A Letter from Mr. Timothy Sheldrake to Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. Pr. R. S. &c. concerning a Monstrous Child Born of a Woman under Sentence of Transportation

Secondly, many People who were not sensible of the Earthquake, found themselves seized in the same Manner: Thirdly, Mr.—who used to be troubled with convulsive Fits, and had got quite cured of them here, was immediately seized with them again, after the Earthquake; and, Fourthly, every body, more or less, complained of Head-achs for some Days after. X. A Letter from Mr. Timothy Sheldrake to Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. Pr. R. S. &c. concerning a Monstrous Child born of a Woman under Sentence of Transportation. SIR, Norwich, Jan. 8. 1734-5. I Herewith send you both a Draught and Description of a monstrous Birth, which I believe the Royal Society have had as yet no Account of; which gives me Hopes, that what I here send will prove the more acceptable to you. Elizabeth Spencer, being tried at our Assizes for the City and County of Norwich, for Shop-lifting, and being found guilty of the Crime, received Sentence for Transportation; for respiting of which Sentence she pleaded her Belly, which Plea, as she was a married Woman, appearing what was very probable, she was favour'd by the Mayor and the other Magistrates, by being allowed the full Time that she said she had to go; at the Expiration of which she was delivered of a Child, which I saw a few Hours after it was born, and was exactly, in every Part, according to the following Account, and as I have here delineated it [See Tab. II. Fig. 2.]. The Head had a Rising on the Top of it, and the Nose was as if one Nose was on the Top of another, but only two Nostrils, and those at the Bottom of the lower Nose. The Arms were without the Elbow-Joint; the two Bones, which make the lower Joint of the Arm, in common, were in this extended to the Shoulder. Just under the Ribs, and above the Hips, was a deep Place, as if a Cord had been tied very straight, so as to sink down below the Reach of the Eye: This girding-in of the Body, I believe might go almost round: I did not turn it, to see whether it did or not, but it was continued as far about the Body as I could see, without turning it. By this girding-in of the Body, the lower Part of it was almost round, it being without either Legs or Thighs; but had two Feet joined unto the lower Part of the Body, the Heels inward, the Toes (of which it had not the full Number) pointing towards the Sides, as is described in the Drawing here inclosed. As to Sex, this Creature was a Female, and born alive. It was the Opinion of the Women about her, that the Midwife had injured the Head in the Birth, by which the Rising in the Head was produced; and this surprising Creature that was born alive, was thereby soon deprived thereof. This Woman, who had been the Mother of several Children, before this strange Production, and all in perfect Form, was by some free-speaking Persons charged with having been guilty of some Practices both unnatural and unlawful, which she very positively always denied; and said that she knew nothing that could could give any Change to the natural Form of this Creature, but the strange Apprehensions that her Sentence had put her under, from the uncommon Creatures the Country to which she was sentenced might bring in her Sight. These odd Ideas that she had formed to herself, was all and the only thing, that had occasioned so great a Change from the natural Form the Child might otherwise have had, as she often asserted. I am, SIR, Your very humble Servant, Tim. Sheldrake. XI. A Paper concerning the Mola Salu. or Sun-fish, and a Glue made of it; communicated by the Rev. Mr. William Barlow to the President of the Royal Society. Stoke-Dock near Plymouth, Devon, June 29. 1734. THERE was brought to this Place, struck the Day before in our River, a Sun-fish weighing about 500 Pound Weight. The Form of it nearly answers that given by Mr. Willoughby, except that the Tail of this was scollop'd. This Fish differed very much in one thing from that described by Mr. Willoughby, whose Flesh, he says, was very soft: On the contrary, the Flesh of this was hard and firm, rather a gristly Substance than soft Flesh.