The New Hampshire Gazette

From the Universal Magazine for November 1761.

An Account of the Sea-Man lately Seen near the Island of Martinico.

Two Frenchmen and four Negroes having set out in a canoe towards the coast of a little desert isle situated to the South of Martinico, & separated from it by a strait about a league in breadth; they stopped at an advanced point of ten or twelve paces into the sea, and eight or ten feet high above the water. There, within eight paces of them, they saw a Triton, or Sea Man, the half of whose body appeared above the water. At first, their astonishment and consternation hindered them to consider him attentively; but the monster having appeared several times on the water, and continued a long time in the same position, they took courage and had time enough to observe distinctly all his parts. His figure perfectly resembled the human, from the head down to the waist; his size and shape were small and slender, as of a youth of 15 or 16 years of age; the eyes were somewhat large, but without deformity; the visage broad and full; the nose large and flat; the hair grey, that is a mixture of white and black, lank, disposed in order, as if combed, and floating on his shoulders. His beard was grey seven or eight inches in length, and everywhere equally broad; his breast was covered with hair as old men are in that part. They did not observe, whether his arms were proportionable to his body, whether they were split, whether fingers were fastened together, or whether he had fins. Nothing particular was also observed in the neck, or the rest of the body that appeared above water; it was neither covered with scales nor hair; the skin seemed fine and delicate enough, and the face & body rather white than brown, the lower part which was seen beneath the water, was proportionable to the rest of the body, and like unto a fish; it was terminated by a large and forked tail. He appeared the first time within 8 paces of the rock; the second he drew nearer: and at length he came quite close to the point, where the two Frenchmen and four negroes were sitting; he retired towards the east, along some herbage that was at the foot of the rock; he turned several times, and remained long on the water, as if he took pleasure in seeing and being seen, and without shewing the least surprise. Those who saw him fancied his countenance to be stern and menacing, perhaps because they were still afraid. They all declared they heard him blow his nose, and saw him rub down with his hand his face and nose, as it were to wipe them; he made no noise by the mouth which might shew that he had a voice. This adventure was related by M. de la Paire, commanding captain of that quarter, and to a missionary Jesuit in the neighbouring coast: Both of them judged it to be fabulous, and in order that the people might not be imposed upon by a vain report, they made a very strict enquiry into the truth; they interrogated separately the witnesses, and with great precaution; but, their depositions being found to agree with each other, M. de la Paire had them juridically received by a notary, in presence of the officers and most considerable men of the department; so that it was judged nothing could be added to the authenticity of the information.

In short, this is not the first Sea Man that has appeared; M. Delisle makes mention of a male and female who were taken at the same time; the female survived two years, and learned to spin: The history of the Sea bishop, taken on the coast of the Baltic, is very singular: Father Henriques, a Jesuit, was one day called out to see seven Tritons and nine Syrens, which had been taken about the Isle of Manar, near that of Ceylon, and in which the sexes were very distinct. The sea-man that appeared some years ago on the coast of Brittany, near Belleisle, was every way like that seen lately in America.