The Black Whale, by Gabriel E. Manigault

Holograph manuscript with annotations and corrections written by Gabriel Edward Manigault, curator of the College of Charleston Museum, for publication in the Proceedings of the Elliott Society. Manigault, an 1852 graduate of the College of Charleston, became curator of the museum in 1873. The manuscript describes the capture of a Right Whale in Charleston harbor in January 1880, a description of the whale, the steps taken to preserve the specimen for exhibit at the College of Charleston Museum, and descriptions taken from published sources describing similar animals that had been sighted along the American coast and elsewhere beginning in the early 18th century. The Right whale is still exhibited in the Charleston Museum. 8 pages. Full text. Work published in: Proceedings of the Elliott Society, v. 2 (1885):98-103. The Elliott Society was a natural history society established in Charleston, South Carolina and allied closely with the College of Charleston throughout its existence in the latter part of the nineteenth century.