DESCRIPTION OF THE HARPOON. 225 



steel, as it is frequently represented, but of common 

 soft iron ; so that when blunted, it can be readily 

 sharpened by a file, or even by scraping it with a 

 knife. The most important part in the construc- 

 tion of this instrument, is the shank. As this part 

 is liable to be forcibly and suddenly extended, twisted 

 and bent, it requires to be made of the softest and 

 most pliable iron. That kind which is of the most 

 approved tenacity, is made of old horse-shoe nails 

 or stubs, which are formed into small rods, and two 

 or three of these welded together ; so that should a 

 flaw happen to occur in any one of the rods, the 

 strength of the whole might still be depended on. 

 Some manufacturers enclose a quantity of stub-iron 

 in a cylinder of best foreign iron, and form the 

 shank of the harpoon out of a single rod. A test 

 sometimes used for trying the sufficiency of a har- 

 poon, is to wind its shank round a bolt of inch iron, 

 in the form of a close spiral, then to unwind it 

 again, and put it into a straight form. If it bears this 

 without injury in the cold state, it is considered as 

 excellent. The breaking of a harpoon is of no less 

 importance than the value of a whale, which is 

 sometimes estimated at more than a 1000 /. Ster- 

 ling. This consideration has induced many ingeni- 

 ous persons to turn their attention tov/ards improv- 

 ing the construction and security of this instrument ; 

 but though various alterations have been suggested, 



VOL. II. p 



