Organic Remains in the Karroo, in a letter to Dr. Smith, 

 Corresponding Secretary to the South' African Institution. 

 By Mr. C. II. Guisuuqok. 



Dear Sin, — As a Corresponding Member of your interesting 

 Society, I beg leave to direct your attention to the following 

 remarks relative to those Organic Remains which were dis- 

 covered in that part of the Great Karroo denominated the 

 " Kowf," and situated within the district of Beaufort. 



In the year 1S27, while on a tour of the colony, I remained 

 some time at the village of Beaufort, and occasionally passed 

 a few days at the country residence of the Ex-Landdrost Mr. 

 lirtino, of whose hospitality and kindness I cannot speak lo'i 

 highly. It was during one. of these visits that Mr. B. presented 

 me with a small collection of minerals, among which f per- 

 ceived a fragment or broken portion of a Fossil-Tooth of un- 

 usual dimensions; perceiving that my curiosity was excited by 

 the peculiar appearance of this substance, he enabled me to 

 collect the following brief relation of the manner in which it 

 came into his possession. 



About a year prior to my visit to that part of the colony, a 

 son of the Field-cornet De Klerck, while tiding from Beau- 

 fort to the Gamka, where his father and family had temporarily 

 located themselves for the advantage of better pasturage foe 

 their flocko, accidentally stumbled upon a petrified skeleton, 

 which he mistook for the remains of a large fiih, the peculiar 

 position and appearance of the vertebrao, or spine, protruding a 

 Utile above the surface of the ground, favoring the supposition; 

 without, taking particular notice of the object, he alighted and 

 took up the before-mentioned broken tooth, which had pre- 

 viously been detached from its socket, and was lying exposed 

 upon the surface, and then rode away. Sometime afterwards 

 he presented the relict to Mr. B., who, depositing it among his 

 minerals, it remained there until the period of my arrival, when 

 the interest I evinced on inspecting it brought the circumstance 

 again to his recollection, and consequently led to an arrange- 

 ment between us to visit the place where it had been found. 



The following morning we set out, and as the Field-Cornet 

 had again taken up his periodical sojourn near the banks of the 

 Gamka, we agreed to call upon him for the purpose of obtain- 

 ing the necessary information relative to the locality of the 

 spot where we were to search for the Petrification. 



Arriving, therefore, at the tents of this pastoral family, we 

 'were received with much kindness; and no sooner had thi 



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