THE GREA T SEA SERPENT. 407 



certified his approbation, were published in the Illustrated 

 London News on the 28th of October, 1848. I am kindly 

 permitted by the proprietors of that journal to reproduce 

 two of them, reduced in size to suit these pages one 

 showing the relative positions of the "serpent" and the 

 ship when the former was first seen (p. 318), and the 

 other (Fig. 20) representing the animal afterwards passing 

 under the frigate's quarter. An enlarged drawing of its 

 head was also given, which I have not thought it necessary 

 to copy. 



Lieutenant Drummond, the officer of the watch men- 

 tioned in Captain M'Quhae's report, published his memo- 

 randum of the impression made on his mind by the 

 animal at the time of its appearance. It differs somewhat 

 from the captain's description, and is the more cautious of 

 the two. 



" I beg to send you the following extract from my journal. H.M.S. 

 Dcedalus, August 6, 1848, lat. 25 S w long. 9 37' E., St. Helena, 1,015 

 miles. In the 4 to 6 watch, at about 5 o'clock, we observed a most 

 remarkable fish on our lee-quarter, crossing the stern in a S.W. 

 direction. The appearance of its head, which with the back fin was 

 the only portion of the animal visible, was long, pointed, and flattened 

 at the top, perhaps ten feet in length, the upper jaw projecting con- 

 siderably ; the fin was perhaps 20 feet in the rear of the head, and 

 visible occasionally ; the captain also asserted that he saw the tail, or 

 another fin, about the same distance behind it ; the upper part of the 

 head and shoulders appeared of a dark brown colour, and beneath the 

 under-jaw a brownish-white. It pursued a steady undeviating course, 

 keeping its head horizontal with the surface of the water, and in rather 

 a raised position, disappearing occasionally beneath a wave for a very 

 brief interval, and not apparently for purposes of respiration. It was 

 going at the rate of perhaps from twelve to fourteen miles an hour, 

 and when nearest was perhaps one hundred yards distant ; in fact it 

 gave one quite the idea of a large snake or eel. No one in the ship 

 has ever seen anything similar ; so it is at least extraordinary. It was 

 visible to the naked eye for five minutes, and with a glass for perhaps 

 fifteen more. The weather was dark and squally at the time, with 



