Extract from Vaillant's Travels into Africa. the tion of the company was attracted to a sweepstakes, which, from the uniform neatnefs and taste of the opponents, in addition to elegance of their apparatus, the spirit of the steeds, and the individual confidence of the riders, held out a profpect of sport to juftify expectation. They came to the poft in the following order :Mr. Lankey's Boots, by Bufkin, out of Laft, Mr. Fop's Scarecrow, by Jemmy, out of Jeffamine, Mr. Latitat's Quibble, by Equivoque, out of Duplicity, -Mr. Sattinet's Swan-down, by Muff, out of Snuff-box, - Mr. Carmine's Pencil, by Puff, out of Credulity, and Mr. Ride-out's Prodigy, by Roe and Doe, out of Bench: they went off in tolerarable ftyle, and lay well together for about one-third of the course, when PRODIGY (whofe bottom was always fufpected) dropped behind and foon came to a ftand-ftill. Boors, being too long in the legs, was lofing ground confiderably. SCARECROW ran out of the courfe. QUIBBLE, SWAN DOWN, and PENCIL, were laying well by the fide of each other down the hill, when one of the Turkish ambassador's retinue, making his entrée upon a BARB, "armed at all points, capà-pee," according to the cuftom of his country, and advancing with the utmoft fpeed, threatened abfolute deftruction to fome one of the party, which was however happily avoided by the expert borsemanship of the Mahometan, who had nevertheless prevented the termination of the race, leaving it totally undecided. Should this prove worthy infertion, you may probably hear again from Feb. 22, 1796. A PEDESTRIAN. 261 METHOD of HUNTING, among the HOTTENTOTS, with a Defcription of the Bows and POISONED ARROWS ufed by them. (From Vaillant's Travels into the Interior Parts of Africa.) TH HE Hottentots," fays this tr traveller, are remarkably fond of hunting; and in this exercise they display great dexterity. Befides gins and fnares, which they place in convenient fpots to catch large animals, they lie in wait for them alfo, attack them as foon as they appear, and kill them with their poifoned arrows, or their affagays. When an animal is wounded by the former, it inftantly feels the effects of the poison, which coagulates its blood; and it often happens that an elephant, wounded in this manner, falls at the diftance of twenty or thirty leagues from the place where it received the deadly blow. As foon as an animal expires, they are contented with cutting away all the flesh near the wound, which they confider as dangerous; but the reft fuftains no injury from the force of the poifon. I have often ate the flesh of animals killed in this manner, without experiencing the flightest inconvenience; but I muft own, that I would not run the fame risk with respect to animals which have retained the poifon in their bodies for fome time. On the first view of their arrows, one would not fufpect how deftructive weapons they are. They will neither fly fo far, nor are they fo long, as those used by the Caribs in America; but even their smallness renders them fo much the more dangerous, as it is impoffible to perceive and follow them with the eye, and confequently to avoid them. The flightest wound which they make always 262 Extract from Vaillant's Travels into Africa. always proves mortals, if the poifon reaches the blood, and if the flesh be torn. The fureft remedy is to amputate the wounded part, if it be a limb; but if the wound be in the body, death is unavoidable. Thefe arrows are made of reeds, and very curioufly formed. They are only eighteen inches, or at most two feet, in length; whereas thofe of the Caribs are fix feet. Having rounded a fmall bone three or four inches in length, and lefs in diameter than the reed, thefe Hottentots thruft it into one of the ends of the ar TOW, but without fixing it; on this account, when the arrow penetrates any body, the rod may be drawn out, but the bone remains in the wound; because it is armed with a fmall iron hook, placed on one of its fides in fuch a manner, that by its refiftance, and the new lacerations it occafions in the flesh, it renders ufelefs all thofe means which art might devife to extract it. This bone alfo is dipped in a poifon which has the confiftence of maftich; and they often add to its point à fmall triangular bit of iron well sharpened, which renders the weapon lll more terri But that poifon which they extract Their bows are proportioned to their arrows, and are not above two feet and a half, or at most three feet, in length: the ftring is formed of intestines. The aflagay is generally a very feeble weapon in the hands of a Hottentot: but, befides this, as its length renders it not dangerous, for it may be feen cleaving the air, it is not difficult to avoid it. Beyond the distance of forty paces, the perfon who darts it is not fure of his aim, although the Hottentots are able to throw it much farther: it is only in a clofe engagement that it can be of any utility. It has the fame fhape as a lance in every other country; but as it is intended to be thrown at the enemy, or at animals, the wood of thofe ufed in Africa is much lighter and weaker, and continues diminish ing Action for courfing a Hare. ing in thickness to the extremity | oppofite to the iron point. The ufe of thefe weapons is very ill understood; for the warrior. who wields them with the greatest fkill is alfo the fooneft difarmed. The Gonaquas, and all the other Hottentots, never carry but one; and the embarraffment which they generally cause, as well as the little advantage they derive from them, fufficiently prove that they are not their favourite means of defence; which may lead us to conclude that bows and arrows are the natural and proper arms of a Hottentot. I have seen fome of them that displayed much addrefs in throwing the affagay*; but the greater part of them are entirely unacquainted with it. 263 mitted that the defendant was an eminent farmer, and rented a great deal of land. He was not qualified. Mr. Garrow, as counfel for the defendant, lamented that refpectable farmers fhould be marked out as objects of the game laws, which ought to be put in force only against poachers. He hoped the Jury would reject the unfupported evidence of a fingle witnefs on this occafion, and find a verdict for the defendant. Lord Kenyon." The queftion is, not whether the game laws be founded in juftice, but whether they have been disobeyed. They are at prefent exifting laws, and it is the duty of judges and juries to enforce them." The jury found a verdict for the plaintiff, for one penalty only, 51. Feb. 9. THE KING V. LARA. In this cafe the defendant had been indicted for defrauding John Spicer of lottery tickets of the value of about zoool. by giving him a check upon Sir Robert Ladbrook and Co. who, he pretended, were his bankers, but with whom he kept no cash. Upon this charge he was tried and convicted; but a motion being made in arreft of judgment, and the case being argued, Lord Kenyon faid, that the defendant was a very bad man; and had the conviction affected him in the moft ferious manner, and conducted him to that end for which he seemed to be deftined, he should not have been forry for it. His roguery was fo great, that he was not fit to live among other men: but infamous as he was, the court muft difpofe of him according to law, and he was 264 The King against Lord Faulkland and others. was bound to fay, that the judgment in this cafe ought to be arrested. The other judges agreed, and judgment was therefore arrested, and the prisoner cleared from the charge. Wednesday, Feb. 10. THE KING V. LORD FAULKLAND SEVERAL indictments for confpiracy, perjury, &c. having been found against Lord Faulkland, John King, and others, and which came on to be tried in the course of the laft fummer in Westminster Hall before Lord Kenyon and a fpecial jury; one of them was tried, and King was acquitted. It was afterwards agreed between the parties profecuting and profecuted, that the remaining indictments fhould not be tried, but that verdicts of Not Guilty fhould be entered, and that the matters in difference, under certain fpecified conditions, fhould be referred to Mr. Champion, a director of the Bank, to afcertain whether any and what was due, and what fecurities were to be given to Mr. Philips, who complained that he had been defrauded of a very large fum of money by a confpiracy of the defendants?" Mr. Champion having investigated the matter, awarded that King, &c. fhould pay to Mr. Philips within five days of the prefent term, the fum of 5,500l. A rule was obtained, at the commencement of the term, calling on Mr. Philips to fhew cause why this award fhould not be fet afide, it being maintained that Mr. Champion had exceeded the power which was given to him when the parties, by a rule of court, fubmitted to his arbitration. This cafe was very ably argued by Mr. Mingay and Mr. Gibbs, in fupport of the award and by Mr. Erskine, Mr. Garrow, and Mr. Rein, for King, against the award. Lord Kenyon faid, that Mr. Champion had lately called upon him, and defired to know "what he ought to do; whether he ought to come down to the court when this matter was argued?" His lordship told him, he did not know it was neceffary for him to attend upon the subject. He faid he was glad of it; for that he was very much engaged as a director of the Bank of England, but that he was ready to do what was proper. His lordship repeated he did not think it was neceffary for Mr. Champion to attend. Lord Kenyon then delivered his opinion upon the whole cafe before the court, and was clearly convinced that the award did substantial justice between the parties, and was quite right. Mr. Juftice Ashhurst and Mr. Juftice Grofe coincided with his lordship in opinion. Mr. Juftice Lawrence differed, and thought that the arbitrator had no power by the rule of fubmiffion to order the money to be paid; that he could only order a better fecurity to be given to Mr. Philips for the payment of his money. The court ordered the rule to be discharged, and therefore the award was affirmed. CASSEL V. DAVIES. THIS was an action brought by the plaintiff, on a bill of exchange for 30l. drawn by one Geo. King, payable at month after date, to his own order, against the defendant, as acceptor. King, the drawer of this bill, had been fervant to a lady at Hampstead, Money Loft at the Game of Whift. Hampstead, and the defendant was a publican in that quarter, and had incautiously admitted King into his house, to keep a lotteryoffice during the drawing of the lottery, and to deal in illegal infurances. This bill was accepted by Davies for a gambling debt, which he had contracted to King; and what was remarkable, King, the drawer, had formally brought an action on this very bill against the defendant, in the court of Common Pleas, and there was a judgment of non profs. Lord Kenyon obferved, in his addrefs to the jury, that deeds like this were never done before a cloud of witneffes: they were called works of darkness, and generally withdrew themfelves from the view of mankind. Paper tranfactions undoubtedly ought to receive countenance up to a certain extent, that is, as far as they were honeft; but if they were carried beyond that, his lordship did not know but they would do more hurt than ever they did good. An infinite deal of damage, moft certainly, had been done to mankind by fuch tranfactions. Fraud, it had been faid, was not to be prefumed without evidence; but if men were to expect evidence equal to demonftration, of the exiftence of fraud, it could be very seldom detected. His lordship next confidered the nature and circumftances of this cafe. If a bill of exchange was put in circulation, however difhoneftly, and it came into the hands of a bona fide holder, for a valuable confideration, with one or two exceptions, he had a right to recover. A bill given for a gambling debt, by an act of parliament, formed one of thofe exceptions. But when perfon took a note, as in this cafe, after it became due, it certainly VOL VII. No. XLI. a 265 raised fome fufpicions, and one was apt to ask why it was not paid at the time it became payable. If a man takes a bill under thefe circumftances, and, after making enquiry, receives that kind of anfwer which may induce an honeft man to give credit to it, that is one thing; but if a man takes it without making any enquiry, he takes it fubject to all thofe imperfections which it had in the hands of the perfon who negociated it to him. That being the rule of the law, his lordfhip next applied the facts of this cafe to the law, and was decidedly of opinion, that the evidence went clearly in deftruction of the bill.-Verdict for defendant. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. Feb. 13. BROOKS V. PRAGER, ESQ. THIS was a caufe worthy the notice of the fporting as well as the trading world. The action was brought by the plaintiff, a tradesman, to recover the fums of fixty-eight pounds, and fortythree pounds, upon two bills of exchange accepted by the defendant. A witness was called, who proved the acceptance of the defendant to the bills in question. Mr. Serjeant Adair, as counfel for the defendant, faid that the plaintiff was precluded in law from recovering on these bills, because they were given, together with another bill, in fatisfaction, or as a fecurity for a bill of 1681. and which bill of 1681. was given for money loft at the game of whift. The ftatute expressly declares, that all fecurity given for a debt contracted by illicit gaming were totally void. J. Obard faid, that he had been in |