THOMAS.] beckwith's fort. 187 



feet; width, lOo feet; height, about 25 feet. Near each eud, on the flat 

 top, is a saucer-shaped depression 3 to 4 feet deep, leachiug to a heavy 

 deposit (in eacli) of charcoal, ashes, bones, etc., resting upon a hvyer of 

 earth 3 or 4 inches thick, burned as hard as brick. Permission 

 could not be obtained to make further excavations in this mound. 



Mound No. ."> is circular, 75 feet in diameter and S feet high, having 

 a saucer-shaped depression on the top, and below this a Hre-bed, char- 

 coal, ashes, etc., as usual. 



No. 4 is almost circular at the base, but square on the top, which is 

 flat, each side measuring .'>0 feet. It is 15 feet high, the sides very 

 steep and each bearing with the cardinal points. It was doubtless 

 originally a regularly truncated pyramidal mound, the washings hav- 

 ing rounded the base. 



No. 5 is an oval mound with sloping sides, 10 feet high and 90 feet 

 across the top, which is flat. It was composed, in part at least, of 

 black swamp mud and blue clay and had in it several tire-l)eds, beds 

 of clay burned brick red, stone chips, Unio shells, and fragments of 

 pottery. 



No. (i is 75 by 100 feet a^ base, 8 feet high, aud now surmounted by 

 the log house of the colored nmn who cultivates this portion of the 

 extensive Beckwith iilantation. 



Between 5 and G is a long k)w mound not marked on the diagram, 

 the surface of which was strewn with fragments. of human boues, pot- 

 tery, and stone chips. 



Excavation a is somewhat pear-shaped, the large end being near the 

 northeast corner and the curved side running along the northern wall 

 for fully 1,000 feet. The width at the widest part is 320 feet and the 

 greatest depth 10 feet, but the depth decreases with the width toward 

 the scnithwest point. The most of it is now a bushy swamp, though the 

 larger end is an oj)en pond never dry. 



Excavation It is small, the length along the convex side not exceed- 

 ing 200 feet, narrow aud crescent shaped. It lies just beyond the eastern 

 end of the large excavation, one of its horns touching the latter. 



Excavation c is in the southwestern part of the area, and now a rect- 

 angular swamp, 300 feet long by 100 wide, S feet deej) at the greatest 

 depth, and seldom dry. 



iiorsK .siTKs OK nc'i I!in<;s. 



These almost literally cover the remainder of the area, the only open 

 space of any considerable size being the 200 feet square just east of the 

 large mound (No. 2, Fig. 08). They are not confined to the natural 

 level of the iuclosure, as some are found on the level tops of the mounds. 

 They are circular in form, varying from 30 to 50 feet in diameter, 

 measuring to the tops of their rims, whicliarc raised slightly above the 

 natural level. The depth of the depression at the center is from 2 to 

 3 feet. Near the center, somewhat covered with earth, are usually found 



