THE MERMAID. 205 



" Zee-wyf. A monster resembling a Siren taken on the coast of the 

 Island of Borne' or Boeren, in the department of Amboyna. It was 

 fifty-nine inches long, and of the thickness of an eel of proportionate 

 size. It lived on land, in a large tub full of water, during four days 

 and seven hours. It occasionally uttered little cries, like those of a 

 mouse. It would not take food, although small fishes, mollusks, crabs, 

 crayfishes, &c., were placed before it. After its death some excre- 

 ments, like those of a cat, were found in its tub."* 



The Emperor Peter the Great of Russia, happening to 

 visit Renard, who was then the British representative at 

 Amsterdam, whilst he was preparing these plates for pub- 

 lication, saw and admired them, and was so much interested 

 by the figure of the mermaid that he expressed a desire to 

 know more about it, and to have some confirmation of the 

 description given of it. Renard accordingly wrote at once 

 (on the i /th of December, 1716) to Valentijn, who had 

 returned from the Indies, and was then a minister of the 

 gospel at Dordrecht, informing him that he was instructed 

 to apply to him by the Czar, who thought it possible that 

 the mermaid might have been sent to him from Amboyna 

 by the governor, Vander Stell. Valentijn replied that it 

 was not impossible that, after he had left Amboyna, the 

 mermaid might have been seen by Fallours, but that, up 

 to that date, he had neither seen nor heard of the original 

 of the drawing enclosed in Renard's letter. But he assured 

 his correspondent that there are such monsters, and, in 

 proof thereof, declared that in addition to other trustworthy 

 evidence, which he mentioned, 



" He could himself affirm that, during his voyage home from the 

 East, he saw on the ist of May, 1714, in lat. 12 18', and on the 

 meridian, during clear, calm weather, and at a distance of only three 

 or four ships' lengths, a monster which was apparently a sea-man. It 



* Poissons, Ecrevisses, et Crabbes des hies Moluques et Terres 

 Australes. L. Renard. Amsterdam. 



