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pine stump four and a-half feet across, with its
roots extending over the-embankments, showing
that it has grown there since the erection of the
earthwork, This place, from present appearances,
was doubtless the only one approachable by land,
and a rise of a few feet of water, almost surrounding
the work, would insulate it, and add much to its
defence. The eastern and southern portions, where
there are tumuli, and where, from appearances, the
inhabitants resided, is from fifteen to eighteen feet
above, and descends abruptly to the now swampy
grounds. On the north is a large tamarack swamp,
which is said to contain about twelve thousand
acres. The ‘Nation’ River is about a mile to the
north-west, and the intervening land is low, while
the south-east and south ground rises gently at a
distance of fifty or eighty rods. The soil on this
table land is rich, and at every step evidences are
present of its having been at one time thickly
inhabited.
pieces of earthenware, and hollow and smooth
pieces of stone, doubtless used for culinary pur¬
poses. The timber, which was mostly pine, except
a small portion on the westerly part, is all cut down
—indeed the original forest is entirely gone within
the enclosure proper. The tumuli
number, situate at the corners of a parallelogram,
The ground is strewn with broken
are four in
containing between one and two acres of ground,
within which are to be seen the regular streets and
lines of a village. Outside of the mounds, on three
sides, are double lines of circumvallation: on the
fourth side, which faces the south-east side, there is
but one, The elevations of ground which we have
called tumuli are but slightly raised above the
On
opening these mounds they are found to be com¬
posed of earth, charcoal, and ashes, and containing
human bones, pointed bones from the leg of the
deer, horns and skulls of the same animals, human
skulls, bones of the beaver, muscle shells of the
genus Unio, such as are now found on the shores of
the St. Lawrence Riyer, and which were doubtless
used as food, since they are very common about
such mounds, With these there were great quan¬
tities of earthenware, some being of the most
elaborate workmanship, On the surface of the
ground were scattered numbers of smooth pieces
of quartz and sandstones, One stone on a boulder
of hornblendic gneiss was hollowed out into a
in length, twelve in
general level, Say from two to four feet.
cavity of sixteen inches
breadth, and four and a-half inches in depth; had it
not been broken cff at one end, it would probably
have held a gallon, From the tumuli have been
exhumed a large variety of bones and bone points,
the tooth of a walrus, having holes drilled through
it as though it had been used for an instrument.
“The other work, situated in the Township of
Edwardsburg, near Spencerville, on an elevated
piece of ground, is well chosen for defence, and
overlooks the surrounding country to a great
distance. It consists of an embankment in the
shape of a moccasined foot, the heel pointing to
the south, and enclosing about three and a-half
acres of ground ; the location being the front half
of Lot 27, in the Seventh Concession of Edwards¬
burg. This enclosure has been cultivated for
several years. Some parts of the embankment
are some enormous pine stumps, one of which is
nearly five feet in diameter. Many pieces of pottery
have been found in the enclosure, similar to those
discovered in Augusta ; also pieces of clay pipes, one
of them richly ornamented, and a stone implement
sharpened to a point, which was doubtless used for
There are also human bones scat¬
tered over the field, which the plow has turned up.
The ‘terra cotta’ found here is elaborate in its
workmanship, and is as hard as the stoneware of
the present day. It seems to be composed of quartz
pounded up and mixed with clay, which adds to its
hardness; and as to beauty of shape, some of the
restored articles will compare favorably with those
shown in the Italian Department at the Centennial.
These vessels have been found from four to eight
and three-quarter inches in diameter. Mr. Guest
also found a few rounded pieces of pottery in the
shape of coin, about the size of a quarter of a
dollar and less, as well as some rounded pieces of
Stealite, with holes through the centre. He also
discovered one beautifully polished bone needle,
about five inches long, with an eye rudely per¬
forated, and a piece of ivory in the shape of a knife,
made of a shark’s tooth, which had some marks
upon it, transversely, by which the owner evidently
intended to identify it. In a subsequent visit, he
also obtained an earthen pipe complete, and a piece
of human skull with several notches cut in its edge,
and evidently intended for a saw, The great size
of the trees, the stumps of which remain upon the
embankment, are, in some degree, chronological
evidences of the long time that has elapsed since
these monuments were erected; and the fact of the
bones of the walrus and shark being found, shows
the acquaintance of the original occupants with the
sea; while the entire absence of s/one pipes and
arrow heads of. the same material (which belong
to a later age, properly designated the Indian), as
dressing skins.
well as the entire deficiency of metals, or anything
European to connect them with the Western or