of the American Indians, 363 



lages. The Arikara and Mandan villages are still /or^i/iecZ in 

 this way. I think there must be traces of five thousand such 

 places. The earth is thrown up a few feet, and pickets placed at 

 the top. Some of them inclose a hundred acres. The barrows, 

 or receptacles for the dead, may be classed with the palisadoed 

 towns, and are more numerous. The tumuli, or mounds, are 

 often met with, distant from any of the above. These are very 

 ancient ; the Indians have no traditions of their authors or 

 purpose*. The old chief, Du Coin, told Mr. Rice Jones, that 

 the mounds in the American bottom had been fortified by the 

 Kaskaskias in their wars with the Iroquois. An old book, by 

 Lafitau, a Jesuit, contains a plate in which a mound, fortified 

 by palisades on the top, and large beams extending to the 

 bottom, is assaulted by enemies. These tumuli are at the 

 junction of all the considerable rivers, and best position for 

 towns in fertile lands: there are about 3000, the smallest 

 20 feet high, and 100 in diameter at the base. They are found 

 from the mouth of the Ohio to the Illinois river on the east ; 

 and on the west from the St. Francis to the Missouri. I am 

 perfectly satisfied, says Mr. B., that cities as populous as 

 ancient Mexico have existed in these parts. There are traces 

 of two such cities near St. Louis, on the bank of the Cohokia. 

 There are about 100 mounds in two groups : one of them 

 nearly equal to the Egyptian Mycerinus, being 100 feet high, 

 and 800 paces in circumference f. A description of it was 

 pubHshed in the newspapers at St. Louis, but it attracted no 

 notice. These mounds resemble the Teocalli in their position 

 to the cardinal points ; the large ones have, like them, several 

 stages, and in every group there are also two much larger 

 than the rest, which stand around symmetrically. The resem- 

 blance to those of New Spain, renders probable the existence 

 of the same arts and customs. Solis tells us that every consi- 

 derable place had a number of mounds, and from the descrip- 

 tion of the Adoratorios, they were destined probably to the 



* The aversion of the Indians to giving information to Europeans, especially 

 regarding their religion, and tombs in particular, is notorious. The Tartars of Asia 

 never disturb the tombs, although they knovs^ of the vsealth they contain. 



t The pyramid of Mycerinus was 300 feet high, according to Herodotus, 

 Euterpe, cxxxiv. On the subject of pyramids see the ingenious remarks in Hum' 

 holdt's Researches, vol. i. 



