Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1824-11-02
CARRIER PIGEONS.

The first mention we find made of the
emp loyment Of pigeons, as letter car
riers, is by Ovid in his " Metamorpho-
ses," who tells US that Taurosthenes, by
pigeon stained with purple, gave notice
of his having been viclor at the Olympic
games on the very sane day 20 his Ia
Their a, Egina.
Pliny informs us, that during the siege
OF Modena by Mark Anthony, pigeons
were emp loyed by Brotos TO Keep up a
correspondence with the beslegcd.
Wien the city oi P olemais, in Syria,
was invested by the French and Vene-
tians, and it was ready to fall into their
hands, they observed a pigeon flying
over them, and Immediately conlectured
tina, it was charged with letters TO- The
garrison. On this the whole army rails
ing loud shout, so coniounded the poor
aerial post, that il fell to the ground, and
on being seized. letter was found un-
der its wings, from the sultan, in which
! he assured the garrison, that he would
be with them in three days, with an ar
my SUFFICIENT TO raise the siege. For
. this letter the besiegsrs suhstitnted ano-
. ther to this purpose, "ihat the garrison
must see to their own safety, for the sui
tan had such other affairs pressing BIN,
/ that it was impossible for h'ni 10 come to
their succor;'' snd with this false intel
Decnce they lief, the pigeon free to pur-
sue its coarse. The garrison, deprived
by this decree of all hope of relief, i'm
media,sly SURRENDERED. The sultan sp-
peared on the third day as promised,
with powerful army, and was not lit
tie mortified to find ths city already IN
the hands of the christians.
Carrier pigeons were again employed,
but with better success, at the siege of
Leyden, in 1875. The garrison were,
by means of the Information thus con-
veyed to them, induced to sand sut, ill
the enemy, despairing of reducing the
place withdrew. On The siege being
raised the Prince of Orange ordered that
The pigeons who had rendered such es-
scn,ial services should be maintained al
the public expense, and that at their
death they should be emba!med and pre-
served in the town house, as a perpetual
token of gratitude.
In the east, the employment Of pigeons
for the conveyance Of letters is still COM
mon; particularly in Syria, Arabia, and
Egypt. Every bashaw has generally
basket full Of them sent him from the
grand seragiio, where they are bred, and
in case of an Instruction or other emer
gency, he is enabled, by letting loose two
or more of these extraordinary tnessen-
gers, TO convey intelligence to the go
vernment long before it could possibly
be obtained by other means.
In Flanders great encouragement is
also still given to the training of pigeons
and al Antwerp there is an annual com.
petition Of the society Of pigeon fancic.s.
In the United States they have been
recently employed with very nefarious
success, by set Of lottery gamblers.
The numbers Of the tickets drawn at
Philadelphia we're known by this mode
OF conveyance, within So inconceivsoly
short period, at New-York, Or il drawn
at Newly ork, known at Philadelphia,
and so with other towns, that the great
est frauds were committed on the public
by those in possession Of this secret
moans of intelligence.
In England he use Of carrier pigeons
is at present wholly confined TO ,i.s son
flemen Of the fancy, who inherited it
from the heroes of Tyburn; with whom
it was Of old favorite practice, to let
loose number Of pigeons at the mo-
ment the fatal cart was drawn away, to
notify to distant friends the departure Of
tho unhappy criminal The diligence
and speed with which these feathered
messengers wing their course is extra
ordinary. From the instant Of their IL
beration, their Eight is directed through
the clouds at an immense height to the
place oftheir destination. They are be-
lieyed to dart UPWARDS in . strsight line,