208 



CIVIL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part II. 



INDIAN RELICS. 



HIEROGLYPHICS AND MAIL. 



POPULATION. 



The spear points are from four to eight 

 inclies long, and two or three inches wide. 



The chissels vary much in size and 

 form, but arc usually from G to 12 inches 

 in length. 



Variou.s other articles am found, of sev- 

 eral of which the use is not known. One 

 of these last is represented by the fio^ure 

 below : 



It is made of a kind of a s^>^y .stnne, and 

 is about 1(1 inches long. It was found in 

 Burlington, half a mile south of tjie vil- 

 lage, and was presented to the College of 

 Natural History of the University of Ver- 

 mont, by Mr. Lewis Olmsted. 



Indian Hieroglyphics. — The only things 

 of this kind, which have attracted any no- 

 tice, are upon a rock at tlie side of a cove 

 near the mouth of West river in Brattle- 

 borough, and are little more than rude 

 scratches representing birds and some 

 other animals. Whether these figures 

 are real hieroglyphics or were made by 



the rude natives merely for amusement, 

 while fishing, or watching for water fowl 

 at this place, is unknown. To give the 

 reader an idea of what these figures are, 

 we have procured a copy of one which 

 evidently represents a fish hawk bearing 

 off his prey, as will be seen by the cut 

 which precedes this paragraph. 



akirt of Mail. — This curious relic, which 

 is doubtless of European origin, was found 

 in Irasburgh, in the spring of 1827, by Mr. 

 Shubael Goodell. It was rolled together 

 and lying at the foot of a large birch tree 

 between two considerable roots, and when 

 discovered was much corroded by rust 

 upon the outside. It was found, upon un- 

 rolling it, to be made of iron, or steel rings 

 about one fourth of an inch in diameter, 

 locked togetlier in the manner in which 

 wire purses are sometimes mado,but much 

 thicker. The wire, of wiiich the rings 

 were made, was nearl}' as large as a com- 

 mon knitting pin, and in forming the rings 

 the ends of the wire instead of being bra- 

 zed in the usual way, were firmly riveted. 

 The form of the article was that of the 

 body of a shirt, reaching down a little be- 

 low the hips, with sleeves barely sufficient 

 to protect the shoulders, and a collar cov- 

 ering the whole neck. The collar was of 

 several thicknesses, made, in the manner 

 above described, of brass or gilt wire, and 

 there was a border of the same kind of 

 wire around the bottom of the garment. 

 The collar was open before, sufiiciently 

 for passing the head through, but, when 

 on, could be snugly closed and fastened 

 about the neck. It was evidently design- 

 ed to protect the body of the wearer against 

 arrows, spears and other weapons, but 

 when, or by whom, it was left in the place 

 where it was found, we have no means of 

 determining ; its corroded condition, how- 

 ever, showed that it had lain there for a 

 great number of years. It was purchased 

 soon after it was found, by Lieut. Wilson 

 of the U. S. artillery, for the purpose of 

 being deposited in the museum of the 

 National Institute at Washington. 



Section II, 



Population. 



There was no complete census of Ver- 

 mont till after her admission into the 

 Union in 1791.* Since that time there 

 have been six complete enumerations 

 under the direction of Congress, the re- 

 sults of which we have, for the con- 

 venience of comparison, collected in the 

 following table. 



* See part second, pages 16 and 19. 



