CURLING. 



429 



curling was known in the country at least two hun- 

 dred years ago, however earlier. 



" The time is not distant," says Mr M'Diurmid, 

 in his Sketches of Nature, " when the game of 

 curling was little known out of Scotland, or even 

 within it, benorth the Forth. But the taste for 

 this manly sport has increased greatly of late years ; 

 and in various parts of England, as well as of 

 America, the broom and the channel-stone are put 

 in requisition with the same regularity that winter 

 comes round. In the course of last year, several 

 hundred pairs of stones were exported to Canada; 

 and it may be worthy of remark, that the best 

 material for the manufacture of these is found at 

 Ailsa Craig one of the most remarkable rocks in 

 the world and particularly on the side of it facing 

 Girvan. To fashion and balance the stones pro- 

 perly requires a very good workman, and the few 

 that are known to excel in the art have great rea- 

 son to be satisfied with their earnings. 



" In the whole range of rural sports," continues 

 the same writer, " I know nothing more exhilarat- 

 ing than a spiel on the ice, where the players are 

 numerous and well matched the stakes a dinner 

 or beef and greens and the forfeit the honour of 

 rival parishes. Whether we mingle with the eager 

 throng, or perambulate the banks of the frozen 

 lake, on the principle that ' distance lends en- 

 chantment to the view,' the scene abounds with 

 points of interest, that might well afford scope for 

 the pencil of a Wilkie, or the pen of a Scott. 

 First, we have the icy arena itself, scooped at the 

 bottom of some quiet vale, fringed with reeds, from 

 which the wild duck rises whirring on the wing, 

 and skirted with alders, whose beautifully feathered 

 and fantastic tops seem even more engaging than 

 when nursed into foliage by the beams of May. 

 All around is blank and dreary-^the snow-flake 

 freezes as fast as it falls the sun seems level with 

 the horizon's verge the hills make the spectator 

 cold to look at them and every thing, in one 

 word, conspires to complete the picture of a win- 

 ter's day. But the courage of men bent on the 

 favourite amusement of curling is not easily damped 

 by the inclemency of the elements ; on the con- 

 trary, their spirits seem to mount as the thermometer 

 falls, and nothing pleases them more than a feeding 

 storm, and, along with that, the prospect of a long 

 lease of " their roaring play." Arrived at the 

 scene of action, all is bustle and animation, till the 

 stones have been distributed, assorted, claimed 

 rinks measured, tramps fastened, tees fixed and 

 the order of battle completely arranged ; and as 

 these preliminaries are speedily settled, to it the 

 parties set with all the anxiety of those who con- 

 tend for a much higher prize. Lots, perhaps, are 

 cast for the first shot, and the greatest novice in- 

 vited to deliver the first stone ; and should his arm 

 lack the proper pith, that instant a dozen of brooms 

 are raised to help the laggard over the hogg score. 

 A second, a third, a fourth succeeds, and so on, till 

 the line stretches a tolerable length, though not by 

 any means to the ' crack of doom ;' and each man 

 is warned by his respective friends to plant, if pos- 

 sible, an excellent guard dislodge this stone and 

 cover that open up one port and close up another 

 play soft or strong, outside or inside, as the oc- 

 casion may require and steer as closely by the 

 signal broom, us the mariner, when warned by simi- 

 lar devices, threads his watery way through sand- 

 banks and shallows." 



As curling is one of the most healthy arid ex- 



hilarating of sports, and as it can never be followed 

 to any injurious extent, seeing that its practice is 

 necessarily limited to a season of the year when 

 country labour is mostly suspended, we shall here 

 lay before the reader an elaborate description of the 

 manner in which the game is performed. The 

 knowledge of a pastime so admirably fitted for 

 warming and enlivening the dreary hours of a win- 

 ter day deserve to be extensively spread. For the 

 description which we here quote we are indebted 

 to the " Penny Magazine." 



" The first business is to select a portion of ice 

 as pure, level, and hard as possible : this ought not 

 to be less than forty-six yards in length and six in 

 breadth, but fifty-two long by eight broad is pre- 

 ferable. This is termed &rink or lade. Along the 

 middle, and about equally distant from each end, 

 two points are selected, called the tee : the distance 

 between these is usually from thirty-six to forty- 

 two yards, but is determined by the quality of ice, 

 average strength of the players, and excellence of 

 the stones used ; there ought however to be about 

 five yards between each tee and the extremity of 

 the rink. One or two circles, called rings, of dif- 

 ferent diameters, are commonly described round 

 each tee, to facilitate the measuring the distance of 

 the stone from the centre, and during the game to 

 assist the eye in forming a more correct idea of 

 what stone is nearest it, as actual measuring is not 

 allowed till every stone has been played from the 

 opposite end. Upon the tee a small conspicuous 

 but easily moved mark, as a cone of wood two or 

 three inches high, is usually placed; and this in- 

 deed is the real tee, the immovable centre or point 

 below it being the tosee : sometimes instead of a 

 mark, a player places the end of his broom over 

 the tosee, and removes it the moment the stone is 

 delivered. About one-fifth of the whole distance 

 between the tees, and between them, a line called 

 the hog-score or collier-score is drawn across the 

 rink at each end. Each player is provided with a 

 broom, with which to sweep the rink clear, and two 

 curling stones; these last vary in size and weight, ac- 

 cording to the strength of the player, some weighing 

 as much as fifty Ibs. imperial, or even more, others 

 only twenty-eight or thirty Ibs.; they are of the 

 hardest and toughest granite or whinstone ; they are 

 always made circular, with a flatfish sole, or under 

 part, which is highly polished ; the sides are either 

 straight, when the stone is the section of a cylin- 

 der, or circular, when it may be compared to a very 

 flat barrel ; the usual height of a barrelled stone is 

 about one-half of the greatest diameter, and the 

 top or sole about 2 or 3 inches less than the 

 greatest diameter. About 10 inches in diameter, 

 with a sole and top 7 or 7, and height 5 or 5}, 

 yields a well shaped stone of from 35 to 40 Ibs. 

 These stones have an iron or wooden handle, either 

 open at one end or closed, and fixed into the upper 

 surface. The players, of whom from eight to 

 sixteen can join in the game at the same rink, are 

 now divided into two parties, each of which chooses 

 a captain, called a director or skipper, who has the 

 whole control of his side of the game, and may 

 arrange his own players, including himself, in what 

 order he pleases ; the same routine is preserved 

 throughout the whole game, and each party plays 

 alternately. 



"The directors, if not otherwise previously ar- 

 ranged, draw lots which party shall play first. The 

 first player now stands at one of the tees, in such a 

 position that the stone must pass over the tee; 



