Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1819-08-24
THE SEA SERPENT.

lated as are the evidences ALREADY before the
pubic, respecting the appearance of an extra
ordinary ANIMAL in orr bay tor two or three
Yeats past, commonly called Sea Serpent,
anu however true II is, that those who have
most cdittuiIy attended 40 this, are perfectly
sa.ahSu OF tie existence OF such ali animal,
YET, as there are few, who, dtscardug the
usuai credit given 10 human testimony, affect
oha'e doubts on the subject, ii has become
important 10 preserve and publish all new
evidence which goes 10 Confederate the fact
mat at animal, OF the description before
stated, has been and still is i'll the bay and
near our coasts. Making all reasonable al
iowance Tor probable deception in viewing
oDJectS IN or across the water aud for tue
exaggerated statements of few individuals,
VINO have publishtd what was supposed TO be
seen III the evening or at u distance or under
tue immediate influence of either great trepi-
satioh or saneuine expectation, we think, if
any tact can be established by human testimo-
ny, tnat 10 reasonable person will longer be
scepticai respecting the existence OF the Sea
Serpent.
When il was stated in, ono of ,ba n,nsrs of
tuesday last. that this animal had been seen
by Captain Pierce and others on board his
vessel, on sunday morning last near Cape
h"n. some eesilenIen of this town called on
capt. Peirce, aud conversed with him aud his
crew, and the passengers. The following is
tile substance of their testimony-Mr Var
neys account was given in a letter to one of
the gentlemen, TO whom he has long been
known and the others were taken down from
raIely and alone.
Capt. PIERCE, of Dover, n. II. Who COM
handed the vessel and appeared 10 be a man
OF Judgment and good sense, stated, that on
ounuay morning, Aug. 8, near Squam bar. be-
tWeeh and lO O'Clock, his vessel having very
iittie Roadway aud the sweeps having been
occasionally used lie saw the Sea Serpent, as
he fully believes il to have been, within IOD or
l5o yards, passing very slowly at first thro the
water, anu directly athwart the bow o his YES
sci. But in giving his idea of the distance n.
pointed to an object down the wharf, which.
10 Tie opinioH OF several geRtiemen standing
ny at Tie time. was thought not TO he more
than lOOyards. He says IL was almost ca aka II the
wafer quite snoo'h. He saw the animal very
distinctly, aud should have supposed him tn be
! % feet. OF nearly that. He plainly Saw the
bnnrheS, which continued out of water some
tuc, without variation and in the same rela-
i've distance TO each other. That his head was
aDoVt wafer nearly two feet, of about the size
OF morse head, AMI very much such shane
lie saw iiim again at little greater distance
snpi atter. when his motion was more rand so
that lie could not observe him 80 accurately AS
al hrst, yet the bHnches were TO be disiinctly
seen. lie says the water was three or f.ur ia
thoms deep when he first saw him, aud about
hall mile from land. Though what he saw out
OF water was OF considerable length he is con-
hdent he did not see the whole of the animal.
particularly bis tail and the parts adjoining
time, lie said, from wha, he did see. was thar
the serpent must he abdit 100 feet in length
w bdt he saw Was az long Sloup (theu w.
ing by, of 100 tons) towlIicIi he poiuted. When
lie saw him the last time, the Serpent and the
wake occasioned By the rapid motion. was l5O
feet or more
n. ROBINSON, Of Dover also, one of the
passengers, aged22 years, aud who appeared TO
be an Intelligent man, aud without any dispo-
sitioD To eXaggeTate or 10 excite admiration
stated hp fll.sS
and under the circumstances mentioned nv
Captain Peirce. Ii was almost calm, the YES
sci having very little motion. He should judge
tile Serpent TO he abont 100 yards ahead, pass
lug slowly III direction across their bow his
head about two feet, or nearly So out OF wa
ter, and as large nearly as half barrel then
checking himself, and pointing to u ten gallon
kfg, observed, as large as that. His opinion
was that the Serpent was abnnt 100 feet long
certainly moi less than 80 as he expressed him.
self He counted - punches all at one time
above water. His opinion df the length Of the
animal he said, was formed from looking 3,
him some time and observing the bwmrles,
The Serpent .oon disappeared, hesaId. but was
seen again little time altar, bur at a gIeateT
distance, and distraction more rapid, when he
thought Il more difficult TO form correct
opinion; tile bnncbes were now also distinctly
seen by HIM, Int not many counted AS
before. lie was seen a third time by some Of
the people, he said. bur as il was far OFF he did
not attend When intrrTogated I've appeared
confident il was one animal and that the
prOtuberances were not owing to the motion
Of the body III its eXertion to gliJe through
the water.
X. MUNSEV, OF Dover. mariner but a We
~ intelligent and discerning man, of about
twenty-five years OF age. stated that he also
saw the Serpent al The time above mentioned
II vas Calm aud clear Nlr Warn, brine or
deck, said he sa" something ahead which he
supposed was the Sra serpent | looked. lie
said and observed him nIOVing SLOWLY by tile
bows of Tie vessyl J, at about 100 or 100 wards
aiming towards NewburSpor we being In
sight Of the light-hOuSe on Sqnain. All on
board, believe, saw linn al the time His
head Out at wairr. say - feet. In lrngtt lie
appeared ab''ut 80 feet aud ili,"bunches on hi,
back appeared like biach tu UsrIeis. We
could Ouiy SEE tht,hrad 4, rnurhe6 which were
l"u o. three f'ct ,aIt. tie sOUu went under.
ana afterwards APPEARED aghtn, aiming to-
wards HdIibut uoiri Ills head was Ort cf VA
ter as before buncheS cledth seen: and I
should stv Use add 4, nc Wa ~ OI 81 feet loyu.
through we could moi see lis tail H., left "A
treat wake III the wA'er, aud When a. mo, I'd
dst, the wake wts perhaps 100 fePt long. Tie
appearance OF him was ike hHmcllas Of -
-rls stTunz together aui thrS moved sirai sft
Onward together, icllnw iug III head wlucli was
not ont Of sigh lOi sV.Jc minutes The iliird
ius he ~asf ren ie u vas 'uril' = OF ~ sea AID /
I'D rot attend, ~ ! was bn,y Gu board Before
his ] was doubtful about sHch au animal ~,
lad been described ~ the papers bu now
,m perfectly satisfied {, Was moi a Whale. o.
o. any thug ever saw before
nd thai IL wH~a sea Srfperi.
MG JESSE HAbNEY Of Dovsr. a rpspecta-
Die printer AVID bookseller, OF about 81 Yeas OF
TIE 4 man OF "udiudgmpui AID nulouhtcd
vas also on board Captain Pieces
'csSel Ud SUNDAY, ADJUST 9th, az above stat
%. and his account written bt himself, At tie
eqneSt OF q gentleman Of ihiS town. T. IS fol-
OwS, viz /: " About O'Clock IN H.e fnrpndOn
IS the vessel vi, crossing the bdi in ~QuAn.
IafbOr, bound frOrg Portsmouth 90 lipsioi.. /
iHcOvcted al the distance Of about 10 wards
head Otus tie Sea Serpeu i hsNt Jkht ht
ppedred ca lay pretty stu in the wafer will
us head raised about one aud ~ hall foot
IbOge the surface also observed me tfotu-
,eTanCes OH the back yefy distinctly about