New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-23
trial trip yesterday morning to sea, and returned again
about 6 D. IN. Ste IL said TO be very fast.

bas not vet been able 10 wholly eradicate the vicious
toste for e,uel "sport" Which, even under the most
favorable Influences, cings too closely TO human ma
ure but happily, dog sh'ing, bull, bear ana badger
batting ckfghtiDg and throwing, rating, and KIN
bred croees, once common and 80 popular WIN all
classes ia the old country, are now patronHed ana
kept up only by those who virtually without tho
soca pale. While these vicious sports are falling INTO
disuse abroad are sorry TO observe that they are
growing in popularity this side Of the Atlantic.
Perhaps the most popular Of these grosser pas.imes
here is rafting. This has almost bee passion with
great many people.
True they have not yet gone so far sref-
by assured our celestial friends the other side Of the
world have Gone, in popuarzog the rat, as TO make
II an article of dieta delicate morsel on which 70 law
sh all the res, urces Of the gasIononc art; but who
can cav What we may do in that line yet seeing no"
easily we have taken TO the French taste Tor frogs,
and not content with tie natural product Of the pom b
have actually begun to breed and faten them Tor hs
New York market. 1t may be that this kanacutife
will ultimate in producing race of bufrogs "a big az
the bullock whose size their progeRtor in the fao'e
endeayored to emulate. But we are depressing. Oar
present business is with ratsDot the topographic bus
the quadrupedic.
We say it is not improbable, in the light Of the pat,
with our thirst for the novel and the strange thai we
NAV ultimately become fascinated with the Chinese
method of feeding and be able to step into New-fork
restaurant call TOR dish of fricasseed rats and devo1r
them with az much gusto many now do dsh Of dey-
ed foes The majority Of our people, i. is true are
dreadfuly severe on the rat although, living, he the
scayepeer of the town aud, dead, furnishes the sou
poyeswhch encase tie delicate dies Of those who pat
Ionize Joayin and Alexandre. For fellow who does
guch dirty work. your rat is certainly most comusnds-
blv clean and to our eyes, his sleek, brown coat, deli
cate pink feet and bright sharp eyes are anything but
Disgusting; but whether he will grow into pubhc
favor as pet of the palate question that can only
be answered by the test of time At all events we re-
card MIN as an animal sufficiently useful in sanitary
poiut of view to ene ha TO better treatment than be
,ets AT onr hands Ii he were used well as ne de-
serves to be- he would doubt stop his ds@greeaos
tricks and become a. doce the companions Of Syo
Pelco.
Az present the only use to which we put him. ia the
rat Dit There are several such places in various pas'e
Of this city, and they not only well patroni1ed bat
are growing exceedingly popular. AT these places
congregate large numbers of people to witness the
weekly dog fights and rat matches, and snch an in
poTapt part does the rat play in these exhib'0ns that
the p,oprietors set price their heads and pay small
bows ipnume able coppers for supply OF the hSeIy
creatures But we are wrong in inuulating thai the
Americans co Lot relish article of tood-they
have been eaten, TO our knowledge, in his city-not
only eaten but eaten alice, and that too by human
being Bot a few nights nee, at a rat-pit 10 White
street, a Phladelphian, on wager ate I'ce rat IN
the presence of an admirng and applaudlng audience
We don't know which got the worst of it, the rat or
the man. but We 90 know that the latter still survives.
These rat-pits are generally circular place made Of
boards about q feet high lined with tin. Into this
place are turned number of living rats, and small
dog at the word " Go" IL let loose upon them. The
rats are unable jump out they hunted around
and around by the dog till at last he seizes by the
back-a desparng squeak and the craunchng of bones
ia all that is heard before the rat lies dead the hoor
Instantly the dog is in pursuit of another, while the
dogs master stamps about the pitt urging him on IN the
chase One after anothr the rats craunched by the
dog till all that were let loose are killed, when the
owner picks up his ANIMAL buttons him up in bis over
coat and his seat among the audience More
rails are then put in, and another dog takes turn and
the one that kills his rats quickest wins the prize. This
intellectual game ia governed by very strict rules-as,
for instance if rat can crawl ts length after the dog
has let him 90 it is not considered fair and another
dog is let oOse upon him. or, dog weighing 20 pounds
must Kill twice the number Of rats in the time as
Il l2.pound dog-beside many Others all of which are
Iehgously adhered to- and much money changes hands
on the matches governed by them When you know
that in and adjacent these pits there kept all sorts
of animals-6ogs bears, coons, rats, boys negroes,
and white men-you can form some idea Of the Arabian
perfumes which greet the nostrs Of stranger. Yet
there are educated and wealthy men who visit and
patronizs these places and who delight in those rat
matches and dog fights.
We noticed recently in one of the city dalies an
advertisement headed, "To Gentlemen Sports which
said that
1.-THE subscriber has for sale strong but light rasp ssess
inches diameter suitable for pirate gentleman can be pot
up taken down in two minutes"
Where a man has dog is afflicted with rats, and
possesses love for the good old English sports"
such rat.p would be " handy to have in the house."
Imagine the convenience Of the thing be pat up
in two minutes. Alter the children come home from
school, how comfortable it would be to hastily put up
the rapt in the nursery, bring in Towser let loose
dozen rats and them while he worries and craanches
and kills them, you could gently puff your cigar,
sonay encouraging the dog and thus enjoy this sport
with the children. What pleasanter and more rational
recreation could reasonable man desire Then, to
vary the sport and to give the children the benefit Of
the experiment he could remove Towser pot in Tabby,
and sec which could serve up its dozen rats in the
quickest time. What charming institution the ratpit
would thus become, combining excitement and amuse
meDt with instructive lessons in morality, humanity,
and natural history. OF course all gentlemen sports
will speedily Introduce nursery rapits into their pr-
yate residences. Who says we ars not progressive
people.