The Sun. — 1827-07-27 (London, England)

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 havoiamongst the small fry, - and •being a source of wonder and delight to all the men, women, and children _who live in these regions. In descending 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 apprehension 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 fishermen 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 porpoise or a.hallibut ; but to it they went, determined 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 popgun ; they could not reach him with spear of lance, and it was long before they could get properly 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 carcase 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 betook 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 tremendous exertions to free himself ; and at last broke the cord attached to the harpoon; another bowever 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 commanded transfixed him, and yet' notwithstanding the innumerable 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 accurately 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 common 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 Youngestreet, 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