334 THE GREAT UNKNOWN. 



or even heard of his sea-serpent, until my arrival in 

 London. Some other solution must therefore be found 

 for the very remarkable coincidence between us in that 

 particular, in order to unravel the mystery. 



'' Finally, I deny the existence of excitement, or the 

 possibility of optical illusion. I adhere to the statements, 

 as to form, colour, and dimensions, contained in my 

 official report to the Admiralty ; and I leave them as 

 data whereupon the learned and scientific may exercise 

 the ' pleasures of imaghiation ' until some more fortunate 

 opportunity shall occur of making a closer acquaintance 

 with the ' great unknown ' — in the present instance 

 assuredly no ghost." * 



A few months later, the following letter appeared in 

 the Bombay Bi-monthly Times for January 184*9. It is 

 a very valuable testimony : — 



' " I see, in your paper of the 30th December, a para- 

 graph in which a doubt is expressed of the authenticity 

 of the account given by Captain M'Qiihse of the ' great 

 sea-serpent.' When returning to India, in the year 1829, 

 I was standing on the 230op of the Royal Saxon, in con- 

 versation with Captain Petrie, the commander of that 

 ship. We were at a considerable distance south-west of 

 the Cape of Good Hope, in the usual track of vessels to 

 this country, going raj^idly along (seven or eight knots) in 

 fine smooth water. It was in the middle of the day, and 

 the other j)assengers were at luncheon ; the man at the 

 wheel, a steerage passenger, and ourselves, being the only 



* The Times, November 21, 1848, 



