In the year 1799, Lieutenant Michael Fitton, of H. M. S.
_Ferret_, was cruising off Port Royal, when his crew caught
a big shark. Inside it was found a bundle of ship’s papers
belonging to an American brig, the _Nancy_. On his return to
Port Royal, Lieutenant Fitton found that the _Nancy_ had been
brought in for carrying contraband of war. Her skipper produced
other papers to the authorities, which apparently cleared the
ship--false papers which had been prepared in the event of the
vessel being stopt. Her true papers, which proved that the
_Nancy_ was deeply implicated in the contraband traffic, had
been thrown overboard just before she was overhauled, and the
shark had swallowed them. The case was tried in the court-house
at Kingston, where, at the critical moment, Lieutenant
Fitton appeared on the scene and produced his find, to the
consternation of the other side. The _Nancy_ was forthwith
condemned as a lawful prize, and her skipper was fined and sent
to jail.
The head of the shark is in London, at the United Service
Institution. It was for some time set up on show at Port Royal,
Jamaica, with this label attached: “Lieutenant Fitton recommends
these jaws for a collar for neutrals to swear through.”
(953)