ANCIENT RACES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 563 
and that it has been preserved for us on their temples and in their sacred writings 
even to the present day, We are at present already acquainted with sixteen 
temples and monuments, which exhibit a representation of this very planetary 
configuration of Menes. On the majority of them the ancient Menes stands op- 
posite to the row of the gods, his only garment being a tiger skin ; on others his 
person and his name are expressed by means of the crescent V i. e., the letters 
M N or Menes. The most concise expression of this planetary constellation is 
to be found on the Osimandyeum near Karnak from the year 1700 B. C. For a 
copy of this astronomical inscription and its explanation, see my " Berichtigun- 
gen der alten Geschichte," page 198. Each of the seven planetary gods is seated 
in a chair, together with one of the twelve gods in whose sign the planet hap- 
pened to stand at the time. We find the sun in Cancer 0°, the moon in Scorpio, 
Saturn in Sagittarius, Jupiter in Aries, Mars in Sagittarius 10°, Venus in Cancer 
10°, Mercury in Cancer 5°. This planetary configuration, which has occurred 
but once in history, has reference to the year 2781 B C. to the i6th day of the 
Julian July." — [Seyfarth's Chronology, page 94. 
Thus we find that Menes entered Egypt 267 years after the flood, and we 
learn from Lyncellus that the shepherd kings conquered Egypt in 701st year of a 
sothiac cycle, or in the year B C. 1670. The Israelites entered Egypt during 
their occupancy of the land, and were welcomed by them in B. C. 1805. When 
another king arose who knew not Joseph in B. C. 1670, the Israelites were 
enslaved for a period of eighty years, and were released by Moses in B. C. 1590. 
— Globe- Democrat. 
ANCIENT RACES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 
At the last meeting of the Chautauqua Circle, at St. Louis, Major F. F. 
Hilder delivered a lecture upon " The Ancient Races of the Mississippi Valley," 
but most of his attention was devoted to the remains discovered in southeast 
Missouri. It is in that part of this State the greatest number of well-preserved 
relics are found, and his collection embraces many valuable finds of this region. 
The most curious were used in illustration, particularly of his theory that there are 
not only connecting Hnks between the mound-builders of this country and the 
ancient Asiatic people in their customs, but also that their languages were similar. 
The religion of the mound-builders was sun-worship, and traces are found in 
every mound uncovered of their ceremonies and rites in this worship. The pot- 
tery found among the dust of their chiefs and rulers bear signs and symbols pe- 
culiar to this religion in every nation of the world where it is practiced. He 
had but recently, with Prof. Campbell, succeeded in deciphering the inscription 
on a tablet which showed there were words of their language exactly like those 
of ancient Asiatic languages, and in some instances found in other forms in 
modern tongues. A vase found within six miles of Charleston, this State, he 
described minutely in a letter to Schliemann who was at that time before Troy 
