Page 130 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

126 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS.
the Oriental nations. Mr. S. also observes that the practice of
periodical offerings of food and libations to the dead, is common
to the Hindoos and Indians. Among the latter, in the north,
there is no caste,-no burning of widows on the funeral pile nor
casting of bodies into streams supposed to be sacred; and that
thus far, their belief appears to be of Chaldee-Persic origin. *
The Mexicans possessed a degree of civilization unknown to
any of the more northern tribes, and preserved a more minute
and authcntic history, from which the Spanish conquerors

* Mental Types of the Indian Race.
It does not appear that idols, or visible representations of their objects of
worship were very common among the American tribes, whether civilized or
sovage. Much learning and research have been brought to the task of tracing
parallels between the Mythology of the Indians and that of Ihe Asiatic natione,
ltnd with a degree ofsuccess both as to the number and nature of the ooinzden-
aes, which renders an explanation of those parallels, on the ground of mere
accident, quite impossible; and in some instances identity of symbolic repre-
enta tat ions of the same ideas have been discovered in both. For an elaborate
but somewhat diffuse and in some respects unsatisfactory investigation of this
subject, see Moeurs Des Sauvages Arneripaains, Compazes auz Moeurs des Premiers
:pemps,, By P. LAFITAN-1724.
Apropos to this subject, we may mention the discovery, in one of the central
counties of this State, of an image carved in marble, found in the earth about
a foot below the surface. The head was broken of, but otherwise the rclic woa
perfect. It waa presented to the State Historical Society. by Hon. LEVI HUB-
BELL, and may be seen at the Society's rooms. It was supposed to be an In.
dian relic. On seeing it I was at once struck with the strong similarity between
it, and certain idols 1 had seen, brought from Asia. I forwarded the image to
P'rof. JAMIESON, of Carroll College, who had bcen many"years s missionary in
India, requesting him to state to what extent it corresponded with similar ob-
jects he had seen in Asiatic countries. The following is his reply:
YLY DEAR MR. SMITH-
The idol you showed me is doubtless of Asiatic origin, either Chi-
nese or Hindoo.
It is en imnge of Budh which the Budhists of China and Burmah and the
J:hin sect of India worship. I would judge from its fresh appearance that it
had never been buried in the earth, exposed to the action of the atmosphere,
or to attrition in water for any length of time.
It must have been dropped by some person lately, where it was found.
The marble is also of Asiatic origin.
Yours truly,
June 24th, 1859. J. &I. JAMIESON.
Prof JAMIESON, mhois every way competent to judge of the design of the
image, seems to have no hesitation in pronouncing it an image of Budh; and
not only so, but he thinks it is of Asiatic manufacture, and recently dropped
where it wns found, by some whitc man. In regard to the fresh appearance,
however, the Professor was not aware of the facts. When found; it was very
black and the coloring matter had so penetrated the marble that it required
much hard scouring and the retrncing of the indented lines to restore it to its
natural color. If I am correctly informed as to the looality in which it was
found, the depth to which it was covered with earth, and its general appear-
anl:e, it must hove ldn there for a long time-probably for centuries-at least