Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/344

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R ABIRA, a word ufed by fome of the chemical writers to ex- prefs tin. SeeTlN.

RABOLANE, in zoology, a name given by many to the lagopus, a bird found on the fnowy mountains, and called by Tome the white partridge. Ray's Ornitholog. p. 1 27. See the article Lagopus.

RABRI, a name given by forne authors to bole armenic.

RACE, in natural hiftory. See Cibdeloplacia.

RACHISAGRA, a term ufed by fome phyficians for the gout in the fpine of the back.

RACING, the riding heats for a plate or other premium. The firft thing to be conftdered in this fort of gaming is the chufing a rider ; for it is not only necelTary that be mould be very expert and able, but he mull alio be very honefl. He rnuft have a very clofe feat, his knees being turned clofe to the laddie fkirts, and held firmly there, and the toes turned inwards, fo that the fpurs may be turned outward to the horfe's belly. His left hand governing the horfe's mouth, and his right the whip. During the whole time of the race he rnuft take care to'ftt firm in the faddle, without waving or [landing up in the llirrups. Some jockies fancy this is a Becoming Teat ; but, it is certain, that all motions of this kind, do° really incommode the horfe. In fpurring the horfe, it is not to be done by flicking the calves of the legs clofe to the horfe's fides', as if it were intended to prefs the wind ■out of his body ; but, on the contrary, the toes are to be turned a little outwards ; tfiat the heels being brought in, the fpurs mav juft be brought to touch the fides. A fharp touch of this'kind will be of more fervice toward the quick- ening a horfe's pace, and will (boner draw blood than one of the common coarfe kicks. The expert jockey will never fpur his horfe until there is great occafion, and then he wil" avoid linking him under the fore bowels between the fhoul ders and girth ; this is the tendereft part of a horfe, and : touch there is to be referved for the greater!, extremity. As to whipping the horfe, it ought always to be done over the moulder on the near fide, except in very hard running, and on the point of victory ; then the horfe is to be ftruck en the Bank with a ftrong jerk ; for the fkin is moft tender of all there, and moft fenfible of the lam. When a horfe is whipped and (purred, and is at the top of his fpeed ; if he claps his ears in his pole, or whifks his tail, it is a proof that the jockey heats him hard, and then he ouo-ht to give him as much comfort as he can, by fawing the fnafHe backwards and forwards in his mouth ; and by that means forcing him to open his mouth, which will give him wind, and be of great fervice. If there be any high wind ftirring in the time of riding ; the artful jockey will let his adverfary lead, holding hard behind him, till he fees an opportunity of giving a loofe ; yet, in this cafe, he mull keep fo clofe behind, that the other horfe may keep the wind from him ; and that he fitting low, may at once fhcl- ter bimfelf under him, and aflifl the flrength of the horfe. If the wind happen to be in their back a juft contrary me- thod is to be taken with it ; the expert jocky is to keep di- rectly behind the adverfary, that he may have all the ad- vantage of the winJ to blow his horfe along, as it were, and at the fame time intercept it in regard to his adverfary. When running on level carpet ground, the jockey is to bear his horfe as much as the adverfary will give him leave, becaufe the horfe is naturally more inclined to fpend bimfelf on this ground: on the contrary, on deep earths, he may have more liberty, as he will there fpare himfelf. In riding up hill the horfe is always to be favoured, by bear- ing him hard, for fear of running him out of wind ; but, in running down hill, if the horfe's feet and fhoulders will bear it, and the rider dares venture his neck, he may have a full loofe. If the horfe have the heels of the reft, the jockey mult always fpare him a little, that he may have a referve of flrength, to make a pufh at the Iafl poll. A great deal depends on the jockey's knowing the nature of the horfe that is to run againfl him, for by managing ac- cordingly, great advantages are to be obtained: thus, if the oppofvtc iiorfe is of a hot and fiery difpofition, the jockey is either to run juft behind him, or cheek by joul with him, making a noife with the whip, and by that means forcing him on falter than his rider would have him, and confe- quently fpending him fo much the fooner: or elfe keep juft before him, in fuch a flow gallop, that he may either over- reach, or by treading on the heels of the fore horfe, endanger tumbling over- Whatever be the ground that theodverfary's horfe runs worft on, the cunning jockey is to ride the moft violently over; that by this meansj it will often happen, that in following, he either Humbles or claps on the back linews. The feveral corrections of the hand, the whip, and the fpur, arc alfo to be obferved in the adverfary, and in what manner he makes ufe of them ; and when it is perceived, bv any of the fymptoms, of holding down the ears, or whifking the tail, or Preferring out the nofe like a pig, that the horfe is almoft blown ; the bufinefs is to keep him on to this fpced, and he will be foon thrown out or diftanced. If the horfe of the opponent looks dull, it is a iign his ftrength fails him; and if his flanks beat much, it is a fign

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that his wind begins to fail him, and] his ftrength will foon do fo too.

After every heat for a plate, there muft be dry ftraw, and dry cloths,' both linnen and woollen, ready to rub him down all over, after taking off* the fweat with what is called a fweat knife ; that is, a piece of an old fword blade, or fome fuch thing. Some advife the ireeping the cloths in urine and fa!t-petre the day before, and Jetting them be dried in 'the fun for this occafion. After the horfe has been well rubbed with thefe, he mould be chafed all over, with cloaths wetted in common water till the time of ftarting ajrain. When it is certainly known that the horfe is good at the bottom, and will flick at the mark, he mould be rid every heat to the beft of his performance ; and the jockey is, as much as poffible, to avoid riding at any particular horfe, or flaying for any, but to ride out the whole heat with the belt fpeed he can. If, on the contrary, he has a fiery horfe to ride, and one that is hard to manage, hard mouthed, and difficult to be held, he is to be flarted behind the reft of the horfes with all imaginable coolnefs and gentlenefs ; and when he begins to ride at fome command, then the jockey is to put up to the other horfes ; and if they ride at their eafe, and are hard held, they are to be drawn on fafler ; and if it be perceived, that their wind begins to rake hot, and they want a fob, the bufinefs is to keep them up to that fpeed : and when they all are come within three quarters of a mile of the poll, then is the time to pufh for it, and ufe the utrnoft fpeed in the creature's power. When the race is over, the horfe is immediately to be cloathed up, and rode home, and immediately on his com- ing into the ftable the following drink is to be given him. Beat up the yolks of three eggs, and put them into a pint and half of new milk made warm; let there be added to this three pennyworth of fafFron, and three fpoonfuls of fal- lad oil, and let the whole be given with a horn. After this he is to be rubbed well down, and the faddle place rubbed over with warm fack, and the places where the fpurs have touched, with a mixture of urine and fait, and afterwards with a mixture of powder of jet and Venice turpentine ; after this he fhould have a feed of rye bread, then a good mafh, and at fome time after thefe as much hay and oats as he will eat. His legs after this mould be bathed fome- times with a mixture of urine and falt-petre. RACK (Cyd.) — Rack, or Arrack, is properly a fpirit pro- cured by diflillation, from the fermented juice of certain trees in the Eaft Indies. See Arac, Cyd. Various and contradictory accounts have been delivered, as to the real fubject that gives origin to this fine fpirit. The vulgar fuppofe it to be rice; fome the juice of the Eaft Indian fugar canes ; and others a mixture of the juice of this cane and of the toddy tree ; finally, fome affirm, that it is prepared from the flefh of animals, and other more coftly ingredients.

The juice of the cocoa trees, and palm trees, are what af- ford us the finefl arracks ; but there are many other juices di- ftilled into the fame kind of liquors, though wanting the fine flavour of what is made from thefe. Sbazv's EfTay on Diflillery.

The manner of making the arrack is this. The juice of the trees is not procured in the way of tapping the trees, as we do; but the operator provides himfelf with a parcel of earthen pots, with bellies and necks, like our ordinary bird bottles ; he makes fall a parcel of thefe to his girdle, and any way elfe, that he commodioufly can about him. Thus equipped, he fwarms up the trunk of a cocoa tree ; and when he comes to the boughs, he takes out his knife, and cutting off one of the fmall knots, or buttons, he applies the mouth of the bottle to the wound, fattening it to the bough with a ban- dage ; in the fame manner he cuts off other buttons, and fallens on his pots, till the whole number is ufed ; this is done in the evening, and defcending from the tree, he. leaves things to themfelves till the next morning, when climbing up again he takes off the bottles which are moftly filled, and empties the juice into the proper receptacle. This is repeated every night, till there is a fufficient quan- tity produced, and the whole being then put together, is left to ferment, which it foon does.

When the fermentation is over, and the liquor, or wafh, is grown a little tart, it is put into the Hill, and a fire being made, the ftill is fullered to work, as long as what comes over has any confiderable tafte of fpirit.

The liquor thus procured is the low wine of arrack, and this is fo poor a liquor, that it will foon corrupt and fpoil, if not diftilled again, to feparate fome of its phlegm ; they there- fore immediately after pour back this low wine into the ftill, and rectify it to that very weak kind of proof fpirit, in which ftate we find it. The arrack we meet with, not with ftanding its being of a proof tefl, according to the way of judging by the crown of bubbles ; holds but a fixth, and fometimes but an eighth part of alcohol, or pure fpirit; whereas our other fpirits, when they fhew that proof, are generally efteemed to hold one half pure fpirit. Ibid. This fhews how very uncertain a way of judging of the flrength of fpirits^ this by the bead or bubble proof is. Ancf

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