MORE OF BELCHER. On Friday the 8th of this present month, James Belcher was brought in custody before Nicholas Bond, Esq. and Sir William Parsons at the Public-Office, Bow-street, on a warrant of Lord ELLENBOROUGH's, dated the 22d of July, 1802, in order to give bail for his appearance next term, in the Court of King's Bench, to answer an indictment found against him for certain riots and misdemeanors, alluding to the pitched battle he fought with Berks, at Hurley Bottom, in Berkshire; and which had been re

moved, by consent, from the Quarter Sessions for that county, to the Court of King's Bench, where it would probably have rested, had he not since fought another battle with Berks. The recognizance taken, was himself in L.200, and two sureties in L.100 each.

Natural History of Wild Animals peculiar to Great Britain.

off at first, or confines him in a cage, so as to allow the prey time to escape.

This animal resembles the human

shape in some respects; but its teeth are long and sharp, and its claws highly dangerous. There is a peculiarity too, about the legs, which are black, and hence some naturalists have denominated them blacklegs;

but I rather chose to adhere to the old name.

Like other animals of the ferocious kind, and which are at the same time of a cowardly disposition, their attack is slow, and apparently void of all art: they appear so gentle, that it seems harmless to be familiar with them, and they never have made quite sure of it, so that pounce upon their prey until they it cannot escape; when they devour it with the greatest cruelty, often pretending to let it go, and, when the poor thing thinks it has got off, seizing it again, and not parting with it until completely destroyed.

The Sharper is observed to possess that fascination which certain of the serpent tribe exert so suc

Vol. XX.)

THE SHARPER.

ΤΗ HIS animal, though very plentiful in England, is not confined to it; most parts of the world having something of the kind. But the fact is, and it would be unworthy of the veracity of a naturalist, were I to conceal it, that there is something peculiar to this country which more successfully and directly invites this animal.Whether this be in the soil, climate, or diet, I shall not pretend to determine, but in whatever part of the world a Sharper has got scent of an Englishman, it is rarely he leaves him before he has devoured him; unless some persons acquainted with the nature of the animal, beats him

them; and in this respect, at least, no animal comes nearer the serpent, than that we are now describing.

The common prey of the Sharper, are, the Dupe and the Ninny, two harmless animals, which are so well known, that I need not interrupt my narration with an account of them. There are few families without one of them, though I never could conceive of what advantage or amusement they can be to a rational creature. Yet truth to say, there are some people, whose understandings are not otherwise to be impeached, who promote the breed of these animals with great care, and at an enormous expence. Without expence, indeed, they are reared with great difficulty; but

those

those who know of no other way to employ their wealth, may be sure of success, if they bestow it upon the encouragement of this breed. It is, notwithstanding, very silly and very cruel-it is very silly to take great pains to rear a useless animal; and it is very cruel to rear any animal, which, you may be certain, the more pains you take with it, the more easily does it become a prey to another animal more strong and cunning. As soon as a Sharper has fixed its claws on a Dupe or a Ninny, it is impossible to remove the creature from it, with out its suffering very much; but so cunning are the Sharpers, that they seldom attack their prey in public, but wait for an occasion when the Dupe is without his leader, and then they never fail to secure him. The Dupes are, it is almost needless to add, peculiar to large cities; the Ninnies to the country: but I am not quite convinced that this distinction is precise, and there is often so much resemblance between them, as to render it a difficult matter to say which is which.

The Ninny has generally a rougher skin, and a more shambling awkward gait. The Dupe is bred up more delicately, has a soft skin, scull very thin (which in the other very thick) and has a mincing affected gait.

is

Although I have mentioned these two as the chief prey of the Sharper, they are not the only objects of his attack. He often invades the societies of men, and some persons who might have been thought wise enough to be upon their guard, have been wounded severely by the Sharper. But in order to explain this, it is necessary to say, that beside the advantages which the Sharper derives from the cunning, a more fruitful source of danger arises to the public, from there being a great variety of the species. There

are, at least, twenty different species, which may be observed in the metropolis; and Mr. Colquhoun, a very able naturalist, who some time since published a valuable treatise on noxious animals, reckons there are more than a hundred thousand individuals belonging to those species. Among these, there must, of course, be some against which it is extremely difficult to guard, even by the utmost vigilance. Happy would it have been, if when the country was rid of other wild beasts, some hundred years ago, suitable and similar rewards had been offered for the extinction of the whole breed of Sharpers. At this day it is thought very extraordinary, that our government is so remiss on this point; and the gentleman I have just mentioned, has enlarged on this subject with such convincing arguments, that while I take a pleasure in referring my readers to what he advances, i am hopeful it will not lose its effect in a certain quarter where it is intended chiefly to operate.

The male and female Sharper, differ in the order of nature, with respect to other animals, in outward appearance. It is well known to persons conversant with natural history, or who have occasional visits to his Majesty's menagerie in the tower, that the male of all animals is the handsomest, and the female the ugliest and least picturesque. The case is precisely the reverse with the animal we are speaking of. The male is always ugly, often to a degree of deformity, and there is something remarkably ferocious and forbidding in its looks, especially in those which have been bred on the turf, a very common diet with them: whereas the female is generally uncommonly beautiful and fascinating, and thereby more dangerous even to persons of wisdom and caution, who are not in the habits of distinguishing C 2

animals

animals from one another, unless by certain general and prominent features. Now these general features will not answer in the present case; as without a very nice inspection, the figure of the female Sharper will be found very much to resemble that of a woman; and particularly of those unhappy women who infest the streets, and appear objects rather of pity than terror. It must be observed that all the Sharpers select young objects as their prey. The old, it is supposed, are not so easily caught, or are so tough, that it is impossible to make an impression on them. There may occasionally be exceptions, but upon the whole, this may be set down as a general rule.

Asto taming the Sharper, or making him domestic and harmless, it is so impossible, so beyond all means hitherto tried, that a man would risk the imputation of extreme folly who would attempt it. The breed must be wholly extirpated, or there can be no safety for the public; but as there seems a reluctance in government to issue general orders on this subject, it may not be amiss, in the mean time, to offer a little cautionary advice, by which the attack of the animal may be warded off.

Long experience and observation have convinced me, that this animal, however wild and ferocious, however greedy of prey, will seldom return to the attack, if the first has been repelled with firmness and spirit. In order to do this, the animal must be driven away, even with some cruelty if it is necessary; and so much depends on this, that the laws of self-preservation will amply justify the person attacked. This is not, however, to be expected from the Dupes and Ninnies, and therefore, persons who are fond of them, must watch them narrowly, and if they see them in danger of the Sharper's fangs, beat him off

and deliver him up to the hunters, if there be any at hand; or, what is perhaps a better way, draw its teeth, and cut off its claws, the only weapons of its mischief, and shew them to the Dupe or Ninny, which will so frighten them, that they will ever afterward be shy of exposing themselves to like danger. The same may be done to the female Sharper, but she is not so easily disarmed, nor is it so easy to keep the prey from her.

These cautions will be found of some use. Much we cannot expect from them; men cannot live in a perpetual watchfulness, moments of carelessness and inattention will happen to the wisest; and therefore, as these animals are the cause of so much mischief, it would be extremely desirable to have them entirely extirpated. In the mean time, it is very fortunate that they frequently fall into the hands of threir pursuers, and this frightens the whole breed, so as to make them disappear for a considerable time. After their fears abate, they begin to creep out of their holes, chiefly in the night time; and, as we have it from very ancient and respectable authority, "devour widow's houses." The Sharper, I ought to mention, is a gregarious animal, and this makes the danger the greater; a flock of them will often devour a whole village; and last summer there were herds of them who migrated from London toward the sea coast of Kent and Sussex, where they did great damage, particularly among the poor sick people who had gone for health to Margate, Brighthelmstone, and other places. In the winter, they burrow chiefly in large cities, where their safety arises either from their having a number of holes and corners into which they creep unperceived, or from their associating together so as to be formidable. In all places, the night is peculiarly

peculiarly favourable to them, and hence they are frequently heard to articulate the words glim and darkee, which, in their language, are supposed to mean night and darkness; or as some think light and darkness. But their language is so strange a jargon, that very few but themselves understand it, although the very ingenious antiquary Captain Grose, now deceased, published a dictionary of it a few years ago. It resembles most the Yahoo language, so ably explained and illustrated by the Dean of St. Patrick.

Very few of the Sharpers die a natural death, a circumstance which likewise serves to distinguish them from other animals. But this is perhaps to be accounted for upon common principles. It must be observed that the natural weapons of this animal, its fangs and talous, originally projecting from the body, at length turu inward, and devour the creature itself; which people often express in a metaphorical way, by saying that it is caught in its own net. To catch it in any other way is attended with some difficulty, and a considerable length of time. I have known an old Sharper run about town for several years, with a rope about its neck, without the persons who had hold of it being

in the preserved pheasant woods of the Hon. J. T. Capel, at Holmbush, near Horsham. They were, however, much disappointed on being accosted by the owner and his keepers, and prevented taking this innocent amusement, by being noticed off. None of those gentry, except one, was ever heard of by Mr. C. and only one of the party had taken out a licence; every one of them is unqualified, even to carry a gun. Their names are, Mr. G. Dawson, Mr. Matthew Dawson, Mr. S. Hearsey, Mr. James Ether, Mr. Robert Bolton. At least this is the report of the Lewes Journal; which paper adds, that Mr. C. is now carrying on a prosecution in the Westminster Courts, against a Mr. Piper, a butcher's son, at Dorking, for shooting close to his house, not being qualified, on the 1st of October, and refusing his name to one of his keepers when asked for it. This is the third Dorking sportman this Gentleman will have severely punished for similar offences, within less than six months.

GAME OF WHIST.

A DIFFICULTY SOLVED.

zine.

GENTLEMEN,

THE

DISAPPOINTED SPORTSMEN.

A Very small party, of five, set

out from Worthing in Sussex, on the 2d of October, with dogs in proportion, on a shooting party, thirty miles, to request a day's sport

IN

N answer to the question of your Correspondent A. B. (see page 327 of your last) relative to the right a player at Whist may possess of calling his adversaries cards, if he only see them without their being separated-I would with deference submit the following observations:

The intention of that rule laid down by Hoyle, viz. "If cards be separated and seen, the opposite party has a right to call them," is unquestionably to prevent either of

the

the four players from affording any unfair advantage to their partner, by disclosing a particular card.Now the mere act of separating a card may, or may not, be productive of any consequence; as such card may fall with its face downwards, and of course cannot be seen, so as to incur the penalty of being called. On the other hand, a player may, by stratagem, contrive to exhibit many, or all of his cards to his partner, without separating them, and thereby violate the principle of fairness of playing. It appears to me, therefore, that if a player's cards be so held, as that either of the opposite parties see them, without making an improper attempt for that purpose, such party has a right to call them.

I am, Sir, Yours,

ANOTHER ANSWER.

GENTLEMEN,

Z.

IN answer to A. B.'s case on

Whist, I take the liberty to inform him, Mr. Hoyle has answered it, and he will find it also in my short rules for Whist, p. 23. The card cannot be called unless separated.

Your's, BOB SHORT. Baker's Coffee-house, Sept. 11.

DANCING.

In a long Hand-bill of Mr. Christopher Towle's, Dancing Master of Oxford, dated 1783, that excentric though rather illiterate Artist, speaks thus in commendation of Dancing. No Man can be well prepared in any sort of genteel Trades, Professions, Sicances, Employments, Servitudes, Music, the Army, or Navy, unless they can Dance exceeding well; Dancing will make a Man Stand and Walk, and Look, and Speak well; to be Courteous, and Civil, Obliging, and Complai

sant, and Genteel, and of a fine forgiving merciful disposition; which all will be soon attained with all Persons who learn to Dance very well, I have known and heard of Persons who as been good Dancers, to advance themselves from a Quirister to a Bishop, from a Private Man to a General, from a Cabinboy to a Admiral, from a LawyerClerk to a Counsellor, and from that to a Judge, from a Clerk to a Merchant, to be a Merchant himself; and ten Thousand Circumstances of the same kind might be Innumerated, &c. &c. Dancing gives a Person a easy Looking and Speaking, to his Superiors and Inferiors, it takes off those slow and Effeminately Proud deluding Look that some of the Sectary make Use of, to a most abominable and reached disgraceful degree, and quite despisable to every honest Man, whilest the good natured Dancer, &c. Behaves with the very strictest ging Behaviour to all and all Sorts part of Modesty, and a easy Obliof People of all denominations; if I was to Enumerate the great use that Dancing is of to Women in all Sorts of Trades and Employments, and all sorts of Services, in all respects beginning with one of the Maids of Honour to the Queen, and go through all Sorts and degrees of Quality and Gentry, &c. &c. and Trades, &c. it would be a very great Task, &c. in short Dancing is the very greatest support to Trades and Manufactures of all Sorts, and Professions of every kind that can be mention'd, and all those

Sort of Persons who has any thing to say against Dancing are Enemies to the whole Community, &c. all Free-Schools, Charity-Schools, and Persons who desire to promote Improvements for either Boys or Girls, should leave a very good SALARY for a Dancing-Master to Instruct Children for ever, &c. this I recom

mend