The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1838-05-16

fahs Reeosdsr.

A-nsAting. from The lacy
aaPe9sa britannica. vel. '. article Cock
- unknown when The pitched bat
ne hfst entered England; b., Il wss nro.
nsely brought ihnher By he Romsns.
he bird VAS here before Cesar's ARR.
az, oui no notice Of his fighting occurs
orioFe The time Of William Firz.Stephen,
@ho wrole The life Of Archbishop Beekel.
some lime 10 The reign Of Henry III. and de-
sefloes eoek-6ghting - sport Of school
boys on ShroFe Tuesday. From lhis
Tine al least. The diversion, however al.
snfd and even impions. was continued
amongst them. II was loIlowed, though
dIaPProyed and prohibited 30 Edward MI:
also n The reign Of Henry VIII; and A.
ID. 1863. u has been called By some a
royal dirsrsi0n; and, As every one knows,
The COCKPIT. al Whitehall was erected by
crowned head for The more magnificent
celebration Of il. There was another nh
IN Drufy lane. and another in Jsyin street.
Il was prohibited. however. By one of
differs acts. March 81. 1901. What
aggraEaies The reproarh and disgrace up
on EngiIshmen. are Ihnse spscies Of fight
ing which are called The battle rOpal and
The Ustch main, known no where in The
world but there; neither in China, nor
Persia. nor in Mslsccs, nor among The
savage tribes in America. These are
scenes so blnody as 10 be almost too
shocking TO relate; and yet a. many may
not be acquainted with the horrible ma
lure of them, il may be proper, for The
excitement nf our aversion and deiesia-
llon. 20 describe them in few words. In
The ioimer, an unlimited number Of fouls
are pIt'ed. and when they have slangh.
tered one another for the diversion EDm
boni OF the Otherwise generous and hui
name Englishmen. the single Surviving
bird is TO be esteemed the victor, and car
ries away the prize. The Welch main
consists. We will suppose. Of sixteen pair
al coeks: Of these, The sixteen conqucrers
are piled second time: The eight conquer
oFs Of these are pilied The third time; lle
Tour cenq1erors the fourth time; and last.
~. The two eonquernrs OF these are pilled
the ffh time; so that Incredible barbara
Iiy! tairty-one cocks are sure To be most
Inhumanly murdered for the sport and
pleasure. the noise and nonsense, the pro-
fame clrsing aud swearing. of thasc who
have The atfroniery 10 call themselves,
with al these bloody doings and with all
this impiety abuul them, Christians; nay,
what with many is superior and distinct
characte'. mrn Of benevolence and moral
i.! Ba lie, the morality and beneyo
lenre of 'rch be appreciated from the FOL.
lowing Instance recorded as authentic in
the Obituary af the GentIeman's Maya
zine for april 1889. Died, April 4, at
FoIienhan. John ArdesoIf, esq. a Young
man Of lage fortune. and in the spiendor
oil his carriages and horses rivalied BY few
country Rnllemen. Ills table was tina,
of hospitality, where il may be said he
sacrificed too much 10 conviyiality; but
If lie hal his foibles, he had his merits
also IhatEar onlweighed them. Mr.. Ar
desoIf WIS very fond Of cock.fghling;
and had 1 iavorite cock on which he had |
won mani profitable matches. The last |
bet he laitupon this cock he lost; which |
so enrage1 him. that he had the bird tied |
In spin aid roasted alive before a large
fire. Thescresms OF Il,e miserable ami.
NAL were . affecting, that some gentle
men. who gere present. attempted 10 in
terfere; which so enraged Mr.. Ardcsoif,
that he seizd poker, and with the most
furious vehanence declared, he would
kill the first nan that inierposed; but in
The midst Of Ms passionate asseverations.
he fell tlownaesd upon the spot Such,
we assured, we're the circumstances which
attended the death of this grea, pillar of Il
The aboveix;ract is made with view
TO show yourreaders how The grave and
learned men of England regarded cork.
fighting in IL las, century. There sre
some things essentially low and immoral,
which no dispctiun Of rank in their vo- .
Iaries can elsale To gen,ility. Should
The crowned eads of Europe unite with
those of Asia Africa, Madagascar and
New Zealanjn pa,ronizing The cockpit,
they might NIKE il fashionable, but they 1
could not mali i, moral or gentesl.
In our liitl3 community, Mr.. Editor.
there are othe and peculiar reasons for |
this cruel and debasing !
sport. The sehols in HllIsbnrough con- !
s1i.ute the .prinipal source of revenue to i
lis citizens. aippose the number of ,
scholars, male and female, from a dis 1
lance, 10 be oe huadred. and am iu- d
formed this is blow The average; then al I
$50 dnllars eac, for board, tuition, sta h
lionary. clnthinSsnd olher incidental ex-
peuses, which y experience | know 10 d
be a very mades,e estimate, they bring Y
10 The town twenty-five thousand dollars L
per annum. TIE house-keepers, mcr- a
chants, mechanic indeed all the citizens. !
share the benefit arising from the circu- \
/ Il A. Il. L La - la