HUMOROUS LETTER from HABAKKUK ANGLE to GEOFFRY GAMBADO, Esq. [From the Annals of Horfemanfhip, &c. Publifhed by the Editor of the Academy for grown Gentlemen.] "SIR, AVING long been earnestly thematical science, and being fond laws of projectiles, I muft in my fight through the air defcribe that conic fection, a parabola. "After fome accidents of this na thought incom Puits ufually ture, I have been fortunate enough, two thought incompatible, I have been enabled, by means of this fingular union, to ftrike out fome important difcoveries in both branches. The mathematical improvements in riding will, I hope, deferve a place in the Annals of Horfemanship: my equeftrian difcoveries in mathe matics you must permit me to res, ferve for the Ladies Diary. "My love for equeftrian agi tation is, I believe, more gene ral than that of any other perfon: for whatever fatisfaction may be ufually experienced by riders while they continue on the backs of their horses, I have never yet met with or been informed of one, who received any 1 fenfible delight from the circumftance of being violently, projected from the faddle. But here, fir, from my paffionate fondness for the mathematics, I enjoy a manifeft advantage. From the concuffions, repercuffions, and every other kind of Compound motion which can be generated confiftently with the due upport of the centre of gravity, I qnjoy, I will venture to fay, at leaft as much fatisfaction as any other rider and at the time of being thrown off, or, in more proper language, projected from the horfe, I experience a peculiar delight in re collecting that, by the univerfal notwithstanding the violent re-action of the ground in confequence of the ftrong action of my skull against it, to preferve my fenfe fufficiently to be able to afcertain the curve fo generated by my body to defcribe it on paper, and demonftrate its peculiar properties: and am not without hope, if I can meet with horfes not too fure-footed, by frequent experiments, to determine what kind of pa rabola it is fafeft to describe; which problem will, I apprehend, be found very ferviceable in practice, at the city hunt in Eafter week, and during the celebration of Epfom races. Not long ago, by a particular convulfion of the animal from which I was fo fortunate as to fall, I was very irregularly thrown to the earth, but had the fatisfaction afterwards to discover that the curve defcribed in my fall was a fegment of a very eccentric ellipfe, of which the faddle was one focus; and that it was nearly, if not exactly, the fame with the path of the comet now expected to return. And once, by a fucceflation ftill more anomalous, I was happy to defcribe a new curve, which I found to poffefs fome very amazing properties; and I hope effectually to immortalize my own name, by calling it Lemma's firft Hippopiptic curve.* "Hippopiptic exprefes the mode of the curve's generation in falling from a horfe:from Hiro, a horfe, and pipto, to fall. I call it first, because I hope by the fame means to difcover more hereafter." "The "The firft equeftrian problem that I ever fet myself to difcor was this; "When by pulling the reins you prevent a horfe from falling, where is the fulcrum or prop and how is the horfe's centre of gravity prevented from being thrown beyond the bafe of His "legs " I will not trouble you now with the particulars of this difficult investigation; but fhall only fay, that it turned out greatly to the honour of demipique faddles; which accordingly, in the Mathematical Elements of Riding, that I mean hereafter to publifh, I fhall recommend very ftrongly in a corollary. "A learned ftudent in mathematics has long publifhed his ability and defire to conftruct breeches upon geometrical principles. "Mr. Nunn is certainly in genious, and his breeches, a few falient angles excepted, admirable; but the artist who fhould make bridles, faddles, and other equeftrian paraphernalia, by the rules of pure mathematics, would render a much more praife-worthy fervice to the public. For if the flimfy leather of breeches require geometrical cutting, how much more neceffary muft it be to the tough hide which forms the bridle? And to what purpose will the geometry in the breeches operate, if the faddle, by which they are to be fupported, and whofe fuperfices they are to touch in as many points as poffible, be formed unged metrically? But I forbear to expa tiate on a matter as plain as an axiom of Euclid; trufting that who ever can perceive the utility of geometrical breeches, will readily argue, Mr. Nunn's advertisement is as follows: à fortior, to the abfolute neceffity of geometricalfaddles and bridles. "Purfuing my principles, I have demonftrated what is the right line to be drawn by the mathematical rider in every difficult situation. In afcending a horfe's back, at what angle to extend the moveable leg, while the fixed one is refted in the ftirrup: in leaping, how to regu late the ofcillation or balancing, of the body, by attending carefully to that fundamental point which is your center of motion: in ftarting, how to difpofe of the fuperfions mo mentum, and thereby to preferve in full force the attraction of cohesion between rump and faddle: in rearing, at what angle, formed by the horfe's back with the plane of the horizon, it is most adviseable to flide down over his tail; which, I maintain, is the only expedient that can be practifed with a mathemati cal certainty of being safe: these and many other important fecrets, I am ready, at any time when called upon, to communicate. One I cannot even now withold, which is this: that there is no good or truly gen metrical riding, unlefs the legs be extended perfectly in ftraight lines fo as to form tangents to the cylin drical furface of the horfe's body: in a word, to resemble, as much as poffible, a pair of compaffes fet aftride upon a telefcope; which I conceive to be the perfect model of mathematical riding. "But befides this application of pure geometry, it has often struck me, that too little ufe is made, in riding, of the principles of mixed mathematics. Confider, Mr. Gam "BREECHES-MAKING improved by GEOMETRY." "Thomas Nunn, Breeches maker, N°. 29, Wigmore-ftreet, Cavendish-fquare, has invented a fyftem on a mathematical principle, by which difficulties are folved, and errors corrected: its usefulness for eafe and neatnefs in fitting, is incomparable, and "is the only perfect rule for that work ever difcovered. Several hundreds (noblemen, "gentlemen, and others) who have had proof of its utility, allow it to excel all they "ever made trial of.” L 4 bado :bado, the fix mechanical powers! the lever, the wheel and axle, the pulley, the inclined plane, the avedge and the crew; and reflect with what advantage all thefe may be applied to the ufes of horsemanship. By means of a lever, having an elevated fulcrum raised on the pommel of the faddle, an entire ftop might be put to the practice of falling; except where the practitioner fhould voluntarily take a tumble for the exprefs purpose of studying the parabola, or hippopictic curve, The wheel and axle is already applied in the use of horses, though not in any branch of horsemanship, except the driving of poft-chaifes; but is alfo found fo efficacious in preventing falls, that where a horfe has been used to that affiftance, it is not reckoned fafe to ride him without. The application of the wedge might, undoubtedly, very materially improve the art of figging. The frew might, with ad. vantage, be applied to the direction of the horfes head with more exactnefs, and confequently enable the rider to guide his courfe with ma thematical accuracy. The inclined plane might happily be introduced to facilitate the backward flide of the rider at the time of rearing, as above mentioned. And a fyftem of pullies, in the nature of Mr. Smeaton's, by giving the rider a force equal to the action for many thoufand pounds weight, might for ever put an end to the dangerous vice of running away. "By the ufe of the principles of aftronomy, I have invented a mode, of taking the exact altitude of any horfe, at two obfervations, and am at prefent at work on a hippodro mometer, to afcertain the velocity * of his courfe in the very act of rid ing. But while I boast, and, I trust, with reafon, of these discoveries, I muft candidly confefs that a rigorous attention to the theory has fometimes betrayed me into practical errors. When my horfe has been pulling earneftly one way, my own intention being at the fame time to go another, I have pulled strongly at right angles to the line of his courfe; expecting, from the laws of compound motion, that we should then proceed, neither in the line of his effort nor of my pull, but in an intermediate one, which would be the diagonal of the parallelogram, of which our forces were as the fides; but have always found that this method produced a rotatory inftead of a rectilinear motion. When a horfe has run away, I have to avoid the wafte of force in my own arms, calculated the neceffary diminution of it in his legs; but unfortunately, eftimating it as the fquares of the distances multiplied into the times, I was frequently dafhed against walls, pitched over gates, and plunged into ponds, before I difcovered that it is not as the fquares of the times, but merely as the times. I mention these circumftances by way of caution to other theorists; not being at all difcouraged myfelf by fuch trifling failures, and hoping, by your affiftance, to convince the world that no man can ever become a perfect rider, unless he has firft made mathematics his hobby-horfe. You will pardon this innocent play of words on a fubject fo ferious and believe me to be, Sir, with great efteem, "Yours, &c. "HABAKKUK ANGLE." “ * From Hippos a horfe, dremos a courfe, and metrein to measure." POETRY WHEN from the bofom of the mine The magnet firft to light was thrown, "'Mid defart fands, and ruthless skies, "And culture wide extend its genial reign, "Free as the ambient gale, and boundless as the main. But Tyranny foon learn'd to feize The art improving Science taught; To each affrighted fhore in thunder fpoké, And bow'd the wretched race to Slavery's iron yoke. Not fuch the gentler views that urge Not fuch the gifts her Drake, her Raleigh bore, Teaching each drear wood's pathless scene i The The boift'rous wave, the rugged coaft, The burning zone, the polar froft, That climes remote, and regions yet unknown, May fhare a George's fway, and blefs his patriot throne. Warm Fancy, kindling with delight, Sees Commerce fprings of guitlefs wealth explore, Where frowns the Weftern world on Afia's neighbouring fhore, But, lo! across the blackening fkies, Overwhelm'd the wreck'd Armada's pride! Sufpending o'er a proftrate foe, She fnatch'd, in vict'roy's moment prompt to fave, Ere yet the tempeft's mingled found "This victory (the cries) is mine, "Not torn from War's terrific flirine; "Mine, the pure trophies of the wife and good, Unbought by fcenes of woe, and undefil'd with blood." |