iç6 H A T Ü R A L H I S T O R If oï N Ô R W A Y.
ûf b ÿ fhofe who .are curio»« iodook kltq the e^tiss^diîiàrjr wqtks
o f the great creator.';.. Amoteft. thefethefKraaken, which I :ani
going to dêfcrihe,is; toffee coaftdered as. the moftextraordfeiary in
length. But herd. I muft again, .as .1 did of the Mer-man, fjirft
give the reader proper autihorities [for the .real ejdftence this
creature, before I come -to- .tiieftt ef.itfc nature and properties.
This creature, particularly in the North Sea, continually keeps
himfelf in the bottom o f the foa, exoepdngvin the monthscof
July and Auguft, which is their fpawniing time j and then; they
come to the liuface in calm;weather, but plunge into the Water
again, lb lbon as • the wind raifes the leaR ware.
I f it were not: for this regulation, thus ordained b y ’*t he .Wife
Creator for the làfety ma^dpd, lh®Lrealtty offthis^Saaker’s
exiftence would. be Jpjts queftiohed, than 'ft“T.^ at prelènt, èyen
here in Norway ; tho’ our coaft is^the only place in Lumps. vifrted
by this terrible creature. This naakesrmny perfons, J£hat?/are
enemies to credulityr .entertain fo much the greatejc.dopbfi’about
it. I have queftioned its exiftence niyfiif,: till that lùlpijâon wai
Many wïtnef- removed by full and filffident evidence ftoni creditable and; expe-r
rienced filhermen, and Jailors, in Norway j of which , theard fare
hundreds, who camteftify that they have annually feen them!
A ll thefe perlons agree very well in the general defcriptLon*' and.
others, who acknowledge that they o ily know it by report^rior
by what their neighbours have Isold them, ftill telate, the fâmé
particulars.
In all my enquiry about thefe affiiirs, I have hardly Ipoko
with any intelligent perfon, bom in the manor d£ Nordland, who
was not able to give a pertinent anfwer, and ftrong affuraneesof
the exiftence of this Filh : and feme of our North traders, that
come here every year with their merchandize, think it a < very
ft range queftiotqf wheti they are ferioufly alked, whetbeçj there
be any. inch creature ; they think it as ridiculous .asoi&tbe
queftion was put to them, whether there Be. fuch Fifibiàs- Eel
&i Cod.
Laft Winter I foil fey chance in converfatiion on thiafubjetS:
with captain Lawfoncfe de Retry, now commander in this place,
who laid that he had doubted a great while, whether there was
any luch creature, till he had an opportunity of being fully con>
vinced, by ocular demonftration, in the year 1746. Though I
had nothing material to objeâ, ftill he was pleafed, as a farther
confirmation o f what he ad vanced, to bring before : the magiftrates,
at a late feffions in the city of Bergen, two lëa-faring men,
who were with him in the boat when he Ihot one of thefe members,