* * * * *
=42=.--1817, August 15.--(_Report of a Committee_, 1817).
“I, James Mansfield, of Gloucester, in the county of Essex, merchant,
depose and say: That I saw a strange creature, of enormous length,
resembling a serpent. I think this was on the 15th. of August, A. D.
1817. I should say he was from forty to sixty feet in length, extended
on the surface of the water, with his head above the water about a
foot. He remained in this position but a short time, and then started
off very quick, with much greater velocity than I have seen him move
with at any other time. I saw bunches on his back about a foot in
height, when he lay extended on the water. His colour appeared to me
black or very dark. It was a little before six o’clock P. M. when I saw
him. I should say, he moved a mile in five or six minutes.”
“_Q._ How near the shore was the serpent?”
“_A._ About one hundred and eighty yards from the shore where I stood.”
“_Q._ Were its sinuosities vertical or horizontal?”
“_A._ Vertical.”
“_Q._ What were the size and shape of its head; and had it ears, horns,
or any other appendages?”
“_A._ His head appeared to be about the size of the crown of a hat,
at the distance from whence I saw him. The shape of his head I cannot
describe, and I saw no ears, horns, or other appendages. I had no spy
glass, and cannot describe him so minutely as I otherwise could. I have
seen him at other times, but my view of him was not so good, as on this
day.”
“James Mansfield.”
“Essex, ss. August 27, 1817. Then James Mansfield made oath to the
truth of the foregoing deposition by him subscribed.”
“Before Lonson Nash, Jus. Pacis.”
We have here again the statement that the animal is able to keep its
bunches, when it lies extended on the water.
* * * * *
=43=.--1817, August 17.--(_Report of a Committee_, 1817.) The second
part of the affidavit of Mr. WILLIAM H. FOSTER runs as follows:
“On the seventeenth of August instant, I again saw him. He came into
the harbour, occasionally exhibiting parts of his body, which appeared
like rings or bunches. As he drew near, and when opposite to me, there
rose from his head or the most forward part of him, a prong or spear
about twelve inches in height, and six inches in circumference at the
bottom, and running to a small point.”
“_Q._ Might not the prong or spear that you saw, have been the tongue
of the serpent?”
“_A._ I thought not; as I saw the prong before I saw his head; but it
might have been.”
“_Q._ At what distance were you, when you saw the spear of the serpent?”
“_A._ I should judge forty rods; I had a spyglass when I saw the prong
or spear.”
“_Q._ Did the animal appear round?”
“_A._ He did.”
“_Q._ Did he appear jointed, or only serpentine?”
“_A._ He appeared jointed.”
“_Q._ Were its sinuosities vertical or horizontal?”
“_A._ Vertical.”
“_Q._ What was its colour?”
“_A._ It appeared brown.”
“_Q._ Did it appear smooth or rough?”
“_A._ It appeared smooth.”
“_Q._ What was the size and shape of his head?”
“_A._ At the distance where I was, his head appeared as large as a
man’s head; but I cannot describe its shape.”
“_Q._ Did it appear to pursue, avoid or notice objects?”
“_A._ I thought it appeared to notice objects.”
“_Q._ How fast did it move?”
“_A._ At the rate of a mile in a minute, at times, I have no doubt.”
“William H. Foster.”
“Essex ss. August 27, 1817. Personally appeared William H. Foster, and
made oath that the foregoing deposition, by him subscribed, is true,
according to his best knowledge and belief.”
“Before Lonson Nash, Jus. of Peace.”
The first statement that strikes us is the prong or spear, seen by Mr.
FOSTER. I am convinced that this instrument, seen by him at a distance
of forty rods, and with a spy-glass, rising from the foremost part of
the head, about 12 inches, or a foot, in length, pointed at its end,
and having six inches in circumference, or two in diameter, at the
bottom, was nothing else but the animal’s tongue.
* * * * *
=43=.--1817, August 17.--See also n^o. 43 on p. 175.--(_Report of a
Committee_, 1817).--
“I, John Johnston, jun, of Gloucester, in the County of Essex, of the
age of seventeen years, depose and say: That on the evening of the
seventeenth day of August, A. D. 1817, between the hours of eight and
nine o’clock, while passing from the shore in a boat, to a vessel lying
in the harbour of said Gloucester, I saw a strange marine animal,
that I believe to be a serpent, lying extended on the surface of the
water. His length appeared to be fifty feet at least, and he appeared
straight, exhibiting no protuberances. Capt. John Corliss and George
Marble were in the boat with me. We were within two oars length of him.
We immediately rowed from him, and at first concluded to pass by his
tail; but fearing we might strike it with the boat, concluded to pass
around his head, which we did, by altering our course. He remained in
the same position, till we lost sight of him. We approached so near to
him that I believe I could have reached him with my oar. There was not
sufficient light to enable me to describe the animal.”
“John Johnston, jun.”
“Essex, ss. August 25, 1817. Personally appeared John Johnston, jr. and
made oath that the foregoing deposition, by him subscribed, is true
according to his best knowledge and belief.”
“Before Lonson Nash, Jus. of Peace.”
This account is as interesting as all the other ones; though no further
particulars are described, it is again mentioned that more than fifty
feet of the animal’s back part were visible, lying perfectly still on
the surface of the water, showing no bunches at all.
* * * * *
=44=.--1817, August 18.--In the letter of Mr. S. G. PERKINS to Mr. E.
EVERETT, dated Boston Aug. 20, 1817, we read:
“But on Saturday, the day before yesterday, a vessel arrived at Beverly
from the bank of New-foundland. The captain and the crew report that,
off Cape Ann Harbour, they saw a Sea Monster of the Snake kind, lying
on the water, of immense length. That the crew were so much alarmed,
that they got away as soon as they could, and that they estimated it at
100 feet long.”
=44=.--1817, August 18.--See also n^o. 44 hereabove.--(_Report of a
Committee_, 1817).--
“I, William B. Pearson, of Gloucester, in the County of Essex,
merchant, depose and say: That I have, several times, seen a strange
marine animal, that I believe to be a serpent, of great size. I have
had a good view of him, only once, and this was on the 18th. of August,
A. D. 1817. I was in a sailboat, and when off Webber’s cove (so called)
in the harbour of said Gloucester, I saw something coming out of the
cove; we hove to, not doubting but that it was the same creature that
had been seen several times in the harbour, and had excited much
interest among the inhabitants of Gloucester. James P. Collins was the
only person with me. The serpent passed out under the stern of our
boat, towards _Ten Pound Island_; then he stood in towards us again,
and crossed our bow. We immediately exclaimed: “here is the snake!”
From what I saw of him, I should say that he was nothing short of
seventy feet in length. I distinctly saw bunches on his back, and once
he raised his head out of water. The top of his head appeared flat,
and was raised seven or eight inches above the surface of the water.
He passed by the bow of the boat, at about thirty yards distance. His
colour was a dark brown. I saw him at this time about two minutes. His
motion was vertical. His velocity at this time was not great, though
at times, I have seen him move with great velocity, I should say at
the rate of a mile in three minutes, and perhaps faster. His size I
judged to be about the size of a half barrel. I saw Mr. Gaffney fire
at him, at about the distance of thirty yards. I thought he hit him,
and afterwards he appeared more shy. He turned very short, and appeared
as limber and active as the eel, when compared to his size. The form
of the curve when he turned in the water, resembled a staple; his head
seemed to approach towards his body for some feet; then his head and
tail appeared moving rapidly, in opposite directions, and when his head
and tail were on parallel lines, they appeared not more than two or
three yards apart.”
“_Q._ At what time in the day was this?”
“_A._ Between the hours of five and six in the afternoon.”
“_Q._ How many distinct portions of it were out of water at one time?”
“_A._ Ten or twelve distinct portions.”
“_Q._ Can you describe his eyes and mouth.”
“_A._ I thought and believe, that I saw his eye at one time, and it was
dark and sharp.”
“_Q._ How did its tail terminate?”
“_A._ I had not a very distinct view of his tail; I saw no bunches
towards, what I thought the end of the tail, and I believe there were
none. From where I judged his navel might be, to the end of his tail,
there were no bunches visible.”
“William B. Pearson.
_Essex_, ss. August 27, 1817. Then William B. Pearson made oath to the
truth of the above.”
“Before Lonson Nash, Jus. of Peace.”
In this account too there is not a single fact which has not been
mentioned before, except that the tail did not show bunches, while
the back did. From that point of the body where Mr. PEARSON judged
his navel might be towards the end of the tail, the animal had no
bunches. It is probable that we are meant to read: from the middle of
the visible part, where the animal seemed to be thickest. It is also
probable that the animal’s external characters, though Mr. PEARSON says
he believed it to be a serpent, made on him the impression of a mammal.
=44=.--1817, August 18.--See also n^o. 44 p. 176 and hereabove.--In the
above-mentioned letter from Mr. S. G. PERKINS to Mr. E. EVERETT we read:
“My Brother--Colonel Perkins--went down to Cape Ann two days ago to see
it. He says that he is satisfied that such an animal is there. As he
stood on the shore, it came within the eighth of a mile of him, but as
he did not see it so distinctly, as to be able to state all its points,
he has not said any thing to the public about it.”
Fortunately Col. T. H. PERKINS wrote down his experiences in a letter,
dated Oct. 13, 1820, when on board the ship _Ann Marie_, to his friend
JNO. P. CUSHING. He published it in the _Boston Daily Advertiser_ of
Nov. 25, 1848, after the excitement caused by the appearance of the
sea-serpent seen by the _Daedalus_ (n^o. 118). The whole is reprinted
in the _Zoologist_ of 1849, p. 2358, which I had the opportunity to
consult. The part of the letter, treating of his visit runs as follows:
“Boston, November, 1848.”
“In the paper called the “Illustrated London News” of 28th. October,
is an account given by Capt. M’Quhae, of H. R. M. ship Daedalus, of a
sea-serpent, seen from his ship in August last, on her passage from
the East-Indies, and between the Cape of Good Hope and St. Helena.
The perusal of several articles on the subject leads me to send you a
letter written by me on my passage from England to the United States,
in August, 1820, to Jno. P. Cushing, my friend and then partner,
residing at Canton in China. I also send you a memorandum from
Commander Bolton, of the U. S. Navy, giving the report of the gentlemen
of the Navy who were on board a tender called the Lynx, and who had a
very favourable opportunity of satisfying themselves of the existence
of the animal which had caused so much excitement. The serpent was
seen in 1817, ’19, and ’20, from the _shore_, and the reports show
the bunches to be produced by the vertical motion of the body when in
action. From the drawings which accompany the letter of Capt. M’Quhae,
there are none of the protuberances, and which would lead to the
opinion that the animal seen on the other side of the Equator differs
in genus from that which has been seen on our coast. The drawings of
the sea-serpent seen on the coast of Norway, given in the report of the
Bishop Pontoppidan, are identical with the appearance of the animal
which has been so often spoken of as visiting our northern seas. T. H.
Perkins.”
“On board the ship Ann Marie, at sea, lat. 46, long. 44, Oct. 13, 1820.”
“My dear sir,--When on shore I have little time to spare from business
to devote to details which I am now to communicate.”
“During the past three years you will have seen accounts in the
newspapers, or reports will have met you in another form of an immense
sea-serpent having infested our shores in Boston Bay. The first
appearance he made in the summer of 1817, in the harbour of Cape Ann.
Wishing to satisfy myself on a subject on which there existed a great
difference of opinion, I myself visited Gloucester with Mr. Lee. On
our way down we met several persons returning, who had visited the
place where he was said to have exhibited himself, and who reported to
us that he had not been seen for two or three days past. We however,
continued our route to Gloucester, though with fears that we should not
be gratified with the sight of the monster which we sought. I satisfied
myself, from conversation with several persons who had seen him, that
the report in circulation was not a fable. All the town were, as you
may suppose, on the alert; and almost every individual, both great and
small, had been gratified, at a greater or less distance, with a sight
of him. The weather was fine, the sea perfectly smooth, and Mr. Lee and
myself were seated on a point of land which projects into the harbour,
and about twenty feet above the level of the water, from which we were
distant about fifty or sixty feet......
“Whilst thus seated, I observed an agitation in the water at the
entrance of the harbour, like that which follows a small vessel going
five or six miles an hour through the water. As we knew there was no
shoal where the water was thus broken, I immediately said to Mr. Lee
that I had no doubt that what I had seen was the sea serpent in pursuit
of fish. Mr. Lee was not directing his attention to the spot which I
speak of, and had not seen the foam of the water, the animal having
immediately disappeared.”
“In a few moments after my exclamation, I saw on the opposite side of
the harbour, at about two miles distance from where I had first seen,
or thought I saw, the snake, the same object, moving with a rapid
motion up the harbour, on the western shore. As he approached us, it
was easy to see that his motion was not that of the common snake,
either on the land or in the water, but evidently the vertical movement
of the caterpillar. As nearly as I could judge, there was visible at a
time about forty feet of his body. It was not, to be sure, a continuity
of body, as the form from head to tail (except as the apparent bunches
appeared as he moved through the water) was seen only at three or
four feet asunder. It was very evident, however, that his length must
be much greater than what appeared, as, in his movement, he left a
considerable wake in his rear. I had a fine glass, and was within from
one-third to half a mile of him. The head was flat in the water, and
the animal was, as far as I could distinguish, of a chocolate colour.
I was struck with an appearance in the front part of the head like a
single horn, about nine inches to a foot in length, and of the form of
a marlinespike. There were a great many people collected by this time,
many of whom had before seen the same object, and the same appearance.
From the time I first saw him until he passed by the place where I
stood, and soon after disappeared, was not more than fifteen or twenty
minutes.”
“I left the place fully satisfied that the reports in circulation,
although differing in details, were essentially correct. I returned
to Boston, and having made my report, I found Mrs. Perkins and my
daughters disposed to make a visit to Gloucester with me when the
return of the animal should be again announced. A few days after my
return I went again to Cape Ann with the ladies; we had a pleasant
ride, but returned ungratified in the object which carried us there.”
The reader knows already that I don’t agree with Col. T. H. PERKINS as
to the generic difference of the sea-serpent.--It is the second time
that the tongue of the animal is seen to be thrown out.
* * * * *
All these reports of course greatly alarmed the people, and divided
them into believers and unbelievers. Letters were written to Europe. As
it is of interest to know the public opinion about the subject, it is
perhaps not unnecessary to communicate here the letters which I found,
especially those hitherto unpublished. On the 20th. of August of 1817
Mr. S. G. PERKINS wrote a letter to Mr. E. EVERETT, then at Paris;
this letter is preserved in the Library of the Royal University of
Göttingen. An extract from it, respecting the sea-serpent, here printed
for the first time, runs as follows:
“You will except me to give you some account of the extraordinary
monster, which is now the subject of universal conversation here. So
far as we know anything of it, I will give it you, but we have yet
to learn its Genus, species and character. About a fortnight since,
two women, who live near the entrance of the Harbour of Cape Ann,
reported that they saw a Sea-Monster come into the Harbour, that it
had the appearance of a Snake, was of great length, &c. But little
attention, however, was paid to this report, and it gained no public
circulation. Within a week the Country has been agitated with reports
of the existence of the monster, and men of reputation and character
have made known, that they have distinctly seen the animal. Many have
gone off in search of him in Boats, and muskets have been fired at him,
without any other effect than alarming him and deterring him from
suffering the approach of the boats. He is represented to be from 50 to
100 feet long, of the size of a barrel about the body, which is formed
into parallel rings, which--when he is on the top of the water--are
so prominent, that they resembled buoys attached to each other. Its
motions, when in pursuit of its prey, are very rapid, and create a
wake like a small vessel passing thro’ the water. My Brother--Colonel
Perkins--went down to Cape Ann two days ago to see it. He says that he
is satisfied that such an animal is there. As he stood on the shore,
it came within the eighth of a mile of him, but as he did not see it
so distinctly as to be able to state all its points, he has not said
any thing to the public about it. Many persons--who are well known
as men of character--have assured me they have seen 30 or 40 feet of
it out of water at once. These reports have created various opinions
and sensations, many disbelieving the whole story, and others not
doubting it, in the least. My brother goes again to morrow morning to
pass a week at Cape Ann. It comes into the harbour daily, in pursuit
of the herrings, which resort here in great quantities. All these
facts, however, were loose, and from the variety of Reports, people
had gotten to doubt their foundation, and supposed it was only a
number of porpuses following each other, in rapid succession. But on
Saturday, the day before yesterday, a vessel arrived at Beverly from
the banks of Newfoundland. The captain and crew report that, off Cape
Ann Harbour, they saw a Sea-Monster of the Snake kind, lying on the
water, of immense length. That the crew were so much alarmed, that they
got away as soon as they could, and that they estimated it, at 100 feet
long. Other particulars were stated, which I do not recollect. This had
revived the belief, in its existence, and great efforts will be made to
take it dead or alive. I heard to day that a subscription was on foot,
and that an express has been sent to Nantucket for twenty whale men
to come up with their boats and apparatus to destroy it. The Linnean
Society have appointed a Committee to go down and investigate it, of
which Judge Davis is Chairman.”
* * * * *
=45=.--1817, August 22?--We have already seen that the Chairman of the
Committee asked Judge NASH to give, if possible, an evidence of the
fact that a woman saw the animal lying dormant very near the shore.
In speaking of Mr. NASH’S answer we skipped this evidence to insert it
here. It runs as follows:
“I have seen and conversed with the woman, who was said to have seen
the serpent dormant on the rocks, near the water, to whom you refer
in yours; but she can give no material evidence. She says that she
saw something, resembling a large log of wood, on the rocks, on the
extreme eastern point of Ten Pound Island, (a small island in our
harbour), resting partly on the rocks, and partly in the water. The
distance was about half a mile. She took a glass, looked at the object
and saw it move. Her attention was for a short time arrested, by some
domestic avocation, and when she looked for the object again, it had
disappeared.”
The letter from the Hon. JOHN DAVIS, the Chairman of the Committee, was
dated Sept. 2, 1817. The appearance, therefore, took place before this
date. Fortunately we have another testimony of this position of the
animal. In the letter from Col. T. H. PERKINS, dated Oct. 13, 1820, and
published by him in the _Boston Daily Advertiser_ of Nov. 25, 1848, we
read that he visited the harbour of Gloucester. This must have been on
the 18th. of August 1817 (see n^o. 44. p. 178.); after having described
this visit the Colonel goes on:
“A few days after my return I went again to Cape Ann with the ladies;
we had a pleasant ride, but returned ungratified in the object which
carried us there.”
“Whilst at Cape Ann I talked with many persons who had seen the
serpent, and among others with a person of the name of Mansfield, one
of the most respectable inhabitants of the town. His account to me
was, that a few days before, as he was taking a ride with his wife
in a chair, the road taking them close to a bank which overlooks the
harbour (and is nearly a perpendicular precipice), he saw an uncommon
appearance, which induced him to descend from the carriage, when he saw
the sea-serpent, in which until then he had been an unbeliever. The
animal was stretched out, partly over the white sandy beach, which had
four or five feet of water upon it, and lay partly over the channel. He
desired his wife to get out of the chair, which she did. He said he had
made up his mind as to the length of the snake, but wished the opinion
of his wife on the same subject. He asked her what she should consider
his length; she answered that she could not undertake to say how many
feet in length he was, but that she thought him as long as the wharf
behind their house, an object with which she had always been familiar.
Mr. Mansfield said he was of the same opinion. The wharf is one hundred
feet in length. It is to be observed that the person above spoken of
had been such an unbeliever in the existence of this monster, that he
had not given himself the trouble to go from his house to the harbour
when the report was first made of such an animal being there.”
Consequently I may fix the appearance of the animal resting on a bank,
or beach, or rock, on the 22th. of August, 1817. This is the _only_
report I have found of this way of reposing of the animal, but I cannot
believe that these reports are contrary to truth.
* * * * *
=46=.--1817, August, 23.--(_Report of a Committee_, 1817). Mr. AMOS
STORY after having made affidavit of his having seen the animal on the
tenth of August, goes on:
“I likewise saw, what I believe to be the same animal this day, viz.
the twenty third of August, A. D. 1817. This was in the morning, about
seven o’clock. He then lay perfectly still, extended on the water, and
I should judge that I saw fifty feet of him at least.”
“I should judge that I was forty rods from him this day. I had a good
spy glass both days when I saw him. I continued looking at him about
half an hour, and he remained still and in the same position, until I
was called away. Neither his head nor tail were visible. His colour
appeared to be a dark brown, and when the sun shone upon him, the
reflection was very bright. I thought his body was about the size of a
man’s body.”
“Amos Story.”
“Essex ss. Aug. 23, 1817. Personally appeared Amos Story, and made oath
that the foregoing deposition by him subscribed is true, according to
his best knowledge and belief.”
“Cor. Lonson Nash, Jus. Pacis.”
As we read that the animal lay perfectly still, and as Mr. STORY does
not mention that bunches were visible, we may conclude that it lay with
its body in a straight line. Fifty feet of its length at least were
visible. Its head and tail were not visible, says Mr. STORY, and yet
the animal remained about half an hour in this position, which I think
may thus be accounted for: the animal’s head, neck and back were in a
straight line just above the surface of the water, so that its nose
was also above it, which enabled the animal to breathe and to remain
motionless, but at the distance of forty rods, though with a good spy
glass, these particulars cannot have been distinctly seen by one who
was not acquainted with the animal’s external features, and so he
believed its head was invisible. That its tail was under water, I will
believe with him.
* * * * *
=47=.--1817, August 24?--In the letter from Col. T. H. PERKINS to Mr.
CUSHING, dated Oct. 13, 1820, Col. P. mentions the appearance of the
sea-serpent as seen by Mr. and Mrs. MANSFIELD on the 22th. of Aug.,
1817 (n^o. 45), and he continues:
“Subsequent to the period of which I have been speaking, the snake
was seen by several of the crews of our coasting vessels, and in some
instances within a few yards.”