the West
Indies, was precisely such as some of the Americans had construed into
a "sea-serpent a mile in length," agreeing, as it did, with one or two
of the accounts given. This was nothing more than a tribe of black
porpoises in one line, extending fully a quarter of a mile, fast
asleep! The appearance certainly was a little singular, not unlike a
raft of puncheons, or a ridge of rocks; but the moment it was seen,
some one exclaimed, (I believe the captain)--"here is a solution of
Jonathan's enigma"--and the resemblance to his "sea-serpent" was at
once striking.

Ice, sometimes, when a-wash with the surface of the sea may be
mistaken for breakers; and that which is called "black ice" has, both
by Capt. Parry and Mr. Weddell, been taken for rocks until a close
approach convinced them of the contrary; and, I dare say, others have
been in like manner deceived, especially near Newfoundland.

A _scole_ of or indeed, a single, devil fish (_Lophius_) when deep in
the water, may appear like a shoal; and I think, that of all the
various appearances of strange things seen at sea, this monstrous
animal is more likely to deceive the judgment into a belief of a
submarine danger being where none actually exists, than any other. I
have watched one of these extraordinary creatures, as it passed slowly
along, occupying a space two-thirds of the length of the ship (a
32-gun frigate;) its shape was nearly circular, of a dark green
colour, spotted with white and light green shades, like the _ray_, and
some other flat-fish.

Mr. Kriukof gave a curious description to Capt. Kotzebue of a marine
serpent which pursued him off Behring's island: it was red and
enormously long, the head resembling that of the sea-lion, at the same
time two disproportionately large eyes gave it a frightful appearance.
Mr. Kriukof's situation seems to have been almost as perilous above
the surface of the sea, as Lieutenant Hardy's Spanish diver's was,
with the _tinterero_ underneath!

In the History of Greenland, (which, by the by, may with propriety be
called Parrynese,) I think there is a well authenticated account of a
large sea-serpent seen upon the coast of that vast insular land in
Hudson's sea.

Sea-Devil.--Extract from the log-book of the ship Douglas.--"Sailed
May 3rd from Curacoa. May 6th, at three P.M. in lat. 35 long. 68.40,
made, as we supposed, a vessel bottom up, five or six miles
distant--proceeded within forty feet of the object, which app