he would have thought of the people who constructed those ancient forts and mounds, whose exact history no man living can give.  But I forbear to enlarge; my intention being merely to manifest my respect to the society for having enrolled me among its members, and to invite the attention of its Antiquarians to further inquiry on a subject of such curiousity.

     With respect, I remain yours,

     SAMUEL L. MITCHILL.

It would appear, from recent researches on the Northwest coast, that the natives of that region embalmed their dead with much care, as may be seen from the work recently published by W.H.  Dall,[35] the description of the mummies being as follows: 

We found the dead disposed of in various ways; first, by interment in their compartments of the communal dwelling, as already described; second, by being laid on a rude platform of drift-wood or stones in some convenient rock shelter.  These lay on straw and moss, covered by matting, and rarely have either implements, weapons, or carvings associated with them.  We found only three or four specimens in all in these places, of which we examined a great number.  This was apparently the more ancient form of disposing of the dead, and one which more recently was still pursued in the case of poor or unpopular individuals.

Lastly, in comparatively modern times, probably within a few centuries, and up to the historic period (1740), another mode was adopted for the wealthy, popular, or more distinguished class.  The bodies were eviscerated, cleansed from fatty matters in running water, dried, and usually placed in suitable cases in wrappings of fur and fine grass matting.  The body was usually doubled up into the smallest compass, and the mummy case, especially in the case of children, was usually suspended (so as not to touch the ground) in some convenient rock shelter.  Sometimes, however, the prepared body was placed in a lifelike position, dressed and armed.  They were placed as if engaged in some congenial occupation, such as hunting, fishing, sewing, &c.  With them were also placed effigies of the animals they were pursuing, while the hunter was dressed in his wooden armor and provided with an enormous mask all ornamented with feathers, and a countless variety of wooden pendants, colored in gay patterns.  All the carvings were of wood, the weapons even were only fac-similes in wood of the original articles.  Among the articles represented were drums, rattles, dishes, weapons, effigies of men, birds, fish, and animals, wooden armor of rods or scales of wood, and remarkable masks, so arranged that the wearer when erect could only see the ground at his feet.  These were worn at their religious dances from an idea that a spirit which was supposed to animate a temporary idol was fatal to whoever might look upon it while so occupied.  An extension of the same idea led to the masking of those who had gone into the land of spirits.