XIII. Some account of the Dugong. By Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Governor of Sumatra; communicated in a letter to Sir Everard Home, Bart. V. P. R. S

Abstract

My dear Sir, I have now the pleasure of communicating to you the desired information concerning the dugong. At Singapore, in June last, I had the good fortune to meet with one of these animals, and Messrs. Diard and Duvaucel, two French naturalists, employed under my authority, undertook the dissection of it; and have sent a dissertation upon it to Sir Joseph Banks. This does not interfere with my sending to you, as I promised, an account of it. I was present at the dissection; and the following observations, as far as they go, may be depended upon. I have read them over to Dr. Wallick and General Hardwicke, and they concur in opinion as to the correctness of the description. I have the pleasure to acquaint you, that General Hardwicke has just now got a small dugong, four feet six inches long, which I have succeeded in persuading him to send home to you for dissection, and you will receive it by the next ships. The dugong which we examined measured eight feet and a half in length, and afforded no less interest under the knife than satisfaction on the table, as the flesh proved to be most excellent beef. Our entertainment was truly marine; for we had on the same day discovered those Neptunian sponges which General Hardwicke has since described, and which served us as goblets.