THE VELOCIPEDE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 708, 12 August 1869, Page 3

THE VELOCIPEDE.

(Daily Telegraph.) Apparently, we are entering on a new age —the age of Velocipedes. It ha 3 arrived already in Paris. In that city it is no longer unusual to see persons who are otherwise not only sane, but serious and respectable, bestriding a machine " fearfully and wonderfully made," upon which they spin at headlong speed among the omnibusses and fiacres. People have ceased to notice either the vehicles or occupauts, who for the most part are perfectly at their ease upon structures which seem to deride the laws of gravitation. The modern velocipede is not an improvement on the apparatus hitherto so styled. Like the very earliest pattern, it has only two wheels, which are in the same line or plane, the seat being placed between the wheels, supoorted on very light iron framework; but it is supplied with treadles to produce the motion. A special education might seem to be necessary for learning to sit on such a thing; but the number of Parisians who may be daily noticed careering through the Rue da Rivoli, or the Bois de Boulogne, prove that the art is readily to be acquired by practice. The spidery *' articles de Paris" have become so familiar that the E'operor's subjects not only "take the air" upon them, but transact business. h is already quite an ordinary sight to observe a commissionaire gravely " pulling up" his velocipede at soma " magazin," where he leans it against the door, and does his errand or lcavea his parcel, emerging presently, and soberly mounting again to resume his route. The machinists carry lamps, "-par ordre superteur" for already | the new rage has reached the dignity of legislative recognition; and at night they may be observed flitting about like ghosts, or the skefetonvvanderer immortalised in the " Cork So far from the fashion being peculiar to eccentric or questionable people, the most serious Parisians take delight in it. Nay, almost any fine day, if you look into the private gardens of the Tuileries, you may notice a handsome lad, with curly pate, merrily racing his little velocipede up and down the walks against a companion —a grave and dignified gentleman perhaps watching the fun. That will be the Prince Imperial with Dr Conneau's son, the Emperor acting as umpire of the games. Nor is thi3 velocipeding merely an amusement with our lively neighbors. Ever ready to make the most of an idea, they have mouuted some of the rural postmen upon the new machines; and where the country roads are flat, as in the North of France, the device answers capitally. Under favorable circumstances, ten or twelve miles an bour may be done with the last pattern of the velocipede—which is, of course, an immense improvement, upon ''Shank's mare," for the letter carriers. Thus established in France, the passion is spreading far and wide. Tho other day the Rev. Mr Beecher, at New York, preached or "perorated" about the last " mode of motion," and announced himself as an ardent velocipe* dest. The grave Germans are floundering about on the two perilous wheels; the people of Florence and Milan are following their example; Brussels " velocipedes ; " and here, in England, the taste is arising in so remarkable a manner, that the coming summer may be expected to bring out a swarm of velocipedeans, or human " Rotiferi," who are at present in the embryo condition.