Captain Drevar of the British ship Norfolk, crhich vessel arrived in Mauritiuy from Singapore on 25th May, has addressed a letter to the Commercial Gazette, at the former port, from which the following extract is taken have learned much about our old friend the gen serpent? since 1 last wrote, I was fortunate enough to capture a very fine speci-mois of the genuine sea snake about seven feet long, with " broad flat tail, peculiar head, and on its body alternate' bands of bright yellow and black. It is very stout in Bien cles on back, this may account reportion to ite length. It had several small for the mane" described as appearing like a bunch of sea weed in the Daedalus frigate's ea serpent account of 1848, The bead also is singularly like the sketch in the London Nevs of that date, and ridiculed by some Although the Singapore lenchd collection of museum contain rpeuts, python oF R'snske in "the world (twenty ree feet is no specimen like mine, the following is how we captured was going on shore in the boat at Singapore, and observing the snake I mancuvred the boat and the man struck it a heavy blow with the boat hook, exclaim "Lbaye knocked its bead off." ' I right, baul him in."" And it came in the boat out its fangs furiously and giving us all a thorough fright, for it is of a deadly poisonous nature. It seems it was a fish that the serpent was gorging that was knocked out of its mouth, and not its head off. There way a great lot of fish about the serpent. I have it well preserved, and to me it is of the greatest interest, I have often offered money to natives to get me a genuine sea snake (bo-cause there are many serpents seen in the water that are only common field snakes and others fond of water.) But they always said or indicated that they did not like to meddle with them."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.