Page:Essays ethnological and linguistic.djvu/237

Rh Mr. Stephens describes them (now empty) as being dome shaped, and gives the dimension of one as 10 feet 6 inches deep, and 17 feet 6 inches in diameter; he does not give the dimension of others, but says that there are at Uxmal several close together. Dr. Davis describes the cisterns at Carthage (p. 392) as 18 in number, in shape circular, 19 feet 6 inches in width, and containing a depth of 17 feet of water.

There are two peculiarities in which the Temple built by Solomon as described by Josephus, Antiq. VII. 3, resembled those of the former inhabitants of Yucatan, viz. the smallness of the doors and absence of windows, and the communication between the ground floor and upper stories being by means of steps on the outside of the building instead of by means of internal stairs. Solomon's Temple was built by artificers from Tyre, who would probably have constructed it after the plan of similar buildings in their own country, and this would furnish an additional link in favour of the argument here maintained.

The use of paved roads, as well as the emblems found on the buildings in Central America, more particularly the winged globe, the open hand, the frequency of the serpent symbol, the hawk headed figures of divinities, the figures and dresses of the persons represented on the monuments, especially those offering sacrifices, the kind of pottery and its ornaments, the gorgon-like images with protruding tongues, the remains of avenues of colossal statues, are all points on which much might be said, and the united testimony of which, each possessing an oriental characteristic, affords strong evidence in support of these views.

In the preceding Note a reference has been made to the origin of the Basques, and a suggestion has been offered that they are the descendants of an Eastern Colony. If these views are correct some resemblances might be expected to exist between their customs and those of the people of Yucatan. Both the Basques and the Indians of Central America are extremely fond of dancing, and there is a very peculiar Biscayan dance which Clavigero describes as having been known to the Mexicans, and in his time still kept up in Yucatan. "They fixed in the earth a tree or strong post, 15 or 20 feet high, from the top of which, according to the "number of dancers, they suspended 20 or more small cords all long and of different colours. When each dancer had taken hold of the end of his cord, they all began to dance to the sound of musical instruments, crossing each other with great dexterity until they formed a beautiful network of the cords round the tree, on which the colours appeared chequered in admirable