game cocki 



218 GAME COCKS. 



The Jollouing inierestivg Letter reus receited from a Clergy. 

 77ia)i. 



West Ham, March 28th, 1805. 

 Dear Sib, 



Information ^ perceive that only on one part of your well drrected Queries 



respecting T am able to give yoa satisfaction, and that is, on what you 

 LTaud^ma-"' ^^^^^ ^^^^^ e^cpcct from a D. D. and the s?ber vicar of a country 

 nagement of parish : the subject to which I allude is cock-fighting. At the 

 period of my childhood, when I ran wild, from ten to fifteen, 

 I was a great cock-figtiter, and though it is many years ago, 

 I find my memory perfectly competent to even the minuie nar- 

 ration of every fact. 



But before I proceed, T will intrude a remark or two upon 

 your preliminary observations. In all the theoretical part I 

 completely coincide : indeed I was pleased to find so much 

 harmony between your sentiments and those I lately transmitted 

 to you, without the possibility of any previous concert between 

 us. 



I do not even question your facts, but seem to differ a little 

 with respect to some of the inferences. With respect to the 

 South Sea islanders, and the difference between them and the 

 English sailors, I doubt whether there was any superiority in 

 the training of the former, which gave them the advantage. 

 An English sailor is, perhaps th>3 very perfection of agiiity in 

 his own way*. 1 do not know that the human powers can 



go 

 * An officer of a: frigate who had been at the Sandwich Islands has 

 declared, that our sailors stood no chance in boxing with the natives, 

 who fight precisely in the English manner. A quarter-master, a 

 very stout man, and a skilful boxer, indignant at seeing his compa- 

 nions knocked about with so little ceremony, determined to try a 

 round or two with one of the stoiitest of the natives, although stongly 

 dissuaded from the attempt by his officers. The blood of the native 

 islander being warmed by the opposition of a few minutes, he broke 

 through all the guards of his antagonist, seized him by the thigh and 

 shoulder, threw him up, and held hira with extended arms over his 

 head, for a minute, in token of triumph, and then dashed him on the 

 deck with such violence as to fracture his skull. The gentlemen ad- 

 ded, that he never saw men apparently possessed of such muscular 

 strength, Our stoutest sailors appeared mere shrimps, compared with 

 them. Their mode of life, constantly in vigorous action in the open 

 air, and undebilated by the use of stimulating food or drink, may be 

 considered asa perpetual state of training. Sir J. S. 



