[ Edward Jesse / Scenes and Tales of Country Life ]
Jesse (1780 - 1868) was an English writer and editor, principally on topics of natural history. His earlier work, Gleanings in Natural History (1835), and his later Anecdotes of Dogs (1846; expanded edition 1858) are also treated here at The Cultured Newf.
This volume was first published in 1844 (London: John Murray), from which the text below is taken. This was the only edition.
Jesse mentions Newfoundlands three times in this book, the first occurring in a discussion of affection in animals:
A ship recently foundered in a gale of wind, near Liverpool, and every soul perished. I have been assured, that a Newfoundland Dog was seen swimming near the place where the ship was lost, and at last came to the shore quite exhausted. He continued to do this for three days, swimming to the same spot, evidently in search of the body of his master. (116)
The next mention occurs during a discussion of the "faculties" of animals, by which Jesse means something like "intelligence":
A friend of mine, who resided much on the continent, had a fine Newfoundland Dog at his country-seat in England. On one of his occasional visits to this place, he was accompanied by a courier, who amused himself with the dog, teaching him to jump over a stick, to fetch logs of wood for the fire, and other tricks. During the absence of the master of the house, the dog was kept chained up in the yard, and the person left in charge of the house was ignorant of the dog's accomplishments. At the end of nearly four years, Mr. S. returned to England, and sent his courier to the house to await his arrival at it. The dog, on hearing the courier's voice, immediately recognized it, and shewed his delight in a manner not to be misunderstood. On being let loose, he began to jump as he had formerly been taught to do; and on the courier's seating himself by the kitchen fire, the dog went into the yard, without any signal whatever having been given, and brought log after log of wood, and deposited them at the feet of his former instructor; thus shewing the retentiveness of his memory after so long a period of time. (224)
The final mention of Newfs occurs in a discussion of animals' capacity for sympathy with other creatures:
I lately, however, was informed of an anecdote, which places the kindly disposition of a dog in an interesting light. A servant had thrown a litter of new-born kittens into a tub of soapy water, which stood in the yard of his master's house in order to drown them. A fine Newfoundland bitch happened to witness it, and, watching her opportunity, took each of the kittens out of the water, and conveyed them to her kennel, where she was seen endeavouring to foster and reanimate them. She had no milk to give them. If she had, the act would not, perhaps, have been so extraordinary. It must, therefore, have arisen, from an innate benevolence of disposition, thus exemplifying the beautiful precept of shewing kindness to each other. (374)
This book was reviewed at length in the Gentleman's Magazine of July, 1844, and makes one mention of Newfoundlands by way of amplifying a point made by Jesse, that our pets often taken on some of our own moral character. The anonymous reviewer agrees:
So much does the character of animals depend on their masters; compare only the gentle spaniel, brough up to watch the movements and obey the kind voice of his master; see how the sagacity of the animal has developed itself with its improved temper and manners. . . or the Newfoundland dog saving from death the drowning sailor. . . . (52)