THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. I09 



across, Donnelly's book, 'Atlantic,' was considered to indi- 

 cate the only possible solution of the Ancient Mexican civil- 

 ization question. A conceited young New York Professor, 

 who had never put his nose beyond Boston and Washington, 

 and had probably never looked twice at a bit of Aztic pottery, 

 pooh-poohed Donnelly and his theory of a buried continent 

 called Atlantis, which, with its related islands, was, he con 

 ceived, formerly the great highway between Africa and Am- 

 erica. Of such a continent the Azores and Canaries are 

 supposed to be still extant peaks. This theory is neither 

 dead nor buried yet. I trust more to the impressions of 

 those who have examined Mexican antiquities, let alone my 

 own eyes, than to slapdash statements of sucking Professors. 

 Those who have been to Mexico are mostly unanimous in 

 the conviction that the mysterious people who built these 

 strange cities (the number of which is unknown), were colon- 

 ists from Africa, and brought with them something akin to 

 Egyptian Art and Civilization. Not only is there the same 

 delight in massiveness, the same science in raising huge 

 blocks of stone, the same solidity and magnificence in what 

 are presumed to be the burial places of the Kings ; but such 

 undecipherable written characters as have been found as yet 

 bear a strong resemblance to Egyptian hieroglyphics. Per- 

 haps thev represent a still older form of the most ancient 

 symbols known to us. But there is one feature about the 

 Aztec relics which appeals with dumb but persuasive elo- 

 " cjuence to the most casual observer, and seems to proclaim 

 " aloud the African and even Egyptian origin of the deserted 

 " cities. Jug after jug comes up, decorated with the same fa- 

 " miliar face, the straight, strong nose, the square, wide brow, 

 ■'the almond-shaped eyes, the hair dressed flat and low down 

 " on either side of the high cheek-bone. It is the face of 'The 

 '' Sphinx.' Any notion of Mongolian or Asiatic origin seems 

 " knocked on the head. I cannot find a trace, as far as I can 

 '■ gather such traces, either in the buildings, written characters 

 " or art work decorations of the deserted cities of Mongol or 

 " Asiatic influence." 



