In India, elephants were once employed in launching of ships. One was directed to force a very large vessel into the water ; the work proved superior to his strength; his master, with a sarcastic tone, bid the keeper take away this lazy beast, and bring another in his stead; the poor animal instantly increased his efforts, and, in doing so, fractured his skull on the spot.
In Delhi, an elephant passing along the streets, put his trunk into a tailor's shop, where several people were at work; one of them pricked the end of it with his needle. The beast passed on ; hut, in the next dirty puddle, filled his trunk with water, returned to the shop, and spurting every drop among the people who had of fended him, spoiled their work.
An elephant, in Adsmeer, which often passed through the bazar, or market, as he went by a certain herb wo man, always received from her a mouthful of greens. At length he was seized with one of his periodical fits of rage, broke from his fetters, and, running through the market, put the crowd to flight; and among others this woman, who, in haste, forgot a little child she had brought with her. The animal, gratefully recollecting the spot where his benefactress was wont to sit, laid aside his fury, and taking up the infant gently in his trunk, placed it in safety on a stall before a neighbour ing house.
Another in Dekan, not having received some arrack which had been promised by the Cognac, or governor, by way of revenge, killed him. The cornac's wife, who was an eye-witness to this, took her two children and flung them before the elephant, saying, " Now, you have destroyed their father, you may as well put an end to their lives and mine." He instantly stopped, re lented, took the biggest of the children, placed him on his neck, adopted him for his cornac, and never after wards would permit any body else to mount him.
A soldier at Pondicherry, who was accustoined, when ever he received his share of liquor, to carry a certain quantity of it to one of these animals, having one day drunk rather too freely, and finding himself pursued by the guards who were going to take him to prison, took refuge under the elephant's body, and fell asleep. In vain did the guard try to force him from this asy lum, as the elephant protected him with his trunk. The next morning, the soldier recovering from his drunken fit, shuddered with horror to find himself stretched under the belly of this huge animal. The
elephant, which, without doubt, perceived the man's embarrassment, caressed him with his trunk, in order to inspire him with courage, and made him understand that he might now depart in safety.
A painter was desirous of drawing the elephant which was kept in the menagerie at Versailles, in an uncommon attitude, which was that of holding his trunk raised up in the ail, with his mouth open. The painter's boy, in order to keep the animal in this pos ture, threw fruit into his mouth; but as he had fre quently deceived him, and made an offer only of throw ing him the fruit, he grew angry ; and, as if he had known the painter's intention of drawing him was the cause of the affront that was offered him, instead of re himself on the lad, he turned his resentment on the master, and, taking up a quantity of water in his trunk, threw it on the paper on which the painter was drawing and spoiled it.
Ws come now to consider the situation of the ele phant, in the system of nature, to examine the charac ter, of the different species, and point out their physical distribution.
It is but recently that naturalists began to investigate the characters of the elephants of India and Africa, or to suppose that they constituted two distinct species. The ancients, who appear to have used in war animals from both countries, were aware, that the elephants of Africa were inferior both in size and courage to those of India. But the characters which constitute them distinct species, were never pointed out until Camper, from the form of the teeth, proved their title to rank as independent species. The observations of Camper have been still farther elucidated by the investigations of Curler, who has, besides, added a third species to the genus.
By Linnxus, the elephant is placed in the order Bru ta, in the class Mammalia, with the following generic character: Dentes primores nulli utrinque, Laniarii superiores elongati, Proboscis longissimus, prehensilis, Corpus nudiusculuw." By Cuvier the elephant is pla ced among the Pachydermata, or thick-skinned quadru peds, in company with the sow, the river-hoi se, and the rhinoceros. Under this genius are now ranked the fol lowing species.