in several
places. One of the skulls presented a circular opening about the
size of a silver dime. This perforation had been made during life,
for the edges had commenced to cicatrize. I later examined three
circular mounds, but in them I found no dolmens. The first mound
contained three adult human skeletons, a few fragments of the
skeleton of a child, the lower maxillary of which indicated it to be
about six years old. I also found claws of some carnivorous animal.
The surface of the soil had been scooped out and the bodies laid in
the excavation and covered with about a foot of earth; fires had
then been made upon the grave and the mound afterwards completed.
The bones had not been charred. No charcoal was found among the
bones, but occurred in abundance in a stratum about one foot above
them. Two other mounds, examined at the same time, contain no
remains.

Of two other mounds, opened later, the first was circular, about 4
feet high, and 15 feet in diameter at the base, and was situated on
an elevated point of land close to the bank of the river. From the
top of this mound one might view the country for many miles in
almost any direction. On its summit was an oval altar 6 feet long
and 4-1/2 wide. It was composed of flat pieces of limestone, which
had been burned red, some portions having been almost converted into
lime. On and about this altar I found abundance of charcoal. At the
sides of the altar were fragments of human bones, some of which had
been charred. It was covered by a natural growth of vegetable mold
and sod, the thickness of which was about 10 inches. Large trees had
once grown in this vegetable mold, but their stumps were so decayed
I could not tell with certainty; to what species they belonged.
Another large mound was opened which contained nothing.

The next account relates to the grave-mounds near Pensacola, Fla., and
was originally published by Dr. George M. Sternberg, surgeon United
States Army:[21]

Before visiting the mound I was informed that the Indians were
buried in it in an upright position, each one with a clay pot on his
head. This idea was based upon some superficial explorations which
had been made from time to time by curiosity hunters. Their
excavations had, indeed, brought to light pots containing fragments
of skulls, but not buried in the position they imagined. Very
extensive explorations, made at different