The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-07-31
From " Passages in Foreign Travel
AMIJSENdEN1,S I'M Dap JS

rne Dor my ,nronsh al. pa. a..
Lancry 10 the Barreire du Cumbat. miscella-
neous barking, hoarSe and shrll, announced the vi.
ciniiy Of animals. | approached a door, The en-.
signs OF battle were thick about it. Sanguinary
pictures of dogs pited against wild boars and bears
wolves, bulls and jacks, and of dogs against dogs,
met my eyes wherever they we're turned The wo-
man who sold me a ticket of admission looked
ferocious and gorgon like. The man who received
me at the door, had mouth like bull dogs, and
the very handle OF his bell-rope was bears paw
As the sport had not commenced, | amused myself
with looking about the premises. Entering through
a lille gate, two hundred and thirty dogs of enor-
nous magnitude, of most blood-ihirsty expression
here collected from all parts of Europe, sprang
towards me, The length Of their two foot chains,
with savage ycps, and barks, and grows. Each
had to himself little oval kennel aud the toul-en.
sembe of their hab,ations resembled what you
might imagine to be the appearance Of village of
Hottentot dwarfs. There was good deal Of the
truly internal in the fend-like energy with which
these monsters freted and raved burst from their
bonds and seize intruder into their territory BY
the thorax. The scene might have looked not I'M
becomingy in the third circle of Dante's He'll
Before had time to inspect the square arena the
opening OF The combats was announced. ! took my
seat in box and was happy to notice. amids, the
multitude OF spectators, only two females.
The dog tights to the number Of twelve or fifteen
were sufficiently sanguinary. Indeed you might
fairly denounce them, with the whole exhibition, as
horribly degrading and brutal. You might perhaps
be doubtful about long larry. And vet here YOU
read curious chapter in Natural History Declar-
ing that you desire 10 study the habits OF animals
You remain.
Soon came the battle of wolf tied by rome
some thirty feet long to ring in The centre Of the
arena, with ten or twelve dogs The wolf looked
extremely sheepsh at FIRST and yet he dealt his fangs
very generously into The TANKS of his adversaries.
For his trophies, he had of keen ear-pierc.
ing yeps. While these conflicts were going on, the
wild animals in cages surrounding the arena grew
furious and impatient The -four five wolves
glared and growled, and yelled. The bears leaped
about grinning horribly, and boar of Ardennes
momently thrust his snont and tusks all white with
foam, through the iron bars Of his pen seemingly
quite anxious to have finger, or rather tooth in
the pie.
Now followed the fight of the bear with the dogs.
he was lied like the wolf Three dogs were at
once once lei in upon him. They merely worried him.
lhree mercer ones soon added. They not
only worried but fought him. To them were al
ehgth Superadded three others, still more ferocous
man iheir predecessors These latter made the ac-
quaintance of Backhead with speed that indica-
ted their possession of the highest possible quantity
OF PUCK. Bruin, however, pat,ed them with his
paw to The right and to the left thus returning their
eo,npl'nenls ~ style that proved that his was
baby's play He was at length brought down
The dogs had their fangs full into his throat Two
men dressed 10 crimson, pred their Jaws open with
long iron pointed bars, while third dragged them
of their PROSTATE foe, BIZ he TAIL
This concluded, the bu-fght began The bull
was tied, as had been the wolf and the bear He
was evidently an old worker this of business
First he beloved deeply then he paved up the
earth, and then he prcked forward his In conf
dent expectation towards the door through which
four bulldogs now furiously dashed at him. There
was nothing very revolving in this spectacle With
his horns the bull tossed off the dogs this side and
to that with as much easy regularity as Connec-
ticut farmer would turn and toss his hay. Indeed
you might almost imagine him parodying the thought
of the Auguslan poet:
"Fnnam habot in cornu."
Now and then was he attacked vigorously a poSte-
rtori. And yet very happily did he resort to the
arguments from that quarter, convincing his oppo-
nentS, by what might be scientifically called knock
down argument the argumeHtnm ad canem, that
ellher h0rn OF the dilemma was preferable 10 this
proceeding Not one If them was able to throttle
cidedy victorious.