23 
felling as he advanced, the head moderately vibrating from side 
to side. The colour of his tongue was a light brown. 
To this account I am willing to make oath. 
WILLIAM SOMERBY. 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, August 30, 1817. Then ap¬ 
peared Robert Bragg and William Somerby, and made oath to 
the truth of the above declarations, by them respectively subscrib¬ 
ed. Before me, Jos. May, Jus. Pacis. 
XIV. 
Boston, September 2 , 1817 ". 
SIR, 
Your letter of the 28th ult. to the Committee of the Linnaean 
Society, and tire accompanying depositions, were duly received, 
and were yesterday communicated to the Society The commit¬ 
tee are greatly obliged to you for your ready compliance with 
their request. In these sentiments the Society unite, and I am 
charged with the agreeable office of communicating to you their 
vote of thanks for your very acceptable labours. What you 
have thus accomplished will go far in giving some precise and 
accurate conceptions on a subject, peculiarly exposed to exagger¬ 
ation and mistake. This evidence, with some additional docu¬ 
ments, will probably be published. The Committee will not 
make their final report on the subject of their commission until 
evidence shall be procured respecting some other rented ap- / on^- 
pearances of like description, particularly one at Plymouth in 
1815. 
We have been informed that the animal at Gloucester was 
once seen, and it was said by a woman, lying dormant very 
near the shore. The Committee wished this intimation to be giv¬ 
en to you, that if it should point to any material circumstances, 
the evidence might be taken. 
The last we hear of the object of our inquiry is of Ins ap¬ 
pearance off Eastern point on the 28th ult. This we gather from 
