthew's islands, make a part ; and also in 
 those many sand banks discovered by de Bauche, 
 and other navigators. These islands and sand 
 banks may probably have been the highest parts of 
 that sunken isthmus. In like manner, it is proba- 
 ble, the northwestern part of America was united 
 to the northeastern part of Asia, by a neck of land, 
 which has been sunk, or washed away, and the 
 northeastern parts of America to the northwestern 
 parts of Europe, by Greenland, Iceland, &c. 
 
 On the whole, we cannot but believe, that the 
 quadrupeds and reptiles passed from the old to the 
 new world by lancL, and by different routes. All 
 other suppositions are subject to great difficulties ; 
 and this is not without some, which, however, are 
 not insurmountable. The greatest, is the improb- 
 ability of an earthquake so great as to sink a space 
 of land for more than 1500 miles in length, which 
 we suppose, united Africa and South America* 
 But we do not ascribe this stupendous revolution to 
 a single shock : it may have been effected by a suc- 
 cession of earthquakes. They are common in the 
 climates where we suppose the isthmus to have 
 been. It is not improbable that such an effect 
 should be produced by earthquakes, nor is history 
 
535 
 
 destitute of examples to our purpose.- The earth- 
 quake felt in Canada, in 1663, overwhelmed a chain 
 of mountains of freestone more than 300 miles loftg, 
 and the whole of that immense tract was changed 
 into a plain. How great, then, must have been the 
 convulsion, which was occasioned by those extraor- 
 dinary earthquakes, mentioned in the histories of 
 America, when the world was thought to be coming 
 to an end ! 
 
 It may be farther objected to this system, that if 
 beasts passed by land from one continent to the 
 other, it is not easy to assign the cause, why some 
 species passed there without leaving a single indi- 
 vidual in the old continent ; and, on the contrary, 
 that some entire species should remain in the old 
 continent, and not a single individual of them pass 
 to America. But this objection operates with 
 equal force against all other opinions, except that 
 which employs angels in the transportation of 
 beasts. But suppose it did not, we have a satisfac- 
 tory answer to it. As all the quadrupeds of the 
 earth are not yet known, we cannot, therefore, say 
 how many are in the one, and not in the other con- 
 tinent. The knowledge of the best informed zool- 
 ogists is very imperfect. Buffon numbers but 200 
 species of quadrupeds. Bomare makes them 265 ; 
 but to say how many more there may be, and of 
 what kinds, until we have examined the interior re- 
 gions of Africa, of part of Tartary, the country of 
 the Amazons, and the territory west of the Missi- 
 ssippi, and various other unexplored countries, which 
 
336 
 
 form a great part of the globe, would be mere con- 
 jecture. 
 
 We shall hazard no remarks upon these inquir- 
 ies, having dwelt thus long on the subject, and in- 
 troduced many interesting arguments, in order that 
 the readers themselves may form their own opin- 
 ions, when, and by whom this country was first set- 
 tled ; conceiving, that that opinion, whirh is most 
 probable ) must be adhered to $ as nothing certain^ 
 it is presumed, can be expected, on a subject so 
 long buried in $ic oblivion of ages. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOLUME, 
 
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