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Launceston Horticultural Society. 
ceeded to the River Don, near the mouth of which we stopped to dine. 
The water was literally alive with Sharks, about four feet long ; one of 
which, whilst a man was cleaning some mullet for our dinner, seized one 
of the fish that had been cleaned and laid down at the man’s feet on the 
edge of the water. Whilst the shark was making his escape the man 
struck at him with his knife, and severely wounded him in the head. 
At the close of our dinner, and whilst we were still sitting in a circle 
round the remnants, we were startled by a loud exclamation, and a shark 
tumbling in the midst of us, apparently for the purpose of joining our 
feast, with the maxim of 41 better late than never.” The fact was, that 
a powerful young Irishman was washing a glass at the beach, when the 
shark made’a dash at his hand ; lie, however, “ caught a Tartar,” as the 
Irishman seized him by his gills, and uttering the before-mentioned ex¬ 
clamation, throw him backwards over his head, and thus caused the 
Shark to pay us his unexpected visit. The wonder, however, is still to 
come : this Shark proved to be identical with that wounded in the head 
half an hour before, although they were in myriads about. Our dinner 
party now immediately broke up, ami we proceeded to form rather a 
novel kind of shooting party : one threw a mullet, tied to a string, into 
the water, and drawing it gently towards the beach, the Sharks followed 
and were shot, In this manner many were killed. 
One evening, about sun-set, I was fishing for Flathead at George’s 
River, in a very small narrow gig-shaped dingy, when I observed a 
large Shark, fully nine feet long, coming towards me, with his enor¬ 
mous mouth wide open, and the tip of his nose on a level with the water. 
As the gunwale of the dingy could not have been move than four inches 
out of the water, I thought lie intended making a spring at me ; accord¬ 
ingly 1 met him, when at the distance of about five feet, with a blow of 
the paddle on the head. This caused him to sheer off, though he imme¬ 
diately returned, and getting under the bottom of the dingy apparently 
endeavoured to capsize her. It was not until I had struck him several 
times with the paddle that he desisted from his attempt, and went away. 
Upon tills I immediately went on shore, and having told the men to 
come to my assistance with the whale boat, should the dingy get cap¬ 
sized, I provided myself with a harpoon, and went back to the place we 
had parted company. I had not been there more than two minutes when 
I saw him making towards me with a will. 
With the harpoon I struck him hard, but it did not hold: he again 
took his departure, and night coming on, I deemed tf discretion the better 
part of valour,” and followed his example. —R. II. Davies, Westbury. 
LAUNCESTON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
This Society was formed in the year 1838, by an association amongst 
some of the inhabitants adopting the plan of the numerous societies then 
spreading throughout England. It was assisted at first by the private 
munificence of Sir John and Lady Franklin; and the interest and 
novelty of its exhibitions having attracted considerable support, the 
Society enlarged their plans, and obtained a grant of seven acres of 
land, within the limits of the town, from the government. A sum of 
£700 was then voluntarily raised by the inhabitants, which lias been 
expended in fencing the grounds and erecting the necessary buildings. 
The entrance to the gardens, consisting of a Lodge in the Grecian style 
with ornamental gates, and a small Green-house attached to the build¬ 
ing, forms a handsome termination to one of the main streets. There is 
also a large open Pavilion, used for the exhibitions of the Society, built 
