CAPTAIN M'QUH^'S EEPOET. 315 



Some of the details here given were not afterwards 

 substantiated ; but popular curiosity was excited. The 

 Admiralty instantly inquired into the truth of the state- 

 ment, and in The Times of the 13th was published the 

 gallant captain's official reply in the following terms : — 



« Her Majbstt's Ship D.sdali:s, 

 Hamoaze, Oct. 11. 



" Sib, — In reply to your letter of this date, requiring 

 information as to the truth of a statement published in 

 The Times newspaper, of a sea-serpent of extraordinary 

 dimensions having been seen from Her Majesty's ship 

 Bcedalus, under my command, on her passage from the 

 East Indies, I have the honour to acquaint you, for the 

 information of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, 

 that at five o'clock p.m., on the 6th of August last, in 

 latitude 24° 44-' S., and longitude 9° 22' K, the weather 

 dark and cloudy, wind fresh from the N.W., with a long 

 ocean swell from the S.W., the ship on the port tack 

 heading N.E. by N., something very unusual was seen by 

 Mr Sartoris, midshipman, rapidly approaching the ship 

 from before the beam. The circumstance was immediately 

 reported by him to the officer of the watch. Lieutenant 

 Edgar Drummond, with whom and Mr William Barrett^ 

 the master, I was at the time walking the quarter-deck. 

 The ship's company were at supper. 



"On our attention being called to the object, it was 

 discovered to be an enormous serpent, with head and 

 shoulders kept about four feet constantly above the sur- 



