Proceedings of the South African Institution. 83 



August 31.— After a communication from His Excellency 

 the Governor, informing the Members, that, agreeable _ to 

 their request, he would have much pleasure in becoming 

 Patron of the Institution, was heard, the following papers 

 were read : — 



Remarks on the advantages of having a Botanic Garden near 

 Cape Town. By Mr. Bowie. — The author in this commu- 

 nication pointed out the occurrence of frequent failures 

 and much uncertainty in the transport of living plants to 

 Europe, whether transmitted from the interior of this 

 Colony, or from countries to the eastward of it, in conse- 

 quence of their being no such repository here, to afford them 

 a temporary resting-place, when circumstances might be un- 

 favorable to their farther progress. He then noticed the 

 existence of peculiarities in certain classes of Cape Plants, 

 which rendered such an establishment particularly to be de- 

 sired in regard to them ; and having illustrated the general 

 advantages of thus collecting and arranging plants, to altord 

 the means of elucidating their character and affinities, he 

 concluded by remarking the benefits likely to arise from such 

 investigation to science, commerce, and domestic economy. 



Sketches of the Botany of the Cape Distinct, No. 1. By Mr. 

 Bowie. — Containing a catalogue of the indigenous plants 

 which may be expected to flower in the month of September : 

 with remarks on their peculiarities, uses, &c. 



Observations on the Origin and History of the Bnshmen. 

 By Dr. Smith — In this paper the writer adduces reasons for 

 believing that Bushmen existed even long before Europeans 

 visited South Africa, and that they had possibly been coeval 

 with the Hottentots themselves. He mentioned, that commu- 

 nities or families, of a character similar to what we under- 

 stand by the term " Bushmen," inhabit all the barren wastes of 

 Great Namaqualand, and conduct themselves towards the 

 Hottentots and Damaras in their vicinity, exactly as those 

 immediately in advance of our Frontier do towards the Colo- 

 nists. It was then stated, that the majority of them are de- 

 cidedly of the genuine Hottentot race ; and, after some de- 

 tails in regard to their mental character, external physiology, 

 and modes of living, hunting, conducting their depredations, 

 &c. the paper concluded with " an earnest recommendation to 

 such members as may have been in the habit of observing our 

 savage tribes, to embody their remarks for occasions like the 

 present," as tending to personal and general benefit." 



Sept. 30. — Sketches of the Botany of South Africa, No. 2. 

 By Mr. Bowie. — The author stated, that the number of plants 

 indigenous to South Africa was unknown, but, to his prac- 

 tical knowledge, the Cape colony contained more species of 



