HARRISON'S DISCOURSE. 109 



Historical Society of Ohio* 1 a dissertation not only creditable to bis literary taste 

 and general scholarship, but containing a large amount of valuable information 

 upon points of Indian bistory, and the result of bis observations and reflections 

 respecting tbe ancient remains of that region. He had been familiar with the 

 latter many years, having accompanied General Wayne in an excursion to examine 

 those at Cincinnati in 1793, and had studied them both as a militar}^ man and as 

 an antiquary. Referring to the fact that the country immediately bordering on 

 the Ohio, when first made known to the whites, appeared not only to have been 

 deserted by its more ancient inhabitants, but to be left by recent races of Indians, 

 as a common hunting-ground or battle-field, without permanent occupancy, he 

 seeks an answer to the question why so beautiful and fertile a portion of country 

 had been thus abandoned. 



To aid in forming a satisfactory conclusion, we possess, he says, but a single 

 recorded fact, viz : that the pictorial records of Mexico ascribe the origin of that 

 nation to the Aztecs, who are said to have arrived in Mexico about the middle of 

 the seventh century. He quotes Bishop Madison as declaring his conviction, after 

 much investigation, that tbe Aztecs are the people who once inhabited the valley 

 of the Ohio; and, on the ground that probabilities are in favor of that opinion, he 

 adopts it, and endeavors to explain the cause and manner of their departure. He 

 assumes, from the appearance of the remains, that they were a numerous people, 

 and congregated in considerable cities ; that they were essentially agricultural in 

 their habits, and possessed a national religion, marked by imposing and cruel cere- 

 monies; and that they were driven from their seats by the assaults of a ruder and 

 hardier race on both their northern and southern frontiers. These conclusions were 

 founded on an observation of the differing character of their works at different 

 places. The great inclosures at Circleville and Newark, he was persuaded were 

 not of a military nature; while those on the Ohio River were evidently designed 

 for that purpose, and both could never have been created for the. same use by the 

 same people. The contest he regards as having been long and bloody, and the 

 retreat, which was gradual, and delayed at positions favorable for defence, he con- 

 siders to have been along the descent of the Ohio. In a note to his Discourse, 

 General Harrison remarks upon some objections that may be suggested to the 

 theory of the identity of this people with the Aztecs. 



"The circumstance which militates most against the supposition of the identity 

 of the Aztecs with the authors of the extensive ancient works in Ohio, is the 

 admitted fact that the latter entered the valley of Anahuac from the northwest, 

 that is, from California, which is much out of the direct route from Ohio to Mexico. 

 A strong argument in favor of it is the similarity of the remains which are found 

 in that region (California), as well as in Mexico itself, with those in the valley of 

 the Ohio. I am not informed whether there are any such in the intermediate 

 country between tbe lower Mississippi and California. If there are none, it will 

 rather confirm and strengthen my opinion that the fugitives from the Ohio were, 



1 A Discourse on the Aborigines of the Valley of the Ohio. By William Henry Harrison. Cin- 

 cinnati, 1838. 



