The Sporting Dictionary, and Rural Repository, Volume 1 (of 2) / Of General Information upon Every Subject Appertaining to the Sports of the Field

By the 5th Eliz. c. xxi. s. 2, it is provided, That if any person shall unlawfully BREAK or DESTROY any head or dam of a FISH POND, or shall wrongfully fish therein, with intent to take or kill fish, he shall, on conviction at the ASSIZES or sessions, at the suit of the King, or the party injured, be imprisoned three months, and pay treble damages; and after the expiration of the said three months, shall find sureties for good behaviour for SEVEN YEARS to come.

By 31st Henry Eighth, c. ii. s. 2, If any evil-disposed persons shall fish in the day-time, from six in the morning till six in the evening, in any PONDS, STEWS, or MOATS, with nets, hooks, or bait, against the will of the owners, they shall, on conviction thereof, at the suit of the King, or the party aggrieved, suffer imprisonment for the space of three months, and find security for their good behaviour.

By 22d and 23d Charles Second, c. xxv. s. 7, it is enacted, That if any person shall, at any time, use any casting-net, drag-net, shove-net, or other net whatever; or any angle, hair, noose, troll, or spear; or shall lay any wears, pots, nets, fish-hooks, or other engines; or shall take any fish by any means whatsoever, in any RIVER, STEW, MOAT, POND, or other water, or shall be aiding thereunto, without the consent of the OWNER of the WATER, and be convicted thereof before a JUSTICE, by confession, or the OATH of one witness, within one month after the offence committed, such offender shall give to the party injured such satisfaction as the JUSTICE shall appoint, not exceeding treble damages; and shall, over and above, pay down presently unto the OVERSEERS of the POOR, such sum, not exceeding 10s. as the JUSTICE shall think fit: and in default of payment, the said penalties to be LEVIED by DISTRESS; and for want thereof, the offender to be committed to the house of correction, for a term not exceeding one month, unless the party offending enter into bond, with surety, to the party injured, in a sum not exceeding 10l. never to offend in like manner.

Justices are also authorized to take, cut in pieces, and destroy, all such articles as before recited and adapted to the taking of fish, as may be found in the possession of OFFENDERS when taken. Persons aggrieved may appeal to the QUARTER SESSIONS, whose judgment shall be final. Although this power is vested in a MAGISTRATE, yet the owner of the water, or fishery, cannot justify such a measure, but can only take them damage feasant, as is particularly expressed in various clauses of different acts of Parliament upon this subject. And by the 4th and 5th William and Mary, it is enacted, That no person (except makers and sellers of nets, owners of a river or fishery, authorized fishermen, and their apprentices) shall keep any net, angle, leap, pike, or other engine for taking of FISH.

The proprietor of any river or fishery, or persons by them authorized, may seize, and keep to his own use, any engine which shall be found in the custody of any person fishing in any river or fishery, without the CONSENT of the OWNER or OCCUPIER. And such owner, occupier, or person, authorized by either, sanctioned by the consent of any JUSTICE, in the day-time, may search the houses, or other places, of any person prohibited to keep the same, who shall be suspected to have such nets, or other engines, in his possession, and the same to seize, and keep to their own use, or cut in pieces and destroy.

By the 5th George Third, c. xiv. s. 1, it is enacted, That if any person shall enter into any PARK or PADDOCK inclosed, or enter into any garden, orchard, or yard, belonging to, or adjoining to, any dwelling-house, wherein shall be any river, pond, moat, or other water, and, by any means whatsoever, (without the consent of the owner,) steal, kill, or destroy, any FISH, bred, kept, or preserved therein, or shall be assisting therein, or shall receive or buy any such fish, knowing them to be such, shall, upon conviction, be transported for seven years. Persons making confession of such offence, and giving evidence against an accomplice, who, in pursuance thereof, shall be convicted, will be entitled to a free pardon.

And by the same Act, s. 3, it is enacted, That if any person shall take, kill, or destroy, or ATTEMPT to take, kill, or destroy, any fish in any river or stream, pool, pond, or other water, (not being in any park or paddock enclosed, or in any garden, orchard, or yard, belonging or adjoining to a dwelling-house, but in any other enclosed ground, being private property,) such person, being thereof convicted by confession, or the oath of one witness before a JUSTICE, shall forfeit five pounds to the owner of the fishery of such river or other water; and in default thereof, shall be committed to the house of correction for a time not exceeding six months. Stealing fish in disguise is made FELONY by the 9th George the First, c. xxii. If any person armed and disguised, shall unlawfully steal, or take away, any FISH, out of any river, or pond, or (whether armed or not) shall unlawfully and maliciously break down the head or mound of any FISH-POND, whereby the fish shall be lost and destroyed, or shall rescue any person in custody for any such offence, or procure any other to join him therein, he shall be guilty of FELONY, without benefit of clergy.

There is no one disease, or injury, to which THE HORSE is incident, more perplexing to the VULCANIANS of the old school or VETERINARIANS of the new, than a FISTULA; the formation and process of which is precisely thus. A repetition of the bruise and friction, or painful pressure upon the wither, having excited inflammation, NATURE makes an effort in her own favour; tumefaction or swelling ensues, and suppuration follows of course. From the bony structure of this particular part, a copious secretion of matter is in the first instance never obtained, or, indeed, to be expected. From the great difficulty of securing poultices so as to retain their situation, the progress of maturation is always tardy, and ultimately both partial and imperfect: the aperture, if self-made, is always exceedingly small, from which may be immediately traced with the probe, one or more pipes or SINUSSES in different directions, becoming more and more callous internally, according to the length of their standing, or the injudicious mode in which they may have been treated.

Various modes of treatment, and different directions for a certainty of cure, have been laid down by successive writers upon FARRIERY, and frequently with little success. Theory, it must be admitted, is one thing; the execution in PRACTICE is another. The VOLUME of EXPERIENCE opens to the mind of rumination, and professional emulation, a new page every day; that page now demonstrates the fact, that the most inveterate and long-standing FISTULA is to be firmly and infallibly cured, and the parts perfectly restored, by a mode easy in execution, and invariable in effect. Let a silver probe be passed in every possible direction, that the SINUSSES may be precisely ascertained; this done, let the probe be properly armed with lint, then plentifully impregnated with BUTTER of ANTIMONY, and carefully introduced in such state into each distinct sinus, (whichever way they divide or ramify;) when there, give the probe a turn, that every part may be equally affected; artificial inflammation will succeed, the internal CALLOSITY will be destroyed, and slough off in a few days from the sound parts. The vacuum may then be cleansed with equal parts of FRIAR'S BALSAM, and TINCTURE of MYRRH, by a long-necked syringe, once in three or four days; and the WOUND being daily dressed with the precipitate digestive ointment, insinuated with lint rolled round the probe, and when properly inserted, slipt off with the force of the finger and thumb into the wound, and covered with a sticking plaister to keep it firm, incarnation will be gradually promoted, and COMPLETE CURE certainly follow.

Fomentations are prepared by boiling three or four double handsful of the different kinds of aromatic garden herbs in six quarts or two gallons of water, occasionally stirring them for a quarter of an hour; then let the part affected be patiently FOMENTED with sponges or flannels, alternately dipped in the DECOCTION, as hot as it can be consistently used without injury to the hair. If the TUMOUR, or enlargement, does not threaten suppuration, the absorption may be assisted by a gentle persevering friction in hand-rubbing, previous to the application of such REPELLENT as may be thought applicable to the case: on the contrary, should a formation of matter have evidently taken place, the intention of nature cannot be too expeditiously promoted; an EMOLLIENT POULTICE should instantly follow the FOMENTATION, and both be repeated once or twice a-day, according to the magnitude of the emergency.

The herbs chiefly in use for FOMENTATIONS (and from which any three or four may be selected) are Roman and COMMON WORMWOOD, MALLOWS and MARSHMALLOWS, LAVENDER leaves and flowers, Rosemary leaves, CAMMOMILE flowers, Elder flowers, and Bay leaves. These are articles not always to be readily obtained; and as they are in all HUNTING establishments likely to be wanted upon the most sudden emergencies, GENTLEMEN in the country will find the convenience of giving orders for an annual supply to be provided, and properly dried, in the summer, that no disappointment may be experienced in the winter, when their use is more likely to be required. They are kept ready mixed at the BOTANICAL SHOPS in the different markets of the Metropolis, and may always be had in any quantity under the denomination of FOMENTATION HERBS.

The very few reasons hitherto assigned for the origin of this defect, "as being watered when too hot, then setting the horse upon cold planks without litter;" "heats and colds, which disorder the body, and excite malignant humours, that inflame the blood, melt the grease, and make it descend downward to the feet, where it settles, and causes a numbness in the hoofs;" are so truly nugatory, that they are not for a single moment entitled to SCIENTIFIC disquisition. The only two RATIONAL CAUSES which can be assigned for this disorder (if it can with propriety be so termed) seem never to have attracted professional observation or reflection. That it has its foundation in long and hard riding (or drawing) upon the hard and hot roads in the summer months, will not admit of a single doubt; which foundation once laid, is not only increased by every repetition of the original cause, but a formidable addition made to it by the shameful and destructive practice of fitting red-hot shoes, from THE FORGE, to the foot of the horse; an unrelenting act of cruelty, constantly and obstinately persevered in at almost every shoeing-shop in the kingdom, by which infernal act alone, hundreds of horses are annually FOOT-FOUNDERED; to crush which evil, THE LEGISLATURE would not find itself degraded, by enacting a prohibitory LAW, any more than by condescending to protect the persons of the outside passengers upon a STAGE COACH.

To justify what is advanced upon the subject of FOOT-FOUNDER, let it be recollected, that persevering friction will produce fire; of which we have repeated proofs in the number of carriages known to have taken fire upon the roads, and to have been totally consumed. We are convinced a piece of cold iron, struck with a hammer five or six times in succession upon an anvil, will quickly afford a communication of fire to a match; this being reduced to an incontrovertible certainty, what must be the excess of heat produced by the EFFECT of ATTRITION between the shoe of a horse and the hardness of the road in the summer months, the animal going a FIFTEEN or TWENTY miles stage, at the rate of twelve or fourteen miles an hour?

Why, the effect is precisely this; that, by the time the horse has travelled a few miles, the RIDER dismounting, will find, upon instantaneous examination, the shoe has acquired (by the attrition already described) a degree of heat beyond his power to bear with his hand, without being seriously burned. The effect of heat without, being the same within, acts so powerfully (in proportion to the continuation of the journey, and the state of the road) upon the foot of the horse, particularly those of the weakest texture, and the most susceptible, that the INNER SOLE (or membranous mass in which the coffin-bone is lodged) becomes in time, and by repetition, partially divested of its moisture, the very source of sensation; upon which contraction of the internal parts, the HOOF losing its means and support of expansion, contracts in a corresponding degree, constituting the impoverished appearance, brittle-hoof, and narrow heel, previously described.

Those who have been so exceedingly sparing, or so accidentally sterile, in respect to the causes of this DEFECT, have, nevertheless, been sufficiently liberal in directing A CURE. "First, pare all the horse's soles so thin that you may see the quick; then bleed him well at every toe; after which stop the vein with tallow and resin melted together; and having tacked some hollow shoes slightly on his feet, stop them with bran, tar, and tallow, melted together, and poured into the feet as hot as can well be born; repeat this every other day for a week or nine days, after which give him proper exercise daily; or, what is still better, turn him out for six weeks, if it is a proper season for so doing."

Whether this mode, so strenuously recommended, and copied by one writer from another, is likely to effect a cure, every reader will enjoy the privilege of judging for himself: it is, however, most likely that those who rely upon any professional exertions for total obliteration, will be disappointed, and that occasional palliation is all that can be reasonably expected. There is, however, no doubt, but frequent and plentiful impregnations of the whole hoof, and bottom of the foot, with SPERMA CÆTI OIL, made warm over the fire, will contribute as much to the expansion of the hoof, and the regeneration of membranous moisture in its contents, as any other means whatever.

A FOREST has its foundation under a commission bearing the great seal of England, and when proclaimed through the county in which the land so appropriated lies, "that it is A FOREST, and to be governed by the LAWS OF A FOREST," it then becomes a forest upon record, and the OFFICERS before mentioned are appointed. A forest has its "BOUNDARIES," its "PURLIEUS," its "PROPERTIES," its "COURTS," with a variety of regulations equally uninteresting and unentertaining, except to those who are resident within its precincts; to whom a variety of enlarged particulars will be useful, and may be found in "Daniels' Rural Sports," a recent publication of merit and celebrity.

There are said to have been SIXTY-NINE FORESTS in England, of which the New Forest, Windsor Forest, Sherwood Forest, and the Forest of Dean, have always been considered the principal. His Majesty's STAG HOUNDS are kept at the kennel upon Ascot Heath, in Windsor Forest, where he has for some years enjoyed the pleasures of the chase.

The beasts of forest, in all ancient records, were denominated "BEASTS OF VENERY," and consisted of the Hart, Hind, Hare, Boar, and Wolf: the complete extinction of the two latter has, however, long since rendered the term unnecessary, if not entirely obsolete, and the whole is generally comprehended under the appellation of GAME, and the LAWS enacted to prevent its destruction.

During the time of the great camp upon Bagshot Heath, the Duke of Richmond having taken up his temporary residence at the Rose Inn, Wokingham, in Windsor Forest, where the courts were occasionally held, and seeing the regulations respecting the Court of Attachment fixed in the room, his Grace wished to obtain some information upon the subject; but finding none to be derived from the waiter, he desired "a person might be sent up who knew something of the matter." In a few minutes appeared the son of the landlady, who most sagaciously informed the Duke, that the "Forty Days Court was an ANNUAL MEETING, held every six weeks;" with which very clear and explanatory account, his Grace condescendingly expressed himself "perfectly satisfied."

Without descending to a minute examination of this "VARIETY," which probably may arise from the force of a too fertile imagination, or the different growth of FOXES in different counties, where the deficiency of food, or the difficulty of obtaining it, may occasion as great and proportional a variation in the size of the ANIMAL, as may be observed with the HORSES of Scotland and Wales, when brought into competition with those produced in a more fertile part of the kingdom; it must suffice to explain his natural history as of one species only.

The FOX, when tamed and subject to nice inspection, is one of the most beautifully formed animals in the creation; and when that form is critically surveyed, the possibility of his persevering speed before such immense bodies of fleet pursuers, for so great a length of time, becomes matter of the greatest admiration. Foxes are in colour of a yellowish red, or rather yellow brown, having on the forehead, the shoulders, as far as the root of the tail, and the outside of the hind legs, a tinge of dirty white or ash colour: the edges of the lips, the cheeks, and the throat, are white; and a stripe of the same runs along the under side of the legs: the breast and belly are a lightish grey: the tips of the ears and feet (sportingly termed PADS) are black: the tail (called BRUSH) reddish yellow, with a blackish hue upon the surface; the tip itself pure white.

The fox in formation has great resemblance to the dog, but with some variations; his head is larger in proportion to his body; his ears are shorter; his tail thicker, and the hair longer: he has a broad flat forehead, narrowing to a picked nose; ears erect, and sharp at the point; eyes small, and fiery in aspect, by which are easily observed whether he is influenced by AFFECTION, ANGER, or FEAR. His sense of smelling is so instinctively exquisite, that he can wind either his prey or his enemy at a very considerable distance.

The sagacity of this animal, in the pursuit of his prey, as well as his various modes of obtaining it, are almost beyond description: his favourite objects are GAME of every kind, RABBITS, POULTRY without exception, BIRDS, and the smaller quadrupeds. In extreme hunger he will eat mice, frogs, snails, and insects: some kinds of fruits and berries also are not refused. Honey he is remarkably fond of; and, it is said, will even attack the HIVES, and hazard the event of a battle, rather than relinquish the chance of so luxurious and delicious a repast. The same sagacity regulates all his proceedings in respect to bodily safety: when laying above ground, it is generally in the most sequestered and unfrequented places, and the most difficult of access; when at earth, it is generally in the strong hold of hard ground, exceedingly deep, of which some BADGER has been dispossessed, (by the FOX'S cunning of depositing his excrement there,) or under the roots of trees, by the diverse ramifications of which he is shielded from every chance of extermination.

In his nocturnal depredations, he is in some degree systematic, frequently selecting for his concealment those small grassy-bottomed COVERTS near the small hovels and thatched cottages of the labouring poor, where his lurking-place is the least suspected. Here, in his recluse KENNEL, he enjoys the various cackling of the different kinds of poultry, and exultingly anticipates the intentional devastation. When unrestrained, and in a state of liberty, he seizes POULTRY with a rapturous eagerness, and ravenous rapacity, absolutely incredible; his joy in possession is demonstrated by the most inexpressible twistings and flirtings of the TAIL, with other wanton gesticulations, indicative of the highest possible gratification. The first and most pressing sensations of present hunger being satisfied, he prudently provides for the uncertainty of the future: after the annihilation (or safe deposit) of a first, he returns for the second; that safely secured, either in a hole dug for its reception, and covered with earth, or secreted in his kennel, he comes for a third, which is concealed in a similar manner, but not in the same place, well knowing the impolicy of placing all his treasure in ONE BANK, wisely recollecting, that should BANKRUPTCY happen in one place, it can prove no bad maxim to have EFFECTS in another.

Fortune not always favoring him at the same points, he has his ALTERNATIVES: as it is the misfortune annexed to his very NATURE to afford sport to others, so, with all the retaliation in his power, he frequently finds sport for himself. To the helpless, inoffensive LEVERETS, during the early part of the season, he frequently gives chase, particularly on moon-light nights, with too much success. In this pursuit he vents a sensation of pleasure, partaking more of a yelping whimper than a distinct bark: he seizes old HARES in their forms; perseveringly digs rabbits out of their burrows; is indefatigable in the search after, and discovery of, PHEASANTS and PARTRIDGES upon their nests, which he instantly destroys. The fatigue he undergoes by night in quest of prey, occasions him to sleep much, and sometimes exceedingly sound, by DAY: instances have been frequent of HOUNDS drawing up to, and killing them in kennel, without a drag; as well as of their being found sleeping in the sunny banks of hedge-rows, and shot by FARMERS, (basking as they lay,) without being previously disturbed.

The naturally rank and offensive smell of the FOX renders it a rich scent to HOUNDS, which they evidently evince when it lays well, and they are running BREAST HIGH; at which time the crows, magpies, and jays, (who consider him an invincible and cruel enemy,) give clamorous proofs of his presence, by hovering over him with their screams of exultation at his impending fate, so long as they can keep him in view. They copulate (or go to clicket, as it is called) in the winter, and produce cubs during the month of April, and the first week in May: they have but one litter a year; an OLD VIXEN frequently bringing from six to nine cubs; a VIXEN of the first or second year not so many. They are known to grow for eighteen months, and to live, even in a tame state, for fourteen or fifteen years.

Doubts have arisen, and opposite opinions have been strenuously supported, upon the question whether the FOX and DOG will generate an OFFSPRING to which the prolific powers shall continue in successive perpetuity: this seems to be positively ascertained in the AFFIRMATIVE, with one exception, which is, that the act of copulation will be effected only by the DOG FOX with a bitch of the CANINE SPECIES.

Instances of the extreme cunning, and innate sagacity, of FOXES, when hunted, and in returning twenty and thirty miles to the coverts where they have been first found, are upon record, and almost innumerable. Their COURAGE, as well as the strength of their jaws, are beyond conception: they defend themselves to the last extremity; no blows deter them from their hold: their bite is severe and dangerous, as they make their teeth meet through a strong and thick hand. When caught by the HOUNDS, they are silently resolute even in DEATH; for revengefully seizing upon the first assailant, their hold is never relinquished but with the last gasp.