Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1823-01-30

it bad ridge Of formidable prickles
down its back. like saw teeth, be-
coming smaller and smallertill it ter
minated in forked tail. which was
partly artificial. Its feet and claws
required little or no alteration. The
head appeared to be that of the Ha-
noverian rat. or what is called in Eu-
rope the Norway rat and by some
the Lcvant rat. 1t had an artif.
cial f0rked tongue between a row
of formidable teeth and tushes, grin
ming to perfection. The lips and
mouth were painted flesh color the
ears terminating sharply; the eyes
artificial. prominent aud fierce. The
whole was surmonnted by pair OF
wings taken from the large NADIA
gascar bat, that has a body as big as
a common hen. 1t was this which
gave the imposing aspect I" the
whole compositions, notwithstanding
it's short neck for putty, glue, and
paint. with uniform coat of yarnish,
| CO ncealed most of the jnnctui es.
After giving the man more than
his fee, we retired as cautiously as
we entered the Dragons den; and
| kept, as we had agreed our expedi.
ton secret almost 1Ueek Mr..
Jackson, who came minist r from the
British government to ours, and who
brought letters from our common
friend, had heard that MIR. B. and
myself had seen a Dragon
You ask me If believe there ever
was snch a creature in form Il Struc
ture, half human and half fish l
do not believe there ever was and
that because it has never been de-
mOnstrated; for an animal of that
mixed structure could not live con-
tin0ally under water; yet notion
of that sort has prevailed i'm times
anterior to the fabulous ages OF
Greece aud Rome. Dagon, who
was ~orshiped in the FIVE principal
cities of the PhiIistines, was an Idol
halt fish and half man; which opin
ion is strengthened by the Hebrew
word Dag, which means fish. Mil
ton adopts this idea /; when speaking
of the scriptural idols. he says
DQgon his name, sea monster, upward man
I'M ao,ratuord dsh yet had his temple high
Rear d i'll Azotus.
All this IS no evidence that such
beings exist in nature griltins,
sphinXes, dragons, uniCorns, the hip.
pocentaurii and mermaids, are but a
very elaborate species of hierngiy-
phics. Suppose, for example, that
the industrious and patriotic town Of
Marblehead had existed Il belonged
to tho empire of Greece or Il me and
had concluded to make ag.aven i'm
age. expressive of their love and
gratitude, to be placed in their tenn
pies. Their wise men would proba
bly, have directed an idol to he made
Of the upper parts resembling that
of venerable parsonage whom
you and greatly admire. and the
lower part of a cod fish, as aptIy ex-
pressing their gratitude for his meri-
torious exertions in preserving to
them the 'sine qna nom of their exis-
tenc.; for most of the statutes and
hieroglyphiual figures were made in
commemorative of the benefactorS of
nations, and we all know that the
people of Marblehead placed the gra-
ven image Of cod fish, on the very
pinnacle of the first church in that
town, instead of a weather bird, and
that the like idol is placed on high in
the Massachusetts House of Repre-.
sentatives.
The ezra of won1erment, as il re-
CARDS natural productions. is passed
and gone, ever since the elopement
of our o,on shared bear! and since
Captain X. killed our sea serpent. |
know bat one natural production,
from abroad, that can maintain its
standing, and which can be viewed
examined. and reviewed again and
agaih with increased satisfaction
and wonder ; & that is MATHEWS /;
and he is so far out Of the common
course of ordinary creatures, that he
is absolutely and literally speaking
Lusus Nature, Or JOKE of Nature.
Yours, &c.
Cambridge, Ian. ii, 1928.