A late traveller in America pretends that he has dis covered some very singular monuments of this kind. Ile says, that, on a certain occasion, after removing a quantity of loose stones on the top of an eminence, he came at last to something resembling a tessehated pave ment; beneath this he found the figure of a warrior, with a large serpent under his feet, all formed of co loured w ood, which fell to pieces on endeavouring to lift it. I lc also found several rings of metal, wnich af fords him an oppottunity of speculating on the ancient civilization of Anne ica. See Ashe's Travels. We should regard the facts as very singular, were we perfectly sa tisfied as to their authenticity.' •1 here is a proverb among the Highlanders in Scot land, expressive of honour to the dead, I will add a stone to your cairn." 'Mr Pennant thus describes a large cairn in Wales. ‘, The Mine of this place is taken from au immense car nedd, or heap of stones, surrounded with great upright stones in an adjacent field. It scents to have beneath it passages brined• on the sides and tops with flat stones or flags. These were the repositories of the dead. Not that hones or urns are always discovered in them ; for the founders, like those of the pyramids of Egypt, appear often to be disappointed in their hopes of having their •eliques lodged in these laboured mausoleums. A few
years ago, there were discovered under a carnedd, nem the seat of Sir Nicholas Bayley, a passage three feet wide, four feet two or three inches high, and about nine teen feet and a half long, vs hich led into a room about nine feet in diameter, and seven in height. The form was au irregular hexagon, and the sides composed of six rude slabs, one of which measured in its diagonal. eight feet nine inches. In the middle was an artless pillar of stone, four feet eight inches in circumferencf This supported the roof, which consisted of one gre„t stone, near ten feet in diameter. Along the sides ol the room was, if I may be allowed the expression, a stone bench, on which were found human bones, which fvIl to dust almost at a touch it is probable, that the bo dies were originally placed on the bench. There are proofs that it was customary with the CLads to place their dead in that form in cells ; and that they added to the head of each body a stone weapon, which served as a pillow ; but nothing of the kind was discovered in this sepulchre. The diameter of the incumbent car• nedd is from ninety to a hundred feet. This seems tr. be that which Mr Rowland takes notice of in his Mon, antivta." Pennant's Tour in II ales, vol. iii. See BAR now s.