The Sun.
London, England, 1827-07-27 00:00:00

TAKING THE. WHALE.

(From the Portsmouth Journal, an American Paper. )
The scene exhibited in the Piscataqua last
week, was an occasion worthy of the descriptive
powers of the Author of Waverly or Mr. Cooper.
A small whale of the pikeheaded species, so
common on the New-England coast, in ehasing
a shoal (or school as our fishermen have it) of
alewives, was induced to enter the river, and, in
the eagerness of the. pursuit, finding the game
perhaps very abundant, actually passed the
Portstiforitla Bridge, about three miles from the
sea. He ascended the -ri4e.lor mirat.4ltance,
sporting in its clear waters, making sad havoi-
amongst the small fry, - and •being a source of
wonder and delight to all the men, women, and
children
_who live in these regions. In descend-
ing the river at his leisure, his whaleship showed
an evident reluctance at again passing the bridge :
whether the sight of it terrified him, or whether,
as some think, he had bruised himself against
the piles in going up ; or whether, as it seems to
us more probable, the tide, which runs at the
rate of four or five miles an hour, in coming in
contact with the piles, sounded to him like the
sea upon the breakers, we cannot determine.—
But so it was, he would not pass the bridge, but
upon coming in sight of it, turned about and
ascended the river again with great velocity.
For a distance of six or eight miles from the
sea, the Piscataqua is a deep, and broad, and
beautiful river, large enough to catain the whole
navy of the United States, were it forty times as
big as it is now ; but at the distance it diverges
into three or four smaller streams, neither of
which is thought worthy to retain the name.
The largest of these is the Exeter River, and
across this, about six miles above the first, is
thrown another bridge ; and of this bridge the
monster seemed to entertain the same soft of ap-
prehension as he did of the other ; so that the
two helped to form a sort of enclosure, which
proved as effectual to prevent his escape as if
they had been bars of iron.
In the meantime the cupidity of the fisher-
men and the zeal of the sportsmen begun to be
roused, alld the river was soon covered with
boats in full chase for the whale. Soine of his
pursuers were armed with spears and lances,
some with muskets, and a few had harpoons ;
not one of them had ever seen a whale killed, or
had thrown a harpoon, except perhaps at a por-
poise or a.hallibut ; but to it they went, deter-
mined to make up in resolution and perseverance
what they lacked in knowledge and•dexterity.
The attack commenced ou Friday afternoon ;
his pursuers, however, seemed to make but little
impression for some days ; the musquet-balls he
cared no more for than for the pellets of a pop-
gun ; they could not reach him with spear of
lance, and it was long before they could get pro-
perly shaped harpoons, and longer yet before
they could throw them with any certainty ; so
that the death of the whale seemed an event
somewhat remote ; and it was even suggested
that we had better send to Nantucket or New
Bedford for a reinforcement.

On Monday afternoon he seemed determined
to give his pursuers as fair an opportunity as
they could desire ; he moved .slowly up against
the tide, appearing at the surface every three or
four minutes, to take breath and to look about
him ; there were not less than twenty boats in
the river round him, and the bridge below, and
the islands on each side, were thronged with
Spectators; he would rise slowly to the surface
head foremost, throw up a column of water
some twenty feet in the air, bend his huge car-
case into the shape of a crescent, and gradually
disappear, after having shown half his body, as
din sport, or in derision to his host of enemies ;
he could evidently discern the boats as he rose,
for although he did not advance up stream twenty
rods for half an hour, yet he always contrived to
avoid the boats, which were dashing across in
every direction.
This day, however, passed without success,
and so had nearly the next ; but at five o'clock
in the afternoon, .avoiding his enemies, he be-
took himself into that branch of the river which
leads towards Berwick, followed by a single boat,
manned by some enterprising fishermen by the
name of Willey. They now felt sure of their
game, and followinglhim rapidly into this stream,
they soon had an opportunity to throw a harpoon
fairly into his back. The creature made tremen-
dous exertions to free himself ; and at last broke
the cord attached to the harpoon; another bow-
ever was instantly despatched, and down the
river went the whale dragging a boat containing
seven melt with the velocity of lightning.
He
e sboyo nc
oelnocnoeul npt eerced at u
ra,n another boat,
who again
com-
manded
trans-
fixed
him, and yet' notwithstanding the innu-
merable thrusts he was receiving from lances and
darts by the men from both boats, he continued
to drag them up and down the river until seven
o'clock the next morning. Such tenacity of life
, we can scarcely comprehend.
The whale was brought into town the next
day, and was exhibited for the gratification of
public curiosity. It does not seem to be accu-
rately described in any book on zoology which
we have had an opportunity of examining ; it is
pike-headed, but wants the doral fin of the com-
mon pike-headed whale.

On Thursday evening, about seven o'clock, a
woman of the name of Needham, residing in South-street,
attempted suicide at the house of her sister in Younge-
street, by cutting her throat with a razor. Her husband
being in the house,. with the assistance of an Irishwoman,
succeeded in depriving her of the instrument before she
had done herself any serious injury, a slight wound Only
having been inflicted: The woman had been in a low de.
n343lding 044 of mind for Kora time...Bl4ficla

THE MARKETS.

SOUTHALL MARKET.-July R 5.

. This day's supply was by no means great, but the buyers
having been comparatively few in number, each kind of
meat went off slowly, at the following prices per stone of
81b. to sink the offals

Beef —.— 3s. Bd. to 4s. Bd. f
Veal —.....—. 2d. to ss. 2cl
stutton
_3 4 4 4 Pork ---- 4 0 5 0

_____. _______
Lamb 4s. Od. to ss. Od
The foregoing quotations are, Veal, Ed: per stone beyond those
of this day se'nnight. In prices of Beef, Mutton, Lamb, and
Pork, no alteration. Considerable numbers of Beasts, Sheep,
and Lambs, left the market unsold.

LEWES MARKET.—JuIy 24.
Beet 4s. Od. to'4s. Bd. Veal 4s. dd. to ss. OJ,
I
Mutton 4 0 410 Pork— 0 0 0 0
Lamb ' 4s. 4d. to ss. 2d.

Supply moderately good, and trade, except with the very primed
stock, very dull.

RUMFORD MARKET.—JuIy 25.
s. d. to s. d. s. d. to s. d. ,
Beef 3lO 4 8 I Veal
Muttou 3 8 4 5 Pork 4 2 5 2
Lamb 4a. Od. to N. Od.
Suckling Calves from 14s. to 39s ; Quarter old Pigs Qs. to 14s. each.
Supply good. and trade dull.

COUNTRY CORN MARKETS DURING THE WEEK.

Wheat. Barley. Oats. I Beans.
Per Quarter. s. to a. a. to s. s. to a. s. to s.
Blandford ....-- 52 60 38 44 30 36 54 .60
Brigg— 55 60 34 38 26 32 42 4$
57 23 20 47
Chard ----...—,.. 56 76 33 44 24 32 45 ". 48
Huntingdon— 24 39 47 59
Louth 59 62 39 40 26 30 52 56
59 62 SO 44 22 29 52 60
Newark 60 63 38 46 30 37 53 64
Norwich**. 55 62 36 40 25 28 40 42
Nottingham 38 65 40 47 29 32 54 59
Peterborough —.— 58 60 30 34
Plymouth 56 6(1 37 38 25 29
56 32 42 30 35 56 64
Uppingham --- 56 62 39 42 26 38 53 66
Wished] 52 60 24 31 50 52
York A, 62 38 42 21 30 54 50

LEEDS CORN MARKET, July 24.

. .
There was a large supply of Wheat, Barley, and Oats;
fine fresh Wheat sold at much the same prices as last week,
but stale samples and Foreign were almost unsaleable.
There was a good deal of Foreign Barley offered for malt-
ing at 345. to 360., and grinding at Sos. to 325. per quar-
ter, but very little business done in.elther. In Oats and
Shelling there was no alteration. Beans were dull sale,
and rather lower. Nothing doing in Rapeseed..
Wheat, Norfolk and Suffolk, 60113.
-- York. and LiDCOII.I. 601 b.
Barley, Norfolk and &lablk
' 20
Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
Grinding 32s. to 335. %
Beans 631 b.
Oats, Potatoe 1 to
.3 1.41:.,4 ,-•
—llealing, Xoreign 14d. to 15d....English !N raw!. per ;V
Shelling ~...ndr.::.-5411. to 365. per lead.
rtepossetla-Kiaglitb atii..t44l.-e----Foreign, —l. to —/. yet last.

, MANCHESTER SMITHFIELD.—JuIy 25
At per lb. sinking the olThl.
2,324 Sheep sd, to 80. I lA Calves --
:us Cattle 4 0 4 pio
3,158 Lambs at *l. to +lid.

3,id. to id.
4 5

'MANCHESTER POT ATOE MARRET.—JuIy 21.
Potatoes, 7s. 6d., —5., Bs., and 92.0 d. per load of I'2 score and
121bs. ; New ditto, S.. 0,1., Os., 95., and 10s. per ditto; Turnip;.
its. Od., Os. Od. an#os, Od. per load of 16 pecks ; Onions, small, Od.
per lb.

MANCHESTER YAW:
No. d. d. I

.N MARK:

P.—July 24.
30 II to .12
40.......,. IV 12
50 16 17
-17 iat
"0 --, tot 22
80 24 20
100 —.-- 30 32
120 --, 34 36
• 10 .-- 8 A
14 9
18 .--- 10 1
24 10 11

Throstle Twist, 20 —lll to 121
30 —l3 14

40 ....IS lti MuleCop.
Mule copTwisti 30 Ili 121 NVeft
for warp..,~„

40.,,14 15
50 - 17 19

60...20 21

70 —2l 26 'Weft from
80..2831 waste

HOP INTELLIGENCE.

WORCESTER, JULY 25.--The general accounts from our
Plantation are of a more favourable character ; about the
middle of last week an improvement took place, and at present
some grounds are quite clean, and coming into burr. There
are other grounds which still remain foul, and can do little,
blight having attacked the fresh shoots. Under these cir-
cumstances, the crop will of course be partial. Our Dal
has got up to 6,0001. Prices are rather lower. hi the
Borough the Duty of the Kingdom rose yesterday to
95,0001., but many persons think it over-rated.