The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-23 00:00:00

WHALES IN THE FORTH.

For some days the fishermen on the south side of
the Frith of Forth have been in a state of expectancy
from the rare appearance in their waters of a shoal,
variously estimated at from 150 to 200, of bottle-
nosed whales. They were repeatedly seen off Aber-
lady Point, and it seemed uncertain whether they
would stand in for the Frith or go out to sea. At
length, on Friday, they came so far into Mussel-
burgh-bay that the Midlothian Coast Artillery
Volunteers, who were practising at Portobello with
their big guns, fired once or twice at the shoal,
without, however, any of the shots taking effect.
Next morning a Prestoupans boat fell in with the
shoal near that village, and gave chase. They
succeeded iu striking bne of the fish with the
harpoon, and, after some blowing and lashing of the
water, the animal made up the Firth, followed by
the shoal, and dragging the boat by the line. The
rapid passage of the boat, without sail or oars, drew
the attention of the fishermen on shore as the boat
passed Leith Pier in the direction of Newhaven-bay.
The Newhaven fishermen were immediately on the
alert, and went "out in their boats with harpoons,
hatchets, and other weapons. The fish which the
Prestonpans boat was pursuing became lost to its
first captors, but, turning inshore about Wardle,
fell a prey to other hands. Another whale, how-
ever, was soon struck, and was ultimately carried
off by the Prestonpans boat. As the whole shoal
accompanied the first wounded whale, a grand
opportunity arose for a general capture. Cap-
tain Anderson, of the steamship Queen, lying
at Gran.toa with his crew, manned three boats and
succeeded in hemming in the herd into the corner
formed by the east breakwater of Granton, and for
the time there was a prospect of making a clean
sweep. The can of the Newhaven fishermen,
battlel the
shoal
and however,
rbrokea c ted uiew
pv ,ebd by many hundredutafteran exciting
spectators, 16 whalea were brought ashore at New-
haven and seven at Grantors. One of measured 25i feet long and 11 feet in the whales
girth. The
smallest of those captured wabout nine feetlong.
A party of officere with carbines went out from
was
Leith Fort to join the chase.
the boats of the It does not appear that
the
Queen obtained any share of
plunder, for, although they struck several
fish, the wounded animals were seized by others who
were playing foul in the exciting game. A whale
about 16 feet long, which had probably been
wounded by the Artillery Volunterrs, was stranded
at Portobello on Saturday morning at ebb tide, and
was ashore. One of the fish caught at
Newhaven
gd
was taken to the Grasstuarket, Edin-
burgh,
in the evening for exhibition at a penny a
head. On Sunday a great many people from
Edinburgh and elsewhere flocked to the sea shore to
get sight of the captured fish, of which several
were a
lying on Newhaven-pier. It is expected that
further captures will be made, from the tendency
of the fish to be attracted by the blood of their
comrades, which for a time made the little bay of
Newhaven quite red.

MIDDLE CLASS EDUCATION IN THE METROPOLIS.
—The tVistees of charities in the parish of St: Andrew
Undershaft, City of London, acting tinder an order of the
Charity Commissioners, who cordially approve the slime,
have paid over £2,000 of the surplus funds at their
disposal to the Corporation for Promoting Middle Class
Education in the Metropolis. It is confidently expected
that other trustees will follow this example, and that the
funds of the Coporation will be largely increased from the
unappropriated charities in the City of London, to which
Mr. Rogers alluded in his letter calling public attention to
this subject.

FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT ON THE RIVER.—A fatal
boat accident happened on the river in Barking-
reach on the afternoon of Good Friday, which was
attended with the loss of two or three lives. The boat
belonged to Greenwich, and had been hired by a party of
six to row some wager. They were proceeding down the
river, and it is stated that when in Barking.teneh, two or
three miles below Woolwich, the boat was swamped, and
the unfortunate occupants were thrown into the water.
Two of the mon were drowned, and it is reported that one
of the four who were picked up has since died end another
is in %Sad state.

bISAPPEARANCN O 1 AN APIIIOVER.--Our Dublin
• correspondent writes: "Eugene Smith, one of the Fenian
,pri,ftwers who volunteered to give evidence against their
I,o:,,thren in arms, has absconded from the depot for Crown
witnesses at Ballybrugh, in the suburbs of tho city: He
was engaged in the proceedings at Tallaght, where he was
arrested. It was observed that he was visited some days
before ho absconded by a suspicious-looking individual, to
whom his disappearance is attributed."
A LONG INCUMBENCY.—Au incumbency of un-
usual duration has just been brought to a close by the
death, in Lis 91st year, of the Rev. R. Dickson, who, for
no less than 68 years has been rector of Kilkeedy, near
Limerick. Up to the time of his last illness the venerable
getitleman retained possession of all his faculties, and took
part last month in the celebration of the Holy Communion
U.S hiLelturab. • -