404 ETHNOLOGY. 



The pueblo occupies a point of land projecting into the valley, and 

 elevated twenty-five or thirty feet above the bottom. The position 

 seems to ha%e been chosen more for its defensive advantages than for 

 convenience. There is a fine spring about one hundred yards to the 

 west, the water disapiiearing almost immediately after its exit. 



Extensive silver mines have recently been discovered in the imme- 

 diate vicinity, and a town has been laid out near the spring. The mi- 

 ners propose to use the stone from the pueblo for building purposes, 

 but promise to preserve any utensils, or anything of interest they may 

 find, for the Smithsonian. Some of the ore found in these mines is 

 very rich. I think an average ton of the rock will yield over $100. 

 Evidences of ancient working of these mines exist in shafts entirely 

 filled up with earth. One of these, on a lode containing a large pro- 

 portion of copper, has been dug out to the depth of eighteen feet. 



Although in close proximity to several cedar-trees, no very large roots 

 penetrate it, and from this circumstance, as well as the extremely hard 

 quality of the wall-rock, I do not believe that the time of working the 

 shaft antedates the occupation of the country by the Spaniards. The 

 ore is very refractory, and can be worked here only by amalgamation. 



A gentleman who has just returned from a trading expedition to the 

 Little Colorado informs me that he discovered, near that stream, a re- 

 markable fortification, or series of six forts, built of solid masonry, uni- 

 ted with cement, each provided with bastion, ditch, etc., and containing 

 in the center a reservoir for water. They occupy the extremity of high 

 necks of land jutting into the valley, and extend for a mile and a half 

 along its course. In the bottom he found the ruins of towns built of 

 iulobes, and traces of large irrigating ditches. 



The gentleman brought back with him one very slightly mutilated 

 *'oifa," or jar, of curious workmanship, which he i)romised to give me 

 for transmission to the Smithsonian. 



ANTIQUITIES IN LENOIR COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. 



• By J. Masok Sp.vinuouk. 



In a conversation with Mr. Michaux, of Burke County, North Carolina, 

 on Indian curiosities, he informed me that there was an Indian mound 

 on his farm, which was formerly of considerable height, but had gradu- 

 ally been plowed down ; that several mounds in the neighborhood had 

 been excavated, and nothing of interest found in them. I asked per- 

 mission to examine this mound, which was granted, and upon investi- 

 gation the following interesting tacts were revealed. Upon reaching 

 the place I sharpened a stick four or five feet in length, and ran it down 

 in the earth at several places, and finally struck a stone about eighteen 

 inches below the surface, which, upon digging down, was found to be 

 about eighteen inches long and sixteen inches* wide, and from two to 



