In 1569 the Jesuit Rogel--called Father John Roger by Shea--began
mission work among the South Carolina tribes inland from Santa Elena
(about Port Royal). The mission, which at first promised well, was
abandoned next year, owing to the unwillingness of the Indians to give
up their old habits and beliefs. Shea, in his "Catholic Missions,"
supposes that these Indians were probably a part of the Cherokee,
but a study of the Spanish record in Barcia (Ensayo, pp. 138-141)
shows that Rogel penetrated only a short distance from the coast.
(10) Davies' History of the Carribby Islands (p. 29): The fraudulent
character of this work, which is itself an altered translation of a
fictitious history by Rochefort, is noted by Buckingham Smith (Letter
of Hernando de Soto, p. 36, 1854), Winsor (Narrative and Critical
History, II, p. 289), and Field (Indian Bibliography, p. 95). Says
Field: "This book is an example of the most unblushing effrontery. The
pseudo author assumes the credit of the performance, with but
the faintest allusion to its previous existence. It is a nearly
faithful translation of Rochefort's 'Histoire des Antilles.' There is,
however, a gratifying retribution in Davies' treatment of Rochefort,
for the work of the latter was fictitious in every part which was not
purloined from authors whose knowledge furnished him with all in his
treatise which was true."
(11) Ancient Spanish Mines (pp. 29, 31): As the existence of the
precious metals in the southern Alleghenies was known to the Spaniards
from a very early period, it is probable that more thorough exploration
of that region will bring to light many evidences of their mining
operations. In his "Antiquities of the Southern Indians," Jones
describes a sort of subterranean village discovered in 1834 on Dukes
creek, White county, Georgia, consisting of a row of small log cabins
extending along the creek, but imbedded several feet below the surface
of the ground, upon which large trees were growing, the inference being
that the houses had been thus covered by successive freshets. The
logs had been notched and shaped apparently with sharp metallic
tools. Shafts have been discovered on "Valley river, North Carolina,
at the bottom of one of which was found, in 1854, a well-preserved
windlass of hewn oak timbers, showing traces of having once been banded
with iron. Another shaft, passing through hard rock, showed the marks
of sharp tools used in the boring. The casing and other timbers were
still sound (Jones, pp. 48, 49). Similar ancient shafts have been
found in other places in upper Georgia and western North Carolina,
together with some remarkable stone-built fortifications or corrals,
notably at Fort mountain, in Murray county, Georgia, and on Silver
creek, a few miles from Rome, Georgia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account