25 
You request a detailed account of my observations, relative to 
the serpent. I saw him on the fourteenth ultimo, and when 
nearest, I judged him to be about two hundred and fifty yards 
from me. At that distance I judged him (in the largest part) 
about the size of a half barrel, gradually tapering towards the x 
two extremes. Twice I saw him with a glass, only for a short 
time, and at other times, with the naked eye, for nearly half an 
? hour. His colour appeared nearly black—his motion was verti¬ 
cal. When he moved on the surface of the water, the track in 
his rear was visible, for at least half a mile. 
His velocity, when moving on the surface of the water, I 
judged was at the rate of a mile in about four minutes. When 
immersed in the water, his speed was greater, moving, I should 
say, at the rate of a mile in two or at most three minutes. When 
moving under water, you could often trace him by the motion of 
the water, on the surface, and from this circumstance I conclude 
he did not swim deep. He apparently went as straight through 
the water, as you could draw a line. When he changed his 
course, it diminished his velocity but little—the two extremes 
that were visible appeared rapidly moving in opposite directions, 
and when they came parallel, they appeared not more than a 
yard apart. With a glass, 1 could not take in, at one view, the 
two extremes of the animal, that were visible. I have looked at 
a vessel at about the same distance, and could distinctly see forty 
five feet. If he should be taken, I have no doubt that his length 
f will be found seventy feet, at least, and I should not be surprised, 
if he should be found one hundred feet long. When I saw him 
I was standing on an eminence, on the sea shore, elevated about 
thirty feet above the surface of the water, and the sea was smooth. 
If I saw his head, I could not distinguish it from his body ; 
though there were seafaring men near me, who said that they 
could distinctly see his head. I believe they spoke truth ; but 
not having been much accustomed to look through a glass, I was 
not so fortunate. 
I never saw more than seven or eight distinct portions of him 
above the water, at any one time, and he appeared rough} 
