fo odly drawn out not only upon our common Signs to Inns, but even in Books of credit which seem to carry a fair fhew of Accuracy.

19. It is faid, He very rarely comes up fo high towards, England as the fortieth degree of Northern Latitude in the Atlantick Ocean, though I had the good fortune to fee the contrary in no less than five or fix inftances, at my return from Nevis to England. He is catched in the following manner, viz. We fasten the Feather-ends (I mean about four Inches of their Tops or Extremities) of two Goofe-quills to a Hook (one oneach fide,) which being well fecured to a Line not much thicker than a common thickish Whipcord, and drawn after us at the Ships Stern when the Wind does not blow too fresh, makes a fmall ripling in the Sea, not unlike to that of a Flying Fish, when it arifes out of the Water to avoid the purfuit of the Dolphin; and the Dolphin being a Fish of Prey seizes (of course) the Hook with the Feathers, and is immediately drawn up into the Ship. He feldom exceeds four feet in length from Nofe end to Tail end: and is a very ftraitbodied Fish. His Head (as to fhape) is exactly the fame as it is drawn in Pictures and on Signs: But he being the thickeft at the Gills, and growing taperer in a gradual defcending line quite the Tail, his whole shape may properbe compared to a Hand-faw. His

do

Head

Head is entirely of the most lively Azure Blue, From the top or rather back part of his Head all along to his Tail, is one continued Fin of a very light brown colour, which fomewhat re fembled Black Crape that was almost worn out, marked pretty full of round coal-black spots like little Patches fet thick on a Lady's Face; and his Tail (if I remember rightly) is the very fame. He has two large Fins below close to his Gills, whofe colour I do not fo well call to mind, tho' I verily think that they refemble his Back Fin. I dare not infist upon his other Fins, for both their Colour and Number have flipped out of mý memory, and unluckily were not fet down in my book of Remarks. From his Back Fin down to the middle of his Body on each fide, his Skin (that has no Scales) is of the finest Azure Blue imaginable, though fome People infift upon its being a blueish Green, ftrewed thick all over with bright gliffening Stars of Gold, Scarlet, &c. and from the middle of his fide quite down to his Belly and fo up again to the middle of his other fide, is the Colour of the faireft beaten Gold, but if I may be allowed the term (as I do fincerely believe I may,) infinitely furpaffing it in beauty, and without either Stars or Spots of any Sort: A fight worthy of the greatest Monarchs attention! He lives in compleat beauty for about the space of three minutes, after he is taken out of the Water:

His glorious Colours and Marks do then grow faint and fading, for one minute: And during the other two minutes of his life, they vanish away and return back to their beauty again quicker than thought itself; I do not mean that they return to Perfection of beauty; but to be plain, I want terms adequate to my Ideas, in order to be rightly understood. In short, in five or fix minutes time this gay furprizing Object fills the Traveller's Mind, with far more lofty Notions of the great Creator's Wisdom and Magnificence bestowed the inferiour upon of the Animal part World, than ever it was capable of entertaining before. When he is dead he looks just like a dead Salmon, and his Body eats like a Cod-fish, but I think it drier confiderably. It is a course Fish. A Maccarel just taken out of the Sea is by far the most beautiful of English Fishes in my judgment; but alas! its Colours are infinitely fhort of thofe of a Dolphin.

20. You will find in my Collection an Iron, or rather rufty coloured, flat, and round Stone (about the breadth of a Five Shilling Piece but somewhat thicker) that winds circularly in form of a spiral Line, several of which you have fince fhewed me in Dr. Woodward's Collection, known by the name of Snake-ftones or Cornua Ammonis. I picked it up about nine years ago upon the SeaCoaft of Lincolnshire; and upon looking round a

little narrowly on the Sand, I found several white thin Shells of the fame breadth, fhape, and fize filled with Sand, or Gravel, and also with stiffish Clay of different Colours; the Clay of feveral having, I fuppofe, been lodged there for a little while only, was somewhat brittle; in others, the Clay having lain longer was of course the firmer and tougher; and in fome others, where the thin Shell was almost decayed, I found the Clay to be so strongly cemented together, that it was fomewhat difficult to break it with the hand. Pray then why might not that Stone I fent you to Cambridge be one of those pieces of Clay thus preferved fo long as till petrified? I know your opinion is, That they were formed in fuch Shells at the time of the Deluge.

22

SIR,

Well remember our Discourse about my Voyage to St. Christopher's, and Journey to Chianne, Capifterre, and up the great Mountain ; which (as it seems to suit your taste) I now take the freedom to remind you of, by way of Letter.

1. In the cheerful month of May, which generally gives new Life and Vigour to the whole Creation; I fet forward about ten a Clock in the Morning from Charles Town at Nevis, and with an eafy, gentle Breeze of Wind arrived at the Port of Balle Terre in the Island of St. Christopher, before dinner being all the way agreably entertained, with a most beautiful Prospect of both the Islands, as well as the Dutch Isles of Euftachia and Saba, together with a Sky, that was not too much clouded, and which of courfe in fo warm a Clime was variegated into fuch different Shapes and Colours, that my fruitful imagination could discover in them, Mountains and Forests, fhady Groves and fertile Plains, Rivers of Ice and Hillocks of Snow, Lakes and Promontories, with Lyons, Bears, Crocodiles, Buffaloes, and other strange Animals; all of which struck my

Fancy