MERMEN AND MERMAIDS. 291 



to make a musical noise while he gazed about two 

 minutes, and on perceiving him it disappeared in 

 an instant. Immediately when the man saw his 

 officer, he told this wild tale, and to add to the 

 weight of his testimony, (being a Romanist,) he 

 made a cross on the sand which he kissed, so mak- 

 ing oath to the truth of his statement. When I 

 saw him, he told the story in so clear and positive 

 a manner, making oath to its truth, that I concluded 

 he must really have seen the animal he described, 

 or that it must have been the effects of a disturbed 

 imagination."* 



We adduce these few as examples of the many 

 statements which from time to time have been made. 

 At the moment, the fact is a matter of nine days' 

 wonder ; it is then speedily obscured in the mists 

 of forgetfulness ; those who would be thought more 

 knowing than their neighbours treat the whole 

 affair with scepticism and derision, and mankind 

 generally are left in the uncertainty and ignorance 

 in which they were before. We believe there was 

 as much general intelligence concerning this class 

 of animals two or three hundred years ago as there 

 is at the present day ; or, to put it in more appro- 

 priate words, that there is as much prevailing 

 ignorance now as there has been at any former 

 period. Among the preceding incidents, that de- 

 rived from Shetland occurred in 1823, and since 

 that time we are not aware that any additional facts 



* Voyage towards the South Pole, p. 143 



