Snakes: Curiosities and Wonders of Serpent LifeHopley, Catherine Cooper
Science
Snakes: Curiosities and Wonders of Serpent Life
Hopley, Catherine Cooper
Animal behavior; Snakes
Among the more noteworthy, the following account, copied from the
Liverpool papers at the time, is worth considering:—
‘The story of the mate and crew of the barque _Pauline_, of London,
said to have arrived in port from a twenty months’ voyage to Akyab,
about having seen a “sea serpent” while on a voyage in the Indian
seas, was yesterday declared to on oath before Mr. Raffles, the
stipendiary magistrate at the police court. The affidavit was made in
consequence of the doubtfulness with which
anything about the sea serpent has hitherto been received; and to show
the genuine character of the story, it has been placed judicially on
record. The following is a copy of the declaration, which will be
regarded as unprecedented in its way:—
‘“_Borough of Liverpool, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, to wit._
‘“We, the undersigned, captain, officers, and crew of the barque
_Pauline_ (of London), of Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, in
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, do solemnly and
sincerely declare that, on July 8, 1875, in lat. 5° 13´ S., long. 35°
W., we observed three large sperm whales, and one of them was gripped
round the body with two turns of what appeared to be a huge serpent.
The head and tail appeared to have a length beyond the coils of about
thirty feet, and its girth eight or nine feet. The serpent whirled its
victim round and round for about fifteen minutes, and then suddenly
dragged the whale to the bottom, head first.
‘“GEORGE DREVAR, _Master_.
‘“HORATIO THOMPSON.
‘“JOHN HENDERSON LANDELLS.
‘“OWEN BAKER.
‘“WILLIAM LEWARN.
* * * * *
‘“Again, on July 13, a similar serpent was seen about two hundred
yards off, shooting itself along the surface, head and neck being out
of the water several feet. This was seen only by the captain and one
ordinary seaman, whose signatures are affixed.
‘“GEORGE DREVAR, _Master_.
* * * * *
‘“A few moments after, it was seen elevated some sixty feet
perpendicularly in the air, by the chief officer and the following
able seamen, whose signatures are also affixed:—
‘“HORATIO THOMPSON.
‘“WILLIAM LEWARN.
* * * * *
‘“And we make this solemn declaration, conscientiously believing the
same to be true, and by virtue of the provisions of an Act made and
passed in the sixth year of the reign of his late Majesty, intituled
an Act to repeal an Act of the present session of Parliament,
intituled an Act for the more effectual abolition of oaths and
affirmations, taken and made in various departments of the State, and
to substitute declarations in lieu thereof, and for the more entire
suppression of voluntary and extra-judicial oaths and affidavits, and
to make other provisions for the abolition of unnecessary oaths.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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