ORNAMENT IN STUCCO. 



409 



In other cemeteries in the same district, Mr. Blake 

 found several copper instruments resembling modern 

 chisels, which, it is not improbable, were designed 

 for carving wood. In my opinion, the carving of 

 these beams was done with the copper instruments 

 known to have existed among the aboriginal inhab- 

 itants, and it is not necessary to suppose, without 

 and even against all evidence, that at some remote 

 period of time the use of iron and steel was known 

 on this continent, and that the knowledge had be- 

 come lost among the later inhabitants. 



From the great terrace a large structure is seen 

 at a distance indistinctly through the trees, and, 

 pointing it out to an Indian, I set out with him to 

 examine it. Descending among the trees, we soon 

 lost sight of it entirely, but, pursuing the direction, 

 the Indian cutting a way with his machete, we 

 came upon a building, which, however, I discover- 

 ed, was not the one we were in search of. It was 

 about ninety feet in front, the walls were cracked, 

 and all along the base the ground was strewed with 

 sculptured stones, the carving of which was equal 

 to any we had seen. Before reaching the door I 

 crawled through a fissure in the wall into an apart- 

 ment, at one end of which, in the arch, I saw an 

 enormous hornet's nest ; and in turning to take a 

 hasty leave, saw at the opposite end a large orna- 

 ment in stucco, having also a hornet's nest at- 

 tached to it, painted, the colours being still bright 

 and vivid, and surprising me as much as the sculp- 



Vol. I.— F f f 35 



