16 D Reviews, 



found, the body having been placed in a sitting posture, with the 

 face towards the east, that is towards the rising sun, regarded as 

 the " King of the Heavens." The bones are generally found in 

 such a decayed state that they will not admit of being handled. 

 The earth, which has more or less fallen in and mingled with the 

 remains, is gathered and brought under the washing process, and 

 the trinkets thus obtained are partly of gold, with its natural alloy 

 (silver), and partly gold with copper. On one side of the remains 

 a large earthenware vessel is found, covered with a piece of slate, 

 and in some instances a sediment has been found deposited from 

 the drink, the Indian " chicha," left with the deceased. On tbe 

 opposite side, perfectly decayed, ears of Indian corn have been 

 found. In a niche c t out of the end of a tomb, a vase of earth- 

 enware is sometimes found, covered with a stone, and filled with 

 pounded charcoal, in which the remaining trinkets and gold-dust, 

 left with the occupant of the grave, had been deposited. Imple- 

 ments for smelting gold, and some tools made of gold and copper, 

 are sometimes, though but rarely, found in the pot occupying the 

 niche. The Spaniards, who during three centuries have gather- 

 ed gold from the fluvial deposits, have found many of these bursal 

 places very remunerative. 



Some localities show that systematically arranged cemeteries 

 have formerly existed where two excavations in the centre, of 

 greater depth than the surrounding ones, were found. The deep 

 graves appear to have been appropriated to the chiefs and their 

 families, and the numerous others to the inferior classes. These 

 burying places are termed " Pueblo de Indios," but these larger 

 cemeteries are now seldom found. Traditional accounts of certain lo- 

 calities are still preserved and eagerly sought after, where great 

 treasures are said to have been buried. In like manner reports 

 are often heard of rich fluvial deposits of a more recent date^ 

 where the proprietor is said to have had a measure corresponding 

 to about twenty to twenty-five pounds weight, on collecting his 

 weekly produce. This may be regarded as probable, if we con- 

 sider that as many as from two to three hundred African slaves 

 were often employed in mining pursuits by one proprietor. 



The foregoing narrative supplies a proof that the aboriginal in- 

 habitants of South America had some indefinite notion of a future 

 state ; they appear to have believed " that their deceased relative 

 or friend had a long way before him," and that he would require 

 some refreshment in his long journey to "reach the stars." This 

 idea still extensively prevails." 



