[ N°. 50. | REPORTS AND PAPERS. 189 
lie at the extremity of Rye Point, a large marine animal, going 
with great rapidity up sound. He judged his speed to be little or 
no less than a mile in a minute. He describes the irregularity and 
unevenness of his back, about fifty feet of which appeared above 
the surface of the water, much in the way in which I have done.” 
SH — 1817, October 5. — The abovesaid letter runs as follows: 
Rye Neck Octar2liwolisii7 3 
Silvanus Miller, Esq.” 
“Sir, I observed in the Columbian of the 15th. inst. a para- 
graph stating that an animal had been seen in Long Island sound, 
corresponding with the description of the serpent. lately seen in 
Gloucester harbour. That communication probably resulted from 
some observations which I made to you, and several other 
gentlemen, on the subject alluded to. When I spoke on that 
occurrence, I had no idea that it would become the subject of a 
newspaper remark; but since it has been publicly noticed, perhaps 
a more particular detail of the circumstances may not be deemed 
improper.” | 
“On Sunday, the 5th. inst. at 10 o’clock A. M. while standing 
a few rods from my house on Rye-Neck, I observed at a small 
distance to the southward and eastward of Mr. Ezekiel Halsted’s 
dwelling on Rye Point, and perhaps not more than a half mile 
from the shore, a long, rough, dark looking body, progressing 
rapidly up sound (towards New York) against a brisk breeze, and 
a strong ebb tribe. Viewing it with my glass convinced me it was 
a large living animal. — His back, forty to fifty feet of which 
was seen above the surface of the water, appeared to be irregular, 
uneven, and deeply indented. I did not at this time remark that 
his head was more elevated above the water than the ridges or 
humps on his back. Some trees standing near the water, Rye Point 
soon intercepting my view of him, I hastened to a situation from 
which I obtained another sight of him as he passed that part of 
the sound opposite Hempstead bay. At this time he appeared to 
be nearly in the middle of the sound — his body more depressed 
below and his head more elevated above the water, going with 
increased velocity in the direction of Sand’s point, creating a swell 
before him not unlike that made by a boat towed rapidly at the 
stern of the vessel. From the time I first saw him till T lost sight 
