as well known to frequent the inlets and fiords of his country, and of the 
universal belief in its reality. He cites several instances, but which being 1 
generally familiar to persons taking interest in the subject, it would be 
tedious to extract; suffice it to say, his descriptions may be summed up 
thus: “Though difficult to ascertain its exact dimensions, all who have 
seen it are unanimous in affirming that it appears about 600 feet long, 
that it lies in the water in many folds, and these appear like so many 
hogsheads floating in a line at a considerable distance from each other.” 
Thus much for the other account of this animal. Its alleged appearances 
during the present century are comparatively numerous, and nearly all on 
the North American eastern coasts, or the western ones of Norway. 
Among the American instances we have the report published by the 
Linnsean Society of New England, from which we learn that the sea 
serpent was seen several times during the month of August, 1817, by 
many persons off the harbour of Gloucester, 30 miles from Boston; and 
their affidavits were carefully collected by the society, through General 
Humphreys, who transmitted them to the late Sir Joseph Banks : one of 
the eye-witnesses and deponents being a member of the committee of the 
Linnaean Society, and another a clergyman. The result of this testimony 
is, that the animal was of great length, estimates varying from 80 to 120 
feet, of serpentiform shape, moving through the water with great rapidity, 
displaying the characteristic protuberances on the surface, the head com¬ 
paratively small, resembling a horse’s, and the colour dark. One of the 
deponents fired a ball at it, at the distance of only 30 feet. Neither 
mane, gills, fins, nor blow-holes are mentioned. It was seen only in calm 
settled weather. 
In August 1819, the same creature, or one of the same species, was 
seen off Nahant, Boston, during four weeks, by numerous persons; the 
folds or protuberances were again remarked, also the frequent elevation 
of the head out of the water. The eye was noted as remarkably brilliant 
and glistening; the motion of the body undulatory, making curves per¬ 
pendicular to the surface, and giving the appearance of a long moving 
string of corks; the water was smooth, and weather calm and serene. 
Another notice appears in 1833 of the sea serpent having been seen in 
that year also off Nahant, by 40 or 50 persons at a time. 
The last instance we have met with of its appearance on the American 
coasts, is contained in Silliman’s Journal of Science for 1835. It is to 
the effect that the captain and crew of an American brig, on her passage 
from Boston to New Orleans, in March or April of that year, when nine 
or ten miles off Race Point lighthouse, distinctly saw the sea serpent, near 
