102 ANTIQUITIES IN TENNESSEE. 



very beautifully carved and ornamented, much superior to any known woric of the 

 Indians." 



Upon careful inquiry amongst the citizens of Manchester, I could gather nothing 

 whatever concerning these relics, neither could I learn that any others had ever 

 been found within the inclosure. 



A large oblong mound (composed of slabs and bowlders, similar to those 

 employed in the construction of the Stone Fort), situated directly in front of tlie 

 main entrance to the fort, and about three-quarters of a mile distant, is GOO feet 

 in circumference, and 30 feet in height. 



I caused a shaft ten feet square to be sunk into the summit of this mound. 

 This excavation revealed the fact that, whilst the exterior and sides of the mound 

 were formed of loose rocks, the central portion is composed of earth. 



At the depth of four feet, a wooden coffin in a decayed state was reached. The 

 boards had been neatly planed, united by tongue and groove, and fastened with 

 wrought iron nails. The bones of the skeleton were soft and much decayed. The 

 cranium was symmetrical in its outline, and not at all flattened at the occiput. 

 The forehead was broad, and the bones of the face of moderate size and not pro- 

 minent. Nasal bones prominent. Lower jaw of small size, and more delicate in 

 its structure than is usual in the crania of the aboriginal stone-grave race. I was 

 convinced that the coffin and skeleton were of modern date, and that the cranium 

 belonged to the white race. 



Upon inquiry, I was informed by the proprietor, who resided at the foot of the 

 mound, that some twenty years ago a stranger was taken ill in his dwelling near 

 the foot of the mound, and left as his dying request, that he should be buried in 

 its summit. 



The wooden coffin and human remains were therefore of recent origin. I was 

 surprised to find the bones so much more decayed than those of many of the abori- 

 gines in the stone graves. I could account for this difference only in one of two ways. 

 Either the bones of the aboriginal race were more dense than those of this stranger, 

 or else the aborigines carefully removed the flesh and oiled the bones before 

 depositing them in their last resting-place, surrounded them with skins and matting, 

 and protected them with the rude stone coffins. The shaft was carried several 

 feet below the position of the coffin, without discovering anything of interest. I 

 had neither the means nor the time to make a complete section and exploration of 

 this mound. 



Upon careful examination, I found the other mound, wliich had been described 

 by former observers as lying about half a mile distant, on the northwest of the 

 fort, not to be, as has been stated, similar to the one just described, and composed 

 of loose rocks, but simply a natural, round rocky hill. 



The cave in the river bank below formerly contained human bones, and it has 

 been worked for saltpetre at different times. The pile of rubbish which had been 

 removed from the cave by the nitre manufacturers, was also composed in large 

 measure of the fragments of human bones. 



Earthen vessels, pipes, and stone implements are said to have been discovered 

 in the cave by the first explorers. 



