or THe WESTERN COUNTRY. 219 
“der water, the great fpirit raifed this wall above water, 
to fet the Chacktaws on to dry, after they were made. 
The fame perfons and others affured me that on the low 
grounds of the Mifliflippi, which are fubje& to overflow, 
ata place cailed Bio-Piere, is a very large mount encom- 
paffed by a number of {maller ones, in a perfect circle, at 
equal diftances from each other, and at about two hun-~ 
dred yards from the centre, or Grand-Mount. Thefe cir- 
cumftances I have the more reafon to believe, as every 
information aflures me that country is covered with vefti- 
ges of ancient fettlements: as far fouth as the head wa- 
ters of the Yazoo and Mobile, my own obfervations con- 
firm it. | 
- Who thofe inhabitants were, who have left fuch traces; 
from whence.they came, and where they are now; are 
queries to which we never, perhaps, can findany other 
than conjeCtural anfwers. I can only give my opinion 
negatively, that they were not conftructed by Ferdinando 
de Soto. He was not on the continent a fufficient time 
to conftrué eventhe works at Mufkingum, and from eve- 
ry circumftance it appears that he was no farther north 
than Chattafallai, a Chickafaw-village, on the Tombig- 
bee-branch of the Mobile. 2dly. Thefe works were not 
conftructed by any European, Afian or African nation fince 
the difcovery of America by Chriftopher Columbus: the 
ftateof the works, the trees growing on them, &c. point 
toamuch earlier date. 3dly. They were not conftru&ed by 
the prefent Indians or their predeceffors; or fome traditi- 
ons would have remained as to their ufes, and they would 
have retained fome knowledge in conftructing fimilar 
works. 4gthly. They were not conftru€ted by people who 
procured the neceflaries of life by hunting: a number 
fufficient to carry on fuch works never could have fubfift- 
ed inthat way. sthly. I thay venture to add, the people 
VOL, Ul. Es who 
