About 5 feet in from the southern margin and 1 foot, 8 inches from the surface, unassociated with human remains, was a vessel of heavy earthenware, unique so far as our experience extends. This interesting vessel, entirely intact, consists of four irregular compartments joined together on the same plane. From their point of union a fifth compartment rises as shown in Plates [I] and [II].
We are indebted to Professor Holmes for a sketch of a five-chambered vessel about 5.25 inches square, from a mound in Franklin County, Florida. The central compartment is not raised above the other four, as is the case in our specimen, but is on the same plane and surrounded by them. Various high authorities consulted by us express ignorance of the discovery within the limits of the United States of five-chambered vessels other than the two here recorded.
Nothing in these mounds gave any evidence of intercourse with the Whites.
Low Mound at Mulberry Grove, Duval County
About ten miles south of Jacksonville, on the west bank of the St. Johns, is the estate of A. M. Reed, Esq., known as Mulberry Grove. We are particularly indebted to Mr. Reed for permission to investigate his mound inasmuch as it was under cultivation at the time of our visit. The mound is reported to have been ploughed down for thirty years and materially reduced in height. Its diameter of base was 46 feet; its height, 2 feet.
A central excavation, 32 feet in diameter (and this, we think, included the original mound) was carried through at a depth of about 5 feet. The mound was of brown sand, unstratified, and contained great numbers of fireplaces with charcoal. The form of burial, with one exception, was in anatomical order, about two dozen skeletons being met with, all much decayed. The crania were also badly crushed. About 2.5 feet from the surface was a heap of calcined human bones with charcoal.
Some of the crumbling skeletons lay at a depth of 5 feet from the surface.
Sherds were infrequent and probably of accidental introduction.
Fig. 3.—Earthenware vessel with incised decoration. Mound at Mulberry Grove. (½ size.)