Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 V13.djvu/63

 able labour we got five miles below Galiopolis, at which and Point Pleasant[29] there are several mounds and aboriginal remains.[30]

5th.] This evening we had proceeded about 26 miles below Galiopolis. Yesterday and to-day, I remarked, parallel with the present level of the river, and often surmounted by a lofty and friable bank of earth, beds of leaves compressed and blackened, giving out ferruginous matter to the water which oozed through them. On examination, they proved to be the same kind of foliage as that of the trees which compose the present alluvial forest; as platanus, beech, oak, poplar, &c.

About Steubenville I observed the first occurrence {29} of misletoe (the Viscum verticillatum of the West Indies), which now appears very prevalent and conspicuous. The fruit of the popaw (Porcelia triloba) here comes to perfection, and is rich and finely flavoured, while above, and in a few localities where it exists in Pennsylvania, it is scarcely eatable.

I was again informed of the existence of aboriginal mounds and entrenchments on the fertile alluvial lands called Messer's Bottom, which are of several miles extent, commencing almost immediately below Galiopolis on the Virginia side, but after several unsuccessful inquiries, the ignorance and supineness of the settlers, though numerous, prevented me from discovering them.

6th.] We proceeded about nine miles, and were as usual prevented from continuing further by the reiterated