Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-09-05


ting sleigh" will not exceed 35 to 30 lbs. in
weight ; the ordinary sleigh averages 100.
The public and the carriage builder study
weight in the draft, and are always think
ing of the speed of the horse, and how to
help the driver in his progress Landaus.
barouehes, and close carriages. are among
the equipages Of the towns. Sometimes a
hooded carriage, something resembling our
cabriolet, Is to be met with in the country
| but the wagon and the buggy with heads.
and leathen curtains which can be button
ed 50 rs to thoroughly enclose the occupants.
are the vehicles most in use. Owners and
llyerymen are very sloyenly in the care of
their carriages and harness neither the one
nor the other may be cleaned from one weeks
end to the other. Nor is much time spent
IN grooming the horse unless his master
happens to have had the care of horses in
town, or in racing stables, or indeed has had
something Of an equine education. \ horse
and buggy may he hired for a whole after
noon FOR two dollars, eight shillings. You
may take n short drive for half that sum-
The hire of n wagon and two horses does not
exceed four dollars the entire day. All
along the various roads are public drinking
troughs usually the driver lets the horse
drink at discretion The roads are very
rudely mended the plank bridges often in
secure and in the clay country the mud Is
up to the hub of the wheel, and the high
ways are nearly useless. As rule, the
Yankee and the Nankee-lrish treat their
horses with Kindness. and rarely fog them.
Much is trusted to the intelligence and sa-
gacity of the animal; and have seen vehi-
cles dragged up and down breakneck open
inSs in the woods, and among the rocks
where no roadway had ever been marked
out, or was likely TO be established, such rs
scared me to contemplate The voice Of the
driver served instead of the whip. rs is
already well known. the speed of the trot-
ting horse in the United States, with
light " sully" and an able driver, is marvel
lous. In my presence, Lady Thorn, IA
nous trotting mare. trotted with ease three
miles in little more than seven minutes.
The first mile was accomplished in two min
utcs, twenty-five seconds the second mile
was performed in two minutes, twenty-one
seconds; and she sped the third, without
effort. in two minutes, twenty seconds. The
pacc Of mile in two minutes and fifty see
onds by pair ofhorscs in harness is thought
very ordinary There WAS famous pair
black, over sixteen hands high-that once
trotted the mile in twominutes. twenty-eight
seconds. Their owner. Mr. Balch. of Bl>-
ton. WAS urged To send them over to Eng
land 81, illustrative of the American educa-
tion of the horse Prices range from 000
dollars up to l2.O00 dollars for a trotting
horse Here. in the distant country, 600
dollars to 600 dollars Is frequently obtained
lora promising trotter. All around the
State lie the trotting courses, where purses
ranging from 100 to 900 dollars are car
ried Of. The trotting matches bring ont an
enthusiasm from all classes Of the people
that nothing else viii. "Giye me the Mig
ger minstrel. and a circus, and a trotting
match. - -ay~ the farmer. ." and I'm full.
Bets ALWAYS 90 with a race, and the Yankee
loves to enforce any assertion with the offer
of wager In the winter, trotting matches |
are held on the ice. The ponds lakelet-. /
and rivers. are thr0nged with teams. lake F.
Dunm0re. near the town of Salisbury. is a
fayorite rendezvous. having an unbr0kcn |
sheet Of ice four miles in extent. and a mile |
in width. The sleiehs, and ~ledse>, and |
flights of boys on skates, make an exhilam- |
ting tablcau at such an event. The children, |
from their earliest years, practice skating
and. on their little carts. or slcds, mounted /
ON shafts that turn up at tie extrcmitie> like /
a skate race down the snow hills and frozen /
roads eight or ten at time, aS a winter |
pastime The young bcCcars relish tuln- /
Die and roll in the snow with uncommon /
good-hum0r. There Is much excitement, F.
noise, and outcry at trot ON the lee, e~pe- |
cially among the Irish section Of the CONF /
munitv. but little or no visible drunkcnneS-. |
The meet Is for business, for the stakes. and T.
for settlement of the bets; and festiyity /
only comes, if 1t ever comes, Afterwards. |
The advent of snow is looked for anxi0usl y. |
&c Good ~leighing time Is reli>hel by every |
hody. with or without team. Occasional /
" sleigh. to accommodate twenty, or even l
thirty passengers, may he seen with six or 1
eight horses drawing it. And the school I
children come in for % treat in riding excur- |
sions over the snow, 10 which the hotel /
keeper or liyery-mau. who has his Gust m- /
ers amongst their parents, has invited them.
The bells attached 10 tine horses and to tine |
sides Of the sleighs sound cheeriully in the
crisp air, and occasionally the horses heads |
will be ganished with a plume Of cock
feathers. The robes and leg-wrpperS Of |
the skins of buffalo, bear wolf. fox, skunk
even, are very handsome, and are taStclully |
lined with colored cl0ths-~carlct, blue. and !
green The children are omnipoteut- In
the costumes of both boys and girls. the
French and German cut and use of color
have been added 10 the sobercr English
style. Fancy costume, n IN D1hH0irc, has /
travelled up here, especially since the war.
The small, rising population with which |
am acquainted. aud which | see around. is
blessed with good looks, and seems to be ro- /
bust and strong, in spite of the oyerwhclm-
ing appetite lor candy. and sugar, and sweets
of every description. Their manners have
to be improved. especially indoors. where
the fashion Of having the head covered has
been taught them by their elders. The tone
of voice in ordinary speaking, by the ladS,
is very brusque and Indifferent, rs II the
child disiked having to utter any pleasant
salutation. and preferred as it does by IN
-tinct. to be left alone. With all OF them
the spirit of Sell-asscrtion IS marked. strong
and decided, and they aim to be little men
and women as soon as they can walk and
speak. In my opinion, the custom Of as>o-
ciating them together in the general school,
irrespective Of sexes, IS not a wholesome one.
Up to the age of SIX years, no harm can
come of it, but after, this precious freedom
should be restrained. 1t is beginning to be |
felt in everything in this whole country, that
people. Young and old, can be too free.
You will smile when recapitulate the in
dependent diversions of the little township
in which am recording these impressions.
We have the parties. decided Montagucs
and Capulct-. antagonists and rivals, on two
sides Of the river. which runs through the
Al r., ti,l vI Tfl
shades and divisions of like and dislike, the
Democratic, and the Old Wing party in poll
ties. There are the Catholic section, the
Congregational following, the Baptist con-
grecation. the Methodist community, the
Episcopal believers, all with very certain
ideas about the errors. Deficiencies. and big
otry of their rivals in faith and works.
They are not to he combined though the
Congregational, Baptist. and Methodist have
a monthly meeting. at which the three res
pective ministers assist. There Is an as
surcd diStrust of each other with all this
fair seeming. Then there are two banks. |
each with lis clients and the three wealth
lest men have independent supporters, who
care not to come together, save upon com
pulsion orat public meeting, which Is half
a riot. The immediate population of the
town. apart from the outlying community, /
which Is scattered over circuit-say three
miles distant from the main strcet-docs not
exceed ! 500 souls, men, women, and child |
ren. All the narrow, odd sclf-sufieicncy Of
n country village ingnined, is not ameliora-
ted by this separate action and opinion. As
the Congregationalist minister, too, phrased
the condition of the people to me, :. Every
body here thinks himself as good as his
neighbor, and little better
Brick houses are uncommon, stone. of
course, more 50. Occasionally you will !
meet with marble-ironted house. if there is |
a quarry hard by. The apartments in most
of them are rooihy and cheerful; the furni- |
ture curious medley of old and new IN de |
of the walnut and chestnut and pine woods. |
sometimes ornanented with hickory. and but |
l. :.