TREASURE thought to have belonged to the 17th century Scottish pirate William Kidd has been discovered in Madagascar.

Underwater explorers believe the 7st 9lb silver bar which was brought to shore on the island of Sainte Marie from the wreck of a ship believed to be the Adventure Galley is linked to the notorious seaman.

The bar was presented to Madagascar's president at a special ceremony.

US explorer Barry Clifford says he believes there are many more such bars still in the wreck.

He told the BBC: "Captain's Kidd's treasure is the stuff of legends. People have been looking for it for 300 years. To literally have it hit me on the head - I thought what the heck just happened to me. I really didn't expect this.

"There's more down there. I know the whole bottom of the cavity where I found the silver bar is filled with metal. It's too murky down there to see what metal, but my metal detector tells me there is metal on all sides."

Capt Kidd, who is thought to have been born in Dundee, was first appointed by the British authorities to tackle piracy but later became a ruthless criminal.

He was executed in 1701 and as a warning to other pirates his body was hung in a cage and left to rot along the River Thames.

Soldiers guarded the relic yesterday at a ceremony attended by officials from both Britain and Madagascar. The British ambassador to the country said he hoped the discovery would help raise the profile of Madagascar, especially for tourists.