The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1825-09-15
CARRIER PIiE.nNS

CARRIER PIGEONS.
The fret mention we find made Of H..
employment of pigeons, Is letter cafris,s
is by Otid, in his -" Mclemorphoss. -
tells us taat Tauresfenps hy a L..
stained with purple, gave notice of lis la.
,ias been victor al the OIy mpic games =.
the very same da5 la bis father al n,
When the lily of PtplemaIs, 10 S,f.
was invested by the French aud V,nerI,s.
and il MAS ready to fall into tneir HIT
they observed IA pigeon 1,ing over then.
and immediately eonjeetnred that II w.,
discharged VITA letters 10 the garfisat
On THIS the whole army raising loud
shout, - c0nlnunded the poor arial posi
thai II fell 60 the groand--Un being seizet
a letter WAS found under lis wings. from
the Sultan, ia which he assured The gaff5.
SON, that "hc would be- with Them Ia =
days, with an army sufficient to rai.e In
siege For this letter the brslcscr, 81.
situated another Ia THIS PURPOSE, h" that tyIe
garrison must see 10 tiielr oWn safety, G,r
the Sultan had such other affairs prcs,ia,
hlm, that il was Impossible for him To- come
To their succour p and with this falls, iafr-
llgence they let the pigeon ilre On its coa.>q.
The garrison deprived by this decree Il
hopes Of relrf, immediately surrendered
The Sultan appealed the Sd day, as pro.
missed, with powerful army. and was M,
a lltIle mortified to find the city ahead, IN
the hands of the Christians.
Carrier pigeons We're agtn employed.
but with better success, al HE siege of Ley,
den, in 1875. The garrison We're, hy meas
of the information thus conveyed To- Them.
induced to stand out, I'LL the enemy, Dc
spairog of reducing the place, Withdrew.
On the s"ige being raised, the Prince Of O.
range ordered that the Pgeons who had
rendered such e-sential service shouh be-
embamed and preserved in the town
house, AZ a perpetual token Of graiitalc
In the East, the employ m.nt Of pigeon,
for the conveyance of letters is still Very
common, particularly in Syria, Arabia, aut.
Egypt. Every Bashaw has generally u
haske full of them sent him from The graad
srraahD, where they are bred, and 10 case
of an Instruction or other lmmprsrnct.
hr IS enabled, by letting loose tw0 or more
Of these cxtta0 binary messengers, to con-
vey inteilgrure to the government long br.
lole II could be possibly obtained by other
means.
The diligence and speed with which
thrse fcathered messengers wing Their
course IL extraordinary. From he islant
Of thrlr liberation, their fight is directed
through The Clouds al an immense height,
Ia The place of Their destination. They ale
believed to dart Onward IN straight line,
aud never .i,suend except when al loss
lot breath, and then they are 10 be seen At
the dam of day, lying IN their backs on
the ground, with their bulls open, sucking
in With hasty avidity the dew at the morn.
ing. OF their speed, the instances related
ara almost incredible.
The Consul OF Alexandria daily sends dcs.
patches by these means To Aieppu in five
hours, Though c0urlers occupy the Whole
day, and proceed with the utmost expeGr
ton from one town 10 the other.
St4heyeara ago gentleman senta car
rier pigeon from London, by the Stage,
coach, to his friend III Cdnonsbury, tog,-
ther with note, desiring that HE pigeon.
two days after their arrival there, might i"
thiownup precisely Nhen the town clock
struck nine in the morning, This was Go,e
accordingly, aud the pigeon arr wed in Lo
don, aud tlcw TO the Bull Inn, Bshopgae
street, into the loft, and was there shown
half an hour past eleven "'cIock, having
flown seventy two miles in two hours AID
IA half
At Antwerp, in 1919, one of the 81 pigc-,
onS belonging TO that city, VINO had been
conveyed To London, aud here i,, loo.r.
made the transit back, being distance IN
Il direct line of one hundred and egttY
miles, Ia SIX hours.
Ii is thro' the attachment of the animals
10 thu place of their birth, aud plrtIculariS
TO the sP1f where they had brought up
their young, that they are thus rendered
useful 10 mankiJ1d
When young one flies very hard a:
annr, ~ il conl-s to fill its full strength, Il
IS carried in a basket or otherwise about
hail mile from home, add there turned
out--afler this, il is carried mile, and then
two, four, eight, ten, twenty, SC. I'LL at
length it will return from the furthermosi
part Of the country.