I will next introduce the discriptions of some of these ancient fortifications and military works of defense, as recorded in the American Antiquities, by Josiah Priest, and also introduce a history of the building of these fortifications and works of defence, as recorded in the Book of Mormon; and I will here remarks, that the Book of Mormon was published in A. D. 1830, and the American Antiquities, by Josiah Priest, was not published until A. D. 1833, three years after. Antiquities, page 158 and 159, “Now Newark in the county of Lickering, Ohio, is situated one of the immense works or fortifications of the ancient nations of America. It embraces in the whole, a circumference of about six hundred rods, or nearly two miles; a wall of earth for about four hundred rods, is raised on the sides of this fort next to the small creek which comes down along its sides for the west and east. It would seem that the people who made this settlement, undertook to encompass with a wall, as much land as would support its inhabitants, and also sufficient to build their dwellings on, with several fortifications arranged in a proper manner for its defence. There are writing its ranges four of these forts, of different dimensions; one contains forty acres, with a wall of about ten feet high; another containing twenty-two acres, also walled, but in this fort is an elevated observatory, of sufficient height to overlook the whole country; a third fort, containing about twenty-six acres, having a wall around it thrown out of a deep ditch on the inside of the wall. This wall is now from twenty-five to thirty feet in height. A fourth fortification encloses twenty acres with a wall of about ten feet high.”

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The foregoing is but a few of the corresponding accounts of fortifications and works of defence there was to be found in the Book of Mormon and American Antiquities, but these are sufficient to show to the public that the people whose history is contained in the Book of Mormon, are the authors of these works.