The New Hampshire Gazette

The Sea-Serpent.

The recent appearance of this animal at Nahant in the view of several hundreds of persons has furnished perhaps more conclusive proofs of his existence than any that have been before made public. For the satisfaction of our readers we have procured a copy of the following letter, which gives a very clear and intelligible description of his appearance and movements. We have heard verbal statements from a great number of gentlemen, all of which agree in substance with what is here related. Bo Daily Adv.

Copy of a letter from JAMES PRINCE, Esq. Marshal of this District, to the Hon. Judge Davis, dated Nahant, August 16, 1819.

My DEAR SIR--I presume I may have seen what is generally thought to be the Sea Serpent--I have also seen my name inserted in the evening newspaper printed at Boston on Saturday, in a communication on this subject. For your gratification, and from a desire that my name may not sanction anything beyond what was actually presented and passed in review before me, I will now state that, which, in the presence of more than two hundred other witnesses, took place near the long beach of Nahant on Saturday morning last:

Intending to pass two or three days with my family at Nahant, we left Boston early on Saturday morning. On passing the half way house on the Salem turnpike, Mr. Smith informed us, the Sea Serpent had been seen the evening before at Nahant beach, and that a vast number of people from Lynn had gone to the beach that morning in hopes of being gratified with a sight of him; this was confirmed at the hotel-- I was glad to find I had brought my famous marine spy glass with me as it would enable me from its form and size to view him to advantage if I might be so fortunate as to see him. On our arrival on the beach, we found a considerable collection of persons on foot and in chaises; and very soon an animal of the fish kind made his appearance nearly in this attitude and manner

(Mr. Prince here introduces a drawing of the animal as he appeared in the water, which is very similar to that heretofore furnished by Capt. Searle, Capt. Wheeler, and others who have before had a view of the Sea Serpent:)

His head appeared about three feet out of water: I counted thirteen bunches on his back; my family thought there were fifteen. He passed three times at a moderate rate across the bay, but so fleet as to occasion a foam in the water: and my family and self, who were in a carriage, judged that he was from fifty and not more than sixty feet in length--whether, however, the wake might not add to the appearance of his length; or whether the undulation of the water or his peculiar manner of propelling himself, might most cause the appearances of protuberances, I leave for your better judgment. The first view of the animal occasioned some agitation, and the novelty perhaps prevented that precise discrimination which afterward took place. As he swam up the bay, we and the other spectators moved on and kept nearly abreast of him; he occasionally withdrew under water, and the idea occurred to me that his occasionally raising his head above the level of the water was to take breath, as the time he kept under was on an average about eight minutes--and after being accustomed to view him, we became more composed and his general appearance was as above delineated. Mrs. Prince and the coachman having better eyes than myself, were of great assistance to me in marking the progress of the animal; they would say, he is now turning, and by the aid of my glass I saw him distinctly in this movement; he did not turn without occupying some space, and taking into view the time and space which he found necessary for his ease and accommodation, I adopted it as a criterion to form some judgment of his length. I had even distinct views of him from the long beach so called, and at some of them the animal was not more than an hundred yards distance. After being on the long beach, with other spectators about an hour, the animal disappeared, and I proceeded on towards Nahant, but on passing the second beach, I met Mr. James Magee, of Boston, with several ladies in a carriage, prompted by curiosity to endeavor to see the animal, and we were again gratified beyond what we saw in the other bay; which I concluded he had left in consequence of the number of boats being in going in pursuit of him--the noise of whose oars must have disturbed him, as he appeared to us to be a harmless timid animal. We had more than a dozen different views of him, and each similar to the other, one however so near that the coachman exclaimed, "Oh, see his glistening eye."

Thinking I might form some calculation of his length by the time and distance of each turn: and taking an angle with my two hands of the length which he exhibited, that is to say, from his head to the last protuberance, and applying the same angle to other objects, I feel satisfied of the correctness of my decision that he is sixty feet long unless the ripple of his wake deceived me--nor, my dear sir, do I undertake to say he was of the Snake or Eel kind-- though this was the general opinion of my family, the spectators, and myself. Certain it is he is a very strange animal. I have been accustomed to see whales, sharks, grampuses, porpoises, and other large fishes, but he partook of none of the appearances of either of these. The whale and the grampus would have spouted--the shark never raises his head out of water, and the porpoise skips and plays; neither have such appearances on their backs or such a head as this animal. The shark it is true has a fin on his back, and often the fluke of his tail is out of water; but these appendages would not display the form, and certainly not the number of protuberances which this animal exhibited; nor is it the habit of the shark to avoid a boat. The water was extremely smooth, and the weather clear: we had been so habituated to see him, that we were cool and composed. The time occupied was from a quarter past eight to half past eleven: a cloud of witnesses exceeding two hundred brought together for a single purpose, were all alike satisfied and united as to appearances, and of the length and size of the animal; but you must deduct the influence which his passage through the water and the manner he propelled himself, might have as to the apparent protuberances on his back, and the ripple occasioned by his motion on his real length, of which you can judge equally well and better than myself.

I must conclude there is a strange animal on our coast--and I have thought an unvarnished statement might be gratifying to a mind attached to the pursuit of natural science, and aid in the enquiries on a controverted question, which I know to have interested you. I have ventured on the description being also induced to hope, that if anything of the marvellous is stated as coming from me, you will correct it.

Accept, the respects and attention of, dear sir, yours sincerely,

J. PRINCE.

Hon. Judge Davis,