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The Indians certainly could not have executed anything of the kind; and the general opinion is, that some human being must have passed over the marble when it was of the consistency of clay, and thus have left the impression of his feet. The impressions indeed appear to have been made by some one who was running, or else stooping forward to pick up something. But I can hardly myself imagine, how or where a piece of marble could ever have been in so soft a state, as to receive the impression of a human foot. I hope that the marble will soon be inspected by some one competent to give an opinion, particularly as the impressions may at no great length of time be effaced, from being always left exposed to the weather.

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The religious tenets of the Harmonites are not very well known; but it is at any rate certain that they profess equality and the community of possessions. The most extraordinary part of their system is their celibacy; for the men and women live separate, and are not allowed any intercourse. In order to keep up their numbers they have once or twice sent agents to Germany to bring over proselytes, for they admit no Americans. Among those that last came over, were a great many children of both sexes.

Very few of the inhabitants of Harmony could speak English, and indeed the young boys and girls are chiefly educated in the German tongue. The policy of the head men appears to be, that of pre

venting, as much as possible, any of their inferiors from communicating with the Americans, fearing no doubt, that they would see the folly of their system.

What struck me as very singular was, that no one would answer any questions. Even my host Ekensperker, when I asked if they were permitted to marry, what became of all the money they collected, &c. invariably replied, "We never answer these questions." Some few persons have seceded from this society. These have generally been young men, who sacrificing fanaticism to nature, have gone off with young women and married them. By good fortune I chanced to meet one of these men, and learned from him a few particulars of the sect; but even he did not appear to be very willing to communicate what he knew. He told me that marriage was interdicted; but could give me no reason why it was. Moreover he told me, that it is unknown what becomes of all the money Rapp receives. Now this must be a very considerable sum, as the Harmonites neglect no means of amassing money. For instance, they send every year boats laden with produce to New Orleans; and the little settlement of Albion has paid them altogether nearly 60,000 dollars, though at present it is rapidly becoming independent of them.

The Harmonites will receive in payment no other money but specie or United States Bank notes. At the same time they expend nothing;

and indeed money appears to be of no use to men, producing food, and manufacturing all necessaries within their own settlement. Every thing is sold in Rapp's name, and all the money is transmitted to him, even the proceeds of the house of entertainment and the doctor's shop.

This secrecy about the great sums that must be collected annually by the united labour of seven or eight hundred industrious individuals, possessed of a great deal of skill, and having the entire monopoly of the neighbouring country, has, I must confess, a very suspicious appearance, especially as Rapp holds a correspondence with Germany. At the same time, as he is an old man, and never intends to leave Harmony, I do not see any thing he could gain by sending away the money.

The Harmonites all dress very plainly and wear nearly the same clothes; but Rapp and the head men live in better houses, and have plenty of wine, beer, groceries, &c.; while the rest of their brethren are limited to coarse, though wholesome food, are debarred the use of groceries, &c., have a less quantity of meat, and are even obliged to make use of an inferior kind of flour.

In their celibacy, and in some other points, they resemble the Shakers, though they differ from them in refusing to admit proselytes. They are in fact only a somewhat improved order of industrious monks and nuns, except that they are very unwilling to have any thing known about them

selves, and are by no means anxious to make converts. If they spoke English, and were allowed a free intercourse with the Americans, they would soon learn, that with the same habits of temperance, industry, and economy, they could in that rich and fertile district have every comfort they at present enjoy, with the additional satisfaction of amassing money for themselves, and of having children who would doubtless rise to opulence and consideration.

At present however Rapp points out to them the difference between their situation and that of the Backwoodsmen in the neighbourhood, leaving them to suppose, that this superiority is owing to their peculiar tenets and mode of life. Moreover, as I am informed, Rapp, like all other Priests, holds out eternal punishment in the next world to those who secede. Like the Virgilian "Rex Anius, rex idem hominum, Phœbique Sacerdos," he is both Governor and Priest, preaching to them in church and managing when out of it their pecuniary affairs. Hence this society presents the extraordinary spectacle of a most complete despotism in the midst of a great republic: for with the exception perhaps of being a little better clothed and fed, the lower orders of the Harmonites are as much vassals, or more so, than they were in Germany.

The settlement was once a benefit to the neighbourhood; but at present most of the Americans

consider it as injurious. At first the people, for a great distance around the Settlement, being sup plied with goods that they could not easily procure elsewhere, considered it advantageous to them; but they now think precisely the contrary; for the Harmonites, not having to pay their workmen, are enabled to under-sell every one who would wish to set up a store, and thus prevent competition. Moreover, as in exchange for their cloths, linens, hats, whiskey, &c., they receive vast sums of money which they never spend, and thus diminish the circulating medium of the country.

"If," say the Americans, "an ordinary merchant could come among us, and set up a store, as he grew rich he would increase his expenditure, and the money would circulate and enrich those who supplied him with meat, bread, &c.; but these people spend nothing, and therefore we should be very glad to see their society destroyed."

Old Rapp has transferred most of the active superintendence of the temporal concerns of the society to his adopted son Frederic Rapp, thus accustoming the people to a sort of hereditary despotism. We may however very much doubt, whether the society will hold together after the old man's death, an event which in the course of nature must soon take place.

The people, under the present system, are a set of well-fed, well-clothed, hard-working vassals. They are very grave and serious. During the

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