Remarks on Certain Articles Found in an Indian Tumulus at Cincinnati, and Now Deposited inthe Museum of the American Philosophical SocietyAuthor(s): George TurnerSource: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 5 (1802), pp. 74-76Published by: American Philosophical SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1004978 .

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74 ON CERTAIN ARTICLES FOUND

No. IX.

Remarks on certain Articles found in an Indian Turnulus at Cincinnati, and now depofited in the Mufeum of the American Pbilofobical Society. By GEORGE TUR- HER.

Philadelphia, November 25th, 1799.

SIR,

Read Dec. A5 the writer of the paper No. XXII. Vol. 6th, 17999 IV. p. 179. of the Society's. Tranfaaions, appears to be under fome mifconceptions concerning certain articles found in an Indian tumulus at Cincinnati, and now depofited in the Society's mufeum, I beg leave to offer a few remarks on them.

* Fig. i. and z. are each defcribed to be " a flone or compojition."$

Remark. Both are natural ftones. The former refem. bles the greenifh grey porphyry: the latter is a jafper [heliotropej marked with blood-coloured veins and fpots on a green bafis.

Fig. 3. "1 A cryfialline fubjance," &c. " of confiderableL tranfparency."

Rem. This is pure rock cry/?al, perfeely tranfparent. Fig. 4. " As figure i. Mixed black and yellow cob.

lours."' Rem. TIhis, too, is a natural ftone, a beautiful fpeci.

men of granite. Fig. 5. "Probably a compofiuion," &c. feems to have

been hardened by the fun or fire, and une& qually compreffed by the operation."

Rem, 0 See the plate, p. 8o..

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1N AN INDIAN TUMULUS.

Rem. This is evidently a natural produflion; a ferruginous ftone, and perhaps of volcanic origin.

Fig. 6. " A reprefentation of the bill of fome bird not now kno -wn in ihis country."

Rem. It is a bill or b-eak by no means unknown in the United States, being common to all ra- pacious birds, fuch as the eagle, hawk, vul- ture, &c. their upper mandi:ble, like that of the prefent fubjeat, having a cultrated point, the diftinoauifiing mark of birds belonging to that clafs. Prom the fize and general form of this figure, it appears to have been defigned to reprefent the beak of an eagle.

Fig. . " A regul-ar circular figure, of rufty black co- lour, tolerably well polifhed, and not unlike ebony in appearance, buit much lefs pon. derous; probably either of coal or a comppoft- lion.'

Rem. The former part of the writer's conje&lure as to the fubflance of this article is right, as far as it goes: it is not the ordinary coal, how- ever, but what is ufually termed Cannel coal [ampelites] as the bare infpeEtion of the fub. je&t will difcover.* Col. Sargent fuppofes, that the fmall perforations in the rim were defigned to fecure it upon a large axis. Buit, if a rotatory motion was intended to be giveln to it, an angular perforation in the centre, in. ilead of the circular one there, would hiave far more efficiently anfwered that purpofe. It is worthy of remark here, that in the Tranf-

K z a4ions * Were farther proof neceffary, I might refer to the fpecimen of Cannel

coal brouight from Cincinnati and by me prefented to the Society.

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76 ON CERTAIN ARTICLES, &c.

aaioins of the Scots Antiqtuaries, vol. i. p. 388, there is a plate of two ancient fibulx, both formned out of Cannel coal. One of them, like this, is of a circular figure, but narrower in the rim, and rather lefs in dia- meter. Perhaps, both were defigned for fimilar purpofes by their ancient rude owners, thoulgh feparated by an oeCean a thoufand leagues wide ! Kindred aas will fpring from kindred manners.

Fig. 8. " Alfo a fimnilar figure,* yellowiflh colour; appears to have been hardened by the fun or fre, and glazed," &c.

Rem. This, which is much fnmaller than the pre- ceding fubjedt, has neither been hardened by art, norglazed. It is formed of a fat tenaciou's argilla, fuch as conftitutes the Indian pipe- bowls. T'his earth is foutnd of various hues, acquires, by expofure to the air, a pretty firm texture, and is fufceptible of a fine polifh- which, in the prefent inftance, has been mif- taken for glazing.

I am, with great refpea,

Sir,

Youir moff obedient,

G. TURNER.

Prefident of the A. Philo. Soc.

No.

* A third fibula (if I may fo term it) of nearly the fame diameter with this, but of copper,was afterwards taken out of the fame tumulus. It was compofed of two plates of the metal, united and perforated at the centre.

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