History of Sea-Serpentism. S53 



sing, in my museum, at the time, four true sea-serpents, which 

 my navigating friends had brought me from the Gulf of Mex- 

 ico, and the Chinese Sea. 



The history of sea-serpentism, is a very memorable part of 

 the sayings and doings in this enlightened age and country. 

 For the benefit of the present generation, and of posterity, it 

 ought to be written. In proceeding to pen a short sketch of 

 it, I must premise, that I am one of the last persons in exist- 

 ence who would presume to put a limit to creative power. 

 I admit that the all-mighty being could make a water-snake 

 as easily as a fish ; and that such an animal might be as big 

 as a Kraken, as easily as of the diminutive size of the Stick- 

 leback. Yet, on reviewing these legends of the times, there 

 is found such a propensity towards the strange and the mar- 

 vellous, that the men of the present day show a crediility 

 very much resembling that of the remote ages, when the ter- 

 raqueous globe was peopled with gorgons, mermaids, chi- 

 meras, hydras, dragons, and all the monsters of fabulous 

 zoology. 



(a) The first tale I remember to have considered seriously 

 relative to it was this : it had been determined, they said, to 

 put a steam boat in operation at Boston to coast along shore 

 and to convey passengers. It was foreseen that such a ves- 

 sel would traverse the currents and pass among the islands 

 with an ease and a speed unknown to boats moved by oars 

 and sails ; and of course, much of the business of transport- 

 ing passengers would be taken away from the small craft 

 heretofore employed. The large boat would thus destroy 

 the small ones, or, as was expressed by another word, devour 

 them. Under these forebodings, the steam-vessel made a 

 trip, with favorable auspices. Some wag, the account pro- 

 ceeds, wrote for one of the gazettes, an allegorical descrip- 

 tion of a sea-serpent, that had been descried off Nahant and 

 Gloucester, and had probably come there to consume all the 

 small fish in the place. The narrative, given with such grave 

 diction and imposing seriousness, was received by many as 

 an actual and literal occurrence, and credited accordingly. 



(b) Long Island Sound put in a claim for a sea-serpent. 

 On this fiction I am well satisfied of the particulars that fol- 

 low. An active young fellow who had become weary of 

 ploughing the land, bought a little sloop of about fifteen 

 tons, which I remember to have seen ; and resolved to try 

 his luck in ploughing the waves. He named his vessel the 



Vol, XV.— No. 2. 20 



