Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-06-18
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
TpE FIELD SPORTS OF FOREIGN LANDS

man than the innate and, 1t would seem, instructive
passon for the chase which sound to peryade the who
race in whatever part of the globe It exists "thou
distinction of civilized, semibaroarous, or savage
without distinction of creed, cline or color; without
d stincton Of high low noble or simple, Ignorant OF
wise young or old, citizen countryman-nay' without
distinttion Of male female, man is emphatcay IN al
his spheres and phases hunting animal The keen resh
for the excitement Of mere pursuit when the object OF
pursuit is itself valueless and the triumph TO be attain
ed rifng almost ignoble is sufficient to arouse all ages
and a sexes to the exerton Of their utmost faculties
often TO the endurance of notifications hardshps,
perils to which persons would scarcely be expect
ed to subject themselves for objects far worthy Tor
which
$50 spurn delights and live aborious days"
To this is added emulation the fierce longing TO out
strip the abes competitor be the first in the emuous
field be called the victor when the victory IS
little worth the winning.
To this passion-for passion it is, and one almost
unversamay be ascrbed many of the best and nobest
many of the worst and yiles of the aims and attributes
Of humanity and this too where at first sight the OBJ
ects and the motives Of would TO be as far
as we and our antipodes asunder From the child in
reckless gee chasing the painted butterfly to Napoleon
laundering at the head of half million men across the
sterile seppes of Russia in than vain pursuit of
the slow retreating Cossack all for light bauble
the infants glitterng insect between the petted beau
ty Of the arstocratc ROOM glancng her sidelong
looks, wreahing her dimpled smiles, producing all the
arrows Of her charmed CULVER the alurements of her
beauteous form, all the destinations of her cultivated
mind for the enthrament of melancholy coxcomb,
whom in her soul she despses almost to the ex-
of loathng and the strong, bearded killed hunter
of the tropics pungng into the untrodden wilderness OF
Central Africa swarming with savage beasts ana men
savage Drawing the torrid with their tram OF
CONSUMING feyers, enduring hunger thirst toll hides
crbabe in order watch seepless nights for the desir
ed of the dread visitors of honhaunted pool
amid the burning desert seek daily chances of dying
death terrible that the mind shrnks from its mere
contemplation and all to win the hide and horns Of a
few slaughtered antelopes, the worries of few tusked
elephants the shaggy spells of few eating hons
between the spruce foxhunter, proud of his neat red
acket and fitting leathers carsering easily his
noble hunters back the brush of worthless yermn
OK; and Nelson, he stood his battered and blood
tanned deck carnage and horror and death rife around
him. in the midrage Of that most cruel strife of Copen
hagen when he exclaimed, " 1t is work, and this
day may be the last to any Of us at moments but mark
you would not be any where else for thousands how
vast the distance, how Unreasonable the seeming
trast And yet precisely the feeling stimulates the
painting child, and the earthconquering emperor;
cites the tender beauty Of the ball. and spurs the head
ong highlander of Africa the gallant sportsman
the hunting field, and hardens the heart Of the in
domitable, one-eyed, one-armed admiral in the dread
battle of the Baltic
1t this unquestonable if inexpcable passion for
he chase in all is different forms peryading all
classes and grades Of society," the intellectual and
spiritual well the sensuous and excitsable
crowd, that be asc-ibed the exceeding popularity
that has attached in all ages and countries works
ng upon the chase; its thrilling raptures its wild ad-
its ris ynlu
easily endured hardship its woodland meals partaken
Of with the messy furnishing alike the table
cloth and the banquet bed with the green leaves rust
ling overhead in the soft mer-wind and the gay sun
beams winkng down through the starry apertures Of
that verdan canopy gayer than the CLEAN Of brightest
chandeliers.
1t is this passion which made good Master Ascham
wonder how Jane Gray could prefer 70 read Plato
in her solitary chamber while the deer swept by and
the hounds we're in cry and the hunters horn ring
ng;" which led that almost sainted DAME Juliana Ber-
ners to compose within the walls Of her clustered alb
baye her Boke Of yenerie" still the manual Of that
noble sport; which prompted gentle Isaak to pen his
calm and worldwithdrawn meditatons in mown
meadows fresh with morning dews, by the side Of pur
ing brooks and outrageous groves still tie delight not
Of expert anglers only and keen devotees Of the pcao
rial SPORT but Of sage scholars poets and
dvines, whose days peaceful the doctrines
which they taught, whose nights holy the faith
which they upheld
Men, whose lives gided on like streams that water the
woodlands,
Darkened by shadows Of EARTH yet rejecting image
Of heaven"
And il is this widespread passion which enchsns the
air and gentle lady less than her bold and ardent
over the tmid eisure-lovng citizen less than the
bold hunter and frontier such pages those which
fill the wdey-famed and popular works the recent
peru.a Of which has led something Of this strain
Of thought as we ahom the mystery why works
seemingly adapted to the range Of but class
only and that not large one the actual Of the
wilderness and lovers Of the woodland cheer should have
obtained worldwide popularity, have been sold By
and read by hundreds Of thousands Of copies while books
apparently Of far extended range have fallen CON-
paratiyely mute and uunoced from the press We al
ude Of Roualeyn Gordon Cummings great boo
the Wild Sports Of Southern Africa published some
me since by the Harpers, and !" The Old Forest Ran
GER" by Major Walter Campbell
The latter book is comparatively speaking little known
yet this side Of the Atlantic, though its success
sive chapters they appeared in the brilliant columns
Of the New Monthly Magazine, created good deal Of
citement here while the other side Of the water
has already gone through three four editions We
have been tempted then not from its novelty for to us tits
not new but from the interest has created in ourselves
reperusal not long after the examination Of Gordon
Cummings wonderful book-wonderful less on account
Of the snguares Of itself than OF the strange idosyn-
craoy Of the who could have been enabled to write
tive have been tempted TO give the two somewhat
Il a a. 1T 81