80 Canadian Record of Science. 



famous enclosure will compare not unfavorably with Edin- 

 burgh Castle, the stronghold of Quebec, or the impregnable 

 Gibraltar. 



Another stronghold of considerable importance may be 

 seen at Fort Hill, in Highland county, on an elevation of 

 500 feet, and enclosing an area of forty acres. There is 

 another near Piqua, on a hill 160 feet high ; and another 

 near the city of Dayton, on a hill 160 feet high, where a 

 mound is enclosed, which like the ancient watch-towers of 

 Scripture, can command a view of the whole surrounding 

 country. Near Carlisle lies the site of another remarkable 

 military enclosure, which overlooks the fertile valley, 

 between the Twin and Miami Eivers. Two deep ravines 

 fortify the north and south sides, while an almost perpen - 

 dicular bluff fortifies the east. The wall which is partly 

 of earth and partly of stone is 3,616 feet in length, and 

 encloses a beautiful area of fifteen acres. 



The settlers state that in early times there were two stone 

 mounds and one stone circle, which contained such excel- 

 lent building stone, that they removed them for building 

 purposes. They had to cut a way and grade it, to remove 

 the stones, which those rude architects of early prehistoric 

 times found no difficulty in taking from a distant quarry to 

 that high elevation. We must therefore agree that their 

 knowledge of the mechanical powers was far superior to 

 anything the Indian race has shown. 



About the largest fortification in Ohio may be seen at 

 Bournville. It encloses a magnificent area of fertility, on 

 an elevation of 400 feet. The sides are remarkably steep, 

 and are washed by small creeks, that empty into Paint 

 Creek hard by. Within the fortification are several depres- 

 sions, where water remains most of the year. The area, of 

 itself, would be a beautiful farm, as it consists of 140 acres. 

 The wall, which was about 2^ miles in length, is very much 

 in ruins, being chiefly built of stone. Some years ago the 

 whole place was covered by the trees, and on the dilapidated 

 stone wall, may still be seen immense trees, whose growth 

 among the stones helped to displace them. The decayed 

 wood beneath some of these trees indicates that successions 



