New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-15
A BRITISH PRIZE FIGHT.
From The London Saturday Rerier June p

From Inc LONDON SdtWuop Fef6h, Juno ~
We have more than once directed the attention OF
ur readers TO the somewhat vulgar subject Of prize
fighting 1t is of the straugest and by no means
the least characteristic of our national anuseInents
and il still boasts not only of ardent admirers, but OF
sacred poets who chronicle the actd pugdum In Ian
suage which, if lot classical, has at any rate, the
me rit of being abundanty idiomatic. -,
Forty years ago the great event OF last week would
have occupied the thoughts and coored the CONVERSE
ton of hundreds of eminent in the grayest Occu-
paiiops of life but these degenerate days. and We
fear that there il little chance that the Prince OF
Wales and the rest of the Royal Family-to say moth
ing Of dukes, earls poets and members OF Parliament
will ever bestow upon the lusrious Thomas Sayers
such attentions as the Prince Regent Byron, Wind
ham and other equally distinguished personages de-
lighted TO lavish upon jackson and Criob Indeed,
We doubt whether many OF our readers know what
the great event to which we are aluding Is: 1t is
nothing less than prize fight, in which Thomas
Ssyeis defeated William Perry, the Upton slssher,
winning thereby f4OO, the Champions Belt, and the
onor- Of about five columns of closelyprnted small
type in estinatle cotemporary, Bens .Lyc az
Idndon The prose epic which recounts the fortunes
Of the day is divided into five cantos and If, IN its
way one of the most remarkable works OF art that we
have fallen in with for some time. 1t begins with
poetcal illusion in the meter described in hymn
hooks a. double 7s ada pied to the Cir OF Rousseaus
Diesm,' aud beginning with the worcs:
Common q caution speaks
To Statesmen and TO country beaks"
Failing from poetry to prose- the poet develoPes his
argument with singular warmth seldom La:
fallen TO our LOT to describe event OF similar I'm
nortspce TO that now uLder notice, which has been
carried out with such good feeling and manly
" straightforwardness Oh both sides, &c. Jus
tce must be done to such a TRANSACTION,
and accordingly have the subject treated under
the five heads of the History Of the Cham
pionshp of England-the Histories of the MenIthe
Place Of Fighting and how we got there-the Fight
and Remarks. Each division affords some very pretty
reading oo,ohr.,ad
" Fieg who hcuiished about the year Tl9. lie was
succeeoed BY many heroes whose rames and weighs
are rtcofded for the admiration OF posterty tnoqSn
there appear among them euch black sheep as b.ii
Stevens, man Of gantic strength, VINO wa
tempted from the right course" by persons who
bibed him TO lose fight and Colcoran, who suppiied
" another instance Of principle being overcome BY
ten ptstion, nssmuch as tor the sake OF un! !ucre
he was persuaded to give bis he ad 10 As oPponeht
and cry 90 at the expiration Of twenty nun
utes" The hero Ct heroes, however, was one Bryan
of Bristol, better known as Big Ben, WIN whom
Mr.. Bonow's father had, az Loreagro 1is Us, tue
honor Of fighting in Hyde Park 1t is always pleas.
ant thing to compare the parallel passages Of great
wrters and our readers will no doubt recognise SIM
iGfty 10 The well-known lines
"Tbe,e was TO lack of bravery there,
No spare Of blood or breath
in MIR. Bells description of Big Bens great battle,
"There was no faintng or stopping. Ii was slog
/" Gig match in every sense OF the word lhey s'o09
toe to toe and face to face and ding DONG give ana
:" take. was the order Of the day. Wemust pass over
that accomplished and elegant pugilist, Genflemsn
Uumrbries;' nor can we afford more than q passing
glance to Mr. Jackson one OF the most Pc weriu' AND
SweD-proportioned men Of modern and, We should say
Of ancieIt times" or to the great fight between
Mes.rs Caunt and Bendigo, when the gentle patrons
Of the art Of the Nottingham school" forced the untor
tupate Eve" of Bells Life, who was referee on the
occasion 70 decide in favor Of their amiable profegea
the price of going home with sound bones we mus
cone TO the histories Of the heroes themselves.
BIZ Per,y. the Upton Slasher born 10 1919, ana
commencec his career at the early age OF sixteen.
cain historical tone pervades the narrative OF MS me-
lie fought for the honor Of his native lana win on
Amt rican giant, whose hight was upward OF seven
fee.: and ON another occasion " we fnd him oreitlng
+" TO Con Parker, prom ising young big one" lie Is
six feet high, weighs thirteen stone, and nus very
strt 10 arms and shoulders but his pins being aoou
the shape of the letter X, considerably deteroral
d" from the beauty Of his confguraton.' MI. inomas
been born in 1896 The history of his exploits nus
nearly column Of small type, Of which we can 0niy
paricularize one instance, in which, =" III the iv'a
" round at the end Of three hours and eight minutes
Tom managed to administer the coup de grace 10
gentleman Of the name Of Pouson. Mr. Sayers Is but
five feet eight high, and weighs less than eleven Stons
There appears to have been some trouble in bring
ing the worthy couple together for the account OF the
"place Of fighting and how got there" is one OF
the G,t nS.s and exciting 81 ss
and if Mr.: Perry had not sneaked out OF London In
one direction while Sayers sneaked into il in another
"tbey would both to a certainty have been nailed.
Even their patrons were not allo we'd to make their
little arrangements in peace. II only at the last
momert, and when it seemed likely that the plan
would fall through altogether that steamer pro-
cured for the "select party Of Corinthians who were
invited; and even them "a large number Of fellow,
owing 10 the supneness Of several member Of the
sssociston Of prize fyhters-who act such acca-
sons M a sort of poEce-they were not turned ,nt.
Al last however, they reached the More, where they