CUR 



513 



C U R 



Curling. 



CariatiL have opposed the retreat of the ten thousand. This his- 

 torian observes, that though shut in on all sides by the 

 Persian empire, they had constantly braved the power 

 of tile great king, and the arms of his Satraps. The 

 same, it will be perceived, continues to be still a pretty 

 accurate account of their present condition. Their rude 

 and barbarous customs have also remained without va- 

 riation. The only considerable change, if that be not 

 also more nominal than real, is in the article of religion. 

 Volney takes notice of the similarity in sound between 

 the names Curd and Gord, and thence suggests, that 

 the original seats of the Curds may have been the 

 Gordaean mountains, or the Gordonaei, where, according 

 to the Chaldean Berosus, and the Annenian Maribas, 

 cited by Moses Chorenensis, Xisuthrus landed, after 

 escaping from the deluge. The Curds themselves still 

 boast of being the direct descendants of Noah. See 

 Niebuhr's Travels; Volney's Travels,vo\.\.; andKinneir's 

 Geographical Memoir of the Persian Empire, passim, (it) 

 CURIATII. See Rome. 

 CURL. See Potatoes in Agriculture Index. 

 CURLING, the game of, is a winter amusement al- 

 most peculiar to Scotland. It is played by sliding stones 

 along the ice to a particular mark, and has some resem- 

 blance to the games of bowls and billiards. 

 Stones cm- ^ ne stones employed in it are of a sphei'ical form, flat- 

 ploytd. tened above and below, so that their breadth may be 

 nearly equal to twice their thickness. The upper and 

 under surfaces are made parallel to one another, and the 

 angles of both are rounded off. The under surface, or 

 sole as it is called, is polished as nicely as possible, that 

 the stone may move easily along. The blocks from 

 which they are made are of whinstone, or granite, of a 

 close texture, free from cracks, and capable of taking a 

 fine polish. Those whinstone nodules, called yolks, on 

 account of their toughness, and never breaking into 

 large fragments, are reckoned the best. They have 

 bent iron or wooden handles, and are from 30 to 60 lbs. 

 avoirdupois weight, according to the strength of the 

 person who uses them. 

 Rink. "^ ne P^ce where the stones move is called the rink, 



the chief property of which is that the ice be level, 

 smooth, and free from cracks, particularly such as are 

 in a longitudinal or oblique direction. A mark or hole 

 is then made at each end called a fee, toesee, or wilier. 

 Round this two circles of different diameters are drawn, 

 that the relative distances of the stones from it may be 

 calculated at sight ; as actual measurement is not per- 

 mitted till the playing at each end be finished. These 

 circles, in the technical language of the game, are called 

 the broughs. A score drawn across the rink at each end, 

 distant from the tee about a sixth part of the length of 

 the rink, is called the hogscore. The length of the rink 

 from tee to tee varies from thirty to fifty yards. The 

 breadth is about 10 or 12 feet. When the ice is cover- 

 ed with snow, it must be cleared to that extent, and al- 

 so ten or twelve feet beyond the tee, at each end, that 

 the stones, when impelled with too much force, may 

 have room to get far enough not to be of any use. 



The number of players upon a rink is eight or six- 

 teen ; eight when the players use two stones each, and 

 sixteen when they use one stone each. There may be 

 one or more rinks according to the number of curlers. 

 Number of The game may also be conducted by one person against 

 players. another, by two against two, or three against three, 

 each using one or more stones, as it may be agreed 

 upon. 



He who is reckoned the best curler has generally the 

 vox.. VJI. PART II. 



power of arranging the order of the players, and who- Curling, 

 ever is last in order, gives directions to all the rest of "^-V™" 

 his party. He is called the driver, and the first the 

 lead. 



The game at first is remarkably simple. The lead The me- 

 endeavours to lay his stone as near the tee as possible, thod ef 

 If it be a little short of it, upon the middle of the rink, conductiiij 

 it is reckoned to be fully better laid than if it touched the g ame * 

 it. The object of the next in order is nearly the same 

 as that of the lead. The next attempts to guard the 

 stone of his partner, if it be near the tee, or to strike off 

 that of his antagonist if it be nearer. The one who fol- 

 lows, if a stone belonging to his own party lie nearest 

 the tee, tries to guard it ; if one of the opposite party, 

 to strike it off; or if no stone be near the tee, to draw a 

 shot, that is, to make his stone rest as near the tee as he - 

 can. 



As the game advances, it becomes always the more 

 intricate. Sometimes the stone nearest the tee, which 

 is called the winner, is so guarded, that there is no pos- 

 sibility of getting at it directly. It then becomes ne- 

 cessary, in order to get it removed, to strike another 

 lying at the side in an oblique direction. This is call- 

 ed wicking, and is one of the nicest parts of the game. 

 But when the winner cannot be reached even in this 

 way, the last in order but one or two must endeavour 

 to remove the opposing stones, by striking them with 

 great force. Sometimes the stones are so situated, that 

 the driver, to avoid the risk of losing any shots which 

 his party may have gained, throws away his stone with- 

 out attempting any thing. When the stones on both 

 sides have been all played, the one nearest the tee 

 counts one ; and if the second, third, fourth, &c. be- 

 long to the same side, all these count so many shots, 

 thirty- one of which for each side is the number usually 

 played for. 



The origin of this game is yet involved in obscurity. Its or ,- e ;ri 

 While most of our national amusements are to be found 

 recorded in the writings of the antiquary and historian, 

 we find no mention made of this before the beginning 

 of the seventeenth century. About that time, the allu- 

 sions' to it are such as clearly prove that it was then pret- 

 ty generally practised. It is probable, however, that 

 its origin does not go much farther back; because, if it 

 had existed much earlier, it could hardly have been 

 omitted in those lists which have been transmitted to us 

 of the ancient amusements of our country. But in none 

 of those lists do we find it ever mentioned, nor does any 

 author make the least allusion to it previous to that pe- 

 riod. In the statutes of the fifteenth century, we find 

 a list of amusements, amongst which are golf and foot- 

 ball, particularly prohibited hy authority, in order to 

 promote the noble art of archery, as it is called. But 

 nowhere do we find a single hint about the game of 

 curling. It can be practised, it is true, only for a short 

 time in the winter ; but when it is practised, it must, 

 from its very nature, be public, and known to the whole 

 neighbourhood. On which account, had it then exist- 

 ed, it could hardly have been overlooked by those who 

 have particularly enumerated the Scotish amusements 

 of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. 



In later times, when it is known to have flourished in 

 this country, we find it forming a favourite subject for 

 poetic description. Not satisfied with allusions, the vo- 

 taries of the muses have allotted to it whole poems, and 

 expatiated witli the feelings of a curler, upon the va- 

 rious circumstances connected with this manly Scotish 

 exercise. Now, since we do not find it even mentioned 



