CHEATS AND HOAXES. 25 
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 Sea-Serpent. She was mostly employed in 
carrying country produce to the New-York market and in bringing 
manure back, with the advantage of passengers when any offered. 
This boat was on her way from Mamaroneck harbor or thereabout 
toward the city, and was met by a sloop from that place, a short 
distance from City-Island. The captain of the latter, on arriving at 
home, was eagerly interrogated by a quidnunc for news; and being 
a man of some humor and fancy, told his neighbor, the querist , 
he had just seen the sea-serpent. He then described how (alluding 
to the barrels on deck) he had seen the bunches on his back; 
how high the head (meaning the bowsprit) was out of water; how 
the black and white colours (meaning the painted waist) were 
variegated; how he saw the lashing of the tail (meaning the motion 
of the boom in jibing as she was going along before a fair easterly 
wind); that this sea-serpent was proceeding with a speed equalling 
at least from five to six knots an hour, which made.all white 
before him (meaning the foam at the bows). The good man took 
the joke in real earnest, went away and told it to a sensible 
acquaintance. ‘This latter wrote a formal and solemn account of it; 
which, travelling an extensive round in the sheets of intelligence, 
was finally embodied in the aforesaid book, where it is registered 
as a part of the evidence.” 
“(c). It was about this period of these transactions that I re- 
ceived from Boston an ichthyological production, enclosed in a 
letter, respectfully written, and with postage paid, submitting to 
me whether that article was not a piece of a sea-serpent’s hide? 
It had been found on the shore of the region which the alarming 
visitor frequented; and was supposed to have been separated from 
his body by one of the musket balls which had been fired at him 
and washed ashore. To this serious communication I returned for 
answer that it was simply a portion of skin with closely adhering 
scales, belonging to the bony scaled pike (Esox osseus), an inha- 
bitant of the Atlantic Ocean.” 
“(d). So much curiosity and excitement were now raised about 
the sea-serpent, that he was a prominent topic of conversation. The 
feeling was more intense, inasmuch as it was confidently declared 
he had been frequently observed near boats and vessels. It was at 
length concluded to fit an expedition, expressly for the purpose of 
