From this inquiry, we may ^qreniptorily;^exr
elude all articles and remains of metal (not
gold, silver or native copper), and all sculpture
and inscriptions (not picture writing), which have
been found and commented on, with an air of
wonder, in various places, but which are one and
all, undoubtedly of .European, or togive the
greatest scope to conjecture,; of Trans-Atlantic
origin. Such are, to .begin with the highest
object, the Grave creek inscription in apparently
Celtiberic characters, the stone with a rude
inscription in Roman letters and Arabic figures
found in Onondaga .county, and now deposited
in the Albany Institute ; tl*e amulets of coarse
enamel, colored pastes and glass, of the imperfect
fabrics Of the?fifteenth and sixteenth centuries,
found in Indian graves;* or old village and
fort sites, together with the flattened gun barrels,
broken locks, artists’.tools'and other articles of
iron, brass, or semi-vitrified, earthenware; which
are found over, so considerable an extent of country
in western -hFew York. - The latter, are, un-
doubtedly,./evidences of either ca'rliercrmore
systematic attempts to settle,; df not to found,
colonies amongst the red race from abroad, than
we are yet prepared fully to comprehend, hut
there need be no question as to „the general era
and character of art to which they belong; they
aid too clearly European in every: instance, to
admit of scruple, m
The introductibif of the fabrics* of European
art, among the tribes of this continent had the
inevitable and speedy effect to destroy the prior
Indian arts. It is astonishing to find how soon
the aborigines of our latitudes lost the art of
making culinary vessels of clay.; of carving amulets
and pipes out of steatites and other fissile
mineral bodies; of perforating, dissecting and
forming seavshells into the various shapes of
wampum, gorgets, pendants, necklaces, belt and
pauch ornaments, and. other ornamental fabrics.
They no sooner obtained the light brass, copper,
iron, and tin kettle,“ than they laid aside the
more clumsy and frail akeek, or clay pot; their
women, relieved from the labor of selecting and
tempering the* clay, and forming it'into pots
and dishes,' were advanced one step in the.art of
hdasewifpy, and took the first lessor! in European
civilization. ;
. . The. maker of arrow, and javelin heads, for
this, was. a -distinct art, was. superseded, by the
superior efficacy of fire arms ; and his red descendant
ut this day, as well as the gleaner of
antiquities', is alike at a loss to find where the
ancient artist- in cheTt and bornstone procured
his materials, of so suitable a quality and fracture,
arid how ;he'obtained the skill to chip and
tern them into such delicate and appropriate
patterns. The small and slender axe of iron, with
a steel edge, and pipe head, at once took the
place of the crescerit shaped stone tomahawk,
which had alone been appropriated to war;
while the larger half-axC, s ta lle d , supplanted
the clumsy stone agakwut, before employed rather