The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1857-06-06
Gbansbills 9aiIg gournal.
Rats an article of Commerce. .
1t is reported in the New York papel

4
Rats an article of Commerce.
It's reported in the New York papers
that number of Partisan glove makers
propose removing to New York for the
purpose Of availing themselves of the
abundant supply Of Rat skins, which are
becoming scarce in France, and from
which most OF the finest gloves are man
ufactured. A profitable business could
be established along the Western Rivers
in hunting rats--if their skins could find
a market at the quotations given. We
imagine the poor coons would be left in
peace for few seasons, if rat skins
81 ould be found to exceed coon skins IN
price. We are glad to have our faith in
the economy of nature that all things
were created for some useful purpose,
confirmed by learning that rats will
grow the material for good glove. The
following article is from the Baltimo re
San. u 81. -,-.- ..,...
As civilization advances human ingen-
uity is severely taxed to supply mans
natural and artificial wants. Our grand
fathers would have said that the destruc-
tive vermin which infest our cellars un-
der the name of rats would he the last
thing which could ever be turned to
useful purpose. Even the fine lady of
the present day, who piques herself on
her exquisitely fitting gloves, would give
one of those little shrieks. which she
thinks so sweetly feminine, il told that
the thumb of her glove was made Of rat
skin, as more elastic yet tougher than
kid. The nineteenth century, in fact
sees rats elevated to an article Of COM
merce. In Europe the fur Of the rat is
used Sy hstters, having been found to
exceed in delicacy even that Of the beaver.
A company exists in Paris on the prin-
ciple of the Hudson's Bay Company, to
buy uo all the rats of France. In Lon
don many persons earn livelihood by
hunting rats in the sewers. A late
number of the London Quaterly Review
makes these facts the text Of curious
and interesting article on the habits of
the rat, an animal heretofore considered
unfit to be introduced into decent society
but which, under the auspices Of the
Quarterly, makes quite a respectable
figure.
Nearly every portion Of the habitable
globe is infested with these verniin.-
Hardly q vessel sails without carrying
with it colony. and thus even the Is.
lands Of the Pacific are supplied with
rats. On board Of ships they generally
keep out of sigh', provided they can COM
mand that great necessity, water; bat if
this is guarded against their depredations
they will come on deck, on rainy nights,
to drink, and will even ascend the rigg-
ing for the sake Of the moisture lying in
the folds of the sails. When very
thirsty they have been known to attack
thes pirit casks, and get like wiser beings,
tipsy, though, We believe, they never
beat their wifes when drunk. Sometimes
two distinct colonies are to be found iu
the same ship: one occupying the stem
and the other the stern. 1t is no uncom-
mon thing to destroy five hundred in a
| single East Indiaman on her arrival at
Calcutta. Often, when water has been
scarce on they voyage, the voluntarily
desert the vessel the night after her cast
ing ancht r, generally passing to land, in
single file, along the mooring rope, though
if this is impracticable. they do not hesi.
tate to swim. The genuine ship-rat is q
more delicate animal than the large
brown rat. and approximates to the ori.
ginai English rat, which is not yet en-
tirely extinct, though some naturalists
have asserted the contrary.
Few persons have an idea Of the vast
numbers of these vermin. The Quarter
ly says, rats are TO the earth what
swallows are to the air, universally pres
ent." But, unlike their feathered rivals,
we rarely see them, and hence are ignor-
ant of the countless millions that burrow
under our cellars, run up and down be:
tween our walls, haunt the sewers Of
great cities, and devastate the granaries
Of farmers. But it is about slaughter
houses that they ''most do congregate."
At MontfaucOh in France, the proprietor
of slaughter house had walled enclo-
sure. where, one night, he threw the car
casses of two or three horses, and than
went quietly with his workmen. and
stopped up all the holes, by which the
rats had entered it, after which he went
in, with these same workmen, each arm
ed with stick. The rats, thus entrap-
ped, were slain by. hundreds. In single
month he killed, 16 O50 and 1850 in one
night. 1t has been estimated that the
progeny of single pair of rats would
amount in three years, to six hundred
and fiftysix thousand, if the could all find
food and escape the accidents that makes
the mortality among them so great
Between the large brown rat and the
smaller species there exists mortal an
t,pathy, if an equal number Of each breed
are put into cage over night the bigger
ones, ifnot hungry, will eat off the long
delicate ears of the smaller, which they
seem to consider great luxury; but il
half starved, nothing will be seen oil the
smaller species, except the tails and
bones.
The rat, according to the Quarterly,
has never received the credit of sagacity,
which he deserves, although the phrase
"as cunning rs tat" testi6es to the popu-
lar opinion Of his abilities. 1t is not
fable that rat robs hens nest by lying
on his back and holding the eggs be-
tween his paws, while his compositions
pull him along. Rats have been seen.
L.