is a person that carries goods for others for hire. A common carrier, having the charge and carriage of goods, is to answer for the same, or the value, to the owner. And where goods are delivered to a carrier, and he is robbed of them, he shall be charged and answer for them, because of the hire. If a common carrier, who is offered his hire, and who has convenience, refuses to carry goods, he is liable to an action, in the same manner as an innkeeper who refuses to entertain a guest. See ASUMPSIT.

One brought a box to a carrier, with a large sum of Jacob's money, and the carrier demanded of the owner what Law. Dix. was in it; he answered, that it was filled with silks, and such like goods: upon which the carrier took it, and was robbed, and adjudged to make it good; but a special acceptance, as, provided there is no charge of money, would have excused the carrier.—A person delivered to a carrier's book-keeper two bags of money sealed up, to be carried from London to Exeter, and told him that it was 200l. and took his receipt for the same, with promise of delivery for 10s. per cent. carriage and risk: though it be proved that there was 400l. in the bags, if the carrier be robbed, he shall answer only for 200l. because there was a particular undertaking for that sum and no more; and his reward, which makes him answerable, extends no farther. If a common carrier loses goods which he is intrusted to carry, a special action on the case lies against him, on the custom of the realm, and not trover; and so of a common carrier by boat. An action will lie against a porter, carrier, or barge-man, upon his bare receipt of the goods, if they are lost through negligence. Also a lighter-man spoiling goods he is to carry, by letting water come to them, action of the case lies against him, on the common custom.

CARRIER-Pigeon, or Courier-pigeon, a sort of pigeon used, when properly trained, to be sent with letters from one place to another. See COLUMBA.

Though you carry these birds hood-winked, 20, 30, nay, 60 or 100 miles, they will find their way in a very little time to the place where they were bred. They are trained to this service in Turkey and Persia; and are carried first, while young, short flights of half a mile, afterwards more, till at length they will return from the farthest part of the kingdom. Every bawhaw has a basket of these pigeons bred in the feraglio, which, upon any emergent occasion, as an infirmitie, or the like, he dispatches, with letters braced under the wings, to the feraglio; which proves a more speedy method, as well as a more safe one, than any other; he sends out more than one pigeon, however, for fear of accidents. Lithgow assures us, that one of these birds will carry a letter from Babylon to Aleppo, which is 30 days journey, in 48 hours. This is also a very ancient practice: Hirtius and Brutus, at the siege of Modena, held a correspondence with one another by means of pigeons. And Ovid tells us, that Taurophenes, by a pigeon stained with purple, gave notice to his father of his victory at the Olympic games, sending it to him at Ægina.

In modern times, the most noted were the pigeons of Aleppo, which served as couriers at Alexandretta and Bagdad. But this use of them has been laid aside for the last 30 or 40 years, because the Curd robbers kill... ed the pigeons. The manner of sending advice by them was this: they took pairs which had young ones, and carried them on horseback to the place from whence they wished them to return, taking care to let them have a full view. When the news arrived, the correspondent tied a billet to the pigeon's foot, and let her loose. The bird, impatient to see its young, flew off like lightning, and arrived at Aleppo in ten hours from Alexandretta, and in two days from Bagdad. It was not difficult for them to find their way back, since Aleppo may be discovered at an immense distance. This pigeon has nothing peculiar in its form, except its nostrils, which, instead of being smooth and even, are swelled and rough.