Page:Observationsonab00squi.djvu/38

 OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 33

from a to e, five feet; height from 5 to e, twenty inches; dip of curve are, nine inches. ‘The sides c a, e d, slope regularly, at agiven angle. The body of the altar is burned throughout, though in a greater degree within the basin, where it was so hard as to resist the blows of a heavy hatchet, the instrument rebounding as if struck upon a rock. The basin, or hollow of the altar, was filled even full with fine dry ashes, intermixed with which were some fragments of pottery, of an excellent finish and elegant model, orna- mented with tasteful carvings on the exterior. One of the vases, taken in fragments from this mound, has been very nearly restored. The sketch B, presents its outlines, and the character of its ornaments. Its height is six, its great- est diameter eight inches. The material is hardly dis- tinguishable from that composing the pottery of the ancient Peruvians ; and in respect of finish, it is fully equal to the best Peruvian specimens. A few convex copper dises, much resembling the bosses used upon harnesses, were also found.

Above the deposit of ashes, and covering the entire basin, was a layer of silvery or opaque mica, in sheets, overlapping each other; and, immediately over the centre of the basin, was heaped a quantity of burned human bones, probably the amount of a single skeleton, in frag- ments. The position of these is indicated by o in the sec- tion. The layer of mica and calcined bones, it should be remarked, to prevent misapprehension, were peculiar to this individual mound, and were not found in any other of the class.

It will be seen, by the section, that at a point about two feet below the surface of the mound, a human skele- ton was found. It was placed alittle to the left of the centre, with the head to the east, and was so much decayed as to render it impossible to extract a single bone entire. Above the skeleton, as shown in the section, the earth and outer layer of gravel and pebbles were broken up and