72 



ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS OF NEW YORK. 



in great numbers, were a few cylindrical porcelain beads, etc. The red-stone beads 

 were five eighths of an inch broad, and three eighths thick, with small holes at one 

 end, uniting with each other. 



" There is reason to believe that the above constitute but a very small propor- 

 tion of the pits that may be found in this neighborhood. The French Canadians, 

 now that their attention has been directed to the subject, say that they are of 

 frequent occurrence in the woods. But besides these larger and more evident 

 excavations, smaller ones of the same shape and apparent character are often met 

 with. They are usually called ' potato-pits.' So far as they have been examined, 

 they do not contain deposits. Some appear to have been covered with bark at 

 the bottom. One was examined in which were found some pieces of pottery and 

 one or two human bones mixed with stones and black mould ; which seemed to 

 strengthen the supposition previously formed, that they were Indian graves from 

 which the bones had been removed for interment in the large pits. 



" A fifth pit has also been examined. It occurs about eight miles from Pene- 

 tanqueshene, near the centre of the town of Giny. Close by its side is another 

 pit, which is not circular but elongated, with a mound on each side. At the brow 

 of the hill, if it may be so called, and commencing about twenty yards from the 

 pits, there is the appearance of a long ditch extending in a southwestern direction ; 

 another ditch about half the length of this meets it at right angles on the top of 

 the rising ground, and is continued a few yards beyond the point of junction ; a 

 third ditch intersects the short one, as shown in the following plan. 



" The two first ditches form two sides of a parallelogram ; but there is no sign of 

 an enclosure at the other sides, where the ground is low and nearly level. The 

 long ditch is seventy-five paces in length, the other half that length. The first 

 terminates at a moderate sized gum-tree, the latter at the foot of a large birch. 

 These ditches appear to be a succession of small pits or graves, and have an 

 average depth of from one to two feet. Excavation disclosed no bones. Upon 

 the north side of the shorter and upper ditch, several Indian graves were found, 



