A description of the Miscellaneous Plate.
Fig 1. and 3. are two views of the real Mermaid, frequent, as Mr Barbot, in his voyage to Congo river, says, in the lakes of Angola, in the province of Massingan. The Portuguese, in whose settlements these creatures abound, call them peixe mother or woman-fish; and the French, syrene. They are found both male and female, of various sizes; the largest about eight feet long, with short arms and hands, but long fingers, which they cannot close, because they are webbed.
They feed upon grass on the sides of lakes and rivers, and only hold their heads out of the water. Their heads and eyes are oval, the forehead high, the nose flat, and the mouth wide, without any chin or ears. The males have genitals like horses, and the females two prominent breasts; but in the water there is no distinguishing the one from the other, both being of a dark grey colour.
Fig. 1. represents the mermaid when laid upon her back. Fig. 3. shews her as she swims in the water. There are several medical virtues attributed by the natives of Angola to different bones in this animal; some of the cheek-bones they beat to powder, and take in wine for the gravel and stone; of the ribs, especially those near the heart, they make bracelets, and wear them to prevent haemorrhages, or to stop immodiate bleeding, when they happen to be seized with it. Merolla says, the river Zair abounds with these monstrous fishes, resembling a woman upwards, but the lower part like a fish, and ending in a fish's tail. The natives eat their flesh, which tastes much like pork, and are very fond of it.
But, after all, this does not seem quite to agree with the sea-monsters described by voyagers under that name. Capt. Whitbourne, in a voyage he made to Newfoundland, says, that in the river St John, a surprising creature, resembling a woman by the face, nose, mouth, chin, ears, neck and forehead, and as beautiful, came very swifly swimming towards him; that being afraid of its leaping upon him, he stept back, and then the creature dived, by which he had an opportunity of seeing its back down to the middle; which he affirms to be as square, white, and smooth, as the back of a man; the breasts he did not see.
He adds, that about its head, it had many blue streaks, that looked like hair, but was certainly not hair; and that afterwards it attempted to get into a boat, but the men being frightened, one of them struck it a blow on the head, which made it quit its hold. This, perhaps, is the most authentic account of the sea-mermaid that has been yet given.
In the history of Denmark, indeed, there is an account of creatures seen about Greenland, which the natives call hastramb, or man-fish, having the eyes, nose, head, shoulders, and arms, of a man; but without hands, and transparent as ice. The females they call marrugweg, or woman-fish. These have large breasts, long hair, arms and fingers webbed, with which they catch fish. The Danes superstitiously fancy, that when these creatures appear, they presage storms; and that if they are seen with their backs to the ship, it will inevitably perish, but if with their faces, it will certainly escape.
Navarre, in his Voyages, speaks of such a fish in India and about Manilla, and takes notice of the great virtue in its bones; and others speak of their being caught on the coast of Africa. In 1671 a man-fish was seen near the island of Martinico; and there are so many attestations of the reality of such monsters, that it were an unpardonable incredulity not to believe it.
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