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Pirate Capt Kidd's 'treasure' found in Madagascar
Underwater explorers in Madagascar say they have found what is thought to be the treasure of notorious Scottish pirate William Kidd.
Soldiers on Sainte Marie island have been guarding the 50kg silver bar after divers brought it to shore. .........
Who was Captain Kidd?
He was thought to be born in Scotland's Greenock or the Dundee area in about 1645, and had been appointed by the Crown to tackle piracy and capture enemy French ships.
In 1698, he looted the Armenian ship the Quedagh Merchant, which was apparently sailing under a French pass.
However, the captain of the ship was an Englishman and Capt Kidd was executed in London in 1701.
The Quedagh Merchant had been carrying satins, muslins, gold and silver when she was attacked by Kidd.
It is thought that a large amount of the booty belonged to the British East India Company.
As well as the piracy charges, Capt Kidd was accused of murdering one of his crewmen during a row in 1697.
During Capt Kidd's execution, 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.
Capt Kidd's body was dipped in tar and hung by chains along the River Thames to serve as a warning to would-be pirates.
Legend had it that Capt Kidd hid much of his loot, which has prompted numerous treasure hunts around the world and inspired Robert Louis Stevenson when writing Treasure Island.
Underwater explorers in Madagascar say they have found what is thought to be the treasure of notorious Scottish pirate William Kidd.
Soldiers on Sainte Marie island have been guarding the 50kg silver bar after divers brought it to shore. .........
Who was Captain Kidd?
He was thought to be born in Scotland's Greenock or the Dundee area in about 1645, and had been appointed by the Crown to tackle piracy and capture enemy French ships.
In 1698, he looted the Armenian ship the Quedagh Merchant, which was apparently sailing under a French pass.
However, the captain of the ship was an Englishman and Capt Kidd was executed in London in 1701.
The Quedagh Merchant had been carrying satins, muslins, gold and silver when she was attacked by Kidd.
It is thought that a large amount of the booty belonged to the British East India Company.
As well as the piracy charges, Capt Kidd was accused of murdering one of his crewmen during a row in 1697.
During Capt Kidd's execution, 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.
Capt Kidd's body was dipped in tar and hung by chains along the River Thames to serve as a warning to would-be pirates.
Legend had it that Capt Kidd hid much of his loot, which has prompted numerous treasure hunts around the world and inspired Robert Louis Stevenson when writing Treasure Island.
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