Falklands mermaid

Seal skeleton by H Zel (CC)

A South Sea Mermaid. - The following strange circumstance is mentioned in Weddell's interesting voyage towards the South Pole. If true, it supports the popular belief of the existence of mermaids:-

A sailor had been left on one side of Hall Island, one of the Falklands, to take care of some produce, while the rest of the crew were engaged on the other side. "The sailor," says Mr Weddell, "had gone to bed, and about 10 o'clock he heard a noise resembling human cries, and as daylight in these latitudes never disappears at this season, he rose and looked around, but on seeing no person he returned to bed; presently he heard the noise again, and rose a second time, but still saw nothing. Conceiving, however, the possibility of a boat being upset, and that some of the crew might be clinging to some detached rocks, he walked along the beach a few steps, and heard the voice more distinctly, but in a musical strain. On searching around, he saw an object lying on a rock, a dozen yards from the shore, at which he was somewhat frightened. The face and shoulders appeared of human form, and of a reddish colour; over the shoulders hung long green hair; the tail resembled that of a seal, but the extremities of the arms he could not see distinctly.

The creature continued to make a musical noise, while he gazed about two minutes, and on perceiving him, it disappeared in an instant. Immediately when the man saw his officer, he told this wild tale, the truth of which was, of course, doubted; but to add weight to his testimony, (being a Catholic), he made a cross on the sand, which he kissed in form of making oath to his statement. When the story was told me, I ridiculed it; but, by way of diversion, I sent for the sailor who saw this non-descript into the cabin, and questioned him respecting it. He told me the story as I have related it, and in so clear and positive a manner, making oath as to the truth, that I concluded he must have seen the animal he described, or that it must have been the effect of a disturbed imagination."

Caledonian Mercury, 24th October 1825.

.....

One day we were camping near the edge of the water separating Lindisfarne island from the mainland. It was getting dark and this eerie (ever so eerie) soft wailing, of many voices, sprang up across the water. To begin with we thought it must be a natural noise of the wind or sea. But eventually we twigged it was a colony of seals out on a sand bank somewhere. 

I'm not dismissing the tale. I mean our seals did not have long green hair. But it is true that seals can make a strange noise, at least in Northumbria. Perhaps seals make strange noises down on the Falklands. 

It's notable that James Weddell has a seal named after him, one which he saw in the Antarctic. So he did have an interest in seals. But here he doesn't seem to suggest it Definitely was one? Perhaps I should find the work from which this is extracted.

R