NATURAL HISTORY of NOR WA T, tp T 



fters, and faw the Snake, as well as the blood that difcoloured 

 the water. What the faid men depofed upon oath in court, may 

 be feen by the following inftrument : the original was fent me, 

 and I think it deferves to be printed at large. It runs thus : 



cc His majefty's chief advocate in Bergen, Albert Chriftian Teftimony 

 Dafs, the recorder, Hans Chriftian Gartner, John Clies, Oliver £££ the 

 Simenfen, Oliver Brinchmand, George- Konig for Conrad de 

 Lange, Matthias Gram for* Elias Peter Tuckfen, Claus Natler for 

 Didrick Haflop, Jochum Fogh for Henry Hiort, and George 

 Wiers for Hans Chriftian Byffing, fworn-burghers and jury-men, 

 give evidence, that in the year of our Lord 175 1, on the 

 twenty-fecond day of February, at a feffions of juftice in this 

 city of Bergen, the procurator John Reutz appeared, and pre.* 

 fented a letter which had been delivered to him that day, from 

 the honourable Lawrence de Ferry, captain in the navy, and 

 firft pilot, dated the preceding day, February 21, wherein he 

 defires the faid procurator to procure him written copies of the 

 refpedive depofitions, attefted properly upon oath, relating to 

 the before-mentioned affair, and what there happened : and the 

 faid procurator, now prefent, for that purpofe, humbly begs^ 

 that two men, namely, Nicholas Peterfen Kopper, and Nicholas 

 Nicholfon Anglewigen, inhabitants of this city, may be admitted 

 to make oath, that every particular fet forth in the aforefaid 

 letter is true ; which depofition he defires may be entered in the 

 aft of that feffions. This letter was accordingly read to the 

 faid deponents ; and is as follows; 



Mr. John Reutz, 



The latter end of Augufl, In the year 1746, as- I was on a 

 voyage, in my return from Trundhiem, in a very calm and hot day, 

 having a mind to put in at Molde, it happened, that when we 

 were arrived with my veffel within fix Englifh miles of the 

 aforefaid Molde, being at a place called Jule-Nsefs, as I was read- 

 ing in a book, I heard a kind of a murmuring voice from 

 amongft the men at the oars, who were eight in number, and 

 obferved that the man at the helm kept off from the land. Upon 

 this I enquired what was the matter; and was informed that there 

 was a Sea-fnake before us. I then ordered the man at the helm 

 to keep to the land again, and to come up with this creature, of 

 which I had heard fo many ftories. Tho' the fellows were under 

 fome apprehenfions, they were obliged to obey my orders. In 

 the mean time this Sea-fnake palled by us, and we were obliged to 



Part II. Eee tack 



