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Mysterious Cities


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Captain Alfred Fisher, of the Nantucket whale-ship " America," during his last voyage, visited the Tinian, one of the Ladrone Islands, and in one of his walks discovered ruins of what was once an extensive city; splendid still in all its hoary dilapidated condition. The buildings were all of stone. Huge columns, 20 and 50 feet high were scattered over the ground, and tall cocoa-nut trees spread their roots among the halls and temples of a race long since passed away, and of which we have no history, except the remnants of their handiwork, which tell us thatthey were far more civilized than the people who now inhabit the same region.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 8 Issue 8This article was originally published with the title “Mysterious Cities” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 8 No. 8 (), p. 64
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican11061852-64f