66 Ancient American Utensil. 
donation of this interesting relic of antiquity, Tam indebted to the 
kindness of Mr. Isaac Rawlings, of Memphis, in Tennessee. He 
informs me that it was found near his residence, some eight or tea 
years ago, after one of those extensive falls of the river bank, which 
are known to be frequent along the line of the Mississippi. It had 
been buried several feet beneath the surface, and was brought to 
light by the avalanche. The materials of this piece of Indian pot~ - 
tery are blue clay and white particles of a soft, friable substance, 
resembling calcined and pulverized shells. The exterior has neither 
glazing nor coating of any kind, but only such a degree of smooth- 
ness as would be likely to result from long use and much handling. 
Tt does not appear to have been formed upon a potter’s wheel, nor 
indeed to have received the effects of any machinery in its manu- 
facture, but the hand which moulded it, must have been not a little 
ed in the production of such articles, as the figure will sufficient- 
ly indicate. ‘Time appears to have produced bat little effect upon 
the materials. The figure will show two slight fractures of the tim, 
and the scaling off of the whole exterior part of the base, except on 
one side. ode 
At four points, on the upper 
portion of the body, and equi- 
distant respectively from each 
other, are four flattened spots, 
each about 1.5 inch in diame- 
ter, and, with one exception, 
marked by a darker color than 
the rest of the vessel. ‘T'wo 
of these spots are seen in the 
figure. ‘The depressions were 
obviously made in the moist 
state, and, together with the 
color, may have resulted from 
the arrangement used in burn- 
ing. or baking the ware; by 
which means these four points were more pressed than others, while. 
soft, and less exposed to the fire, when hot, than other parts of the 
vessel. Hence the carbonaceous or other coloring matter, may not 
have been so completely €xpelled from these parts of the surface. _ 
Articles of this description ‘must, ata very remote period, have 
been common in that part of the country whence this was taken. 
BBS 
