THE WHALE FISHERY. 249 



N. T., formerly agent of tbe Susan, says that a harpoon similar to the old double-barbed iron was 

 made by a iSTautucket blacksmith, with slots for bottles of acid, but it was not used at all during 

 the voyage. 



My correspondents, among whom are numbered some of the oldest whalemen, tell me that 

 they are of the opinion that prussic acid has never been used in the American fleet. While col- 

 lecting objects of interest connected with the whale fishery in the fall of 1882 for the London 

 Fisheries Exposition, I obtained two harpoons intended to be used with prussic acid. They were 

 presented by Mr. Joseph B. Macy, of JSTantucket, and are now displayed in the fisheries section of 

 the U. S. National Museum (Nos. 56,260 and 56,261). 



It would appear that the method of destroying the whale by means of poison originated in 

 Scotland, and that Dr. Robert Christison, of Edinburgh, was instrumental in promoting this novel 

 enterprise. An exhaustive paper on the subject was read by him before the Royal Society of 

 Edinburgh, in I860.* 



In a communication to Prof. Spencer F. Baird, TJ. S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries. 

 Capt. William Adams, of the Scotch whaling fleet, gives the following account of a whale killed 

 with prussic acid. 



"During the winter of 1861 a large two-grooved rifle was made by Messrs. Dixon, of Edin- 

 burgh, from plans and instructions of Mr. James Miln, of 'Murie.' The weight of the rifle was 

 28 pounds. Shells were made for it and filled with one-half ounce concentrated prussic acid and 

 a small charge of powder fired by a 10-second time-fuse. The prussic acid was made for me by 

 Dr. Stevenson McAdatn, of Edinburgh. 



[Extract from Journal.] 



" MAY 12, 1862. (Off the island of Disco.) 



"10 a. m. Saw a whale and lowered away two boats. 



"10.30 a. m. Saw several whales; called all hands and lowered. five more boats. 



"11 a. m. The mate, Scott, got fast with the gun harpoon; whale sounded and took four lines 

 (480 fathoms). 



"11.30 a. ui. Lowered the S. quarter boat, Captain Nicoll being in tow with the large rifle. 



"12 noon. Whale came up and a shell (prussic acid) was fired into her. She went under for 

 four or five minutes, and on coming up another shell was fired into her. She then seemed quite 

 helpless. 



"Three gun harpoons were then fired into her as she lay on her side. 



"At 12.30 p. m. she was quite dead. 



"We had no difficulty with the men in regard to the poison, but we never got another chance 

 to use it." 



ELECTRIC WHALING APPARATUS. In presenting an account of this apparatus it is not to 

 be inferred that it lias ever been brought into practical use, for as far as I can ascertain it has 

 not ; but it is interesting to know that modern science has not overlooked the needs of the whale 

 fishery, and I mention it merely as one of the curiosities of the subject. In 1852 letters patents 

 were granted by the United States Patent Office to two gentlemen living in Germany for an elec- 

 tric whaling apparatus. According to the specification this contrivance consisted of a niiigneto- 

 electric rotation machine, a metallic wire attached to the harpoon, and a coppered whale-boat 

 constructed in such a manner that the electric current might be reconducted from the whale when 



* On the capture of whales by poinon, by Robert Christison, M. D., Professor of Materia Medica in University of 

 Edinburgh. Edin. New Phil, Jour., O'J, now scries, xii, 1800, pp. 7^-80. 



