208 INDIAN RELICS AT DAVENPORT, IOWA. 



abstruse qi;estions of paleography to be in the same characters as those 

 used by David in the Psalms and by Solomon in his correspondence with 

 Hiram Kino- of Tyre. To give some idea of the form of these letters, it 

 may be said that they resemble rather our ordinary Arabic numerals, let- 

 ters like the 6, 7, 4 and occurring frequenth', and others like our Eoman 

 Y and P. They are all incised, and appear to have been cut in by some 

 hard and sharp tool. As to the date assigned to this record, which has been 

 all read and translated by M. Clermont Ganneau, it, has been confidently 

 stated by the Count de Vogue to have been engraved in the second year of 

 Abaz, King of Isreal. It is, therefore, older than the Homeric poems, as we 

 know them through Homer, at least, and older than the famous inscription 

 of Ashmunazar, probably 900 B. C. Although certain discrepancies remain 

 to be cleared up, no doubt is felt as to general tenor of the inscription. A 

 translation has been published, and may be obtained of the Palesine Explor- 

 ation Society, and we presume, also, that copies of this excellent model^may 

 be obtained by those interested in this subject. At any rate, too much can- 

 not be said in commendation of the great skill and patience devoted to this 

 copy of the famous stone. — London Times. 



INDIAN RELICS AT DAVENPORT, IOWA. 



The Indian relics discovered by the Kev. J. Cass in a mound near Dav- 

 enport, Iowa, continue to evoke diseussion. They consist of tablets of dark 

 colored slate, with pictorial engravings, one of which represents a funeral 

 pyre or a sacrifice, around which a dance is taking place ; twenty-two stars 

 and the sun and moon are also shown, and there are two lines of a written 

 language in unknown characters. On the reverse of the tablet, which is 

 rather less than a foot square and about one and a half inches thick, there 

 are sketches of men, several quadrupeds (including two mastodons), some 

 birds and trees. Another tablet has a dial, with four concentric circles,, 

 within which are marked the four cardinal points and twelve equidistant 

 characters supposed to represent the signs of the zodiac. There is no doubt 

 that these relics were found along with human remains, among layers of 

 shell, in a mound. If put there for the purpose of imposture, they have 

 been skillfully placed. All authorities agree that if the relics are genuine 

 they are by far the most important archseological treasures yet found ia 

 this country. 



