Mobile daily commercial register and patriot., 1841-09-01
Corresponaence of the Register.

ALLENToN, WILCOX, Co. ALA.
 August 25lh, ls41. Some of very large fossil bones found durng
 the present month in Clarke County, Aiabana.
 Having been informed by Madam Rumor, that the bones of large lizard-like animal 50 70 feet in length on the plantation of Judge J. c. Creag' of Clarke County, went 10 the spot. The Judge told me that there was little probability of gettitg anything like an entire skeleton-that he had been anxious to get one for many years-that few years ago, he had Mir Wilson on his plantation, of Wilson, miles from Judge C's, who commenced digging out the bones of one which appeared to approximate to something like a skeleton. They dug out l3 verte- brae, (this was m the fa when they desisted from their abors, intending to them in the spring In the spring Wilson informed the Judge, that the frost had caused the bones dug out and left on the same spot, to crumbe that they were of little va ue--and the matter rested. We repaired to the place-found 10 of the lS vertebrae, in a tolerabe state of preservation and immediately begun digging for the remainder. After digging for several days, found 34 yertebrae, making with the other 10, II, which were nearly entire. These were generally found in continuous line, nearly joined together. These yertebrae, are mostly from l2 to l6 inches in length, and from to l2 inches in diameter all mea suring 50 feet in length! Only 3 of the ta and o the neck yertebrae were found besides many frag. ments of the ribs, and some few of the leg bones We labored hard and sought in vain for a head The head to correspond with the other parts of the ami mal, must have been 10 15 feet long. Since, very few of the tail and neck bones have been found to make the 50 feet in length obtained; the entire ami maj cannot have been less than 70 or 80 feet long Some idea of the immense size of these bones may be formed from the fact that they made two heavy wagon loads for two yoke of oxen, good road. They are now laid out at their length in Judge Creaghs door yard for the inspection of the They will be shipped for New York towards the last of next December. These bones were found nearly at the foot of the hill, incning at angle of abont l5 degrees. The tail vertebrae, were about foot deep; those of the back increased in depth towards where the head ought to have been, till they or feet beneath the surface. The soil has been in cultivation for thirty years and the depth of from one to two feet, is the rich black land peculiar the prairies beneath which is whitish mari to feet thick, containing few shells. Atthe depth of about feet is black clay blue mari, soft and tenacious to the touch. Many sharks leeh oyster and other shells of species now living in the neghboring seas, are found scattered over and beneath tine surface, clearly showing It to belong to the upper tertiary miocene formation of Lyel These bones belong to extinct species of Sauran Cor lizard like animal) whose principal element the water, called the Basilosaurus Cor king lizard,) by Harlan, from some few bones received few years ago at Philadelphia from Louisiana. Subsequently Judge Creagh sent few vertebrae, some ribs and part of jaw bone to Philadelphia; an account of which was published in the transactions of the Geological Society of Penn sylvania.
 These animals must have once existed in great bers, especially in the vicinity of Judge C's, where in almost every limestone field, fragments of bones (mostly sertebr@) scattered in profusion the surface. Great numbers have been burnt to get them out of the way of the plough. The inhabitants have often used the yertebre andirons. Even now, carloads of the broken fragments of different skele- tons are there. These bones lie so near and upon the surface, and many of them have been destroy ed, that there is little hope of getting any thing like perfect skeleton. Judge Creagh has corres- bonded for several years with scientific men at the North for whom he has been anxious to procure one without success. The nearest approximation to the skeleton of any animal yet obtained, is that part of one now lying in the yard at Judge Creagh's.
 S R RITCKIEY