ly 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 



distinguished citizens, of both sexes, who enjoyed the op- 

 portunity of seeing the objects which they heard explained. 

 But it was not sufficient that he had written these lec- 

 tures; they must be delivered by himself; a task, the diifi- 



culty of which was increased by the recent loss of some of 

 his front teeth. His ingenuity was soon at work to supply 

 this deficiency, and with remarkable perseverance he suc- 

 ceeded, first in ivory, and finally in making complete sets 



who had assisted the farmer in this discovery, envious of his good fortune, 

 sued him for a sliare in tlie profit ; but they gained nothing more than a divi- 

 dend of the costs ; it appearing that tlicy liad been satisfied with the gratifi- 

 cation of tlieir curiosity, and the quality and quantity of the rum ; no one 

 could prove tliat ho liad given them reason to liope for a share in the price of 

 any tiling his land might happen to produce. 



Not willing to lose the advantage of an uncommonly dry season, when the 

 springs in tlie morass were low, we proceeded on the arduous enterprise. 

 In New York every article was provided which might be necessary in sur- 

 mounting expected difficulties; such as a pump, ropes, pullics, augers, &c.; 

 boards and plank were provided in the neighbourhood, and timber was in suf- 

 ficient plenty on the spot. 



Confident that nothing could be done without Iiaving a perfect command 

 of the water, tlie first idea was to drain it by a ditch; but the necessary dis- 

 tance of perhaps Iialf a mile, presented a length of labour tliat appeared 

 immense. It was therefore resolved to throw the water into a natural basin, 

 about sixty feet distant, the upper edge of which was about ten feet above 

 the level of the water. An ingenious millwright constructed the machinery, 

 and, after a week of close labour, completed a large scaffolding and a wheel 

 twenty feet diameter, wide enough for three or four men to walk a-breast in: 

 a rope round this turned a small spindle, which worked a chain of buckets 

 regulated by a floating cylinder ; the water thus raised, was emptied into a 

 trough, W'hich conveyed it to the basin ; a ship's pump assisted, and, to- 

 wards the latter part of the operation, a pair of half barrels, in removing the 

 mud. This machine worked so powerfully, that in the second day the water 

 was lowered so much as to enable them to dig ; and in a few hours they were 

 rewarded with several small bones. 



The road which passed through this farm was a highway, and the atten- 

 tion of every traveller was arrested by the coaches, wagons, chaises, and 

 horses, which animated the road, or were collected at the entrance of the 

 field : rich and poor, men, women, and children, all flocked to see the opera- 

 tion ; and a swamp always noted as the solitary abode of snakes and f'logs, 

 became the active scene of curiosity and bustle : most of the spectators were 

 astonished at the purpose wliieh could juoinpt such vigorous and expensive 

 exertions, in a manner so unprecedented, and so foreign to the pursuits for 

 which they were noted. But the amusement was not wholly on their side; 

 and the variety of company not only amused us, but tended to encourage the 

 workmen, each of whom, before so many spectators, was ambitious oi signal- 

 izing himself by the number of his discoveries. 



For several weeks no exertions were spared, and the most unremitting were 

 required to insure success ; bank afle rbank fell in ; the increase of water was 

 a constant impediment, the extreme coldness of which benumbed the work- 

 men. Each day required sonie new expedient, and the carpenter was al- 

 ways making additions to the machinery ; every day bones and pieces of 

 bones were found between six and seven feet deep, but none of the most im- 

 portant ones. But the greatest obstacle to the search was occasioned by the 

 shell niarle which formed the lower stratum ; this rendered thin by the springs 

 at tlic bottom, was, by the weight of the whole morass, always pressed up- 

 wards on the workmen to a certain height, which, without an incalculable 

 expense, it was impossible to prevent. Twenty-five hands at high wages 

 were almost constantly employed at work wliicli was so uncomfortable and 

 severe, that nothing but their aiLtiety to sec the head, and particularly the 

 under jaw, could have kept up their resolution. The patience of employer 

 and workmen was at length exhausted, and the work relinquished without 

 obtaining those interesting parts, the want of which rendered it impossible 

 to form a complete skeleton. 



It would not have bceu a very difEcult matter to put tlicso bones together, 



and tlicy would have presented the general appearance of the skeleton; but 

 the under jaw was broken to pieces in the first attempt to get out the bones, 

 and nothing but the teeth and a few fragments of it were now found ; the 

 tail was mostly wanting, and some toe-bones. It was, therefore, a desirable 

 object to obtain some knowledge of these deficient parts, but if possible to 

 find some other skeleton in such order as to see the position, and correctly to 

 ascertain the number of the bones. In tlie course of eighteen years there 

 had been found within twelve miles of this spot, a bone or two in several dif. 

 ferent places ; concerning these we have made particular inquiries, but 

 found that most of the morasses had been since drained, and consequently 

 either the bones had been exposed to a certain decay ; or else so deep, that a 

 fortune might have been spent in the fruitless pursuit. But tlirough the po- 

 lite attention of Dr. Galatan, we were induced to examine a small morass, 

 eleven miles distant from the former, belonging to Capt. J. Barber, where, 

 eight years before, four ribs had been found in digging a pit. From the 

 description which was given of their position, and the appearance of the mo- 

 rass, we began our operations with all the vigour a certainty of success could 

 inspire. Nearly a week was consumed in making a ditch, by which all the 

 water was carried oW, except what a hand-pump could occasionally empty : 

 the digging, therefore, was less difficult than that at Masten's, though still te- 

 dious and unpleasant ; particularly as the sun, unclouded as it had been for 

 seven weeks, poured its scorching rays on the morass, so circumscribed by 

 trees, that the western breeze afforded no refreshment ; yet nothing could ex- 

 ceed the ardour of the men, particularly of one, a gigantic and athletic ne- 

 gro, who exulted in choosing the most laborious tasks, although he seemed 

 melting with heat. Almost an entire set of ribs were found, lying nearly to- 

 gether, and very entire; b\itas none of the back bones were found near them 

 (a sufficient proof of their having been scattered) our latitude for search was 

 extended to very uncertain limits ; therefore, after working abont two weeks, 

 and finding nothing belonging to the head but two rotten tusks, (part of one 

 of them is with the skeleton here) three or four small grinders, a few verte- 

 bras of the back and tail, a broken scapula, some toe-bones, and the ribs, 

 found between four and seven feet deep — a reluctant terminating pause en- 

 sued. 



Tliesc bones were kept distinct from those found at Masten's, as it would 

 not be proper to incorporate into one skeleton any other than tlie bones be- 

 longing to it ; and nothing more was intended than collate tlie corresponding 

 parts. These bones were chiefly valuable as specimens of the individual 

 parts ; but no bones were found among them wliieh were deficient in the for- 

 mer collection, and therefore our chief object was defeated. To have failed 

 in so small a morass was rather discouraging to the idea of making another 

 attempt; and yet the smallness of the morass was, perhaps, the cause of our 

 failure, as it was extremely probable the bones we could not find were long 

 since decayed, from being situated on the rising slope at no considerable 

 depth, unprotected by the shell-marlc, which lay only in the lower part of the 

 basin forming the morass. When every exertion was given over, we could 

 not but look at the surrounding unexplored parts with some concern, uncer- 

 tain how near we might have been to the discovery of all that we wanted, 

 and regretting the probability that, in consequence of the drain we had made, 

 a few years would wholly destroy the venerable objects of our research. 



Almost in despair at our failure in the last place, where so much was ex- 

 pected, it was with very little spirit we mounted our horses, on another in- 

 quiry. Oossing the Wall-kill at tlic falls, we ascended over a double swelling 

 hill into a rudely cultivated country, about twenty miles west from tlie Hud- 

 son, where, in a thinly settled neighbourhood, lived the honest farmer Feter 

 Millspaw, who, three years before, had discovered several bones : from his 

 log-hut he accompanied us to the morass. It was impossible to resist tlie 



