him, and only twisted its folds up his arm. In this manner he held it, till it was killed by those who came to his assistance.

The Corican, says Mr. Forbes in his Oriental Memoirs, abounds with this kind of serpent. This animal conceals itself among the branches of trees, from whence it darts rapidly on the cattle grazing below, generally at the eye. One of them, near the hot wells, flew at a bull; and wounding him in the eye, threw him into a vio lent agony; he tore up the ground in a furious manner, and foaming at the mouth, died in about half an hour.

THE SEA SERPENT.

The existence of this Marine prodigy on the coast of North America, has been placed beyond a doubt, by the multiplied evidences procured by the Linnean Society of New England, 'established at Boston. Their enquiries were founded on the rumours currently spread, on various authorities, that in the month of August, 1817, an animal of a very singular appearance had been repeatedly seen in the harbour of Gloucester, Cape Ann, about thirty miles from Boston. It was said to resemble a serpent in its general form and motions, to be of immense size, and to move with wonderful rapidity; to appear on the surface of the water in calm and

bright weather only; and to seem jointed, or like a number of buoys or casks following each other in a line. The following is a brief abstract of the evidences taken on oath, in support of these The depositions were made before Lonson Nash, Esq. a magistrate of Gloucester, by whose own account of the animal, of which he had a distinct view, it may not be improper to preface the various evidences adduced.

rumours.

Mr. Nash saw the serpent at the distance of about two hundred and fifty yards. It was so long, that the two extremes were not visible at one view, with a telescope. He therefore judged it to be seventy, or, perhaps, a hundred four in length. He perceived eight distinct portions, or bunches, apparently caused by the vertical motion of the animal, which he conjectures to be straight. In this vertical motion all the testimonies agree, as well as in the apparent bunches. The track made in the water was visible for half a mile, and the progress of the animal, when on its surface, a mile in four minutes; but when immersed, by the motion of the water, which could be often traced, he appeared to move a mile in two minutes, or in three minutes at the most. His body was of the size of a half barrel, apparently rough, and of a very dark colour, in which latter particular, all the accounts coincide.

A ship-master, and two of his men, being in a boat, approached this monstrous animal to

within the short distance of thirty feet. They describe it as being of the serpent form, its head resembling that of a land snake, and very large, of the size of a ten gallon-keg. It darted out its tongue, the extremity of which resembled a fisherman's harpoon, to the extent of two feet, raising it perpendicularly, and again letting it fall. Over each of the eyes, which were very bright, was a bunch. Its body was apparently about two feet and a half in circumference. Its motion was at the rate of twelve or fourteen miles in an hour, much swifter than that of a whale, or any other fish, and vertical, but steady.

Another ship-master attests that he saw the serpent three times, twenty or thirty persons being present, at the distance of about 150 yards. Its apparent length was 80 or 90 feet, and its size that of a half barrel. It had joints, or bunches, from head to tail; its head, which was raised two feet above the water, resembled that of a rattlesnake, and was of the size of a horse's head. Its mouth was open about ten inches. Its body was of a dark chocolate colour, and rough and scaly. In turning short and quick, the first part of the curve it made, resembled the link of a chain; but when the head came paralIel with the tail, they appeared near together; when on the surface of the water, its motion was slow, the animal at times playing about in circles, and at others, moving nearly straight

forward. In disappearing, it apparently sunk directly down.

The other depositions were seven in number, three by merchants, one by a ship-master, one by a ship-carpenter, and two by marines. One of them describes the tongue of the animal as resembling a prong, or spear, elevated about twelve inches, six inches in circumference, and terminating in a small point. The body appeared to be jointed, round, and about the size of that of a man. The other accounts agree in the foregoing particulars, (all testifying the enormous length of the animal, which in some instances they estimate at 70 feet;) and also in the extreme rapidity of its motion through the water. This motion was vertical, like that of the caterpillar. The ship-carpenter, Mathew Gafney, being in a boat on the 14th of August, and within thirty feet of the animal, discharged his piece, carrying a large ball, at its head, which he thought be struck. The creature turned immediately towards the boat, as if to approach it; but sunk down, and went directly under it, again making its appearance at about one hundred yards distance. It did not turn down like a fish, but appeared to settle directly down like a rock,

The society having been informed that an animal resembling the above, had been seen at Plymouth, a sea-port belonging to the United States, two or three years before, procured the

following testimony on oath from a ship-master residing there.

On the 20th of June, 1815, this deponent, Elkanah-Finney, was suddenly called to witness a strange appearance in the cove, next his house. By the aid of his glass, he was satisfied in a moment that he was some aquatic animal, with the form, motion, and appearance of which, he had been hitherto unacquainted. It moved, at the distance of a quarter of a mile from the shore, with great rapidity towards the north, being then apparently about thirty feet in length; but in again making towards the cove, it displayed a much greater length, not less, in the deponent's opinion, than a hundred feet. It approached him, in a southerly direction very rapidly, until it came in a line with him, when it stopped, and lay entirely still on the surface of the water. "I had then," observes the deponent, "a good view of the animal, through my glass, at the dis tance of a quarter of a mile. His appearance in this situation was like a string of buoys. I saw perhaps thirty or forty protuberances or bunches, which were about the size of a barrel. 'The head which tapered off to the size of a horse's head, appeared to be about six or eight feet long, and where it was connected with the body, was a little larger than the latter. I could not discern any mouth; but what I supposed to be his underjaw had a white stripe extending the whole length of his head, just above the water. While