And Her Majesty's ship Daedalus, October 11th.

Sir, and reply to your letter of this day's date requiring information as to the truth of a statement

published in the Times newspaper, of a sea serpent of extraordinary dimensions having been seen from

her majesty ship Daedalus under my command on her passage from the East Indies.

I have the honor to acquaint you for the information of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty,

but at 5 o'clock PM on the 6th of August last, in latitude 24 degrees, 44 minutes south,

and longitude 9 degrees, 22 minutes east.

The weather dark and cloudy, wind fresh from the northwest,

with a long ocean swell from the southwest.

The ship on the port tack heading northeast by north,

something very unusual was seen by Mr. Sartaurus

mid-shipman, rapidly approaching the ship

from before the beam.

The circumstance was immediately reported by him to the officer of the watch,

Lieutenant Edgar Drummond.

With whom, and Mr William Barrett the master, I was at the time walking the quarter deck,

the ship's company were at supper. On our attention being called to the object it was

discovered to be an enormous serpent. With head and shoulders kept about four feet constantly above the surface of the sea.

And as nearly as we could approximate by comparing it with the length of what our main top sailyard would show in the water, there was at the very least 60 feet of the

animal on the water surface, no portion of which was, to our perception, used in propelling

it through the water, either by vertical or horizontal undulation.

It passed rapidly, but so close under our Lee quarter that had it been a man of my

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