86 PKOCEEDIJfGS OF THE REGENTS. 



not excessive. The exhibition of objects of silver or gold or of regal lux- 

 uries is also, in fact, of less importance than illustrating the condition of 

 the people itself. 

 4. In order, however, that the objects of interest to a museum may be applied 

 according to their purpose — illustrating the nature of a country or the mode 

 of living of the people — it will be necessary that every article forwarded 

 be accompanied by an accurate account of where it was procured ; by what 

 nation used or made ; in what way used, and for what purpose intended. 

 In order to give this request due publicity, it is desirable not only to assist in 

 distributing these lines to those who may be supposed willing to advance the 

 interests of the Institution, but also, perhaps even more so, to make the subject 

 known by personally applying to such acquaintances as are able to procure 

 articles of interest. 



I remain, sir, yours, very respectfully, 



LOUIS KR. DAA. 



In answer to this circular, the directors of the Museum of Christiania have 

 been informed that the Smithsonian Institution will co-operate with them by 

 contributing ethnological specimens from its own collections, and by forwarding 

 articles of a similar character which may be presented by others. 



Newark, Ohio, Decemhcr 8, 1862. 



Dear Sir: In the last report of the Regents I notice the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution proposes to prepare a map of that portion of the United States in which 

 aboriginal antiquities are found. Feeling it to be the duty of every one to 

 contribute to the general fund of knowledge, I take this opportunity of calling 

 attention to two classes of archosological remains, which I have studied cursorily, 

 and have not seen described in any work on the subject. 



1. Remains of ancient cities and villages in Dilissouri. I have seen many of 

 these. Whether large or small, they are similar in character. The remains 

 consist of a series of tumuli, from one to two feet in height, and varying from 

 sixteen to twenty-four feet sqiiare. These tumuli are in straight lines or rows, 

 some numbering lumdreds, and others, as of villages, tens; the rows cross each 

 other at right angles, and the little mounds vary from four to eight rods apart. 

 On digging into these momids broken pieces of pottery are found, such as ate 

 common to all the antiquities of the country. In one instance an entire vessel 

 was turned up. About the centre of each tumulus charcoal and ashes are found. 

 1 have examined several, and the j)Ottery, charcoal and ashes are constants ia 

 all I have opened. Fredericktown, in Madison county, Missouri, seems to have 

 been the site of a considerable city, extending from a branch of the Castor creek, 

 v/hich flov/s east of the village to near the east fork of the St. Francis, on the 

 west, being perhaps a mile and a half long and a mile wide from north to south. 



2. A different class of tumuli are common in southern Tennessee. The first 

 I observed at the site of old Fort Pickering, two miles below Memphis. It is a 

 parallelogram, some 15 to 20 feet high, 120 feet long by some 60 Avide, and 

 surrounded by a great many smaller works, just traceable, of various fancies 

 and designs. I examined this in the winter of 1847-'48. Last spring I visited 

 the site of the battle of Shiloh. This system of antiquities was very abundant 

 there, but not so large as the one near Memphis. In a walk of half a mile I 

 counted eleven of these parallelograms, generally 60 feet long and 25 wide on 

 the top. Several of them were appropriated to the burial of our dead, killed 

 in the battle of Shiloh. The smaller works are innumerable, and are generally 

 circles. I found them all on the west bank of the Tennessee river, and the 



