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6 ABORIGINAL MONUMENT: a fact generally Know: notions, however, of the extent, number, and character of these remains are entertained by the world at large. Even where they are * most abundant and interesting, the general ignorance, in these respects, appears greatest. It seems strange that hitherto, while every other branch of research has enlisted active and enlightened minds in its elucidation the archeolo- gical field has been left comparatively unoccupiéd. It is true, isolated and detached observations, and occasional limited explorations, have been made, serving to provoke rather than satisfy inquiry ; but nothing like a thorough and systematic investigation, carried on over an extended field, has +hereto- fore been attempted. This has resulted less, perhaps, “be- cause men are incurious about nearer, and intent upon more distant objects,’* than from the lack, among a pioneer population, of the time and money necessary to so hee and costly an undertaking, and of the inducements which enlightened approbation, in older communities, holds out to original research and development. Account for the fact as we may, there is no doubt that, up to this time, the world has been put in possession of too few well-authenticated facts, relating to the ancient aboriginal monuments of our coun- try, to enable the inquirer to form any satisfactory conclu- sion as to their extent, number, character, origin, or pur- poses. Their absence has been poorly supplied by specu- lations, which, however ingenious they may be, have no firmer foundation than the fancy of their authors, and can serve only further to involye a subject already sufficiently obscure, and which cannot be elucidated except by a strict observance of the rules regulating scientific research.

Tt was under a vivid impression of the general defi- ciency, in this respect——the extreme paucity of facts, and the very loose manner in which they had been presented,— that the writer of this memoir, and his associate, E. H.


 * Pliny.