1914.] REPORTS. 131 



the part of the builders. It Avas further pointed out by the 

 more credulous that a bird — probably a sea-gull — for whose 

 presence no one could account, kept mysteriously flying back- 

 ward and forward across the vessel, and this circumstance was 

 considered more than suspicious. At last some passer-by 

 came up and he also strenuously asserted witchcraft. " But 

 it is no use merely talking about it," said he, " let us put it to 

 the test. I'll go and get some salt, and you bring a ladder 

 so that I can get on the deck, and we'll soon prove whether it 

 is witchcraft or not." After returning with the salt, the man 

 climbed on to the vessel's deck and scattered the salt around 

 him ; the mysterious bird immediately flew away and the 

 Concordia at once, without any more urging, glided into the 

 water. Such is the story. The facts do not seem, any of 

 them, to be disputed. Hundreds of people, at the time, knew 

 all the circumstances, though now the exact details are almost 

 forgotten. The important question is : What caused the 

 sudden change ? Of course, to those who believe the witch- 

 craft theory, the solution is self-evident. To those of us who 

 do not believe in witchcraft, no explanation is forthcoming. 



As regards the general history of the Concordia, Mr. 

 Bougourd supplies the following particulars : When launched, 

 in 1836, she was a vessel of 108 tons ; thirty years later, in 

 1866, she was lengthened and partially rebuilt, when her 

 register was raised to 125 tons. In this enlarged form she 

 traded for another sixteen years, and then, in 1882, she was 

 unfortunately lost on the Newcomb Sands, which lie a little to 

 the south of Lowestoft. 



J. 'Linwood Pitts, 



Hon. Sec. Folklore Section. 



