NEWFOUNDLAND DOG. 37 



landed among a crowd of people on the shore, many of 

 whom attempted, but in vain, to get the book from him. 

 The sagacious animal, sensible of the importance of the 

 charge which, no doubt, had been delivered to him by his 

 perishing master, at length leaped fawningly against the 

 breast of a man, whom he seemed to have selected from 

 among the crowd, and to him he delivered the book. The 

 dog directly returned to the beach, and watching atten- 

 tively for every thing which was brought by the waves 

 near the shore, he seized on it and brought it safe to 

 land. 



As another instance of the docility and sagacity of these 

 animals, Mr. Berwick relates, that a gentleman walking on 

 the banks of the river Tyne, and observing a child fall into 

 the water on the opposite side, gave notice to his dog, 

 which immediately jumped in, swain over, and catching the 

 upper part of the child's dress in its mouth, carried it safely 

 to land. One nearly as large as the one above recorded 

 was owned by a Mr. Britton in Vesey st. It was a noble 

 animal, though quite young, but it was maliciously poisoned 

 by some contemptible and malicious person or persons, 

 probably in revenge on its owner. The hide, however, 

 was preserved and stuffed. One lately owned (but now 

 lost or probably stolen, as he has been before,) by Mr. H. 

 R. Robinson of Nassau st., has more than once prevented 

 the writer of this from lighting a piece of paper at a lamp 

 or stove, which he will at home allow no person to do. He 

 springs up nimbly and snatches with his mouth to seize the 

 paper, and he will not desist until the attempt is given up, 

 or, if the paper had been lit, until thrown on the floor, when 

 he immediately extinguishes the fire with his foot. You 



