TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING POST.
SIR-- On the 15th of last month, a boat, with two oars, put to sea from the harbour, on what account is not mentioned. It had not got a quarter of a mile from the shore before the men perceived, at about the same distance, a demi-figure, seemingly human, and in erect position in the middle of the water. On approaching towards it, the face wore a female aspect, with a profusion of long light greenish hair flowing all about; and it actually appeared to have in one hand a mirror, and in the other a comb, exactly resembling what in picture-books and on signs is represented as a mermaid. The men still continued rowing towards it, and the animal remained undaunted.
When they had got within about thirty yards of it they could distinctly see its face, which was of a deep pink, with little scintillating eyes, rather sunk in the head, a small flat nose, and almost a circular mouth of very narrow dimensions, with which it frequently seemed to suck in the air, inflating the cheeks most astonishingly, and as frequently uttering a shrill noise, somewhat between the mew of a cat and the scream of a pewit or lapwing. The hair was beautifully glossy, of changeful shades of green; and it had mammae, which were large and prominent, of the same tinge with the face.
But what was the fancied mirror prooved to be? - a small flat fish of the doree or plaice kind, which it held in one of the fore or pectoral fins, the white and dark sides of which fish, as it glasced about with the animal's motion, irmitating the shifting gleams of a looking glass.What appeared as a comb in the other fin was nothing more than the extremity of the fin itself stretched forth in a dangling manner, and which was armed with a great number of small points, seeming toes, or the protruding ends of the ribs of the fin. Theis observation occupied the space of about eight minutes.
The creature still seemed fearless, and even regarded the men who now neared it, rowing gently onward, in the hopes of taking it by means of a small grappling iron which they had in the boat, and had fastened to a rope with the intention of throwing it at the creature to hook it when sufficiently close. Having got within five or six yards of their wished-for prey, they cast forth their snare; but on the instant this being sunk beneath the waves, uttering in its mewing tone, loudly, the word adieu, adieu! So at least it sounded to the fanciful ears of these aquatic narrators.
The various accounts of former writers on the subject of Mermen, which writers are very accurately enumerated and dscanted upon by Bishop PONTOPPIDAN, in his Natural History of Norway (a book, by the way, much, but very unjustly derived, by reason of his Kraken), together with the numerous relations of the appearance of several about our coasts on very respectable authorities, leave us no room to doubtof the existence of such animals. The historian above-mentioned gives us, page 191, Part 2, from the report of Mr. LUKE DEBBES, in his description of Faroe, an account of a Mermaid, somewhat similar to what has been just described. "It stood," says he, "in the water close to the shore two hours and a half, with a fish in the right hand with the hand downwards." But I will refer the curious reader, in his researches after the mer-tribe, to the following works, which have escaped the learned PONTOPPIDAN:--
Jacobus Viburgius, "Anim. Marin. Rarior." Hafaiae, 1589; Hadrianus Bentius, "De Admirandis in regnis Naturae," sect. 5, Upsd, 1610; and Joannes Petrus Fiamanthius "Mare mirabile," cap. 4. Holmiss, 1629.
JAMES HUNTER and MATHEW TANDY, the boatmen who witnessed this extraordinary sight, have left their names and places of abode at the Britannia Tavern, Ilfracombe, and will vouch for the truth of their report to any inquiring person, whenever called upon.
Ilfracombe, October 31, 1817.
A.Z.
From the Morning Post, November 3rd, 1817.
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| by John William Waterhouse |
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