Delaware journal. [volume] (Wilmington [Del.]) 1827-1832, 1827-06-15
BATTALION-DAY AT ORWIGSBURG.

on Wednesday last, Those of our readers who
have not witnessed these gatherings, must be inform
ed it is festival of no small magnitude. The whole
country is gathered together, and women, boys
and girls, old and young, meet and dance, boot,
drink, fight, and C cut up high Labor of all kinds
is suspended, villages and hamets are vacated, and
every soul, whether subject to military duty not
If capable of shaking leg, trudge off by dawn of
day, dressed in their best, to the place of rendez
vous, which is usually one of the principal towns
II may be remarked there are generally quite as
many women present as men, and three times as ma
ny spectators soldiers. In fact soldering has
very little to do with the matter. Discipline ORDER
and subordination, are by common consent, banish-
ed from the field, and lost in the din of shooting.
hopping, drinking, and dancing. The People gath
together for g froc''-ss real tear down fTol
c,' and they are determined to have it. and have
ii they do and will. Improvement in military sci
ence and tactics is part of their concern and Is
as little attended to as the last Sunday sermon.
| a word two descriptive of the mode of pro-
ceeding on these Battalion days may lot be unnte-
resting to some of our city readers. The frstthing
heard in the morning is the random firing of guns,
scraping of fiddles and bolsterous Inirh and con-
CALCULATIONS amongst the young rustics. by seven
or eight O'Clock, sometimes earlier, the Hopsesn
commences. The following is the process. Each
tavern is provided with one or more fdeleTs. Zach
hand with sweetheart, a wife or iocun, tenes The
asks the others to Join him, they pay the fiddler
i "fp or a g le1y" and go te work with most lau-
dable zeal and industry. The fiddler plays a..t his
life depended upon despatch, and accompanies his
elbow with his foot in the most audible raps upon
the floor, by way of keeping time. The dancers, il
may be supposed, not idle; the floor is well
sanded, and substantial proof given that they 10 not
dance without shoes. The figure and set is the
whole figure. One of the party calls for glass of
sling, toddy, something of the kind and placing
himself before his partner, gives her " a nod, =
; drinks first himself, and then hands her the glass
she drinks and passes it to the next gentleman, who
goes UP to his partner and repeats the ceremony.
Thus they drink and dance until the stipulated num-
Der of tunes are played, when fresh party takes
the floor and the dance continues. This is one OF
the principal occupations ofthe day.
Every man considers it his right, if not his duty,
to go where he pleases, do he pleases, and pay
as little attention as he pleases hence it is the work
81 of moment to form line. But generally toward
ten or eleven O'clock, after little noise and
= FUSION the several companies are formed into what
y IS called line And here view is presented wor-
thy the pencil of Hogarth. Some with sticks, others
with stick stuck into the muzzle of old pistol
the length of one finger, to represent firearms. The
variety of tastes displayed the uniform of the of
:. icers, is not the least amusing part ofhe spectacle
In due season, the order is given to march to some
20 neighborng field common, where the line Is
~ again formed. few evolntions are attempted ane
= performed, each in his time, and after his owl
7 manner. The army is marched two or three times
:, round and across the field in po-hook line, ant
: then marched back into town and dismissed, eacf
II wonderfully edited and improved IN military dlsci
), pline. The real business of the day is now com
- menced in good earnest-Firine guns routing dane
. ing, counting, fighting, and drinking And that tn
NO three latter effectively performed, the Attorne
or General, in due season, receives ample testimony
IL tn law
- SHEEp.--Worms or grubs in the head have eau
sed great destruction among the Hooks for some year
past but their have been greater the presel
1t season than in any former one. Many farmers /
this section of the country have lost from 70 to
ca or 80, and some greater'number. wool grove
re- in Greenfield has lost 100, and we are ntorne
tn that a man in Western Newton has had 800 dt
stroyed in flock Of 600. These destructive insect
usually attack the fine wool merino and Saxon sheep
the native breed are not much troubled by then
ice A great many remedies have been proposed bl
ill none of them have proved generally etc aclou
He A late paper SAYS, the oil of amber will dislodg
- all worms maggots &c. and directs that 1t be al
piled by dipping feather nto it, and gently strokt
nm the parts affected ans appncation Is worth IRA
Sir though we have not much confidence in its success
er These Grubs are not easily killed driven out
ou they seem to be proof against the most offensiy
)le substances. A farmer of acquaintance ono
ks perforated the thin she'll about the eye and injece
ing some spirits of turpentne into the cavity; the shee
his died Immediately, but the worms did not appear
ere be much disturbed. Among the preventves recon
ks mended arrng the noses Of sheep often oens enc
the but this smirching does not always hinder the II
the from depositng its eggs in the nostril. Good ke
He ing through the year IS believed by to be or
he of the most efectual personalities against the
,ck. and its progeny. Wedo not notice any ,!mprov
sale ment in the wool market. There indication
an however, that at the present low prices the demar
the will be greater and the sales quicker than hey we