Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1855-01-04

In consequence of which they obtained possess
sion of the place. A regular system of post
ing by means of carrier-pigeons was estab-
lshed in the twelfth century by the Sultan
Nourreddin Mahmoud 1t was afterwards
improved aud extended, and continued till Bag
dad fell in:o the hands Of the Mongols In l258
Sir John Manderville, who travelled in the
fourteenth century, aludes 10 snch system as
practsed by the Turkish Government. II was
described al somewhat later period as being
carried on by means of lofty towers, erected at
the distance of about thirty miles asunder, and
provided with proper number of pigeons.
ceive the birds, and transmit the intelligence
which they had brought by others. The no.
tice was inscribed on thin slip of paper, en-
closed in gold box of small dimensions, and
as thin as the paper itself, suspended TO the
neck of the bird the hour of arrival and de-
partnre was marked at each successive tower,
and, for greater security, a duplicate was al
ways despatched two hours after the first.
No such regular system now exists in the
Turkish dominions, but carrier-pigeons are
still much used there. The Turks, says a
writer of the last century, make common
practice of breeding this sort of pigeons in
their seraglios, where there is one whose bust
ness 1t is to feed and train these birds for the
use afterwards designed, which is done in this
manner When young one flies very hard
at home, and is come to its full strength, they
carry 1t in basket, or otherwise, about half
a mile from home, and there turn it out ; after
this, they carry it mile, then two, four, eight,
ten, twenty, &C., till at length they will re-
turn from the furthest parts of the king
dom. This practice is of admirable use, for
every bashaw has generally basket full of
these pigeons sent him from the grand serag-
lio and in case of any insurrection, or other
emergent occasion, he braces letter under
the wings of pigeon, whereby its flight is
not in the least incommoded, and Immediately
turns it loose; but for fear of its being shot,
or struck by hawk, they generally despatch
five or six so that by this means, dispatches
are sent in a more safe and speedy method
than could possibly be otherwise contrived.
After having served in earlier and more ro-
mantle ages TO wait the sighs of parted lovers,
to carry into beseiged cities the hopes of sue
cor, and to give the alarm of rebellion and
tumult, the wonderful instinct of this bird
like beautiful stream, forced as it often is
In Britain, to drive mill or refresh a bleach
field-has become subservent to the anxious
scheming of mercantile men in various parts
of the globe. In Aleppo, during the last cen
tury, carrier-pigeons were in constant employ
ment for the purpose of acquainting the mer-
chants with the arrivals of their vessels at
Scanderoon. The impatience of the animal TO
see its young was here taken advantage of, as
an additional stimulus to procure its quick re-
turn. They would travel from Alexandria in
ten hours, and from Bagdad-thirty days
journey-in two days. From Scanderoon,
which was distant forty leagues, they required
only from two hours and half to four hours.
An anecdote is related of an Aleppo merchant,
who, having accidentally killed one of these
feathered messengers, was the first to learn
that scarcity Of gals prevailed in England,
and, profting by the intelligence, made a
speedy transaction, by which he gained TO-
900 crowns. Towards the end of the last CEN
tury, the employment of pigeons from Alex
andria and Bagdad was laid aside, on account
of the frequent destruction of them by the
Kurd robbers. The practice was more re-
Gently in vogue among the Dutch merchants,
for the purpose of anticipating the ordinary
means of conveyance in the receipt of stock
intelligence, by which they often realized con-
siderable sums. For this reason there is no
European country, besides Turkey, in which
carrler-pigeons are so numerous as in Holland
and Belgium. Two inferior varieties, called
the dragoon and the horseman, have also been
cultivated to considerable extent in Eng
land, but chiefly for the qualification of the ma
tional propensity to betting, or as depart
ment of sport. The author already quoted
says: "A gentleman Of my acquaintance hav-
ing small wager depending, sent dragoor
by the stage-coach, to his friend at ST. Ed
mund's-Bury, together with note, desiring
that the pigeon, two days after its arriva
there, might be thrown up precisely when the
town clock struck nine in the morning which
was accordingly executed, and the pigeon ar
rived in London, and flew to the sign of the
Bull Inn in Bishops-gate street, into the loft,
and was there shown at half an hour past elev
en- O'Clock the same morning on which he had
been thrown up at St. Edmund s-Bury, having
flown 70 miles in 1-2 hours the wager was
confirmed by letter sent by the next pos
from the person at St. Edmund s-Bury.
could, adds the author, relate several more
exploits of this nature performed by dragons
particularly of their being thrown up anC
returning home by moonlight-but the above
may be thought sufficient Among other
purposes to which carrier-pigeons have beef
applied in England, was that of announcing
executions at Tyburn to those at a distance
who were interested in the suffering parties
and thought they had reason to hope for a re
prieve.
On the 1lth of July, 1919, great expert
ment was performed with these animals be