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The English whaleship Achilles picks up three
New Zealand natives in a whale boat
from the ship Ploughboy of Nantucket.

April 10, 1837.
NEWS OF THE DAY.

MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE.

      By the Achilles, English Whaler, which arrived last night, we learn that on the 30th April last, in latitude 23° 34' S. longitude 171° 15' E., she fell in with a whale boat with two spritsails set, and three New Zealanders on board, badly wounded, one in, both thighs, with ball and small shot, one in the right thigh, with a ball, and the other slightly wounded in the thigh; they had neither food nor water. The boat contained three harpoons and a paddle marked S P.B., two spades, three empty kegs, and two axes. The men stated that they had been shot at on board their vessel, which caused them to abscond, but from the incoherent manner in which they gave their statement, and their not being able to speak English, the circumstances cannot be ascertained. The ship's name s understood to be the Ploughboy, Captain Brown, of Nantucket. They had been 17 days at sea, and had, when they left the ship, one keg of potatoes, and one keg of water.


The Sydney Herald (Fri 4 Aug 1837) Page 2.     

Last updated by Tom Tyler, Denver, CO, USA, Jun 11, 2023