Part 61

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=74=.--1820?--The following report was published in the Zoologist of 1849, p. 2460.

“What degree of confidence the following story may gain is to me a subject of very little consideration; for as I can have no view of gaining anything by it, so it certainly will appear that it would hardly be worth the trouble of invention; but as a story of this sort has made its appearance among our transatlantic friends, without being at all credited, it is as likely in Europe this may have the same fate; yet if it can afford any amusement or information for intelligent and scrutinizing minds, for their gratification I freely give it to the press, assuring them, on my sacred honour, of the truth of what I am about to describe. On Sunday, about 5. P. M., being then in latitude 46, longitude 3, by dead reckoning, observed an immense body on the surface of the water, apparently without motion, but water spouting from it, not unlike the blowing of a whale. I immediately got my glass; and, from its rugged appearance and showing nothing where the water issued from, I began to entertain some doubts, that this must have been the vigia laid down for Barenethy’s rocks or the three chimneys, and, so prepared in my own mind, I directed the steering sails to be taken in and the ship prepared for going about. Some of my ship’s company were of opinion it was a ship-bottom up: this I thought not unlikely, and went into the main cat harpens to look more distinctly at it: the appearance then was still steady, but irregular. I saw neither head nor tail above the water, but a hump from one extreme resembling the rise or point of rather a triangular rock: this tapered to a distance,--I certainly believe 70 or 100 feet, and the water broke over it, a little beyond it: it discharged the spout; but nothing showing itself, undetermined in mind what it could be, or whether I should tack the ship, it all at once disappeared, and, to my great astonishment, a head and neck--resembling something of a serpent’s--made its appearance, erected about six feet above the surface of the water. After taking a survey towards the vessel, it all at once vanished, leaving us full of conjecture and surprise. It gives me more confidence in making the above statement, as one of the seamen, whose name is Jonathan Townsend, was in the main top, and saw the creature I have described, and would feel no hesitation in taking an oath to it.--George Sanford, Lieutenant R. N.”

No doubt the latitude of 46 degrees is northern lat., so that the appearance occurred in the Bay of Biscay.--The act of breathing of the sea-serpent, after having remained for some time under the surface of the water, just as in whales, has an appearance generally called “spouting”. Apparently the animal held its head just at water-level, and so it showed “nothing where the water issued from”. The rugged appearance may have been caused by the animal lying with several bunches on its back, as afterwards was also reported by the Lloydsteamer Kätie (n°. 154) or by its having a mane, extending all along the neck and back. The “hump from one extreme resembling the rise or point of rather a triangular rock” must have been the animal’s head which it lifted up just above the surface. Nearly the same appearance will be observed in the figure of one of the officers of H. M. S. Plumper (fig. 31). Let the dimensions moreover be somewhat exaggerated, the “head and neck resembling something of a serpent’s erected about six feet above the surface of the water”, the “taking a survey towards the vessel”, and the vanishing at once, makes all comment superfluous; all these characters have more than once been reported of this creature.

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In the Philosophical Magazine and Journal, Vol. LVII, 1821, we find an extract from the numerous reports communicated by Prof BIGELOW in SILLIMAN’S American Journal of Science and the Arts, Boston, Vol. II, 1820, May.

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We have already quoted MILTON, who in his Paradise Lost, printed in 1667, compares Satan with some huge monsters, amongst others the sea-serpent. Parts of these verses have been more than once cited by writers of articles on the sea-serpent. I cannot but express my surprise at this custom, for there is not one single word or expression in MILTON’S verses, which is taken from accounts, reports, or tales of the sea-serpent itself. WALTER SCOTT, however, in his Pirate: which was published in 1821, vol. I, chapt. II, says a few words about the animal, which are so correct, that they must have been taken from some or other report:

“The Ocean also had its mysteries, etc.”

“The Sea-Snake was also known, which arising out of the depths of Ocean, stretches to the skies his enormous neck, covered with a mane like that of a war-horse, and with its broad glittering eyes, raised mast-head high, looks out, as it seems, for plunder or for victims.”

The large glittering eyes, the enormous neck, covered with a mane are known characters, and the rising from the depths high into the air, standing nearly upright and viewing for a moment all around, evidently taking a survey, is a habit observed more than once.

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=75=.--1821, Summer.--Col. T. H. PERKINS on the 13th. of Oct. 1820, when on board the Ann Marie, wrote a letter to his friend JNO P. CUSHING, which he published in the Boston Daily Advertiser of 25th. Nov. 1848, after the excitement caused by the appearance of an individual on the 6th. of August, 1848. The different parts of this letter are inserted partly in our Chapter on Hoaxes (p. 20, 21) and partly in n^o. 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 63. The Editor of the Boston Daily Advertiser now goes on:

“In addition to this interesting narrative our venerable correspondent gives letters from several members of his family, who the next summer had opportunity to see the sea-serpent, in which the appearance of the animal is minutely described. This correspondence is very interesting; the description of the animal agrees entirely with that given above, and we regret that want of space must prevent the insertion of it.”

It is a great pity that all these letters have not been published. Perhaps they are now lost for ever!

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=76=.--1821.--In a letter from WILLIAM WARBURTON to ROBERT BARCLAY, Esq. printed in the Edinburgh Journal of Science, Vol. VI, 1827, p. 130, and dated 20th. September 1826, we read:

“I dined one day at the Hôtel of New York with Sir Isaak Coffin, who discredited the existence of such an animal, which was reported to have been seen by Captain Bennett of Boston, about five years back.”

Of course the occurrence took place near the coast of the U. S.

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=77=.--1821, September 25? In FRORIEP’S Notizen of Jan. 1822, I, we read:

“The Sea-Serpent, of which much has been spoken of late years, has been clearly seen again this year by many persons with spy-glasses, and it is described by all of them and the descriptions agree pretty well with each other: on Sept. 27 last a distinguished merchant of Nantucket, Mr. Francis Joy, jun. made a declaration of it on oath before the justice of the peace.”

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=78=.--1821?--Dr. HIBBERT in his Description of the Shetland Islands says at p. 565:

“I have heard, in Shetland, of a sea-serpent being seen off the Isle of Stenness, Vailey Island and Dunrossness.”

This report is also quoted by Dr. R. HAMILTON in his Amphibious Carnivora, 1839.

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=79=.--1822.--Mr. A. DE CAPELL BROOKE in his Travels through Sweden, &c., 1823, says in a note, p. 416: