318 THE VARtOUS ACCOUNTS, [ 1860. | 
That it is wrong to exclude reports, because they are of Americans 
or Norwegians, the reader himself will be ready to admit, I 
think, after having read the different reports mentioned in this volume. 
“The following testimonies’ now, alluded to by Mr. Gossn, are: 
“]. That of five British officers, who saw the animal at Halifax, 
Nesta 1835 ae 97): : | 
“2 That of Captain M’Quhae and his officers, who saw it from 
the Daedalus in 1848,” (n°. 118). 
“3. That of Captain Beechy, who saw something similar from 
the Blossom” (n°. 104). 
“4. That of Mr. Morries Stirling, who saw it in a Norwegian 
fjord” (n°. 1138). 
“5. That of Mr. Davidson, who saw it from the Royal Saxon, 
Ine 18297 (2.193); 
“6. That of Captain Steele and others, who saw it from the 
Barham, in 1852.” (See our Chapter on Would-Be Sea-Serpents, | 
1852, August 28). 
“7 hat of Captain Harrington and his officers, who saw it 
from the Castilian, 1857” (n°. 131). 
To our great astonishment Mr. Gossr also alludes to n°. 6: 
That of Captain Srre.ez, who saw it from the Barham, in 1852. 
Some pages before, Mr. Gosse himself throws great doubt on this 
report, believing that the animal seen by Captain Srenve and his 
officers was a scabbard-fish, (the reader, I hope, will take the 
trouble to look up the report of 1852, August 28, in my Chapter 
on Would-Be Sea-Serpents, to read there again Mr. Gossz’s own 
opinion of this report), and now he uses this report amongst others 
to examine to which of the recognized classes of created bemgs 
this rover of the ocean can be referred! 
Now Mr. Gossr passes to this inquiry: first, he asks, is it an 
animal at allP And he comes to the conclusions that this must 
be so, for else the being could not move with that astonishing 
rapidity. Further he examines the sea-weed hypothesis, the seal- 
hypothesis, &c., and winds up with: “my own confident persua- 
sion, that there exists some oceanic animal of immense proportions, 
which has not yet been received into the category of scientific zoo- 
logy; and my strong opinion, that it possesses close affinities with 
the fossil Hnaliosauria of the lias.” 
All the above-mentioned views will be considered in Chapter V. 
