10 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. VII., No. 152 



proper time and place. In the mean while, the many- 

 kindly, encouraging, and sometimes flattering words 

 of approval which I have received from persons who 

 have read the ' advance sheets ' you criticise, and 

 whom I believe to be specially qualified to judge of a 

 work on this subject, will sustain me in the labor of 

 completing it as begun. 



You have criticised a work projected on one plan, 

 and to fill a demand amongst irrigators and persons, 

 from one cause or another, interested iu the details 

 of the subject, as though it purported to be on another 

 plan, and for general circulation and sale. When the 

 first volume is published, I hope to make this clear to 

 you. It has always been the intention to bring the 

 more important matter of general interest in this 

 report within the compass of one moderately sized 

 volume, to meet the demand of which you speak. 

 This was the subject of a recommendation to the 

 legislature, in my biennial report transmitted with 

 the advance sheets of the final report ; and I am glad 

 to tell you that there will be submitted to the legis- 

 lature at its next session (January, 1887) a concise 

 and readable report for general circulation, in addi- 

 tion to the more voluminous books of reference.' 



Wm. Ham. Hall, 

 State engineer, California. 



Sacramento, Cal., Dec. 22. 



The Davenport tablet. 



As the evidence in regard to the limestone tablet 

 indicates that it was a plant made to deceive the mem- 

 bers of the Davenport academy, we are led to inquire 

 whether the authenticity of the shale tablets rests on 

 any better foundation. Accepting the statements in 

 regard to their discovery as published in the Proceed- 

 ings, and referring to the excellent albertypes on 

 plates 1, 2, and 3, vol. ii., we notice the following 

 facts calculated to arouse suspicion : — 



On the so-called ' cremation scene,' plate 1, vol. 

 ii., are three Arabic 8's, one so much like that on the 

 limestone tablet as almost to lead to the belief that the 

 two were made by one hand. Moreover, there are, 

 as admitted by the finder (vol. ii. p. 223), four other 

 characters on the latter identical with characters in 

 the ' cremation scene.' This links the two so closely 

 together as to induce the belief that they belong in 

 the same category, and hence that the conclusion 

 reached in regard to the limestone tablet must apply to 

 all the shale tablets, as the latter were found together 

 in the mound known as No. 3 of the ' Cook farm 

 group.' It is also stated in the Proceedings (vol. ii. 

 I>. 228), that the bird-figures on the limestone tablet 

 4< have each a bit of quartz crystal set in for an 

 eye, like the eyes of the animal figure from mound 

 No. 3, . . . and, like those, they are held in place 

 by a white cement of some kind." This animal 

 figure was found in the dirt thrown out of mound 

 No. :;. from which the shale tablets were obtained 

 (vol. ii. p. 256). It is therefore almost impossible to 

 avoid the conclusion that all must stand or fall 

 together. 



NO. '■> appears to have been a double mound, the 

 southern portion only having been explored in 1874 ; 

 the northern part (iu which the shale tablets were 

 found}, not until 1877. According to Dr. Farquharson 

 (vol. i. p. Ill)), the part first opened contained no 

 layers o| ,h<-l Is or stones ; and no mention is made of 

 an excavation or grave in the earth beneath, nor does 

 the figure (No. 8, plate 2, vol. i.) show any stratifica- 



tion or grave. Turning to the figure of the same 

 mound (vol. ii. p. 92), we find both strata and grave 

 represented in this southern portion. Mr. Gass, in 

 his subsequent account (vol. ii. p. 92), says some 

 errors were made in the first description and illustra- 

 tions ; but Dr. Farquharson says his description was 

 made from Mr. Gass's statements, and partly from 

 personal observation on the spot (vol. i. p. 118). 

 Attention is also called to the fact that the skeletons 

 of the intrusive burial over the southern grave, as 

 well as the three in it, were whole and undisturbed ; 

 while over the northern grave the human bones of 

 the intrusive burial were scattered through the soil, 

 and with them the fragments of a brass ring ; while 

 in it, beneath the shell stratum, were " fragments of 

 human bones and small pieces of coal slate or bitu- 

 minous shale " (Mr. Gass's account, Proceedings, vol. 

 ii. pp. 95, 96). In the plan of the mound (fig. 9, 

 vol. ii. p. 93), a single skull is represented in this 

 northern grave where the tablets were discovered. 

 This condition of the contents is scarcely consistent 

 with the idea that there had been no previous disturb- 

 ance of this part of the mound. 



The tablets were not discovered until five o'clock 

 in the afternoon (Jan. 10), "covered on both sides 

 with clay, on removal of which the markings were for 

 the first time discovered " (vol. ii. p. 96), yet we are 

 informed which side of each was upward as they lay 

 in their resting-place. 



It may not be out of place to call attention to the 

 fact that nearly all of the letter characters of the 

 ' cremation scene,' as represented on the albertype, 

 may be found on p. 1766 of Webster's unabridged 

 dictionary, edition of 1872, or any subsequent edition, 

 where the letters of the ancient alphabets of the old 

 world are figured. A few, it is true, are reversed, 

 and in some instances the form is slightly varied ; but 

 the resemblance in most cases is very strong. The 

 reader can make the comparison for himself ; but I 

 would call his attention to the fact that in the upper 

 of the two transverse curved lines, near the right-hand 

 end, the two forms of the ' Gallic ' O appear together, 

 just as given on the page of the dictionary. He will 

 also observe that in some instances a number of 

 characters in close relation on the tablet are found 

 near together on the page of the dictionary ; here, 

 also, we find the 8 so often used on the tablets. A 

 photograph or the albertype must be used for this 

 comparison. 



It is true, letters of almost any form can be found 

 on this page, but it would be an anomaly to find a 

 brief ancient inscription consisting of letters from 

 half a dozen alphabets of widely different ages, and 

 partly of the angular and partly of the cursive types. 

 That this is true of this inscription, is readily seen by 

 the suggested comparison. Dr. Seyfforth, in his 

 attempt at an explanation, published in vol. iii. of 

 the Proceedings, was forced to go to half a dozen or 

 more alphabets to find the letters given in this single 

 short inscription. 



The tablet represented in plate 3, vol. ii., and known 

 as the ' calendar stone,' indicates, beyond any rea- 

 sonable doubt, contact with people acquainted with 

 the twelve signs of the zodiac. This is admitted by 

 Dr. Farquharson (vol. ii. p. 109) and Dr. Seyfforth 

 (vol. iii. p. 77), and necessarily forces us to the con- 

 clusion that it is post-Columbian, or the result of 

 contact, possibly at some very ancient date, with 

 people of the eastern hemisphere. 



The fact that the diameter of the inner circle" is 



