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from the Well: and pofTeflfed themfelves of the coun- 
try, after vanquifhing the nations of red men who 
then inhabited it, who themfelves found thefe mounts 
when they took pofieffion of the country, the former 
pofiefibrs delivering the fame Hory concerning 
them : perhaps they were defigned and appropri- 
ated by the people who conftrudled them, to fome 
religious purpofe, as great altars and temples fimi- 
lar to the high places and facred groves anciently 
amongft the Canaanites and other nations of Pale- 
fdne and Judea. 
The rotunda is conftrufled after the following 
manner : they firfl fix in the ground a circular 
range of polls or trunks of trees, about fix feet 
high, at equal dillances, which are notched at top, 
to receive into them, from one to another, a range 
of beams or wall plates ; within this is another cir- 
cular order of very large and flrong pillars, ajz>ove 
twelve feet high, notched in like manner at tbp, to 
receive another range of wall plates ; and within 
this is yet another or third range of llronger and 
higher pillars but fewer in number, and Handing 
at a greater dillance from each other ; and laftly, 
iri the centre Hands a very Hrong pillar, which forms 
the pinnacle of the building, and to which the raf- 
ters centre at top ; thefe rafters are Hrengthenecf 
and bound together by crofs beams and laths, which 
fuftain the roof or covering, which is a layer of 
bark neatly placed, and tight enough to exclude 
the rain, and fometimes they caH a thin fuperficies 
of earth over all. There is but one large door, 
which ferves at the fame time to admit light from 
without and the fmoak to efcape when a fire is 
kindled ; but as there is but a fmall fire kept, fuf- 
ficknt to give light at night, and that fed with dry 
fmall 
