1 882.] Idols and Idol V/orship of the Delazvare Indians. 80 1 



to be " set fast." He therefore drove his spade down by the side 

 of the stone, and then throwing his # weight on the handle, by this 

 means started the object, which " came up with a click." Thus 

 was the head broken from its base ; and most unfortunately, no 

 effort was made at the time to recover the missing portion. Many 

 efforts have since been made, but as yet without success. 



These particulars are of interest from one important fact. It is 

 evident that the relic as obtained is only a small portion of a 

 large object, the character of which can only be surmised. That 

 the portion remaining in the ground is quite large, is shown by 

 the resistance it offered to the considerable force exerted to dis- 

 place it, and which resulted in the fracture of the specimen. This 

 evidence of the considerable dimensions of the entire obiect is of 

 interest archseologically, from the fact that the greater the size of 

 any such carving the equally greater probability that the object 

 possessed a religious significance in the estimation of its aborig- 



It is 



not improbable that tr 





iing portioi 



l of this interesting 



relic is 



; simply a square base 



With- Mi 



it any work 





ving bee 



n put 



upon i 



t other than polishing. 



ally similar, but even 

 in Western New York 



This 



; is inferred 



1 fro 



m the fac 



:t tint 



found' 



and in 



Ohio.havi 



tig 1 



)nly such 



plain 





bases. In ths thirteen 



tli rep 



art of the 1 



ege 



ntsofthe 



Uni- 



versit) 



■ of the State of New 



York. 



there is j 



••ivei 



1 a descri 



ption, 



with il 



lustrations of several ci 



irvings 



, which be; 



ir a 



marked r 





blance 



to the New Jersey spe 



cimen. 



Some of 



the 



m, indeed, evi- 



dence so great skill on the part of the sculptor, that doubts have 

 been expressed as to their being the handiwork of the Indians. 

 The finding of the New Jersey carving would seem to bear directly 

 upon this question, for the skill shown in the production of the 

 latter, is evidence that the more artistic New York examples of 

 supposed aboriginal carving were not. beyond the attainments of 

 the Indian carver. It should be borne in mind also that the accu- 

 racy with which celts, axes and trinkets of various patterns were 

 shaped from the hardest stones, is of itself sufficient to show that 



ml portrait in an easily worked 



the; 



The " idol " so recently brought to light from barren New 

 Jersey sands, possesses all those characteristics of feature and 

 expression peculiar to the Indians of the Atlantic coast. The 



