Celestial Phenomena from 1830 to 1836
To stimulate recent subscribers to the Literary Gazette to commence with the year the study of astronomy, a brief sketch is subjoined of the aost remarkable phenomena that will occur mm 1830 to 1836, inclusive. Some of these are connected with questions and predictions to the solution and fulfilment of which philosophers are looking forward with considerable interest; more particularly to the return of the three comets, whose periods are supposed to be kaown with some degree of certainty; namely, lbs cnmets of Encke, Biela, and Halley.
1830—Four visible occultations of Aldebarsn, one of which will be attended with singular circumstances connected with terrestrial position—to one part of the British Isles it will prove only an appulse of the star, and to another part an occultation. A total eclipse of the moon, the duration of which will be almost the longest possible, as the centre of the moon will pass very near the centre of the earth's shadow: about the middle of the eclipse the saoon will be in conjunction with a star in Aquarius, which conjunction will, in some places be an occultation. An occultation of Venus by the moon.
1831 An eclipse of the moon. Mars will pass over a star in Taurus. An occultation of Japiter by the moon. Mercury eclipsed by the san. An occultation of Saturn by the moon.
1832—This year will be remarkably replete with interesting phenomena. The comet of Eacke will return in the spring, and the comet «f Biela in the autumn of the year. A transit rf Mercury across the sun's disc. An eclipse rf the sun. An occultation of Saturn by the 2UOB. Three of the satellites of Jupiter sizxltaneou&ly eclipsed.
1833 An eclipse of the sun.
1834 and 1835—The comet of Halley will ae expected; it last passed its perihelion on the -3th of March, 1759: it is calculated to reach iie same point again 16th of March, 1835. A Sanaa t of Mercury across the sun's disc.
1836 A considerable solar eclipse.
end of quote
Note they didn't put in the 1833 Leonoids meteor storm. Coined "The Night It Rained Fire."
Showing posts with label 1834. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1834. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Monday, November 28, 2016
Trail of Tears
One of the worse times in our American history, imho, was the Trail of Tears, the forcible relocation of many Native Americans. Five tribes the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Muscogee-Creek, and Seminole all living in the deep south were relocated to the Indian Territory, what is now known and most of Oklahoma and some of Kansas.
The trail was not a one time event, each tribe was relocated at different intervals. The act was called "The Indian Removal Act of 1830" Wikipedia has a good article referring to the act voted on and signed by President Andrew Jackson.
Choctaw from Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana were marched out in 1831
1832 was the removal of the Seminole tribe from Florida.
The Creek were removed in 1834 also from Alabama & Georgia
The Chickasaw in 1837 Mississippi River area.
Cherokee in 1838 from North Carolina, Georgia because gold had been found on their lands.
The trail took the lives of many as exposure, disease and starvation hit them as they were en route. 46,000 were taken before the Cherokee, I couldn't find figures on how many Cherokee were taken but at least 4,000 died on the trail. I've found figures from 17,000 to 24,000
The trail was not a one time event, each tribe was relocated at different intervals. The act was called "The Indian Removal Act of 1830" Wikipedia has a good article referring to the act voted on and signed by President Andrew Jackson.
Choctaw from Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana were marched out in 1831
1832 was the removal of the Seminole tribe from Florida.
The Creek were removed in 1834 also from Alabama & Georgia
The Chickasaw in 1837 Mississippi River area.
Cherokee in 1838 from North Carolina, Georgia because gold had been found on their lands.
The trail took the lives of many as exposure, disease and starvation hit them as they were en route. 46,000 were taken before the Cherokee, I couldn't find figures on how many Cherokee were taken but at least 4,000 died on the trail. I've found figures from 17,000 to 24,000
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Icebergs 1834
As I continued reading "Narrative of a Whaling Voyage Round the globe, from the year 1833 to 1836 by Frederick Bennett ©1840 I found another interesting tidbit to pass along. Icebergs had long been and continue to be something that sailors need to watch for.
On the 4th of January, 1834, the ship passed within six miles of an iceberg floating on the sea, in lat. 4/° S., long. 57£° W. It was of square form, and had a small conical hummock attached to its base. The summit was level; but in some points of view the effects of refraction caused it to appear as an inclined plane. It had a dazzling whiteness, and seemed to be covered with snow. The circumference of the berg was estimated at between three and four hundred feet, and its height at fifty; but, to judge from its shape, it is probable that little more than a sixth of its actual bulk was visible above the surface of the ocean.
Floating ice-islands are not unfrequently seen in this latitude, and the uncertainty of their situation requires that ships should keep a strict night-watch to avoid them. During the winter season they remain consolidated with the frozen lands whence they originate; and it is not until the summer of the south that they drift into the lower latitudes, and intrude upon the ordinary tracks of shipping. Many penguins, and divers, were at the same time observed swimming on the water; their home being either the iceberg, or, with more probability, the Falkland Islands, from which we were now distant about a day's sail.
On the 4th of January, 1834, the ship passed within six miles of an iceberg floating on the sea, in lat. 4/° S., long. 57£° W. It was of square form, and had a small conical hummock attached to its base. The summit was level; but in some points of view the effects of refraction caused it to appear as an inclined plane. It had a dazzling whiteness, and seemed to be covered with snow. The circumference of the berg was estimated at between three and four hundred feet, and its height at fifty; but, to judge from its shape, it is probable that little more than a sixth of its actual bulk was visible above the surface of the ocean.
Floating ice-islands are not unfrequently seen in this latitude, and the uncertainty of their situation requires that ships should keep a strict night-watch to avoid them. During the winter season they remain consolidated with the frozen lands whence they originate; and it is not until the summer of the south that they drift into the lower latitudes, and intrude upon the ordinary tracks of shipping. Many penguins, and divers, were at the same time observed swimming on the water; their home being either the iceberg, or, with more probability, the Falkland Islands, from which we were now distant about a day's sail.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Fur Trade 1834
Below is an excerpt from Journal of a trapper: or, Nine Years in the Rocky Mountains, 1834-1843 By Osborne Russell, Lem A. York. The journal was printed in 1921 by the nephew of the author nearly a century later.
Expedition Left Independence, Missouri, April 28,1834, Headed by Nathaniel J. Wyeth
At the town of Independence, Mo., on the 4th of April, 1834,1 joined an expedition fitted out for the Rocky Mountains and mouth of the Columbia River, by a company formed in Boston under the name and style of the Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company. The same firm had fitted out a brig of two hundred tons burden, freighted with the necessary assortment of merchandise for the salmon and fur trade, with orders to sail to the mouth of the Columbia River, whilst the land party, under the direction of Mr. Nathaniel J. Wyeth, should proceed across the Rocky Mountains and unite with the brig's company in establishing a post on the Columbia near the Pacific.
Our party consisted of forty men engaged in the service, accompanied by Messrs. Nutall and Townsend, botanists and ornithologists, with two attendants; likewise Revs. Jason and Daniel Lee, Methodist missionaries, with four attendants, on their way to establish a mission in Oregon, which brought our numbers (including six independent trappers) to fifty-eight men. From the 23rd to the 27th of April we were engaged in arranging our packs and moving to a place about four miles from Independence. TOn the morning of the 28th we were all equipped and mounted hunter-like. About forty men leading two loaded horses each were marched out in double file with joyous hearts, enlivened by anticipated prospects, led by Mr. Wyeth, a persevering adventurer and lover of enterprise, whilst the remainder of the party, with twenty head of extra horses and as many cattle to supply emergenciesJbrought up the rear under the direction of Captain Joseph ThingT^n eminent navigator and fearless son of Neptune, who had been employed by the company in Boston to accompany the party and measure the route across the Rocky Mountains by astronomical observation.
We traveled slowly through the beautiful, verdant and widely extended prairie until about two o'clock p. m. and encamped at a small grove of timber near a spring. On the 29th we took up our march and traveled across a large and beautifully undulating prairie, intersected by small streams skirted with timber intermingled with shrubbery, until the 3d day of May, when we arrived at the Kaw or Kansas River, near the residence of the United States agent for those Indians.
The Kaw or Kansas Indians are the most filthy, indolent and degraded set of human beings I ever saw. They live in small, oval huts four or five feet high, formed of willow branches and covered with, deer, elk or buffalo skins.
On the 4th of May we crossed the river and on the 5th resumed our march into the interior, traveling over beautiful rolling prairies and encamping on small streams at night until the 10th, when we arrived at the River Platte. We followed up this river to the forks, then forded the south fork and traveled up the north until the 1st day of June, when we arrived at Laramie's Fork of the Platte, where is the first perceptible commencement of the Rocky Mountains. We crossed this fork and traveled up the main river until night and encamped. The next day we left the river and traveled across Black Hills nearly parallel with the general course of the Platte until the 9th of June, when we came to the river again and crossed it at a place called the Red Buttes (high mountains of red rock from which the river issues). The next day we left the river on our left and traveled a northwest direction, and stopped at night on a small spring branch, nearly destitute of wood or shrubbery. The next day we arrived at a stream running into the Platte, called Sweetwater. This we ascended to a rocky, mountainous country until the 15th of June, then left it and crossed the divide between the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and encamped on Sandy Creek, a branch running into Green River, which flows into the Colorado of the West. The next day we moved down Sandy west northwest direction and arrived at Green River on the 18th of June. Here we found some white hunters, who informed us that the grand rendezvous of the whites and Indians would be on a small western branch of the river about twenty miles distant, in a southwest direction. Next day, June 20th, we arrived at the destined place. Here we met with two companies of trappers and traders. One was a branch of the American Fur Company, under the direction of Messrs. Dripps and Fontanell; the other was called the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. The names of the partners were Thomas Fitzpatrick, Milton Sublett and James Bridger. The two companies consisted of about 600 men, including men engaged in the service, white, halfbreed and Indian fur trappers. This stream was called Ham's Fork of Green River. The face of the adjacent country was very mountainous and broken, except the small alluvial bottoms along t the streams. It abounded with buffalo, antelope, elk and bear and some few deer along the river. Here Mr. Wyeth disposed of a part of his loads to the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, and on the 2d of July we renewed our march towards the Columbia River. After leaving Ham's Fork we took across a high range of hills in a northwest direction and fell on a stream called Bear River, which emptied into the Big Salt Lake. This was a .beautiful country. The river, which was about twenty yards wide, ran through large, fertile bottoms bordered by rolling ridges which gradually ascended on each side of the river to the high ranges of dark and lofty mountains upon whose tops the snow remained nearly the year round. We traveled down this river northwest about fifteen miles and encamped opposite a lake of fresh water about sixty miles in circumference, which outlet into the river on the west side. Along the west border of this lake the country was generally smooth, ascending gradually into the interior and terminating in a high range of mountains which nearly surrounded the lake, approaching close to the shore on the east. The next day, the 7th, we traveled down the river and on the 9th we encamped at a place called the Sheep Rock, so called from a point of the mountain terminating at the river bank in a perpendicular high rock. The river curved around the foot of this rock and formed a half circle, which brought its course to the southwest, from whence it ran in the same direction to the Salt Lake, about eighty miles distant. The sheep occupied this prominent elevation (which overlooked the surrounding country to a great extent) at all seasons of the year.
On the right hand or east side of the river about two miles above the rock were five or six mineral springs, some of which had precisely the taste of soda water when taken up and drank immediately; others had a sour, sulphurous taste; none of them had any outlet, but boiled and bubbled in small holes a few inches from the surface of the ground. This place which looked so lonely, visited only by the rambling trapper or solitary savage, will doubtless at no distant day, be a resort for thousands of the gay and fashionable world, as well as invalids and spectators. The country immediately adjacent seemed to have all undergone volcanic action at some remote period, the evidences of which, however, still remained in the deep and frightful chasms which might be found in the rocks throughout this portion of the country and which could only have been formed by some terrible convulsion of nature. The ground about these springs was very strongly impregnated with salsoda. There were also large beds of clay in the vicinity, of a snowy whiteness, used by the Indians for cleansing their clothes and skins, it not being inferior to any soap for cleansing woolens or skins, dressed after the Indian fashion.
Expedition Left Independence, Missouri, April 28,1834, Headed by Nathaniel J. Wyeth
At the town of Independence, Mo., on the 4th of April, 1834,1 joined an expedition fitted out for the Rocky Mountains and mouth of the Columbia River, by a company formed in Boston under the name and style of the Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company. The same firm had fitted out a brig of two hundred tons burden, freighted with the necessary assortment of merchandise for the salmon and fur trade, with orders to sail to the mouth of the Columbia River, whilst the land party, under the direction of Mr. Nathaniel J. Wyeth, should proceed across the Rocky Mountains and unite with the brig's company in establishing a post on the Columbia near the Pacific.
Our party consisted of forty men engaged in the service, accompanied by Messrs. Nutall and Townsend, botanists and ornithologists, with two attendants; likewise Revs. Jason and Daniel Lee, Methodist missionaries, with four attendants, on their way to establish a mission in Oregon, which brought our numbers (including six independent trappers) to fifty-eight men. From the 23rd to the 27th of April we were engaged in arranging our packs and moving to a place about four miles from Independence. TOn the morning of the 28th we were all equipped and mounted hunter-like. About forty men leading two loaded horses each were marched out in double file with joyous hearts, enlivened by anticipated prospects, led by Mr. Wyeth, a persevering adventurer and lover of enterprise, whilst the remainder of the party, with twenty head of extra horses and as many cattle to supply emergenciesJbrought up the rear under the direction of Captain Joseph ThingT^n eminent navigator and fearless son of Neptune, who had been employed by the company in Boston to accompany the party and measure the route across the Rocky Mountains by astronomical observation.
We traveled slowly through the beautiful, verdant and widely extended prairie until about two o'clock p. m. and encamped at a small grove of timber near a spring. On the 29th we took up our march and traveled across a large and beautifully undulating prairie, intersected by small streams skirted with timber intermingled with shrubbery, until the 3d day of May, when we arrived at the Kaw or Kansas River, near the residence of the United States agent for those Indians.
The Kaw or Kansas Indians are the most filthy, indolent and degraded set of human beings I ever saw. They live in small, oval huts four or five feet high, formed of willow branches and covered with, deer, elk or buffalo skins.
On the 4th of May we crossed the river and on the 5th resumed our march into the interior, traveling over beautiful rolling prairies and encamping on small streams at night until the 10th, when we arrived at the River Platte. We followed up this river to the forks, then forded the south fork and traveled up the north until the 1st day of June, when we arrived at Laramie's Fork of the Platte, where is the first perceptible commencement of the Rocky Mountains. We crossed this fork and traveled up the main river until night and encamped. The next day we left the river and traveled across Black Hills nearly parallel with the general course of the Platte until the 9th of June, when we came to the river again and crossed it at a place called the Red Buttes (high mountains of red rock from which the river issues). The next day we left the river on our left and traveled a northwest direction, and stopped at night on a small spring branch, nearly destitute of wood or shrubbery. The next day we arrived at a stream running into the Platte, called Sweetwater. This we ascended to a rocky, mountainous country until the 15th of June, then left it and crossed the divide between the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and encamped on Sandy Creek, a branch running into Green River, which flows into the Colorado of the West. The next day we moved down Sandy west northwest direction and arrived at Green River on the 18th of June. Here we found some white hunters, who informed us that the grand rendezvous of the whites and Indians would be on a small western branch of the river about twenty miles distant, in a southwest direction. Next day, June 20th, we arrived at the destined place. Here we met with two companies of trappers and traders. One was a branch of the American Fur Company, under the direction of Messrs. Dripps and Fontanell; the other was called the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. The names of the partners were Thomas Fitzpatrick, Milton Sublett and James Bridger. The two companies consisted of about 600 men, including men engaged in the service, white, halfbreed and Indian fur trappers. This stream was called Ham's Fork of Green River. The face of the adjacent country was very mountainous and broken, except the small alluvial bottoms along t the streams. It abounded with buffalo, antelope, elk and bear and some few deer along the river. Here Mr. Wyeth disposed of a part of his loads to the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, and on the 2d of July we renewed our march towards the Columbia River. After leaving Ham's Fork we took across a high range of hills in a northwest direction and fell on a stream called Bear River, which emptied into the Big Salt Lake. This was a .beautiful country. The river, which was about twenty yards wide, ran through large, fertile bottoms bordered by rolling ridges which gradually ascended on each side of the river to the high ranges of dark and lofty mountains upon whose tops the snow remained nearly the year round. We traveled down this river northwest about fifteen miles and encamped opposite a lake of fresh water about sixty miles in circumference, which outlet into the river on the west side. Along the west border of this lake the country was generally smooth, ascending gradually into the interior and terminating in a high range of mountains which nearly surrounded the lake, approaching close to the shore on the east. The next day, the 7th, we traveled down the river and on the 9th we encamped at a place called the Sheep Rock, so called from a point of the mountain terminating at the river bank in a perpendicular high rock. The river curved around the foot of this rock and formed a half circle, which brought its course to the southwest, from whence it ran in the same direction to the Salt Lake, about eighty miles distant. The sheep occupied this prominent elevation (which overlooked the surrounding country to a great extent) at all seasons of the year.
On the right hand or east side of the river about two miles above the rock were five or six mineral springs, some of which had precisely the taste of soda water when taken up and drank immediately; others had a sour, sulphurous taste; none of them had any outlet, but boiled and bubbled in small holes a few inches from the surface of the ground. This place which looked so lonely, visited only by the rambling trapper or solitary savage, will doubtless at no distant day, be a resort for thousands of the gay and fashionable world, as well as invalids and spectators. The country immediately adjacent seemed to have all undergone volcanic action at some remote period, the evidences of which, however, still remained in the deep and frightful chasms which might be found in the rocks throughout this portion of the country and which could only have been formed by some terrible convulsion of nature. The ground about these springs was very strongly impregnated with salsoda. There were also large beds of clay in the vicinity, of a snowy whiteness, used by the Indians for cleansing their clothes and skins, it not being inferior to any soap for cleansing woolens or skins, dressed after the Indian fashion.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Sulky A type of Carriage
Below is a page from my 19th Century Carriages & Wagons Resource Guide for Writers Book. If you're interested in purchasing the book click the title for a link.
SULKY
DESCRIPTION: A light two-wheeled carriage for a single person, drawn by one horse, used as a pleasure-carriage and for trials of speed between trotting-horses.
Defined by The Imperial Dictionary ©1883
Wooden wheels with iron rims built wide to travel over most roads in the earlier days. Built on elipticle springs. When racing became the primary use for the sulky then it had thinner wheels.
NUMBER OF PASSENGERS: 1
YEARS BUILT AND/OR IN SERVICE: This has been hard to tie down.
Online entomology dictionary has 1756
They aren't listed in the tax roles I found for 1800. But I did find them in the tax 1813 tax laws for PA.
The racing sulky industry reports they were first built in the mid-1800's.
What this means is they were probably in Europe before the United States and we know they were here before 1820 because they were taxed.
LOCATION & ORIGIN OF DESIGN: America
PRINCIPLE REGION(S) OF USE: Country and City
POWERED BY: 1 horse or colt.
Today they also use dogs for racing sulkies.
WHERE DRIVER & PASSENGERS SAT: On the single seat
COSTS: 1834 cost $70-$80
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
An old saying:
A bachelor is a person who enjoys everything and pays for nothing; a married man is one that pays for everything and enjoys nothing. The one drives a sulky through life, and is not expected to take care of any one but himself: the other keeps a carriage, which is always too full to afford him a comfortable spot. Be cautious then how you exchange your sulky for a carriage.
Etiquette for Gentlemen ©1847
HOW TO HITCH A HORSE IN A SULKY
Lead him to and around it; let him look at it, touch it with his nose, and stand by it till he does not care for it; then pull the shafts a little to the left, and stand your horse in front of the off wheel. Let some one stand on the right side of the horse, and hold him by the bit, while you stand on the left side, facing the sulky. This will keep him straight. Run your left hand back, and let it rest on his hip, and lay hold of the shafts with your right, bringing them up very gently to the left hand, which still remains stationary. Do not let anything but your arm touch his back, and as soon as you have the shafts square over him, let the person on the opposite side take hold of one of them, and lower them very gently to the shaft-bearers. Be very slow and deliberate about hitching; the longer time you take the better, as a general thing. When you have the shafts placed, shake them slightly, so that he will feel them against each side. As soon as he will bear them without scaring, fasten your braces, etc, and start him along very slowly. Let one man lead the horse, to keep him gentle, while the other gradually works back with the lines till he can get behind and drive him. After you have driven him in this way a short distance, you can get into the sulky, and all will go right. It is very important to have your horse go gently when you first hitch him. After you have walked him awhile, there is not half so much danger of his scaling. Men do very wrong to jump up behind a horse to drive him as soon as they have him hitched. There are too many things for him to comprehend all at once. The shafts, the lines, the harness, and the rattling of the Bulky, all tend to scare him, and he must be made familiar with them by degrees. If your horse is very wild, I would advise you to put up one foot the first time you drive him.
The Modern art of taming Horses ©1858
SULKY
DESCRIPTION: A light two-wheeled carriage for a single person, drawn by one horse, used as a pleasure-carriage and for trials of speed between trotting-horses.
Defined by The Imperial Dictionary ©1883
Wooden wheels with iron rims built wide to travel over most roads in the earlier days. Built on elipticle springs. When racing became the primary use for the sulky then it had thinner wheels.
NUMBER OF PASSENGERS: 1
YEARS BUILT AND/OR IN SERVICE: This has been hard to tie down.
Online entomology dictionary has 1756
They aren't listed in the tax roles I found for 1800. But I did find them in the tax 1813 tax laws for PA.
The racing sulky industry reports they were first built in the mid-1800's.
What this means is they were probably in Europe before the United States and we know they were here before 1820 because they were taxed.
LOCATION & ORIGIN OF DESIGN: America
PRINCIPLE REGION(S) OF USE: Country and City
POWERED BY: 1 horse or colt.
Today they also use dogs for racing sulkies.
WHERE DRIVER & PASSENGERS SAT: On the single seat
COSTS: 1834 cost $70-$80
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
An old saying:
A bachelor is a person who enjoys everything and pays for nothing; a married man is one that pays for everything and enjoys nothing. The one drives a sulky through life, and is not expected to take care of any one but himself: the other keeps a carriage, which is always too full to afford him a comfortable spot. Be cautious then how you exchange your sulky for a carriage.
Etiquette for Gentlemen ©1847
HOW TO HITCH A HORSE IN A SULKY
Lead him to and around it; let him look at it, touch it with his nose, and stand by it till he does not care for it; then pull the shafts a little to the left, and stand your horse in front of the off wheel. Let some one stand on the right side of the horse, and hold him by the bit, while you stand on the left side, facing the sulky. This will keep him straight. Run your left hand back, and let it rest on his hip, and lay hold of the shafts with your right, bringing them up very gently to the left hand, which still remains stationary. Do not let anything but your arm touch his back, and as soon as you have the shafts square over him, let the person on the opposite side take hold of one of them, and lower them very gently to the shaft-bearers. Be very slow and deliberate about hitching; the longer time you take the better, as a general thing. When you have the shafts placed, shake them slightly, so that he will feel them against each side. As soon as he will bear them without scaring, fasten your braces, etc, and start him along very slowly. Let one man lead the horse, to keep him gentle, while the other gradually works back with the lines till he can get behind and drive him. After you have driven him in this way a short distance, you can get into the sulky, and all will go right. It is very important to have your horse go gently when you first hitch him. After you have walked him awhile, there is not half so much danger of his scaling. Men do very wrong to jump up behind a horse to drive him as soon as they have him hitched. There are too many things for him to comprehend all at once. The shafts, the lines, the harness, and the rattling of the Bulky, all tend to scare him, and he must be made familiar with them by degrees. If your horse is very wild, I would advise you to put up one foot the first time you drive him.
The Modern art of taming Horses ©1858
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Leeches
Eww, right? Except they were quite common in medicine during the 19th Century. Here's what "The Home Book of Health and Medicine" ©1834 says:
LEECHES.
The leech is a well known species of worm that lives in water, and is applied to various parts of the body, to draw blood for the cure of disease. The medicinal leech has a flat slimy body, composed of rings, tapering towards the head; it is commonly about two inches long, about the thickness of a goose-quill; but it can lengthen and shorten itself very much. The bite of those leeches, which are found in stagnant waters and marshes, is said to cause pain and inflammation; such leeches, therefore, as well as the horse-leech, are not used, and those are preferred which are taken in the summer season, in waters having a clear sandy bottom. A leech attaches itself to any substance to which it wishes to fix, by an apparatus, constructed on the principle of a leather-sucker, which it has at both ends; the one at the head being like a horse-shoe, with a triangular mouth in the centre, and that at the other end being circular. When they fix on the body, they inflict a small wound of three little flaps, from which they suck blood until they are gorged, or till they are forced to quit their hold; this is best done by sprinkling on them a little salt.
The cases are very numerous in which leeches are useful; and in children, where it is so difficult to get blood from a vein, leeches furnish an excellent resource. Leeches are useful in the various inflammatory diseases, as ophthalmia, sore throat, rheumatism, tooth-ache, inflammation of the bowels, and uterus; in measles and scarlet fever, in hooping-cough, in head-ache, in bruises and in piles.
It is sometimes difficult to get leeches to fix; they should be kept hungry, and taken out of the water for some minutes before they are to be used, and should be dried with a soft cloth immediately before they are applied. The part should be well washed with soap and water, then with milk and water, and wetted with blood or syrup, and if there be many strong hairs, they should be shaved oft'. A large leech will draw about an ounce of blood, that is about n table-spoonful; and when they come off, the bleeding may be encouraged to a considerably greater extent, by bathing the parts with warm water, or by applying large poultices of bread and milk, or applying cupping glasses. It is sometimes difficult to stop the bleeding, and the surgeon is sent for in great alarm, especially when leeches have been applied to young children. The bleeding may generally be stop ted by proper pressure, with a little lint, or similar downy substance, for a due length of time, though this is sometimes very difficult, when there is no bone to press against; touching the wound with lunar caustic, will almost certainly succeed; but we must take care that the flowing blood do not wash the caustic down about the neighbouring parts. Sometimes the wounds made by leeches, give rise to a good deal of pain, swelling, and extensive inflammation. The best application is a cooling lotion of-sugar of lead, or diluted alcohol and water, or vinegar and water. If the pain and tension continue long, an emollient poultice of bread and milk will be useful.
Salt has been thrown on the animal to make it disgorge the blood which it has sucked, but the leech is generally killed in the experiment. A more easy way to discharge the blood, and save the animal, is to hold it in the hand, and gently squeeze it in a napkin, from the head downward; the blood flows copiously from what may appear the anus, or through the ruptured extremity of the intestinal canal, and the worm is not essentially injured.
Leeches are best kept in a bottle, half filled with pure spring or river water, covered with gauze or fine muslin. It is better not to put bran or any other substance into the water, but to.change it pretty frequently. Leeches are said to be very sensible to the electrical changes of the atmosphere.
LEECHES.
The leech is a well known species of worm that lives in water, and is applied to various parts of the body, to draw blood for the cure of disease. The medicinal leech has a flat slimy body, composed of rings, tapering towards the head; it is commonly about two inches long, about the thickness of a goose-quill; but it can lengthen and shorten itself very much. The bite of those leeches, which are found in stagnant waters and marshes, is said to cause pain and inflammation; such leeches, therefore, as well as the horse-leech, are not used, and those are preferred which are taken in the summer season, in waters having a clear sandy bottom. A leech attaches itself to any substance to which it wishes to fix, by an apparatus, constructed on the principle of a leather-sucker, which it has at both ends; the one at the head being like a horse-shoe, with a triangular mouth in the centre, and that at the other end being circular. When they fix on the body, they inflict a small wound of three little flaps, from which they suck blood until they are gorged, or till they are forced to quit their hold; this is best done by sprinkling on them a little salt.
The cases are very numerous in which leeches are useful; and in children, where it is so difficult to get blood from a vein, leeches furnish an excellent resource. Leeches are useful in the various inflammatory diseases, as ophthalmia, sore throat, rheumatism, tooth-ache, inflammation of the bowels, and uterus; in measles and scarlet fever, in hooping-cough, in head-ache, in bruises and in piles.
It is sometimes difficult to get leeches to fix; they should be kept hungry, and taken out of the water for some minutes before they are to be used, and should be dried with a soft cloth immediately before they are applied. The part should be well washed with soap and water, then with milk and water, and wetted with blood or syrup, and if there be many strong hairs, they should be shaved oft'. A large leech will draw about an ounce of blood, that is about n table-spoonful; and when they come off, the bleeding may be encouraged to a considerably greater extent, by bathing the parts with warm water, or by applying large poultices of bread and milk, or applying cupping glasses. It is sometimes difficult to stop the bleeding, and the surgeon is sent for in great alarm, especially when leeches have been applied to young children. The bleeding may generally be stop ted by proper pressure, with a little lint, or similar downy substance, for a due length of time, though this is sometimes very difficult, when there is no bone to press against; touching the wound with lunar caustic, will almost certainly succeed; but we must take care that the flowing blood do not wash the caustic down about the neighbouring parts. Sometimes the wounds made by leeches, give rise to a good deal of pain, swelling, and extensive inflammation. The best application is a cooling lotion of-sugar of lead, or diluted alcohol and water, or vinegar and water. If the pain and tension continue long, an emollient poultice of bread and milk will be useful.
Salt has been thrown on the animal to make it disgorge the blood which it has sucked, but the leech is generally killed in the experiment. A more easy way to discharge the blood, and save the animal, is to hold it in the hand, and gently squeeze it in a napkin, from the head downward; the blood flows copiously from what may appear the anus, or through the ruptured extremity of the intestinal canal, and the worm is not essentially injured.
Leeches are best kept in a bottle, half filled with pure spring or river water, covered with gauze or fine muslin. It is better not to put bran or any other substance into the water, but to.change it pretty frequently. Leeches are said to be very sensible to the electrical changes of the atmosphere.
Friday, September 26, 2014
American Ladies Magazine
During the early part of the 19th Century there was a magazine called "American Ladies Magazine." The first volume was actually titled "Ladies Magazine." Below is a list of links to Google Books for several volumes. The editor of this project is Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of Mary Had a little Lamb. By clicking the author's name you will be taken to the Wikipedia page about her. In 1837 the magazine was purchased by Godey and merged it with his Godey's Lady's Book.
Ladies Magazine Vol. 1 1828
Ladies Magazine Vol. 2 1829
Ladies Magazine Vol. 3 1830
Ladies Magazine Vol. 4 1831
Ladies Magazine Vol.5 1832
American Ladies Magazine Vol.6 1833. This link is not to Google Books and you can download a copy for your research pleasure.
American Ladies Magazine Vol. 7 1834
One more note, I've listed what is now available on Google books for free. However, other volumes are available for a substantial fee from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. So if you're interested in these volumes I recommend that you download and keep your own personal copy of them.
Ladies Magazine Vol. 1 1828
Ladies Magazine Vol. 2 1829
Ladies Magazine Vol. 3 1830
Ladies Magazine Vol. 4 1831
Ladies Magazine Vol.5 1832
American Ladies Magazine Vol.6 1833. This link is not to Google Books and you can download a copy for your research pleasure.
American Ladies Magazine Vol. 7 1834
One more note, I've listed what is now available on Google books for free. However, other volumes are available for a substantial fee from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. So if you're interested in these volumes I recommend that you download and keep your own personal copy of them.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Ball Games
Continuing with children's sports we have several ball games listed and described. These come from The Book of Sports ©1834.
The use of the ball was well known to the children, who played many hundred years ago. It is a favorite game still, and offers a good opportunity for the exercise of the limbs and the muscles. The games with the bat and ball are numerous, but somewhat similar. I will mention some of those, which I believe to be the most popular with boys.
BASE, OR GOAL BALL.
This game is known under a variety of names. It is sometimes called 'round ball,' but I believe that ' base,' or ' goal ball' are the names generally adopted in our country. The players divide into two equal parties, and chance decides which shall have first innings. Four stones or stakes are placed from twelve to twenty yards asunder, as o, b, c, b c d, in the margin; another is put at e. One e of the party, who is out, places himself a at e. He tosses the ball gently toward a, on the right of which one of the in-party places himself, and strikes the ball, if possible, with his bat. If he miss three times, or if the ball, when struck, be caught by any of the players of the opposite side, who are scattered about the field, he is out, and another takes his place. If none of these accidents take place, on striking the ball he drops the bat, and runs toward b, or, if he can, to c, d, or even to a again. If, however, the boy who stands at e, or any of the out-players who may happen to have the ball, strike him with it in his progress from a to b, b to c, c to d, or d to a, he is out. Supposing he can only get to b, one of his partners takes the bat, and strikes at the ball in turn. If the first player can only get to c, or d, the second runs to b, only, or c, as the case may be, and a third player begins; as they get home, that is, to a, they play at the ball by turns, until they all get out. Then, of course, the out-players take their places.
FIVES.
Fives may be played either single-handed or with partners. A good wall must be selected, with a round flat piece of ground in front of it. Three lines must be drawn so as to form, with the bottom of the wall, a square, to mark the bounds. A line must also be drawn on the wall, about three feet from the ground. The players toss up for innings. The winner begins by bounding his ball on the ground, and striking it against the wall, above the line, so that it may rebound vigorously. The other player then strikes it, in the same manner, either before it has touched the ground, or hopped from the ground more than once: the first player then prepares to receive and strike it at its rebound; and thus the game goes on, until one of the players fails to strike the ball in his turn, before it has hopped twice, or fails to strike it below the mark, or to drive it out of bounds. If the party who is in do neither of these, he loses his innings; if the other, then the in-player reckons one, on each occasion, towards the game, which is fifteen.
NINE-HOLES, OR HAT-BALL.
Near a wall where the ground is level, dig nine, or a lesser number of holes, according to the number of players, large enough for a ball to be bowled in without difficulty. Number them, and let each player be allotted a number, by chance or choice, as it may be agreed. A line is drawn about five yards from the holes, at which one of the players places himself, and bowls the ball into one of the holes. The player to whom the hole, into which the ball is bowled, belongs, picks it up as quickly as he can, and endeavors to hit one of the others with it. The latter all run off as soon as they perceive that the ball is not for themselves. If the thrower miss his aim, he loses a point, and is called 'a fifer,' and it is his turn to bowl. If, however, he hit another, he loses nothing; but the party hit, in case he succeeds in striking another with the ball, becomes 'a fifer,' and it is his turn to bowl. Five or six may be struck in succession, and the ball may be kept up, no matter how long, until a miss be made, when the party so missing loses a point and bowls. It is also allowed for one player to accept the ball from another, and run the risk of hitting a third. The second bowling is conducted precisely as the first; but he who bowls three times without passing the ball into the hole, loses a point, and if he have lost one before, becomes 'a tenner.' He must still go on, until he succeed in putting the ball into a hole; it is his own fault, if he bowl into that one, which belongs to himself. A party who misses his aim a second time becomes ' a ten ner;' he who loses a third time, 'a fifteener;' and when four points are lost the player stands out. The game goes on until all the players are out but one; who, of course, wins the game. One of the others then takes the ball in his left hand, places his face toward the wall, and throws the ball over the right shoulder as far as he can. The player who has won stands at the spot where the ball first touches the ground, or, if it be not immediately behind the party who has thrown it, a line is drawn from the place where the ball falls, to a spot directly behind the thrower. The winner then has the privilege of throwing the ball at the loser's back, three times, as soft as he pleases. The other losers throw in the same manner, one after another, and the winner has his three balls at each of their backs.
In some places this game is called 'Hat-ball,' on account of the players using their hats, instead of digging holes, and the ball is tossed into the hats, instead of being bowled into the holes.
CATCH-BALL.
This is somewhat similar to the preceding game. Instead of bowling the ball into holes, it is thrown in the air, and the name of the player, for whom it is intended, called out by the thrower. If it be caught, before it has twice touched the ground, by the player so called on, he loses no point, but throws it up again, and calls upon whom he pleases to catch it. If it be not caught in due time, he whose name is called must endeavor to strike one of the others with it; if he miss, he loses a point, and has his throw up.
Rackets.
In the game of rackets the ball is struck against a wall, and returned at the bound to the same wall, each player endeavoring so to strike it against the wall, with his bat, that his adversary may not be able to return it. He who does not return it, either loses a point, or has his ' hand out,' that is to say, forfeits the situation in which he would be able to add to his score of the game. This sport requires considerable skill and activity in the player who must be constantly on the move. Standing still is entirely out of the question; and two or three games at rackets are well calculated to improve the health and invigorate the limbs.
Cricket.
Cricket may be played by eleven persons on each side, though a less number is sufficient. Two umpires, or persons to decide, are sometimes appointed in order to settle all disputes that may arise : they are to take their stations at each wicket, and should be well acquainted with the laws of the game. Full-sized wickets are three stumps, sufficiently long to leave twenty-four inches out of the ground, with a bail, or cross stick, seven inches long, to fit the top. They should be placed directly opposite to each other, at the distance of twenty-two yards for men, but varying according to the size of the player.
Bowling is an important part of the game, and requires great steadiness. Bad bowling is often the cause of losing a game. A bowler should not be too systematic, but vary his balls faster or slower, according to the peculiarities of the striker. He should aim directly at the opposite wicket.
The striker should always be ready for running, but he should be cautious, not to leave the ground before the ball is out of the bowler's hand; for if he do, the bowler may put down his wicket, and he will, of course, be out. As soon as the ball is delivered, the striker may follow it, but should not run too far, so that, if no runs be obtained, he may return in time to save his wicket. The bat should be kept on the outside of the opposite partner, and care taken not to run against him.
The bowler should be careful to toss the ball in such a way, that the striker can play at it; for if he should toss it above the striker's head, or out of the bounds, the party which is in shall be allowed one notch, to be put down to the byes. The striker is out if the bail or cross stick be bowled off, or the stump be bowled out of the ground. Or, if in striking at the ball he hit down his wicket. Or, if he prevent the ball from being caught by the out-players. Or, if the ball be struck, and he wilfully strike it again. Or, if with any part of his person, he stop the ball, which might have hit his wicket. The following are among some of the remaining laws of cricket.
If the players have crossed each other, he that runs for the wicket which is put down, is out. When a ball is caught, no notch is reckoned. If the ball be struck, the striker may guard his wicket either with his bat or his body.
This is, I believe, the old and original method of playing cricket. It is often played in a simpler way. Two wickets are placed at some distance from each other. They consist each of two short stakes fixed in the ground, and a cross stick placed in notches, in the stakes, about the height of the ball from the ground. Two bowlers stand at each wicket and roll the ball along the ground with the view of knocking off the cross stick. The striker endeavors to prevent this by hitting the ball with his bat; but if he strike it so that it is caught by any of the other players, he is out.
FOOT-BALL.
A match is made between two sets of players of equal numbers; a large ball made of light materials, — a blown bladder, cased with leather, is the best, — is placed between them, and the object of each party is to kick the ball across the goal of the other, and to prevent it from passing their own. The party, across whose goal the ball is kicked, loses the game. -The game is commenced between the two goals, which are about a hundred yards asunder.
This game admits of very powerful exercise, and, when played with moderation, is healthful and lively. Country boys sometimes use a blown bladder, without the covering of leather, for a football; and they often put peas and horse-beans inside, which occasion a rattling as it is kicked about.
The use of the ball was well known to the children, who played many hundred years ago. It is a favorite game still, and offers a good opportunity for the exercise of the limbs and the muscles. The games with the bat and ball are numerous, but somewhat similar. I will mention some of those, which I believe to be the most popular with boys.
This game is known under a variety of names. It is sometimes called 'round ball,' but I believe that ' base,' or ' goal ball' are the names generally adopted in our country. The players divide into two equal parties, and chance decides which shall have first innings. Four stones or stakes are placed from twelve to twenty yards asunder, as o, b, c, b c d, in the margin; another is put at e. One e of the party, who is out, places himself a at e. He tosses the ball gently toward a, on the right of which one of the in-party places himself, and strikes the ball, if possible, with his bat. If he miss three times, or if the ball, when struck, be caught by any of the players of the opposite side, who are scattered about the field, he is out, and another takes his place. If none of these accidents take place, on striking the ball he drops the bat, and runs toward b, or, if he can, to c, d, or even to a again. If, however, the boy who stands at e, or any of the out-players who may happen to have the ball, strike him with it in his progress from a to b, b to c, c to d, or d to a, he is out. Supposing he can only get to b, one of his partners takes the bat, and strikes at the ball in turn. If the first player can only get to c, or d, the second runs to b, only, or c, as the case may be, and a third player begins; as they get home, that is, to a, they play at the ball by turns, until they all get out. Then, of course, the out-players take their places.
FIVES.
Fives may be played either single-handed or with partners. A good wall must be selected, with a round flat piece of ground in front of it. Three lines must be drawn so as to form, with the bottom of the wall, a square, to mark the bounds. A line must also be drawn on the wall, about three feet from the ground. The players toss up for innings. The winner begins by bounding his ball on the ground, and striking it against the wall, above the line, so that it may rebound vigorously. The other player then strikes it, in the same manner, either before it has touched the ground, or hopped from the ground more than once: the first player then prepares to receive and strike it at its rebound; and thus the game goes on, until one of the players fails to strike the ball in his turn, before it has hopped twice, or fails to strike it below the mark, or to drive it out of bounds. If the party who is in do neither of these, he loses his innings; if the other, then the in-player reckons one, on each occasion, towards the game, which is fifteen.
NINE-HOLES, OR HAT-BALL.
Near a wall where the ground is level, dig nine, or a lesser number of holes, according to the number of players, large enough for a ball to be bowled in without difficulty. Number them, and let each player be allotted a number, by chance or choice, as it may be agreed. A line is drawn about five yards from the holes, at which one of the players places himself, and bowls the ball into one of the holes. The player to whom the hole, into which the ball is bowled, belongs, picks it up as quickly as he can, and endeavors to hit one of the others with it. The latter all run off as soon as they perceive that the ball is not for themselves. If the thrower miss his aim, he loses a point, and is called 'a fifer,' and it is his turn to bowl. If, however, he hit another, he loses nothing; but the party hit, in case he succeeds in striking another with the ball, becomes 'a fifer,' and it is his turn to bowl. Five or six may be struck in succession, and the ball may be kept up, no matter how long, until a miss be made, when the party so missing loses a point and bowls. It is also allowed for one player to accept the ball from another, and run the risk of hitting a third. The second bowling is conducted precisely as the first; but he who bowls three times without passing the ball into the hole, loses a point, and if he have lost one before, becomes 'a tenner.' He must still go on, until he succeed in putting the ball into a hole; it is his own fault, if he bowl into that one, which belongs to himself. A party who misses his aim a second time becomes ' a ten ner;' he who loses a third time, 'a fifteener;' and when four points are lost the player stands out. The game goes on until all the players are out but one; who, of course, wins the game. One of the others then takes the ball in his left hand, places his face toward the wall, and throws the ball over the right shoulder as far as he can. The player who has won stands at the spot where the ball first touches the ground, or, if it be not immediately behind the party who has thrown it, a line is drawn from the place where the ball falls, to a spot directly behind the thrower. The winner then has the privilege of throwing the ball at the loser's back, three times, as soft as he pleases. The other losers throw in the same manner, one after another, and the winner has his three balls at each of their backs.
In some places this game is called 'Hat-ball,' on account of the players using their hats, instead of digging holes, and the ball is tossed into the hats, instead of being bowled into the holes.
CATCH-BALL.
This is somewhat similar to the preceding game. Instead of bowling the ball into holes, it is thrown in the air, and the name of the player, for whom it is intended, called out by the thrower. If it be caught, before it has twice touched the ground, by the player so called on, he loses no point, but throws it up again, and calls upon whom he pleases to catch it. If it be not caught in due time, he whose name is called must endeavor to strike one of the others with it; if he miss, he loses a point, and has his throw up.
Rackets.
In the game of rackets the ball is struck against a wall, and returned at the bound to the same wall, each player endeavoring so to strike it against the wall, with his bat, that his adversary may not be able to return it. He who does not return it, either loses a point, or has his ' hand out,' that is to say, forfeits the situation in which he would be able to add to his score of the game. This sport requires considerable skill and activity in the player who must be constantly on the move. Standing still is entirely out of the question; and two or three games at rackets are well calculated to improve the health and invigorate the limbs.
Cricket.
Cricket may be played by eleven persons on each side, though a less number is sufficient. Two umpires, or persons to decide, are sometimes appointed in order to settle all disputes that may arise : they are to take their stations at each wicket, and should be well acquainted with the laws of the game. Full-sized wickets are three stumps, sufficiently long to leave twenty-four inches out of the ground, with a bail, or cross stick, seven inches long, to fit the top. They should be placed directly opposite to each other, at the distance of twenty-two yards for men, but varying according to the size of the player.
Bowling is an important part of the game, and requires great steadiness. Bad bowling is often the cause of losing a game. A bowler should not be too systematic, but vary his balls faster or slower, according to the peculiarities of the striker. He should aim directly at the opposite wicket.
The striker should always be ready for running, but he should be cautious, not to leave the ground before the ball is out of the bowler's hand; for if he do, the bowler may put down his wicket, and he will, of course, be out. As soon as the ball is delivered, the striker may follow it, but should not run too far, so that, if no runs be obtained, he may return in time to save his wicket. The bat should be kept on the outside of the opposite partner, and care taken not to run against him.
The bowler should be careful to toss the ball in such a way, that the striker can play at it; for if he should toss it above the striker's head, or out of the bounds, the party which is in shall be allowed one notch, to be put down to the byes. The striker is out if the bail or cross stick be bowled off, or the stump be bowled out of the ground. Or, if in striking at the ball he hit down his wicket. Or, if he prevent the ball from being caught by the out-players. Or, if the ball be struck, and he wilfully strike it again. Or, if with any part of his person, he stop the ball, which might have hit his wicket. The following are among some of the remaining laws of cricket.
If the players have crossed each other, he that runs for the wicket which is put down, is out. When a ball is caught, no notch is reckoned. If the ball be struck, the striker may guard his wicket either with his bat or his body.
This is, I believe, the old and original method of playing cricket. It is often played in a simpler way. Two wickets are placed at some distance from each other. They consist each of two short stakes fixed in the ground, and a cross stick placed in notches, in the stakes, about the height of the ball from the ground. Two bowlers stand at each wicket and roll the ball along the ground with the view of knocking off the cross stick. The striker endeavors to prevent this by hitting the ball with his bat; but if he strike it so that it is caught by any of the other players, he is out.
FOOT-BALL.
A match is made between two sets of players of equal numbers; a large ball made of light materials, — a blown bladder, cased with leather, is the best, — is placed between them, and the object of each party is to kick the ball across the goal of the other, and to prevent it from passing their own. The party, across whose goal the ball is kicked, loses the game. -The game is commenced between the two goals, which are about a hundred yards asunder.
This game admits of very powerful exercise, and, when played with moderation, is healthful and lively. Country boys sometimes use a blown bladder, without the covering of leather, for a football; and they often put peas and horse-beans inside, which occasion a rattling as it is kicked about.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
The Sucker & The Hoop
Here are two more children sports from the 19th Century.
THE SUCKER.
Cut a circular piece of stout leather; bore a hole through its centre, and pass a string, with a knot to prevent the end escaping, through this hole. Soak the leather well in water before you use it; when thoroughly soaked, place the leather on a stone, press it well down with your foot, and then taking the string, you may, by your sucker, raise a considerable weight.
You have often observed the ease and security with which flies walk upon a smooth wall, or a pane of glass, or even along the ceiling, with their bodies downward. The fact is, that their feet are provided with little cups, or suckers, which they alternately exhaust and fill with air; by which means they are enabled to walk in every position, over the most slippery surfaces. In like manner, the walrus, or seal, is capable of climbing the masses of slippery ice with perfect security.
THE HOOP.
The trundling of the hoop is an old, but healthful pastime. It was as common with the Greeks and Romans as it is with boys of the present generation. It has the advantage of being a sport, which may be played by one person, although several players sometimes engage in it, and try who can keep their hoop rolling longest. Several tin squares are sometimes nailed to the inner part of the hoop, which produce, in the opinion of some lads, an agreeable jingle; but it is apt to frighten the horses, whom they meet.
THE SUCKER.
Cut a circular piece of stout leather; bore a hole through its centre, and pass a string, with a knot to prevent the end escaping, through this hole. Soak the leather well in water before you use it; when thoroughly soaked, place the leather on a stone, press it well down with your foot, and then taking the string, you may, by your sucker, raise a considerable weight.
You have often observed the ease and security with which flies walk upon a smooth wall, or a pane of glass, or even along the ceiling, with their bodies downward. The fact is, that their feet are provided with little cups, or suckers, which they alternately exhaust and fill with air; by which means they are enabled to walk in every position, over the most slippery surfaces. In like manner, the walrus, or seal, is capable of climbing the masses of slippery ice with perfect security.
THE HOOP.
The trundling of the hoop is an old, but healthful pastime. It was as common with the Greeks and Romans as it is with boys of the present generation. It has the advantage of being a sport, which may be played by one person, although several players sometimes engage in it, and try who can keep their hoop rolling longest. Several tin squares are sometimes nailed to the inner part of the hoop, which produce, in the opinion of some lads, an agreeable jingle; but it is apt to frighten the horses, whom they meet.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Tops, Slings & Kites
Here are three more games/activities that children played during the 19th Century.
TOPS.
Humming-tops are easily used. After the string is wound about the upright piece, one end of it is taken in one hand, and the handle of the fork-piece in the other. The string is then pulled off with force, and the top is set a-going. Whip-top is an excellent amusement. The top is easily set up by twirling it with both hands on a smooth surface, and applying the whip with gentleness at first, increasing the vigor of the blows, as the top gets firm on the peg. The peg-top is spun by quickly pulling away the string wound round it.
THE SLING.
To make a sling, you must cut out an oval piece of leather, about two inches wide at the broadest part. At each of the ends, fasten a leathern thong, or piece of cord. One of these cords, or thongs should be longer than the other. Place a stone in the broadest part of the leather, twist the longest thong twice or thrice round your hand, hold the other lightly between your thumb and fore-finger, whirl it round several times, let go the shorter thong, and the stone will be shot to a great distance. Great care should be taken in using the sling, lest mischief is done.
THE KITE.
The best form of constructing a kite is the following. The only pieces of wood necessary in the making of this, are a bow made of oak or walnut, and a straight lath. These are fastened together by twine, and when the frame
is completed, it is pasted over with paper. The tail, which should be from ten to fifteen times the length of the kite, is made by tying bobs on a string, with a larger bob at the end of it. Kites may be made of various shapes and sizes. Indeed they probably first received their name from having been originally constructed in the form of a bird of prey, called the kite. In China the flying of kites is much more practised than in this country ; and it is said, that their shape is always that of some bird.
I remember to have seen, some years ago, a kite which resembled a man. It was made of linen* cloth, cut and painted for the purpose, and stretched on a light frame, so constructed as to resemble the outline of the human figure. It stood upright, and was dressed in a sort of jacket. Its arms were stretched out on each side, and its head was covered with a cap. The person who owned this kite could raise it, though the weather was calm, to a great height. The wind gave to it a slight motion, which made it look like a man skating on the ice. It had altogether a very queer appearance, and did not fail to attract a great crowd of spectators.
Kites are often made square, as they are easiest to construct of that form. Boys frequently send up messengers, when their kite is safely balanced in the air. The messenger is a round piece of paper or pasteboard, which on being fixed upon the string, is blown along the line up to the kite.
The kite sometimes pulls so violently that it breaks the string, or twitches away from the hand, and is lost. Dr Franklin has said, that, with a good kite a man, unable to swim, might be sustained in the water, so as to pass from Dover to Calais. I have heard of a man, who travelled many miles along the road in a carriage drawn by two kites.
But the kite has served the cause of science as well as that of amusement. It was by means of the kite that Dr Franklin was able to make his great discoveries in electricity, and to draw it from the clouds.
Did you ever hear the story of the sailors who mounted to the top of Pompey's pillar? If you have, it will bear repeating. Some English sailors once laid a wager, that they would drink a bowl of punch on the summit of Pompey's pillar, in Egypt. Now, this pillar is almost a hundred feet high, and it is quite smooth, so that there was no way of climbing to the top, even for sailors. In this dilemma, they obtained a kite, and flew it exactly over the pillar, so that when it came down on the opposite side, the string lay across the top of the capital.
By means of this string, they pulled a small rope over, and by this a larger one, that was strong enough to bear the weight of a man. A pully was then fastened to the end of the large rope, and drawn close up to the upper edge of the column; and then, you see, they could easily hoist each other up. They did more; for they hoisted a flag on the top, drank their bowl of punch, and won their wager.
TOPS.
Humming-tops are easily used. After the string is wound about the upright piece, one end of it is taken in one hand, and the handle of the fork-piece in the other. The string is then pulled off with force, and the top is set a-going. Whip-top is an excellent amusement. The top is easily set up by twirling it with both hands on a smooth surface, and applying the whip with gentleness at first, increasing the vigor of the blows, as the top gets firm on the peg. The peg-top is spun by quickly pulling away the string wound round it.
THE SLING.
To make a sling, you must cut out an oval piece of leather, about two inches wide at the broadest part. At each of the ends, fasten a leathern thong, or piece of cord. One of these cords, or thongs should be longer than the other. Place a stone in the broadest part of the leather, twist the longest thong twice or thrice round your hand, hold the other lightly between your thumb and fore-finger, whirl it round several times, let go the shorter thong, and the stone will be shot to a great distance. Great care should be taken in using the sling, lest mischief is done.
THE KITE.
is completed, it is pasted over with paper. The tail, which should be from ten to fifteen times the length of the kite, is made by tying bobs on a string, with a larger bob at the end of it. Kites may be made of various shapes and sizes. Indeed they probably first received their name from having been originally constructed in the form of a bird of prey, called the kite. In China the flying of kites is much more practised than in this country ; and it is said, that their shape is always that of some bird.
I remember to have seen, some years ago, a kite which resembled a man. It was made of linen* cloth, cut and painted for the purpose, and stretched on a light frame, so constructed as to resemble the outline of the human figure. It stood upright, and was dressed in a sort of jacket. Its arms were stretched out on each side, and its head was covered with a cap. The person who owned this kite could raise it, though the weather was calm, to a great height. The wind gave to it a slight motion, which made it look like a man skating on the ice. It had altogether a very queer appearance, and did not fail to attract a great crowd of spectators.
Kites are often made square, as they are easiest to construct of that form. Boys frequently send up messengers, when their kite is safely balanced in the air. The messenger is a round piece of paper or pasteboard, which on being fixed upon the string, is blown along the line up to the kite.
The kite sometimes pulls so violently that it breaks the string, or twitches away from the hand, and is lost. Dr Franklin has said, that, with a good kite a man, unable to swim, might be sustained in the water, so as to pass from Dover to Calais. I have heard of a man, who travelled many miles along the road in a carriage drawn by two kites.
But the kite has served the cause of science as well as that of amusement. It was by means of the kite that Dr Franklin was able to make his great discoveries in electricity, and to draw it from the clouds.
Did you ever hear the story of the sailors who mounted to the top of Pompey's pillar? If you have, it will bear repeating. Some English sailors once laid a wager, that they would drink a bowl of punch on the summit of Pompey's pillar, in Egypt. Now, this pillar is almost a hundred feet high, and it is quite smooth, so that there was no way of climbing to the top, even for sailors. In this dilemma, they obtained a kite, and flew it exactly over the pillar, so that when it came down on the opposite side, the string lay across the top of the capital.
By means of this string, they pulled a small rope over, and by this a larger one, that was strong enough to bear the weight of a man. A pully was then fastened to the end of the large rope, and drawn close up to the upper edge of the column; and then, you see, they could easily hoist each other up. They did more; for they hoisted a flag on the top, drank their bowl of punch, and won their wager.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Marbles
I don't know about you but I loved marbles and playing marbles when I was a kid. There was a time when I lost most of my marbles, but I practiced and practiced until I ended up with a large amount of marbles that I'd won from other children.
Below is an excerpt from 1834 The Book of Sports.
MARBLES.
The best marbles are imported from Holland, where, as I have been informed, they are manufactured, by grinding fragments of alabaster and of other stones, in an iron mill of a peculiar construction. In this mill there are several partitions furnished with rasps, which turn with great velocity, by means of a stream of water; and thus having rounded the stones, project them out of different holes for which their size may adapt them. Thus manufactured they are sent to America and other countries. There are as you know, inferior kinds of marbles, which are of home manufacture, and consist of baked clay, or vitrified earth. The marbles made of pink marble, with dark red veins, 'blood allies,' are preferred to all others.
One of the most common games at marbles is that of knock-out. Two or more may play at this game. He who begins, throws a marble gently against a wall, so that it rebounds to a distance not exceeding a yard; a second player throws another marble against the wall, endeavoring to make it rebound, so as to strike or come within a span of the first; if he can do neither, the first player takes up his own marble, and, in turn, strives to snop or span that of the second. The marble that is thus snopped or spanned, is won, and the winner begins again. Where only two play, it is best to knock out two or three marbles each, alternately, before they begin to use those on the ground. In this case, a player may win his own marbles, as they are common stock when down, and take up which he pleases, to play with. Sometimes instead of throwing the marbles against a wall, the players shoot them along the ground. The winner is he who shoots his marble within a span of the other's. This game is called ' spans and snops.'
The game of ring-taw used to be a very popular sport some years ago. It is played in the following manner. A circle is drawn, on which each player puts as many marbles as may be agreed on. A line, called the offing, is then drawn at some distance, from which each in turn shoots at the ring. Shooting a marble out of the ring, entitles the shooter to go on again, and thus the ring may be sometimes cleared by a good player, before his companion or companions have a chance. After the first fire, the players return no more to the offing, but shoot, when their turn comes, from the place where their marbles rested on the last occasion. Every marble struck out of the ring, is won by the striking party; but if the taw, or marble, at any time remain in the ring, the player is out.
In the game of arch-board or nine-holes, the marbles are bowled at a board set upright, resembling a bridge, with nine small arches, all of them numbered; if the marble strike against the sides of the arches, it becomes the property of the boy to whom the board belongs; but, if it go through any one of them, the bowler claims a number equal to the number upon the arch it passed through.
Sometimes holes are dug in the ground, into which the players try to drive their marbles. Sometimes a little pyramid of marbles is erected within a small circle, and the boy who shoots at it, has as many as he can drive out of the circle. One marble is given, for each time of shooting, to the owner of the pyramid. Those games at marbles which depend entirely upon chance, I hope are beneath your notice.
Below is an excerpt from 1834 The Book of Sports.
MARBLES.
The best marbles are imported from Holland, where, as I have been informed, they are manufactured, by grinding fragments of alabaster and of other stones, in an iron mill of a peculiar construction. In this mill there are several partitions furnished with rasps, which turn with great velocity, by means of a stream of water; and thus having rounded the stones, project them out of different holes for which their size may adapt them. Thus manufactured they are sent to America and other countries. There are as you know, inferior kinds of marbles, which are of home manufacture, and consist of baked clay, or vitrified earth. The marbles made of pink marble, with dark red veins, 'blood allies,' are preferred to all others.
One of the most common games at marbles is that of knock-out. Two or more may play at this game. He who begins, throws a marble gently against a wall, so that it rebounds to a distance not exceeding a yard; a second player throws another marble against the wall, endeavoring to make it rebound, so as to strike or come within a span of the first; if he can do neither, the first player takes up his own marble, and, in turn, strives to snop or span that of the second. The marble that is thus snopped or spanned, is won, and the winner begins again. Where only two play, it is best to knock out two or three marbles each, alternately, before they begin to use those on the ground. In this case, a player may win his own marbles, as they are common stock when down, and take up which he pleases, to play with. Sometimes instead of throwing the marbles against a wall, the players shoot them along the ground. The winner is he who shoots his marble within a span of the other's. This game is called ' spans and snops.'
The game of ring-taw used to be a very popular sport some years ago. It is played in the following manner. A circle is drawn, on which each player puts as many marbles as may be agreed on. A line, called the offing, is then drawn at some distance, from which each in turn shoots at the ring. Shooting a marble out of the ring, entitles the shooter to go on again, and thus the ring may be sometimes cleared by a good player, before his companion or companions have a chance. After the first fire, the players return no more to the offing, but shoot, when their turn comes, from the place where their marbles rested on the last occasion. Every marble struck out of the ring, is won by the striking party; but if the taw, or marble, at any time remain in the ring, the player is out.
In the game of arch-board or nine-holes, the marbles are bowled at a board set upright, resembling a bridge, with nine small arches, all of them numbered; if the marble strike against the sides of the arches, it becomes the property of the boy to whom the board belongs; but, if it go through any one of them, the bowler claims a number equal to the number upon the arch it passed through.
Sometimes holes are dug in the ground, into which the players try to drive their marbles. Sometimes a little pyramid of marbles is erected within a small circle, and the boy who shoots at it, has as many as he can drive out of the circle. One marble is given, for each time of shooting, to the owner of the pyramid. Those games at marbles which depend entirely upon chance, I hope are beneath your notice.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
1834 Fashions
It's Historical Fashion Wednesday again and today I'll be posting some 1834 fashions from actual sources, including some outfits from royalty.
Royalty
Ladies
Woman & Man
Royalty
Ladies
Woman & Man
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)