THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER, FLORIDA. 29 



In the northern slope 6 - 5 feet down were two small pots ; one somewhat in the 

 form of a tureen had a height of 1 inch at the center, a length of 3 inches, with a 

 breadth of 2-25 inches. 



Eight feet down in the northern trench was a small oval dish, without perfo- 

 ration. 



Twenty-five feet from the northern margin of the base, and 7 feet from the 

 surface, lying on or below the base of the mound in a large pocket of bright red 

 sand, piled upon each other in actual contact and adhering together so that they were 

 lifted from the sand as a whole, were six vessels of pottery surmounted by a large 

 dish. This dish, though broken into fragments by the pressure of the sand, had 

 protected the vessels below. The vessels had the usual base perforation and had 

 the conventional shape of mortuary pottery, with the exception that two had each 

 a handle with a central opening, one projecting laterally, the other vertically (Plate 

 V, Figs. 3 and 4). Their respective dimensions were length, including the handle, 

 5 ; 75 inches, height 2 inches; length 4 inches, width 3-2 inches, height 2 inches, 

 height including handle 4 - 8 inches. Two had ears extending from the upper mar- 

 gin, while one gave evidence of having been similarly decorated. The rim of one 

 bowl was plain. 



Four feet below the surface, well down on the western slope, was a vessel of 

 pottery in a very fragmentary condition, though admitting of partial restoration. 

 Its height was 6 inches. From a diameter of 3*6 inches it tapered to one of T75 

 inches at the margin of- the neck. The margin of the base showed an intentional 

 omission of the bottom. It is possible that this specimen belongs to a class of mor- 

 tuary pottery to which fuller reference will be made in the description of the Volu- 

 sia mounds (Plate VI, Fig. 1). With it lay portions of an almost similar vessel too 

 fragmentary for reconstruction. 



Numerous other vessels of pottery were found during the excavation, some of 

 which we figure (Plate VI, Figs. 2 and 3 ; Plate VII, Figs. 1, 2 and 3). 



While in certain cases perforation had been made subsequent to manufacture, 

 the great majority of vessels in Mt. Royal showed small base perforations made pre- 

 vious to baking. This curious custom, first called to the attention of archaeologists 

 by us, will be more fully referred to later. 



Galena. — In the northwestern slope of the mound 6 feet from the surface and 

 at no great distance from the base, associated with three " celts " was a small piece 

 of galena. 



Similar bits of lead sulphide are common in the western mounds and are found 

 in southern mounds north of Florida. Galena was highly prized by the 

 aborigines for its bright appearance and crystalline fracture. We have no record of 

 the reduction of the metal from the ore. We have found but one other bit of 

 galena in the mounds of the St. John's, namely at Tick Island, where its depth 

 indicated an original deposit. 



4 JOUR. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. X. 



