T HIS noble animal is found in divers parts both of Afia and Africa, and is the largest of all quadrupeds. It is of different fizes in the various kingdoms it inhabits. In the Eaft-Indies they are 12 and oftentimes 15 feet in height; thofe on the Gold and Ivory Coafts are not quite fo large. The skin of fome is black, very thick, and without hair; of others it is of a dufky brown, thinly scattered over with thort black hairs; it hangs loose in folds in divers parts of the body. The ears are large, hanging downwards; the eyes are full; the tail is flender and not very long; their legs are like the trunks of fmall trees eut off towards the roots, and the feet fet round with thick, fhort, and broad toes. The probofcis, or trunk, is of a great length, hanging down between the two tusks, and gradually leffening towards the extremity, which is flat, and hath two holes, or noftrils, at the flat end. It can fhorten and lengthen its trunk at pleafute, it being full of wrinkles: It is of a grisly fubftance, and is endowed with fo much ftrength, that the ftroke of it will break the bones of a horfe or camel, and even kill him outright. With it the elephant can even pull up great trees by the roots; yet it is fo pliable, that he conveys all his victuals through it to his mouth, by means of thofe two holes. His body is round and full, and the back rifes in an arch more remarkable and prominent than in any other animal. The grinders are of a very great thickness, but the tongue is finall. They fhed their teeth often, more efpecially when young, the negroes often finding fingle teeth dropt at different places. The tufks, which are what we call ivory, are larger in the male than in the female; fome of them are feven or eight feet long, and weigh 150 pounds.

This ftupendous creature is of a docility and ingenuity very nearly approaching to human reason. Its surprising sagacity, rétentive memory, wonderful gratitude and refentment, with many other qualities peculiar to this animal, have ever excited the admiration of both ancients and moderns. Setting afide every thing which may be deemed fabulous, we shall mention January, 1761,

fuch remarkable particulars relating to this wonderful creature, as are fupported by proper authorities only.

They are often taken in deep ditches, covered over flightly with earth, branches,' and leaves, which finking under their weight, they are thus caught without any poffibility of efcaping. If it fo happens, that a young elephant falls into the fnare,' the mother, on perceiving the disaster of her offspring, throws herself in after it, through the anxiety the endures and the love the bears it, though natural instinct informs her that by this step fhe lofes her liberty, perhaps her life. In danger the never forfakes it, fhe will lofe her own life firft in its defence: in paffing a river the winds her fnout round its body, and carries it in that manner to the other fide, where the lands it in safety. If they chance to meet a fick elephant, it is furprising to fee with what tenderness they behave towards him, seeking herbs and other remedies to comfort him; if he dies they do not leave the body expofed, but bury it, and cover the grave with leaves and branches of trees. At the lofs of a keeper they have been known to pine away with grief, fo fufceptible are they of love and affection!

According to Paufanias, the Indians in Afia, and the Lybians in Africa were the first nations that used elephants in battle, others only esteeming them on account of the ivory they produced. The Perfians, Lydians, and neighbouring nations, anciently intermixed camels with their troops, as in after-ages they did elephants. Tho', from Herodotus, Plato, and others, it is fufficiently evident that Egypt produced them, particularly that part of it bordering upon Ethiopia, yet they were not known in that country as military animals till the time of the Ptolemys. From Egypt it is probable the practice of fighting with them spread into Cyrenaica; the people of which region in all likliehood might communicate it to their neighbours the Carthaginians. They had various ways of taming them.

Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, was the first who brought them into Italy, in the year E before

before Christ 279. The victory which he obtained over the Romans was chiefly owing to the elephants; for, when he almost defpaired of the fuccefs of the battle, he placed 20 elephants in the front of his army, with towers on their backs, full of bowmen. The very fight of thefe dreadful animals chilled the bravery of the Romans, who had never before seen them. However they ftill advanced, till their horses, frightened at the fight of them, and at the ftrange noise they made, took head, and either threw their riders, or carried them off full speed, in fpite of their utmost efforts. In the mean time the archers difcharging fhowers of darts from the towers, wounded a great many of the Romans in the confufion, while others were trode to death by the elephants. So, in most battles where elephants were ufed, they greatly contributed to the defeat of the enemy.

Plutarch relates, that when Pyrrhus entered the city of Argos, one of his foldiers mounted on an elephant received a wound, by which he was thrown to the ground; the beast foon after miffing his mafter, ran about in a strange manner among the croud 'till he had found him, and then with his trunk replaced him on his back, and with the greatest fury returned to the port of the town, trampling under his feet all that came in his way.

At the battle of Afculum, the Roman confuls, in order to guard their troops against the fury of thefe animals, had prepared chariots, armed with long points of iron in the shape of forks, and filled them with foldiers carrying firebrands, which they were directed to throw at the elephants, and by that means frighten them, and fet their wooden towers on fire. These chariots were pofted over against Pyrrhus's elephants, and ordered not to stir till they entered upon action; but he ordered his elephants to march round to another fide, where there were no chariots pofted, and caufing them to fall on the Roman horfe there, foon, as ufual, put them into confufion. The engagement was long and bloody, but the Apulians attacking Pyrrhus in his rear, he was in the end forced to retreat.

At the battle between Pyrrhus and the Roman conful Curius Dentatus, near Beneventum, the wing where Pyrrhus himfelf fought in perfon repulfed the Romans, and drove them back quite to their intrenchments. This advantage was in a great measure owing to the elephants; which the Conful perceiving, ordered a body of reserve which he had posted near the camp, to advance and fall upon the elephants. These carrying burning torches in one hand, and their fwords in the other, threw the former at the elephants, and with the latter defended themselves againft their guides: by this means they were forced to give way. The elephants being thus put to flight, broke in upon their own men, and there caused a general diforder, which was increased by a remarkable accident; for a young elephant being wounded, and thereupon making a dreadful noife, the mother quitting her rank, and haftening to the affiftance of her young one, put those who ftill kept their ranks into the utmost confufion. In the end the Romans gained a complete victory, Pyrrhus retired to Tarentum, and from thence into his own dominions.

The Conful returned to Rome, which he entered in triumph, in the most magnificent manner that had ever yet been seen. Amidst a profufion of riches and other fpoils, nothing fo much delighted the people as the fight of the elephants, with towers on their backs: animals which had never before been seen in Rome, and which they had fo much dreaded.

The first time mention is made in hi ftory of the Carthaginians making use of them, is in the first Punic war, which began in the year before Christ 263, when the custom of fighting with these animals was adopted by that nation, in the room of that which prevailed before, of engaging with armed chariots. What strengthens this is, that those nations who, it is probable, knew nothing of elephants, fuch as the Britons, Gauls, &c. had chariots in ufe among them till they were conquered by the Romans 1.

The Carthaginians generally posted their elephants in front, in order to ftrike the

King Juba, fought with

greater

greater terror into the enemy. Sometimes however they were distributed in both wings. Thofe which they made ufe of were most times, if not always, Indian elephants, which much exceeded thofe of Lybia in ftrength and magnitude. Each had a wooden tower faftened to his back, with 22 warriors in it, and an Indian to manage the beat, which he did with the utmost dexterity. The Lybian elephants were not able to carry above 7 or 8 men. In the first book of the Maccabees, Antiochus Eupator is there mentioned to have brought against the Jews feveral Indian elephants with towers on their backs, containing 32 men each, and an Indian guide. As the Carthaginian foldiers were exercifed by their officers, fo their elephants were trained up and exercised by their Indian guides. By their monstrous fize, filthy fmell, terrible noife, and prodigious ftrength, as well as the efforts of the garrifons on their backs, it is inconceivable to imagine the havock and destruction they made. The Indians who managed them appeared in a drefs the moft proper to heighten the confternation of the enemy, and began the fight with the utmost fury. The fignal to advance was the found of drums and trumpets; in an instant they made a furious affault, throwing themselves among the enemy, and carrying every where with them horror, death, and defolation. No horfes but the Numidian, which were accuftomed to them, could approach the Indian elephants, and therefore the enemy's cavalry was foon put to the rout by them: fometimes, by being pierced with darts, they became fo enraged as to turn upon their own men, as we have related above in Pyrrhus's battles, trampling vast numbers of the foldiers to death, which was their common method of destroying those they attacked; though fometimes with their trunk, or proboscis, they dispatched them. The Romans also often, by firing the caftles on their backs, forced them to recoil on their own troops, which in fuch a cafe they did not fail of putting into diforder. When this happened, the Carthaginians themselves were forced to dispatch them, which they did very expeditiously, by a particular method defcribed by Livy. Thefe are the principal points relating to the manner of fighting with elephants, particularly among the Carthaginians, as far as authors who have wrote on this fubject relate.

The Romans being fenfible of the importance of thefe animals, and how much they were to be dreaded, as they had fully experienced in their several battles with Pyrrhus, were tor a long time very much afraid of them; they were fo intimidated by the deftruction they made in the famous battle between Regulus and the Cartaginian General Xantippus, that it entirely ftopped the progrefs of the war for two years. The Carthaginians perceiving how much they were afraid of these creatures, determined to give them battle. The ele phants repulfed the Romans commanded by the famed Metellus, for fome time; but as ufe renders every thing less terrible, they were now not fo much furprized and frightened at the fight of them; they made a brave refiftance, and their dartmen wounded these boisterous animals in fuch a manner, that they grew furious, and could hold no longer, but fell back on their own troops, put them in great diforder, and in the end they were totally defeated; a great number of elephants were taken, and fent afterwards to Rome, where they fwelled the pomp of the conqueror's triumph, which was more magnificent than that of the conful Curius Dentatus, mentioned before, for no less than 104 of thefe noble creatures marched through the city in proceffion: the air rung with acclamations at the fight of them. As the Romans had refolved never to make use of elephants in war, and did not care to be at the expence of feeding them, they ordered them to be hunted and put to death in the circus; fo that the people were at the fame time diverted, and taught to defpife the animals they had hitherto fo much dreaded.

They alfo made ufe of them in the lifts and combats of gladiators. This spectacle was exhibited for the first time in the 655th year of Rome. At first they only made them engage with bulls, but after. wards with men. When Cæfar gave battle to Caffivelaunus king of the Britons, he had but one elephant, and with this alone he put the whole army to flight.

The elephants were taught by the ancients to fhew refpect to kings and princes; they taught them to bend their knees and fall down before them, and then raile themfelves up again. Several Indian monarchs kept 20 of them, who guarded their tents by turns in time of war, and in battle they had not more zealous deE 2

fenders.

fenders. What is mentioned by Pliny of the elephant of Porus is fcarce credible: that author relates, that the animal perceiving his master exhausted by the wounds with which he was covered, lowered him felf, that he might set him down without hurting him, and drew out, with his trunk, the arrows with which he was stuck all over; but perceiving his blood to flow very faft, he again put him upon his back, and carried him to his camp.

Ælian relates a like inftance: An Indian king having received intelligence that a young nobleman of the country had in his poffeffion a curious white elephant, which ferved him for riding, and fhewed him extraordinary marks of love and affection, demanded him of the young lord for himself; but he, not being able to bear the thoughts of parting with it, at first evaded the king's request; and at Jength, finding him fixed in his refolution, to avoid the consequences of a refufal, fled with the elephant into the mountains; thither he was purfued by order of the prince, but getting on the top of a high rock, he sustained a long attack, parrying the arrows, and defending himself by throwing stones and other miffiles, in which he was well feconded by the elephant, who alfo threw them with admirable dexterity. In spite of this brave refistance, the foldiers at laft mounted the rock; then the animal, enraged to the greatest pitch of fury, threw himself among them, overturned many with his trunk, dashed them in pieces, trod to death others with his feet, put the reft to flight, and taking up his mafter, who in the courfe of the enCounter had been grievously wounded, marched off with him in triumph. Ælian clofes this narrative with the following re

flection: "What a reproach is this to thofe ungrateful men, who owe their education, perhaps their very subsistence, to the kindness of those who had taken them into their friendship, and at once, when misfortunes approach, abandon them in their neceffities, and leave them to languish under the frowns of fortune: Such men are only the friends of our profperity and favours, who value us only as we may be of fervice to them."

As cruelty is the direct oppofite to the `character of the elephant, they must have been provoked and irritated a long time before they could be made furious. It is related by Pliny, that a prince ordered 30 men, who had incurred his displeasure, to be torn to pieces by elephants for that purpose they were tied to stakes, and the fame number of these animals were let loofe upon them, and certain persons appointed to provoke and enrage them. They accordingly irritated them a long time, and at laft rendered them exceeding furious, yet not against the unhappy victims, but against those who provoked them, and it was found impoffible to make them the means of the prince's vengeance.

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This animal has a love and compaffion for the defenceless, and even pities an enemy who is unequal to him in force. has been observed, when he has paffed through a flock of fheep, to turn them afide with his trunk, for fear he should tread upon and destroy them. In their private quarrels with one another, they never make use of their tufks, left they fhould deprive each other of those weapons neceffary for their mutual defence against their common enemies.

[To be concluded in our next. }