Reptiles. 2459 



of a small portion of the tail, which was under water ; and by comparing its length 

 with that of the Royal Saxon (about 600 feet), when exactly alongside in passing, we 

 calculated it to be in that, as well as in its other dimensions, greater than the animal 

 described by Captain M'Quhae. Should the foregoing account be of any interest to 

 you, it is at your service : it is an old story, but a true one. I am not quite sure of 

 our latitude and longitude at the time, nor do I exactly remember the date, but it was 

 about the end of July. R, Davidson, Superintending Surgeon, Nagpore Subsidiary 

 Force ; Kamptee, 3rd January, 1849. v 



[In a letter addressed to the Editor of the ' Bombay Times.' — E. NJ] 

 The Great Sea-Serpent. — " Captain Adams, of the schooner Lucy and Nancy, 

 which arrived at Jacksonville, Florida, on the 1 st of April, from New York, had sight 

 of a monster in many respects resembling the sea-monsters described by many others. 

 Captain Adams states that on the morning of Sunday, the 18th of February, about 

 nine o'clock, when off the south point of Cumberland Island, about twelve miles from 

 the St. John's (Florida) bar, the attention of himself, crew and passengers, was sud- 

 denly rivetted upon an immense sea-monster, which he took to be a serpent. It 

 lifted its head, which was that of a snake, several times out of the water, seemingly to 

 take a survey of the vessel, and at such times displayed the largest portion of its body, 

 and a pair of frightful fins or c'aws, several feet in length. His tail was not seen at 

 any time ; but, judging from the dimensions of the body, the captain supposes the 

 leviathan to be about 90 feet in length. Its neck tapered small from the head to the 

 body, and it appeared to measure about seven feet across the broadest part of the 

 back. The colour was that of a dirty brown. When first seen it was moving towards 

 the mouth of the St. John's. The monster moved from the side of the vessel, and 

 placed itself athwart its track, in front of her bows ; but Captain Adams, not feeling- 

 partial to an encounter with his snakeship, ordered the vessel to be kept off. A boy 

 on the deck, not knowing his antagonist, had seized a harpoon, and was in the act of 

 striking, when he was prevented by the vessel's moving off." — 'Boston Atlas.' 



The Great Sea-Serpent. — " What degree of confidence the following story may 

 gain is to me a subject of very little consideration ; for as I can have no view of 

 gaining anything by it, so it certainly will appear that it would hardly be worth the 

 trouble of invention : but as a story of this sort has made its appearance among our 

 transatlantic friends, without being at all credited, it is as likely in Europe this may 

 have the same fate ; yet if it can afford any amusement or information for intelligent 

 and scrutinizing minds, for their gratification I freely give it to the press, assuring 

 them, on my sacred honour, of the truth of what I am about to describe. On 

 Sunday, about 5 p. m., being then in latitude 46, longitude 3, by dead reckoning, 

 observed an immense body on the surface of the water, apparently without motion, 

 but water spouting from it, not unlike the blowing of a whale. I immediately got 

 my glass ; and, from its rugged appearance and showing nothing where the water 

 issued from, I began to entertain some doubts, that this must have been the vigia laid 

 down for Barenethy's rocks or the three chimneys, and, so prepared in my own mind, 

 I directed the steering sails to be taken in and the ship prepared for going about. 

 Some of my ship's company were of opinion it was a ship bottom-up : this I thought 

 not unlikely, and went into the main cat harpens to look more distinctly at it : the 

 appearance then was still steady, but irregular. I saw neither head nor tail above the 

 water, but a hump from one extreme resembling the rise or point of rather a triangu- 

 lar rock: this tapered to a distance, — I certainly believe 70 or 100 feet, and the water 



