107 



brought to light. Finally the small earth mound was 

 opened, and the clay, burnt to some depth, showed that 

 a fire had been kept there for a long time. Pieces of the 

 old-fashioned square brick, fragments of green window 

 glass and lead sash, such as were imported by the first 

 settlers, were also found, showing that part, at least, of 

 the mound had been caused by some of the early settlers, 

 though there is no tradition of the land in question ever 

 having been settled upon or cleared for cultivation. 



Thus, after a most careful consideration, the singular 

 arrangement of the stones remains a mystery. That any 

 white person should take the trouble to arrange the 

 stones, as found, seems improbable, while the absence of 

 signs of burial under them, would indicate that if made 

 by the Indians, they were for the purpose of simply 

 marking the spot for some particular reason. Stone piles 

 of various shapes have been found in different parts of 

 the country, evidently the work of the Indians, and it 

 may be that these at Newburyport, which was a well 

 known resort of the Indians, were also their work, though 

 nothing definite could be obtained as to their origin. 

 Photographs of these heaps were exhibited. 



Mr. ALFRED OSGOOD of Newburyport, said that the 

 early white settlers sometimes used stones to mark their 

 fishing grounds, and suggested that these heaps might be 

 for that purpose. 



Mr. PUTNAM wished publicly to thank Mr. Johnson for 

 his thoughtfulness in calling attention to these curious 

 piles of stones, as often very valuable relics are found by 

 a little care and research, from indications far less prom- 

 ising in appearance than those in question, though often, 

 as in the present case, an examination may prove them 

 to be unimportant. 



