Kingsley. — On Tombs of a Prehistoric Bace. 607 



remains of the ancient inhabitants, illustrating his letters with 

 numerous sketches, some of which I reproduce as diagrams. 

 The information given by Mr. White forms the substance of 

 this paper. 



I believe I am correct in saying that, although a large 

 amount of information has been collected with reference to the 

 ancient races of North America, very little is known of those 

 of the southern continent, especially of the northern portion 

 of these. Mr. White says they were apparently quite distinct 

 from the Incas of Peru, the most northern limit of the latter 

 being at Pasto, which is three hundred miles to the south- 

 ward. They appear to have been quite distinct from the 

 ancient tribes of North America. The evidences are abundant 

 of a large population, and to some extent highly civilized, 

 there being statues and monuments with curious hieroglyphics 

 inscribed thereon. These, however, were doubtless the work 

 of a race antecedent to those the subject of this paper, whose 

 methods of burial and specimens of ceramic art are described 

 by Mr. White. 



The unsettled state of the country, the unstable govern- 

 ment of these South American republics, together with an 

 unhealthy climate, tend to preclude scientific exploration at 

 present, and what little information is from time to time 

 obtained is chiefly gained from men who search for the graves 

 of these ancient people in order to secure the gold ornaments 

 buried with them. 



Mr. White states that apparently there formerly existed 

 many tribes, speaking different languages, probably cannibals, 

 and indulging in constant tribal wars. He has not seen evidences 

 of the art of writing, and very little trace of religion, although 

 it is certain they believed in a future state. Their implements 

 were of stone ; there is no trace of iron ; copper was sparingly 

 used in ornament, silver also sparingly, but gold was common 

 both as ornaments and in a kind of armour. Their pottery 

 varied greatly from common, poorly made, with stamped pat- 

 terns, to finely-shaped and handsomely-painted specimens. 

 There are also evidences of cotton having been used in the 

 manufacture of cloth. From the different methods of dis- 

 posing of their dead, it is quite evident that there were 

 distinct races of men in successive periods inhabiting the 

 continent. 



The men who make it their business to search for these 

 ancient graves, for the sake of the gold ornaments buried 

 therein, usually distinguish them under three headings, viz.: 

 the "red Indian," the "hunting Indian," and the "purple 

 Indian." Each of these had their own peculiar pottery, arms, 

 and utensils, and the red and purple Indians differ also in the 

 colour of the bones. 



