THE MOUND-BUILDERS. 279 



of white and violet beads worked upon leather thongs/' the 

 whole forming a belt twenty-eight inches long, and two-and- 

 a-half broad. " On this, five patterns are worked in violet 

 beads on a white ground, and in the centre Penn is repre- 

 sented taking the hand of the Indian Sachem." The numerous 

 beads found in some of the tumuli were perhaps in a similar 

 manner intended to commemorate the actions and virtues of 

 the dead. 



Just as the wigwam of the recent Mandan consisted of an 

 outer layer of earth supported on a wooden framework, so 

 also, in the ancient sepulchral tumuli, the body was protected 

 only by beams and planks; when therefore these latter decayed, 

 the earth sank in and crushed the skeleton within. Partly 

 from this cause, and partly from the habit of burying in ancient 

 tumuli, which makes it sometimes difficult to distinguish the 

 primary from secondary interments, it happens that from so 

 many thousand tumuli we have very few well-preserved skulls 

 which indisputably belong to the ancient race. These are 

 decidedly brachycephalic ; but it is evident that we must not 

 attempt to build much upon so slight a basis. 



No proof of a knowledge of letters, no trace of a burnt brick, 

 have yet been discovered ; and so far as we may judge from 

 their arms, ornaments, and pottery, the mound-builders closely 

 resembled some at least of the recent Indian tribes, and the 

 earthworks agree in form with, if they differ in magnitude 

 from, those still, or until lately in use. Yet this very magni- 

 tude is sufficient to show that, at some early period, the great 

 river valleys of the United States must have been more densely 

 populated than they were when first discovered by Europeans. 

 The immense number of small earthworks, and the mounds, 

 " which may be counted by thousands and tens of thousands," 

 might indeed be supposed to indicate either a long time or a 

 great population ; but in other cases we have no such alter- 

 native. The Newark constructions ; the mound near Florence 



