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Gen. Goldsworthy.-Anecdote of Louis XV.-Royal Chafe. 5

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leaped into the grand canal, fcrambled out again, and rau about to all parts; while the air refounded with acclamations of clapping of hands, to encourage the continuance of the sport. What can all this mean? faid I to a Frenchman, who ftood near me. Sir, he replied, with a very grave countenance, it is for the entertainment of the Court."

A

ROYAL CHASE.

LTHO' from the frequent repetition, we are not in the habit of communicating the particulars of every chafe, where the ground gone over, as well as the faces of the company is generally the fame, yet we cannot pafs over in filence the excellent run of Tuesday the 15th; when his Majefty arrived at Ramflade, the feat of the Hon. Captain Bennet a little before eleven. the ftag. was inftantly turned out, and, depending upon his own ftrength, refused to avail himself of the neighbouring inclofures, but boldcope of open country; paffing ly faced the almoft incredible over the Heath he left Baghot on the right, through the parish of Windlesham, west of Cobham, over the lofty hills and then the Peat Movres to Parbright, where he took foil for a few minutes, till the hounds running up to him, he again broke away, over the chain of hills and dreary tract of heath to Afh, (near Farnham, in Surry) beating the hounds with the greatest eafe. Here he again waited, till exciting additional energy in the pack by a view, he once more gave proof of his inftinctive and unvanquished fortitude, in facing a new and equally open country to that he had already paffed; made away by

Henley

6 Singular Equeftrian, Pedestrian, &c. Performances.

Henley Park and Pyfleet, over took to walk 404 miles in fix that ridge of hills known by the days, on the road between Herename of the Hogs Buck, and ford and Ludlow, which is very croffing the great turnpike road rough and ftoney; and by the midway between Guildford and terms of the wager, he was to Farnham, was taken between pafs a hill two miles in length Efher and Godalmin, after a moft | from the extremities of the fides, fevere chafe of four hours, three of and very difficult of afcent, three which was breast high, with a time every a day. Savagar was rich fcent that threw out many 47 years of age, fhort and thin: of those who were most eager at the weather was much against the commencement, and comhim, as there was a continual fall pletely tired the major part of the of fleet and fnow during the hounds. His Majefty was well journey; notwithstanding which, up during the day, and prefent he walked 79 miles in one day, when the deer was taken: the and 69 the day following; and field was but thin at the turn- in the end won his wager with ing out, and of those many eafe. A farmer originally betted fell off, fome by choice and Savagar ten guiners to won, that others to infure their horfes from he did not perform this talk, and diftrefs and fubfequent danger- he afterwards made another fimi

of those prefent were Lord Sand-lar bet; fo that Savagar's whole wich, Mr. Scott, Luckley Palmer, gain was twenty guineas. jon. Mr. Hatch, &c.

The hounds continue to hunt the Heath (King's Beech and Afcot Heath) for the remainder of the feafon, which is expected to close the first Saturday in May.

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Sufferings of Lieutenant George Spearing, in a Coal Pit. 7

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Auguft 29, one M'Gregor, a painter of Kello, undertook for a trifling wager, to fell a bullock with his feet at three blows, which

a noted glutton, eat tripe against a bull-dog. Twelve pounds were to have been divided between them, and of the competitors, he who fhould finish firft was to gain the wager. The man in fifteen minutes eat eight pounds of it, while the dog was twenty minutes confuming the other four, Befides, all the fat was thrown into Diagle's difh by his opponents to cloy his appetite, and a piece of old leather breeches was hafhed in his mefs to interrupt maftication. Afterwards he undertook to drink (for another wager) twelve quarts of ale in fix draughts within four hours; he performed it in three, with the addition of a finall live mouse, which a mischievous wag put into his laft flaggon.

September 5. John Hoole, à hair-dreffer, of Twickenham, for a wager ran from the Three Tuas at that place to Hyde Park Corner, (ten miles) in one hour and 18 minutes. Fifteen pounds to ten was betted that he did not do it in an hour and a half, as he is very fhort in ftature, and remarkably bandy-legged.

ANARRATIVE of the SUFFERINGS of Lieutenant GEORGE SPEARING, who lived SEVEN NIGHTS in a COAL-PIT, without any fuftenance, except fome Rain-water.

To the Editors of the Sporting Magazine.

GENTLEMEN,

SI conceive the following

he performed at the fecond. A narrative will be deemed

What made it more extraordinary, more he was very flender made, and not above five feet feven inches high.

About this time a curious wager was decided in Dublin; one Dingle, a purblind bruth-maker,

interefting by many of your readers, your inferting it will oblige A CONSTANT READER.

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8 Sufferings of Lieutenant George Spearing, in a Coal Pit.

into a little wood called North-expofed to the rain, which con. woodfide (fituated between two and three miles to the N. W. of Glasgow) with a defign to gather a few hazel-nuts. I think that I could not have been in the wood more than a quarter of an hour, nor have gathered more than ten nuts, before I unfortunately fell into an old coal pit, exactly feventeen yards deep, which had been made through a folid rock I was fome little time infenfible. Upon recovering my recollection, I found myself fitting (nearly as a taylor does at his work) the blood flowing pretty fall from my mouth; and I thought that I had broken a blood veffel, and confequently had not long to live; but, to my great comfort, I foon difcovered that the blood proceeded from a wound in my tongue, which I fuppofed I had bitten in my fall. Looking at my watch, (it was ten minutes past four) and getting up, I furveyed my limbs, and to my inexpreffible joy, found that not one was broken.

I was foon recon

ciled to my fituation, having from my childhood thought that fomething very extraordinary was to happen to me in the course of my life; and I had not the leaft doubt of being relieved in the morning; for, the wood being but small, and fituated near a populous city, it is much frequented, efpecially in the nutting feafon, and there are several footpaths leading through it.

Night now approached, when it began to rain, not in gentle 'fhowers, but in torrents of water, fuch as is generally experienced at the autumnal equinox. The pit I had fallen into was about five feet in diameter; but not having been worked for feveral years, the fubterranean paffages were choaked up, so that I was

tinued, with very finall intermifGons, till the day of my release; and, indeed, in a fhort time, I was completely wet through. Ia this comfortless condition I endeavoured to take fome repose. A forked ftick that I found in the pit, and which I placed diagonally to the fide of it, ferved alternately to fupport my head as a pillow, or my body occafionally, which was much bruised; but, in the whole time I remained here, I do not think that I ever flept one hour together. Having paffed a very difagreeable and tedious night, I was fomewhat cheared with the appearance of day-light, and the melody of a robin red-breaft that had perched directly over the mouth of the pit; and this pretty little warbler continued to visit my quarters every morning during my confinement; which I conftrued into a happy omen of my future deliverance; and I fincerely believe the trust I had in Providence, and the company of this little bird, contributed much to that ferenity of mind I conftantly enjoyed to the laft. At the distance of about 100 yards, in a direct line from the pit, there was a water-mill. The miller's houfe was nearer to me, and the road to the mill was ftill nearer. I could frequently hear the horfes going this road to and from the mill; frequently I heard human voices; and I could diftinctly hear the ducks and hens about the mill. I made the best use of my voice on every occafion; but it was to no manner of purpofe: for the wind, which was conftantly high, blew in a line from the mill to the pit, which easily accounts for what I heard; and at the fame time my voice was carried the contrary way.

(To be concluded in our next.)

The

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Natural Hiftory of the Cuckoo.

The NATURAL HISTORY of the

THE

• CUCKOO.

9

If the bird we are defcribing cannot boast much variety and beauty of plumage, it is confpicuous for the lightnefs and elegance of its form, and for its pe- 1 culiar habits. This fingular cream, i

HE cuckoo may certainly be claffed with the knowing ones. among the feathered tribe. It is produced and nurtured by fraud and ftratagem, and robs the legiture, which is fomewhat lefs than timate offspring of its fuppofed parent, of their exiftence; quar tering their fpurious brood upon a step-mother, who innocently imagines them to be her genuine iffue, and rears them with tendernefs and affiduity.

To adopt a familiar phrafe among the gentlemen of the turf, cuckoos know very well what birds are to be done, and make it the principal bufinefs of their lives to do them. The female cuckoo makes no neft of her own the repairs to the nest of fome other bird, generally, the water-wagtail or hedge-fparrow ; and, having devoured the eggs of the owner, lays her own in their place. She ufually lays but one, which is fpeckled, and of the fize of a blackbird's. This the fond foolish bird hatches with great attention, and, when excluded, finds no difference in the great ill-looking changling from her own. To fupply this voracious creature, the credulous nurfe toils

with unufual diligence, not knowing that he is feeding up an enemy to her race, and one of the most deftructive. robbers of her future progeny.

It was once doubted whether cuckoos were carnivorous; but Reaumur was at the trouble of breeding up feveral, and found they would not feed upon bread or corn; but flesh and infects were their favourite nourishment. Their gluttony is not to be won. dered at, when we confider the capacity of their ftomach, which is enormous, and reaches from the breaft-bone to the vent.

VOL. IV. No. XIX.

a pigeon, and of a greyish colour, is diftinguished from all other birds by its round promi-, nent noftrils. Having difappeared all the winter, it difcov rs it. felf in our country early in the fpring, by its well-known call.; Its note is heard earlier or later, as the feafon feems to be more or lefs forward, and the weather more or less inviting. From the chearful voice of this animal, the farmer may be inftructed in: the real advancement of the year. His note is pleafant, though uni form; and, from an affociation of ideas, feldom occurs to the memory without reminding us of the fweets of fummer.

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The cuckoo, when fledged and fitted for flight, follows its fuppofed parent but for a little time; its appetite for infect food in• creafing, as it finds no great chance for a fupply in imitating its inftructor, they part in friendfhip, the ftep child feidom offering any violence to its nurfe. All the little birds of the grove, however, feem to confider the young cuckoo as an enemy, and revenge the caufe of their kind by their repeated infults: they purfue it wherever it flies, and oblige it to take helter in the thickeft branches of fome neighbouring tree; all the fmaller birds form, the train of its purfuers; but the wry-neck, in particular, is found the most active in the chafe; whence it has acquired the names of the cuckoo's attendant and provider. But it is very far from following with a friendly intention; it only pur

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