[ May / The Little Book of British Quadrupeds ]
Rev. W. (William) May (1763-1827) was a British writer and reverend who wrote several books about animals for younger readers.
This book — first published in 1835 (London: C. Tilt) — introduces young readers to a couple dozen animals one might encounter in Britain, including nine dog breeds. Below is the full text of the entry on Newfoundlands, including the illustration (borrowed from the same source as the anecdotes).
May repeats two anecdotes about Newfoundlands that were previously published by other writers. Both are taken, nearly verbatim, from Thomas Bewick's A General History of Quadrupeds, discussed here at The Cultured Newf. (Both were popular Newf anecdotes, repeated by more than half a dozen writers in the 19th Century.)
This breed of Dogs was originally brought from the country of which they bear the name, where their great strength and sagacity render them extremely useful to the settlers on those coasts, who use them in bringing down wood from the forests to the sea side. Three or four of them yoked to a sledge, will draw two or three hundred weight of wood piled upon it, for several miles, with great ease: they are not attended by a driver, nor any person to guide them; but after having delivered their loading, they return immediately to the woods, where they are accustomed to be fed.
During a severe storm in the winter 113of 1789, a ship, belonging to Newcastle, was lost near Yarmouth; and a Newfoundland Dog alone escaped to the shore, bringing in his mouth the captain’s pocket-book. He landed amidst a number of people, several of whom tried in vain to take it from him. The sagacious animal, as if sensible of the importance of the charge which in all probability was delivered to him by his perishing master, at length leapt fawningly against the breast of a man, who had attracted his notice among the crowd, and delivered the book to him. The Dog immediately returned to the place where he had landed, and watched with great attention every thing that came from the wrecked vessel, and tried to bring it to shore.