194 Dr Abel's Account of' an Orang Outang 



hope it will soon be in my power to furnish more satisfactory 

 data for forming an opinion i-espeeting the many histories and 

 opinions regarding gigantic man-like apes, which adorn the 

 pages of the older travellers, and still occupy the speculations 

 of philosophers. I am, Dear Sir, 



Your very obedient humble servant, 

 Calcutta, 10th May 1825. Clarke Abel. 



JVIy attention was first directed to this Orang Outang, by 

 the foil owing j notice of the animal in the Hurhara News- 

 paper, which was sent to it, as I have ascertained, from one of 

 the persons personally concerned in his capture. " A party 

 having landed on the north coast of Sumatra, from the Mary 

 Anne Sophia, Captain Cornfoot, for the purpose of watering, 

 fell in with an animal of the monkey species, of a most gigan- 

 tic size. It was upwards of seven feet in height, and after re- 

 ceiving seven shots, was killed. After the fifth shot, it climb- 

 ed a tree, and reclined against its boughs, to all appearance in 

 great pain, and vomited a considerable quantity of blood. 

 Its lower jaw, and the skin of the back and arms, which are 

 brought round to Calcutta, I have seen. Some of the teeth 

 of the upper jaw have also arrived here, and are about to be 

 deposited in the museum of the Asiatic Society. There are 

 some of them about three inches long. The lower jaw is im- 

 mense ; and the skin to which I before referred is so large, 

 that, although cut off from the wrists, each arm is now con- 

 siderably longer than mine, and I am a man not a quarter of 

 an inch under six feet. The back is remarkably broad, and 

 is covered with long coarse brown hair. When the animal 

 made its appearance, it seemed as if it had come from some 

 distance ; and to all appearance it had been walking through 

 a swamp, its legs, up to the knees, being muddy. Its gait 

 was slovenly, and as it went it waddled from side to side." 



In addition to the foregoing information, I may mention, 

 that I have conversed with Captain Cornfoot, commander of 

 the Mary Anne Sophia, and received from him a verbal de- 

 scription of the animal, which, in most respects, corresponds 

 with others that have been published. His statement regard- 



