Legend says Capt Kidd hid much of his loot. Numerous treasure hunters searched for his treasure around the world. The idea of hidden booty inspired author Robert Louis Stevenson when writing Treasure Island.
Now, underwater explorers in Madagascar, off the eastern side of Africa, say they have discovered treasure belonging to the notorious 17th-Century Scottish pirate William Kidd. One 50kg (7st 9lb) silver bar was brought to shore on Thursday on the island of Sainte Marie, from what is thought to be the wreck of the Adventure Galley. The huge bar, marked with letters and numbers, was presented to Madagascar's president at a special ceremony. Both the president and the US explorer Barry Clifford are sure there are many more such bars still in the wreck. Underwater is too murky to see what type of metal, but the metal detector found metal on all sides. The whole bottom of the cavity of the ship is filled with metal, which team have no doubt is genuine.
The divers are doing the right thing by declaring what they find and handing it over to the authorities.
Now, underwater explorers in Madagascar, off the eastern side of Africa, say they have discovered treasure belonging to the notorious 17th-Century Scottish pirate William Kidd. One 50kg (7st 9lb) silver bar was brought to shore on Thursday on the island of Sainte Marie, from what is thought to be the wreck of the Adventure Galley. The huge bar, marked with letters and numbers, was presented to Madagascar's president at a special ceremony. Both the president and the US explorer Barry Clifford are sure there are many more such bars still in the wreck. Underwater is too murky to see what type of metal, but the metal detector found metal on all sides. The whole bottom of the cavity of the ship is filled with metal, which team have no doubt is genuine.
The divers are doing the right thing by declaring what they find and handing it over to the authorities.
The story of Captain Kidd reflects a life of a man turned bad.
He is thought to have been born in Scotland's Greenock or the Dundee area in about 1645.
After being appointed by the Crown to tackle piracy and capture enemy French ships, he turned to piracy himself.
In 1698, he looted the Armenian ship the Quedagh Merchant, carrying satins, muslins, gold and silver, which was apparently sailing under a French pass.
Unfortunately for Kidd, the captain of the ship was an Englishman who captured the rogue and brought him back to London. He was found guilt of piracy and the murder of one of his crewmen during a row in 1697, and sentenced to death.
During his execution in 1701, the first rope put around his neck broke, so he was strung up a second time. That rope also snapped, but the third one held. Afterward, his body was dipped in tar and hung by chains along the River Thames to serve as a warning to would-be pirates.
And let that be a lesson to all the business men who divert funds to their own pockets. Power and authority goes to some people's heads. But, unfortunately, no such harsh sentences are carried out nowadays. The recent UK gang behind the Hatton Garden raid of 56 safe deposit boxes have stolen people's most precious possessions. The safety deposit company's loss adjuster say many victims have lost everything.
I'll just stick to searching for treasure in my own back yard. How about you? Do you wish you could find stuff dreams are made of? Or win the lottery? Or gain money any way other than your own endeavor? Maybe just a little bit?
He is thought to have been born in Scotland's Greenock or the Dundee area in about 1645.
After being appointed by the Crown to tackle piracy and capture enemy French ships, he turned to piracy himself.
In 1698, he looted the Armenian ship the Quedagh Merchant, carrying satins, muslins, gold and silver, which was apparently sailing under a French pass.
Unfortunately for Kidd, the captain of the ship was an Englishman who captured the rogue and brought him back to London. He was found guilt of piracy and the murder of one of his crewmen during a row in 1697, and sentenced to death.
During his execution in 1701, the first rope put around his neck broke, so he was strung up a second time. That rope also snapped, but the third one held. Afterward, his body was dipped in tar and hung by chains along the River Thames to serve as a warning to would-be pirates.
And let that be a lesson to all the business men who divert funds to their own pockets. Power and authority goes to some people's heads. But, unfortunately, no such harsh sentences are carried out nowadays. The recent UK gang behind the Hatton Garden raid of 56 safe deposit boxes have stolen people's most precious possessions. The safety deposit company's loss adjuster say many victims have lost everything.
I'll just stick to searching for treasure in my own back yard. How about you? Do you wish you could find stuff dreams are made of? Or win the lottery? Or gain money any way other than your own endeavor? Maybe just a little bit?
RSS Feed
