THOMAS. 1 INSCRIBED TABLETJs. 635 



It thus ai)poai's that this iugeuious littUi stoue is even more accommodating than 

 the Dighton rock in aihipting itself to all couceivalile theories of aute-Cohmibiaii 

 colonization, anil, in fact, constitutes an epitome of the prehistoric literatnre of the 

 new world. Had Sir Henry Rawlinsou dug up such a medley of languages at one of 

 the corners of tlic tower of Babel it might ha\'e less surprised us. This curious 

 analysis, so contrary to all previous philological experience, does not seem to have 

 staggered the faith of the clncidatnr. 



Nor does tlie same fact appear to liaAO staggered Dr. Seyflarth, 

 undoubtedly an excellent linguist, who made an analysis of the char- 

 acters, or the Eev. J. Campbell, who presented a translation of the 

 Davenjtort tablets. 



Taking them up one by one, let us examine them somewhat critically. 

 In doing so, the excellent albertyi)es prepared by Bierstadt and pub- 

 lished in volume 2 of the Proceedings, which are all that could be de- 

 sired in this resi)ect, will be taken as the basis. 



We will consider first the limestone tablet found iu mound No. 11. 



It will be seen that this plate has carved npon it, too plainly to be 

 misunderstood, tigiires of two '^Monitor" pipes. This is admitted by 

 Mr. Harrison in his description,' as he says: "At each of the upper 

 corners is cut a complete figure of a bird pipe, such as are found 

 carved of stone in these mounds, and nearly of full size." In addition 

 to this there is cut, immediately over the Isead of the personage re])re- 

 seuted, a figure in the usual form of the copper "axes'' found iu the 

 mounds, or of the ordinary axes of the present day. Tliere is, there- 

 fore, no escape from the conclusion either that this is a genuine relic of 

 the mound-building age, or that it was made siuce the explorations of 

 recent times have brought these axes and pipes to light. 



The representation of the sun with a fare and rays is an anouialy in 

 motiud-builders' art. The circle with denticuli, probably intended to 

 represent the sun, is found occasionally, carved on shells, and stone 

 disks somewhat of the same form have been found. Shell and even 

 stoue masks with the human face outlined are not uncommon, but it is 

 believed that nothing like the figure ou this stoue is to be found else- 

 where on mound relics of this country. Nevertheless, as it is somewhat 

 common among barbarous and civilized people, and is occasionally found 

 among the rock etchings of the Indians,^ it would not excite siu'prise at 

 beuig represented here, were it not for the connection iu which it is 

 found. But it is impossible to avoi<l surprise at finding to the left of 

 the "ax" a regularly formed Arabic 8, made as is customary with 

 writers of the present day, and near the upper right-hand corner the 

 Eoman numeral VIII or VI and II, the middle space being slightly 

 wider than between the other strokes. Tiiese, be it remembered, are 

 not museum marks, but parts of the original inscription on the stone 

 when found. 



Oomjjariug the Arabic 8 on this stone with that on the cremation scene 



['roe. I):i\t'nport A<-;ul. Si-i., vol. n. p. 22;i. ^ First Ann. Rept. Bureau Etlin.. p. 371. 



