t 42 ] 
told me, they believed them really to exitt : and a 
few days before I left the North Cape, the Danilh 
miffionary of Porfanger dittridt did me the favour, 
clofely to interrogate the matter of a Norwegian veflel, 
who appeared to me to be by much the mott know- 
ing man in his ttation 1 had met with in Lapland, 
as to thofe ftupendous worms, as they are called. He 
faid, that about fix years before, he had fcen three 
of them at once oft Bergen, floating upon the fur- 
face of the fea, twelve parts of the back of the 
largett appearing above water; each part being in 
length about fix feet, with the intervals of the lame 
length, fo that upon the whole he judged the animal 
could not be lefs than twenty-five fathoms long, and 
about one in thicknels. He did not pretend to af- 
certain the dimenfions of the other two, further than 
their being fmaller than the one thus imperfectly 
defcribed, and added, that four years before he faw 
thofe laft, he had (near the fame coaft) feen a large 
one, but could fay nothing particular as to its lize. 
What degree of credit is due to this man’s account, 
I lubmit to the judgement of the learned Society. 
After much enquiry, 1 could learn nothing fatisf- 
fadtory touching the famous Whirlpool (called by 
the Norwegians and Dutch the Maal Stroom) lying 
between the iflands of Lofoot, until I met with this 
intelligent perfon, who gave me fome account thereof, 
in fubftance as follows ; viz. That at high water it 
is perfedlly fmooth and fafe to pals over; but as the 
tide, either ebb or flood, gathers flrength, it becomes 
in proportion exceedingly agitated and dangerous, 
which extreme agitation and whirling, I prefume, 
mutt be owing to the unevennefs of the rocky bottom, 
over 
