American antiquities, and researches into the origin and history of the red race / By Alexander W. Bradford.

  • Alexander Warfield Bradford
Date:
1843
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: American antiquities, and researches into the origin and history of the red race / By Alexander W. Bradford. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    cardinal points, and the gates of Avhich are protected on the exterior by curtains of earth; the Chinese costume is similar to that worn in some parts of South America ; their rule interdict- ing marriage between persons of the same surname, resembles the Indian prohibition against intermarriage between persons of the same clan; quails were sacred birds among the Mon- gols, and they were sacrificed in Mexico to the Sun ; the roads, canals, and walls of the Chinese and Mongols, are anal- ogous to those of the Peruvians and Mexicans; the skulls of enemies killed in battle were preserved as trophies, and con- verted into banqueting cups 5 and the Cyclopean arch of reced- ing steps is to be observed in the Chinese buildings.* * Crawfurd’s Siam, vol. i. p. 284; vol. ii. p. 9. Barrow, pp. 4, 61, 63. Coxe, pp. 215, 223. Arch. Am., vol. ii. p. 109. Davis, vol. i. p. 268. Thunberg’s Trav., p. 204. Molina, vol. ii. p. 82. Du Halde, vol. ii. p. 250. On the altar of the ancient temple of Hercules at Cadiz, where a fire was kept continually burning, “ quails were sacrificed because Hercules had been restored by them to life.”—Bryant. The Chilians, as well as the natives of Darien and the West India islands, practised a method of taking water-fowl, precisely identical with that customary among the Chinese.—Molina., vol. ii. p. 23. ‘•Our road,” says Captain Andrew, “lay along the banks of the Rio Chico. The population along this road is entirely Indian, under a regular Alcade government, and they inhabit the luxuriant borders of a stream which are irrigated and cultivated with even Chinese economy. It struck me as curious, too, that their dress resembled the Chinese, as well as some peculiarities in their manners.” “ The head apparel of the working-class so much resembles the Chinese, that I almost fancied myself in the ])addy-fields in the vicinity of 52