ourselves in regard to the contents of the book. To these, indeed, no adequate justice can be done in the course of a single article; and we shall not attempt it to any great extent. At the same time, however, the work is one which it will hardly do to neglect altogether, and we shall endeavor to put our readers in possession at least of the design of the author, though we may not be able to inquire minutely into the grounds he proceeds on, or the degree of success with which he has accomplished his object. It is not difficult to see, at a glance, that he has pretty thoroughly studied his subject, and we are not aware, indeed, though a great deal has been written about it, that any investigations have purported to be equally complete with these.

In this essay, then, an answer is sought to two great questions; 1. What races of people built the ancient works in America? 2. Whence and how was America peopled ?

In regard to the first question, the author endeavors to establish the point, that all our monuments of remote antiquity in Mexico and Peru, as well as in the United States, were built by one people,—that is, by one race; and he thinks that he has made out his argument so effectually as to throw on him who disputes its conclusiveness, the onus of showing wherein he is wrong. This is an important part of the investigation, and we shall briefly notice some of the points which Mr. Delafield makes in it. In general terms he says:

"Given probably to agriculture, our fertile plains attracted the undivided attention of this people, save that which was necessary for their protection from the mammoth, or from the hostile attacks of another race, and which resulted in the construction of the earthen ramparts now remaining. But on proceeding southwardly, where they were probably no more molested by hostile invasion, their wonted industry found a new object for its exertion, in the erection of extensive cities of stone. This change of custom may also be easily accounted for in the beautiful language of a learned author, who says, that 'the faculties unfold themselves with more facility wherever man, chained to a barren soil, compelled to struggle with the parsimony of nature, rises victorious from the lengthened contest.' Deserting the fertile prairies of this land, and encountering the more sterile plains of the volcanic mountains of Mexico and Peru, their energy directed its impulses to more lasting monuments of their existence as a people."

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This is the author's explanation of that diversity which is known to exist among the monuments he refers to, extending, as they do, northwardly as far as the buffalo has

been known to range, and thence, through the whole of North America and the Isthmus of Darien, to Peru. In North America, they are almost universally constructed of earth. Mr. Delafield knows of but one exception to this remark, which occurs near Newark, Licking County, and not far from the Ohio and Erie Canal, where is a large tumulus, built of stone,-a right cone in figure, about 40 feet high, and with a base diameter of 100 feet. This is said to be the only specimen of the class in the whole region north of Mexico.

It is remarked, respecting the material of these mounds, that the soil they are made of is, "in some instances,' different from that on which they are built, and must have been brought a distance of three or four miles. Elsewhere we have seen it stated that the material is universally the same; and that, whatever the circumambient soil may be, that is always a yellow brick-clay. This circumstance seems a little singular, when we consider the labor which it often involves. There is, for example, a mound of the largest class, as we understand, near Newtown, in Hamilton County, Ohio, situated on a gravelly soil, but wholly composed of this clay. The dimensions of the mound, from actual admeasurement, are as follows:

Circumference at the base,

Width at the base

Length at the base

Perpendicular height,

The whole covering an area of about an acre.

Near the summit of this tumulus is a large beech, probably two feet in diameter, and its sides are covered by a thick growth of underwood, with several large forest trees. It is within three hundred yards of a high range of hills, and could not, therefore, it is suggested, have been erected as a watch-tower, or a place of defence.

This account we have from a Cincinnati authority, and allusion seems to be made in it to Mr. Delafield's theory, intimated in the volume before us, that the mounds served, to a considerable extent, the purpose of scopuloi or beacons, and points of observation, running between and connecting the large and extensive castra. These latter, he says, so far as his own observation has gone, are always near water-courses; and at intervals, along the streams,

tumuli are found, which would be visible, one from the other, were the country cleared of its present forest; in fact, he supposes that a map of North America, delineating all these ruins, in situ, would display such a connection between them, as that a signal, by fire or otherwise, would transmit, with ease and despatch, intelligence of an enemy's approach, or an application for assistance. Confirmation of this idea is found in Garcilasso de la Vega, who says of the ancient Peruvians, that at every quarter of a league they built a cabin on an eminence, in which Indians were stationed as sentinels on certain occasions. In case of rebellions, the news was communicated by means of fire, which was always in readiness at each post.

This theory is not essential, nor very important to Mr. Delafield's main one, but we notice it, in passing, because every thing is interesting which may help to throw light on the origin and object of these remarkable monuments themselves, without reference to any ulterior researches; and we may, therefore, remind the curious reader that some of the sketches of the western country, published in this city by General Dearborn, a few months ago, seem rather to favor this notion of scopuloi. The General says that the mounds are more numerous on Rock river than in any other portion of the western country. He examined groups or collections of them at thirteen places, within a distance of fifteen miles. They were from seven to fortythree in number, at the various locations, and extended along the bank, at some points, for more than half a mile. "They are round, or in the form of embankments, like the breast works of field fortifications, and in many cases the latter are from fifty to two hundred feet in length. height varies from seven to nearly twenty feet. They extend from near the mouth of Rock river, through Illinois, far into Wisconsin Territory, showing how densely that region must have been populated some five hundred or five thousand years since."

Their

The more common notion has been, as our readers are aware, that these tumuli were mostly sepulchral, in this as in other countries. The large one, near Newtown, mentioned above, was so situated in regard to neighboring hills, that it could not have served the martial purpose. In many other cases, the same and other circumstances lead us to a similar conclusion, particularly the fact that

bones, and what would appear to be funereal relics, are frequently found in the mounds. During the current season, for example, we see that an immense one, well entitled the "mammoth mound," and said to be the largest yet discovered in North America, has been opened near Elizabethtown, in Marshall County, Virginia, about twelve miles from Wheeling; and this, by the way, stands but a quarter of a mile from the Ohio river. This monument is worthy of a passing notice for its own sake. It was excavated in March last. The workmen commenced on what is called the north wing, cutting an arched tunnel or entrance, ten feet high, seven wide, and one hundred and eleven in length, before they struck the mouth of the "lower vault." This vault was found to be seven feet high, and in length eight by twelve feet, north and south. After commencing the tunnel, the first thing of any note discovered, was the appearance of charcoal, with fragments of burnt bones, continuing to the entrance of the vault. Within fourteen feet of the mouth of the vault, they struck the original entrance or passage, descending like the entrance of a cellar, apparently supported by timbers. Within this vault were found two skeletons; the first nearly perfect not one tooth missing,-supposed to have been placed erect, but fallen near the wall, with the head south, and thereby preserved by the crumbling of sand over it. With this skeleton there were no beads or trinkets. On the opposite side lay the other skeleton, the bones much broken to pieces. With the latter were found six hundred and fifty ivory beads, an ivory ornament of peculiar construction near the breast, about six inches in length, &c.

From the middle of this vault they proceeded to cut or excavate a rotunda, eleven feet in diameter, through the middle to the top, a distance of sixty-three feet. After proceeding about half way, they struck another vault, eight feet by eighteen, east and west. In this were

found one skeleton and its trinkets, consisting of seventeen hundred ivory beads, five hundred sea-shells, one hundred and fifty pieces of isinglass, and five copper bands, worn round the wrist, weighing seventeen ounces; also a small stone, about two inches in length and one and a half in width, with marks resembling letters and figures, supposed to be the name, &c., with several other small trinkets.

This description is furnished by the proprietors of the mound, who have fitted it up as a sort of museum. They have walled and arched with brick the avenue or tunnel, leaving forty-six feet of the arch in its natural state.

They have also enlarged the lower vaults to twentyeight feet in diameter, by nine feet high, and running through the centre is a circular wall, leaving nine different departments for trinkets, &c. In one of these departments the full skeleton is fitted up erect, with not a tooth missing, near the spot on which it was found. The other two are placed in departments, each with their trinkets, &c.

All these matters are exhibited, or will be, for "twentyfive cents a grown person,-children, half price ;"-rather a better specimen, perhaps, of American thrift, than of antiquarian" reverence." Our present purpose, however, is merely to point out this case as a striking illustration of the apparent use to which these monuments were put, as well as of the enormous scale of labor and grandeur upon which they were built. We shall only add here, that Mr. Delafield shows that the Mexican and Peruvian mounds were, many, if not most of them, sepulchral also, and that their contents corresponded to those we have been describing. He quotes Ulloa as stating that the Indians, having laid a body on the ground, environed it with a rude arch of stones, or bricks, and then threw earth upon it, till it grew to a tumulus, which they called guaca. This, generally, was eight or ten toises high, and twenty feet long; the breadth rather less; but some were larger. They were not exactly pyramidal, but "more like hillocks." The plains near Cayambe were covered with such mounds. Within them were found, just as in ours (so at least Mr. Delafield tells us), idols, clay masks, mica, stone axes, silver and copper rings and rosaries, and other trinkets. Ranking states, in his "Conquest of Peru," that the same things are found in the tumuli of the Siberian deserts. "Some are of earth, and in such numbers on the plain, that at a distance they appear like a ridge of hills."

So much for the northern division of the monuments. In the course of this little sketch of them, we have suggested some points of resemblance between them and the southern ones. Mr. Delafield finds, or thinks he finds,

The Newtown mound is said to be "exactly oval."