CHEATS AND HOAXKS. 15 
ment will appear from this: Captain Woodward says, the beast 
moved with extreme, or, as he afterwards expressed himself, aston- 
ishing rapidity; that when he fired at the monster it was sixty 
feet at the most from the bow of the ship, which appears to have 
been the nearest part of the vessel to the animal; but after he 
fired the beast advanced towards his ship; that he had caused his 
cannon to be reloaded and pointed at its throat, — of course while 
it was advancing towards his vessel, — but before he could fire 
his crew were seized with terror; that he tacked and got out of its 
way. So here we have an animal sixty feet from the ship, moving 
with astonishing rapidity towards the ship, which it appears was 
also moving ¢owards the animal, and yet allowing time to load a 
cannon, point it at its throat, and afterwards to tack to get out 
of its way. Truly a most accommodating serpent! But again, the 
animal remained five hours near the ship, allowing itself to be 
minutely examined, but yet no further attempt to kill the beast! 
And what is almost equally strange, though even the position of 
the ear-holes is mentioned, — such minute ohservation does Capt. 
Woodward seem to have made, — yet no description is given of 
any scales, or anything else, to account for what is before stated , 
that Capt. Woodward and his crew “distinctly heard the ball and 
bullets strike against his body, from which they rebounded as 
though they had struck against a rock”. It is much to be regret- 
ted that these inconsistencies did not strike you before you made 
public the statement in question; it is also to be regretted that no 
one better able than myself to point them out has undertaken to 
do so. But it is highly desirable, in the present state of our ignor- 
ance upon this subject, that none but the most imexceptionable 
evidence should be received. Let us have “the truth, the whole 
truth, and nothing but the truth.” I need hardly add, that in 
these observations I am actuated by no unfriendly feeling towards 
Captain Woodward: my desire is to get at the truth of the matter ; 
and I should hail with delight the day when one of these mon- 
sters of the deep, whatever they may be (for some animal with 
which we are unacquainted has, I firmly believe, been seen), is 
brought to our shores and lodged in one of our museums, to be 
at once the wonder and admiration of naturalists. — W. W. Coo- 
per; Claines, Worcester, June 2, 1848.” 
Here ends the history of this hoax, utterly smashed! 
Mr. Edward Newman has never answered to this attack ! 
