542 THE GREAT MOUND ON THE ETAWAH RIVER. 
of pagi such deposits frequently bordered the zk Tertiary 
the tter states. Occasionally, they expand into larger out- 
ae eg aie the lithological character ee fossils of the Buhr- ie 
group, the lowest of the marine Eocenes which he considers as the equiv- 
alent in time, of the lignitic beds of Tennessee, Arkansas and North Mis- 
sissippi. 
THe Great Mounp on THE Erawan RIVER, NEAR CARTERSVILLE, 
Grorcia.— By Cor. CHARLES WHITTLESEY. 
Tis mound is situated on the river bottom, on the north bank, 
about three miles below where the railroad from Chattanooga to 
Atlanta crosses the Etawah river. Its base is an irregular figure, 
five hundred and eighty-five poles in circumference, covering about 
three acres. The bottom on which it stands is elevated eighteen 
to twenty-three feet above low water, and is seldon invaded by 
high water in any'part. The mound is truncated, nearly flat on 
the top, which embraces about an acre of ground. This area is 
elevated fifty feet above the base, and seventy-three feet above low 
water. There is no high land within a quarter of a mile on either 
side of the river. Its slopes are very perfect and steep. Bushes, 
grass, vines, shrubs and trees grow luxuriantly on its sides and 
the level space on the top is annually planted in corn or cotton. 
There is a broad ramp or road fifty feet wide, commencing at the 
southeast corner which winds around the southerly face bending to 
the right, and reaches the summit on the west side. It has an 
easy grade for footmen and horses, but is too steep for vehicles. 
The mass of this mound I estimate at about one hundred and 
twenty thousand cubic yards, or about four-fifths of the contents 
of the British earth pyramid raised on the field of Waterloo. Ris- 
ing over the alluvial valley where it is isolated it has an impres- 
sive aspect, like that of the pyramids of Egypt on a sandy desert. 
This valley, however, is everywhere rich and beautiful. 
Like some of the larger pyramids it has two smaller ones which 
appear to be tenders. One is a square, truncated pyramid which 
stands one hundred feet east of the foot of the ramp and is 
twenty-two feet high, its flat top being about eighty feet on a side ; 
its slopes, steep and perfect like the great mound. To this one 
there is no ramp or place of ascent. 
The other is about one hundred feet due south of the southwest 
corner of the great mound, and is of about the same dimensions 
