turned home he ascertained that his mill-pond before his house had just been let out to catch muskrats; that the man in the porch was his wife's brother Jonathan; that the men in the house were his mowers, who had all come in because of a shower of rain. In short, he said every iota was exactly realized. The habits of the boy, when he sought for such facts, was to sit down and hold his head downward-his eyes often shut; and after some waiting declared what he saw in his visions. He has been found abroad in the fields, sitting on a stump, crying-on being asked the reasons, he said he saw great destruction of human life by men in mutual combat. His descriptions answered exactly to sea-fights and army battles, although he had never seen the sea, nor ships, nor cannon; all of which he fully described as an actual looker-on. Some of the Friends who saw him became anxious for his future welfare, and deeming him possessed of a peculiar gift and a good spirit, desired to have the bringing of him up. He was therefore committed to the mastery of Nathan Harper, a Friend, engaged in the business of tanning in Frankford. There he excited considerable conversation; and so many began to visit him as to be troublesome to his master, who did what he could to discourage the calls. Questions on his part were therefore shunned as much as he could. He lost his faculty by degrees, and fell into loose company, which of itself prevented serious people from having any further wish to interrogate him. To instance the kind of inquiries which were usually presented to him it may be stated, that wives who had missed their husbands long, supposed by shipwreck for instance, would go to him and inquire. He would tell them (it is said) of some still alive, what they were then about, &c. Another case, was a man, for banter, went to him to inquire who stole his pocket-book, and he was answered—no one; but you stole one out of a man's pocket when at the vendue-and it was so ! His mother would not allow him "to divine for money," lest he should thereby lose the gift, which she deemed heaven-derived. The idea is not novel, as may be seen in John Woolman's life, where he speaks of a rare gift of healing, which was lost by taking a reward. These are strange things, evidencing matters "not dreamed of in our philosophy." I give these facts as I heard them—I “nothing extenuate, nor aught set down in malice." SPORTS AND AMUSEMENTS. "We, shifting for relief, would play the shapes IT may help our conceptions of the olden time to be led into an acquaintance with the nature of their sports and amusements; to this end, the following facts may be contemplated with some advantage, to wit: The dances of the polite part of society were formal minuets. Country or contre dances, although understood, were of rarer occurrence. Hipsesaws and jigs were the common dances of the commonalty. It was long before dancing was encouraged in Philadelphia sufficiently to present a school for a dancing master. The aged Mrs. Shoemaker told me she supposed the first dancing master ever named in Philadelphia was one Bolton, who taught about 75 years ago. In the year 1730, Mrs. Ball, in Lætitia court, advertises her school for French, playing on the spinet, and dancing, &c. When Whitfield laboured in Philadelphia, in 1739, such was the religious excitement of the time, that the dancing school, the assembly and concert room were shut up as inconsistent with the gospel. This was opposed by some others; so far so, that some of the gentlemen concerned broke open the doors, but no company went to the assembly room. In later time, however, the dancing assembly among the gentry had high vogue, partaking, before the Revolution, of the aristocratic feelings of a monarchal government-excluding the families of mechanics however wealthy. The subscription was three pound fifteen shillings, admitting no gentleman under 21 years, nor lady under 18 years. The supper consisted of tea, chocolate, and rusk-a simple cake, now never seen amidst the profusion of French confectionary. For then we had no spice of French in our institutions, and consequently did not know how to romp in cotillions, but moved with measured dignity in grave minuets or gayer country dances. Every thing was conducted by rule, of six married managers who distributed places by lot; and partners were engaged for the evening-leaving nothing to the success of forwardness or favouritism. Gentlemen always drank tea with their partners the day after the assembly-a sure means of producing a more lasting acquaintance, if mutually desirable. Foxhunting formerly formed the field exercise of some of our wealthy citizens, within the memory of several of the aged whom I have conversed with. There was a kennel of hounds kept by one Butler, for the company. It was situated then as out of town, but in a place now populous enough-say on the brow of the hill north of Callowhill street, descending to Pegg's run, and at about 60 feet westward of Second street. Butler himself dwelt in the low brick house adjoining the north west corner of Callowhill street on Second street. As population increased their game decreased; so much so, that the establishment had to remove over to Gloucester, so as to make their hunts in the Jersey pines. At the same time the company provided for their old huntsman, Butler, by setting him up, in the year 1756, with the first public stage for New York. Old captain Samuel Morris, dead about 20 years ago, was for many years the life and head of the club. I well remembered to have seen the voracious and clamorous hounds in their kennel near Gloucester ferry. Horseraces appear to have been of very early introduction, and bringing with them the usual evils-hard to be controlled. They were, at an early period, performed out "Race street,"-so popularly called because of its being the street directly leading out to the race-ground, cleared out for the purpose, through the forest trees, still long remaining there. As early as the year 1726 I see that the Gand Jury present, "that since the city has become so very populous the usual custom of horseracing at fairs in the Sassafras street is very dangerous to life; also, it is an evil that they who erect the booths, &c. in that street, at the fairs, do sell all sorts of liquors, &c." It is not improbable, from this description, that they then run straight races along the line of the cleared street-then a street but very little used for travelling. The present very aged T. Matlack, Esq. was passionately fond of races in his youth. He told me of his remembrances out Race street. In his early days the woods were in commons, having several straggling forest trees still remaining there, and the circular course ranging through those trees. He said all genteel horses were pacers. A trotting horse was deemed a base breed! All these Race street races were mostly pace-races. His father and others kept pacing studs for propagating the breed. Captain Graydon in his memoirs says racing was a great passion of his young days. The racehorses, in 1755, were kept at Mrs. Nicholls' stables, which extended down Fourth street, twothirds of the way to Chesnut street, from the rear of her tavern then at the corner of High street. "The enthusiasm of the turf (says he) pervaded the academy; and the most extravagant transport of that sport was transferred to the boys' foot-races round the whole square in which the academy stood-stripped to the shirt, the head and waist bound up with handkerchiefs, and with the shoes off, they ran near half a mile at a heat!" Thomas Bradford, Esq. telling me of his recollections of the races, says he was told that the earliest races were scrub and paceraces, on the ground now used as Race street. But in his younger days (he is now past 80) they were run in a circular form on a ground from Arch or Race street down to Spruce street, and from Eighth street of Delaware to Schuylkill river-making thus two miles for a heat. About the same time they also run straight races of one mile, from Centre Square to Schuylkill, out High street. In the year 1761, I notice the first public advertisement of a race; wherein is stated the terms of running the intended races "at the centre race-ground—to run three times round the course each heat." The grounds themselves at the same time were familiarly called the Governor's woods." At the Centre Square the races used to be continued till the time of the war of 1775. None occurred afterwards there; and after the peace, they were made unlawful. The first equestrian feats performed in Philadelphia was in 1771, by Faulks; he executed all his wonders alone-himself riding from one to three horses at a time. Bullbaiting and cockfighting were much countenanced. The present aged and respectable T. M. had once a great passion for the latter, so that some wags sometimes called him Tim Gaff; thereby affecting to slur a latin signature which he sometimes assumed as a political writer, of which T. G. were the initials of his two latin words. As respectable a person as Doctor William Shippen, in 1755, in writing to Doctor Gardiner, says, "I have sent you a young gamecock, to be depended upon-which I would advise you to put to a walk by himself with the hen I sent you before-I have not sent an old cock-our young cockers have contrived to kill and steal all I had." This is the same gentleman who speaks of "his beloved friend Mr. Whitfield." Very aged persons have told me of a celebrated place of amusement out Third street by Vine street. It was the place of Charles Quinan's always pronounced Queen Ann's place. It stood on the site of Third street, not then opened; and was famous for alluring the citizens of middle life. There he kept "flying coaches and horses;" they were affixed to a whirligig frame. The women sat in boxes for coaches and the men strode on wooden horses-in those positions they were whirled around! Aged persons inform that bullbaiting, bearbaiting, and horseracing, were much more frequent in old time than since the war of Independence. T. B. Esq. tells me that many men of rank and character, as well as the butchers, reared and kept dogs for the sport. John Ord, an Englishman, south east corner of Second and High street, kept a pair of bull-dogs for the purpose of the breed. In the days of my youth the barbarous sport of bullbaiting was but too frequent on the commons in the Northern Liberties. Hap pily, however, they have been quite laid aside for the last twenty years. They were got up and supported by butchers-a class of men much more ferocious and uncivilized than now. They were stopped by Squire Wharton-our spirited Mayor. He went out to the intended sport seemingly as a friendly observer-and so they expected. When all was prepared for the onset of the dogs he stepped suddenly into the ring, and, calling aloud, said he would, at the peril of his life, seize and commit the first man who should begin; at the same time, calling on names present to support him at their peril, he advanced to the bull and unloosed him from the stake. He then declared he would never desist from bringing future abettors of such exercises to condign punishments. They have never been got up since-a happy circumstance, for which we owe him many thanks! In the year 1724, slack rope and tight rope dancing by men and women is announced in the Gazette as to be exhibited for twenty evenings at the new booth on Society Hill. This was of course then out of town-somewhere near South and Front streets. They used to have a play at the time of the fairs, called “throwing at the joke." A leather cylinder, not unlike a high candlestick, was placed on the ground over a hole. The adventurers placed their coppers on the top of the joke, then retired to a distance and tossed a stick at it so as to knock the whole down. The pennies which fell in the pot were to belong to the thrower, those which fell out, to the owner of the joke. The leather was pliable and was easily bent to let the pennies drop. They played also at the fairs the wheel of fortune, nine holes, &c. In former days the streets were much filled with boys "skying a copper”—a play to toss up pennies and guess heads or tails; "pitch-penny" too, was frequent-to pitch at a white mark on the ground; they pitched also "chuckers—a kind of pewter pennies cast by the boys themselves. All these plays have been banished from our city walks by the increased pavements, and still more by the multitudes of walkers who disturb such plays. The game for shooters much more abounded before the Revolution than since. Fishing and fowling were once subjects of great recreation and success. Wild pigeons used to be innumerable, so also black-birds, reed-birds, and squirrels. As late as the year 1720 an act was passed, fining five shillings for shooting pigeons, doves, or partridges, or other fowl, (birds) in the streets of Philadelphia, or the gardens or orchards adjoining any houses within the said city! In Penn's woods, westward of Broad street, used to be excellent pigeon shooting. The skaters of Philadelphia have long been preeminent. Graydon in his memoirs has stated his reasons for thinking his countrymen are the most expert and graceful in the world! quite surpassing the Dutch and English. He thinks them also the best swimmers to be found in the civilized world! |