144 Collections from American Literature. 



young townsmen have lately erected a 

 temporary wooden playhouse, in which 

 they have themselves performed. But, 

 as the teudeiiey of their institution to en- 

 courage strolkrs and engross tinsc, has 

 'been deyjrecated by the more religious 

 portion of our citizens ; and as the mem- 

 bers have failed to realize their anticipa- 

 tions, witii regard to the accumulation 

 cf a fund for the relief of indigence, they 

 TR ill be likely soon to relinquish the pui'- 

 suit, and leave the stage and its trap- 

 pings to some future votaries of Thes- 

 pis. During the winter select parties 

 arc frequently assembled; at which 

 the current amusements are social con- 

 verse, singing, and recitation — the lat- 

 t..r of which has been lately predomi- 

 nant. Juvenile plays and diversions are 

 sometimes resorted to ; whicii are gene- 

 rally such as firomote a rational exer- 

 cise of the mental faoilties. Sleigh 

 Tiding and skating are rarely enjoyed, on 

 account of the lightness and inrtability 

 of the snow and iee. Sailing for plea- 

 sure on the Ohio is but seldom prac- 

 tised; and riding out of town for recrea- 

 tion, on liorseback or in carriages, is ra- 

 ther uncommon, for want of beiter roads. 

 Evening walks arc more habitual, in 

 which the river bank and adjacent hills 

 ■ — the Coluniliian garden and liie mound 

 at the west end, are the principal re- 

 sorts. 



Articles taken frmn an Ancient Mound 

 in Cincimutti. 



1. Pieces of japper, rock crystal, gra- 

 nite, and some other stones — cylin- 

 drical at the extTcmities, swelled in the 

 middle, with an ammlar groove near one 

 end. 



2. A circular piece of cannel coal, 

 with a large opening in the centre, as if 

 for an asis, and a deep groove in the 

 circumference, suitable for a band. It 

 lias a nnmbcr of small perforations, dis- 

 posed in four eq'.'i-distant lines, which 

 run fit)ui the circumference towards tlie 

 centie. 



3. A smaller article of the same 

 shape, with eight liises of perforations, 

 but composed of aigillaceous earth well 

 polislicd. 



4. A bone ornamented with several 

 carved lines, supposed to be hierogly- 

 phical. 



5. A sculptural representation of the 

 bead and beak cf a rapacious bird, per- 

 haps an eagle. 



6. A mass of lead ore (galena), lumps 

 of wliinh have been fouud in some other 

 tuajuU. 



[Sept. 1, 



7. A quantity of isinglass ('»i2cawic7W- 

 branacea), plates of which have been 

 discovered in and about other mounds. 



8. A small ovate piece of sheet cop- 

 per, with two perforations. 



i). A large oblong piece of the same 

 metal, with longitudinal grooves and 

 ridges. 



These articles were supposed, by Pro- 

 fessor Barton, to have been designed in 

 part for ornanieiit, and in part for super- 

 stitious ceremonies. In addition to 

 these, I have since discovered in the 

 same mound — 



10. A number of heads, or sections of 

 small hollow cylinders, apparently of 

 bone or shell. 



1 1 . The teeth of a carnivorous animal, 

 probably those of the bear. 



12. Several large marine .shells, be- 

 longing, perhaps, to the genus bncciytvm, 

 cut in such a manner as to serve for do- 

 mestic utensils, and nearly converted 

 into the state of clialk. 



14. Several copper articles, each con- 

 .sistiug of two sets of circular concavo 

 convex plates ; the interior one of each 

 set connected with the other by a hollow 

 axis, around which had been would a 

 quantity of lint ; the whole encompassed 

 with the bones of a man's hand. Seve- 

 ral other articles, resembling this, have 

 been dug up in oUier parts of the town : 

 they all appear to eon.sist of pure cop- 

 per, cohered with the green carbonate of 

 that melal. After removing this incrus* 

 (ation of nist from two pieces, their spe- 

 cific gravity was found to be 7,645 and 

 7,857. Their hardness is about that of 

 the sheet copper of commerce. 7"hey 

 arc not engraven or embellihhed with 

 cliaractcrs of any kind. 



1.5. Human bones. These were of 

 difi'erent sizes ; sometimes enclosed in 

 rude coffins of stone, but often lying 

 blended with the earth — generally sur- 

 rounded by a portion of ashes and char- 

 coal. Tl>c quantity of these bones, al- 

 though much greater than that taken 

 from the other mounds of the town, was 

 small in proportion to what was expect- 

 ed — the whole tumulus not having con- 

 tained, perhaps, more than twenty or 

 thhty skeletons. 



*;.;* From recently received Nnmlers 

 of the PoRT-FoLio mid Portico, kb 

 s/iall insert other interesting Paptrs, icith 

 all the dispatch consistent icith our nthet 

 arrangements, 



ORIGINAI. 



