216 THE VARIOUS ACCOUNTS, [N°. 69.] _ 
69. — 1819, Aug. 26. — “Hetract of a letter from Mr. 
Cheever Felch, Chaplan to the United States’ ship Independance 
of 74 guns, tS the Editor of the Boston Centinel. i Ci 
Am. niin Se. Arts, Vol. ID. 
“Gloucester, August 26, 1819. 
“Dear Sir. 
“Others having taken in hand to give some account of the Sea- 
Serpent, I know not why I should not have the same liberty. 
Being on this station, in the United States’ schooner Science, for 
the purpose of surveying this harbor, we were proceeding this 
morning down the harbor, in the schooner’s boat; when abreast 
of Dallivan’s Neck, William 'T. Malbone, Esq. Commander of the 
Schooner, seeing some appearance on the water, said — “¢here is 
your sea-serpent’, meaning it is a laugh on me, for believing in 
its existence; but it prooved to be no joke. The animal was then 
between thirty and forty yards distance from us. Mr. Malbone, 
Midshipman Blake, myself, and our four boatmen, had a distinct 
view of him. He soon sunk; but not so deep but we could trace 
his course. He rose again within twenty yards distance of us, and 
lay sometime on the water. He then turned, and steered for Ten 
Pound Island; we pulled after him; but finding that he was not 
pleased with the noise of our oars, they were laid in, and the 
boat skulled. We again approached very near him. He continued 
some length of time, playing between Ten Pound Island and Stage 
Point. As he often came near the Poimt, we thought we could 
get a better view of him there, than from the boat, of which he 
seemed conspicuous. Mr. Malbone and myself landed; and the boat 
was sent to order the schooner down, for the purpose of trying 
what effect a twelve pound carronade would have upon him. He 
did not remain long after we landed, so that I was unable to 
effect my intention, of ascertaining, accurately, his length, with 
my instruments. ror my knowledge of aquatic animals, and 
habits, and intimacy with marine appearances, I could not be deceived. 
We had a good view of him, except the very short period while 
he was under water, for half an hour. — His colour is a dark 
brown, with white under the throat. His size, we could not accu- 
rately ascertain, but his head is about three feet in circumference, 
flat and much smaller than his body. We did not see his tail; 
but from the end of the head to the fartherest protuberance, was 
not far from one hundred feet. I speak with a degree of certainty, 
from beimg much accustomed to measure and estimate distances 
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