Part 24 (2/2)

”The iht, the left foot a little forwards, the heels turned inwards The distance between the heels by an exact measurement was six and a quarter inches, and thirteen and a half between the extrereat toes By an accurate examination, it however will be ascertained, that they are not the impression of feet, accustomed to the use of European shoes, for the toes are pressed out, and the foot is flat, as is observed in persons alk barefoot The probability that they were caused by the pressure of an individual, that belonged to an unknown race ofhides, and that this took place in a e than the traditions of the present Indians extend to, this probability I say, is strengthened by the extraordinary size of the feet here given

In another respect, the ily natural, since the reatest exactness and truth This circumstance weakens very much the hypothesis, that they are possibly evidences of the ancient sculpture of a race of es of this continent Neither history nor tradition, gives us the slightest information of such a people For it must be kept in mind, that we have no proof that the people who erected our surprising western tue of masonry, even much less of sculpture, or that they had invented the chisel, the knife, or the axe, those excepted th of the huth of the foot stamp here described, amounts to ten and a quarter inches, the breadth le with the first line is four inches, but the greatest spread of the toes is four and a half inches, which breadth diminishes at the heels to two and a half inches

Directly before these impressions is a well inserted and deep th is two feet seven inches, and the greatest breadth twelve and a half inches The rock which contains these interesting traces, is a coray colour”

This rock with the unknown i as the country about St Louis has been known, this table is hewn out of a rock, and indeed out of a perpendicular wall of rock

The garden of Rapp's house was the usual flower-garden of a rich Gere fig trees, an orange, and lemon tree stood in the earth Mr Owen took me into one of the newly-built houses, in which the married members of the society are to dwell It consisted of two stories, in each two chambers and two alcoves, with the requisite ventilators The cellar of the house is to contain a heating apparatus, to heat the whole aranized, thethe apparatus Each family will have a chamber and an alcove, which will be sufficient, as the little children will be in a nursery, and the larger at school They will not require kitchens, as all are to eat in coether, as will also the unmarried men, in the manner of the Moravian brethren

I had an a to his syste less than to remodel the world entirely; to root out all crime; to abolish all punishments; to create similar views and similar wants, and in this manner to avoid all dissension and warfare When his systereat progress , every ht, provide his smaller necessaries for himself, and trade would cease entirely! I expressed a doubt of the practicability of his system in Europe, and even in the United States He was too unalterably convinced of the results, to adrieved me to see that Mr Owen should allow himself to be so infatuated by his passion for universal improvement, as to believe and to say that he is about to reform the whole world; and yet that almost every member of his society, hoed that he was deceived in his expectations, and expressed their opinion that Mr Owen had corand a scale, and had admitted too many members, without the requisite selection! The territory of the society may contain twenty five thousand acres The sum of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars was paid to Rapp for this purchase, and for that consideration he also left both his cattle, and a considerable flock of sheep behind

I ith the elder Doctor M'Namee, to the t established communities, one of which is called No 2, or Macluria; the other lately founded, No 3 No 2, lies two miles distant from New Harmony, at the entrance of the forest, which will be cleared tohouses, first tenanted about four weeks since, by about eighty persons They are mostly backwoodsmen with their families, who have separated themselves froion_ is acknowledged there, and these people wish to hold their prayer hbourhood of this community were of course very new The colish country people, who formed a new association, as the mixture, or perhaps the cosmopolitism of New Harmony did not suit thelish Prairie, about twenty ht bank of the Wabash, after the unfortunate death of that gentleman,[II-20] and came here This is a proof that there are two evils that strike at the root of the young societies; one is a sectarian or intolerant spirit; the other, national prejudice No 3, is to be built on a very pretty e for three faun

[Footnote II-20: He was drowned in the Wabash, which he attempted to swim over on horseback]

After we had returned to New Harmony, I went to the orchard on the Mount Vernon road to walk, and beheld, to es the frost had committed on the fruit blossoms, the vines must have been completely killed The orchards planted by Rapp and his society are large and very handso mostly apple and peach trees, also soardens is exclusively devoted to flowers, where, in Rapp's ties and flowers, in the middle of which stood a pavilion, covered with the tops of trees

I afterwards visited Mr Neef, who is still full of the maxims and principles of the French revolution; captivated with the systeroes, and openly proclaims himself an ATHEIST Such people stand by themselves, and fortunately are so very few in number, that they can do little or no injury

In the evening there was a general e hall, it opened with lish architect of talent, who came to the United States with Mr Ohose confidence he appeared to possess, and was here at the head of the arranging and architectural department, read some extracts froood commentary; for exaines, upon their adaptation to navigation, and the advantages resulting therefrom He lost himself, however, in his theories, when he expatiated on an article which related to the experi these lectures, I made my observations on the much vaunted equality, as some tatterdemalions stretched themselves on the platform close by Mr Owen

The better educated ether, and took no notice of the others I reher class of society had put on the new costume, and made a party by theentleman took a lady, and marched with her round the room Lastly, a cotillion was danced: the ladies were then escorted home, and each retired to his own quarters

I went early on the followingwas opened by music After this Mr Owen stated a proposition, in the discussion of which he spoke of the advances made by the society, and of the location of a new coe, in Pennsylvania, and another in the state of New York A classification of the members was spoken of afterwards They were separated into three classes, first, of such as undertook to be security for the sums due Mr

Owen and Mr M'Clure, (that is, for the ae to be redeemed by the society,) and who, if desirous to leave the society, ive six months previous notice; secondly, of such as after a notice of fourteen days can depart; and, lastly of those who are received only on trial

After this , I paid Mr M'Clure a visit, and received from him the French papers Mr M'Clure is old, childless, was never married, and intends, as is reported, to leave his property to the society

Afterwards I ith Mr Owen, and some ladies of the society, to walk to the cut-off, as it is called, of the Wabash, where this river has formed a new channel, and an island, which contains more than a hundred acres of the best land; at present, however, inundated by water There is here a substantial grist-ood set of machinery, but where we could not reach it on account of the water We went soh the woods over the hills, which, as it was rather warm, and we could discover no pathas very laborious to the ladies, ere uncommonly alarmed at the different snakes we chanced to meet Most of the serpent species here are hars The poisonous snakes harbouring about here, are rattlesnakes and copperheads; these, however, diminish rapidly in numbers, for it is a common observation, that the poisonous serpents, like the Indians and bears, fly before civilization The rattlesnakes have a powerful ene about the woods, which are very well skilled in catching the I paid visits to some ladies, and witnessed philosophy and the love of equality put to the severest trial with one of the and pretty, was delicately brought up, and appears to have taken refuge here on account of an unhappy attach very well on the piano forte, she was told that theunmilked Almost in tears, she betook herself to this servile e the new social system, and its so much prized equality

After the coere irl was trod on by one, and daubed by another, I joined an aquatic party with the young ladies and soood boat upon the inundated ht, and the air very ot her _stable_ sufferings, and regaled us with her sweet voice Soether in the house No 2, appointed for a school-house, where all the young ladies and gentlemen of _quality_ assembled In spite of the equality so much recommended, this class of persons will not mix with the coht up usted, and will soon abandon the society We a the whole re cotillions, reels and waltzes, and with such aniures had been introduced a which is one called the _new social syste on Sunday; we thought however, that in this sanctuary of philosophy, such prejudices should be utterly discarded, and our arguained the victory

On the 17th April, a violent storether that it was hardly possible to remain in the streets, and I remained at home almost all day I received a visit froer by birth, and brother of lady Von Mareuil, in Washi+ngton, has settled hiht miles from New Harmony, and lives a real hermit's life, without a servant or assistant of any kind He was fore, and went, froht fanaticishts As he there discovered himself to be deceived in his anticipations, he returned to his native country, and delivered hiious superstition

To extricate hied in wretchedness, he accoht a piece of land from Rapp, by whom he asserted he was io, since he knew nothing of agriculture He lived in this manner in the midst of the forest with a solitary horse A cruel accident had befallen him the week before, his stable with his trusty horse was burnt He appeared to be a well-informed man, and spoke well and rationally, only when he touched upon religious topics, his ed He declared that he supported all possible privations with the greatest patience, only he felt the want of intercourse with a friend in his solitude

To-day two co, and exercisedand afternoon They were all in unifor front

I was invited to dinner in the house, No 4 Soht home a wild turkey, which must be consumed

This turkey formed the whole dinner Upon the whole I cannot complain either of an overloaded sto it, in any way The living was frugal in the strictest sense, and in nowise pleased the elegant ladies ho I visited Mr M'Clure and Mada in the sa-school in Philadelphia, and is called _irls here The handsomest and most polished of the feinia, were under her care The coerewhen I came in, and therefore we could hear their perfor voices in peace and quiet Later in the evening ent to the kitchen of No 3, where there was a ball The young ladies of the better class kept theeot's protection, and formed a little aristocratical club To prevent all possible partialities, the gentlemen as well as the ladies, drew numbers for the cotillions, and thus apportioned the ladies turned up their noses apart at the democratic dancers, who often in this way fell to their lot Although every one was pleased upon the whole, yet they separated at ten o'clock, as it is necessary to rise early here I accoeot and her two pupils home, and passed some time in conversation with Mr M'Clure on his travels in Europe, which were undertaken with ical views The architect, Mr Whitwell, besides showed me to-day the plan of this establishment

I ades, as well as the kitchens and laundries It would indeed be a desirable thing could a building on this plan once be completed, and Mr Owen hopes that the whole of New Hared