On the Sea-Serpent of the American Seas. 129 



cept in weather the most calm and bright. But these facts, 

 along with the various depositions, have been long laid before 

 the public in the " Report of the Committee of the Linnean 

 Society of New England, 1 ' and it is our part now merely to 

 adduce some corroborative circumstances which have lately 

 occurred, and which we think puts the matter for ever beyond 

 the possibility of a doubt ; — facts which have already complete- 

 ly satisfied some highly scientific gentlemen, who before were 

 entirely sceptical. 



That which has been the principal inducement for us to 

 present this imperfect paper to the public, is a letter which 

 we have had the pleasure of seeing addressed to Robert Bar- 

 clay Esq. of Bury Hill, Surry, from Mr Warburton, a gen- 

 tleman belonging to the house of Barclay, Brothers, and Com- 

 pany, London. That gentleman, proceeding in his passage 

 to America, on board the Silas Richards, New York packet, 

 Captain Holdrege, had an opportunity of beholding this sea 

 monster on Friday the 16th of June off St George's Banks. 

 But his own plain statement must be presumed far more satis- 

 factory to every candid mind, than any account extracted from 

 his letter. 



" Pentonvitte, 20th September 1826. 

 " Dear Sir, 



" H avi:n g been informed by your grandson, Mr Robert Rey- 

 nolds, that you were desirous of possessing a sketch of the 

 sea-serpent as seen by me in crossing the Atlantic, and to have 

 some account of the same ; in compliance with your wishes, 

 I have inclosed a rough pencil drawing (see Plate I. Fig. 10.) of 

 the monster as it appeared during the time when its head was 

 elevated above the water, and I shall state the particulars at- 

 tending this novel exhibition. 



u The captain and myself were standing on the starboard 

 side of the vessel, looking over the bulwark, and remarking 

 how perfectly smooth was the surface of the sea. It was about 

 half-past six o'clock p. m., and a cloudless sky. On a sudden 

 we heard a rushing in the water a-head of the ship. At first 

 we imagined it to be a whale spouting, and turning to the 

 quarter whence the sound proceeded, we observed the serpent 



vol. VI. NO. I. JAN. 1827. I 



