454 PEDESTRIANISM. 
fend performed a furprifing talk ; viz. gathering with 
his mouth one hundred ftones placed at the diftance of 
one yard, and walking four miles backward, and running 
eight, making in the whole eighteen miles, which he 
performed in three hours and fifty-fix minutes, being 
four minutes under the time fpecified. He gathered the 
hundred ftones in forty-feven minutes, equal to a diftance 
of nearly fix miles. 
Captain Fairburn, on the 14th Oft. undertook to walk, 
fair toe and heel, eighteen miles in three hours and a 
quarter, for 200I. The ground felefted was Epping Fo- 
reft, and he won in three hours nine minutes and ten fe- 
conds. 
One Skipper finiftied an arduous undertaking at New¬ 
market on Wednefday, Oft. 16, having walked 1000 miles 
in toco fuccefiive half-hours. He appeared in good 
health at the clofe. He had no backers. 
Abernethy, a Scotch pedeftrian, this month performed 
a match to from London to Nottingham and back, ma¬ 
king a circuitous route of 260 miles, in four fucceftive 
days. He ftarted on the 16th of Oftober. 
On Friday, Oftober 18, a match, which excited very 
great intereft at the club-houfes, and upon which there 
was heavy betting, was decided on the Kilburn-road. 
Captain Smith, well known in the fporting world as a 
good pedeftrian, undertook to run five miles in thirty mi¬ 
nutes, for a ftake of 50I. He ftarted at eight o’clock from 
Maida-hill, a mile in and out, and finally performed the 
match, not even having a lecond to fpare. 
Another great pedeftrian feat was performed this month 
by Mr. James Tinney, at Oundle. He engaged to walk 
ninety-fix miles in twenty-four fuccefliv'e hours; and per¬ 
formed the talk one minute within the time, without appa¬ 
rent diftrefs, corning in to the winning point at the rate of 
fix miles an-hour. He walked on the Peterborough road, 
a mile out and in: twelve or fourteen miles of the journey 
was on pavement as bad as any in the kingdom. 
We have feen that Powell walked once from London 
to York and back in five days fifteen hours fifteen mi¬ 
nutes. Townfend, whom we have mentioned above, 
made a wager, that he would perform the fame journey 
in lefs time than that celebrated pedeftrian. Townfend 
ftarted from Yorkon Monday the 21ft of Oftober at noon; 
arrived at Bawtry at eleven that night, and fiept till four 
on Tuefday morning, when he ftarted in heavy rain and 
very dark; arrived at Stamford at eleven at night, and 
quitted it at half paft two on Wednefday morning; was 
detained.cn the next ftage for an hour by illnefs ; arrived 
at a village twenty-fix miles from London at eleven at 
night; went to bed ill; rofe at two on Thurfday, was 
detained another hour by illnefs, but reached St. Paul’s, 
London, notwithllanding, at ten minutes after ten in 
the forenoon of that day. Stopped in London only half 
an hour; on returning this day had three hours drench¬ 
ing rain ; arrived at Royften at eleven at night, but, 
though he had befpoken a bed and lupper at one of the 
inns, found himfelf fhut out, and was obliged to walk 
fome miles further, when, overcome by hunger, cold, and 
fatigue, he retired into a hovel for a little repofe; arrived 
at Huntingdon at fix on Friday morning, at Grantham a 
little after eight at night, fiept till two on Saturday morn¬ 
ing, ftarted immediately ; arrived at Newark at five, ccn- 
liderably indifpofed: took fome medicine; in a 'fliort 
time became as frefti as ever; was at Redford at one, at 
Bawtry at three, at Doncafter at five, at Ferrybridge at 
nine, and at Tadcafter at twelve, nearly knocked up ; was 
here met by a great number of fpeftators, vvhofe cheers 
gave him frefti fpirits ; ftarted for York, and arrived at ten 
minutes before three on Sunday morning! having thus 
performed this Herculean talk in five days, fourteen 
hours, and fifty minutes, and won the wager by twenty- 
five minutes. 
Ralph Abernethy, a Scotchman, walked, (Nov. 3,) on 
the Bath road, feventy-two miles in twenty-four hours 
and forty-five minutes. 
Thus we have brought up the hiftory of pedeftrianifm 
to within a month of the time we are writing. But we 
muft now go back a few' years, in order to introduce to 
our readers a very interefting charafter, who walked 
thoufands of miles, not againft time and to get money, 
but in the moft laudable purfuit, of increafing the know¬ 
ledge of countries little frequented. The following nar¬ 
rative is from the Gentleman’s Magazine for January 
1796. 
“A few days ago arrived in town from Halifax, in 
Nova-Scotia, Mr. Spillard, the celebrated pedeftrian tra¬ 
veller, fo frequently mentioned in the European and 
American publications. This fingular charafter has been 
out near twelve years, and has travelled on foot, during 
that time, the diftance of 69,000 miles and upwards, 
through all Europe, a great part of Afiatic Turkey, 
through Barbary, up to Mequinez and Fez in Morocco, 
and through the Arabs country. 
“ Being defirous to add America to the other three 
quarters of the world, he took paflage from Gibraltar, 
about fix years ago, for Bofton; and has travelled, during 
that time, through all the United States, through Ealt 
Florida, and from the river St. Mary’s, through the wil- 
dernefs, to the Lower and Upper Creek Nation, where 
he was kindly received by his friend Col. Magillevray. 
Being protefted by him, he remained there for a confider- 
able time, and was furnifhed by that gentleman with 
notes of that nation, of Indian manners and cuftoms. 
From the Creeks he vifited the Chickafaw, Cherokee,and 
Chocktaw, nations of Indians, and was prefent at their 
councils and talks. From the Creek nation he proceeded 
to Penfacola, in Eaft Florida, where he procured letters 
of recommendation from governor O’Neal, in the Spanilh 
fervice, to the baron de Carondelft, at New Orleans, the 
governor of Louifiana, who very politely received him, 
and gave him a general pafi’port, with letters of recom¬ 
mendation to the governor of the Natchez, and to all 
the commandants of diftrifts and out-pofts in this exten- 
five province. 
“ Mr. Spillard’s intention being to go up the Miflburi 
to its fource, he fet out from New Orleans, accompanied 
by fome gentlemen, who would infill upon feeing him 
as far as the poll of the Walnut Hills. There he crofted 
the Miftifiippi, with fix men in his company, and went up 
it till he came to the confluence of the Miflburi with the 
Mifliftippi. Having gone up the Miflburi a diftance of 
more than 3000 miles, he fell in with fix white hunters, 
from the Ouchita river, who advifed him not to attempt 
going up any farther, as they themfelves had loft all their 
peltry and horfes, and narrowly efcaped with their lives 
from the Ouza Indians ; thefe Indians never give any 
quarter to either red or white men. Thus deterred, he 
came down to Natchez, and foon after came down the 
Mifliftippi till he got to the confluence of the Red River, 
the fource of which he was determined to find out at all 
events. He accordingly went up as far as Alnoilife, where 
he parted with his canoe, and ftruck off to Oppalufa, 
which, as well as Atakapau and New Iberia, he carefully 
examined. Here he ftruck acrofs the mountains to Na- 
chitoches, which is the laft Spanifli port upon the Red 
River. Previous to leaving New Orleans, the governor 
gave him letters to the governor of the province of Thi- 
kofs, in New Spain, where he arrived at the city of St. 
Antoine in a month after his departure from Nachitoches. 
The governor. Dr. John Curtefs, received him politely, 
and, after refting a few days, gave him a fmall guard as 
an efcort to the South Mountain of Santalee. Here he 
fell-in with the fouth branch of the Red River, which 
he continued down till hecainetothe north branch, and 
fo continued along its banks in the great plain till he 
came to the Pawnee nation of Indians, and fo on to the 
Canfee Indians, continuing his route till he arrived again 
at Nachitoches, and fo down to the mouth of the river. 
“ Mr. Spillard is the firft perfon who has ever taken a 
draught of this river from its fource, from the mountains 
of 
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