Alexandria Gazette & Daily Advertiser

THE SEA SERPENT.

Boston, August 23.

The earliest account which the inhabitants of Gloucester received of their snake visitor was from the master of a coasting vessel. He went on shore and mentioned that a horrid monster was discovered by him, with his head round the bow, and appearing to be resting upon the cable—his body extending along the sides and passing beyond the stern of the vessel, which measured about 80 or 90 feet. So little belief was awarded to the story, that the master was glad to seek refuge from derision on board his sloop.
A subsequent account, however, given by a credible person, who lives upon an extreme point of the harbor, excited the curiosity, though it was not calculated to remove the doubts of the inhabitants. He described the monster as elevating his head 8 feet from the surface of the water, dashing it majestically about him, and moving through it with astonishing and terrific rapidity.

A few days afterwards doubt gave way to certainty;—"what yesterday was fact to day is doctrine," and the people of Gloucester have seen the monster themselves. The following description, from all the information which could be obtained at the place, is as accurate as the circumstances would admit, and is not contradicted by any testimony of a less extraordinary character.

He seldom swims with his head elevated; but it has been partially seen by some persons, and wholly by a few. It is a frightful object. Its color is a dark brown, mixed with some streaks of a light r hue, and resembling, from its hard and scaly appearance, "a weather beaten rock." It is broad, and of the size of a Hingham bucket; the shape is round; in front, the contouration of the upper jaw is something like a spaniel's, the under one like a shark's, and both are armed with formidable teeth. The side of his mouth is about nine inches long; but it is well known the mouth of the serpent has great capacity of extension, on account of such a stretching muscular skin which holds the joints together, that he can gorge a prey much thicker than his body.

His body, upon comparing all accounts of him, is at least 90 feet long—perhaps 100, and nearly of the size of a flour barrel in his largest part, which is about ten or fifteen feet from his head. It is of a dark brown, covered with large scales, which, when he is in motion, appear rife with life, and are at angles with the line of incurvation formed by his folds.

His common motion is undulatory, making curves perpendicular to the surface of the water, which has given rise to the account of his presenting the appearance of a succession of casks strung together. The flexures of his body above, have alternate spaces of water between them, which have corresponding depressed bends underneath. A serpentine motion of the hand up and down will be an accurate indication of his movement. With amphibious snakes, the windings on earth are perpendicular, and in the water are parallel to the surface; this animal has the vertical motion in the water. He makes very short, sudden, and rapid turns, so that in bringing his head and tail within a few feet of each other, he resembles a pair of reins. He is sometimes seen at rest with his back out of water; but the celerity of his motion underneath the surface is much greater than when any part of his body is exposed to view.

Whether the people of Gloucester will ever be able to destroy him is very uncertain. They have shark hooks attached to light casks for buoys, baited with various kinds of food.—boats are placed upon the watch, and if he should gorge a hook of this kind, we think he will be certainly taken, though not without much difficulty. They will in that case be aware of the place of his situation, and profit by the embarrassment of his motion: but at present they have no clue to guide them to him; chance only can give them an opportunity of seeing him, and they are not able with their best boats to equal his rapidity.

The Serpent.—The Boston Evening Advertiser, under date of Sunday morning, states, "that a party well prepared proceeded to attack the great sea serpent, if he could be found: on Friday a firing was heard from Salem, and some faint hopes were entertained that a successful attack had been made upon him. Several persons from Boston have gone towards Cape Ann in hopes to get a sight of the monster."