Miscellany: The American Mummy

[ now proceed with the continuaiion of the ccotint of the Mammoth Cave, f rom where tny fust comm'inicaiion left off. The fema'e found in t lic Snort Cave was discovered by tlie wo kmen -eng.igfd in ligging saltpctrnearthi at a distancc of nbout n qnnrter ot" a tnilo from the tr.ouili of the cvc. The floor of tlicï cavë is covered wit li n stra;itn of earth, of severul feflt in ihickne.-ïs, aptl in this earth was nii excavation ubout four fret deep, in which was placed the body of ¦this female, her wardrohe, Líc. A flit mek ovorlaid the sepulchral cliamber. The Uody whon found was ra an ugrjght position, -and j in a perfect 6tate of preservation. The fc:i j tures of this female were such as whnt n piuo nologist wonld der.ominnte mtelügent ; ihe forehead high and the head wd) ("ormed. - The arms were folded and iho hands laid over the bosom. The hands pruall and delicate, the Sngera slender nnd The whole frarao -was perfectly dij', and weiglied 'out fourteen pouiids. !t has been rrmarked tliat a human fckeleton of a full grown person weighs tnore than dus. About Ihree yeórs since nn experiment was mado in the city of Paris upon a larger human skeleton, and the weight redaced to ten pounde, by the slow operation of heated air. The body of this tenant of the cave, gained sx pounds in weight in the removal to t},e Mammolh Cavo, k, rap idly absorbed moisturo fron) the heated atiiiós'.phere. 1 he rendcr will bo nble to form as correct an opinión of the nge in which this female lived by tfte description I hcre "-ivo of her appearance, dress, Sic, and with as mucli correclnese as thoso who saw tho body in the septilchrul apartrrent which it occnpied. Her hietory is with herself, in her drese, Sec, a mute witnees, giving testimony of the exist ence of a people which, lor anght we know, are extinct. What a 6iibject to contémplate - what an object tosurveyand for nught we know this individual may havo been a mier tnong a people more nnmerous than oureclves, and ihcarticles comnosing herrobe I have eniíuieraiod, mny liavu constituíed her regul costume. The liumble and the mosl exaíted, in death, aro both ihen placed uoon thc same level. The large semi-dressed deer.-kín?, the lmir of which wns cut oíT abont an eijíhth of nn indi from the skin, and the skin ornamental with tho figure of virios and leoyps, were wrapped aroiind the body and limbs. and over these a nare winding sheet macie uf the wove or kuit bark of the Lynn tree, or ofsome bark nearly resernbüiiLr it, and in texture mul fabric resrtnOÜng Sca Island Cloth. Thc wiists wcre tird loosely togelher wjlh a smi] cord n)jdo of the panie bnrk, nii'l the knecs were tied to t!ie vvrists in order to preserve the position of the body in a sitting posture in whicli it was pluceJ. Tho hnir on t he head was oKa rwddish cast and nol more than one eig-hth of au ificli long-, rxcept nt the back of the lie-id ncarthe neck, whore it was scvernl inches lnpr. The firiper and loc nails were Joiit'. Tlic teeth were in n perfect state of prefervation. One eye was defectivo and had an oppearnnce of been severely wonnded, and lliere was also a wound nenr th back bone bctween two ribs. When erect t!is female must hnve beon ncnr eiü ('eet in hei;rhf, jn(!rrinT from liic longth of the bonos, severcl of which I rrjpafiirod. The tkiri was a darkish brown, and tlie flesh driod to the bones. Tlie various nitjcles wliich were e:;tombedvvitli tlio body f' thja nneient member of the luitiun funiüy were numerous und in a state of perfect prosrrvation. I will pive a echeduie f ihose frocn an nyentory, made by irntHi in the enve, t liio timo I exomíned ihe body, viz: - A largc khVipsaèk, mndeof bark thread ¦¦ml knrit, open at thé top ivith asToiijr bord-T of tlirot' inch éá evp, of dotobfe ibiekness f'i.iicifuliy wrotiirl't. This contnined n variPty of nr'. iele.-:. An indispensable made of bark iJiread, nnd knM - tliis wis 'm the shnpe of n liorsenmn's vaü-e - open at the top the vyhple !eng;t!i, ntone ond vvore Iwo cords willi tasS'.I", and on oach t-ide of tlie opening at tho to-) were joopo. at a snort distorjee npart, thronjjj) wKici) tfiese córda w?re pül-séd and in t: is why 'it wns Inced rij). Thïs was a pretly pnltorn and svcll rnrit'è'; l thi retículo wêrë .(Mvnil linndtpil siritis'! "f béftiHa, lied np in biinches üko as tlie Genuan Buaall beid.nrf p'it np. Tiu: beads vero made ufa tnal! brown s'-ed. Sevnn ln-ud dre.-öe.-', made of ; ;hi qmlld of cagle?, lavk.-, &f. Tlipsc wcre ' nrat n.d neity. TIn' pipos nr burn-ls of ihe (jiiilLs uere fas'cqpcl lojjc: !f r uiih cordf, ! semeuini in Ihe satr.e vvuy as fo.-.'.lier lans aio ! put toetier, cxoepiirig lite end of (hc bnrre! of ijiè'iqiiiilfi ticM'il hrouolit to a point b'u! werf !;it 5 liltlb ::s:;i cê av.:i by Un braidmi: oí' th(% cords. sv;tli wlufh tiiov wrr-ï conj liiiril. 'J'iiive darán yuulvtl lieyond the i i i!iiliii)u suíücii'iiíly ionjr tw lio nt tito hack of invul, fiin! ;;io li-a'hcrs ffeje -o &([fin'ggd n to ïè cnrircly aroujid il)e,Iir,(yl aii'l siandinj; erect 'Xiended ab'ivethe liead ol'llie t'ir(r f.!ir or ! íive iníÍK5. Thofco liead wouljl be c;iili'd lPMHi'iil and liijjlily nniinuuiul fr n lady's hf'iidwfié'nt lío prp.-enl day. Eilit nrri l;e.--, iii;i;1l uf lorie ñild liíirn - s?noe Afuiéi'è ncedles werc .-ix oraêvt'M inclu-.s ll.iig and liad i oiicli íi linle butti n ú ii h tcoilíf'ppd pdjrps onir. e 'oí', were vyuhquC pyelrt anr! Ur 'iiglii ro o poiti: likc .1 i-iixik'ii '.(¦'.'.'. 'l'i.'-c nii - (!!¦ SWtíftf VVOf!l 'MIOO ll b.' USO. Wl I) :ii ¦ HCir. i]i8 u.s a lia d pirre nf m mi-i! tví-d ' skin wiih n tliiiin!) lm!o out n i'. lia mi i'irct1 cnvi rd ll.c p!i!m of tlio hnpri :iul nn sofreí] t ho sume pnrpnse :is ihimbles oreused , !'r al tliu pios'-nl riny. A Bpar'sj-iW bone with a lióla thrmi-g!) it, and a cord pnáíed ihronli ti).?, ñnd m.TfJi; lo hn'ñg1 pondniil over i lio hoíom. Severa! red fíoofe ol' Fav.-ns. itiMnLT Üke hcad-i to woar Pö?1 ornament. A lurpe c!nv of nn En pie with a cord Ihrongh i' (lef-ijriuv! to líaflg pcndnnt. ovor tlie bosom. Ttvo larro skins of I{p.".tlosna!;oir. Ono of hese hnd 14 rnttles. A roll of colors dono up in leaves - To wIjísiIp, nbout e!jht r.clies Ioiijt, mude of cañe. Ahont. one third the length ot'the tnbe was a joint, and ai) opening about oiic eigíiíh of an i'jcli wide and near an incli loiifr evtondo(í to each side of ihc joint, in this opening wns a smill fl:ittet reed. The two wliistics vverc ticd towolher. A small bank of Dreis sinewp, for thrend, resemblino1 ! catgut. S'?veral linnlcs of tliroad rescnibünp ! seine twino, Uvo and thrce coróVd, ölid abool otip half bleachcd. On3 pair of Aloccasin, mnde of lbo sacie materia! as ibeknápsácK and ilidispensnble. All tbc nrïiclcii wliicli were nvovi! or knit , appeared to bo mniie of tiie snme species ot 'vegetable fil)ie nnd resembÜng in sume re?pects the Mnnilia IJrmp. nlthough notofthat silky lustre. All iheionrticles, ns l belore observed, vcre in a state of perfect preservation, os much to, ns tliey w ere at thn limo they were deposited with the body uf Ilie possessor.Tilia eepulclirol chombèr presente, n lliose, i lio remnins ot n ne long past nnd gon, a wonderfnl record - not a record within hiero irliphics tliat roquires decipKétiog, bul it re í-ents ihp body of a human heilig, tho imito touant of a subterrunoan palacc.with thc circe? of n pe pie of an age to which slie be'ongcd, that conveys to l!ie inind's eyoot'tlie calm nnd careful obeerver a page of on nncienl yolnme oftimc, which he con both re:id and undorstand. Ilcro wcre no omaments mada ofauy metallic siibstancc whatever, but the cIoío shaving of Uie huir of the liead, and the samo of the deer skins, seem to imply that somc sharp inrtruincnt. was used, for the hair was cut as even ns itcould have been done with tho best of ecissors. Tlicse things wiines to the state of the manufactures at tho period when these ariiclee were wrought, but we havo no mennsof oecertaining when thut wns, and whether it wns three hundred, or three ihousand yeara ngo. There is in the care that hns thus been ta ken of the mortal remains of thia humaning by Iliose wlio convoycd her to this eepul Uirej a belief manifested in the resúrrectiun of thedéad, and this belief promptcd this extra- ordiuary care. Whnt q witiiess - liow dura ble tho tesiimony, and hcnv wonderful the discovery! AHer this ftmnln was removed to the Maminotli C;ive I freqtiently passod her in inv wulk in the cave, for she orcupied h room bont half a mile from the cave's moulh: lo meet wi;li such a witnops frorn the dsys of oldon in the darl chamher of this subterranean mansión produced a feelinw of ex'.raordinary bolemnity - impressive, bcyond deecrip ton.