ANCIENT CHAMBEKED TUMULI. 37 



the same structures are to be found in most parts of the 

 worlcl." Tbis being tbe testimony of a very careful inves- 

 tigator, we sball go on to see to wbat class of tumuli, and 

 to wbat people, tbe curious sepulchre at Wellow may be 

 referred. 



It would be needless for me hei*e to go into a Classifica- 

 tion of sepulchral remains, which has already been done so 

 ably by Mr. Luids in bis paper in tbe Archceologia, Vol. 

 xxxv., p. 232. To tbat I would refer the curious enquirer 

 into these and such like monuments. He there states 

 tbat " Cromlechs, cists, cycloliths, peristaliths, etc., exist 

 in Asia, Africa, North America, and indicate that the 

 cromlech-building people were branches of one original 

 stock ; that they took with tliem the same ideas in their 

 migrations, and preserved the same cnstoms, as those whom 

 we designate the Celta? ; and we find, further, that their 

 modes of interment were in every respect identical." And 

 here I would refer to a work of peculiar interest, entitled 

 " The Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley," by 

 E. G. Squire and E. H. Davis — a work of great research 

 and very carefully executed, with plans and drawings. It 

 is there asserted that earth-Avorks are found along the whole 

 basin of the Mississippi and its tributaries ; also in the fer- 

 tile plains along the Gulf of Mexico. Abundance of 

 small mounds are found in the Oregon territory. These 

 remains are not dispersed equally over the areas of the 

 countries mentioned, but are mainly confined to the Valleys 

 of rivers and large streams, and seldom occur far from 

 them. 



If so much interest attackes to these remains, how ne- 

 cessary it is to preserve and carefully to record whatever 

 monuments still exist in tbis Island of the ancient people 



