336 DAVKNPORT ACADKMY OK NATURAI, SCIKNCRS. 



ancestors of the various tribes of aborigines who were found inhabiting 

 this continent by Cokimbus. Whether or not the Bureau is justified, 

 by the possession of undeniable and sufficient evidence, in taking this 

 decided stand, is left to the reader's judgment. In our o|)inion, based 

 on careful perusal of the evidence cited by the capable members of the 

 Bureau, they are not. The question of the Mound-builders' identity is 

 yet an open one, and may remain so for some time to come; and 

 although every archaeologist has a theory based on certain indications, 

 no matter how learned, no one has proven his theory in a manner sat- 

 isfactory to all. The theories of to-day are all liable to be overthrown 

 by the discoveries of to-morrow, as history shows. The Davenport 

 Academy of Sciences has recently brought to light some very interesting 

 and remarkable relics in the shape of two elephant pipes and three in- 

 scribed tablets. The discovery of these was made at various times by 

 gentlemen who donated the relics to this Academy. Two of the in- 

 scribed tablets were found near the city of Davenport, Iowa, on Janu- 

 ary loth, 1877, by Rev. J. Gass. An exact and careful statement of 

 the facts connected with the discovery may be found in 'Proceedings 

 Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences,' Vol. II., p. 96. The state- 

 ments made by the discoverer were fully verified by members of the 

 Academy, who personally examined the surroundings, etc. The testi- 

 mony of the genuineness of the pipe is clear and convincing Of the 

 elephant pipes, one was discovered in March, 1880, in a mound on the 

 farm of Mr. P. Hass, in Louisa County, Iowa, by Rev. .A. Blumer, and 

 was by him announced to the Academy. The other was obtained 

 from a farmer in Louisa County, Iowa. From what we are able to 

 learn of the relics, there are no suspicious circumstances connected 

 with the finding of them. And this is not the only authentic discovery 

 of elej^hant pipes; other discoveries have been, made, showing that the 

 Mound-builders were contemporary with the mastodon : for example, 

 the much-written-about 'elephant mound' in Wisconsin. But the Bu- 

 reau had all along saw fit to discredit the authenticity of these relics; 

 therefore (and here we come to the point), when the last discovery was 

 made, the Bureau considered it necessary to at once attack their au- 

 thenticity. For this purpose a gentleman named H. W. Henshaw was 

 introduced to arch;«ologists, by Major Powell, as 'skilled as a natu- 

 ralist, but especially as an ornithologist,' and strongly endorsed by 

 Major Powell as being capable of subjecting the methods and discov- 

 eries of the Davenport Academy of Sciences to 'destructive criticism.' 

 We do not see this destructive criticism. Mr. Henshaw does not seem 

 to have taken very great pains to inform himself of the facts in the 

 case, but confines himself to such arguments as that 'the explorer was 

 alone when he made the discovery.' This is no argument at all, and, 

 more than that, the facts clearly show that no less than six highly re- 

 si)ected persons were engaged in these explorations, and no less than 

 three were present at each discovery. If every relic discovered by 

 persons who were alone when they made the discovery should be 

 thrown out as unauthentic, many of the most remarkable relics in our 

 museums would have to be thrown out. We give a characteristic pass- 



