178 Mr. Kendal’s account of the Dighton rock. 
It may be said, that at least the level of the soil immediately surrounding 
the rock, has not materially altered ; and that inquiry concerning other 
rocks may show, that the preference was deliberately given to such, as 
were actually liable to be overflowed. It is certain, that such rocks 
were secured from the danger of being covered by the branches, and 
split by the roots of trees; and, on the whole, among a savage 
people, they might be the most certain of being seen, and of remaining 
always visible. A river was the only highway ; and a rock, placed 
out of the reach of the tide, would have been speedily overgrown. 
That the writing-rock was never surrounded by a soil materially 
higher than that, which we now see, 1s clear from indubitable evidence. 
The inscription reaches to within a short distance of the present level. 
Mr. Winthrop in his account, co’ icated to the academy, makes that 
distance only eight inches ; and though, from recollection, I should 
scarcely have made it so little, and though I have béen able to trace 
nothing with distinctness at a greater height, yet Iagree, that there are 
marks of the tool, at a level very little above the present surfice of the 
soil. The rock obviously stands as it originally stood ; the soil there- 
fore cannot have been washed from beneat it ; and the rock must al- 
ways have possessed its present level. But the level of the soil in the 
neighbourhood of the rock is the same with that of the bank of Asonet 
neck, above and below. That level rises nearly to the bottom of the 
inscription, and therefore it rises as high, or very nearly as high, as it did 
at the period of inscribing ; for though we may believe that the In- 
dians were content to work below high water mark, it is not credible 
that they worked below the level of the sands. The inscription there- 
fore, so far from disposing us to believe, that where we now S& 
water, there was formerly dry ground, ought perhaps itself to demon 
strate to us, that no alteration has taken place ; and this in corrobora~ 
tion I can add, that, though. vague assertions are made on the spot 
