94, WOULD-BE SEA-SERPENTS, | 
1852, Aug. 28. — Mr. Aurrep Newton, of Elveden Hall, 
forwarded the following report to the Editor of the Zoologist (see 
this journal for 1853, p. 3756). 
“T have lately received the following account from my brother, 
Capt. Steele, 9th. Lancers, who on his way out to India in the Barham, 
saw the sea-serpent. Thinking it might be interesting to you, as 
corroborating the account of the Daedalus, I have taken the liberty 
of sending you the extract from my brother’s letter: — “On the 
28th. of August, in long. 40° H., lat. 387° 16'S., about half-past 
two, we had all gone down below to get ready for dinner, when 
the first mate called us on deck to see a most extraordinary sight. 
About five hundred yards from the ship there was the head and 
neck of an enormous snake; we saw about sixteen or twenty feet 
out of the water, and he spouted a long way from his head; down 
his back he had a crest like a cock’s comb, and was going very | 
slowly through the water, but left a wake of about fifty or sixty 
feet, as if dragging a long body after him. The captain put the 
ship off her course to run down to him, but as we approached 
him, he went down. His colour was green, with light spots. He 
was seen by every one on board.” My brother is no naturalist, and — 
I think this is the first time the monster has ever been seen to 
spout.” 3 
“I am told by a gentleman whose brother was on board the 
ship (the Barham) referred in the following extract from “The 
Times” newspaper of November 17, 1852, that the occurrence 
there related took place between 35° and 40° S. lat. and 40° and 
45° K. long., being about 650 miles due south of Madagascar. | 
understand that the particulars of the event as there stated closely 
agree with those furnished to my informant, and further, which 
is perhaps the most interesting part of the whole circumstance, 
that the animal was observed to “blow” or “spout” in the same 
manner that a whale does.” 
“Hetract from an Officer's Letter written between the Cape and 
Madras. You will be surprised to hear that we have actually seen 
the great sea-serpent, about which there has been so much discussion. 
Information was given by a sailor to the captain, just as we were 
going to dinner. I was in my cabin at the time, and from the 
noise and excitement, I thought the ship was on fire. I rushed 
on deck, and on looking over the side of the vessel I saw a most 
wonderful sight, which I shall recollect as long as I live. His head 
appeared to be about sixteen feet above the water, and he kept 
