A GOOD SHARK STORY.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1090, 18 July 1873, Page 3

A GOOD SHARK STORY.

"Within the past few \veek3 no fewer than three sharks, two of them of large size, have been captured off the Scotch coast by fishermen. The first caught measured 11 feet in length', Its captors, after making no inconsiderable sum by exhibiting it to the curious, have presented the carcase to tho Dundee Museum. Here is au account of the discoveries made when its capacious maw was opened. At three o'clock the animal opened up to tho dexterous knife of Mr James Dempster, and the curious were soon satisfied. A whole ling, considerably decomposed, first attracted attention; next a man's bonnet was picked up, and was eagerly seized by the crowd ; parts of cod and dog fish, and clean bones, with the hind flaffers of a seal were also found; and towards the close, a soda-wafer bottle corked and sealed with red wax, with a note in it. The moment the bottle was seen it was seized and broken to atoms, the note taken out and read aloud to the wondering spectators. The note, which was in a lady's neat hand, read as follows : "On board the Beautiful Star, * Sunday, Ist Sept., 1572. We have cross'd the lino, and all's well. Last night the captain's lady had a pretty little boy. " Heaven bless the little stranger," Eock'd on the cradle of the deep; Save it, Lord, from every danger, The angels bright their wateh will keep. Oh, gently soothe its tender years, And so allay a parent's fears— A father's love, a mother's joy; May all that's good attend thoir boy. , , ;, ," ; Annette Gordon. The atoms of the bottle wero carefully gathered up by the crowd, and the party who got possession of the neck and sealed cork evidently considered that he. had secured a great prize, and he immediately ran off with it, a portion of the crowd following eagerly after him. The fish after the post mortem examination appeared to advantage, the inside being almost as white as snow, without the slightest unpleasant odour being felt. * Ship Beautiful Star, at present in Lyttleton. Captain Bilton of the ship states, that the captain in command in 1872 had his wife on board, and she was confined as stated.