[ Maxwell / The Field Book ]
The full title of this book is The Field Book; or Sports and Pastimes of the United Kingdom. Compiled from the Best Authorities, Ancient and Modern. Its first and only publication was in 1833 (London: Effingham Wilson).
William Hamilton Maxwell (1791 - 1850) was an Irish writer in various genres: novels (he was known particularly for military fiction; he claimed to have been in the army, and present at Waterloo, although neither was the case), history, folklore and popular culture, and natural history. He was also a clergyman, reluctantly, and eventually lost his clerical position for not living in his parish.
Maxwell remarks in his "Introduction" (in which he refers to himself as the "Compiler") that much of the canine-related information in his book comes from Captain Thomas Brown and DeLaBere Pritchett Blaine, and certainly that is true of his entry on the Newfoundland, which is taken almost verbatim from Brown's Biographical Sketches and Authentic Anecdotes of Dogs (1829), which is also discussed here at The Cultured Newf.
The entry on Newfoundlands is on pp. 356 - 367; there is no illustration:
In a state of purity, and uncontaminated by a mixture with any inferior race, this is certainly the noblest of the canine tribe. His great size and strength, and majestic look, convey to the mind a sort of awe, if not fear, but which is quickly dispelled when we examine the placid serenity and the mild and expressive intelligence of his countenance, showing at once that ferocity is no part of his disposition.
The full-sized Newfoundland Dog from the nose to the end of the tail, measures about six feet and a half, the length of the tail being two feet; from the one fore-foot to the other, over the shoulders, five feet eight inches; girth behind the shoulders, three feet four inches; round the head, across the ears, two feet; round the upper part of the fore-leg, ten inches; length of the head, fourteen inches; and his feet are webbed, by which means he can swim with great ease. He is covered with long shaggy hair, has feathered legs, and an extremely villous tail, which is curvilinear.
This dog is but of recent introduction into this country from the island whose name he bears, and may be considered as a distinct race. I cannot agree with some naturalists who hold the opinion, that the Siberian, Lapland, and Iceland dogs are from the same stock as the Newfoundland, because the formation of the head in this last is very different, and his muzzle, though long, is not nearly so acute as in the others; he also differs materially in his shape, but more especially in the length of his body.
This dog is not remarkable for symmetry of form, or in the setting on of his legs, whence his motion is somewhat awkward and loose, and consequently he is not distinguished for speed,— a defect which might be remedied by breeding, were an improvement in that particular thought desirable.
The Newfoundland Dog is docile to a very great degree, and nothing can exceed his affection. Naturally athletic and active, he is ever eager to be employed, and seems delighted to perform any little office required of him. Nature has given him a great share of emulation, and hence to be surpassed or overcome is to him the occasion of great pain. Active on every emergency, he is the friend of all, and is naturally without the least disposition to quarrel with other animals. He seldom or never offers offence, but will not receive an insult or injury with impunity. Such is the capacity of his understanding, that he can be taught almost every thing which man can inculcate, and of which his own strength and frame are capable. His sagacity can only be exceeded by his energies, and he perseveres with unabated ardour in whatever shape he is employed, and while he has a hope of success he will never slacken in his efforts to attain it. The amazing pliability of his temper peculiarly fits him for the use of man, and he never shrinks from any service which may be required of him, but undertakes it with an ardour proportionate to the difficulty of its execution. Taking a singular pride in being employed, he will carry a stick, a basket, or bundle, for miles in his mouth; and to deprive him of any of these is more than any stranger could accomplish with safety.
Sagacity and a peculiarly faithful attachment to the human species are characteristics inseparable from this dog, and hence he is ever on the alert to ward off from his master every impending danger, and to free him from every peril to which he may be exposed. He is endowed with an astonishing degree of courage, whether to resent an insult or to defend his friends, even at the risk of his own life.
Habitually inclined to industrious employment, such dogs are as useful to the settlers of the coast from which they are brought as our ponies and galloways are to us. It is easy to accustom them to daily labour. From three to five of them are harnessed to a sledge, or other vehicle, containing a load of wood, or lumber, amounting to twenty or thirty stone, which they steadily draw for miles with ease. This they do without the aid of a driver, when they are acquainted with the road; and having delivered their burden, they return home to their master, and receive, as a reward for their labour, their accustomed food, which generally consists of dried fish, of which they are said to be extremely fond. The qualifications of this dog are extensive indeed; as a keeper or defender of the house he is far more intelligent, more powerful, and more to be depended upon than the mastiff, and has of late years been much substituted for him in England; indeed he may with great propriety entirely supersede that breed. As a watch-dog, and for his services upon navigable rivers, none can come in competition with him; and various sportsmen have introduced him into the field as a pointer with great success, his kind disposition and sagacity rendering his training an easy task.
The usual fate of other fine dogs attends this generous race among us; they are too often degraded and degenerated by inferior crosses, which with so noble an animal should be avoided by every possible means.
At the commencement of the action which took place between the Nymph and Cleopatra, during the late war, there was a large Newfoundland Dog on board the former vessel, which, the moment the firing began ran from below deck, in spite of the endeavours of the men to keep him down, and climbing up into the main-chains he there kept up a continual barking, and exhibited the most violent rage during the whole of the engagement.
When the Cleopatra struck, he was amongst the foremost to board her, and walked up and down the decks, seemingly conscious of the victory he had gained.
Maxwell mentions Newfoundlands in a number of other places in his book. In a discussion of using dogs to flush pheasant, he makes the following remark:
This office [flushing pheasant] may be also performed by a Newfoundland dog; but, as first getting a point would direct the shooter where to place himself for a fair shot, the Newfoundland dog would always be best kept close to his heels, and only made use of to assist in this; and particularly for bringing the game; as we rarely see a pointer, however expert in fetehing his birds, that can follow and find the wounded ones half so well as the real St. John's Newfoundland dog. (381)
From a discussion of water dogs:
A water-dog should not be allowed to jump out of a boat, unless ordered so to do, as it is not always required, and therefore needless that he should wet himself and every thing about him without neeessity.
For a punt or canoe, always make choice of the smallest Newfoundland dog that you can procure; as the smaller he is the less water he brings into your boat after being sent out; the less cumbersome he is when afloat; and the quicker he can pursue crippled birds upon the mud. A bitch is always to be preferred to a dog in frosty weather, from being, by nature, less obstructed in landing on the ice.
If, on the other hand, you want a Newfoundland dog only as a retriever for covert shooting, then the case beeomes different; as here you require a strong animal, that will easily trot through the young wood and high grass with a large hare or pheasant in his mouth. (570)
From the discussion of the "Russian Dog":
This dog is of a large size, being considerably superior, in point of strength, to the Newfoundland dog. He was originally produced by a cross between the Newfoundland and the Siberian, and has now assumed the characteristics of a distinct race: his head is large, with moderately long ears, and his tail bent over his back, like that of most of the boreal varieties; his hair is very long and curled, being from seven to nine inches in length; and in colour he varies from white with black patches, to pure white, and sometimes is entirely black. He has an expressive and intelligent countenance, and possesses all those qualities for which the Newfoundland dog is famous. In Russia this animal is employed for watching property, which he defends with all the assiduity of a mastiff or Newfoundland dog. He is sometimes also used in hunting the wolf and wild boar, for which he is admirably adapted, from his great strength, and from possessing considerable swiftness. His feet are semi-webbed, and he swims with great ease, and is accordingly often used in shooting aquatic birds, which he fetches out of the water when killed. (456 - 457)
From a discussion of the raven (and credited to Thomas Bewick):
In 1808, a raven was kept at the Red Lion, Hungerford: a gentleman's chaise, in turning into the yard, ran over the leg of his Newfoundland-dog, and while examining the injury done, Ralph was evidently a concerned speetator. When the dog was tied up, under the manger with the horses, Ralph attended upon him with particular kindness: this was so marked, that it was observed to the hostler, who said, that he had been bred from his pinfeather in intimacy with a dog, that the affection between them was mutual, and that all the neighbourhood had been witnesses of the acts of fondness they had conferred upon each other. This dog also had his leg broke, and during the long time he was confined Ralph waited upon him and carried him provisions daily; by accident the hostler shut the stable door, and Ralph was deprived of the company of his friend the whole night, but in the morning the bottom of the door was found so pecked, that Ralph would, in another hour, have made his own entrance port.
In his entry on the "Wild dog" Maxwell gives an account of a sheep-killing dog in the shire of Northumberland, thought to be a "a large greyhound, with some white in his face, neck, and one foreleg white, rather grey on the back, and the rest a jet black," but when the dog is finally tracked to a different region and killed:
"Upon examination he appeared of Newfoundland breed, of a common size, wire-haired, and extremely lean." (582, attributed to "Daniel")
Newfoundland dogs are also mentioned on p. 497, where they are listed as a variety of spaniel (along with the "Alpine spaniel"), a notion that may perhaps have come from the English veterinarian and animal writer William Youatt.