118 On the Silver, Gold, and Plutina, of Russia. 



ribs are unfortunately much broken, and not being able, from 

 their situation, to attain but some portions of them, I am unable 

 to state accurately their length ; but from a careful examination 

 made by myself, on the spot, I am disposed to think they were 

 from four and a half to five feet in length. The smaller vertebra 

 is convex before, concave behind, has a bold strong spinal arch, 

 and no processes on the fore part. The bones are petrified, but 

 in the smaller vertebra and ribs, the petrification is more com- 

 plete. No teeth or jaws of this animal were found. 



I have no doubt that many more bones might have been found ; 

 several feet below the spot whence the described bones were 

 taken, many ribs were found jutting into the well. I only de- 

 sisted from continuing my search after more bones, on account of 

 the apprehensions of the workmen that the sides of the well would 

 fall in, and because a supply of water was particularly import- 

 ant to me at the time. 



It will give me great pleasure to forward these fossil remains 

 to you, in any manner you may point out, being very respectfully 

 your obedient servant, 



J. S. OwE^. 



To Mr. Featherstonhaugh. 



ON THE SILVER, GOLD, AND PLATINA, OF RUSSIA. 



By James Dickson, Esq. F. G. S. M. B. S. &c. 



JVew Brunswick, JV. J., August 17, 1831. 

 My dear Sir, — I do myself the honour of forwarding to you for 

 insertion, if you please, in your Journal, the following communi- 

 cation, which has been extracted principally from the journal I 

 kept, when recently in Russia. My long residence in the mining 

 districts of South America, has made me familiar with the sub- 

 ject of the precious metals.* I anticipate great pleasure in a 

 visit I propose making in a short time to the " gold region" of the 

 United States, when I shall pay particular attention to the 



* The writer of this paper is the Mr. Dickson whose desperate resistance to, and 

 extraordinary escaj)e from the Mexiran banditti, near Pucbla de los Angelos, in 1829, 

 is narrated in the New Monthly Magazine, 1830, lately edited by Mr. Campbell. 



It requires to know Mr. Dickson, and to have seen the frightful scars he bears upon 

 his person, as we have done, to give full faith to that most romantic narrative. 



Mr. Dickson is a very experienced metallurgist, and his proposed visit to the south, 

 will be highly faTOurable to our knowledge of its metallic and mineral resources. 



Editob. 



