Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/513

Rh Central America; that, in fact, they were among the oldest inhabitants of our hemisphere. All the tribes of Indians bearing the strongest marks of Asiatic origin, and are identified with the Israelites by the following religious rites:—Their belief is in one God, their computation of time by their ceremonies of the new moon, their division of the year into four seasons, their erection of a temple, having an ark of covenant, and also in their erection of altars; their division of the nation into tribes, with a chief or general sachem at their head; their laws of sacrifices, ablutions, marriage ceremonies in war and peace; prohibition of eating certain things, traditions, history, character, appearance, affinity of the language to the Hebrew, and finally by the everlasting covenant of heirship, exhibited in a perpetual transmission of its seal in the flesh; a custom only of late relinquished; and their abstaining from eating swine's flesh. These signs show that they are extracted from the Israelites or Jews.

This is my humble opinion of these poor degraded Indians, and I believe that they are the original lost tribe of Israel.

Sunday, February 27, 1848.—This morning there was a great cheering and hurrahing in and about our quarters, on account of the news by the late mail—the news being that we, or all the old volunteer forces, would be soon recalled (in a pig's eye!). There are not enough troops in Mexico to make any more recalls with safety.

In the afternoon we formed, and then marched to the field opposite to the Convent of San Angel, and were here inspected by Lieut.-Col. Black, and, after staying a few hours, we returned to quarters.

In the evening, Corp. Roland C. Malone, who had been lingering with the diarrhœa for same time, got his discharge, and will go home with the next down train to Vera Cruz. Malone has been a good soldier, and his departure is much regretted by our company to which he belonged.

Monday, February 28, 1848.—This morning all hands were busy in cleaning up their muskets and belts, brightening the