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Transcriber's Note:

Variations in spelling, punctuation and the use of hyphens have been
retained. Apparent typographical errors have been corrected.

Italics are indicated by _underscores_. Small capitals have been
replaced by full capitals.




 THE
 SPORTING DICTIONARY,
 AND
 RURAL REPOSITORY
 OF
 GENERAL INFORMATION
 UPON EVERY SUBJECT APPERTAINING
 TO
 THE SPORTS OF THE FIELD.

 INSCRIBED TO
 THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
 THE EARL OF SANDWICH,
 _Master of His Majesty's Stag Hounds_.

 BY
 WILLIAM TAPLIN,
 AUTHOR OF THE GENTLEMAN'S STABLE DIRECTORY.

 IN TWO VOLUMES.
 VOL. II.

 LONDON.
 Printed by Thomas Maiden, Sherbourn-Lane,
 FOR VERNOR AND HOOD, LONGMAN AND REES,
 J. SCATCHERD, J. WALKER, AND J. HARRIS.

 1803.


 THE
 SPORTING DICTIONARY.




I & J.


JARDON—is a term but little used in the present improved state of
FARRIERY, and but little known, except to the few remaining
practitioners of the old school, who are gradually becoming almost as
obsolete as the word itself. A jardon was the name given to any callous
enlargement on the outside of either hock, proceeding from blows, or by
kicks from other horses; although they more frequently arise from sudden
turns or twists in too short a compass, or being too violently thrown
upon their haunches in the manege, or elsewhere. In slight affections,
they are not always productive of pain or lameness; and if properly
attended to upon their first appearance, are sometimes reduced and
obliterated without any future ill effect. Powerful repellents, and
strengthening embrocations, are the most efficacious applications.
BLISTERING first, and FIRING afterwards, have been the usual practice.
It is, however, certain they are, in general, too hastily adopted. Daily
fomentations of hot vinegar, followed by a strong embrocation of extract
of Saturn, and camphorated spirits, might probably prevent the necessity
for either.


JAUNDICE.—The jaundice is a disorder to which quadrupeds are subject as
well as the human species; and notwithstanding the difference in the
formation of each, it originates in a similar cause with one as with the
other. When HORSES are attacked with it, they are said to have the
YELLOWS; which name it also goes by with farmers and country
practitioners, when it is observed to make its appearance among what
they term "the cow cattle." It proceeds from a partial and imperfect
secretion, or temporary obstruction of the gall through the biliary
duct, which being compulsively regurgitated, diffuses a tinge of its
property through every part of the system, constituting the
distinguishing appearance from which the disorder derives its name. When
proceeding from this cause, and a proper mode of treatment is adopted in
the earliest instance, but little trouble is known to follow, and a
certain cure is soon obtained; but should tubercles in, or a schirrosity
of, the liver, or an induration of its collateral glandular parts, have
proved the cause, more patience, time, and medical perseverance, will be
required, before a perfect cure can be expected or obtained.

The leading symptoms of this disorder in a HORSE are, a dulness of the
head and debility of the body, heaviness about the eyes, head hanging
drowsily in the manger, loss of appetite, pulse both languid and low, a
laborious respiration, and daily reduction of flesh. Soon after these
symptoms successively come on, they are followed by a yellowness of the
inside of the eye-lids, the lips, the tongue, and the bars of the mouth;
even the urine is of a saffron colour. In this state, from an evident
deficiency in the corresponding secretions, and a proportional inaction
of the dependent emunctories, nature becomes universally overcharged,
and labours under the sluggish debility already described. BRACKEN, who
understood this disorder perfectly, and described it most accurately,
plainly perceived, the certainty of cure depended entirely upon removing
such obstructions as soon as possible after their first appearance,
before the disorder had made any progress towards inveteracy or long
standing: to effect which, he judiciously recommends purgatives, with a
large proportion of ENGLISH SAFFRON and TURKEY RHUBARB. 'Tis true, the
great efficacy of the different preparations of MERCURY, as
DEOBSTRUENTS, was not so well known in his time, as at the present
moment, or the MERCURIUS DULCIS would have been introduced as a powerful
assistant upon the occasion. Proceeding in a scientific disquisition of
the disorder, he recommends hepatic deobstruents, with soap, salt of
tartar, turmeric, soap of tartar, and filings of iron, fully convinced,
as he says, of their efficacy, after the most satisfactory and repeated
trials.

Upon the subject he observes, "The soap of tartar, &c. operates
powerfully upon the obstructions in the liver, which are the cause of
the jaundice, and help to carry off the offending matter by urine. And
as the term DIURETIC is oftener used than understood, I shall give the
reader a short account of the operation of diuretics. Under the term
diuretic may be comprehended all those medicines whose most remarkable
properties appear in their increasing the discharge by urine, or which
are supposed to have any power in removing obstructions of the urinary
glands, or passages, from what cause soever, whether _humours_,
_gravel_, or other offending matter. And in this view, diuretics come
under these following kinds; to wit, they are either such as soften and
lubricate the fibres composing the urinary glands and canals, by which
they yield and relax into their due dimensions and capacities, of which
kinds are all emollients already explained; or they are such as, by
their attenuating and detersive properties, rarify and thin viscous or
slimy humours, and adhere or carry them along the passages: or, again,
they must be such as have a power of so altering the crafts or mixture
of the humours, as to fit those to pass which could not get through
before; and of this kind is the _soap of tartar_, as well as all the
tribe of _lixivials_ and _fixed salts_."

Gentle DEOBSTRUENTS, which additionally excite the secretion, and
promote the discharge of urine, are known to act upon the _motion_ as
well as the _property_ of the BLOOD, by stimulating the solids, and
quickening their vibrations, thereby increasing the blood's velocity,
and promoting its attenuation. Hence it is, those diuretics recommended
by BRACKEN are peculiarly adapted to this, and such other disorders as
originate in sluggish viscid habits, where the blood becomes too
adhesive for regular circulation. He is of opinion, "That the JAUNDICE
in HORSES mostly proceeds from a diminution or decay of the animal salts
contained in the blood, and therefore the addition of such kind of salts
must restore the creature to soundness of body." He also says, "he is
fully persuaded that _Castile soap_, dissolved in white wine, or even in
beer, will cure the disorder in its earliest stage; and that those who
may be inclined to try it upon a HORSE in the _yellows_, may mix an
ounce in two quarts of beer, and give it at four times, a pint a day,
either _warm_ or _cold_, letting the horse have exercise; for the
jaundice occasions a sluggish laziness in either man or beast, therefore
exercise is proper to hinder the fluids from forming preternatural
cohesions, which lay the foundation of the distemper."

However right he may have been in his opinion and practice, in the less
enlightened time in which he wrote, (two thirds of a century since,) it
may be reasonably presumed, that the many great and astonishing
improvements in chemistry, and discoveries in medicine, have thrown some
new lights upon the cure of this, as well as of many other disorders,
the causes of which are not obscured by the least mist of ambiguity. It
is not only clearly ascertained, but generally known, that the jaundice
in horses (if attended to upon the first appearance of bilious
regurgitation, before the obstructions are become rigidly permanent,
constituting an induration of the liver or glands) submits to a course
of mild mercurial purging balls properly administered; followed by a few
alteratives, composed of ÆTHIOPS MINERAL, incorporated with the PECTORAL
CORDIAL BALL. See List of MEDICINES at the End of the Work.


JAWS KNOTTED.—Tumefactions under the jaws of horses, for want of a more
technical or scientific definition, gave rise to the sublime term of
_knotted jaws_; which, however, tends to no distinction, or to any
particular description; although tumors may be frequently found there of
different kinds, produced by, or arising from, many different causes.
Temporary tumefactions of the glands may originate in COLD, and
sometimes as suddenly disappear upon a perfect recovery from the cause.
Inflammatory tumors form these, as upon the _attack_ of the STRANGLES,
or from a foulness and viscidity of the blood; in either of which,
relief can only be obtained by speedily promoting suppuration. Glandular
tumors sometimes form these, become indurated and stationary, never
producing pain or inconvenience during the life of the horse. Others, of
a much more critical and dangerous description, make their appearance
there also, and are the certain prognostic of FARCY GLANDERS. Some
professional knowledge, and judicious discrimination, is absolutely
necessary, to distinguish between one and the other in the first
instance, the better to regulate (if necessary) the mode of treatment in
the next. In all simple tumors arising from cold, local circumstances,
or temporary inconvenience, hot fomentation daily, with a sponge or
flannel dipt in a decoction of aromatic garden herbs, and afterwards
kept in a state of equal temperature with a double flannel and hood,
will be found to expedite obliteration, by promoting an early and
plentiful discharge from the nostrils. All swellings under the jaws
which are painful upon pressure, indicate a tendency to suppuration,
which cannot be too soon promoted by such stimulative poultices as may
be thought most applicable to the purpose.


IMPOSTHUME.—An imposthume is that kind of inflammatory enlargement, or
swelling, which terminates in a formation of matter, produced by an
effort of Nature to relieve herself from some offending morbidity under
which she labours. Its progress will be found under the head ABSCESS,
with which it is synonymous, and where the danger of attempting
repulsion is fully explained.


IMPERFECTIONS.—The term, so far as it is applied to horses, implies
little more than what is to be seen under the different heads of
BLEMISHES and DEFECTS. A horse may be very found, handsome, and
valuable, yet he may have _imperfections_ not arising from, or
originating in, _blemishes_; as well as not amounting to what is meant
to be conveyed by the idea of _defects_. Imperfections may be considered
as slight drawbacks upon excellence, which, although they do not very
considerably reduce the intrinsic value of the horse, yet he would be
much better without them; as warmth or violence of temper, when put into
action with any other horse in company; shying or starting, either in
meeting or passing a carriage; uneasy and restless in mounting or
dismounting; aukwardness in the gait of any particular leg, although it
may not impede the velocity of action.


INJECTIONS.—Many medical solutions and lotions are so called; though the
word more properly applies only to such compositions as are prepared
solely for the purpose of being conveyed by means of an instrument,
called a long-necked syringe, (formed of either ivory or pewter,) into
such remote cavities, or sinuses, as may be formed by accident,
imposthume, or disease, in any part of the body.


INTERFERE.—A horse was formerly said to interfere, when one
fetlock-joint received an injury in action, by a _cut_ or _blow_ from
the foot of the other leg. The term, however, is completely out of use;
and a horse subject to this defect is now said to cut. See CUTTING.


JOCKEY.—This term, in its particular and most confined signification,
implies the person who actually rides a horse for PLATE, MATCH,
SUBSCRIPTION, SWEEPSTAKES, or any other PRIZE; but custom and provincial
forms have been productive of local deviations. To say in one district,
that any man is "_a good jockey_," means no more, than that he is a good
HORSEMAN. In another, to say he is "quite A JOCKEY," is to communicate
an idea, that he is very little, _if any_, better than a swindler, and
exceedingly well qualified to _jockey_ any person with whom he has a
trading transaction. HORSE-DEALERS, till within the last half century,
passed under the regular denomination of _jockies_ in every market town
and country fair in the kingdom; from which indefinite description they
are now relieved by the kind intention of his Majesty's Ministers, who
have since STAMPED them with a _badge_ of professional dignity, and
enjoined an annual pecuniary contribution for the distinction.

JOCKEY, in the present universal acceptation of the word with the
superior classes of society, as well as the sporting world at large, is
applied merely to the RIDERS of RUNNING HORSES; upon the prevailing
superiority of whose speed, and the _untainted_ integrity of the JOCKIES
who are _entrusted_ to _regulate_ that SPEED, immense sums annually
depend. Where so much unlimited confidence is reposed, it is almost
natural to conclude, an adequate integrity would be insured. TIME, that
unerring monitor, and invariable criterion of truth, has long since
demonstrated the fallacy of such philosophic and philanthropic
expectation: the depravity of human nature has so repeatedly rendered
the experiment abortive, that numbers, upon the stroke of _whose whip_,
or the regulation of _whose rein_, thousands upon thousands were
frequently depending, have finished the career of life, without a
_garment_, without a _shilling_, without the common necessaries of life,
and without one friendly finger of commiseration to close the eye of
contrite misery, at the tremendous moment of passing that "bourne from
whence no traveller returns;" while many other professors of the _same
art_ die possessed of an immensity of property. Whether one has been
more fortunate than another in always being on the _right_ side, or more
fortunate in escaping _detection_, it is not the privilege or intent of
these pages to explore; suffice it, therefore, to observe, that the
HONOR, PROBITY, and personal INTEGRITY of a JOCKEY, should, like the
VIRTUE of a WOMAN, be not only pure, but unsuspected. Although it is
well known large fortunes have been acquired by some individuals
_intimately_ and _secretly_ connected with the turf and its
dependencies, yet it is not likely that JOCKIES, and their numerous
_emissaries_, should accumulate wealth, unless a very considerable
proportion of _certainty_ was invariably annexed to the speculation. See
HORSE RACING, TURF, and TRAINING.


JOCKEY CLUB—is a sporting establishment of the higher order, originally
instituted, and still held, at NEWMARKET, composed of noblemen,
gentlemen, and the most distinguished sporting characters in the
kingdom, who are elected by ballot, for the better exclusion of such as
may be thought improper persons to be admitted members of so honorable
and eminent a society. The Jockey Club, in their collective capacity,
are considered the only supreme court to which any SPORTING APPEAL can
be made; and their award or decision is abided by as _final_, whenever
solicited. All transactions within the official departments of the
STEWARDS, the Keeper of the Match Book, the Judge, and every
subordinate, is regulated by a system of invariable punctuality, equal
to the first offices in the State; in confirmation of which, the
following are introduced as well worthy of being known and admired (for
the equity of their adoption) in every part of the world.

RULES AND ORDERS.

RESPECTING RIDERS.—Every person who shall ride at Newmarket for PLATE,
SWEEPSTAKES, or MATCH, shall be obliged to _weigh_ when he comes in,
allowing two pounds _above_ the weight, and no more. Every rider who
shall neglect to obey this resolution, is guilty of contempt of the
orders of this Club, and shall be disqualified from RIDING hereafter at
NEWMARKET; unless any gentleman, or his rider, shall declare, before
starting, that the rider is above the weight allowed of by the aforesaid
resolution.

FORFEITS.—The forfeits of all bets shall be paid according to the
proportion in which the principals compromise their matches.

MEMBERS OF THE COFFEE HOUSE.—Any person desirous of being admitted into
the Coffee Room, Newmarket, must be proposed by a Member of the Jockey
Club, and his name put over the chimney and door the day before he is to
be ballotted for; that there must be at least twelve Members present at
the ballot, and three black balls exclude.

HORSES ENTERED FOR TWO OR MORE PRIZES.—The owner of every horse, &c.
entered to run for _two_ or _more_ prizes on the same day, shall, for
the future, be obliged to declare to the Keeper of the Match Book,
before eight o'clock in the evening, preceding the day of running, which
of the said prizes he intends to start his horse for; and the said
Keeper of the Match Book shall immediately declare it in the Coffee Room.

ANNUAL DINNER.—To meet annually at dinner on the day preceding the
King's Birth Day. That three Members of the Club shall be appointed
Stewards, and to commence their office on the fourth of June annually.
One new Steward to be appointed every year, on the third day of June, by
the Steward who quits on that day, subject to the approbation of the
Members of the Jockey Club then present. The senior Steward to quit his
office on the third of June annually.

The THREE STEWARDS, or any two of them, shall be vested with full power
to make such regulations as they think proper, in regard to the Exercise
Ground and the Course. The three Stewards, concurring, shall have it in
their power to appoint such person, or persons, as they may chuse, to
keep the COFFEE HOUSE, MATCH BOOK, receive the STAKES, collect the
entrance money, and all other FUNDS belonging to the JOCKEY CLUB. The
Stewards are to be responsible to the Jockey Club for all the money
collected, as belonging to the Jockey Club. The Stewards shall have it
in their power to fix the hours of starting for each match, &c. but they
shall be obliged to fix those hours of starting by eight o'clock in the
evening preceding the day of running. The accounts are to be produced by
the Stewards annually, on the third of June.

WATCHING TRIALS.—Any gentleman who keeps running horses, having cause to
complain of any FEEDER, RIDER, GROOM, BOY, or other person employed by
him in, or intrusted with, the knowledge of trials, or having discovered
them, directly or indirectly, by betting, or wilfully in any other way,
(unless so allowed to do by his master;) or if any person, as aforesaid,
living with any gentleman, shall be discovered in watching trials
himself, or procuring other persons so to do, or by any unfair means
whatsoever, endeavouring to discover trials; on such complaint being
carried to any one of the Stewards, that Steward is to summon a general
Jockey Club meeting so soon as convenient; which meeting is to appoint a
Committee of three Members, to examine into the accusation; and in case
they shall be of opinion, that the person, or persons, is, or are,
guilty, then the person so found guilty shall be dismissed from the
service of his master, and the said person shall not be employed by any
Member of the Jockey Club in any capacity whatsoever; nor shall any
horse, &c. fed or rode by him, or them, or in the management of which he
or they are concerned, be suffered to start for PLATE, MATCH, or
SUBSCRIPTION. And the names of the persons found guilty of these
offences shall be exposed in the RACING CALENDAR, and inserted in a
paper to be fixed up in the Coffee Room at Newmarket.

STAKING, SHEWING, and ENTERING.—That a copy of all the stakes to be made
for matches, subscriptions, and sweepstakes, and the day and hour of
shewing, or entering, shall be fairly written out, and fixed up, by
order of the Stewards, on the side of the chimney-piece, at each end of
the Coffee Room, on the Sunday evening before each meeting; to continue
there each day of the meeting, as notice for staking, shewing, or
entering; and no other shall be insisted upon.

ENTRY OF STAKES.—A day-book shall be kept by the person appointed by the
Stewards, and continue in the Coffee Room, in which shall be entered an
account of all matches, subscriptions, and sweepstakes, to be run for
each day within that meeting; and as the different stakes are made, the
payments shall be marked to the names of the persons so paying.

STAKES, HOW TO BE MADE.—All stakes shall be made in cash, bank bills,
bank post bills properly indorsed, bankers notes payable to bearer, or
bankers notes payable to order, also properly indorsed, and not
otherwise, without the consent of the party or parties present,
concerned in the MATCH, SUBSCRIPTION, or SWEEPSTAKES, on whose account
such stakes are made.

TIME WHEN.—All stakes for matches, subscriptions, and sweepstakes, shall
be made before starting for the same; and in default thereof by any
person, he shall forfeit in like manner as if he had not produced his
colt, filly, horse, or mare, to start; and shall have no claim to the
stake or stakes of the MATCH, SUBSCRIPTION, or SWEEPSTAKES, should his
colt, filly, horse, or mare, have started, and come first; and this to
remain in full force, as an established agreement of the Jockey Club;
unless such person has previously obtained the consent of the party or
parties present, with whom he is engaged, to dispense with his making
his stake as aforesaid.

FORFEITS WHEN TO BE PAID.—All forfeits unpaid before starting, for any
MATCH, SUBSCRIPTION, or SWEEPSTAKES, shall be paid to the person
appointed by the Stewards to receive the same, at the Coffee Room,
before twelve o'clock at night, of the day such forfeits are determined;
and each person making default therein, shall forfeit and pay to the
person so appointed by the said Stewards, after the rate of five pounds
for every hundred pounds so forfeited; which shall be disposed of by the
said Stewards towards such uses as they shall think fit.

BETS MADE FROM SIGNAL.—And in order to prevent such frauds, notice shall
be given, that if any person make any bet or bets, from signal or
indication, _after_ the race has been determined at the post, such
person is not entitled to receive, or liable to pay, the same; as such
bet or bets are fraudulent, illegal, and totally void; and that if any
servant belonging to a Member of the Society should be found to have
made, or to have been engaged in the making, any such bet or bets, he
shall be dismissed his service, and no farther employed by any Member of
this Society.

FORFEITS AND COMPROMISES TO BE ENTERED.—That all forfeits, or money paid
on compromising any match or sweepstakes, shall BONA FIDE be declared
and entered in the day-book, in order that all BETTORS may be put upon
an equality with the persons who had the match or sweepstakes, and may
thus ascertain in what proportion they are to pay or receive.

AGE OF YOUNG HORSES.—The Stewards shall appoint some proper person to
examine every COLT or FILLY, being of the age of _two_, _three_, or
_four_ years, at the ending post, immediately after running, the _first
time_ any colt or filly shall start for any plate, match, sweepstakes,
or subscription, at Newmarket; and the said appointed person is to sign
a certificate of such examination, and his opinion thereupon, which
certificate is to be hung up before eight o'clock the evening of the
said day of running in the Coffee Room at Newmarket. But for all plates,
matches, subscriptions, or sweepstakes, where the colt or filly is
required to be shewn before running, the examination shall be made at
the time of shewing them; and the certificate of the person appointed,
shall immediately, in like manner, be fixed up in the Coffee Room at
Newmarket.

TIME OF STARTING AND FORFEIT.—The hours of starting shall be fixed up in
the Coffee House by eight o'clock in the evening preceding the day of
running; and it is expected that every groom shall start at the time
appointed; and any groom failing so to do, shall forfeit FIVE GUINEAS
each time to the Jockey Club. It is also expected, that every groom will
attend to the regulations and orders which the Stewards of the Jockey
Club may give relative to the preservation of the Course and Exercise
Ground.

TRIALS.—That no person do borrow or hire any horse, &c. not belonging to
his avowed confederates, to run in a private trial, without entering the
name of such horse, before the trial shall be run, in the book appointed
to be kept for that purpose in the Coffee Room at Newmarket; and no
persons to be deemed confederates, who do not subscribe this article as
such.

DISPUTES.—All disputes relative to racing at Newmarket, shall, for the
future, be determined by the three Stewards, and two referees, to be
chosen by the parties concerned. If there should be only two Stewards
present, they are to fix upon a third person in lieu of the absent
Steward.

WINNER UNDECIDED.—That if for any sweepstakes, or subscription, the
first two horses shall come in so near together, that the judge shall
not be able to decide which won, those two horses shall run for such
prize over again, after the last match on the same day. The other horses
which started for such sweepstakes or subscription shall be deemed
losers, and entitled to their respective places, as if the race had been
finally determined the first time.

SINGLE AND DOUBLE BETS.—That all bets determined by one event shall be
subject (as before agreed) to any compromise made by the principals, and
paid in proportion to such compromise; but that all double bets shall,
for the future, (on account of the frequent disputes which have arisen,)
be considered as PLAY or PAY bets.

WEIGHT, WHEN NOT SPECIFIED.—When any match or sweepstakes shall be made,
and no particular weight specified, the horses, &c. shall carry eight
stone, seven pounds, each. And if any weight is given, the highest
weight is, by this resolution, fixed at eight stone, seven pounds.

HORSES ENGAGED, WHEN TO ENTER.—No horse, that is matched to run on the
day of entrance for any plate, &c. shall be obliged to shew and enter at
the hour appointed, but shall shew and enter within an hour after his
engagements are over, provided such horse, &c. be NAMED at the usual
_time_ of entrance, which is to be between the hours of eleven and one,
for all plates, subscriptions, and sweepstakes, where any entrance is
required, and no other particular time specified.

BETS BETWEEN TWO HORSES VOID.—That all bets depending between any two
horses, either in MATCH or SWEEPSTAKES, are null and void, if those
horses become the property of one and the same person, or his avowed
confederate, subsequent to the bets being made.

CHALLENGE FOR THE CUP.—That the CUP be challenged for on the Monday in
the First Spring Meeting; and the horses named for it declared at six
o'clock on the Saturday evening of the same meeting.

THE WHIP.—That the whip be challenged for on the Monday or Tuesday in
the Second Spring or Second October Meeting; and the acceptance
signified, or the whip resigned, before the end of the same Meeting. If
challenged for, and accepted, in the Spring, to be run for on the
Thursday in the Second October Meeting following; and if in the October,
on the Thursday in the Second Spring Meeting. Beacon Course; weight, TEN
STONE; and to stake 200 guineas each.

FIVE PER CENT. SAVED IN FORFEITS.—The proprietor of any horse, &c.
engaged in MATCH or SWEEPSTAKES, who shall declare his intention of not
starting before eight o'clock on the evening preceding the engagement,
to the Keeper of the Match Book, or either of the Stewards, shall be
entitled to five per cent. and no more, of the forfeit.

NOT STAKING, A DISQUALIFICATION IN FUTURE.—No person shall be allowed to
start any horse, mare, or gelding, for MATCH, SWEEPSTAKES, or
SUBSCRIPTION, unless he shall have paid all former stakes and forfeits
to the Keeper of the Match Book by eight o'clock the evening before
starting.

TRIAL GROUND.—That the ground shall not be engaged for trials, by the
proprietors of any stables of running horses, more than two days in the
same week.

CROSSING AND JOSTLING.—That when any match is made, in which crossing
and jostling are not mentioned, they shall be understood to be barred.

COURSES.—That when any match or sweepstakes is made, in which no course
is mentioned, it shall be understood to be the course usually run by
horses of the same age as those engaged, viz. if yearlings, the Yearling
Course; if two years old, the Two Years Old Course; if three years old,
Rowley's Mile; if four years old, Ditchin; if five years old, or
upwards, Beacon Course. And in case the horses matched should be of
different ages, the course to be settled by the age of the youngest.

FORFEITS.—That all forfeits, declared or incurred for any MATCH,
SWEEPSTAKES, or SUBSCRIPTION, shall be paid to the Keeper of the Match
Book before twelve o'clock on the evening the race is run, under the
former penalty of five per cent. to the Jockey Club; and persons making
default herein, shall not be allowed the deduction for the timely
declaration of such profits.

ENTERING AND SHEWING.—Horses, &c. entered for plates or subscriptions,
shall not be required to be shewn, if such horse, &c. has before started
at Newmarket; and the owner of each horse entered for a plate or
subscription, shall declare to the Stewards, or the Keeper of the Match
Book, the evening before by eight o'clock, or when the list is read, at
half past nine o'clock, whether his horse is intended to RUN or NOT,
which declaration shall be deemed obligatory, if in the AFFIRMATIVE,
unless the horse be taken ill, or matched; and if in the NEGATIVE, his
name shall be erased from the list.

TEN PER CENT. SAVED IN FORFEITS.—That the owners of horses, &c. engaged
in MATCHES or SWEEPSTAKES, in which the forfeits shall amount to ONE
HUNDRED GUINEAS, or upwards, shall be entitled to a deduction of TEN PER
CENT. if they declare their forfeits by half an hour past nine o'clock
the evening before running.

TRIALS.—No gentleman shall try the horse of any other person, except his
declared confederate, without giving notice of such trial, by inscribing
the name of such horse, or horses, or their pedigrees, with the names of
their owners, before or immediately after such trials, in the Book at
the Coffee House.

Under a set of RULES and REGULATIONS so judiciously formed, so
unanimously adopted, and so willingly acquiesced in, it is natural to
conceive, every thing has been introduced, and every measure adopted,
that could be thought equitable and necessary, towards shielding the
property of opulent and eminent individuals from the depredations of
those rapacious sharks, and determined adventurers, (as well in HIGH as
in _low_ life,) with which every avenue to the TURF has been infested
for near a century past; and which nothing can totally prevent, but
drawing such heterogeneous line, as will infallibly exclude those
_nefarious_, well known _pests_ from the superior, liberal, and
unsuspecting classes of society, who do honor to their country.


JOCKEYSHIP—is a term sometimes used in a metaphorical sense, alluding to
the dealings of individuals, where one, by a superior degree of
knowledge, cunning, artifice, or chicanery, obtains in _a bargain_
considerable advantage over the other. Its principal signification,
however, in its literal meaning, and frequent use, applies more
particularly to the peculiar excellence, or personal ability, of
JOCKIES, (alias riders,) whose sole avocation it is to train and ride
horses for the different PLATES and PRIZES at NEWMARKET, and various
other parts of the kingdom. This has always been held a systematic
employment of GREAT TRUST, (but _very little_ responsibility,) requiring
considerable bodily strength, much personal fortitude, and cool
intrepidity, constitutional taciturnity, and a kind of habitual
insensibility in respect to passion, which should be studiously reduced
to a degree of professional apathy, never to be roused into action by
the occasional irritations of a designing opponent. The great and
leading qualifications which constitute the predominant traits of
distinguished JOCKEYSHIP, are to acquire a complete knowledge of the
prevalent points, _speed_, _temper_, _mouth_, and _perfections_ or
_defects_, of the horse before starting; to ascertain, as well as it can
be accomplished, a tolerable idea, whether it will be most in his favor
to insure the WHIP-HAND, or decline it; to take the lead, or leave it,
and wait upon his adversary; whether _to make play_, depending upon
BLOOD and BOTTOM, or to lay by, and rely upon _speed_: all these, and a
variety of other contingencies dependent upon judgment, as well as a
still longer list, which must ever be equally dependent upon the sole
effect of CHANCE, (beyond the utmost extent of human efforts to
counteract,) seem combined to render jockeyship a very arduous task, and
equally precarious means of acquiring universal approbation and
celebrity. For as it may be considered an impracticability to become
always a WINNER, so, from the occasional discontent and disappointments
of dissatisfied employers, a RIDER must frequently have reason to
exclaim, (though silently,) "Vain his attempt who strives to please ye
all."


JOHN BULL,—the name of a horse of much celebrity both as a RACER and a
STALLION; having been deemed, by the best judges, a horse of the
greatest strength, and the most beautiful and corresponding symmetry,
ever produced in this kingdom. He was bred by the late LORD GROSVENOR;
foaled in 1789; got by FORTITUDE, dam (Xantippe) by Eclipse; her dam
(Grecian Princess) by Williams's FORESTER, &c. &c. Monday, in the Craven
Newmarket Meeting, 1792, when three years old, he won the great produce
stakes of 200 guineas each, half forfeit, across the flat, 35
subscribers; beating _Ormond_, _Hotspur_, _Whisky_, _St. Paul_,
_Lucifer_, and three others. At Epsom, in May the same year, he won the
DERBY STAKES of 50 guineas each, 32 subscribers; beating _Speculator_,
_Bustard_, _Lyricus_, _St. George_, _Whisky_, and the Duke of
Queensbury's colt by Pharasmond. Soon after which, sustaining an injury,
he paid 300 guineas forfeit to LORD FOLEY'S _Vermin_, and became a
stallion, 1796, at 20 guineas a mare; covering the first year only a
limited number (ten) except those of his owner. He is the sire of
_Admiral Nelson_, _Lady Bull_, _Alfred_, _Florist_, _Fortitude_,
_Georgina_, _Muly Molech_, _Gazer_, and _Lady Katherine_; and being now
at the very zenith of prosperity, promises a progeny of as much
celebrity as the best and most esteemed of his cotemporaries.


JOHNNY—was the first horse of his year, and then esteemed the best in
England. He was bred by LORD CLERMONT, and foaled in 1769; was got by
_Matchem_, dam by Babraham, grand-dam by Partner, great grand-dam by
Bloody Buttocks, great, great grand-dam by Greyhound, out of Brocklesby
Betty.


JOHNNY,—a horse of more recent date, and of a different blood, was the
property of MR. DURAND, and proved a country plate horse of some
celebrity. He was got by _King Fergus_, dam by _Justice_, and was foaled
in 1794. At three years old he won a fifty pound plate at Alfriston, and
two fifties at Egham. The year following he won 50l. at Ascot, beating
_Ploughator_ and _Dispute_. 50l. at Lewes, beating _Greyhound_ and
_Outcast_. 50l. at Canterbury, beating _Doubtful_, _Ploughator_,
_Quietus_, and _Ratafia_. 50l. at Egham, beating _Will_, _King John_,
_Greyhound_, _Lord Egremont's Bugle_, and three others. 50l. at
Newmarket, beating _Parisot_, _Sober Robin_, _Centinel_, and _High
Eagle_. In 1799 he won a Handicap Plate at Newmarket, beating _Wrangler_
and _Outcast_. 50l. at Epsom. 50l. at Winchester. The Petworth Stakes
(10 guineas each, seventeen subscribers) at Brighton; beating _Bobtail_,
_Lounger_, _Heart of Oak_, _Opposition_, _Speculator_, and _Wrangler_.
The Ladies Plate of 60 guineas at Lewes, beating _Wrangler_, _Gohanna_,
_Sparrowhawk_, _Magic_, and Sir F. Poole's _Brother to Waxy_; and 50l.
at Canterbury, beating Mr. Crosoer's _Dairy Maid_. In the following
year, 1800, he started but once, which was at _Epsom_. It is supposed he
sustained some injury, as he was then withdrawn from the turf.


JOINTS.—The joints of horses are subject to rheumatic pains and
affections, in some proportional degree with those of the human species,
and require professional judgment to discriminate between what are
really so, and what may proceed from other causes. Strict attention, and
accurate observation, have clearly ascertained and established the fact,
that horses are frequently attacked with, and labour under, a CHRONIC
RHEUMATISM, which is as frequently treated like, and mistaken for, a
confirmed _lameness_, erroneously supposed to have originated in a very
different cause. The joints, notwithstanding the peculiar strength of
their formation, are also liable to, and susceptible of, very serious,
alarming and permanent injuries, by short turns, and sudden twists, out
of as well as within the stable; and it is readily to be believed, more
of these are occasioned by carelessness, inadvertency, and the most
shameful inattention of servants, than from any accidental causes
whatever.

JOURNEY.—Journeys are, from various motives, very differently
undertaken, and by different degrees of people, according to their
various situations, or peculiar avocations, as actuated by the state of
their private concerns; whether influenced by a love of pleasure, the
pursuit of novelty, prompted by business, or urged by necessity. Amidst
which infinity of travellers, there are thousands, particularly in the
metropolis, who know nothing of the management of the very valuable and
useful companion, upon whose health and safety the pleasure and success
of the journey must principally depend. Horses, in general, are so
cruelly treated, and so inconsiderately neglected by those who are
entire strangers to the attentions they require, and the comforts they
stand in need of, that a few general hints cannot be considered
inapplicable; at least to such as wish to improve their judgment, and
acquire knowledge, from practical experience.

The prudent traveller will never commence a journey of length, without
every necessary precaution that can be adopted for general safety during
the whole; he will insure to a certainty, by personal examination, the
shape, make, fixing, and firmness of his horse's shoes, as the most
indispensible prelude to the success of his progress, it being one great
step to the prevention of trouble and disquietude. He will observe that
every part of his apparatus is sufficiently strong and durable for the
purpose, that he may not be likely to encounter the mortification of
_repairs_ upon the road; as well as that his BRIDLE is properly adapted
to the MOUTH, and the SADDLE to the BACK of the horse. A sore back, or
lacerated lips, are sad concomitants in a tedious or a dreary journey.
He will also remember at setting off, that the animal he bestrides is
formed of materials by no means dissimilar to his own; that he is
composed of fibres, nerves, tendons, muscles, flesh, blood and bone;
that these are all perishable commodities, liable to accident, sickness,
and dissolution; that he has also his passions, his sensations, his
appetites, his wants, his pains, and his pleasures. Not possessed of the
pleasing powers of communication by speech, it is a duty incumbent upon
the rider, not only to speak for, but to take care of (in the strictest
meaning of the words) an object so little capable of taking care of
itself.

Having all these things in humane recollection, he will advert to the
state of the roads, and the season of the year: the mode of treatment,
and manner of travelling proper in one, might be improper in the other.
Observation should be made upon the constitutional stamen, and innate
properties, of the horse, in respect to power and action, that his paces
and progress should be regulated in proportion. One may with ease travel
EIGHTEEN or TWENTY miles at a stage, with strength and vigour less
diminished, than another may _twelve_; and this it is the more necessary
to know and observe, because a horse overworked, or overfatigued, in the
_early_ part, very frequently never recovers himself during the whole of
a journey. It is a judicious maxim, and should be rigidly adhered to,
never to ride or drive horses at an immoderate or unreasonable pace at
first setting off in a morning; the carcase being full, brisk action
occasions much uneasiness, if not pain; and a horse never goes with
comfort to himself till relieved by frequent evacuation. Those who are
properly attentive to their own interest in the preservation of their
horse, will regulate their pace (as well as the length of their stage)
by the HEAT of the WEATHER in SUMMER, or the DEPTH of the ROAD in the
WINTER, each having equal and distinct effects upon the strength, and
exertion of power, in the horse, as the other.

Much of management at inns depends upon the state a horse is in upon his
arrival; none, but fools or madmen, bring them to the termination of a
stage in a stream of perspiration; if so, proper attention and treatment
cannot be expected, where there are so many to be served beside
themselves. Leading a horse about to _cool_ in the WINTER, washing the
dirt off by plunging him into a pond, or washing his legs in a
stable-yard, are equally destructive, and produce a combination of ills,
in colds, bad eyes, swelled legs, cracked heels, and other
inconveniences, productive of repentance, when repentance comes too
late. Whether the date of perspiration he is in be _much_ or _little_,
the mode of treatment should be proportionally the same. After being
permitted to _stale_, the head and fore quarters should first undergo
the ceremony of brisk wisping, or rough dressing, with good clean sweet
straw; then turning his head to the rack, (where some sweet hay has been
previously deposited,) the hind-quarters and legs experience the same
operation; at which time, and not before, the saddle should be taken
off, and the general dressing of the carcase and legs should be
completed, admitting or excluding external air, according to the season
of the year, by which all conditional circumstances must be regulated of
course. The examination of the SHOES, the state of the FEET, WARBLES,
bowel galls, or injuries by unequal pressure from, or friction of, the
saddle, are contingencies too necessary, and too sublime, for the head
of an ostler; he leaves possibilities of that kind to be discovered by
those whom it more materially concerns; and the principal must therefore
look to it HIMSELF, if he expects to be unequivocally satisfied upon
those points. FEEDING and WATERING depend also upon time, circumstances,
and the season; it being the duty of the owner to know whether the horse
will eat his corn if _he has it_; for it is not in the indispensible
department of the OSTLER to give a horse an ill name, by proclaiming him
_a bad feeder_. Under which combination of contingencies, dependent upon
travelling, it is no bad plan to SEE the horse have his CORN, as well as
to KNOW whether he EATS it; for no man can travel with so much judgment
and satisfaction, as he who knows the internal support his horse has to
work upon.

Horses jaded, and completely fatigued, with long and dirty journies, in
dull, dreary, and sometimes tempestuous, weather, are so entirely
debilitated, that they prefer REST to FOOD, and can hardly be kept upon
their legs, to go through the necessary comforts of _dressing_ and
_cleaning_ as an unavoidable prelude to the more substantial relief of
the night. In such state they require a little extra attention; an
invigorating CORDIAL BALL, so soon as it can possibly be obtained; a
mash of ground malt, and bran equal parts; in want of the malt, a mash
of bran and oats, made of boiling water, and six ounces, or half a
pound, of honey, may be introduced as a substantial substitute. The
water should not be from the pump, but soft, as from a rainy reservoir,
or the river, with the chill taken off: if in the winter, the clothing
should be warm; the bed plentiful, high, clean, and dry; as well as all
such crevices closely stopped as admit currents of air; by which
precaution, not only temporary ills, but dangerous diseases, are
frequently prevented.


ITCHING.—Horses are sometimes observed to labor under a severe itching,
or internal irritation, which keeps them in a kind of perpetual
disquietude; biting such parts as they can get at with the mouth, and
rubbing those more remote against such parts of the stall as are most
convenient, by which the hair is frequently rubbed off, and the skin
excoriated. In cases of this description, the blood does not possess a
proper or just equalization of the component parts indispensibly
necessary to the standard of health. It mostly arises from a deficiency
of crassamentum, or adhesive property of the blood, by which it becomes
more or less impoverished, and abounds with a redundancy of SERUM; this,
for want of its natural corrector, acquires ACRIMONY, and soon begins to
display its mischievous power and tendency to cutaneous morbidity in the
way described. Permitted to continue and increase, without salutary
counteraction, it extends its progress from a simple itching, in the
first instance, to scurfy eruptions, scaly exfoliations, or partial loss
of hair; bearing the external appearance of surfeit, degenerating, by
degrees, to inveterate MANGE, or confirmed FARCY. To prevent which, the
system should be improved, and the circulation enlivened, by an
invigoration of the frame: the property of the blood should be enriched
by an ADDITION to the QUANTITY, and an ALTERATION in the QUALITY of the
food. A great deal of substantial dressing should be adopted in the
stable, and regular gentle exercise out; as a collateral aid to which, a
course of ANTIMONIAL ALTERATIVE POWDERS should be brought into use, till
every symptom of disquietude has disappeared.


JUGGED—is a professional or technical term with the horse-dealing and
stabularian fraternity; and implies a horse's having tumefactions,
indurated or inflammatory, under the jaws. But when used in a more
serious and emphatic sense among themselves, it is to convey an idea,
that the horse said to be _jugged_, is infected with the GLANDERS.


JUSTICE—was a horse of considerable note both as a RUNNER and a
STALLION: he was bred by the late LORD GROSVENOR; was foaled in 1774;
got by _Herod_, out of _Curiosity_, (who was got by _Snap_,) her dam by
_Regulus_, and grand-dam by Bartlet's _Childers_. Without obtaining any
distinguished celebrity, he for many years maintained his ground as a
stallion above mediocrity, and produced some tolerable racers: amongst
the best of which were _Æacus_, _Mentor_, _Minos_, _Rhadamanthus_,
_Dedalus_, and _Midnight_.




K.


KEEPERS—are of different kinds, acting under different appointments, as
servants of the Crown, or of individuals. There are FOREST-keepers,
PARK-keepers, and GAME-keepers, whose employments are distinct and
separate from each other. It is the province of the first to protect and
superintend the DEER in any one of his Majesty's forests, to which he is
appointed, and to become a principal instrument of enforcing the laws
enacted for its preservation, against depredators of every description.
PARK-keepers are retained in the service of NOBLEMEN and GENTLEMEN who
have parks stocked with deer, having the same perquisites and privileges
as those employed in the service of the Crown; their employment is
principally to superintend, preserve, and regulate the stock, as well as
to kill BUCKS, DOES, and FAWNS, according to the season, when required
for the table; which can never be done by any PARK-keeper of the CROWN,
without the receipt of a proper WARRANT previously issued from superior
authority for that purpose. GAME-keepers are employed in various
forests, parks, chases, free-warrens, and manors, the property of the
Crown, to furnish a constant supply of game for his Majesty's table and
household, under such regulations as prevent the possibility of too
great an influx at one time, and too short a supply at another. Every
LORD or LADY possessing a manor within any part of the kingdom, has the
power of appointing a person, under the denomination of a GAME-keeper,
to protect, preserve, or KILL any kind of GAME upon the particular MANOR
for which he is appointed; and to execute and enforce all such other
manorial rights and privileges within the department, as may be
submitted to his delegation; he first conforming to the LEGAL
prescription, before he can be confirmed, or qualified to act in the
office to which he has been deputed.—See GAME-LAWS, and GAME-KEEPERS.


KENNEL—is the place where hounds are kept; upon the judicious
construction of which, their health, safety, and preservation, are known
greatly to depend. Those who take to, or become possessed of, KENNELS
ready built, frequently continue them in the form they fall into their
hands; but such as encounter the expence of new erections, cannot do
better than take a previous survey of the most approved plans; amongst
which the DUKE of BEDFORD'S, at Wooburn Abby; the DUKE of RICHMOND'S, at
Goodwood, in Sussex; and SIR WILLIAM ROWLEY'S, at Tendring Hall,
Suffolk, are supposed, for extent and convenience, to take the lead of
most others in the kingdom. TASTE and FASHION may go a great way in the
external glare of such establishments; but HEALTH and CONVENIENCE should
always prove the most predominant considerations. It is universally
admitted, by all who have a practical knowledge of this subject, that in
large and regularly-hunted packs, two kennels are indispensibly
necessary to the success and well-doing of the whole. When there is but
one, it can in the winter season be but seldom cleaned; and even then
the hounds are in a comfortless state, from the dampness of the
situation so long as it remains. Cleanliness is so essentially necessary
in every APARTMENT and DEPARTMENT of a kennel, that no continuance of
health in the hounds, or excellence in the field, can be expected
without it. They are individually innately clean; and will never, if
they can avoid it, _dung_ near where they _lie_. Air, fresh straw, and
ample room for the occasional expansion of their weary limbs, are
requisite for the invigoration of the frame, and the preservation of
health. Hounds confined in a body, are more liable to disease, than the
same animal single, and in a state of unrestrained liberty; hence the
necessity for counteraction, by every means the most prudent precaution
can adopt. Hounds thus subject to, and constantly attacked with disease,
and even madness, under the best and most judicious management, must be
evidently much more so if surrounded with _filth_ and _nastiness_.

That some idea may be formed of the grandeur of the buildings, and the
liberal scale, of the most celebrated hunting establishments, it is only
necessary to introduce a few explanatory remarks upon the kennels of
eminence already mentioned. The superb edifice of the Duke of Richmond
is said (and probably with great truth) to have cost 10,000_l._ in its
erection; to which his Grace contributed no small proportion of personal
assistance. He is reported to have been his own architect and builder;
to have dug his own flints, burnt his own lime, made his own bricks, and
framed the woodwork in his own shops. The DOG KENNEL, abstracted from
all other buildings, stands alone, in such part of the park as to form a
grand and striking object from the principal rooms of the mansion; the
materials are flints, finished at all the angles by a light grey brick,
like the Lymington white-stock.

The distribution of the building is into five compartments; two of them
36 feet by 15, and three more 30 by 15; these are called KENNELS, to
which are annexed two feeding-rooms, 28 by 15. In each of these are
openings at top, for the admission of external air, when necessary; and
stoves to qualify the air when too cold. There are supplies of water,
and drains into what is termed a stank, a considerable depth below, full
of rain-water, from the surface of which to the rise of the arch is
eleven feet; so that no inconvenience arises from smell; and the whole
can be occasionally cleared off by drains to more dependent depths, and
dung-pits, where it becomes contributary to the purposes of agriculture.
Round the whole building is a pavement five feet wide; airing-yards,
places for breeding, and other conveniences, making a part of each wing.
To constitute a uniformity of elegance, neatness, and perfection, the
HUNTSMAN and WHIPPER-IN have _each_ a parlour, kitchen, and
sleeping-room, appropriated to their own particular purpose.

The DUKE OF BEDFORD'S is an immense establishment, upon a scale of too
much extent for particular description, as it includes TENNIS-COURT,
RIDING-HOUSE, &c. &c. in one stone-fronted building, of 266 feet in
length; with two wings of stables, containing stalls for 36 hunters; and
eleven loose houses, for horses sick or lame. As the DOG-KENNEL,
however, is the only part entitled to notice under this head, it will
create no surprise that the richest subject should possess the most
complete in England. It is in length 405 feet, having the boiling-house
in the centre, with feeding rooms adjoining, and a granary behind. On
the right of the centre are apartments for two KENNEL-KEEPERS, two long
lodging rooms for the hunting hounds, with flues running along the
walls, to preserve an equal temperature in the severity of the winter
season; spacious yards to each, furnished with a fountain in the middle,
for the dogs to drink at; and water-cocks fixed at proper distances, to
cleanse the pavement, when it may be required: adjoining to these, are
seven hospitals for sick and lame hounds, with yards to each. On the
left are divisions for litter, straw, &c. eleven apartments for bitches
and puppies, with yards to each; eleven ditto for bitches in pup, with
yards also; and a large division for bitches at heat. In the front is a
large reservoir of water, which supplies the fountains, and different
cocks in the several yards within. Behind the whole is a large
airing-ground, flesh-house, and all requisite conveniencies. The
huntsman's dwelling-house is a handsome building adjoining. The number
of hunting hounds kept in the kennel are usually from sixty to seventy
couple.

The kennel of SIR WILLIM ROWLEY is by no means equal to the external
grandeur of the two already described, but replete with every internal
convenience that an establishment upon a somewhat smaller scale can
possibly require: it is situate about half a mile from the family
mansion, from the garden of which it constitutes a picturesque
appearance. It is erected in a valley of the park, a spot well adapted
to the purpose, being equally defended from the cutting easterly winds,
and the heat of the sun in its meridian, by a thick skirting of park and
forest trees. Not having the advantage of a rivulet to water the courts,
that want is amply supplied by a pump, which, by means of different
cocks, turns the water to every part of the premises; consisting of the
HUNTING-KENNEL, or principal lodging-room, which is 20 feet by 18 in the
clear, 18 feet high, and paved with flag-stones. The beds, or benches,
which cover almost the whole area, are of original and most admirable
contrivance, being lathed like some bedsteads, and all made to fold up
with joints, for the convenience of washing the floor beneath them. This
room, by means of a flue of peculiar construction, is heated to any
required temperature; and the hounds, after severe chases, and in wet
weather, are rendered dry and comfortable in a much less time than they
could be by any other means.

There is also a kennel, or lodging-room, for the young hounds, of the
same dimensions as the former, and possessing the same conveniencies,
except the flue, which here would have been superfluous. Several small
kennels for bitches in a state of gestation; as well as a proportional
number for those with puppies. A paved court to the hunting-kennel. A
feeding-house; one half of which is open, the other under cover. A paved
court to the kennel for the young hounds. A pump, and stone water
cisterns. A large grass-yard for airing the hounds belonging to the
hunting-kennel, containing about an acre and three quarters; in which
are a variety of lime, chesnut, and other trees, forming an excellent
shade for the hounds during the summer season. The young hounds have a
similar convenience. To these are annexed twelve small kennels for
puppies, well constructed for the purpose. The hunting-hounds generally
consist of about THIRTY-SIX COUPLE; and the establishment is conducted
in such a style of punctuality, order, and excellence, that it is
universally acknowledged equal to any, and inferior to none, upon a
similar scale, from one extremity of the kingdom to the other.

Next to the choice of a proper spot for, and a judicious, as well as a
convenient, construction of the KENNEL, the management of the hounds,
_when there_, becomes a matter of serious consideration, and requires a
FEEDER of strict sobriety, indefatigable industry, invariable
punctuality, great humanity, personal fidelity to his employer, and a
constant attention to the business in which he is engaged; as upon him
in a great degree depends the health and preservation of the hounds. MR.
BECKFORD observes (in great proof of his practical knowledge and
personal experience) that no part of a hunting establishment goes on _so
well_, as when the MASTER becomes an occasional SUPERINTENDANT of his
own concerns. He says, as the sport in the field depends on the
exquisite sense of smelling so peculiar to the hound, so care should be
taken to preserve it; and cleanliness is the surest means. The keeping
of the kennel _sweet_ and _clean_, cannot, therefore, be too strongly
inculcated, and impressed upon the mind of the FEEDER; if he seems
habitually disposed to deviate from which, he is not at all calculated
for the office he has undertaken.

The preparation for feeding, as boiling the meat, mixing the meal, and
getting it ready at the hours agreed on, is a matter that the _HUNTSMAN_
will of course take care (on his part) never to have neglected; but
there are other considerations, equally important, which become entitled
to attention. Hounds cannot be properly fed by a _single_ person; two
are (for a variety of reasons) unavoidably necessary; and those two
should be the FEEDER and the HUNTSMAN; as hounds should be drafted and
fed according to their state of flesh and condition. Some are much more
voracious than others, and will require a greater portion of food;
others look and work well, with half the quantity: the eye of the
huntsman should discriminate between the opposite descriptions; in want
of which attention, the pack will never be of equal appearance. When any
of the hounds are observed to be low in flesh, off their appetites, bad
feeders, or kept under by the old and master hounds, it will be matter
of advantage to draft them, and let them feed under less restraint.
Young and impatient feeders, fall into the very common fault of feeding
hounds with their meat _too hot_: it is both a prevalent and injurious
error, that should be totally abolished.

MR. BECKFORD is of opinion, that hounds poorer than the rest should be
fed again, and that they cannot be fed too often; as well as that those
hounds which become too fat, _if any_, should be drafted off, and not
permitted to fill themselves. All hounds (particularly young ones)
should be often called over in kennel; their names become more familiar
to them; and it teaches them obedience; this lesson is practised, or
should be, at the time of feeding. Hounds should all be let out into the
airing ground, to empty them themselves after feeding, to prevent an
unnecessary accumulation of filth, and consequent effluvia, in the
kennel. It may be a custom with some, to shut up the hounds for two or
three hours after they return from hunting _before_ they are FED; if so,
it is more entitled to contempt than imitation; no plea can justify the
practice; they should have their meat ready for feeding immediately on
their return; once gratified, they enjoy their rest _undisturbed_, the
best and most natural foundation for a renovation of strength. Plenty of
vegetables, boiled in the copper meat, once a week, is a custom in most
kennels; as it is also to throw in a pound or two of sulphur, (in
proportion to the number,) particularly in the summer season, when there
is a greater tendency in the blood to morbidity, particularly to
cutaneous diseases.

During the hot months, when hounds do not work, they require but a small
proportion of substantial food, compared to what is necessary in the
severity of the HUNTING SEASON; flesh may then be given very sparingly;
the less it is used in the summer, the less likelihood there will be of
seeing that malignant and unwelcome visitor, the MANGE, amongst them.
Various opinions have been promulgated upon the best, cheapest, and most
nutritious, food for the support of hounds in general; but experience
seems to have justified the consistency of occasional changes, according
to the different seasons, and the different degrees of work; without
adhering too closely to one particular mode, unassisted by such
deviations as circumstances may render not only prudent and proper, but
sometimes unavoidable. Horse flesh, sheep's trotters, raspings, greaves,
bullock's paunches, (in a scarcity of flesh,) oat-meal, and barley-meal,
constitute the principal articles upon which hounds are known to
subsist; although they are differently prepared, and differently
administered, according to the judgment, experience, whim, or caprice,
of the parties concerned. It is, however, universally admitted, after a
number of fair and impartial trials, that in respect to the two meals,
they act much more profitably and advantageously, when used in a mixed
state of nearly equal proportions, than when either is given alone.

MR. BECKFORD says, his feeder, who was a good one, and of much
experience, mixed the meal in _equal_ quantities; that the oatmeal he
boiled for half an hour; and then put out the fire, adding the
barley-meal, and mixing both together: his reason for boiling one, and
not the other, was, that boiling made the oat-meal THICK, and the
barley-meal _thin_; and that when he fed with the barley-meal _only_, it
should not be put into the copper, but mixed up with the scalding
liquor, in a proper tub, or hogshead, kept for the purpose. There are
many little things within the department of the FEEDER, which, if
neglected, become of serious consequence. Nice observation should be
made upon the state of the BITCHES at all times; upon the least
indication of their going to HEAT, they should be _instantly_ removed; a
few hours delay may be the destruction of some of the best hounds in the
kennel. After their return on a hunting day, he should observe whether
there are any hounds who have sustained injuries in the feet by thorns,
flints, &c. in which case a fomentation of warm pot-liquor, (or bran and
water,) followed by a washing with cold vinegar, or salt and water, will
generally effect a speedy cure. Hounds seriously LAME, or palpably SICK,
should be separated from the rest, and placed where they can be more at
ease, and have better attention.


KENNEL—is a sporting term for the spot in which a FOX deposits himself
after his nocturnal depredations, and to which he retires about the dawn
of day: being found by the hounds in drawing covert, he is then said to
be _unkennelled_, and the chase begins. When safe in some _burrow_, or
_hole_, below the surface, he is then said to lie at EARTH.


KIBES,—in horses, are the _cracks_ which appear in the HEELS during the
severity of the winter season, and are much more the consequence of
_neglect_, or a want of knowledge in the stable discipline, than the
effect produced by changes in the weather; which may in general be
counteracted by the means in constant practice with those who proceed
systematically, and take the same care of their horses, as prudence
prompts them to take of themselves. They proceed mostly from being left
with _wet_ legs, which, in very COLD or FROSTY weather, occasions such a
tightness and rigidity of the skin, that, when brought into sudden and
brisk action, it bursts asunder, (in a greater or less degree,)
according to the texture of the skin, or the constitutional irritability
of the horse. These soon become exceedingly painful; and if the weather
should repeatedly vary from short _frosts_ to alternate _thaws_, and the
horse continue in use, the constant insinuation of the sharp particles
of small gravel and sand of the dirty roads, is productive of such
excruciating sensations, that the subject refuses food, and does not lay
down for many days and nights in succession: when even _gently_
compelled to move, he lifts up the limb in so much misery, that it is
with the greatest reluctance he brings it again to the ground; on the
contrary, keeps it so long suspended, that it is expected he must
inevitably fall over in his stall. If worked in this state, he comes out
of the stable as if completely crippled; and every day's delay in the
attempt at relief, must be a culpable protraction of cure: palliatives
(with work) will prove _deceptive_; rest should be adopted, and cure
obtained. This can only be effected by poultices made of LINSEED POWDER,
milk, and a little olive oil, applied immediately after comfortable
softenings with warm gruel, and a small sponge: an ALTERATIVE POWDER in
a mash nightly, and the use of camphorated SPERMA-CÆTI LINIMENT, night
and morning, when the poultices are left off, will be found greatly to
assist the general intent.


KIDNEYS.—The horse is always liable to local injuries, as well as
permanent disorders, of these parts. Inflammation and ulceration are
also produced by different means: some proceed from external causes, as
BRUISES and BLOWS; being too heavily laden with burdens, or drawing too
heavy weights; both which should be equally attended to, and guarded
against. The distinguishing symptoms of diseased KIDNIES, are a palpable
weakness of the hind part of the _back_ and _loins_, a painful sinking
of those parts upon pressure, a difficulty of staling, which is
generally voided partially in small quantities, and frequently with
short groans of internal disquietude: in slight affections, the urine is
white, but turbid; in severe cases, very high coloured, as if tinged
with blood: there is mostly a heaviness of the eyes, debility of body, a
loathing of food, and a tendency to symptomatic fever. From whatever
cause an injury may arise, or from whatever state of the body a disease
of the parts may proceed, BLEEDING largely is the first step to speedy
relief, and the prevention of danger. The _quality_ and _quantity_ of
MEDICINE must be regulated by the shades, as well as the duration, of
the disorder, according to consequences likely to ensue. Warm glysters
of gruel and olive oil occasionally; mashes, made of ground malt and
bran, for food; and thin gruel for drink, in which GUM ARABIC should be
dissolved, to lubricate the passages, and sheath any asperity with which
the parts may be affected. Should the weakness of the loins increase,
the difficulty of staling continue, the urine become more thick and
fœtid, the strength more reduced, and the frame emaciated, one or both
the kidneys may be considered in a state of ulceration, and cure cannot
be expected.


KILLING GAME.—The privilege of KILLING GAME (in any way whatever) is now
dependent upon a two-fold qualification; in want of BOTH which, the
transgressor renders himself liable to a DOUBLE, and in want of
_either_, to a _single_ penalty; which, divested of technical ambiguity,
and the complicated abstrusity of the GAME LAWS in their present
extended state, is reduced to the following state of simplification,
adapted to every comprehension.

In different Acts of Parliament during the reigns of JAMES the First,
CHARLES the Second, and Queen ANNE, the landed possessions necessary to
constitute a qualification to kill game, (exempt from pains and
penalties,) have varied materially, in proportion to the gradual
alteration in the value of money, which has continued to diminish in a
corresponding degree. The landed qualification established by the 23d
Charles the Second, c. xxv. and still adhered to, is the possession of
LANDS, TENEMENTS, or other estates of inheritance, of the CLEAR yearly
value of ONE HUNDRED POUNDS. Or, for term of life, A LEASE or LEASES for
ninety-nine years, or any longer term, of the CLEAR yearly value of ONE
HUNDRED and FIFTY POUNDS. Persons not so qualified, either killing, or
going in pursuit of game with an intent to kill, and being convicted
upon the OATH of _one_ witness, before a Justice of the Peace, forfeits
FIVE POUNDS for each offence; half to the informer, and half to the poor
of the parish where the offence is committed.

Thus far a line is drawn between the QUALIFIED and the _unqualified_, in
respect to LANDED privilege, upon former Acts of Parliament; clearly
defining who possessed a LEGAL RIGHT to pursue and KILL GAME under such
sanction, and who were the persons prohibited from so doing, and liable
to the penalty before described. In addition to which distinction, it
has been enacted by successive Acts in the present reign of George the
Third, That every person who shall use any DOG, GUN, NET, or other
engine, for the taking or killing of game, (except a game-keeper acting
under a deputation duly registered,) shall every year, previous to his
using the same, deliver his name and place of abode to the CLERK of the
PEACE of the county where he shall reside, and take out an annual
CERTIFICATE, or licence, bearing a stamp, for which three guineas are to
be paid. This licence, when obtained, does not authorize _unqualified_
persons to kill game, but leaves them still liable to the PENALTY of
FIVE POUNDS for each offence, as already described. The penalty for
killing game without having procured the ANNUAL CERTIFICATE, is TWENTY
POUNDS to either the qualified or unqualified; so that the
_unqualified_, prosecuted to conviction, is in a predicament of only
five pounds worse than the QUALIFIED, the penalty being twenty pounds
with one, and five-and-twenty with the other. Any person in pursuit of
game, having his name and place of abode demanded by another, who is
possessed of a certificate, and refusing to tell the same, is liable to
a penalty of FIFTY POUNDS. See GAME-KEEPERS, and GAME LAWS.


KINDLE.—A doe rabbit is said to KINDLE when she brings forth her young.


KING FERGUS,—the name of a horse bred by the late COLONEL O'KELLY; he
was foaled in 1775; was got by _Eclipse_, dam (Tuting's Polly) by _Black
and all Black_, grand-dam by _Tartar_, great grand-dam by _Old
Starling_. He was of great celebrity, and continued for many years a
stallion of the first eminence. He was the sire of a great number of
good racers, amongst which were those celebrated runners _Hambletonian_,
_Overton_, _Beningbrough_, _Sir Solomon_, _Warter_, _Johnny_ (Durand's,)
_Garswood_, &c. &c.


KING'S HOUNDS.—His Majesty's STAG HOUNDS pass under this denomination,
as a part of the royal establishment continued in every successive reign
without variation. The kennel in which they are kept is situate near the
RACE COURSE upon ASCOT HEATH; at the distance of two short miles from
which is SWINLEY LODGE, the official residence of the MASTER of the STAG
HOUNDS, an appointment seldom conferred but upon one of the peerage, and
is considered an office of honor, with a salary of 2000_l._ _per annum_.
The presence of the Master of the Stag Hounds in the field is not a
matter of necessity, but choice, except when his Majesty hunts, and then
his personal attendance is indispensible; his badge of office is a pair
of gold dog couples, which hang suspended from a belt on his left side.
The HUNTSMAN has a handsome residence at the kennel, with a salary of
125_l._ a year; to whom there are six assistants, (called YEOMEN
PRICKERS,) each having a salary of 104_l._ with the royal livery richly
ornamented, and an annual supply of saddles, bridles, horse-cloths, and
the necessary stable appendages; but they find their own horses.

The hunting season commences on HOLYROOD-DAY, the 25th of September, and
continues every Tuesday and Saturday till the first week in May; with
the exception of Christmas and Easter weeks, when they hunt _three_
times in _each_. Holyrood-Day, and Easter-Monday, are the two grand days
of the year for company, when the field is exceedingly numerous. His
Majesty has also a PACK of HARRIERS, which are kept at the Little Park
Lodge near Windsor, and with these he hunts constantly in Windsor Great
Park, and the surrounding neighbourhood; they are, however, a private
concern of his Majesty's, and not included in the regular Crown
establishment.


KING'S PLATE.—Those called KING'S PLATES, are a free gift from his
Majesty of 100 guineas each; and it is believed were originally granted
as a means of exciting such a degree of emulation, as would probably
tend to national advantage, by improving the breed of horses in general;
as well as to afford an annual pecuniary advantage (by an additional
influx of company) to such CITIES and TOWNS as enjoy the royal favour.
NEWMARKET, as the superior spot of sporting celebrity, is particularly
honoured, having two in the first SPRING, and one in the first OCTOBER
meetings. KING'S PLATES are also given at Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
Guildford, Winchester, Ipswich, Burford, Chelmsford, Nottingham, Lewes,
Edinburgh, York, Canterbury, Warwick, Lichfield, Richmond, (Yorkshire,)
Lincoln, Salisbury, Ayr, Carlisle, and Ascot Heath; the whole of which,
except the last, are run for by horses or mares of different ages,
carrying such weights as shall be appointed by the MASTER of the HORSE,
or whoever he may delegate for that purpose.

The KING'S PLATE of 100 guineas, given at ASCOT, and always run for on
the first day, (invariably Whit-Tuesday fortnight,) is only for horses
which have regularly hunted with his Majesty's STAG HOUNDS the preceding
season, and must have been well up with the hounds, at their running up
to, taking, or killing, TEN DEER, as an indispensible qualification,
without having which they cannot be permitted to start. At the
conclusion of the chase, when the deer is secured, those who intend to
qualify for the plate apply to the HUNTSMAN, and a ticket is delivered
to the rider, bearing the arms of the Master of the Stag Hounds, and the
seal of the royal hunt; when which ten tickets are obtained, the horse
has secured his qualification, may then be withdrawn from the field, and
is not obliged to appear again till the DAY of ENTRANCE at Sunning-Hill
Wells, where and when the tickets must be produced, in confirmation of
his being duly qualified to START. For the accommodation of the sporting
world at large, horses of all ages are permitted to run, carrying the
following weights; four years old, 11st. 2lb. five years old, 11st. 9lb.
six years old, 11st. 12lb. and aged, 12st. Mares allowed 4lb. The best
of three four-mile heats.

The following Rules are, by his MAJESTY'S COMMAND, to be strictly
observed by the OWNERS and RIDERS of all such HORSES, MARES, or
GELDINGS, as shall run for his Majesty's Plates at Newmarket.

KING'S PLATE ARTICLES.

Every person that putteth in a horse, mare, or gelding, for the said
plate, is to shew such horse, mare, or gelding, with the marks, name,
and name of the OWNER, to be entered at the King's stables in Newmarket
the day before they run, and shall then produce a certificate under the
hand of the breeder, specifying his exact age the grass before.

Every horse, mare, or gelding, that runneth, is to start between the
hours of one and four in the afternoon; and to be allowed half an hour
between each heat to rub.

Every horse, mare, or gelding, that runneth on the wrong side the POSTS
or FLAGS, or is distanced in any of the HEATS, shall have no share of
the said PLATE, nor be suffered to start again.

The horse, mare, or gelding, that winneth any two heats, winneth the
PLATE; but if three several horses, mares, or geldings, win EACH of them
a HEAT, then those three, and only they, to run a fourth; and the horse,
mare, or gelding, that winneth the fourth heat, shall have the plate.

And each horse, mare, or gelding's place, as he or they come in by the
ending-post each heat, as first, second, or third, &c. shall be
determined by such judges as shall be appointed for that purpose by the
MASTER of the HORSE. And in case any horse, mare, or gelding, shall be
then, or after prove to be, _above_ the age CERTIFIED the grass before,
the owner or owners of such horse, mare, or gelding, shall be rendered
incapable of ever running for any of the King's Plates hereafter.

As many of the RIDERS as shall _cross_, _jostle_, or _strike_, or use
any other foul play, as shall be judged by such person or persons as
shall be appointed by the MASTER of the HORSE, such rider shall be made
incapable of ever riding any horse, mare, or gelding, for any of his
MAJESTY'S PLATES hereafter; and such OWNERS shall have no benefit of
_that_ plate; but such owners may be permitted to run any horse, mare,
or gelding, for any other of his Majesty's free Plates in future.

Every RIDER shall, immediately after each heat is run, be obliged to
come to the ENDING-POST with his horse, mare, or gelding, then and there
to alight, and not before, and there to WEIGH to the satisfaction of the
judges appointed for that purpose.

And in case of neglect or refusal thereof, such WINNERS and RIDERS shall
be immediately declared _incapable_ of RUNNING or RIDING any more for
this or any of his MAJESTY'S PLATES in future.

And should any difference arise relating to their ages, or in their
running, or to these his MAJESTY'S ORDERS, the same to be determined by
such person, or persons, as shall be appointed by the MASTER of the
HORSE. And these Articles are to continue in force, unless altered by
COMMAND of his MAJESTY.

For the better and more certain prevention of any fraud, or
misapplication, the winner of a KING'S PLATE is to receive from the
CLERK of the COURSE, a certificate signed by the STEWARD of the RACE
where such plate is won, countersigned by himself also, which being
presented to the LORD LIEUTENANT of the COUNTY, it obtains his signature
likewise: when thus sanctioned, it becomes payable at sight to BEARER
(if properly endorsed by the winner) at the office of the CLERK of his
MAJESTY'S STABLES, in the KING'S MEWS, LONDON. The Lord Lieutenant of a
county being out of the kingdom, the signature of any person regularly
deputed by him is sufficient. The certificate of winning the PLATE at
ASCOT requires only the signature of the MASTER of his MAJESTY'S STAG
HOUNDS, instead of the Lord Lieutenant of the County.


KNEE OF A HORSE—is the centrical joint of the leg, where the fore-thigh
is united to the shank-bone. Its formation is of such strength, that a
LAMENESS, by _twist_, _distortion_, or any other injury, is hardly ever
sustained in this part, but by the accident of falling; which frequently
happens, and, if attended with a _blemish_, very much reduces the
previous value of the horse. Prominencies in a pavement, or rolling
stones upon a road, are sometimes the occasion of such misfortunes, even
to those who are in general exceedingly sure-footed, and of the most
valuable description. Custom has, however, introduced, of late years,
such an unprecedented degree of precaution in an examination of the
KNEES, that the slightest touch cannot be expected to pass unnoticed
amidst so much scrutinizing inspection; and if once appearances are
sufficient to justify _a doubt_, the object immediately sinks in
estimation, however superior he may be in other respects and
qualifications. This being so great a disadvantage when a horse is to be
_sold_, it evidently points out the absolute necessity of a minute
examination before he is _bought_, as a want of it may produce
considerable loss, and serious reflection. Loss of hair upon the knees,
when not too severely affected, may sometimes be restored by a daily
application of very strong camphorated liniment.




L.


LAIR—was a term formerly applied to the haunt of outlying deer, and
implied the place near which they might probably be found. It is,
however, but little known in that sense, and is now used to express the
part of a forest, chase, heath, or common, where any particular horse,
cow, or other cattle, is accustomed to frequent when turned out, which
is then called their LAIR, and where (or in the neighbourhood of it)
their owners are generally sure to find them.


LAMENESS IN HORSES—proceeds from a variety of causes, and requires much
patient investigation to ascertain, to a certainty, the exact seat of
injury; for want of which judicious precaution, mischief frequently
follows. Horses are sometimes _persecuted_, _blistered_, and _fired_,
for a LAMENESS in _one_ part, which ultimately proves to be in
_another_; and this alone sufficiently points out the absolute necessity
of a deliberate discrimination. As lameness proceeds from different
causes, so it is of different kinds, and requires various modes of
treatment, equally opposite to each other. This cannot be more forcibly
elucidated, than by adverting to the difference between a lameness
originating in a relaxation of the SINEWS, and a ligamentary injury
sustained by a sudden _turn_, _twist_, or _distortion_, of some
particular JOINT. These require a very different mode of treatment; and
yet it is too much, and too unthinkingly the custom, to treat every kind
of lameness in the same way. From either a want of patience in the
owner, or a want of prudence in the practitioner, the favourite
operation of BLISTERING is thought applicable to _every case_ without
exception; and being often resorted to before the inflammation of the
part has sufficiently subsided, occasions a permanent enlargement, with
a thickening of the integument, and consequent stiffness, rendering the
remedy equally injurious with the original defect.

In all lamenesses occasioned by a relaxation of the TENDONS, blistering,
and even firing, are admitted to have a forcible effect, provided they
are brought into use at a PROPER time; but not _before_ the inflammation
(which is generally attendant upon such case) has previously subdued. In
all ligamentary injuries, BLISTERING is seldom, if ever, known to be
productive of permanent advantage; and is, perhaps, upon most occasions,
so immediately adopted, because a _single_ application is of so much
less _personal trouble_, than a daily persevering hour bestowed in hot
FOMENTATIONS, and stimulative EMBROCATIONS. Upon the subject of lameness
in general, it is necessary to remark, that injuries sustained in the
tendons (commonly called the back sinews) are more frequently relieved,
and a lasting cure obtained, than in a lameness of the joints; where,
after patient and persevering medical applications, and a corresponding
portion of REST, a renewal of work has almost immediately produced a
relapse.


LAMPAS,—called also LAMPERS, and LAMPARDS, is a spongey elastic
enlargement of the roof of a young horse's mouth, just behind the
nippers of his upper jaw, which frequently acquires such a luxuriance in
growth, as to be equal with, or to exceed, the surface of the teeth, and
is supposed to occasion pain to such horses in the mastication of their
corn. Different opinions have been entertained, and are still supported,
upon this subject; some considering it only a temporary operation of
NATURE during the formation of the TEETH, which would _contract_, and
disappear, upon their attaining their full and proper growth; whilst
others, less comprehensive in their conceptions, less scientific in
their reasoning, and more hasty in their decisions, maintain the
necessity of radical extermination, and that too by a process no less
severe than the _red-hot iron_, or burning cautery. The most critical
examination of the case (whenever it occurs) does not seem to justify
the necessity for, or the cruelty of, such operation: various are the
means which may be brought into use for the most perfect completion of
the purpose, without resorting to such as bear the traits of former
_barbarity_, when the times were less enlightened, and the system of
FARRIERY less improved.

Admitting the part to have acquired its prominence, or preternatural
distension, (a mere elastic, spongey puffiness,) by a slight
inflammation originally, and a proportional propulsion of blood to the
finer vessels surrounding that particular spot, it follows, of course,
that extracting from those vessels the contents with which they are
overloaded, and compulsively distended, will lay the foundation of
contraction, which, followed by proper constringents, will constitute a
perfect obliteration, to the PRUDENT and HUMANE exclusion of a practice
not more replete with _cruelty_ during the operation, than with danger
in its consequence. Whenever the LAMPAS are found so protuberant, as to
justify an opinion, or produce a proof, that they occasion pain in
mastication, it is then time enough, to pass the point or edge of a
sharp penknife, or lancet, transversely, and longitudinally, over the
puffy and prominent part, so as to let it BLEED in that state for a _few
minutes_; then let it be washed with a solution of ALUM in water, and no
farther inconvenience need be feared from a _molehill_, which the
illiterate have long since magnified to a MOUNTAIN, without the least
rational plea for its foundation.


LASSITUDE,—horses are frequently subject to, which does not amount to
palpable pain, or evident indisposition. If a horse, who is usually in
high spirits in the stable, as well as out, becomes depressed, dull,
heavy, inattentive, and indifferent to food, it may be presumed
something is going on in the system not directly consonant to the
indications of health. In such cases, the necessary examination should
be made without delay, and proper modes of counteraction adopted, to
prevent the severity and danger of disease, which sometimes advances
with great rapidity, to such a state as would never have happened, if
proper attention had been paid to the _cause_ of LASSITUDE upon its
earliest appearance.


LAW-SUITS,—in respect to horses, are become so common, from the frequent
deceptions in BUYING and SELLING, (as well without _others_ as with
DEALERS,) that not a term passes without various litigations of this
description. When the expence and anxiety attendant upon both PLAINTIFF
and DEFENDANT, during the time a suit is pending; the uncertainty of its
termination, which ultimately depends so much upon the effect of
_chance_ in EVIDENCE; the misrepresentation, or misconstruction, of
FACTS, are all taken into consideration, it is much to be regretted,
that such circumstances cannot be brought to a more friendly and less
expensive conclusion. As, however, such propensity to mutual
accommodation is not likely to abound amidst the complicated tempers,
caprices, and versatilities, of society at large; it becomes the more
necessary to avoid, as much as possible, whatever may be eventually
productive of so unpleasant and unprofitable an embarkation;
particularly when it is constantly seen in COURTS of LAW, to what a
wonderful degree of villainy human depravity is extended, for the
completion of points in which the parties are individually or
collaterally interested; and perhaps in no causes whatever, so much as
in those where the soundness or unsoundness of a horse is concerned.

Those who have had occasion most to frequent the Courts, best know (in
fact, there are cases on record to justify and corroborate the
assertion) that suits have occurred, where _six_ witnesses swore "they
saw the horse almost daily for some weeks previous to his death, and
that he had the GREASE so bad he died with it;" when, to the
astonishment of a crouded court, (before MR. JUSTICE BULLER, who tried
the cause,) the DEFENDANT produced an _equal_ number of witnesses who
_swore_, "they likewise saw the horse almost daily to the last hour of
his life, and that he never had the least mark, trait, or sign of grease
about him;" to corroborate which, a HUNTSMAN (making the _seventh_
witness on that side) was produced, who swore "he stripped the horse for
his hounds, and he had no mark of grease about him." The Judge remarked,
"that the mass of perjury was absolutely beyond human conception on
_one_ side or the _other_; and so far exceeded the power of his
discrimination, that he submitted it entirely to the province of the
Jury," who immediately returned a verdict for the defendant.

It is much to be lamented, that every horse cause brought before a Court
favours more or less of this complexion; in a perfect knowledge of
which, the parties concerned strengthen their interest, and select their
_necessary_ evidence, with as much pains and eagerness as votes are
solicited at an election: and it is not at all uncommon to have a body
of evidence produced to SWEAR a horse "_dead lame_" on one side, and a
much greater number to prove him PERFECTLY SOUND on the other. In such a
glorious _uncertainty_ of the LAW, what reflecting man can indulge a
sufficient hope of success, to encounter a load of mental disquietude
during the process, with the additional expence of _thrice_ the VALUE of
the object in dispute?


LEAD.—The EXTRACT of LEAD is a preparation passing almost universally
under the denomination of GOULARD'S EXTRACT, whose properties are
acknowledged of great medical utility, and in many cases amount to a
specific. See GOULARD, where the effects of this article are more
particularly explained.


LEAPING—is a leading perfection in a horse that very much enhances his
value as a HUNTER; without which qualification, he is held in no great
estimation when shewn in the field. LEAPING, in its general
signification, extends to the two kinds called _flying_ and _standing_;
a horse perfect in each, with equal temper, and a fair portion of SPEED,
is then called a complete or made HUNTER; and if he has a corresponding
uniformity of figure, and excellence of action, both his reputation and
worth become increased in proportion. There are very few horses of speed
and spirit, but what become good FLYING LEAPERS by short practice in the
field with hounds, which, indeed, is the only proper place to teach
them; but it is not so with STANDING LEAPS which should be taught
_coolly_ and _calmly_ at the leaping-bar, with great serenity of temper,
patience, and perseverance, by which alone any horse can attain
perfection.


LEASH,—the sporting term in use to imply the number THREE, as exceeding
ONE, and not reaching TWO brace; for instance, a brace of hares, a leash
of pheasants, and two brace of partridges. A brace of pointers, a leash
of greyhounds, and two brace of spaniels. Custom, however, in this, as
in most other things, admits of deviation and exception; in proof of
which we say, a brace of spaniels, a couple and a half of hounds, and
two brace of pointers. A brace of snipes, a couple and a half of
woodcocks, and two couple of rabbits. It is therefore confident, and
sportsman-like, to say, a LEASH of birds, (partridges,) a leash of
pheasants, a leash of hares, or any other article where TWO are termed a
BRACE; but improper to call _three_ a LEASH, where two of the kind are
called a COUPLE.


LEGS.—The legs of a horse are, in their length, shape, and construction,
so material to graceful and expeditious action, that they become, at the
time of purchase, objects of minute inspection: if observed _too long_,
in proportion to the DEPTH of the CHEST, and the LENGTH of the CARCASE,
they may be considered a tolerable criterion of constitutional
_weakness_, as few of this description are found equal to a constant
repetition of even moderate work. Too straight in the lower part of the
leg, with the hoof overhung by the fetlock, is an indication of
stiffness and constraint in action; as, on the contrary, those who are
exceeding long in the lower joints, and whose pasterns extend the hoof
considerably before the leg, with a palpable bend or flexibility in
walking, and the heel nearly down to the ground, are mostly horses of
speed, (so far as their strength will permit;) but they are in general
_weak_ in those parts, and there is always a well-founded fear of their
breaking down. The legs and feet are constantly liable to _injuries_,
_accidents_, and _defects_, as CRACKS, SPLENTS, THRUSHES, &c. all which
are explained under their different heads.


LEGS SWELLED—originate in various causes; but from none so much as a
sizey, viscid state of the BLOOD, a laxity of the SOLIDS, a shameful
neglect of stable discipline, or a great deal of work at _one_ time, and
no regular exercise at _another_. That swelled legs arise from different
causes, is sufficiently demonstrated by the opposite state of their
external appearance in the examination of different subjects; where the
legs of one shall be found distended to the utmost possible extent of
the skin, with a degree of tenseness from the knee or hock downwards,
not submitting to pressure, and without the least cutaneous pliability
whatever. These are the kind of swelled legs occasioned by stagnant
fluids, originating in the sizey and viscid state of the blood. When
they are equally distended, but pliable in the skin, yielding to
pressure, and resuming their previous extension, it may be justly
concluded, they proceed from a laxity of the solids, and a want of
regular exercise without, and manual labour (leg rubbing) within.
Proceeding from which ever cause, they are productive of temporary
anxiety; and the cause should be removed without delay. Bleeding, with
evacuants, and a course of alteratives, will expeditiously eradicate the
former; cordial invigorants, malt mashes, moderate exercise _out_, and
regular bodily friction and leg-rubbing _within_, will soon obliterate
the latter.


LESSONS,—in the language of the MANEGE, are what is received by man, and
given to the horse, according to the purposes for which they are
designed, or the particular duties they are destined to discharge.
Diverted of the practice of the schools, there are lessons which every
man has it in his power to inculcate, and which never should be relaxed
from, till the horse has attained a degree of perfection in those
points, which render him a pattern of obedience, and consequent object
of attraction to others, and a valuable acquisition to the owner. The
first and principal is, never to let him move a single step forward,
till his rider is firmly fixed upon his back, or his driver seated in
his carriage; the same rule of standing perfectly still, being as
invariably persevered in at the time of dismounting or alighting; by
which some degree of safety will be insured; and it will soon become as
habitual to the horse, as to those who RIDE or DRIVE him. He should
always be accustomed to his own side of the road upon every emergency,
which every horse soon knows from habit, and will not, but with
reluctance, or upon _compulsion_, take the wrong, whatever may be the
occasion; to a want of which very prudent, and very necessary
precaution, may be attributed a majority of the accidents which so
frequently happen in and round the Metropolis.


LEVERET—is the term for a young HARE during her _first year_, or till
FULL GROWN.


LETHARGY.—The lethargy, or SLEEPING EVIL, as it is called by the lower
class of rustics and farriers, is a drowsy kind of stupefaction, to
which DRAFT HORSES are more particularly subject than any other; with
whom it is considered a kind of prelude to the STAGGERS, which in
general soon follow, if the cause is not speedily removed. A horse upon
being attacked, closes his eyes, drops his head into the manger,
suddenly recovers himself, and as gradually drops again; opens his eyes,
as if surprized, picks a little hay, or corn, relapses with it in his
mouth; and this is, perhaps, alternately repeated, till fixing his head
in one corner of the stall, he seems to be deprived of both ACTION and
ANIMATION, standing in a state of perfect _insensibility_. This
prognostication (for in its first stage it can hardly be called a
disease) denotes a _struggle_, in which the whole SYSTEM is affected;
but where the struggle is dependent entirely upon the state of the
circulation, which is become (from some remote cause) partially
defective, and stands in need of such STIMULATIVE assistance, as may
prove the means of constituting immediate REVULSION. Instantaneous
BLEEDING, followed by much _friction_ upon the body, as well as upon the
extremities; warm glysters of gruel, in which a couple of sliced onions
have been boiled; and to which a handful of common salt, and a gill of
linseed oil, may be added; should be given and repeated in three or four
hours. The pectoral cordial balls, impregnated with a drachm of myrrh,
assafœtida, and ammoniacum, might be administered with advantage; all
which not completing a cure within _two_ or _three_ days, BLISTERING
largely behind the ears should not be neglected.


LIGHT IN HAND.—A horse is said to be light in hand, who, bearing
properly upon his haunches, (or hind-quarters,) requires little or no
assistance from the BIT. Horses of this description are generally well
formed in their fore-quarters, with a curved crest, carrying their heads
well up, with long necks, high withers, and a commanding forehand. Those
with short necks, thick shoulders, dull spirit, slow action, and the
withers lower before than the spinal (or rump) bone behind, are always
of a _contrary_ description; they _bore_ along, invariably bearing upon
the bit, and from that circumstance are said to be heavy in hand.


LIGHT CARCASED—is a term applied to horses, the shape of whose bodies
bear no ill affinity to the form of a GREYHOUND. The carcases of such
are flat at the sides, narrow in the chest, and gradually contract in
circumference from the GIRTH to the FLANK; where, after a little hard
work, they appear so _tucked up_, it would seem to a stranger that they
were emaciated for want of food. Horses of this description possess, in
general, a SPIRIT so much beyond their STRENGTH, that, although they
never will relinquish their pace, or seem even to tire, till nature is
quite exhausted, they debilitate themselves so much by impetuosity, and
unnecessary exertion, that, after a single day's hard work upon the
road, or a severe chase in the field, they are not fit to be brought
into use for a week after. They are always _bad_ feeders; and it is an
old maxim with the SPORTING WORLD, "that those who won't _eat_ can't
_work_;" and this remark is literally just; they certainly cannot for
any length of time together. Light carcased horses are mostly hot and
fiery in their tempers, excellent goers, but troublesome in company;
invariably eager to be first; and will sink under persevering speed and
fatigue, rather than be exceeded in action and emulation. They are by no
means desirable purchases, but to those whose journies are _short_, and
work _easy_; to such their defects may not be considered of material
consequence.


LINSEED—is a well-known article, and of so much general utility, that
the house of a SPORTSMAN (in the country) should never be without it:
its properties, either in its state as SEED, or sold in the shops as
_powdered_, become equally applicable to the stable wants of the winter
season. A DECOCTION of the seeds, one handful boiled for a quarter of an
hour in two quarts of water, and strained, is the best mucilaginous wash
for sore or cracked heels during _frost_ or _snow_ that can be brought
into use; as well as an excellent article (in such weather) to prevent
their appearance. In FEVERS, or an inflammation of the lungs, an
INFUSION of the seed made with boiling water (standing covered for an
hour) and then strained, being afterwards incorporated with a moderate
quantity of honey, will be found useful in allaying the severity of
disease.

POULTICES made of linseed powder and milk, with the addition of a small
quantity of olive oil, is the leading step to a cure of CRACKED HEELS of
the _worst_ description: they are also, from their EMOLLIENT property,
the best possible _external_ application to legs affected with GREASE,
either in an _early_ or more _advanced_ stage; in which disorder it is
too much the custom to rely implicitly upon the medicinal power and
effect of _internals_, without considering that, by striking
industriously at the very root of disease, it might often be completely
cured in half the time by the assisting effects of both.


LIOUORICE ROOT.—This is an article so much in use with HORSES, (in a
pulverized state,) that it is absolutely necessary it should undergo
some degree of elucidation; to prevent, if possible, a part of the
medical _deception_, and _adulteration_, which so universally prevails.
Liquorice root is plentifully produced in most countries of Europe, and
is in all held in the same degree of estimation for its utility. What is
grown in England is preferable to what is brought from abroad; the
latter being generally mouldy, and in a perishing state, which it will
always soon become, if not kept in a dry place, or buried in sand. It is
remarkable for its peculiar property of allaying thirst, particularly as
it is the almost only sweet known so to do: it is in constant use as an
article of much medicinal efficacy with the human species, both as a
most excellent PECTORAL and DETERGENT, as well as to soften
_acrimonious_ humors, reduce glandular irritability in colds, and
promote expectoration.

The article called SPANISH LIQUORICE is an extract prepared from the
root in Spain, and other countries, where it is cultivated in large
quantities; but it is rarely to be met with in the shops in a state of
purity and perfection; those who are the makers being either very
slovenly in the preparation, or interested in the event, constantly
mixing it with sand, (or other impurities,) to enlarge the weight, and
increase the profit; under which disadvantages it is universally known
as, and experimentally proved to be, a pectoral balsamic of general
utility. In respect to what is dispensed at the shops, under the name of
LIQUORICE POWDER, it is only necessary to observe, that it may be
purchased at any for little more than _half_ what the real dried root
can be bought and powdered for by the first wholesale houses in the
Metropolis. The deception is clear, and self-evident; as it is an
article of great consumption, so it becomes the more properly
appropriate to the _pecuniary_ purpose of adulteration: those who _best
know_ the advantage arising from such practice, best _can tell_, that
two pound weight of GENUINE LIQUORICE ROOT, ground in the _drug mill_,
and there incorporated with the customary proportions of _bean meal_ and
wheat flour, will make _fourteen pounds_ of _most excellent_ liquorice
powder for _retail_; and is the very article with which the public are
supplied as a substitute for a medicine of so much efficacy, that it is
to be regretted it should so easily become a matter of such general
prostitution. See ADULTERATION.


LIVER OF ANTIMONY—is a medicine possessing a very powerful and active
property; and would not have been introduced in this place, but with a
view to _prevent_ some of the MISCHIEFS which would probably happen,
from too free a use of so dangerous an article, when in the unrestrained
hands of the illiterate, the injudicious, the unthinking, or the
inexperienced. It will create some surprise with the considerate, that
this preparation, (known also by the name of CROCUS METALLORUM,) from
_two_ to _six_ grains of which will operate as a violent _emetic_ with
an adult of the human species, should be given in doses of _half an
ounce_ each by common farriers to a horse, and that probably _three_ or
_four_ times in twenty-four hours; under an impression, that it would,
and does operate _only_ by perspiration, or as an alterative; beyond
which, probably, their ideas or intentions may not extend. When it is
taken into consideration, that the horse does not possess the power of
regurgitating by _vomit_, it then becomes a matter of due deliberation,
how far it may be consistent and proper, to permit valuable horses to be
drenched with medicines of this description in such immoderate
quantities; a very _few grains_ of which will excite such violent
operations with one of the human species. Those who administer it as an
ALTERATIVE, will, perhaps, prudently conceive, two drachms a day, in
doses of a drachm each, full as much as ought to be ventured upon,
incorporated with such other articles as the urgency of the case may
seem to require.


LIVER.—The liver in a horse is liable to disease, as obstructions by
tubercles, indurated tumefactions, and schirrosity; either of which may
be produced by various means, and treated as JAUNDICE, which SEE.


LOCKS—are elastic leather pipes, or circular pads, stuffed with does'
hair, about the size of a second finger in circumference, and made to
buckle just above the fetlock of either leg, as a preventive to cutting
with the other. There are others of a different form, made flat, having
a padded oval in the center, which are called cutting-boots: the former,
however, have the preference, as they occasion less stricture upon the
tendons.


LOINS—are the part of a horse at the extremity of the back immediately
preceding the rump and hip bones, situate above the flanks. Beneath the
loins internally are seated the KIDNIES, which, as well as the loins,
are very susceptible of injury, by carrying improper weights, drawing
too heavy loads, particularly up hills, or in short turns; to prevent
all which should be humanely attended to. Injuries of this kind, when
unfortunately sustained, are very easily ascertained by a little serious
attention. The subject will sink and contract himself, if pressed
forcibly upon the part with the hand; he will also move in his stall
with a kind of curved motion, groaning probably if compelled to move
suddenly; likewise in laying down, or in attempting to stale, which he
frequently does, but mostly in small quantities. Exclusive of whatever
medical means may be adopted, BLEEDING, gum Arabic dissolved in gruel,
as common drink, and mucilage of linseed, to sheath the acrimony of the
juices in an inflammation of the kidnies, or surrounding parts, will be
found admirable collaterals. See KIDNIES.


LOOSE-JOINTED. A horse is said to be LOOSE-JOINTED, when his PASTERNS
are so _long_ as to let his HOOF come considerably from under the
perpendicular position of the FORE LEG, so that the _heel_ is
exceedingly _flat_, and the hinder part of the FETLOCK joint, by a kind
of elastic bend or _drop_, seems nearly to touch the ground. Horses of
the blood kind have frequently this failure in their formation, and is
the principal reason why so many of them are seen in common hands of
_little_ or _no_ value, as properly appropriate to no particular
purpose, or of the least general utility: most of this description have
the first defect accompanied by a second, which is a long back, and
consequent weakness of the loins; these, in the aggregate, constitute a
complete _loose-jointed_ horse; the purchase or possession of which will
reflect no predominant RAYS of JUDGMENT upon the owner.


LOOSENESS—is a laxity of habit, or debility of the intestines, which is
constitutional with some horses; but in others is the effect of
temporary disease; produced, probably, by an effervescent putrefaction
of the excrements too long locked up in the intestinal canal, and at
length suddenly and forcibly expelled by an effort of NATURE, to relieve
herself from the offending cause. This latter is the kind of looseness
not to be immediately checked, or restrained, by the aid of aromatic
restringents; but rather to be assisted, and promoted, by a free use of
warm mashes, and gruel, till the disorder has run itself off, and
effected its own cure. Some horses are habitually irritable, and begin
to dung _loose_ upon the most trifling occasions: young horses sometimes
do so from a stranger's approaching them _suddenly_ after coming from a
DEALER'S stable; this must arise from the memory of the _whip_: others
from being put into expeditious action upon the road too _soon_ after
their _water_ in a morning. HORSES fond of HOUNDS, and eager in the
chase, will frequently begin to purge at the place of meeting, and
continue so to do half a dozen times within an hour, when the superflux
being thrown off, the excrements again become firm, and are evacuated
with their usual solidity during the whole of the day. A warm cordial
ball before the water, for two or three mornings in succession, is
generally all that is necessary to be done upon such occasions.


LUNGS.—The lungs of a horse are two elastic lobes, consisting of air
vessels, blood vessels, lymphatics, nerves, and cellular membranes,
possessing conjunctively the properties of contraction and expansion;
nearly filling three parts of what is termed the CHEST, and may, without
much deviation from the line of professional consistency, be pronounced
the very mainspring of existence. It is the _good_ or _bad_ state of the
LUNGS upon which the duration of life becomes in a proportional degree
dependent; and by the perfect ease of inspiration, and respiration,
health, and bodily strength, may in general be ascertained. The lungs
are subject to inflammation, obstructions, tubercles, ulceration, and
consumption; the cause of one and all originating in COLDS and COUGHS,
produced by a sudden collapsion of the pores; when the perspirative
matter being repelled, and thrown upon the circulation, the blood
becomes sizey, viscid, and diseased; assuming some _leading_ feature of
the ills described, which, suffered to continue _long_ without the
proper means of counteraction, frequently attain a height too great for
the power of medicine to subdue.


LURCHER.—The dog so called is rough and wirey haired, with ears erect,
but dropping a little at the points: they are above the middle size, of
a yellowish or sandy red color; and of great speed, courage, and
fidelity. They were originally produced from a cross between the
SHEPHERD'S DOG and the GREYHOUND, which, from breeding _in_ and _in_
with the latter, has so refined upon the original cross, that very
little of the shepherd's dog is retained in its stock, its docility and
fidelity excepted. Thus bred, they are neither more or less than bastard
greyhounds, retaining most of their perfections, but without their
beauty. They are the favorite dogs of inferior or small FARMERS, as they
act in the _nominal_ capacity of a SHEEP DOG; but can occasionally
_trip_ up the _heels_ of a LEVERET three parts grown. They are also the
constant companions of the most professed and notorious POACHERS, being
so admirably adapted to the universality of the service required: they
equal, if not exceed, any other kind of dog in sagacity; and are easily
taught any thing it is possible for an animal of this description to
acquire by instruction. Some of them are very little inferior in speed
to well-bred greyhounds: HARES they frequently run up to; RABBITS they
kill to a certainty, if they are any distance from home: if near a
WARREN, the dog invariably runs for the _burrow_, by doing which, he
seldom fails in his attempt to secure his aim. His qualifications go
still farther; in _nocturnal_ excursions he becomes a PROFICIENT, and
will easily _pull down_ a FALLOW DEER, so soon as the _signal_ is given
for pursuit; which done, he will explore his way to his master, and
conduct him to the GAME, wherever he may have left it. In poaching, they
are individually instrumental to the destruction of hares; for when the
_wires_ are fixed at the meuses, and the _nets_ at the gates, they are
dispatched, by a single word of command, to scour the FIELD, PADDOCK, or
PLANTATION; which, by their _running mute_, is effected so silently,
that a harvest is obtained (according to the stock of the country) with
very little fear of detection.


LURCHER,—the name of a horse of some recent celebrity; he was the
property of MR. RIDER; was got by _Dungannon_, dam by _Vertumnus_. In
1792, when three years old, he won a 50l. plate at ASCOT HEATH, beating
seven others. At STOCKBRIDGE, a subscription of 20 guineas each, (ten
subscribers,) beating _Hamlet_, _St. George_, and two others. At
WINCHESTER, a sweepstakes of 20 guineas each, eleven subscribers; and at
LEWES, a sweepstakes of 10 guineas each, ten subscribers. He was then
purchased by MR. WILSON, in whose possession, 1793, when four years old,
he won at NEWMARKET a sweepstakes of 500 guineas each from the Ditch in,
beating _Kitt Carr_ and _Ormond_. On the Saturday in the same week, he
won a sweepstakes of 200 guineas each, _half forfeit_; beating LORD
CLERMONT'S _Pipator_. LORD FOLEY'S _Vermin_ paid. Second Spring Meeting,
he beat LORD CLERMONT'S _Speculator_, a match across the Flat, 200
guineas each. In 1794, at the Craven Meeting, NEWMARKET, he won the
first class of the OATLANDS STAKES, of 50 guineas each, (twenty-one
subscribers,) half forfeit, beating _thirteen_ others, with the odds of
nine to one against him at starting. For the Main of the Oatlands, First
Spring Meeting, he beat LORD GROSVENOR'S _Druid_, 200 guineas each,
Ditch-in. Second Spring Meeting, he received 150 guineas forfeit from
the DUKE OF BEDFORD'S _Teucer_; after which he appeared no more upon the
turf.




M.


MADNESS.—This dreadful CANINE malady, with its consequences, when
communicated to the human frame, will be found enlarged upon under the
head DOG in the first Volume.

MAIN.—The main is a principal term used in the fashionable and
_destructive_ nocturnal game of HAZARD, at which so many immense
fortunes have been squandered away, and so very few realized. The person
who is the holder of the BOX containing a PAIR of DICE, being _set_ by
an individual, or any part of the company, what money he, or they, may
propose, and the money staked, (or, as it is _technically_ called,
_covered_,) he, the CASTER, (that is, the _holder_ of the box,) shaking
the dice, throws them out upon the table: if the surface of both display
a number above _four_, and not over _nine_, that number is then publicly
announced "the MAIN" by the GROOM PORTER, (who is the officiating
attendant upon the company and the game;) but the Caster throwing
_under_ four, or _over_ nine, at the first throw, it is then called
aloud, "No main;" and the Caster repeats his throw till a number appears
between _four_ and _ten_, whenever which happens, (as for instance,
_eight_,) the Groom Porter instantly vociferates, "Eight is the main,
eight;" and it is called the MAIN, because it is the _main_ for the
_company_ against the next throw of the CASTER, which is called the
CHANCE; as being _his own_ against the main previously thrown, and by
both which the CASTER and the SETTERS must abide, when main and chance
are thrown; though either party may _draw_ their _money_, upon not
approving or fancying the main, provided they declare it before the
_chance_ is _thrown_. The Caster throwing _eight_ or _twelve_, the very
next throw to the main of eight, is said to "nick it," and wins the
money. If he throws SEVEN for a MAIN, and immediately follows it with
another seven, or an eleven, he nicks again, and wins likewise. Six and
twelve are a nick to six; five and nine nick themselves, and win when
they follow in succession, as described of _eight_. If, after throwing
the main, the CASTER at the _next_ throw produces _under four_, they are
called CRABS; he then loses, and his box-hand is said to be out, and he
passes it to his next neighbour; when bets are made round the table
according to fancy; some that the "Caster throws in;" others, that "he
throws out;" exclusive of the constantly standing business, of SETTING
the CASTER what money he requires before he throws a main; when which,
and the chance, are both thrown, and declared by the Porter, the odds
are _laid_ and _taken_ in every part of the room, as opinion may prompt,
or judgment dictate. These odds are regulated upon a scale of equity,
from which there can be no departure; it being an invariable principle
of the game, that any person laying an unfair bet, or deviating from the
_fixed odds_, can never win. Every minute particular of the game cannot
be reduced to paper here, or indeed perfectly understood from theory;
but a farther elucidation will be found under its proper head, HAZARD.


MAIN OF COCKS.—When two parties, whether individuals, or an aggregate
composed of gentlemen in one county, agreeing to fight a COCK-MATCH with
an individual, or the gentlemen of another, the MATCH invariably
consists of an _odd_ number of BATTLES; as twenty-one, thirty-one, or
forty-one; which match once made, and the cocks weighed, is then called
a MAIN of COCKS: when fought, and finished, the winner of the ODD battle
(or _more_ a-head) is the winner of the main. Whenever a MATCH is made
between parties of respectability and honour, the following agreement is
drawn up, and reciprocally entered into.

ARTICLE FOR A COCK-MATCH.

Articles of agreement made the 1st of May, 1803, between A. B. of —— in
the county of —— on one part, and C. D. of —— in the county of —— on the
other. FIRST, the said parties mutually agree, that each shall produce,
shew and weigh, at the COCKPIT ROYAL, in Saint James's Park, on the 1st
day of June next, beginning at the hour of six in the morning, FORTY-ONE
COCKS; none to weigh _less_ than three pounds six, nor more than four
pounds eight ounces; and as many of each parties cocks as come within
two ounces of the other parties cocks hereby stand engaged to fight for
TEN GUINEAS a battle; that is, five guineas _each_ cock; in as equal
divisions as the battles can be divided into (as pits or day's play) at
the COCKPIT ROYAL aforesaid; and that the parties cocks who win the
greatest number of main battles out of the number aforesaid, shall be
entitled to the sum of ONE HUNDRED GUINEAS odd battle money. And it is
farther agreed, that the sum is to be made STAKES into the hands of E.
F. Esq. in EQUAL shares between the parties aforesaid, before the
_first_ pair of cocks are brought to PIT. And the said parties further
agree to produce, shew, and weigh, on the said day of weighing, FIFTEEN
COCKS for bye battles, subject to the same weight as the main cocks
before mentioned, and those to be added to the number of main cocks
unmatched; and as many of them as come within one ounce of each other,
shall fight for TWO GUINEAS a battle, (that is, one guinea each cock,)
to be as equally divided as can be, and added to each pit or day's play
with the main of cocks: and it is also agreed, that the balance of the
battle money shall be paid at the end of each pit or day's play; and to
fight in fair reputed SILVER SPURS, and with fair hackles; and to be
subject to all the usual rules of COCK-FIGHTING, as is practised in
LONDON and at NEWMARKET; and the profit of the Pit, or day's play, to be
equally divided between the said parties, after all charges are paid and
satisfied that usually arise thereupon. As witness our hands, this first
day of May, 1803.

 A. B.
 C. D.

 Witness
 C. H.

RULES FOR MATCHING AND FIGHTING.

In MATCHING (with relation to the battles) it is an invariable rule,
that, after the COCKS of the MAIN are weighed, the MATCH BILLS are
compared, to see that they are equally correct.

In WEIGHING, it is to be observed, that every PAIR of COCKS of _dead_ or
_equal_ weight falling together, are to be separated, and matched
against others coming within the limited weight of each other; provided
that it appears the main can be enlarged, by adding thereto, either one
battle or more thereby.

In FIGHTING, it is to be mutually understood, that the MAIN BATTLES
begin to be fought with the _lightest_ pair of cocks, proceeding in
succession with the next in weight upwards to the end; so that every
lighter pair may fight earlier than those that are heavier.

In farther elucidation of this SPORT, See COCKING, COCK-MATCH, COCKPIT
ROYAL, and GAME COCK.


MALLENDERS.—The DEFECT or DISORDER so called, is a large flat scab, or
more properly an accumulation of eschars, (more or less inveterate,)
seated at the hinder part of the fore-legs, directly behind the knee,
just where the back sinews have their insertion at that joint. They are
seldom seen with horses who are properly managed, but merely with those
of an inferior description, that are little attended to. If discovered,
and proper means of counteraction adverted to in their early state,
little or no inconvenience ensues; but if suffered by time to become
inveterate, with deep-seated _cracks_, from whence oozes a greasy kind
of _ichor_, with bristly hairs making their way through the hardened
scabs upon the surface, they are productive of much trouble before a
perfect cure can be obtained. When advanced to this stage, they are not
only exceedingly painful in action, but constitute such a stricture upon
the part, as to affect the _elasticity_ of the TENDONS; in which state
the horse is retarded in progress by the preternatural rigidity of the
joint, with the additional danger of stumbling and falling in every
effort he makes to avoid it.

Those horses having the greatest quantity of hair upon their legs are
the most subject to this malady, where it remains a long time obscured
from the eye of the MASTER; as it is not to be expected, a discovery
will be made, and communicated, by a servant, in palpable proof of his
own _neglect_ and _indolence_. If the part inveterately affected is
covered with hair, either totally or partially, it must be taken off as
close as possible, before any attempt at cure is made; that done, a
patient fomentation of hot gruel, a decoction of linseed, or mallow
roots and leaves, should be persevered in for a quarter of an hour
daily, letting, however, the process of soft soap and warm water be
adopted on the first day, continuing one of the before-mentioned
fomentations every day after. When the scabs or eschars are completely
softened, got loose, and begin to exfoliate, the parts may be well
impregnated with camphorated SPERMA CÆTI LINIMENT every day after the
fomentation; but not before the part is made properly dry to receive it.
If the subject is supposed to have an acrimonious tendency in the blood,
or displays the least appearance of cutaneous eruption in any other part
of the body, the best method will be to put him upon a course of
ANTIMONIAL ALTERATIVES, which he will consume with his corn without
farther trouble.


MALLOWS,—as well as MARSH-MALLOWS, are ingredients so useful and
efficacious in fomentations, and emollient cataplasms, upon various
unexpected emergencies, that the house of a SPORTSMAN in the country
should never be without them.


MALT, GROUND—is an article of the utmost utility when incorporated with
an equal quantity of bran, and given in a mash to horses labouring under
cough, bodily debility, (from over fatigue,) or disease; it possesses
the property of invigoration, is highly nutritive; and, by its
attracting fragrancy, horses are induced to take it in small quantities,
during the progress of dangerous diseases, when they refuse every other
kind of food. Mashes thus made, and given nightly, are useful in
promoting CONDITION, as well as a proper vehicle for ALTERATIVE powders,
or during the operation of PHYSIC.


MANEGE.—The MANEGE is a term used in a synonymous sense with equestrian
academy, or riding school; implying not only the receptacle itself, but
the instructions there to be derived from those who profess to teach the
ART of HORSEMANSHIP by riding the great horse. There are many of this
description, and of much celebrity, in and round the Metropolis, replete
with every convenience for the accommodation of gentlemen, and the
breaking of horses; and for ladies also, who have the advantage of
riding under cover at all seasons of the year. In every MANEGE a
centrical spot is appropriated to the regulating the round or volts, in
which is fixed a pillar; and to this horses are occasionally fastened in
their first lessons. Other pillars are likewise placed in pairs at the
sides of the manege, for the more perfect completion of their volts and
airs.

The MANEGE may be properly divided into the GREATER and the LESSER; or,
in the precise words of a modern writer, "the grand and petit manege:
the former, or management of the great horse, intended purely for the
purposes of parade and shew; the latter, confined solely to the _utile_
of military tactics. The grand manege consists in teaching a horse,
already perfectly broke in the common way, certain artificial motions,
the chief of which are called the _terra a terra_, _demi-volt_,
_corvet_, _capriole_, _croupade_, _balotade_, and the step and the leap;
which last is a motion compounded of three airs; namely, the _terra a
terra_, _corvet_, and the _leap_, by which the motion is finished. When
a horse is perfect in all these, he is styled a full dressed, or maneged
horse.

"The _petit manege_ is that drilling, or training, by which the army
riding-masters fit the horse for military service in the ranks. The
chief objects of it are, to set him upon his haunches, and make him rein
well; to give him a cadenced pace; to teach him to rein back, or
retreat; to move sideways, to stand fire, and to leap. After these, a
horse will soon become capable of all the necessary military evolutions.
The common business of our town riding-schools, is to teach grown
gentlemen and ladies, and to set ill-broken horses upon their haunches.
It is well known that the grand manege has been long out of fashion in
this country; and farther, that it has for years past been upon the
decline in every other. I look upon it as a relict of that superstition
in all things, which is the characteristic of barbarous times. It is
unnecessary to any good or useful purpose, because all such, whether of
parade or business, may be fully answered by the common, rational, and
uninjurious management; whereas there is always more or less cruelty
practised in completing the full-dressed horse; such, for instance, as
severe whippings, the meaning of which the horse cannot possibly
comprehend, and which are therefore unnatural and illegitimate measures;
the labour and irritation also are excessive; and, after all, the
natural paces of the horse are spoiled, and he is rendered unfit for
common business; the only compensation for which is, that he has learned
sundry harlequin tricks; two of which are, to _skip_ like a GOAT, and
kick up _behind_ like an ASS."


MANE—is the name by which the long hair is called hanging from the neck
of a horse, and extending from the back of his ears to his withers: a
handsome full mane adds much to the natural beauty of a well-formed
horse, and is of course preserved, not more in respect to ornament, than
its utility in mounting, to the ease and agility in which it affords
material assistance.


MANGE IN HORSES.—The disorder so called, and with which only horses of
the inferior sort are affected, originates in an impoverished state of
the blood, occasioned by a want of proper healthy food, and a constant
exposure to the elements in the severity of the winter season. When
arrived at a certain degree of virulence, it becomes infectious,
particularly as the warmer months of summer advance; and of this
contagious property no doubt can be entertained; the LAW having provided
a remedy, that no such horse shall be suffered to go at large, upon any
lair, common, or parochial pasture, where there is a possibility of
communicating the infection. The subjects of it are generally in a state
of wretched emaciation, bearing the external appearance of leprosy, or
partial excoriation: the leading symptoms are a perpetual itching behind
the ears, down the mane on each side the neck, and at the insertion of
the tail near the rump. These parts, from incessant rubbing to allay the
irritation, are soon divested of the hair, to which a dirty kind of
scurf appears, bearing upon its surface a malignant oily sort of
moisture, which soon degenerates into variegated-coloured scabs,
constituting a confirmed mange; which, the longer it is permitted to
continue unrestrained in its progress, the more difficult a cure is to
be obtained.

As the MANGE is principally a cutaneous disease, by which the skin only
is materially affected, so the cure must chiefly depend upon external
applications; prescriptions for which may be amply supplied from either
_old_ books, or _new_ Veterinarians; neither of these being now
difficult of attainment. If the disease has arisen from an impoverished
state of living, and a consequent acrimonious state of the blood,
altering its property, by a change of aliment, and more liberal
invigoration of the system, will greatly tend to the promoting a speedy
obliteration. Should a horse in high HEALTH, FLESH, and CONDITION, have
received the disease by infection, BLEEDING, evacuants, or alteratives,
should be brought into use in aid of external applications.


MANGE IN DOGS—will be found fully treated on under a continuation of the
head HOUNDS, in page 485 of the first Volume.


MANGER—is the name by which the trough is called that is fixed in all
stables, and from whence a horse eats his corn or mashes; it is usually
placed under his rack, from which he receives his hay; and this, in
well-managed stables, is not deposited there in large quantities, but in
light proportions, and at stated periods. It is an excellent and healthy
custom, though, perhaps, not much in practice, to let all MANGERS, in
constant use, have a substantial scrubbing with soap, brush, and boiling
water, once a month; the absolute necessity for which may be seen by
making an occasional observation upon the _filthy_ state of mangers in
general, particularly at INNS upon the ROADS, and LIVERY STABLES in the
METROPOLIS.


MARE—is the well-known feminine of the HORSE, but not held of equal
value with the masculine in respect to the gender, which is not only
troublesome, but found to be productive of temporary debility at certain
seasons of the year. Mares are evidently weaker, and less adequate to
severe work, during the time they give proof of a desire to copulate,
than at any other; which, perhaps, is the principal reason why GELDINGS
are so generally preferred, as far as they can be obtained.
Notwithstanding this partiality, MARES are not without their advocates,
and have their conveniencies: in cases of LAMENESS, or other occurrences
in the long list of _casual ills_, they, of course, become appropriate
to the purpose of PROPAGATION, without much loss being sustained. Those,
however, who expect to derive either pleasure, emolument, or a
gratification of ambition, from BREEDING, must be a little prudent and
circumspect in the shape, make, distinct points, and general symmetry,
of the MARE, before they too hastily embark in so critical, and so truly
expensive, an undertaking. Although it is a maxim universally admitted,
that an equal degree of precaution should be used in respect to the
HORSE, it is doubly and trebly necessary with the mare; because strict
observation has demonstrated, that nearly, or full _two_ out of every
_three_ FOALS, display, in their appearance, more of the DAM than the
SIRE: and that there are more FILLIES than COLTS fallen every year, will
not admit of a doubt.

A variety of opinions are held, and occasionally propagated, upon the
best and most proper age for putting a mare to horse: that a FILLY
covered in her third year, will produce a fine healthy foal in her
_fourth_, is sufficiently known; and that BROOD MARES bring forth
excellent stock from their _twentieth_ to their _twenty-fifth_ year, is
equally true; but if the two extremes are avoided (when it can be
conveniently done so) the produce may most likely come some few shades
nearer perfection. In the _first_ instance it is fair to infer, that the
component parts may not have reached the extreme points of STRENGTH and
MATURITY; and that in the _latter_, from the natural effect of AGE, the
frame is verging upon _decay_; and that the LACTEALS from whence the
NUTRIMENT for the FOAL is to be obtained, must be _contracted_ in
proportion.

The best and most approved season for letting the mare take the horse,
where the produce is bred for general purposes, is from the first week
in MAY to the last in JUNE; as then the offspring is dropt in APRIL or
MAY in the following year, and are the properest months a foal can fall
in, to have the advantage of all the summer for growth and expansion,
preparatory to the drawback of WEANING, and the ensuing severity of the
winter. Mares during the time of GESTATION, are liable, but very little
subject to ABORTION; reasonable work, and moderate exertions, affect
them but slightly in that way; nor does the disappointment but seldom
happen, unless by some severe, cruel, or inhuman treatment. MARES are
the most uncertain of all animals in bringing forth from the time of
conception. Numerous attempts have been made to discover the precise
time of a mare's carrying her foal, which, however, does not yet appear
to have been ascertained to a certainty. Long-standing opinions and
authority, transmitted from one posterity to another, has established at
eleven months and as many days as the mare happens to be years old:
strict attention, in a variety of instances, to both the LUNAR and
CALENDAR months, has proved the uncertainty of this calculation, and
left them, in those events, dependent upon neither _one_ or the _other_.
Certain it is, they go many days longer with a COLT FOAL than they do
with a FILLY; and cases frequently occur, where a mare carries her foal
within a few days of the twelve months.


MARK!—a term used by SPORTSMEN, particularly in COVERT SHOOTING, where
they are necessarily separated from each other; when one of the party,
having _sprung_ a PHEASANT, or _flushed_ a COCK, (at which he either did
not get a _shot_, or missed his _aim_,) he then vociferates the signal,
MARK! in a hope his companion may get a shot, or _mark_ the spot near
where he alights, to insure a better chance of his recovery. It is also
used in partridge shooting, where hedges or hedge-rows interrupt the
sight, or divide the parties.


MARK IN THE MOUTH.—The black cavity in the TEETH of a HORSE, by which
his age is correctly known till seven years old, is called the _mark_;
when which is obliterated, the age can be no longer precisely
ascertained. DEALERS adopt a successful mode of _deception_, by which
the young and inexperienced are frequently imposed upon. See BISHOPING
and COLT.


MARK ANTHONY,—the name of a horse of some celebrity as a RACER, and
equal to any horse of his time: he was bred by MR. C. BLAKE, and foaled
in 1767: he was got by that known good horse _Spectator_ (who was got by
_Crab_) out of _Rachel_, (who was got by _Blank_;) her dam by _Regulus_,
grand-dam by _Soreheels_. He acquired some reputation as a STALLION, and
was the sire of several good runners.


MARSK—was a horse whose distinguished celebrity arose more from chance
than any peculiar merits of his own. He was bred by the then DUKE of
CUMBERLAND; was foaled in 1750; got by _Squirt_, (who was got by
Bartlet's _Childers_;) dam by _Blacklegs_, grand-dam by _Fox Cub_.
Although his blood and racing ability stood fairly admitted, yet, so far
from having acquired any reputation as a STALLION, he was permitted to
COVER common mares at the Lodge, in Windsor Great Park, for only
_half-a-guinea_, which was the GROOM'S FEE. Precisely at this period (in
the year 1763) _Spilletta_, the dam of _Eclipse_, having proved _barren_
for two or three years in succession, a new experiment was made, and she
was covered by both _Shakespeare_ and _Marsk_ in the same season; when
stinted, and some time after perceptibly in foal, it was uncertain who
was to be declared the SIRE, till the produce falling to correspond with
the last leap from _Marsk_, he became (from _Eclipse's_ astonishing
powers) loaded with honours, publicly acknowledged the sire with an
enhanced reputation, and a constantly increasing _seraglio_; from which
time he continued a stallion of the first eminence, and produced a
progeny of winners by much too long for introduction under this head.
_Spilletta_ afterwards produced _Proserpine_ by _Marsk_, foaled in 1766;
and that well-known horse _Garrick_, foaled in 1772; both excellent
runners.


MARTIN, OR MARTERN,—is an animal inhabiting woods and bushy coverts,
rather inferior in size to a domestic cat, but longer in the neck and
body, having a head and tail corresponding in make and shape with the
FOX, but not so sharp-pointed in the ears. They are nearly as expert in
climbing trees, and leaping from one to another, as a squirrel; they
breed in the hollows of trees, and produce four, five, and even six,
young at a time. They live upon poultry, game, and birds: most probably
the casual food of the FOX is taken by the MARTIN also. As, by their
great agility in climbing, they become a most destructive enemy to
PHEASANTS, so by their SCENT they are frequently the subject of much
mortifying disappointment to a field of expectant sportsmen. When found
amidst the bushes, the general burst of the finding hounds is as great
as when a FOX is _unkenneled_, and so continues, till, being closely
pressed, some friendly tree (probably clothed with ivy) suddenly
terminates the _deceptive_ chase.


MARTINGAL.—The article so named is of two kinds; one of which is termed
a HEADSTALL martingal; the other, simply, a martingal: each consists of
a long strip of leather, about an inch and a half wide, passing between
the fore-legs, with a loop or wide noose at its extremity, through which
the hinder girth is to pass, and by which it is secured at that end: at
the front of the breast it divides into two equal branches; and having
SWIVEL RINGS at the extremity of each, they are slipt on upon the
bridoon (or snaffle) rein, and are used to keep down the head of a
hard-mouthed or _high-staring_ horse, that he may see the ground upon
which he is to move with less danger to the _neck_ of the RIDER. The
headstall martingal is of similar construction, except its having a
headstall the same as a bridle, to which the divided branches before
described are united at the cheek on each side; but this is a hazardous
practice, and should only be used with COLTS in breaking; for if a horse
once _stumbles_ in action, he is so confined, that his sudden exertion
to raise his head, and to recover himself, being counteracted, he almost
inevitably comes to the ground.


MASH—is a name given to a kind of universal PANACEA for horses during a
course of PHYSIC, or labouring under COUGH, COLD, or DISEASE. Mashes are
differently made, according to the necessity which occasions their being
brought into use: some are made with BRAN and HONEY; others with equal
parts of OATS and BRAN, with or without honey; but the most fragrant,
useful, attracting, and invigorating, is made from GROUND MALT, with
such proportion of BRAN as will disunite the glutinous adhesive property
of the MALT, and reduce its sweetness enough to prevent a satiety by its
clamminess in mastication. Malt mashes (and the liquid pressed from
them) horses will generally take in different dangerous disorders, as
FEVERS, INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS, STRANGLES, &c. when they will take
(spontaneously) no other kind of FOOD or NUTRIMENT. Mashes should be
always made of ingredients perfectly SWEET, without the least taint of
_mustiness_, and in pails or vessels free from every possibility of
_grease_; they should also be prepared with water _boiling hot_, which
being once stirred together, may then be covered down till of a proper
warmth to be placed in the manger; which should never be of greater heat
than _new milk_ from the cow, unless in cases where a FUMIGATION may be
required to relax and take off a stricture from the glandular parts, and
promote a discharge from the nostrils.


MASTER OF THE HORSE—is an office of high honor and great trust, seldom
conferred upon any but some distinguished individual of the peerage, in
possession of his MAJESTY'S confidence, and honored with his personal
approbation. The department of the MASTER of the HORSE is of very
considerable magnitude, possessing a greater extent of patronage than
almost any other appointment in the GIFT of the CROWN. The Master of the
Horse is the supreme superintendant of every thing appertaining to the
establishment of the KING'S STABLES and their contents. It is within his
official department to take cognizance of every part of the royal
retinue in which HORSES, CARRIAGES, and their requisite attendants, are
concerned; as well as personally to attend upon his Majesty whenever
they are employed; but more particularly upon all public occasions, and
in all PROCESSIONS of STATE. He also appears in personal attendance upon
his Majesty in the chase; unless upon some occasions, by the King's
permission, or particular desire, that official service is dispensed
with. Subordinate to the Master of the Horse in the stable
establishment, are the equerries, pages of honor, clerk of the stables,
yeomen riders, mews-keepers, coachmen, footmen, grooms, postillions, and
helpers, exclusive of saddlers, coach, harness, and bit-makers. The
establishment of the ROYAL HUNT is also officially announced in the
department of the Master of the Horse; although the patronage and
appointments remain of course with the Master of the Stag Hounds.


MASTER OF THE STAG HOUNDS. See KING'S HOUNDS.


MATCH COCK.—A cock intended to fight in a MATCH, must not be less in
weight than three pounds six ounces, or exceed four pounds eight: if
either less than the _first_, or more than the _latter_, he cannot be
shewn or brought to the SCALE. See MAIN of COCKS.


MATCH IN RACING—is a BET made between the OWNERS where only _two_ horses
are concerned, one of which must become the winner. For explanatory
particulars, see HORSE RACING. Horses are said to MATCH (for a carriage)
when they correspond, and constitute a similitude in height, marks,
action, and color. A HUNTING MATCH (generally termed a steeple chase) is
made by parties, to ride their own horses across a country to some point
agreed on, encountering all difficulties, and taking the LEAPS in
_stroke_: this kind of match is, upon most occasions, run with a few
couple of hounds; a person going forward with a DRAG to the spot
appointed where the match is to be decided.


MATCHEM—was a horse the most eminent of his time as a RACER, and for
many years was the most esteemed STALLION in the kingdom. He was bred by
MR. FENWICK, foaled in 1748; got by _Cade_, dam by _Partner_, grand-dam
by _Makeless_, great grand-dam by _Brimmer_, &c. &c. He produced an
annual succession of winners (many of them excellent runners) too long
for enumeration.


MERCURY—is become an article of so much medical utility with HORSES, as
well as with the human species, that it seems entitled to some mention
here, being a specific much talked of, but not universally understood.
Mercury (alias quicksilver) is an opaque silver-colored mineral fluid,
appearing to the eye like melted TIN or LEAD; it is heavier than any
other fluid, and does not congeal in the greatest degree of natural cold
ever yet known. This mineral is met with in its fluid form in the earth,
or extracted by art from certain metallic ores. There are considerable
mines of it in HUNGARY and SPAIN; but the greatest quantities are
brought from the EAST INDIES. The use of mercury was but little known
till within the last century; and its more subtle preparations, with
their efficacious properties, of a much later date. The ancients looked
upon it as a confirmed corrosive poison, though perfectly void of
acrimony, taste, and smell. Experiments have been made, and instances
proved, of its having been lodged for years in cavities of both bones
and fleshy parts, without the least injury, or smallest sensible or
perceptible effect. Taken into the human body in its crude and undivided
state, it passes through the intestinal canal unchanged, and has not
been found to produce the least inconvenience.

Notwithstanding the _mildness_ and _inactivity_ of QUICKSILVER in its
crude and undivided state, yet, when resolved by FIRE into FUME, or
otherwise divided into very minute particles, and prevented from
re-uniting by the interposition of proper substances, or combined with
mineral acids, it has very powerful effects, affording the most violent
POISONS, and yielding the most excellent and salutary remedies, of any
with which the medical world are acquainted. There are now (introduced
upon the broad basis of experimental practice) a variety of mercurial
preparations, some of which are given internally; others are introduced
(or rather insinuated) into the habit by external application, either in
a liquid solution, or in an unctuous form: in whatever way it be
administered internally, or applied externally, it evidently possesses
the power of solving all stagnant fluids, liquifying the viscid juices
which obstruct the finer vessels, and most minute passages; and has been
known, by patient perseverance, to obliterate cancerous affections, and
schirrosities of dangerous magnitude. The fundamental effects of mercury
(or rather mercurial preparations) do not depend upon the increase of
the sensible evacuations; as its gradual introduction into the habit (or
system) of either man, or beast, may be so managed, by judicious
proportions, as to promote excretion through the different emunctories,
without perceptibly deranging the frame of one or the other.

Thus much being introduced upon the properties of mercury and its
preparations, as applicable to the convenience of those who may not have
entered into medical disquisition, it becomes necessary to advert to its
use, now become so evidently efficacious in many of the disquietudes and
disorders to which horses (as well as ourselves) are so constantly
liable. The only modes by which it can be with prudence and safety
administered to a horse, is either in a course of PURGATIVES, in the
form of CALOMEL incorporated with the cathartic ingredients, or
introduced as an ALTERATIVE, by throwing _daily_ very small quantities
of that article into the system; or the better alternative (if meant as
an alterative) of giving the ÆTHIOP'S MINERAL, in doses of two drachms
each, every morning, mixed up with a cordial ball. Much DANGER, and many
LOSSES, having recently occurred with individuals from a too free use of
_calomel_ in PURGING BALLS, where horses, from a certain degree of
constitutional irritability, or a want of proper care and attention
during their physic, have died in the most excruciating agonies, with
only _two_ or _three_ drachms (unless erroneously weighed in the shops)
of calomel; it certainly will be the most PRUDENT, evidently the most
SAFE, to adopt the three gradational quantities of a drachm, a drachm
and a half, or two drachms, according to the size, strength, and
constitution, of the horse, taking care never to exceed that quantity
even with the strongest.


MERCURY—was the name of a horse, that, as a RACER, and afterwards a
STALLION, stood very high in sporting estimation. He was bred by the
late COLONEL O'KELLY; foaled in 1778; was got by _Eclipse_ out of a
TARTAR mare, who was likewise the dam of _Whitenose_, _Maria_,
_Antiochus_, _Venus_, _Jupiter_, _Adonis_, _Lilly of the Valley_,
_Volunteer_, _Bonnyface_, and _Queen Mab_. After having acquired
considerable celebrity as a good runner, and proved himself equal to any
horse of his time, he became a favourite STALLION in the possession of
LORD EGREMONT, where he has produced a numerous progeny, including a
very great number of winners, many of much note; and amongst the rest,
the following celebrated horses, some of whom are stallions in high
reputation: _Calomel_, _Sublimate_, _Hippolyta_, _Mercutio_, _Old Gold_,
_Precipitate_, _Quicksilver_, _Young Mercutio_, _Felix_, _Cinnabar_,
_Mother Bunch_, _Hermes_, _Pill Box_, _Silver_, _Transit_, _Gohanna_,
_Caustic_, _Stadholder_, _Buckingham_, &c. &c.


MESHES—are the vacancies in all kinds of NET-WORK, of which there are
various sorts, with their meshes of different dimensions; as the
_gate-net_, _flue-net_, _tunnel-net_, _drawing-net_, _casting-net_, &c.
&c. as adapted to their distinct uses, for taking either FISH or FOWL.


MEUSE—is the opening at the bottom of quick-set and other hedges, as
well as in the bushy underwood of COVERTS, through which HARES take
their _track_, when going to, or coming from, FEED during the _night_.
At these meuses the expert and experienced POACHER fixes his _wires_
(commonly called snares) with so much security, and confidence of
success, that he generally insures a tolerable proportion to his own
share, according to the stock of the country.


MEWING—is an old forest term for a STAG'S shedding his horns.


MEWS—is a receptacle for horses and carriages, appropriated to no other
use whatever. The buildings consist of stables and coach-houses only,
with conveniencies above for the residence of coachmen and their
families. In all the newly-erected squares and streets at the western
extremity of the Metropolis, most of the houses are so constructed, that
the master and servants have access to the stables by a communication at
the back of the dwelling-house, without the inconvenience of passing
through the streets.


MOLTEN GREASE.—This disorder is defined by every writer in succession, a
solution of the FAT with which a horse may abound, when brought into
sudden and _excessive_ action; that in its state of liquefaction, a
great part falls upon the intestines, there becomes in a certain degree
incorporated with the contents, and is more or less discharged in an
oily state with the excrements. This is proved by long experience to be
a well-founded description of both the case and the cause, which very
frequently prove fatal, and that in a short time, without the lest
relief or alleviation to be obtained from medicine. The leading symptoms
are preceded by an agitated trembling, with sudden starts or motions, as
if frightened in the stall; this is succeeded by violent fever, with
great heat and clamminess of the mouth, a shortness of breath, and
difficulty of respiration, beyond description, bearing no ill affinity
to the most distinguishing symptoms of a horse labouring under an
inflammation of the lungs. The great hope of cure must depend upon
plentiful bleeding without delay, and that to be repeated at short
intervals, till the blood is divested of its sizey, viscid, and
inflammatory appearances. If not soon relieved by such medical
interposition as may be thought most applicable to the state he is in,
great bodily debility speedily ensues, the frame gradually declines in
flesh, and becomes emaciated, the skin adheres to the ribs, the solids
begin to relax, the legs to swell; and if the blood and juices are not
properly corrected, by a judicious mode of medical management, a general
decay may be expelled in _glanders_, _farcy_, or some one of the
diseases which terminate fatally.


MOON EYES.—Horses said to have MOON EYES, or to be MOON-BLIND, is one of
the relics of former superstition, when certain defects of the eyes were
ridiculously supposed to have been influenced for _better_ or _worse_,
by the increasing or declining state of the MOON. Such opinions seem now
to be wearing away, and verging upon oblivion, in proportion as the
structure of the parts, as well as the remedies to relieve, become more
perfectly comprehended by the indefatigable researches of VETERINARIAN
investigation.


MOOR GAME.—See GROUSE, HEATH FOWL, and GAME.


MORTIFICATION.—This state, in a PHYSICAL sense, with either MAN or
BEAST, is the total cessation of vital heat in any part of the body or
extremities, which then becomes, insensible, and is followed by
putrefaction. When a mortification arises from some external injury done
to the part, it is not preceded by a gangrene, but is produced by an
absolute stagnation of the blood and juices, and all the injured parts
become insensible and putrid at the same time, without any previous
inflammation. A mortification arising from some internal cause, or a
deficiency of natural heat, comes on in the same manner, but is more
tardy in its progress, although it exhibits similar appearances; but the
nature of the disease may be readily discovered. When an external injury
is the cause, if an incision is made early in the diseased part, it will
be found insensible, and nothing but extravasated blood will be
discharged. In all cases of MORTIFICATION, the disease, with its
concomitant symptoms, proceeds with a rapidity that sets every medical
interposition and exertion at defiance, till DEATH closes the scene.


MOTION.—A horse is said to be of easy motion, when he has a fine length
of forehand, goes off the ground lightly with his head up, gliding his
hind-legs under his carcase in action, without the straddling spring for
which rough-going horses are so remarkable.


MOUTH.—The good or bad mouth of a horse depends upon the pliability of
his temper, and his obedience to the bit. Some horses (particularly
those of violent and refractory dispositions) are so truly insensible to
every effort of even the best riders, that hardly any kind of bit can be
invented to reduce them to subjection; while, on the contrary, there are
those, and even blood horses, of such good temper, and constitutional
docility; that they may be regulated instantaneously to any purpose, by
the most tender bearing of a common snaffle.


MULE.—The MULE is that well-known cross-bred animal, generated between
an ASS and a MARE. Some are, but very rarely, produced by the HORSE with
a SHE ASS; but they are smaller, weaker, and of less utility,
consequently not bred with design. The mule has all the good qualities
of the ass, without its bad ones; it is as patient, and as permanent
under labour; it can bear the most incessant fatigue, with the lead
sustenance; is without the instinctive stupidity of the ass, and is
equally tractable with the horse. The mule, when well descended, and
well fed, is adequate to a variety of services, and will, if taken the
same care of _when young_, nearly reach the size of a moderate horse.
Many have measured fifteen hands high and upwards, are exceedingly
strong and sure-footed, which qualities render them very valuable in the
different parts of Europe where the countries are mountainous, and the
roads stony, as they will travel with the greatest ease and security
where a horse would be very likely to break his neck. They are likewise
exceedingly useful in harness, and will draw immense weights for long
journies without displaying the least fatigue.

The MULES bred in SPAIN, with a proper attention to their intentional
use, whether for travelling or shew, are bred between very large
he-asses and Spanish mares; these are exceedingly tall, stately, and
their colour inclining to black. A still larger kind are, however,
produced by these asses out of Flanders mares, some of which have been
known to reach seventeen hands high, and of equal apparent strength to
our common carriage horses; but they are much stronger than horses of
their own size, will bear infinitely greater hardships, and are kept at
a much less expence; as well as an additional recommendation, that they
are not so subject to diseases, which is a material consideration to the
justification of their more general use. They are found equally fit for
the saddle, as for the more laborious employments of draft and
agriculture; they are remarkably docile, are easily broke, and walk or
trot with ease to themselves and to the rider.

It has been already remarked, under the head MARE, that foals more
frequently take after the DAM than the SIRE, and this is perceptibly
striking in MULES; for those bred between an ASS and a MARE, invariably
partake more of the nature of the _latter_ than the former; being in
general of good formation, lively, swift, and tractable; inheriting only
the good qualities of the ass, as his strength, patience, and
perseverance, under fatigue; while, on the other hand, those bred
betwixt a horse and a she-ass, are more of the nature of the latter,
dull, heavy, sluggish, ill-formed, and small in size. What few mules are
produced in this kingdom, at least the major part, may be probably bred
more from chance than design, by the common intermixture and
unrestrained association of asses with mares, upon the large wastes and
commons in various parts of the country, where they are frequently seen
in the act of propagation. Of mules, it is to be observed, that,
although such intermediate animal is produced between the two which
generate the third, there the prolific property ceases, and propagation
goes no farther. Thus it is with a part of the feathered creation; it is
known by those who breed, that a cock goldfinch, or a linnet, will pair
with a hen canary, and produce young; but in that offspring the power of
procreation entirely ceases, and they are therefore termed MULES.


MUTE—is a sporting term, applied to a HOUND when he pursues his GAME by
the scent, without giving _tongue_. As some are by much too free, and
give tongue too hastily, when in a state of uncertainty, acquiring
thereby the degrading denomination of a _babbler_; so there are others
equally tardy in proclaiming the certainty when known. Hounds of each
description are considered injurious to the discipline and desirable
excellence of the pack, and are generally rejected so soon as their
imperfections are known, and too much confirmed for reformation.


MUZZLE.—Muzzles are made of leather, and are of two sorts; the one
called a _dressing_, the other a _setting_, muzzle. The first is of the
same form as the last, but of different construction, having a few
straps crossing each other transversely, and so united as to be about
nine inches in depth, and of a shape to cover the nose of the horse so
high; to which are annexed two straps; one of which passes up the cheek
on each side, and buckles at the top of the head behind the ears; the
use of this is to dress such horses in as are disposed to vice with the
teeth, as well to prevent the MANGER from _injury_, as the GROOM from
_danger_. The other is in little use, except in TRAINING STABLES; its
form is not unlike the exact shape of a common water-pail, being made of
the thickness of substantial leather, having a number of round holes
punched in every part of it, for the free admission of air, and is
brought into use on those nights _preceding_ a horse's RUNNING
engagement on the following day; as well as before taking a SWEAT, or
running a TRIAL. It is called a SETTING-MUZZLE, because, when put on,
the horse is said "_to be set_," (that is, to fast;) and the intent is
to prevent his consuming the litter, or obtaining more food than what
the training-groom has a perfect knowledge of.




N.


NABOB—was a horse of much temporary note, and considered one of the best
country plate horses of his time; he was bred by MR. SWINBURNE, and
foaled in 1753; was got by _Cade_, dam by _Crab_, grand-dam by
_Childers_. Although he was a known good runner, he never as a STALLION
produced any racers of much celebrity.


NAG—is rather a provincial than a general term, and varies a little in
its signification, according to the county, or part of the kingdom, in
which it is used. In the most common country acceptation, it implies a
RIDING horse or ROADSTER, in contra-distinction to a _carriage_ or
_cart-horse_. A "complete nag" may be considered a kind of horse beyond
the line of mediocrity, and bordering upon the idea of a moderate
hunter. A "smartish nag" is what the opulent farmer rides to market; and
a "tightish little tit" is a well-bred galloway of SPEED and ACTION,
which, in a state of purity and perfection, are always difficult to be
obtained.


NARROW CHESTED.—A horse is so called, whose breast is so narrow (when
standing before him) that the fore-legs gradually extend wider in
proportion as the eye accompanies them nearer the ground; so that, in a
front view, they bear the form of two legs of a common country
washing-stool, where the legs are inserted in the narrow part of the
wood at the top, and are four or five inches more in width at the
bottom. Horses of this description are invariably weak before; and when
put into hard work, or severe exertions, are the very sort of which so
many upon the roads are seen in a "CHEST-FOUNDERED" state; which see
under that head, where it will be found fully explained.


NARROW HEELS.—Enlarged upon under "HEELS NARROW," which SEE.


NAVEL-GALL—is an injury sustained upon the centrical part of the
back-bone, corresponding with that part below, from whence it originally
derived its present denomination. It is always occasioned by the _pad_
of the SADDLE being in itself too wide, (and deficient in stuffing,)
letting the _iron_-work of the _tree_ come into contact with the SPINE;
or from the long and constant use of a roller in the stable, till having
lost the elasticity of its stuffing, it then becomes sufficiently
_hard_, particularly with too tight buckling, to occasion the injury,
which is often productive of much trouble, long vexation, and tedious
disappointment. It is a disgrace to the rational part of the world, that
cases should occur from neglect, indolence, or inattention, which may,
with no more than just and necessary caution, be so easily prevented. A
navel-gall, in the first instance, if immediately attended to upon the
earliest discovery, (if that be so soon as the injury is sustained, or
in its recent state of inflammation,) will mostly submit to mild
astringent repellents, repeated at short intervals; and the contents of
the inflammatory tumefaction will be absorbed into the circulation. But
"as it is the curse of fools to be secure," so an impatient _repetition_
of the _cause_ occasions a constantly increasing addition to the injury,
till the renewed HEAT and FRICTION upon the part constitute an eschar,
or leather-like substance, upon the surface, which being separated, or
coming spontaneously away, displays a _foul_, if not an INVETERATE
ulcer, and requires no small share of Veterinary skill to insure a
successful termination.


NEAR-SIDE.—The near-side of a horse is the LEFT SIDE, and of course the
side on which the rider goes to mount. The right-side of the horse is
always called the OFF-SIDE; but the _right_ side, or the _left_ side, is
never so termed, when speaking of a horse. It is the invariable custom
to say, that horse is lame of the "_near_-leg before;" the other, is
evidently defective in the "_off_-leg behind."


NECK.—The neck of a horse has been so often enlarged upon under a
variety of different heads, that little or nothing is left useful,
entertaining, or instructive, to introduce upon the subject. All that
can be required, will be found largely explained by referring to "HORSE"
and "FOREHAND," where, if it is not already remarked sufficiently, it
may be here more forcibly inculcated; that a horse with a short neck, is
in general lower before than behind; that he is never easy in action;
carries his head low, and lifts his legs with difficulty; is much
addicted to tripping, or rather _blundering_, and with that pleasing
perfection (so gratifying to the sensations of his rider) is always in
danger of FALLING; in addition to which, it may be observed, that a
horse of this formation is neither fleet or handsome.


NEEDLE-WORMS—are small white worms with a sharp-pointed head, having
their seat in the rectum of a horse, from whence they are frequently
discharged with the dung, but are difficult to dislodge and extirpate
entirely. By their unceasing action, (twirling and twisting in the dung
when expelled,) it is natural to conceive, how very much they irritate,
disquiet, and distress an animal where they have acquired possession; of
this there needs no greater proof, than the excrements frequently and
suddenly coming away in a liquified state, as if the horse was under a
course of physic. And this is evidently the cause why horses eternally
teazed and persecuted with these diminutive enemies, always appear low
in flesh, rough in the coat, sunk in the eyes, and depressed in the
spirits: eternally labouring under internal disquietude, they derive but
little advantage from REST, or nourishment from FOOD. They are sometimes
not only reduced, but eradicated, by ANTIMONIALS; but as this is not
always to be relied on, MERCURIAL PHYSIC is justified upon the broad
basis of experience, as the only _infallible_ mode of extirpation.


NEIGHING—is an exclamatory sensation (or vociferation) by which the
horse evinces either anxiety, suspense, or pleasure; but the passion he
feels is expressed with much more force and energy in the two first,
than in the latter, which is ejaculated with low and gradual vibrative
sounds, too expressive to be mistaken by even the inexperienced
naturalist, or least attentive observer. Being separated from a
companion with whom he has been accustomed to stand in the same stable,
and to accompany each other abroad, his inquiries are loud and incessant
upon the road or in the field; and if made upon a RACE COURSE, amidst a
_thousand_ horses, they are so completely masters of their _own
language_, that they can instantly distinguish the exclamation of _each
other_ from the innumerable NEIGHINGS of all the rest. Finding
themselves answered, at whatever distance, they display their eagerness
to get together; and as they approach each other, the pleasure becomes
perceptible in the way before described, and by the experienced
sportsman so perfectly understood.


NETS—are the well-known articles constructed of thread, packthread, and
small cord, made of every sort and size, for the various purposes of
taking fish, fowl, and game of every denomination; from the GUDGEON to
the SALMON, from the SPARROW to the WILD DUCK, and from the RABBIT to
the RED DEER: all are destined to bow obedience to human ingenuity. Nets
are to be obtained from the makers, of almost every possible
description, under a variety of names, according to the distinct use for
which each is employed. Of these there are the _minnow-net_, the
_casting-net_, the _landing-net_, the _draw-net_, the _drag-net_, the
_bat-folding-net_, the _tunnel-net_, the _flue-net_, the _clap-net_, the
_fowling-net_, with a long list of inferiors; the insertion of which
here is not likely to prove of the least general utility; each being
practically known to those of the different SPORTING or _poaching_
classes with whom they are principally in use.


NEWMARKET—is the name of a small town, about sixty miles from the
METROPOLIS, and ten from CAMBRIDGE. In itself it lays claim to little
attention, but is rendered of much celebrity by the beautiful country by
which it is surrounded, and the periodical RACING MEETINGS there
established; constituting a kind of carnival to the SPORTING WORLD,
that, to be properly conceived, must be seen; and to be enjoyed, must be
understood. During the whole of each meeting it is a complete MART of
BUSINESS in the midst of _dissipation_, forming a scene of profit and
loss, pleasure and anxiety, exultation and despondency, beyond the power
of the most fertile pen to depict. Nothing, perhaps, can more nearly
equal the general confusion, the various passions, and variegated
countenances, (as agitated by the pecuniary sensations of each,) than
the contortions of disquietude, and gesticulations of mental misery,
upon the EXCHANGE, when some sudden political shock produces a dreadful
and unexpected _fall_ in the price of stocks.

NEWMARKET derived the origin of its brilliancy from KING JAMES the
FIRST, after whom its pleasures lay nearly dormant, till the gay court
of CHARLES the SECOND renewed its sport with renovated splendour; having
laid the foundation of the present regular meetings, and erected a
building for the accommodation of the royal retinue, which is still
retained in the possession of the Crown, as a princely residence
whenever the SOVEREIGN, or any part of the royal family may be disposed
to honor the spot with their presence. The meetings consist of seven in
every year, and are thus distinguished: the CRAVEN Meeting; the FIRST
SPRING Meeting; the SECOND SPRING Meeting; the JULY Meeting; the FIRST
OCTOBER Meeting; the SECOND OCTOBER Meeting; and the HOUGHTON Meeting;
during the whole of which (the July and Houghton excepted) the sport
generally continues for SIX days, beginning on the Monday, and
terminating only with the week. The heath, as it is called, is a most
extensive tract of land, and beautifully diversified in its prospects;
it contains TWENTY different courses, of various lengths, and almost
opposite descriptions, adapted to horses of every age and qualification;
where, during the exercise hours in the summer season, may be seen from
a hundred and fifty to two hundred of the finest and best bred horses in
the kingdom, displaying their various powers in every direction. For
farther particulars see "HORSE RACING," "JOCKEY CLUB," and "KING'S
PLATE."

In addition to all which it may not prove inapplicable to observe, that
a correct and faithful recital of every RACING TRANSACTION at NEWMARKET,
and every other place of SPORT, is published in the form of a newspaper,
once a fortnight, during the whole of the season, from APRIL to
NOVEMBER, and is transmitted, _free_ of _postage_, to individuals (who
are SUBSCRIBERS) from one extremity of the kingdom to the other. At the
end of each year, it is repeated in a handsome volume upon fine paper,
with various additions, including the WINNERS of the different PLATES
given by his MAJESTY; the particulars of the sweepstakes, and
subscriptions entered into; and a list of STALLIONS of eminence intended
to cover the year ensuing. This most respectable and authentic
convenience to the sporting part of the world, is published under the
title of "THE RACING CALENDAR," at a subscription of only ONE GUINEA per
annum, by Messrs. E. and J. WEATHERBY, No. 7, Oxendon-Street, near the
Haymarket. The latter of whom has likewise accommodated the public with
a "GENERAL STUD BOOK," containing the pedigree of almost every HORSE,
MARE, and GELDING, of note, that has appeared on the TURF for the last
fifty years and upwards; together with some account of the foreign
HORSES and MARES from whence is derived the present breed of RACERS in
GREAT BRITAIN and IRELAND. This is a most elaborate, useful, and
entertaining production, well worthy the attention of every enlightened
sportsman in the kingdom.


NICKING—was formerly considered an OPERATION of much MAGNITUDE, and not
without its proportion of _danger_; and then performed only by such as
were considered eminent in the PRACTICE, and expert in the ART. It is
now, however, a matter of so little consequence, that anatomical
knowledge is not thought at all necessary to the execution; it being a
well-known fact, that almost every DEALER (or even his principal
servant) is an operator from one extremity of the kingdom to the other.
The intent of NICKING is to prevent (by a counteracting power) a horse
from depressing his TAIL, and flicking it between his hind quarters;
giving him all the appearance of perpetual fear, and constitutional
dejection. A horse of this description is held in very trifling
estimation, and purchasers are not readily to be found till this
operation has been gone through, and the _good_ or _bad_ set of the TAIL
ascertained, upon the ornamental part of which, both the figure and
proportional value of the subject greatly depend.

This operation, as it was formerly performed, indeed as it is _now_ by
common FARRIERS and inexperienced GROOMS, appears one of the most cruel
and severe that could possibly originate in the human mind; though in
the hands of those well acquainted with the STRUCTURE of the PARTS,
having a quick eye, and steady execution, it is a matter so superficial,
and attended with so little pain or difficulty, that it does not seem
entitled to even serious consideration. In order that the process, and
proper use of NICKING, may be the better comprehended by the younger
branches of the SPORTING WORLD who have never seen it performed, it
becomes directly applicable to observe, that there are in every limb of
either the human or brute creation, two sets of muscles, acting in a
contrary direction to the other. The office of one is to EXPAND; the
other, to CONTRACT: the former are technically termed the EXTENSOR; the
latter, the FLEXOR muscles: thus, then, it is, that the _extensors_
possess the power of extending or straightening the limb; the _flexors_,
of relaxing and completely bending it. Of these two sets, the flexors
have the greater predominance, and can always overcome the resisting
property of their opposites; but when, by an effort of the will, the
extensors are brought into forcible action, then overcoming the little
resistence that is either made or felt: of this force in the flexor
muscles, ample proof may be obtained, by endeavouring to raise the TAIL
of an _unnicked_ horse against his will.

The extensor muscles, of course, passing in a longitudinal direction on
each side the superior part of the tail, from the spinal bone to the
extremity, retains the power of raising the tail at pleasure; the
flexors, running in a similar line at the inferior, or lower part, there
possess a greater power of counteraction, and render the operation the
more necessary, as, by diminishing the power of _one_, proportional
strength is added to the _other_. Previous to the present expert and
easy mode of operation, it was common to see the incisions (or nicks)
the breadth of a very large finger, and a small one might be lodged in
the cavity. These enormous chasms were made under an expectation of more
_readily_ reaching the flexor muscle, which it was the intention to
discover and divide; but which, in most cases, had been previously
divided, and receded in the _first_ efforts; and sometimes, from the
unnecessary destruction of parts, and profuse bleeding, produced alarm,
followed by inflammation, frequently _danger_, and sometimes DEATH.
This, however, is, as it ought to be, very much reformed, and not
without a substantial reason, when it may be observed, that, upon
raising the tail of a horse in its natural state, the two flexor muscles
may be clearly seen, and distinctly felt, one on _each_ side the
CENTRICAL bone, in common termed the DOCK, laying in a midway direction,
between the bone and the edge of the tail where the hair begins. In
performing this operation in a superior and masterly manner, the horse
having been previously secured, (with hobbles and side-lines,) the tail
is to be firmly grasped with the left hand, and turned up with
considerable force towards the rump, when a superficial incision is to
be made with a crooked pointed knife, directly over the seat of the
flexor, which will be instantly perceived of a strong elastic texture,
ready for separation by the knife, steadily held for that purpose; the
tail being exceedingly firm in hand, by which the separated tendon will
have the less power to recede. Immediately after the separation, the
lower extremity having lost its elastic support, will be seen to hang
full half an inch from the first incision; when a second, a third, and
even a fourth, if necessary, is to be made in the same way on _each
side_ the tail; it not being a matter at all requisite, that the skin in
the middle, passing over the bone, should be divided, or that the wounds
on each side should communicate with each other. The incisions being
completed, the ends of the separated muscles should be secured with a
pair of FORCEPS, or a curved NEEDLE, and when a little drawn out by
moderate force, should then be taken off with a pair of scissars, or a
knife, as close as they can be conveniently come at. It is a custom with
some, to separate the tendon of each incision before they proceed to
make another, and this seems to be the most rational and expeditious
mode of the two.

In this method of performing the operation, there is a very trifling
loss of blood, which is almost immediately suppressed by a pledget of
tow, previously prepared, and slightly impregnated with any of the
simple styptics, or FRIAR'S BALSAM, incorporated with a little BALSAM of
PERU. Custom has established a rule, which it will most probably be very
difficult to affect by any verbal or literary expostulation, which is
the affixing an immoderate weight to the tail, to prevent a reunion of
the divided tendons, by the continued separation of parts: this, it must
be remembered, is the less likely to happen, when one of the divided
extremities has considerably _receded_, and the other is totally _taken
away_. In respect to the precise distances at which the incisions are to
be made, that depends upon no fixed rule whatever, but must be regulated
by the _thick_ and _fleshy_ formation of the tail, and the height it is
required to be carried. The HIGHER it is to be _raised_, the nearer the
_first_ incision is to be made to the BASE, observing to let the NICKS
decline gradually the _nearer_ they come to the point of the tail; being
particularly careful, that the _last_ is not of equal depth and
magnitude with the two _nearest_ the quarters; if so, the subject may be
expected to carry it with _a curve_ at the extremity, which will add
none to the FIGURE or FASHION of the horse.

Although the most expert operators are exceedingly alert and expeditious
in the execution, and in general perform the operation with only a
_single side-line_, leaving the horse in a very unconfined state; yet
the absolute necessity for greater precaution cannot be more forcibly
inculcated, than by a recital of the following recent accident, which
must hold forth an aweful lesson to those who may be induced to ruminate
a few moments upon the event. On SUNDAY morning, October 17th, 1802, as
MR. WELCH, a noted and opulent dealer in horses, resident in
Oxford-street, in the Metropolis, was NICKING a horse not properly
secured, he received so _sudden_ and _severe_ a kick on the BREAST, that
threw him to a considerable distance, and _instantly_ deprived him of
LIFE. The reflections naturally arising upon the day on which such an
operation was performed, open a wide field for religious contemplation;
particularly as the sufferer was a man of the most pleasing manners, and
personal respectability; having raised himself, by the mere dint of his
own merits, from the most subordinate offices of servitude, to a state
of perfect affluence.


NIDE—is the term sportingly applied to the offspring or produce of the
COCK and HEN PHEASANT, so long as they continue to _clutch_ or _brood_
together, before they separate, and are able to provide for themselves.
To be technically correct, it is usual to say, a _nide_ of PHEASANTS; a
_covey_ of PARTRIDGES; a _clutch_ of CHICKENS; a _setting_ of GULLS; and
a _brood_ of DUCKS.


NIPPERS.—The four teeth in the front of a horse's mouth (two above and
two below) are so denominated: these are the teeth which expel their
predecessors (called _colt's teeth_) when a colt is two years old off,
and rising three. See COLT.


NIPPERS.—The smaller sized PINCERS of the shoeing-smith are so called.


NITRE—is an article in too much general use to stand in need of minute
description. Its medical properties are of the most universal kind, with
respect to the diseases of horses; but it is, on account of its being
easily obtained, (for little money,) frequently introduced with the
greatest indiscretion. NITRE is an useful assistant in most inflammatory
disorders, as it is both of a diuretic and cooling property; it is
consequently to be recommended in FEVERS, INFLAMMATION of the LUNGS,
swelled legs, and other defects or diseases, where an additional
discharge of urine, or an attenuation of the blood, is to be promoted.
Its well-known good qualities have rendered it the more subject to an
almost perpetual perversion of the excellent properties it so clearly
contains; for, although it never should be given in _large_ quantities
without some _proper_ corrector, yet the invincible propensity of
COACHMEN and GROOMS to become VETERINARIANS, renders them completely
_miserable_, unless they can be constantly displaying some specimen of
their _art_; to which nothing can possibly become more happily
appropriate, than the _profuse_ administration of NITRE; as it affords a
frequent opportunity of preying upon the pecuniary sensations of the
master, by means which it is unnecessary to introduce.


NOSEBAND—is that part of a military bridle, headstall, martingal, or
hunting rein-halter, which passing below the under jaw, and round the
nose above the nostrils, assists in keeping the other parts of either in
their proper position.


NOSTRILS.—The nostrils of a horse are generally a tolerable criterion of
his _wind_, as well as his _blood_. A horse having a wide and
well-extended nostril, may be supposed to possess a free and easy
expansion of the LUNGS: this cannot be more perfectly comprehended, than
by adverting occasionally to the shape of horses who RACE, and are
thorough BRED; where the form and expansion of the nostrils will be
found more than one third the size of such horses as are of common
lineage, and inferior description.




O.


OATS—are the well-known farinaceous grain which is the principal food
and support of horses in constant work. After various experiments by
NATURALISTS, and the most celebrated AGRICULTURISTS, they are found to
convey a greater portion of nutriment to the frame, and invigoration to
the system, at less expence, than any other kind of food whatever. The
advantages of obtaining the heaviest in weight, the brightest in colour,
and the sweetest in hand, are too self-evident to require a single line
in elucidation. Oats _newly_ housed, and _newly_ threshed, should be
avoided, if possible: not having acquired their proper firmness by TIME,
they are more disposed to _fermentation_ when mixed with the juices in
the stomach, and then propel the contents of the intestines in a state
little short of liquefaction, by their own laxative property. When, from
any temporary scarcity, or local consumption, _old_ OATS _cannot_ be
procured, and necessity compels the _use_ of _new_, a few beans may be
added; these, by their restringent and nutritious property, will check
the effect of the new oats, and prevent the debilitating laxity just
described.


OBERON—is a horse of some recent celebrity: he was bred by MR.
HUTCHINSON, and foaled in 1790; he was got by _Highflyer_, dam (_Queen
Mab_) by _Eclipse_, out of a TARTAR mare. In 1793, when three years old,
he won the GOLD CUP at DONCASTER, value 100 guineas; beating _Cayenne_,
_Ninety-three_, _Skypeeper_, _Restless_, _Flora_, and _Chigwell_. The
same day he won the DONCASTER STAKES of 10 guineas each, thirteen
subscribers; beating _Huby_, _Restless_, and _Yarico_. In 1794 he won at
YORK, a subscription of 25 guineas each, seven subscribers; beating
_Yarico_, _Huby_, and _Tantararara_. In the same week he won the great
SUBSCRIPTION PURSE of 277_l._ 10_s._ 0_d._ beating _Patriot_, _Yarico_,
_Young Diomed_, _Rosalie_, _Camphire_, and _Champion_. At MALTON he was
beat in a sweepstakes of 20 guineas each, by Lord Fitzwilliam's
_Evelina_, a three-year old by _Highflyer_, who carried but 5st. 10lb.
to whom he ran _second_: the odds were very high in his favour at
starting; and whether he sustained an injury is not publicly known, but
he was then withdrawn from the turf.


OFF-SIDE.—The _right_-side of a HORSE, if you stand parallel with him,
and look the same way, is the OFF-SIDE; as the _left_ is the NEAR-SIDE.
When speaking of any part of a horse, it is not usual, in sporting
terms, to use the words right or left; but to say the _near_-shoulder;
the _off_-eye; the _near_-leg BEFORE, or the _off_-leg behind.


ONION—is an article which would not have found its way here, but in
consequence of its great utility upon a certain emergency, which
entitles its property to be more universally known. No trifling
occurrence can possibly occasion more temporary mortification to a
SPORTSMAN, than to see his horse labouring under the STRANGURY (or
suppression of urine) after the long stage of a journey, or the severity
of a chase. In such cases, the first FARRIER is generally called in, who
proceeding upon the "KILL or CURE" system of former times, prepares a
_potion_ of the most powerful urinary stimulants, plentifully
_besprinkled_ with SPIRITS of TURPENTINE, oil of juniper, and other
equally _mild_ and _efficacious_ ingredients, frequently laying the
foundation of inflammation; when an onion being peeled, and a small
clove or two of the inside properly insinuated within the SHEATH, may
nineteen times out of twenty be expected to produce the desired effect,
without the interposition of any medicine whatever.


OPENING THE HEELS.—The ceremony of opening a horse's heels is sometimes
necessary, when they are become _contracted_ by so constantly standing
upon the dry litter, and hot dung of stables, in the Metropolis; a
circumstance which occurs much _less_ in the country, where the defect
is but _little_ known. Although there can be no doubt of a hoof's
contracting in a great degree by the means already mentioned, it must be
more so, where the hoofs are not OILED or STOPPED for _weeks_, or,
probably, _months_ together. It is, however, a matter of doubt, whether
the _back-handed_ stroke of the smith's _rasp_ in SHOEING, is not a more
constant or frequent cause of the narrowness of the heels than any
other. Let it arise from whatever cause, the remedy with them is always
ready; "OPEN THE HEELS;" or, in other words, _cut away_; first with the
BUTTRESS, and then with the _drawing-knife_, till _little_ or _nothing_
is left to cut: when the basis of bearing is taken away, the _heel_ is
let down to the _ground_, the TENDONS are put upon the STRETCH, the
horse, being divested of his natural support, _hobbles_ like a cripple,
and there is no remedy, but to wait with patience for a perfect
regeneration of parts so wantonly destroyed.


OPODELDOC—is an article of external use in STRAINS, BRUISES, and other
complaints, as well with the human species as with the brute creation.
It is prepared by dissolving three ounces of SPANISH SOAP, and one ounce
of CAMPHIRE, in a pint of SPIRIT of ROSEMARY. Others dissolve the soap
and camphire in rectified spirits of wine, adding OIL of ORIGANUM, and
other essential oils. Its excellent properties are universally admitted
in its various applications to the human frame; but doubts naturally
arise how far it may contribute any great portion of EFFICACY to HORSES,
or to any other animal, where the soap again coagulates, and constitutes
so matted a mass upon the surface, that it is only with persevering
difficulty the hair can be disunited even at the _second_ application.


ORIGANUM, OIL OF,—is a well-known essential oil, extracted from the
plant whose name it bears: it is an admirable collateral corroborant,
when incorporated with judicious proportions of such other medicines as
are proper for STRAINS, or a _relaxed_ state of the TENDONS. If used in
too great quantities, or added to heterogeneous articles, it disunites
itself almost immediately; and, instead of executing the office of a
gentle STIMULANT, penetrating the pores, assumes the power of the milder
class of CAUSTICS, occasioning an eschar upon the part impregnated,
terminating with a loss of hair.


OROONOKO—was one of the most celebrated horses of his time: he was bred
by the late LORD PORTMORE; was got by _Crab_ out of _Miss Slamerkin_;
foaled in 1743; and was own brother to _Othello_, the famous _Black and
all Black_.


OTHELLO—was the first name of that justly celebrated HORSE, so firmly
fixed in the memory of every old SPORTSMAN of the present generation, by
the more distinguished appellation of _Black and all Black_. He was bred
by the late LORD PORTMORE; was got by _Crab_ out of _Miss Slamerkin_,
who was got by _True Blue_. He was foaled in 1745, and was esteemed the
first racer of his time, producing afterwards, as a STALLION, some very
famous runners.


OTTER.—This is called an amphibious animal, living (to a certain degree
and length of time) with as much seeming ease in the water, as he does
upon land. It is, however, well ascertained, that he cannot exist long
_under_ the _water_, without occasionally reaching the surface for
necessary respiration. The favourite and principal food of the otter is
fish, of which he consumes, or rather _destroys_, a very considerable
quantity in the neighbourhood of wherever he fixes his residence. This
is formed under ground, in the bank of river or lake, and constructed
with so much precaution, circumspection, and sagacity, that not without
great difficulty can it be discovered. Although fish, in the genial
months of summer, are known to be his pleasurable pursuit, and chief
subsistence, yet, in the _severe_ and _frosty_ season, he is not without
his alternatives, and will then condescend to make a repast upon some
one or other of the smaller animals with which the fox indulges himself
at all seasons of the year.


OTTER-HUNTING,—a sport at present so little pursued, was formerly in
constant practice, and is said to have been _then_ in great estimation:
it is, however, to be presumed, it was in less enlightened times, and
long before the different chases of STAG, FOX, and HARE, held forth a
speedy prospect of their present perfection. Hounds were then kept and
trained for the purpose; and as some proof of the stupidity of the
sport, or the somniferous dispositions of those who pursued (or enjoyed)
it, an account of the CHASE, if worthy to be termed so, is here
literally transcribed from Mr. Daniels' recent publication.

"The sportsmen went on each side the river, beating the banks and sedges
with the dogs; if there was an otter in that quarter, his _seal_ was
soon traced upon the mud, as the water, wherever it would admit of it,
was lowered as much as possible, to expose the hollow banks, reed-beds
and stubs that might otherwise shelter him: each hunter had a spear to
attack the otter when he _vented_, or came to the surface of the water
to breathe. If an otter was not soon found by the river-side, it was
imagined he was gone to _couch_ more inland, and was sought for
accordingly; (for sometimes they will feed a considerable distance from
their place of rest, choosing rather to go up than down the stream.) If
the hounds found an otter, the sportsman viewed his track in the mud, to
find which way he had taken. The spears were used in aid of the dogs.
When an otter is wounded, he makes directly to land, where he maintains
an obstinate defence: he bites severely, and does not readily quit his
hold: when he seizes the dogs in the water, he always dives with, and
carries them far below the surface: an old one will never give up while
he has life; and it is observable, that the _male_ otter never makes any
complaint when seized by the dogs, or transfixed with a spear; but the
pregnant females emit a very shrill squeal." This sport, as it is called
by those who profess themselves its admirers, is still continued in many
remote, fenny, and watery districts; but in general is principally
confined to those parts where, from local circumstances, the other more
noble and exhilarating distinctions of the chase cannot be enjoyed.


OVER-DONE.—A horse is said to be over-done, when both his FRAME and
SPIRITS are so exhausted with fatigue and excessive labour, that he
sinks down in his stall almost immediately after reaching the stable;
where he extends himself at every extremity, giving evident proof of the
struggles nature has to encounter, by the bodily disquietude under which
he continues distressed for many _hours_, and sometimes DAYS, before he
becomes perfectly recovered. When a horse is reduced to this state, by a
too long continuance at slow or steady work, no doubt of recovery need
be entertained with a few days nursing; but if it has been occasioned by
a continued and persevering speed with hounds, and a long journey home,
danger may be apprehended: instances are infinite, where internal
inflammations have arisen, by which existence has soon been destroyed.


OVER-REACH.—An over-reach is such injury (either cut or bruise) as is
frequently sustained in the heel of a horse's FORE-FOOT, by one of the
SHOES BEHIND; and this happens during brisk action, in either TROT or
GALLOP, where the ground is unexpectedly _deep_ and deceptive: or when a
horse is thick in the shoulders, and slow in action _before_, the
hind-quarters are thrown in faster than the fore-legs can get out of the
way, by which inactive, or sluggish tardiness, the accident is
occasioned much oftener than by any other means.

When neglected, or unattended to, if the injury is severe, ill
consequences may ensue; the first step to prevent which is, to wash the
part well with warm water, slightly impregnated with vinegar: press upon
the wound a linen cloth till quite dry, then apply a pledget of _lint_
or _tow_, well wetted with FRIAR'S BALSAM, or compound TINCTURE of
MYRRH, covering it securely with a proper bandage, with a view to harden
the surface, which is the leading object to be attained. This may be
repeated the following day, if necessary, to farther close the mouths of
such lacerated vessels as continue to ooze a _lymph_ or _ichor_. If,
however, the cut should be of such magnitude as to resist these means of
intentional termination, it must be treated as a WOUND, and the horse
not permitted to encounter WORK or _dirt_ during its progress and cure.
No greasy or unctuous applications should be made, if it can possibly be
done without; as the best and most expeditious cure will be made by
hardening the surface, and preventing a discharge; unless there is a
deep destruction of parts, in which case it cannot be obtained but by
incarnation.


ORMOND,—a horse of much recent racing celebrity, bred by MR. WENTWORTH
in the north of England, was foaled in the year 1789; got by _King
Fergus_; dam (_Miss Cornforth_) by _Matchem_; grand-dam by _Sampson_;
and great grand-dam by _Regulus_. In the Craven Meeting at Newmarket,
1792, he ran second to _John Bull_ for the great produce stakes of 200
guineas each, across the flat, half forfeit, thirty-five subscribers;
beating _Hotspur_, _Whiskey_, _St. Paul_, _Lucifer_, _Guildford_, and
others. The same year, at YORK, he walked over for a sweepstakes of 100
guineas each, five subscribers. In 1793, at YORK, he won a sweepstakes
of 100 guineas each, fourteen subscribers. In 1794, at YORK, he won a
fifty pound plate, added to a subscription purse of 227_l._ 10_s._ 0_d._
four miles, beating five others. In 1795, he won, at YORK, a
subscription of 25 guineas each, eight subscribers. The next day but two
he won the great subscription purse, value 277_l._ 10_s._ 0_d._ beating
_Chariot_, _Constant_, and _Screveton_. After which he appeared but
twice on the turf, becoming a STALLION at five guineas each mare, and
five shillings the groom.


OVERTON,—another son of _King Fergus_, dam by _Herod_, grand-dam by
_Snip_, great grand-dam own sister to _Regulus_, was bred by MR.
HUTCHINSON, and foaled in 1788. At York, in 1792, he won a sweepstakes
of 100 guineas each, half forfeit, twelve subscribers. The same week he
won a fifty-pound plate, added to a subscription purse, beating
_Rosalind_, _Storm_, _Halbert_, and two others. The next day he beat
_Halbert_ a match four miles, for 300 guineas, giving him a stone. At
DONCASTER he won the GOLD CUP of 100 guineas value; beating _Huby_,
_Rosalind_, _Smoaker_, _Gentleman_, and _Colchis_. At YORK, 1794, he
beat _Halbert_ two miles for 200 guineas. After which he was taken out
of training, and became a STALLION at Skipton, near York, at TEN GUINEAS
a mare. He is the sire of those famous horses _Cockfighter_ and _Rolla_,
bidding fair to become of more considerable celebrity.




P.


PACE—is an expression to signify the motion, or progressive action, of a
horse, as well as one of the human species. When speaking of a man's
pace, it is usual to say, he _walks_, he _runs_, or he goes a _good
pace_; which becomes applicable to either, meaning, that he is an
expeditious WALKER, a fleet RUNNER, or perhaps _both_. A horse has a
great variety of PACES, as a _walk_, _trot_, _amble_, _canter_,
_gallop_, _rating-gallop_, and _at speed_; _some_ of which many horses
have in great perfection, and are exceedingly deficient in _others_; as
for instance, a horse shall be a most excellent TROTTER, who happens to
be a shuffling, execrable WALKER; he shall be a gay, airy, light figure
in a CANTER, and wonderfully deceptive in _speed_. Good GALLOPERS are
very frequently bad TROTTERS; and perfection is very difficult to obtain.

Some years after the death of that famous horse _Eclipse_, which
happened on the 27th of February, 1789, MR. CHARLES VIAL DE SAINBEL,
Professor of the VETERINARY COLLEGE, published a work, to prove the
unprecedented speed, and astonishing powers, of _Eclipse_, proceeded
from the peculiarity of his construction. The work was embellished with
ANATOMICAL, GEOMETRICAL, and MECHANICAL drawings, to establish and
confirm an opinion, that the motion of the horse became proportionally
accelerated, by the precise proportions of the subject geometrically
described. The work itself was elaborate, sublime, and so remotely
abstruse, that its contents were very superior to common comprehension;
and as it communicated but trifling information, (and that founded upon
conjecture,) it established no satisfactory data to engage public
attention. Whatever was advanced upon the supposed effects of the
geometrical proportions of _Eclipse_, would but ill apply to the action
of the species in general; it being a fact well ascertained by those who
are the most practically concerned, and personally interested, that
ill-shaped horses of equal blood frequently exceed those of the fairest
proportions; and that horses _inferior_ in SIZE shall prove _superior_
in SPEED.


PAD—is a common rustic term for a GALLOWAY, or small horse.


PADDOCK,—in earlier times, signified a PADDOCK enclosed with a wall or
paling of an immense height, a mile in length, and a quarter of a mile
broad, in which DEER were coursed with GREYHOUNDS, in the same manner as
HARES are coursed at present, but with numerous variations in respect to
the coursing rules now in use, These paddocks, from their great extent,
were seldom seen, but in the ROYAL PARKS, or upon the demesnes of the
most opulent and distinguished subjects. The sport itself has been a
long time discontinued, and is most probably buried in oblivion; the
word paddock applying, in the present time, only to a small enclosure of
pasture, having a pale to protect it; or to a small tract of land,
surrounding, or appertaining to, a rural mansion, where a few brace of
FALLOW deer may be kept, but not of magnitude sufficient to acquire the
appellation of a PARK.


PALATE.—The entire roof of the horse's mouth, amongst FARRIERS and
SMITHS, is generally distinguished by the simple unmeaning appellation
of PALATE; the _ridges_ crossing which are called the BARS: these, when
they become too luxuriant and fleshy just behind the nippers, (the upper
front teeth,) are then said to constitute a defect called the LAMPAS,
which are reduced by repeated scarifications with a lancet, or
extirpated by means of a red-hot iron, called the ACTUAL CAUTERY. (See
LAMPAS.) In all cases of emergency, particularly upon inflammatory
disorders, coming suddenly on in the night, when circumstances may
render BLEEDING in the _neck_ a matter of inconvenience, the operation
may be instantly and expeditiously performed by lancet, bistoury, fleam,
or even a common pen-knife, by passing either three or four times
moderately across the bars, when the blood will be observed to flow most
plentifully, and by being _swallowed_, is admitted by most of those who
have attended to EFFECTS, to have been almost invariably attended with
immediate advantage, particularly in the cholic, or a suppression of
urine.


PALSY—is a disorder, or rather a species of disorder, so nearly allied
to the various degrees of staggers, apoplexy, or deprivation of sense,
that the best Veterinary writers do not seem to have laid down any fixed
rule, or unerring diagnostic, by which the discriminating shades, or
predominant traits, of _each_ are to be precisely ascertained. As the
causes may be different of either, so the disorder may be more or less
violent, according to the gradational excess of the cause. One attack of
the species may arise from a too great and sensible flux of the blood to
the brain, producing a severe and rapid inflammation: this, of course,
might be introduced by extra exertions of continued speed, or in drawing
loads of unreasonable weight; as well as from cruel and inhuman blows
about the head; and from the two latter it is, that most of these
disquietudes certainly proceed. Where the whole frame is affected, it is
then natural to conclude the BRAIN is more particularly the SEAT of
DISEASE, and that the whole system is from thence universally affected;
but where the attack is partial, affecting only one limb and extremity,
or any single part of the frame, it has then more the appearance of
spasmodic affection, acting solely upon the muscles of the precise spot
so far as they extend; and in the latter case, lay more readily open to
a chance of relief by topical application, than where the entire frame
and system is affected.

In the former, plentiful bleeding, followed by immediate hot
fomentations, prepared from the various aromatic well-known garden
herbs; succeeded by almost incessant friction with two able men, whose
persevering efforts should alternately relieve each other; rubbing in
occasionally stimulative embrocations of camphorated spirits,
incorporated with essential oils; will frequently relieve in a very
short space of time. In cases where the whole frame is affected, more
reliance must be placed upon internal administrations; because the same
means applicable to a single limb, or extremity, cannot be brought into
perfect use with the whole. BLEEDING, and persevering FRICTION, are as
strictly proper in one as in the other; but the extreme irritability of
the nervous system should be acted upon and reduced with all possible
and proper expedition: camphire, assafœtida, and gum ammoniacum, a
drachm each, blended with small proportions of opium, and formed into
small balls, with a sufficient quantity of mithridate, or London
philonium, should be introduced every _three_ or _four_ hours, till
there is a termination of the case one way or the other. The ancient and
well-founded axiom, that "dangerous diseases require desperate
remedies," cannot be more completely verified than in the different
species of this; where no hope or expectation of cure can be derived,
but from indefatigable exertion, and the most patient perseverance.


PARK,—in its plain construction, is an extensive tract of ground, or
country, enclosed with WALL or PALING, well variegated with WOOD and
WATER, for the support of cattle, and preservation of VENISON and GAME.
It becomes a park by the privilege of prescription, or by the King's
grant. There are many parks in possession of the Crown, (as well as of
opulent individuals,) of which WINDSOR GREAT PARK is the largest in the
kingdom. It is upon record, that the Park of WOODSTOCK was the _first_
in ENGLAND, formed and enclosed about the year 1124, and bounded by a
stone wall _seven miles_ in circumference. The example was followed by
Henry EARL of WARWICK; after which park-making became a common practice
in different parts of the country.


PARTNER.—There were five famous horses of this name in succession, from
_Old Partner_, in 1718, to _Little Partner_, in 1745. The first was
called CROFT'S; the second, MOORE'S; the third, GRISEWOOD'S; the fourth,
BRIGHT'S; and the last, PEARSON'S. _Old Partner_ was got by _Jigg_, out
of a sister to _Mixbury_; he was a most excellent runner, and produced
an astonishing progeny of winners; from whom his blood is ramified
through most of the studs in the kingdom. He was sire of _Sedbury_,
_Tartar_, _Cato_, _Traveller_, _Badger_, GRISEWOOD'S _Partner_, _Little
John_, LARKIN'S _Looby_, DUKE OF BOLTON'S _Little John_, _Barforth_, the
_Witherington Mare_, VANE'S _Little Partner_, PARKER'S _Lady Thigh_,
GRISEWOOD'S _Lady Thigh_, LODGE'S _Roan Mare_, &c. &c.


PARTRIDGES—are those well known timid, harmless, inoffensive branches of
the feathered creation, the beautiful variegations of whose plumage, and
the nutritive property of whose flesh, have entitled them to the
distinguished appellation of GAME, and the honour of parliamentary
protection. They begin to pair off from the fragmental remains of
COVIES, about the last week in FEBRUARY, and through the month of MARCH;
make their nests upon the ground, in hedges, and the banks of hedge-rows
principally; though they are sometimes found in fields of CLOVER, but
very rarely in standing CORN. The hen usually deposits from fifteen to
twenty eggs, and produces mostly a bird from every egg she lays. They
hatch about the second or third week in June. The young in the aggregate
are called COVIES, and they are known to _run_ almost as soon as they
are _hatched_. Although they are sometimes reduced by VERMIN, or
unexpected _torrents_ of _rain_, yet from SIX to EIGHT BRACE are
generally brought up to fly with the old ones. They are included in
every Act of Parliament for the preservation of the game; and the
penalty for killing a partridge by any unqualified person, is FIVE
POUNDS: if such unqualified person kills a partridge, without having
taken out an ANNUAL CERTIFICATE from the CLERK of the PEACE for the
county in which he resides, (or where such partridge may have been
killed,) he is then liable to a farther penalty of twenty pounds; making
a forfeiture of TWENTY-FIVE POUNDS in the whole.

If a person qualified to kill game in right of his property, (that is,
by inheritance of a FREEHOLD landed estate of the clear yearly value of
ONE HUNDRED POUNDS per annum, or a LEASEHOLD of ONE HUNDRED and FIFTY in
his own, or his WIFE'S right,) does so at any one time without having
taken out an annual certificate as aforesaid, and for which the sum of
THREE GUINEAS has been previously paid, he is then liable to a penalty
of twenty-pounds. And _any_ person qualified, or unqualified, killing
any PARTRIDGE between the _first_ of FEBRUARY and the _first_ of
SEPTEMBER, in any year, is liable to an additional penalty of FIVE
POUNDS to those already recited for each offence. It is natural to
conceive, that the various modes of punishment annexed to a
transgression of what are termed the GAME-LAWS, would have operated to a
perfect and complete prohibition: that it may _now_ have nearly reached
the zenith of that effect _by day_, is admitted; but that a total
suppression of the NOCTURNAL depredators can ever be accomplished, the
annual destruction, and almost _public sale_, of game, leave very little
reason to expect.

PARTRIDGES, in their natural and infant state, accompany the hen in
search of food, obey the cluck of the mother, and are protected by the
clutch of her wings, in the same manner as chicken, and other domestic
fowl. The hen is so instinctively attached to her young, that she will
encounter every difficulty, and face death in every form, to insure
_their_ safety: although stupidly timid, and rendered almost insensible
by her own fears, upon _other_ occasions, yet great sagacity is
observable in her endeavours to preserve her offspring. When they are
very young, and unable to save themselves by flight; and in all cases of
danger, when approached by that fatal enemy the dog; the hen will rise,
and lead him on, by short flights, or rather hoverings, of twenty and
thirty yards, but just above the ground, till, having induced him to
follow a sufficient distance from the seat of all her fears, she takes a
long, and more circuitous route at her next flight; where, after finding
she has completely baffled her pursuer, another effort brings her to her
young in safety. When separated by danger (whether the approach of the
dog and gun in the sporting season, or by other means) even to a great
distance, they are invariably brought again together by the inherent
property of CALLING, which they possess in so powerful a degree, as to
insure a very expeditious recovery of each other. The imitation of this
_call_ has been brought to great perfection by the fraternity of
POACHERS, who avail themselves of the birds' too great credulity, which
is frequently the cause of their destruction.


PASTERN.—The pastern of a horse is the distance between the fetlock and
the coronet, which terminates at the junction of hair and hoof. The
pastern should be short, strong, and uniform; when long, it is
proportionally weak; and the nearer the fetlock is to the ground, the
more liable such horse is to be let down in the back sinews, and become
lame.


PATTEN-SHOE—was a shoe formerly used with lame horses; but from the
palpable absurdity of its adoption, seems now to be nearly banished from
modern practice. This shoe was constructed with a ring, circular, or
nearly oval, at the bottom, which being fixed upon the SOUND foot, its
intentional use was to _compel_ the horse in _all_ injuries to stand
upon the lame leg, that a contraction of the muscular parts might be
prevented. Happily such ridiculous and ill-founded notions are gliding
into oblivion.


PATTERN-SHOE—is a shoe formed upon rational principles, and of a
scientific construction, for transmission to any part of the world, as a
PATTERN by which the ART of SHOEING may be universally improved, and
reduced to one general standard of purity and perfection.


PEDIGREE.—The pedigree (or genealogical descent) of a horse is in the
present day so fabricated by _hearsay_, or framed by _fiction_, that
nothing less than a well-authenticated certificate, under the hand of
the BREEDER, can with propriety be received as an indisputable proof of
the PURITY of his BLOOD: and this is the more evidently necessary to a
SPORTSMAN, lest he should be induced (relying upon his _deceptive_
pedigree) to enter into a racing engagement, and that too, perhaps, for
a sum of much magnitude; the whole of which, with the additional
training expences, might be lost for want of that very blood he has been
villainously taught to believe he has got in possession. To such an
enthusiastic pitch has the desire of pedigree attained, under the
fashionable sporting phrenzy of the time, that a horse is absolutely
considered of neither value or utility, unless his pedigree is properly
attested, and he is known to "carry the catalogue of his endowments by
his side." The DEALERS (as well as others) are so well aware of this
partiality for _blood_ and _pedigree_, that every common roadster has
the _report_ of his _get_ ready prepared, and no purchaser need be
without it. Upon the subject of authenticated pedigrees, for near a
century past, MR. WEATHERBY'S STUD BOOK is, beyond a doubt, the first
publication extant.

The great merit and CREDIT of a PEDIGREE, consists in its continued and
undivided chain of proofs on the distinct sides of both SIRE and DAM, up
to such links as are eminently connected with the known authority, where
no contamination could have taken place. A pedigree of one single
descent is amply sufficient, where the reference terminates on _each_
side, in a SIRE and DAM, whose pedigrees and performances are previously
known. Instance: _Jupiter_ was got by _Eclipse_, dam by _Tartar_; he is
own brother to _Mercury_, _Venus_, and _Volunteer_; sire of _Cardock_,
_Halkin_, _Thunderbolt_, _Confederacy_, _Terror_, _Contest_, &c.


PHEASANT.—The pheasant is not only the most beautiful bird in plumage of
any bred in this kingdom, but the first in estimation; not more for the
sport it affords in the field, than its delicious attraction for the
table. They are about one fourth less in size than common poultry, lay
nearly the same number of eggs, and bring up their young in the same
manner. They principally frequent the WOODS and hedge-rows, are seldom
found in the fields, and then but very rarely far from _covert_: when
upon WING, they are so exceedingly _slow_ in flight, that he must be an
exceeding _bad_ marksman who does not HIT his BIRD. The pheasant is
included in every successive Act for the preservation of the game; and
although they are less liable than HARES and PARTRIDGES to the
destructive depredations of the POACHERS, they suffer considerably by
FOXES, MARTERNS, POLE-CATS, and other vermin.

Persons of every description, qualified and unqualified, stand exactly
in the same state with respect to PHEASANTS as with PARTRIDGES, so
lately described under that head, but with this difference in the legal
_season_ for taking or killing: it is enacted by two distinct
legislative Acts of the present reign, That any person who shall, under
any pretence whatever, _take_, _kill_, _destroy_, _carry_, _fell_,
_buy_, or _have in his possession_, any PHEASANT, between the _first_
day of _February_ and the _first_ day of _October_, (unless such
pheasant shall have been taken in the proper season, and kept in a mew
or breeding-place,) shall forfeit FIVE POUNDS for every PHEASANT so
taken, to be paid to the informer, with full costs of suit.


PHÆNOMENON—was one of the most celebrated sons of _Herod_, both as a
RACER and a STALLION. He was bred by SIR J. KAYE, and foaled in 1780;
was got by _Herod_, dam (_Frenzy_) by _Eclipse_, grand-dam by
_Engineer_, out of _Lass of the Mill_, who was got by _Traveller_. His
performances upon the _turf_ so strictly corresponded with his name,
that the infinity of mares brought to him in the first seasons of his
covering, afforded him an opportunity of adding to his reputation in a
degree almost beyond former example. He covered in Yorkshire at 10
guineas a mare, and in 1791 produced the following winners: Lord A.
Hamilton's Chesnut Colt, who won two fifties; _Freeholder_, who won 100
guineas at York, and a 50 at Stockton; _Mongrel_, who won 25 guineas at
Lewes; _Pigeon_, who won 200 guineas at York, 50 at Manchester, 50 at
Wakefield, 50 at Boroughbridge, and 50 at Northallerton; _Roman_, 140
guineas at York; _Rosalind_, 700 guineas, and 300 guineas, at York, 300
guineas at Doncaster, and 50_l._ at New Malton; and _Stride_, 600
guineas at York.

In 1792, Lord A. Hamilton's Brown Colt, 120 guineas at Doncaster, and
50_l._ at Penrith; _Charactacus_, 50_l._ at Tenbury; _Comet_, 50 at
York, 50 at Hull, and two 50's at New Malton; _Forester_, 50 at
Carlisle; _Freeholder_, 50 at Durham; _Heroine_, 300 guineas at
Newmarket, 100 guineas and 50 at ditto; _Huby_, 400 guineas and 50_l._
at York, 50_l._ and 50 guineas at Carlisle, and 100_l._ at Doncaster;
_Lizard_, 50_l._ at Preston; _Pigeon_, 50_l._ at Catterick Bridge;
_Rosalind_, 150 guineas at York, the King's Plate, and 50_l._ at
Lincoln; _Squirrel_, 125 guineas at York, 160 at Wakefield, and 100
guineas at Doncaster.

In 1793, _Comet_ won 80 guineas, the Stand Plate, and the King's Plate,
at York; _Heroine_, the Queen's Plate at Chelmsford, the King's Plate
and 70 guineas at Lincoln; _Huby_, 400 guineas at Newmarket, 175 guineas
and 295_l._ at York; _Messenger_, 50_l._ at Manchester; _Restless_,
50_l._ at York, 100 guineas at Preston, and the King's Plate at
Carlisle. In 1795, _Ambush_, 50 guineas at Wakefield; _Charmer_, 50_l._
at Catterick Bridge, 50_l._ at Lamberton, and 50 guineas at Stockton;
_Gay Deceiver_, 300 guineas at Doncaster; _Heroine_, 50_l._ and 50
guineas at Newmarket, and the King's Plate at Lincoln; _Huby_, two 50's
at Stockton, and the King's Plate at Dumfries; _Sheperdess_, 100 guineas
at York.

To these excellent runners, in the successive years have been added
_Laura_, _Roseberry_, _Caroline_, _Bellissima_, _Wonder_, _Stella_,
_Stripling_, _Tartar_, _Hyale_, _Jupiter_, (Mr. Hawke's,) and many
others who won large stakes as COLTS and FILLIES, but were never named.


PHYSIC—is a term sometimes given (particularly in the country) to every
kind of MEDICINE that can be administered to either MAN or HORSE: the
more polished and general acceptation confines it solely to the
operation of PURGING, in which sense alone it can be properly
understood. It is but a few years (since the appearance of "The
Gentleman's Stable Directory,") that the general necessity for, and
palpable utility of, occasionally PHYSICING HORSES, became almost
universally admitted. Its salutary effects stand, however, upon too firm
a basis to be again shaken by the obtrusion of speculative opinions:
there are but _few_, if _any_, remaining, who will presume to arraign or
challenge the consistency of annually cleansing full _thirty_ yards of
the intestinal canal, replete with INTERSTICES, and appropriated to
little other purpose than the excretion of _filth_.

PHYSIC is prepared of different proportions, and of different
ingredients, according to the purposes for which it may be designed. If
only to soften and remove the accumulated contents of the bowels, and
prevent PLETHORA, and its probable _effects_, the MILDEST degree will be
sufficient. If the carcase is evidently enlarged, the vessels
perceptibly distended, the horse _dull_, _heavy_, and _inactive_, a
STRONGER must be brought into use. In cutaneous diseases, SWELLED LEGS
of long standing, tendency to GREASE, old obstinate COUGHS and WORMS,
mercurial physic had better be adopted; letting the extra care be
proportioned to the mildness or severity of the season in which it is
given. Under judicious and proper management, there is no more danger in
the operation of MERCURIAL than in any _other_ physic, provided it is
faithfully prepared, and of the proportions by which safety is in a
great degree to be insured; but if given in _immoderate_ quantities, and
little attended to during the progress of its operation, _danger_ and
_death_ may probably ensue. Neither one, or the other, are, however,
known to happen, where a proper degree of circumspection is used by
those whose business it is to superintend the subordinates.


PICKER.—A horse-picker is a small iron instrument, so truly convenient
upon many emergencies, that a prudent traveller, or experienced
sportsman, is hardly ever seen without one annexed to the handle of a
knife which he carries in his pocket: its use is to extract stones,
pebbles, or flints, from the bottom of the foot, when they are picked up
in hunting, or upon the road. They are sometimes so firmly fixed between
the inner edge of the SHOE and the FROG, that nothing but very violent
force with a hammer can remove them; in such cases, horses are sometimes
led a considerable distance to some dwelling-house, before the stone can
be extracted; and the foot is probably bruised, or sustains a serious
injury, for what might be obtained at a trifling expence, and carried
with little inconvenience.


PIGEONS—are the well-known domestic birds, of which there are only TWO
sorts entitled to attention here, as affording equally nutritious
support for the frame, but _neither_ calculated to excite sport in the
field, or emulative attraction in their destruction. The two different
kinds are distinguished under the denomination of WILD and TAME; the
former are bred in COTES and DOVE-HOUSES, (such as are seen at the
rustic mansions of the great, and at large farms in open countries;) the
latter in less numbers upon a smaller scale, and in receptacles of
smaller construction, affixed to out-offices, barns, stables, or upon a
pedestal; in either of which situations, they have their provision
mostly before them. The WILD or dove-house pigeons, as they are called,
breed only once a year _generally_; though there are many in the same
flock who produce a second, or what is termed a harvest or autumn
flight. Those called TAME pigeons, who are still more domesticated, have
a greater degree of fecundity, and continue to breed a pair every month
or five weeks during the year, except the three most severe and dreary
months of winter.

For the protection of this species of property against the wanton
attacks of the idle and ill-designing, it is enacted, by the 2d of
George the Third, c. xxix. That any person who shall _shoot at_, or by
any means kill or take, with a wilful intent to destroy, any PIGEON, he
shall, on conviction thereof, by confession, or oath of one witness,
before one Justice, forfeit 20_s._ to the prosecutor; and if not
immediately paid, such Justice shall commit him to the house of
correction, for any term not exceeding three months, nor less than one,
unless the penalty be sooner paid. Persons who are convicted on this
Act, shall not be convicted on any former Act; and prosecutions under
_this_ must be commenced within TWO MONTHS after the offence was
committed.


PIGEON-SHOOTING—is a sport principally resorted to at that season of the
year when guns are laying dormant, and game of every other kind is, by
the privilege of Parliament, permitted to enjoy its rest.
Pigeon-shooting is a match between two individuals, or any fixed number
on each side, and is decided by one, or the other, killing the greatest
NUMBER of PIGEONS within an _equal_ number of shots. The match made, and
the place agreed on where it is to be decided, the dove-house pigeons
are provided in proportion to the parties who stand engaged to shoot; of
which there are generally four, five, or six, on each side; and as every
individual feels disposed to shoot at least five or six times, less than
eight or ten dozen are hardly ever procured for the occasion.

Previous to the commencement of the match, an open spot is fixed on,
agreeable to the arbitrators, one appointed by _each_ side; here TWENTY
YARDS are measured with accuracy, and both extremities correctly marked.
At one end a hole is made in the earth, in which is deposited a small
box, about eight inches deep, six inches wide, and a foot long; its
surface two inches above the level of the ground, with a sliding-lid
running in a groove: to the front of this lid is affixed a string, or
small cord, of one or two-and-twenty yards in length, which extended,
will reach a little beyond the precise distance of _twenty yards_, where
each of the parties concerned will afterwards stand to shoot. The
preliminaries adjusted of having taken _the toss_, to determine which
side is to take _the lead_, and all parties ready, a PIGEON is lodged in
the BOX, and the runner (as he is called) resuming his post, by the side
of the person whose turn it is to shoot, he is there ready to pull the
STRING annexed to the SLIDER, and give liberty to the bird, the moment
he is ordered by the SHOOTER so to do. It is a fixed rule, that the GUN
is never to be advanced to the SHOULDER till the bird is upon _wing_;
this is to be decided (as well as every other cause of dispute) by the
persons appointed; and every pigeon so shot at, must fall to the ground
within ONE HUNDRED YARDS of the BOX, or it is not admitted a BIRD
KILLED, but a _shot missed_. The first person having shot, (_hit_ or
_miss_,) he is succeeded by one of the opposite side; and they continue
to shoot in alternate rotation till the match is decided according to
the original terms upon which it was made, in respect to the number of
pigeons to be shot at by each distinct party, when those who kill the
most are declared the winners, and entitled to the stakes made.


PILOT.—There have been three horses of this name; two of which were
excellent racers, and esteemed equal, as plate horses, to any of their
time. The first was bred by SIR CHARLES BUNBURY; foaled in 1762; got by
_Snap_, dam by _Cade_, grand-dam by _Crab_, out of Lord Portmore's
_Abigail_. The second was bred by Sir H. Harpur; foaled in 1770; got by
_Dainty Davy_, dam by _Blanck_, grand-dam (_Dizzy_) by the famous and
original _Driver_. The third was bred by the late Counsellor Lade;
foaled in 1782, and got by the above, dam by _Marske_, grand-dam by
_Regulus_. The two last won a great number of fifty-pound plates
annually for several years in succession, and afterwards proved very
excellent country stallions.


PLAY OR PAY,—a description of BET so made. Whether the subject of such
_bet_ be MAN or HORSE; the object _a race_, or a _boxing_ match; either
party being present at the time and place appointed, ready to perform
_their_ part of the engagement previously entered into; the other _not_
appearing, or appearing, and _then_ and _there_ refusing to enter into
the contest, upon the event of which the article or bet was originally
formed, can lay no claim whatever to the stakes deposited; and the
holder stands justified in handing such stakes over to the WINNER,
having sufficient evidence in justification on his own part, to prove
that it was _bona fide_ a "PLAY or PAY" bet.


PLAY OR PAY,—the name of a horse of much recent and racing celebrity,
the property of MR. DURAND. He was bred by MR. PARKER, and got by
_Ulysses_ out of _Tiffany's_ dam. In 1794, at three years old, (in the
name of _Mars_,) he won 50_l._ at Epsom, beating _six_ others. At
Stockbridge, a sweepstakes of 10 guineas each, nine subscribers. At
Winchester he walked over the Course for a sweepstakes of 20 guineas
each, eight subscribers. In 1795, when four years old, he beat Mr.
Turner's _Tim Tartlet_, two miles for 200 guineas. The next day he beat
Mr. Cauty's _Alderman_, two miles for 50 guineas. He won also 50_l._ at
Guildford; a sweepstakes of 15 guineas each at Stockbridge, seven
subscribers: the next day a sweepstakes of 10 guineas each, six
subscribers. At Winchester, a sweepstakes of 10 guineas each, eight
subscribers. At Egham he walked over for a sweepstakes of 10 guineas
each, five subscribers. The next day he won a 50_l._ plate, beating
_Pandolpho_ and _Serpent_. In 1796, when five years old, he won the
Craven stakes, of 10 guineas each, at Newmarket, beating _eleven_
others. 50_l._ at Ascot Heath. In 1797, then six years old, he won
50_l._ at Epsom, beating five others. 50_l._ at Lewes, beating _Gohanna_
and _Keren-happuch_. 50_l._ at Abingdon, beating _Keren-happuch_,
_Paroquet_, and _Roland_. In consequence of having been so _hard run_
for FOUR years in succession, he started SEVEN times in 1798 without
_once_ winning. In 1799, he won 50_l._ at Epsom, beating _Yeoman_ and
_Midnight_. 50_l._ at Guildford, beating Mr. Lade's _David_, and two
others; and 50_l._ at Egham, beating Lord G. Cavendish's horse by
_Jupiter_; after which he was purchased by Mr. Dashwood, in whose
possession, at nine years old, in 1800, he beat Mr. Whaley's _Post Boy_,
four miles over Ascot, for 100 guineas, and walked over at Egham for a
sweepstakes of 20 guineas each, three subscribers: after which he
appeared no more on the turf.


PLEURISY—is a disorder in the horse so nearly allied to an INFLAMMATION
of the LUNGS, that probably the most judicious and experienced
VETERINARIAN would not, without much difficulty, be enabled to
distinguish between one and the other. The predominant symptoms are
sudden and violent: he first becomes heavy, dull, and oppressed; soon
shews great difficulty of respiration, pants exceedingly; is distressed
with an almost incessant painful endeavour to cough: the mouth
continues, from the commencement of the attack, hot, parched, and dry:
at this time he is exceedingly restless, frequently laying down, and as
suddenly rising; but as the disorder advances, he stands in his stall so
overwhelmned with fever, pain, and bodily oppression, that he displays
no wish or desire to vary his position, but stands fixed in one posture,
resigned to his fate. As the disease approaches nearer its crisis, a
slimy saliva appears in the mouth, and a ropy viscid discharge from the
nostrils. This being one of the disorders so rapid in its progress, and
so destructive in its effects, as sometimes to set all efforts to
relieve at defiance, every necessary means of counteraction should be
most expeditiously adopted upon the first discovery of the attack.

It is in general produced by some sudden and powerful revulsion; as an
instantaneous change from _heat_ to _cold_, in which the perspiration
becomes so severely checked by a collapsion of every pore, that NATURE
sustains a shock, productive of almost immediate and perceptible
_morbidity_. Journies of speed, and afterwards standing still in cold
rains, or sharp winds, as well as being supplied with _water_ when in a
high state of PERSPIRATION, are probably the principal causes from which
the disorder is mostly known to arise. The direct road to cure is too
plain and unequivocal to admit of different opinions. BLEEDING, and that
both largely and repeatedly, must be submitted to, if circumstances
require it; no hope of relief can be expected without it. It is no
uncommon thing to bleed a horse _four_ or _five_ times in as many days,
and his recovery to be justly attributed to that important mode of
subduing inflammation. Gruel, impregnated with small quantities of NITRE
and GUM ARABIC, should be the common drink. Mashes, of ground malt and
bran, should be placed in the manger boiling hot, that the head, throat,
and glands, may derive every possible advantage from FUMIGATION, to
assist in taking off the pulmonary stricture, and promoting a plentiful
discharge from the nostrils, which is one of the leading proofs that the
disease has reached its crisis, and may be considered the first
indicative expectancy of recovery. In the greatest bodily debility, when
no food is taken, a cordial ball, dissolved in gruel, should be given
(with a horn in small quantities at a time) twice a day. Equal parts of
the wort squeezed from the malt, and good clean-boiled sweet gruel,
should be patiently held before the horse _twice_ or _thrice_ in every
hour for some minutes: from the great internal heat, he is frequently
induced to swallow a quart or two at each time; although, if offered and
taken away _in haste_, he might invariably decline it. It is only by
such persevering attention, both NIGHT and DAY, any expectation of cure
can be entertained.


PLUMAGE.—The feathers upon every kind of fowl, wild or tame, is so
termed: if speckled, or interspersed with different streaks, or opposite
lights and shades, it is then called variegated plumage. If a GAME COCK
is bred perfectly WHITE, he is called a SMOCK.


POACHERS—are those determined destructive nocturnal depredators, by whom
the game is so shamefully reduced in opposition to all LAW, and defiance
of all ORDER, from one extremity of the kingdom to the other. This head
cannot be better elucidated, than by transcribing literally, from the
recent work of a writer of much celebrity, his judicious remarks upon
the subject.

"It is, perhaps, among that description of persons well known by the
name of _poachers_, that the greater number of those are trained to
rapine, who infest every rural neighbourhood with their petty thefts,
and whose dexterity almost bids defiance to precaution. Accustomed, in
the ensnaring of game, to the secresy of fraud, and committing their
depredations amidst the silence of night, those horrors, and that
consequent dread, which frequently deters from the commission of great
offences, gradually lose their effect. Solitude and darkness, which have
wherewithal to appal the human mind in its first deviations into guilt,
are divested of their terror in those pilfering pursuits; and the
consequence is sufficiently well known to all, who, in the capacity of
magistrates, are called to sit in judgment on the delinquency of public
offenders. It is to this initiation they ascribe their subsequent
enormities.

"When guilt, however venal, becomes, by repetition, familiar to the
mind, it is not in the power of the ignorant and uneducated to restrain
its excesses; they cannot arrest their career of iniquity; they cannot
chalk out the line of wrong beyond which they will not pass. Confining
their first nocturnal excursions to the snaring of HARES, and netting of
PARTRIDGES, whenever they have a less booty than _usual_, they are
tempted to compensate the deficiency by petty plunder of some other
kind, and the _log-pile_, the _stack_, the _fold_, the _hen-roost_, all
in turn, pay tribute to the prowling vagabond, who fills as he can that
void in his "capacious bag," which has been left by his want of success
as a POACHER.

"The great evil is, that a culprit of this class, feeling no compunction
in the early stage of his guilt, proceeds carelessly to a state of the
most complete degeneracy. GAME is a species of property of which he has
so indistinct a conception, that he scarcely thinks he has committed a
moral injustice in the various stratagems by which he has contrived to
obtain it; he sees not that the claim of a stranger is better than his;
he knows not whence that absolute right in another to that which he has
taken is derived; his companions, to whom he recounts his manœuvres, are
more likely to applaud his cunning than to reprove his crime. Thus the
remorse of conscience being but slight and feeble in the outset, the
wretch is encouraged by degrees to trample on the laws with greater
boldness, and at last suffers as a FELON."

That these facts are fairly stated, and the natural inferences
judiciously drawn, must be candidly and universally admitted. Previous,
however, to the conclusive remarks requisite under this head, it becomes
directly applicable to introduce a few passages from another writer of
equal eminence, who, in his animadversion upon the well-founded
principle of the GAME LAWS, observes, "that, in a highly cultivated,
well-peopled country, no animal can properly be considered as wild; all
are supported by the property and labour of those who cultivate the
soil. Some, from their peculiar instincts, are, indeed, less capable
than others of being appropriated, and therefore, like lands uninclosed,
are held as a joint property. But he who has no land, and consequently
contributes nothing to their maintenance, is no more entitled to any use
of them, than the inhabitant of one parish is to a right of commonage on
the waste lands of another; and he who chuses to reside in a town, and
to keep his property in money, has no more a pretence to seize to his
own use a HARE, or a PARTRIDGE, than a sheep or a goose, from him who
has chosen to vest his property in land. In the former, as in the latter
case, he ought to tempt the owner to sell what is wanted."

Thus much is introduced from the speculative opinions of respectable
writers upon the political and equitable basis of the GAME LAWS, which
every rational observer, and good subject, will probably admit _ought to
be obeyed_; although the great and infinite body of POACHERS, and that
much greater infinity their ABETTORS, seem to be of a direct opposite
opinion. However just, proper, and political, such laws may have been in
their formation, and laudable in their continuance, little reliance can
be placed upon the _deceptive_ expectation of a reduction in the number
of POACHERS, sanctioned and supported, as they are, by _thousands_ in
the METROPOLIS, and the middle classes of people in every CITY, TOWN,
and VILLAGE, from one extremity of the Island to the other. If there is
one of his Majesty's subjects so weak or inexperienced, as to suppose
any one species of game is _difficult_ to be obtained, he must be
deplorably ignorant in the common occurrences of life, and requires to
be informed, that the wholesale _art_ and _trade_ of poaching is carried
on almost "as public as the noonday sun" during the whole of the season;
and no one of that commercial and opulent body in the city, or epicure
in the suburbs, sits down without game at his table whenever he pleases
to order it: it is not the business of a steward, butler, or
housekeeper, to expostulate upon what may be immediately obtained for
MONEY, with a consolatory verification of the school-boy's well-known
adage, that "one good turn deserves another;" and money in one hand can
invariably procure game for the other.

There have always been two opinions held respecting the policy and
prudence of the GAME LAWS, between two classes of people equally
opposite to each other, the HIGHEST and the _lowest_; in support of
which, it has been the persevering practice of the former, to enact laws
for the protection of what they conceive their RIGHT; and the latter
have been as invariably engaged (from one generation to another) in
devising plans to counteract and undermine it: thus the _cunning_ of one
is engaged in a perpetual war with the POWER of the other, and most
probably centuries only can ascertain the victory. Here the eye of
impartiality will naturally advert to a passage from a writer lately
quoted who is of opinion, that "a person having _no land_, and who
chooses to keep his property in _money_, has no more right to a HARE or
PARTRIDGE, than he has to the _sheep_ or _goose_, from him who has
chosen to vest his property in LAND." This writer, probably, in his
hasty zeal to exalt the LANDED interest above its proper weight in the
scale of WEALTH, had totally forgotten (or never knew) that great
national depositary of immensity, called the BANK of ENGLAND, situate in
the CITY of LONDON; the millions eternally in motion through the medium
of COMMERCE, and moving in all directions, to every quarter of the
globe; as well as the EAST and WEST INDIA possessions, to an extent of
riches beyond conception.

All these, to gratify the _self-importance_ of the holders of a _little
land_, the learned writer had found it convenient to bury in oblivion.
_Sir Roger de Coverley_ would most probably have said, (could he have
been at this moment consulted upon the subject,) "MUCH may be said on
BOTH sides." In saying which, he would have spoken wisely; for it cannot
be conceived, that every individual of the infinity of STOCK-HOLDERS,
who loyally place an implicit faith in the stability of Government, and
embark all their property to support it, (in many instances from FIVE to
FIFTY or a HUNDRED THOUSAND pounds each,) does not feel himself
_equally_ affected with the appetites of a GENTLEMAN, as he who
possesses 100_l._ a year in LAND; and not feeling more disposed to
sacrifice at the _shrine_ of SELF-DENIAL than his neighbour, finds it
necessary to avail himself of all the comforts and advantages to be
derived from his MONEY, that the other does from his LAND; under which
candid and impartial consideration it is fair to conclude, that so long
as there shall be a natural propensity to good living, and the
delicacies which Providence has so plentifully bestowed; so long as the
monied THOUSANDS of the METROPOLIS shall incline to believe they are
_entitled_ to a _participation_; and so long as GAME shall be _bred_,
and human degeneracy in the lower classes of society continue; so long
will POACHERS continue undiminished, in opposition to every means that
the utmost limits of human wisdom can suggest for their extirpation.


POINT.—A horse standing in his stall, or elsewhere, with one fore-leg at
some distance before the other, is always concluded, by the most
experienced, to have sustained some irreparable injury either in the
SHOULDER, or the ligamentary junction of the COFFIN and CORONARY bones,
concealed in the box (or cavity) of the hoof. This is in a considerable
degree to be relied on; but there are many instances in which a horse
accustoms himself to awkward positions, and they become habitual: some
stand with either the _near_ or the _off_ fore-leg eternally before the
other, and are as perfectly sound as any horses in the kingdom. To say,
therefore, from a horse's manner of standing, that he is lame, would be
as absurd as to say any man could not be either a good dancer, or
fencer, because he stood, when disengaged from both, in a careless,
lounging, ungraceful attitude.


POINT—is the position of a POINTER, when standing seemingly fixed and
immoveable at the game before him; at the moment of observing which,
particularly with young or unsteady dogs, the natural ejaculatory
caution of "TO HO!" "HAVE A CARE!" transpires; not more as an injunction
of _steadiness_ to the dog standing, but as a communicative mode of
enjoining the attention of every dog in the field to the first who has
obtained the point.


POINTER.—The pointer is that species of dog well known to contribute
more to the contemplative pleasures and pursuits of a sportsman, than
any other in the canine catalogue. This peculiar breed, on account of
their universality and general utility, have been so incredibly crossed,
re-crossed, bred _in_, and bred _out_, to gratify the various opinions,
(as prompted by fancy, caprice, or speculation,) that they are now to be
found of all sizes, and all qualifications; from the slow, short-headed,
heavy-shouldered remains of the original Spanish pointer, (who will tire
in half a day's work,) to the cross of _in_ and _in_ with a FOX HOUND,
of which none are ever known to tire; many of them having speed enough
to catch a leveret three parts grown, when they jump up before them.
Pointers, forty or fifty years since, were hardly ever seen but entirely
white, or variegated with liver-coloured spots; except the then DUKE of
KINGSTON'S black and white, which were considered superior to every
breed in the kingdom, and sold for most extravagant sums after his
death. They are now, from the constantly increasing attachment to field
sports, to be seen of every description, from pure white, and a
flea-bitten blue or grey, to a universal liver-colour, and a perfect
black. In a choice of pointers for general use, that is for _every_
species of GAME, the extremes in _size_, as well as in _speed_, are
better avoided, and the line of mediocrity adhered to: overgrown, heavy
dogs, soon get weary in the hot and early part of the season: the
smaller sort have also their inconveniencies in hunting in very high
turnips, heath, broom-fields, &c.

As some advantages have been obtained by the various crosses, both in
respect to speed, and the durability of fatigue, so something has been
sacrificed on the score of patient forbearance, and olfactory
sensibility; the gradational shades of one species introduced by _every_
change having so diversified the original stock, that a much greater
degree of trouble is requisite in breaking now than formerly, to bring a
POINTER of _perfection_ into the field. The impatient volatility of some
men probably prompted them to indulge a design of introducing a breed of
pointers, with speed sufficient to outstrip the rapidity of their own
imaginations, that they might enjoy the unprecedented and supreme
felicity of _hunting_ and _shooting_ at the same time; hence, perhaps,
arose the emulative struggle for a superiority of _speed_ in addition to
POINT, which, it must be acknowledged, has at length reached the very
summit of perfection. POINTERS are never considered complete, unless
they are perfectly staunch to "BIRD, DOG, and GUN;" which implies,
first, standing singly to a _bird_ or a _covey_; secondly, to _backing_
(or pointing instantaneously _likewise_) the moment he perceives another
dog to STAND; and lastly, not to _stir_ from his _point_, upon the
firing of any gun in company, provided the GAME is neither _sprung_ or
_started_ at which _he_ made _his_ original point.

The art of breaking pointers for the field, was, twenty or thirty years
since, looked upon as a very mysterious and difficult piece of business;
many (called dog-breakers) deriving a subsistence from the employment:
the charm, however, has been long since broken, and the process is known
to be so exceedingly simple, that a tolerable well-bred pointer puppy
may have the foundation of all his future perfections theoretically
inculcated in the VERY KITCHEN or PARLOUR of his MASTER, before he is
taken into the field. This is so truly and practically possible, that it
may be done with _two_ or _three_ _brace_ together in a large room, or
small yard, with no other assistance, than the alternate words of
"TO-HO!" "TAKE HEED!" and "HAVE A CARE!" (with the small field whip in
hand to impress attention,) although meat is tossed before them in every
direction; when not a dog will stir till the signal of "HIE-ON" is
heard, which they eagerly _obey_; but are as _instantly_ stopped at the
very moment of seizing their meat, by either of the cautions previously
mentioned. Young dogs, having thus imbibed the principles upon which
they are to act, have nature, and their instinctive impulse, to point
out their practice when brought into the field: few are seen who hunt
too little, the major part are inclined to range too much, and then it
is that the cool and steady patience of the experienced sportsman
becomes necessary to check the impetuosity. Juvenile gunners frequently
spoil young dogs, by keeping them under as little restraint as they wish
to be kept themselves; and too often let them break away out of all
reasonable distance, till they acquire a habit of inattention and
disobedience, of which some are with very great difficulty, if ever,
divested.

When brought into the field, they should be taught to traverse every
yard of the ground, (in proper lengths, and at proper distances,) so
that none be left unbeaten; and this should be done with as few words,
and as little noise, as possible. Short verbal signals, low vibrative
whistles, and the motion of the hand to the _right_ or _left_, are all
that's useful; more does mischief: one steady shot of this description,
with a brace of pointers _obedient_ to _command_, and staunch to DOG and
GUN, will kill more game in any country, than a noisy crew with three or
four brace of dogs before them. All young pointers should not be
permitted to deviate from the proper rule of quartering the ground
before them; that is, to cover a line of fourscore yards _transversely_
in the front of his master, taking forty yards to his right, and
re-passing him, take the same distance to the left; and in such
proportions as not to let his crossings and re-crossings be more than
five-and-twenty or thirty yards from each other. If a brace of pointers
are in the field, they should alternately cross the same beat, by
_meeting_ and _passing_ each other; but never beat the same way in a
parallel direction.

Those who wish pointers to bring the GAME when _killed_, will find it
very easy of attainment, by teaching them to fetch and carry before they
take the field; it is an amusement they are much delighted with, and
never forget: it has, however, one chance of inconvenience annexed to
the experiment, if they become hard-mouthed, and take to _breaking_ both
flesh and feather; it is a fault, or rather a crime, never obliterated,
but with incessant trouble and severity. It is a practice with some to
hunt their pointers in coverts, with bells about their necks, both in
COCK and PHEASANT shooting; those who do it, hold their pointers (at
least their excellence) in very slender estimation, as it invariably
reduces their speed; renders them slow, tardy, undisciplined, and
inclined to hang and puzzle, by constantly drawing upon the foot of the
pheasant, or upon a hare in covert, when one happens to start before
them; in a persevering pursuit of which, high-spirited dogs, full of
blood, are subject to fits, and of long duration: cutting off half an
inch of the tail, or bleeding in the roof of the mouth, is the only
extemporaneous remedy in the field. Previous to the beginning of the
season, that is, a fortnight before the commencement, each dog should
have two doses of physic about four days apart; after which proper
attention should be paid to the provision, which should be of a sweet
and healthy kind, to preserve as much as possible their faculties in
full perfection. From the hardness and heat of the ground in the first
weeks of September, it sometimes happens, that the feet become
lacerated, inflamed, and exceedingly sore; when which is observed, a
plentiful washing, with warm gruel and a sponge, will afford
considerable relief; in an hour or two after which, the application of
some weak salt and water, or cold white-wine vinegar, will harden the
surface, and probably prevent a repetition.

POLE-CAT.—The pole-cat is a species of vermin, partaking, in some
degree, of the figure and propensities of the MARTIN and the FERRET; or
rather between both. It is smaller than the one, and considerably larger
than the other; is an inhabitant of the bushy coverts in the
neighbourhood of lonely farm-houses; to the POULTRY, EGGS, and
DOVE-HOUSES, of which they are constant and destructive enemies. The
effluvia, or rather _stench_, arising from their bodies is so truly
offensive, that it has long since laid the foundation of the well-known
proverbial expression of "_stinking_ like a POLE-CAT."


POLL-EVIL,—in its first stage, is a tumefaction formed upon the poll of
a horse immediately behind the ears, and is, in general, occasioned by a
blow, bruise, or, perhaps, sometimes by the heavy weight and constant
pressure of old harsh, stubborn harness-halters; as it is a kind of
casual defect, or misfortune, with which only draught-horses are known
to be much affected. Upon its discovery, when in an early state,
repulsion may be attempted by mild restringents, as a few minutes
patient fomentation with HOT VINEGAR and a sponge, followed by a slight
application of CAMPHORATED SPIRITS; not evidently submitting to which at
a _third_ or _fourth_ repetition, but continuing to increase, and
display symptoms of impending maturation, those appearances must be
immediately encouraged by proper means, and every attempt at repulsion
instantly discontinued. Hot fomentations with gruel, immediately
succeeded by emollient poultices of linseed powder, milk, and a small
quantity of turpentine well incorporated; or bread, milk, and white lily
root, bruised to a paste, and applied of a proper warmth, are the best
modes of expediting suppuration; when which takes place, no small share
of Veterinary knowledge, and professional punctuality, is requisite to
obtain a sound and perfect cure.


POMONA.—There have been three well-bred mares of this name: the first
bred by LORD CLERMONT, foaled in 1769, got by _Squirrel_, dam by _Young
Cade_, grand-dam by _Rib_, out of Grisewood's _Lady Thigh_. The second
was bred by the late DUKE of CUMBERLAND, foaled in 1775, got by _Herod_,
dam by _Snap_, grand-dam by _Regulus_. This mare was the dam of several
runners, including _Nina_, _Spear_, _Gardener_, and _Halbert_. The third
was bred by MR. O'KELLY, foaled in 1783, got by _Vertumnus_ out of
_Helen_, (who was got by _South_,) the dam of _Paris_, _Saturn_, _Lady
Thigh_, _Troy_, _Golden Apple_, &c.


POST MATCH—is a term in RACING, where it is only necessary to insert the
age of the HORSES in the Articles, and to run any horse of that age,
without declaring what horse, till he appears at the post.


POT8OO'S,—the name of a horse whose performances as a RACER, and progeny
as a STALLION, will transmit his celebrity to succeeding generations in
various directions: he was bred by the late LORD ABINGDON, foaled in
1773, and got by _Eclipse_ out of _Sportsmistress_, the dam of
_Lexicon_, _Jocundo_, _Roscius_, _Siddons_, _Peg Woffington_, _Sir
Thomas_, and _Sulky_. This horse was so named to gratify a little pique
against the late COLONEL O'KELLY, in allusion to the place of his
nativity, ironically called the _Land_ of POTATOES. Upon the turf he
proved himself equal to any horse of his time: as a STALLION, few, if
any, have stood in higher estimation. Exclusive of an infinity of annual
winners, who have ran as COLTS and FILLIES for large stakes, but without
a name, he is the SIRE of _Parsley_, _Smack_, _Telescope_, _Turnip-top_,
_Asparagus_, _Coriander_, _Flea_, _Misseltoe_, _Tiny_, _Alderman_,
_Gumcistus_, _Cayenne_, _Chigwell_, _Golden Rod_, _Triptolemus_,
_Cynthius_, _Druid_, _Emma_, _Guy_, _Lady_, _Lilliput_, _Polyanthus_,
_Vesper_, and _Waxy_. _Aurora_, _Capsicum_, Sister to _Druid_,
_Doricles_, _Edwin_, _Kidney_, _Mealy_, _Vixen_, and _Warwick_.
_Doubtful_, _Faunus_, _Lambourn_, Brother to _Lilliput_, _Oliver_,
_Molly Maybush_, _Rowland_, _Thereabouts_, _Golden Dab_, and _Yorkshire
Bite_. _Dutchess of Limbs_, _Outcast_, _Schedoni_, _Trip-it_, _Dr.
O'Liffey_, _Scrub_, _Snuff-box_, _Worthy_, _Champion_, _Crazy Jane_,
_Canterbury_, _Lampedo_, and _Trifle_.


PRECIPITATE,—a horse of much recent celebrity, whose name was truly
applicable to his descent. He was bred by LORD EGREMONT, foaled in 1787,
got by _Mercury_, (a son of _Eclipse_,) dam by _Herod_, grand-dam
(_Maiden_) by _Matchem_, out of Mr. Pratt's _Old Squirt_ mare. In the
first Spring Meeting at NEWMARKET 1790, when three years old, he won the
first class of the PRINCE'S STAKES of 100 guineas each, beating
_Thunderbolt_, _Chanticleer_, and _Sir Pepper_; four having paid
forfeit. In the same week he won the BOLTON STAKES of 50 guineas each,
beating _Dragon_, _Chambooè_, and _Palafox_; seven paying forfeit.
Second Spring Meeting, he won the third class of the PRINCE'S STAKES of
100 guineas each, beating _Thunderbolt_; seven paying forfeit. In the
same week he received 100 guineas forfeit from Lord Grosvenor's
_Rhadamanthus_. In 1792 he won 50_l._ at Guildford, beating _Doge_,
_Thunderbolt_, _Seringapatam_, and _Stout_. The next day 50_l._ at the
same place, beating _Cardock_ and _Griffin_. The King's 100 guineas at
Lewes, beating _Skyscraper_ at three heats, the first being deemed _a
dead heat_; after which he became a stallion in his Lordship's stud at
12 guineas a mare. He is the sire of _Jonquille_, _Petworth_,
_Matrannee_, _Rosalba_, Chesnut Colt out of _Bobtail_, Chesnut Colt out
of _Rosemary_, _Humbug_, _Lazarus_, _Raginer_, _Apollo_, _Gulliver_,
_Tag_, _Louisa_, _Tipstaff_, and many others now in training.


PREVENTION—is in itself a matter of so much magnitude, that it should
ever be predominant in the mind of the sportsman and the man of
pleasure. PRUDENCE, PATIENCE, and PHILOSOPHY, when properly exerted, are
frequently preventives to disease, mental mortification, trouble,
expence, and consequent compunction. It is an established and
incontrovertible maxim, that PREVENTION is preferable to CURE; under the
influence of which impression (if properly attended to) a very great
number of those occurrences, accidents, and dangerous diseases, which so
constantly happen, might certainly be avoided; as, upon strict
investigation, the far greater part may be found to originate in
carelessness, neglect, indolence, or inhumanity. Riding or driving
horses immoderate and unreasonable journies, without _stopping_ upon the
ROAD; riding hunters _hardest_ in the DEEPEST ground, and taking very
strong unnecessary leaps in the field; placing horses in a cold stable
without immediate attention, when in a high state of perspiration; are
amongst the many foundations of disease and disquietude which may be
prevented, and are well worthy retention in the memory of those who wish
to see their horses in health and good condition.


PRICKED.—A horse is said to be _pricked_, when, in SHOEING, any one of
the nails is accidentally or injudiciously driven too near the membranes
with which the box of the hoof is lined: this may happen with the most
expert operator by a sudden inversion of the point when in its _seeming_
proper direction. A tenderness and halting is also very frequently
occasioned by the nails passing _close to_, and pressing _upon_, the
internal parts, which, by tight _clinching_, constitutes so great a
compression, that pain (particularly in action) inevitably ensues; in
which case instantly taking off the shoe, well oiling the hoof,
replacing the shoe with more care and less force, will prove it a mere
temporary inconvenience.

When a horse is suspected to be pricked, in consequence of going lame
immediately after having been shod, and not before, it is then of course
natural to conclude some injury has been sustained during the operation
of shoeing, and that he does not go lame in consequence of any previous
accident. Circumstances thus tending to justify the inference, a careful
examination should be made without delay: the nails should be extracted
singly in succession; and when the shoe is off, a proper degree of
pressure should be made with the PINCERS, to ascertain the _tender_
part. This done, it is too much the custom, particularly with the
obstinate of the old school, to recur to their usual practice of
devastation, by an immediate and immoderate definition of parts, under
the plea of an "absolute necessity for going to the bottom," to
_prevent_ what most probably is by no means likely to ensue. If the
particular nail is discovered by which the injury has been sustained,
opening the spot of its insertion in a very trifling degree upon the
surface, and pouring in a small quantity of FRIAR'S BALSAM, or compound
TINCTURE of MYRRH, will in general allay the irritability, harden the
punctured part, and subdue any tendency to inflammation: on the
contrary, should any painful symptoms of impending maturation appear,
emollient poultices, and warm digestives, should be applied to the
bottom of the foot, to obtain a discharge from that part, that the
formation of A QUITTOR may, if possible, be prevented.


PRICKET.—The male produce of the BUCK and DOE (fallow deer) is so called
at two years old, when he begins to put forth his head.


PRICKING—is the unsportsmanlike act of _tracking_ a HARE by the points
of her feet, upon the paths and highways, when the hounds are _at
fault_: it is a common practice, and can only be justified where hares
are exceedingly scarce, and difficult to be found, with packs very small
in number, or deficient in effect; but it is a custom too mean and
degrading to be permitted with hounds of eminence, who must kill their
game with a reputation _untainted_, or not kill at all.


PROBE—is a silver instrument used by SURGEONS and VETERINARIANS, in
sounding the depth of cavities, sinusses, fistulas, and wounds: they
are, upon unexpected emergencies, so very frequently useful in the
country-house, or remote residence of a sportsman, that it should never
be without _this_, and some _other_ trifling instruments of little
expence; exclusive of lint, tow, ointments, tinctures, and a few other
cordial and diuretic medicines, for which there is sometimes a sudden
and unexpected occasion.


PULSE.—In all dangerous and inflammatory diseases of horses, much
information may be derived from the state of the PULSE; in addition to
the observations to be made upon the difficulty of respiration, the
heaving of the flank, the heat of the mouth, and the state of the eyes.
It seems, by the nicest observations, that the pulsations in a healthy
horse seldom exceed from forty to forty-five in a minute; exceeding
which in any material degree, there is then reason to believe,
inflammatory heat is predominant in the frame, and that fever is rapidly
advancing in proportion to the increased velocity of the blood. FARRIERS
in general, either from a want of attention, or want of judgment, are
most culpably deficient in this part of their professional examination;
upon a competent proficiency in which, must solely depend the
CONSISTENCY, or _impropriety_, of repeated bleedings, in all cases of
high and increasing inflammations, where REPETITIONS are absolutely
indispensible for the preservation of life.


PURGING—is an operation with horses, upon the propriety, consistency,
danger, and utility of which, various opinions have been opposed to each
other for half a century past; these, after the public experience of the
last fourteen years, seem to have centered in an acknowledged
preponderation of its occasional use; and that without its frequent
salutary introduction, certain diseases are neither to be prevented or
cured. The absolute necessity for sometimes PURGING, is not only now
universally admitted, but the practice as generally adopted; the first
step to a successful termination of which operation is, to adapt (by
every possible degree of precaution) the strength of the physic to the
_size_, _state_, and _constitution_ of the HORSE, as well as an eye to
the particular cause for which the purgation is become necessary. Proper
attention paid to these leading circumstances, and due care observed
during its process, no apprehensions of danger need be at all
entertained.

It is necessary those who have not been accustomed to the management of
horses under so serious an operation, should know, that, from the great
length of the intestinal canal, a horse requires a considerable decree
of cathartic stimulus to insure excremental expulsion. When the contents
of the larger intestines are become indurated by long retention, little
work, and a want of exercise, there is then a kind of constitutional
tendency to constipation, when, of course, more disquietude or pain will
be experienced by the subject, than when the body is in a more
favourable and less costive state. The intestines (when extended)
exceeding thirty yards in length, and laying compressed in a horizontal
position within the frame, and in so small a compass, is the principal,
and almost only, reason to be advanced, why the combination of purgative
ingredients continue from eighteen to twenty-four hours in the frame,
before the fæces are sufficiently softened for the operation to begin.

Exclusive of the various disorders to which horses are subject,
requiring a course of physic upon their first appearance, or at their
termination, (as may be collected from the works of those who have
written professedly upon the subject,) there are many instances, in
which PURGING may be very advantageously brought into use, as a critical
PREVENTIVE to DISEASE, although there may, at the time, be but little
external cause to believe such morbidity is impending. Horses constantly
standing in a stable upon full and good keep, with but very little work,
and short exercise, generate blood freely, and lose a very trifling
proportion of the constantly accumulating contents of the frame, by
either perspiration or evacuation. Thus then the vessels, as well as the
carcase, become so evidently overloaded, that the whole labours under
the rigidity of one universal distension; constituting a preternatural
stricture upon the body and its extremities, by which the system of
_secretion_ and _excretion_ is partially or universally affected, and
the regular routine of the ANIMAL ŒCONOMY proportionally deranged. Under
this concise, but explanatory, definition of repletion, and its effects,
will be found the necessity for occasionally unloading the body by
proper evacuants, and relieving the vessels from the unnatural stricture
which reduces the elasticity of the solids, and retards or obstructs the
easy circulation of their contents.


PURITY—was a mare of distinguished celebrity originally, but rendered
much more so, as the dam of the famous horse _Rockingham_, whose
performances will be found under that head. _Purity_ was bred by MR.
PRATT; foaled in 1774, and got by _Matchem_ out of the old _Squirt_
mare. She was the dam of _Rockingham_, _Archibald_, _Fitzwilliam_, and a
filly by _Highflyer_; as well as others by _Florizel_, _Magnet_,
_Paymaster_, and _Saltram_. Her dam (the old _Squirt_ mare) produced
many racers of the first class: _Virgin_, _Miracle_, _Dido_,
_Conundrum_, _Ranthos_, _Enigma_, _Riddle_, _Miss Tims_, _Pumpkin_,
_Maiden_, _Rasselas_, _Purity_, and three others; having continued to
breed from 1755 to 1774; during which period of nineteen years, she
produced the fifteen colts and fillies here described.


PURSIVENESS—is a disorder, or degree of disease, with a difficulty of
respiration, beyond the effect of a common _cold_ and _cough_, but
falling short of the malady denominated BROKEN WIND. Pursiveness in a
horse bears no ill affinity to the asthmatic complaints of the human
species. Although there have been refined distinctions adopted, and
definitions attempted, between the symptoms of a cold and the disorder
called pursiveness in a horse, yet one is very little more or less than
an inveterate stage of the other. The blood having, from some particular
cause, become sizey, has consequently passed through the finer vessels
with a languor far inferior to the purposes of health; hence
obstructions are first formed; and these continuing to increase,
tubercles follow. The parts necessary to a free and easy respiration
being thus affected, it becomes laborious and oppressive in a
proportional degree with the increasing viscidity of the blood, and the
length of time it has been permitted to continue in its progress without
restraint. The finer vascular ramifications of the lungs being thus
partially closed, imperfect respiration ensues; producing those
whistling wheezings with which ASTHMATIC horses are observed to be
distressed, particularly in _brisk action_, until it progressively
terminates in broken wind, which it will inevitably do, unless the
proper means of alleviation and cure are earnestly adopted. Frequent
bleedings, pectoral detergents, intervening attenuants, and mercurial
purging balls, (administered with patient and punctual perseverance,)
are the only medical aids from which permanent relief must be expected,
or can be obtained.




Q.


QUAILS—are small birds, found, at certain seasons, in corn fields and
stubbles, as well as in the standing crops of backward clover: they
partake, in a certain degree, of the game species, as spaniels (that are
well bred) instantly _feather_, and pointers gradually draw to a
doubtful POINT, upon _winding_ them, and STAND FIRM if near to the bird.
QUAILS are considered birds of passage, as they are only to be seen in
the centrical parts of the kingdom during the four warmest months of the
year. They get up before the dog with great reluctance, running till
almost weary before they rise. When upon wing, a very moderate shot will
bring them down. In those counties where they are found in greater
plenty than in some others, they are caught alive, by means of what is
termed a QUAIL-CALL and NETS; and sometimes in such numbers, as to be
seen at the shops of the London poulterers in cages exhibited for sale.


QUALIFICATION—is both a sporting and parliamentary term for the
privilege of killing game, in HUNTING, COURSING, SHOOTING, or by _any_
mode which the qualified party may chuse to adopt; provided it is not
repugnant to such other Acts as are still in force for the prevention of
POACHING, and those nocturnal depredations by which the game is annually
so daringly reduced. This qualification (or exemption from the penalties
of former Acts during different reigns) till of very late years,
consisted in the full and unrestrained possession of one hundred pounds
per annum, issuing from FREEHOLD LAND, or estate, and producing that
_clear_ annual sum when _every other_ expence was paid: or, the
possession of a LEASEHOLD estate of one hundred and fifty pounds per
annum, in right of _self_ or _wife_, for the term of ninety-nine years,
or any term beyond that period. In addition to which, it is enacted by
an Act of the Legislature during the present reign of GEORGE the THIRD,
That every person in Great Britain who shall use any _dog_, _gun_,
_net_, or other _engine_, for the _taking_ or _destruction_ of GAME,
shall take out an annual certificate, from the CLERK of the PEACE for
the county in which he resides, and shall pay for such certificate the
sum of THREE POUNDS THREE SHILLINGS, with one shilling to the clerk for
his trouble in making it out. See GAME, and GAME LAWS.


QUALIFICATIONS—appertain, in a particular degree, to the subject of
RACING upon the TURF, and is used in a certain signification. Plates of
50_l._ are given at numerous places of sport, to be run for on certain
conditions; some by COLTS and FILLIES of _three_ years old; some _four_
years old; others _five_ and _six_; and, lastly, for HORSES of all AGES
and QUALIFICATIONS. The precise meaning of which is, that a horse equal
in AGE to _one_ or _more_ of his competitors, may be very superior in
qualifications; in which case it becomes necessary and equitable to
bring their abilities more upon an equality, by so encreasing the weight
which one is to carry above the standard of the other, that there may be
left very little probability of deciding upon the _certainty_ of
superiority in SPEED, when the impartial and judicious adjustment of
weight is so properly fixed, as to leave an equal hope and expectation
of winning the PRIZE for which they are to _start_. To render such mode
the less liable to objection, it is mostly the custom to say in the
advertisements, a winner of _one_ plate in the present year to carry
3lb. the winner of _two_, 5lb. and of _three_, or _more_, 7lb. extra.


QUARTER (FALSE.)—The DEFECT so called in the _hoof_ of a HORSE, is the
renovated part of what has been by some accident previously destroyed;
and this effort of nature being inadequate, in its regeneration, to the
original formation, the quarter of the heel, in its growth, acquires a
kind of spongy puffiness or elasticity, accompanied by a CLEFT or CRACK,
which prevents a perfect and undivided union with that part of the hoof
uninjured, constituting a tender weakness, as well as a permanent
blemish, not to be obliterated during the life of the horse.
Notwithstanding which, much depends upon the management during the time
the original injury remains in its infant state. A wanton destruction of
parts, by the too hasty and injudicious interposition of CAUSTICS and
CUTTING KNIVES, frequently does more mischief in twelve hours, than
Nature, with all her powerful endeavours, can repair in as many months.
When by these, or other means, a false quarter cannot be avoided, it
should be occasionally attended to during the progress of its growth:
the uneven prominencies should, when becoming luxuriant and irregular,
be kept down by gentle erasions with the RASP, and the surface, the
cleft, and surrounding part, be plentifully moistened with FRIAR'S
BALSAM, TINCTURE of MYRRH, or some such applicable substitute, as may
give it a gradational hardening, and effectually reduce the irritability
of the parts affected. To relieve the ill-effect of this inconvenience
to a certain degree, a BAR-SHOE may be so carefully constructed, as to
shield the _tender_ and _weaker_ part of the hoof from PRESSURE; and
this can only be done by forming the shoe of such thickness, as to admit
of its taking its bearing equally from the sound parts of the hoof,
about an inch or two on each side the seat of injury, with strength
sufficient to prevent a chance of its indentation upon the tender part
intended to be protected.


QUARTERS.—The fore and hind parts of a horse are frequently so called;
for instance, such a horse is beautifully formed in his FORE QUARTERS,
but he is exceedingly _ill made_ behind; and some are well proportioned
in the gascoins, the hip, the rump, and hocks, but are ill formed and
low before. The FORE QUARTERS include the head, neck, breast, withers,
and fore legs, to the girths; the HIND QUARTERS comprehend the hips,
thighs, hams, hocks, and hind legs.


QUEST.—Hounds (beagles or harriers) are said to QUEST, when they first
give tongue after coming upon _trail_. Spaniels are said to _quest_
also, when they give tongue in covert, upon coming up to the foot and
scent of partridge, pheasant, hare, or cock.


OUICKSILVER—is an article of almost incredible medical utility; a full
and explanatory description of which will be found under the head
MERCURY.


QUITTOR.—The serious injury so denominated, is, in its origin, a painful
and inflammatory formation of matter (arising from various causes) at
the precise junction of the HAIR with the upper part of the HOOF: this,
from the peculiar construction of the parts, particularly if
injudiciously conduced, soon degenerates into a virulent,
ill-conditioned ULCER, dangerous in its progress, and uncertain in its
termination. Treads, blows, and bruises, EXTERNALLY, and a lodgment of
gravel, or other extraneous substance, having insinuated itself
INTERNALLY, from the bottom of the foot, and working upwards, are
principally the means by which such misfortune is too frequently and
unluckily produced. The practice too prevalent with FARRIERS (newly
termed _veterinarians_) is to proceed with all possible _fire_ and
_fury_ to a speedy and unrelenting destruction of parts: the
introduction of a large portion of CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE is adopted to
"_bring away the core_;" or BLUE VITRIOL, reduced to powder, and mixed
with the OIL also, is used for the same: these frequently proving the
REMEDY to be _worse_ than the DISEASE, the _knife_ is called in aid,
and, by daily use, (after the patience of the owner is nearly exhausted,
and his purse equally operated upon with the horse,) the subject becomes
calculated for little _more_ or _less_ than the COLLAR MAKER, to whom
such patients are in general ultimately consigned: unless they fall into
the hands of judicious practitioners; who, knowing the properties of
medicine, and the useful interposition of art, can patiently condescend
to complete with the SYRINGE, what the less qualified can never perform
with the KNIFE.


QUITTOR-BONE—is a protrusive enlargement upon some part of the CORONET
of a HORSE, originating in a ligamentary distortion, fibrous rupture, or
internal injury; which continuing to encrease in size to the utmost
distention of the integument, it then gradually acquires a certain
degree of callosity, and lastly, OSSIFICATION, from whence is derived
its present denomination. Custom has established the alternatives of
BLISTERING or FIRING, and they not unfrequently succeed each other. A
little reflection will, however, determine whether it is not sometimes
better

        "To bear those ills we have,
  "Than fly to others that we know not of."




R.


RABBIT—is the well-known animal, bearing some similitude to the HARE in
its formation, but no proportional excellence as a luxury for the table.
Rabbits are of two kinds, the wild, and domestic; the latter of which
are bred in hutches exceedingly tame, and in a sporting view lay claim
to no consideration. The wild rabbits are much inferior in size, and
many shades lighter in the colour of their fur, than the hare, to whom
they have a natural and an invincible aversion; which, in fact, seems to
be mutual, as they are but rarely found in the purlieus of each other.
The rabbit, in its wild and uncultivated state, (not part of, or
appertaining to a warren,) is thought of but very little intrinsic
value, and is killed or taken as a matter of public right, by
individuals of every class who happen to find them; not being included
in the late acts of parliament for the PRESERVATION of the GAME;
although they are mentioned as _conies_ in some of the former records,
which, though unrepealed, are seldom resorted to for legal information.
Rabbits in a WARREN are supposed the most prolific and profitable animal
of any that contributes to human subsistence: these warrens are common
in many parts of the kingdom, but more particularly in Yorkshire,
Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire, by the three last of
which counties the Metropolis is supplied for its almost infinite
consumption. The scent of a rabbit is exceedingly _faint_ in comparison
with the HARE, FOX, or FALLOW DEER; they, however, by jumping up
suddenly, frequently lead hounds a little astray, but cannot stand long
before them.

RABBITS propagate so rapidly, and increase so largely, in some parks and
farms of a woodland country, that they become, by their numbers,
exceedingly injurious, and an occasional reduction is found unavoidably
necessary, as a matter of self defence; in which case RABBIT SHOOTING is
found a most pleasant diversion. This is enjoyed with the assistance of
a brace of spaniels, which being turned into the bushes and hedge-rows,
are hardly ever without a rabbit on foot: but it must be a very _quick_
and _good_ shot to prove successful, as their short turns, and sudden
twists, render them a very difficult mark to hit. WARRENERS, in some
parts of the kingdom, are called warren farmers, whose premises are of
very great extent, and the rent from three to four and five hundred
pounds a year: the rabbits in these are so completely private property,
that various Acts are still in force for their preservation, and the
summary punishment of offenders (before a justice of peace) for any
transgression against the statutes in such case made and provided.


RACE HORSE—Is the kind of horse bred solely for the TURF, and whose
blood must be properly authenticated to have descended in a STATE of
PURITY from one generation to another, without the least contamination
by any accidental or intentional cross whatever. Horses of this
description are not entirely selected, as others in general are, by the
_make_, _shape_, _strength_, and _bone_, but in a great degree by the
estimation of the blood from which they have descended; and from which
circumstance alone is derived their claim to the appellation of BLOOD
HORSES, which they properly continue to retain, and are alone entitled
to. We are furnished with the most indubitable assurances, that the
ARABS are (if possible) more tenacious, precise, and correct, in the
pedigree, or genealogical descent, of their superior and unmixed breed,
than the sporting breeders of this country; and that the PEDIGREES of
each peculiar and distinguished BLOOD has been for CENTURIES transmitted
from generation to generation, with the same authenticated accuracy, as
is now the regular practice with every racing stud in the kingdom. The
emulative impulse of the English sportsman to attain perfection, most
probably suggested the idea of introducing the celebrated BLOOD of
ARABIA, that judicious experimental _crosses_ might be made with the
best of our own.

The earliest instances upon record, were during, and subsequent to, the
reign of KING CHARLES the SECOND, who sent abroad his master of the
horse to procure a selection of foreign HORSES and MARES for the
establishment of a BREEDING STUD; and the mares then brought over (as
well as many of their produce) have since been called ROYAL mares. The
principal ARABIANS, BARBS, and TURKS, by which the original breed of
Britain is supposed in some respects to have been improved, are as
follows. The WHITE TURK was the property of MR. PLACE, stud-master to
OLIVER CROMWELL when Protector; he was the sire of _Wormwood_ and
_Commoner_. DODSWORTH, though foaled in England, was a natural Barb, his
dam having been imported when in foal during the reign of Charles the
Second, and was called a royal mare. The LISTER TURK was brought into
England by the Duke of Berwick from the Siege of Buda, in the reign of
James the Second, and was the sire of _Snake_, _Brisk_, _Coneyskins_,
and _Piping Peg_. The BYERLY TURK was Captain Byerly's charger in
Ireland in King William's Wars; he was sire of _Sprite_, _Black-Hearty_,
_Archer_, _Basto_, _Grasshopper_, the _Byerly_ Gelding, and _Jigg_.
GREYHOUND was got in Barbary, after which both sire and dam were
purchased, and brought to England, by Mr. Marshall. He was the sire of
_Old Othello_, _Whitefoot_, _Osmyn_, _Rake_, _Samson_, _Goliah_,
_Favourite_, and _Desdemona_.

The D'ARCY _White Turk_ was the sire of _Old Hautboy_, _Grey Royal_, and
_Cannon_. The D'ARCY _Yellow Turk_ was the sire of _Spanker_, _Brimmer_,
and the great great grand-dam of _Cartouch_. The MARSHALL, or SELLABY
_Turk_, was the property of Mr. Marshall's brother, stud-master to King
William, Queen Anne, and King George the First; he was the sire of some
famous runners, but most of them were mares. CURWEN'S _Bay Barb_, the
THOULOUSE _Barb_, DARLEY'S _Arabian_, the BELGRADE _Turk_, the GODOLPHIN
_Arabian_, and others, may be referred to under the head BARBS in the
First Volume. After having crossed the blood in all possible directions,
(as fancy prompted in one place, or prudent deliberation justified in
another,) numerous experiments were made (and for large sums) in
bringing the different crosses to the post in opposition to each other;
when, after every possible refinement, and every judicious exertion, to
ascertain the superiority of the ARABIAN BLOOD, it was at length most
clearly proved, that the more they bred _in and in_ with the foreign
horses and mares, the more they acquired speed for _half a mile_ or a
_mile_; but became gradually SLOWER, and longer upon the ground, the
_farther_ they had to _run_. This discovery having been made (and proved
by various means to be correct) at the very moment of the great DUKE of
CUMBERLAND'S having brought the sport to nearly its present zenith of
attraction and celebrity about the year 1760, the rage for Arabian
extraction has been gradually upon the decline with the sporting
aggregate from that period to the present time; unless with those who
have bred more with a view to variation and novelty than SPEED for the
TURF.

RACES were formerly decided in much shorter distances than at present,
and few colts or fillies were then ever brought to the post till four
years old. Plates for three years old are now common at all places of
sport from one extremity of the kingdom to the other; and matches with
_two years_ old COLTS and FILLIES, and even with _yearlings_, are seen
constantly run at NEWMARKET; and is the very reason why so many of the
most valuable are completely ruined, and all their faculties of superior
speed destroyed, by the very time they attain the age at which their
predecessors STARTED for the FIRST time. Few matches, sweepstakes, or
plates, are now decided in a less distance than FOUR MILES, where the
horses are five and six years old, as this is considered an unerring
criterion of distinguishing _between_, or annexing BOTTOM to SPEED: many
tolerable horses have taken the _lead_, and kept it for a _mile_, or
even _two_, that have been nearly _distanced_ in running the FOUR; and a
chain of well-observed and corroborating circumstances it was of this
kind, that brought the farther propagation of Arabian blood in this
country into disrepute. Whether such change may not have been occasioned
by private prejudice transformed to public report, may be admitted a
doubt; because it is universally known, some, indeed very many, of the
fleetest horses this country ever produced, have been the immediate
descendants from some of the ARABIANS before recited.

_Flying Childers_ is said (as stories never lose by transmission) to
have ran a mile in a minute: most probably, and most truly, he ran "_one
third_ of a mile, at the _rate_ of a MILE in a MINUTE:" it is admitted,
he ran, with nine stone two pounds upon his back, FOUR MILES in six
minutes and forty-eight seconds; and this horse was undoubtedly got by,
and the immediate descendant of, DARLEY'S _Arabian_. _Firetail_ and
_Pumpkin_ ran a mile in a minute and a half; and each of their pedigrees
run in a double and treble degree into the best Arabian blood in only
two generations. _Bay Malton_ ran four miles over York (in the year
1763) in seven minutes, forty-three seconds and a half; and his blood
was in and in from the GODOLPHIN _Arabian_, and two BARBS in parallel
directions. _Eclipse_ ran the four miles over York, carrying twelve
stone, in eight minutes, without going _at his rate_; and his pedigree
goes directly on the side of the DAM to _Regulus_, who was got by the
GODOLPHIN _Arabian_; and through his sire _Marsk_ to _Squirt_, who was
got by BARTLET'S _Childers_; from which chain of authenticated facts, it
should incontrovertibly appear to every mind of impartiality, that the
breed of blood horses in England has been very much improved by the
judicious crosses so successfully introduced. The pedigrees of all
thorough bred horses have been so long and so justly recorded, that MR.
WEATHERBY has given in his Stud Book, the accurate origin of above FOUR
THOUSAND horses, mares, colts, and fillies, the produce of the last
sixty years only, (exclusive of numbers of an _earlier_ date,) and in
which may be traced the precise pedigree of every particular horse, up
to the origin of any race or blood upon record.


RACING,—in its most common and comprehensive signification, might be
supposed to imply racing in general between either MEN or HORSES; it is,
however, in fashionable acceptation, applied principally to the latter,
which is a most noble, exhilarating and fascinating enjoyment, to all
classes of people, in all parts of the kingdom, during the summer
season, when every other field sport is buried in a temporary oblivion,
and every species of GAME, HOUNDS, and HUNTERS, are _legally_ at REST.
RACING, in itself, is a harmless privileged pleasure, so immediately
congenial to the disposition of the people of this country, that each
revolving year seems to produce its increasing attraction. From the
great alacrity with which it is followed, the rapture with which it is
enjoyed, and the genial season at which it takes place, it should seem
to have been instituted under the peculiar dispensation of Providence;
where the annual meeting of old and long-parted friends, in every
distinct district in succession, "makes the _heart glad_;" and where
MIRTH seems to have taken possession of _every face_, from the PRINCE to
the _peasant_, who one and all dispel sorrow, and set care at defiance.
In full confirmation of this unexaggerated representation, a
SUBSCRIPTION is locally raised in various CITIES, TOWNS, and districts,
amongst the NOBILITY, GENTRY, and independent inhabitants, to constitute
and encourage so rational and happy a scene, in which the poor
industrious rustic may innocently partake, and cheerfully enjoy one day
of rest from his labour.

The money thus collected (by a person who is previously appointed CLERK
of the COURSE) is then delivered into the hands of NOBLEMEN or GENTLEMEN
resident in the neighbourhood, who generally feel themselves honoured by
the solicitation of the subscribers to undertake the office of STEWARDS,
and who exert every degree of personal influence to encourage and
promote a kind of jubilee, in which the happiness of every heart, and
the pleasing reflection of every mind, is absolutely absorbed for a
circumference of many miles. The RACING FUND having reached its utmost
point of accumulation, is divided into purses (called PLATES) of FIFTY
POUNDS each, and announced for horses of different ages and
qualifications, in the provincial newspaper of the particular district
in which the plates are given; as well as in "THE RACING CALENDAR,"
where all such advertisements appear. Various particulars respecting the
minutiæ of RACING will be found under the different heads of HORSE
RACING, JOCKEY CLUB, KING'S PLATE, NEWMARKET, TRAINING, and TURF; it
being impracticable to bring so great a variety of distinct, combined,
and complicated matter, into any _one_ single point of view.


RACK.—The railed convenience constructed above the MANGER in a stable
for the reception of the HAY is so called. It should be so formed, as to
have alternate openings at the bottom, for the _dust_ and _seeds_ to
pass through: and although it is become a practice exceedingly
prevalent, to have the rack on one side, instead of the center of the
stall, there is no good or rational plea can be advanced in
justification of such innovation: on the contrary, it compulsively
accustoms the horse to stand with his hind-quarters mostly on one side
of the stall, by which his bedding is constantly and inevitably deranged
almost as soon as it is set fair.


RAILS LAND,—are birds of passage, of a simply beautiful variegated
plumage, in size about midway between a _whole_ snipe and a PARTRIDGE,
partaking, in an equal degree of formation, between both, in respect to
the shape of the body, head, and beak, which are in a direct line of
mediocrity between the two. They are found singly in different parts of
England (but very thinly scattered) in the months of July, August, and
September, in the standing CORN and CLOVER, but principally in the
latter, where, when found, they are prejudicial to pointers, by their
incessantly _running_, while the dog continues _drawing_ (in a kind of
walking pursuit) till patience being quite exhausted, the dog is induced
to play the SPANIEL, and make a _springing_ effort before they can be
forced to take wing; when once upon which, it must be a very
_indifferent shot_ who does not bring them down. Though a very scarce
bird in the centrical parts of the kingdom, (being much more plentiful
in counties upon the coast,) they are exceedingly numerous in IRELAND,
and particularly near the capital; there they are called CORN-CREAKS,
found in every standing grass-field during the months of May and June,
where corn-creak shooting is in almost equal practice with PARTRIDGE or
SNIPE shooting in this country.


RAKING—is the old and ridiculous (or rather unnatural) custom of oiling
the hand, and introducing it at the SPHINCTER of the ANUS, to extract
the indurated dung, when the horse labours under severe inflammatory
cholic, arising from previous constipation. The only reason adduced to
justify the practice is, its being one means of obtaining _immediate_
relief; and if that relief could be readily obtained to _a certainty_,
the adoption could not with propriety be so totally condemned. The fact
is, that this custom, like many others in the _old_ code of VETERINARY
LAW, is only a powerful shield for the protection of indolence; for one
glyster would do more in liquifying and bringing away the hardened
fæces, than _back-raking_ (as it is called) would effect in an hour: but
one makes the _show_ of _business_, which is what the lower class of
SMITHS and FARRIERS prefer in general, to the most useful and
expeditious execution.


RANGER.—This is an office of trust, appertaining to the LAWS of a
FOREST, where there are generally two, as principal and deputy ranger;
to the latter of whom the executive department more materially extends:
it is his peculiar province to take occasional cognizance of all matters
within the limits (or what are termed _purlieus_) of the forest, and to
make presentation of all offences and offenders at the proper courts
when held. This is also an office of honor, greatly superior to KEEPERS,
BAILIFFS, and other subordinates.


RATTLING in the HEAD.—When a horse is heard to rattle in the head, it
denotes obstructions, and affords ample proof that a cold has been
recently caught, or the glandular secretions impeded. Such rattlings
being loud and frequent, (or rather incessant,) with large indurated
tumefactions underneath the jaw, accompanied by a slimy, viscid, fœtid,
discoloured discharge from the nostrils, danger should be instantly
guarded against, as FARCY or GLANDERS will most probably ensue.


RAT-TAIL.—A horse having a long dock, and little or no hair upon it, is
said to be rat-tailed. There are not wanting a certain description of
sporting speculators, who go a little farther in their definition,
adding, most _sapiently_, that "a rat-tail horse is always a good one."


RAT-TAILS—is a disgusting kind of defect, or disease, which is seldom
known to affect any horses, but those of a coarse and gummy
constitution: to this internal grossness, and omission in not properly
cleansing within, as well as the effect of filth and nastiness without,
may be attributed the origin and progress of this very unsightly and
vexatious disorder. Rat-tails are parallel lines, running longitudinally
from just below the hock, on the outside, to the pastern joint, bearing
no dissimilar appearance to the tail of the animal just mentioned, from
whence the name is derived. From the acrimonious ichor by which they are
fed, the parts become excoriated, and bear a different complexion,
according to their recent and more advanced state. Various and
variegated are the remedies prescribed for their obliteration, of which
numbers are without judgment, and probably as many without thought. The
expeditious cure depends in no small degree upon the virulence it has
acquired by the length of its duration. Frequent fomentations of warm
gelatinous gruel, with a soft sponge, to soften the regidity of the
scabby surface, seems the most rational mode that can possibly be
adopted: this ceremony may be followed when the parts are completely
dry, with a plentiful impregnation of strong mercurial ointment,
repeated as often as the mild or inveterate state of the case may render
necessary: gently detergent repellants, or slightly corroding
stimulants, may be required, if the disorder is of long standing; at any
rate, internal correctors should go hand in hand with external
applications.


REARING—is the most dangerous vice of all a restive horse retains in the
catalogue of his untoward _qualifications_: it is generally termed
REARING an END, and when carried to the extreme, is hazardous beyond
description; as it is hardly possible for the best horseman existing to
keep his seat, when a horse repeatedly assumes that unnatural position.
Recent instances have occurred directly opposite in their consequences;
one in which the RIDER was _killed_; in the other, the horse. In such an
alarming and critical predicament, the most probable means of safety is,
to gradually loosen the reins, and, by bearing the weight of the body
close to the neck of the horse, endeavour to accelerate his
preponderation.


RECHASING—is a sporting term, but little known, and never used, except
in the official language of a forest and its environs. Rechasing is the
discovery and driving home of outlying deer, and other beasts, to the
district from whence they had strayed.


RECHEAT—is a recall of the hounds with the horn.


REGULUS,—the name of a horse whose performances upon the _turf_, and
celebrity as a STALLION, were never exceeded in this kingdom. He was
bred by LORD CHEDWORTH, and foaled in 1739. He was got by the _Godolphin
Arabian_; his dam by the _Bald Galloway_, grand-dam by _Snake_, out of
_Old Wilkes_, a daughter of _Old Hautboy_. REGULUS won seven ROYAL
plates in one year, and never was beat. He afterwards covered in the
north, and was the sire of _Adolphus_, _Trajan_, the dam of _Eclipse_,
the grand-dam of _Highflyer_, and many other capital horses and mares;
through whose veins his blood has been transmitted in direct and oblique
lines to every stud of eminence in the kingdom. Since which there have
been three of the same name in succession. The first bred by MR. BASSET,
foaled in 1750, got by _Regulus_, dam by _Whitefoot_, grand-dam by
_Hip_. The second bred by MR. SALT, foaled in 1764, got by _Regulus_,
dam by _Regulus_, (bred _in_ and _in_,) grand-dam by _Partner_. The last
was foaled in 1788, got by _Young Morwick_, dam by _Turk_, grand-dam by
_Young Cade_.


REINS—are the parts of a bridle which are affixed to the eyes of the
bit, or bits, on each side a horse's mouth, pass up the horse's neck,
and are united at the reverse end, where the junction of both are held
in the hand of the rider. A snaffle-bridle, and a hard-and-sharp, have
each of them two reins; a Pelham and a Weymouth have each four.


REINS.—The reins of a horse are the parts where the kidnies are seated;
and the word is generally used in a synonymous sense with _loins_. When
a disorder arises, or a defect is observed, in these parts, it may be
supposed to have originated in some short and sudden turn in a narrow
stall; carrying too heavy a weight, or drawing too large a load.
Whenever such injury is sustained, a difficulty of staling, partial
dribblings, or the urine very high-coloured, and tinged with blood, will
soon point out the seat of the complaint.


REINS PILLAR.—Those affixed to the centrical pillars of a RIDING SCHOOL
are so called; as are those likewise, by which the horse is kept
confined ready for his rider, when saddled, bridled, and turned round in
his stall.


RELAY.—A relay of HORSES is a supply of fresh ones fixed at some
particular spot, to exchange either upon a journey, or during the chase.
A relay of HOUNDS more particularly applies to hunting excursions, where
a part of the pack is alternately detached to a certain place of
destination, that, by a relay of both HORSES and HOUNDS, the sport may
be continued daily, without intermission, during the week.


REPOSITORIES—are placed in the metropolis, where horses are received for
PUBLIC or PRIVATE sale, and where they are regularly _bought_ and _sold_
by AUCTION, on certain days in every week. This is an accommodation of
so much convenience and utility to those who have occasion either to BUY
or to SELL suddenly, that the succession of horses is incessant, and the
PROPRIETORS never feel a want of public patronage. The three
long-established repositories are TATTERSAL'S, near HYDE PARK CORNER;
ALDRIDGE'S, in ST. MARTIN'S LANE; and LANGHORN'S, (called the City
Repository,) in BARBICAN. The days of sale at the first are MONDAYS and
THURSDAYS; at the second, on WEDNESDAYS; and at the latter, on FRIDAYS.
TATTERSAL'S is the principal receptacle for horses in high estimation,
as running horses, stallions, brood mares, hunters, and the superior
kind of hacknies. CARRIAGES and HARNESS may be deposited here for sale
by auction, or private contract; as may also HOUNDS, POINTERS, SPANIELS,
GREYHOUNDS, or any sporting stock whatever.

ALDRIDGE'S was the original as a repository, and the first institution
of the kind in the kingdom. It was opened upon speculation by a MR.
BEAVER, in which he acquired fame and fortune. This is principally
appropriated to the sale of hunters, light carriage horses, famous
trotters, sporting-like hacknies, and others of every description; from
which universality of accommodation (notwithstanding the great extent of
the premises) there is but very seldom a single stall to spare. The
sales at LANGHORN'S principally consist of stage-coach, waggon and cart
horses, hacks, and occasionally government horses of the dismounted
cavalry.

These repositories are conducted upon principles of the most unsullied
integrity by the present proprietors; and under fixed regulations, which
admit of no opening for cavil or discontent. Horses sent in for SALE are
immediately BOOKED, with the instructions of the owner; whether he is to
be sold _to the best bidder_, or a specific sum mentioned, _at less_
than which he is not to be disposed of. The expences are as follow; a
certain price per day and night, as long as he is continued there. If
brought out, and put up at the hammer, and not sold, half a crown. If
sold, the commission for selling is five per cent. in addition to the
auction duty of _ten-pence_ in every POUND; but if sold by private
contract, either _before_ or _after_ the PUBLIC AUCTION, no duty to
government is payable whatever.

Other rules attach invariably to each establishment. Horses may be sold
_with_ or _without_ a WARRANTY, at the option of the owner. If sold
_bona fide_ to the BEST BIDDER, and no declaration made, or questions
asked, respecting SOUNDNESS, he is then said to be sold with _all his
faults_; which the purchaser must abide by, and has no plea for
_return_, however he may repent the purchase he has made. On the
contrary, when the horse is sold at the hammer, and warranted sound,
under the authority of, and by commission from, the owner, although the
purchase-money is deposited when the horse is taken away, yet the
purchaser has that and the following clear day to ascertain the perfect,
sound and healthy state of the horse so purchased, when during which
time so allotted him, if he returns the horse or mare, with proper and
indisputable proof of palpable lameness or defect, the purchase-money is
of course returned, and such horse or mare again becomes the property of
the former owner: and for the regular support of this equitable and
necessary part of the establishment, no person selling such horse at
either of the repositories, can demand the money in payment till two
clear days from the day of sale. Instances sometimes arise, where the
owner of a horse sold with a WARRANTY, has refused to accede to the
return of the purchase-money, upon a plea of justification, that such
horse or mare was positively SOUND when _sold_. In cases of this kind,
the proprietor of the repository retains the money in hand; an action is
commenced against him by the purchaser of the horse returned, (for the
money so paid, and which he cannot get back,) upon being indemnified by
the original owner; he becomes the NOMINAL DEFENDANT, and the case goes
before a JURY, to be decided by the glorious _uncertainty_ of the law;
as in all HORSE CAUSES, the witnesses are so _critically conscientious_,
that there are generally as many OATHS on one side as the other.


RESTIVE.—A horse is said to be RESTIVE, not merely because he is
obstinate and untractable, but because there is a tendency to vice; or
he is constitutionally inclined to add mischief to ill-temper. Horses of
this disposition are sometimes incorrigible, and are never broken of so
dangerous and (frequently) destructive a quality. When young horses
first begin to display appearances of RESTIVENESS, in not passing
particular objects or places, turning round, running back, or rearing an
end, lenient means, and gentle patient methods, are certainly the best
and most proper expedients, by which alone many are brought to immediate
subjection. On the contrary, a too hasty, violent and imprudent
proceeding, has often made that a lasting and _invincible_, which would
only have proved a trifling and temporary inconvenience. Should all
gentle and persuasive means fail of the desired effect, and no signs of
obedience be produced, more powerful measures should be had recourse to,
till the point of victory can be obtained; but they should on no
consideration whatever, be tinctured with CRUELTY or INHUMANITY, for
they are almost invariably productive of an inveterate spirit of
opposition to restraint, which can never be subdued.


RETAIN—is a term applicable only to the act of propagation between a
HORSE and MARE: when the mare is _stinted_, and will receive the horse
no more, she is then said to _retain_, (the masculine semen,) and
considered safe in respect to conception, and the future production of a
foal.


RHEUMATISM.—That horses are afflicted with pains similar to those of the
human species, is long since established beyond all power of controversy
and contradiction. DR. DARWIN fixes its seat in the tendinous coats of
the muscles, and attributes the pain to inspissated mucus left upon
their surface; acting in the motion of the limbs as some extraneous
substance, _exciting_ extreme irritability and symptomatic inflammation.
Horses are not only constantly liable to, but frequently attacked with,
this disorder, which is more or less violent in different subjects,
according to the state they happen to be in at the time of attack; and
in some degree the cause by which it was occasioned. Professional
judgment, deliberate examination, and nice discrimination, are all truly
necessary to distinguish and decide upon this disorder. It is no
uncommon thing for hasty and rash practitioners to look at such cases
superficially, to embrocate, _blister_, and even _fire_, horses for a
LAMENESS, when the cause of such defect has originated in the local pain
described. Some horses are so much and so severely affected, as to be
almost or quite unable to move, unless forced from their position;
others, after standing in their stalls for two or three days, will
suddenly fall, as if totally exhausted, and lay in extreme pain, with
their legs extended to the utmost, take their food as they lay, and
never attempt to rise, till compelled so to do by force and powerful
assistance; in which state some horses remain for a month or six weeks
before they are perfectly relieved, when they become repossessed of all
their faculties, and are never known to experience a relapse. Repeated
bleedings, strong spirituous stimulative embrocations, great and
constant frictions, (after hot aromatic fomentations,) upon the parts
affected, covering the extremities with flannel rollers, and giving
cordial invigorants internally twice a day, are the only rational and
scientific means of obtaining certain and expeditious alleviation and
cure.


RIBS.—The ribs of a horse are too well known to require description; it
being only applicable to observe, that the conformation of the carcase
in a material degree constitutes one feature of the complexion requisite
to the standard of beauty. A horse should have a round barrel (or body)
to be handsome; if he is _flat_ in the ribs, he is then said to be flat
carcased, is generally tucked up, high in the hip-bones, hollow in the
flank, and commonly a bad feeder, particularly after a little _hard
work_, which prevents his being held very high in estimation.


RIDGES.—The transverse wrinkles (or bars) across the roof of a horse's
mouth are so called. In all matters of emergency, accidents, or sudden
indisposition, when a farrier cannot be expeditiously obtained, or a
fleam procured, an incision across the fourth or fifth ridge with even a
common penknife, will always prove a very convenient extemporaneous
substitute for a more plentiful evacuation.


RIDING-SCHOOL—is a convenient receptacle, with every accommodation for
riding in the winter season, and where the young of both sexes are
taught to ride by proper masters. Of these there are many in the
Metropolis of much celebrity; among the most eminent are CAPTAIN
CARTER'S, near Grosvernor Square; MR. COWLING'S, Moorfields; MR.
JONES'S, Royal Circus; MR. ASTLEY'S Amphitheatre, Westminster Bridge;
MR. HALL'S, Piccadilly; and MR. DAVIS'S, in Edgware Road; at most of
which horses are completely broke and bitted for purposes of every
denomination.


RIG.—A horse is so called upon whom the operation of CASTRATION has been
ill performed; by leaving one of the TESTES, or so much of the
EPIDIDYMIS, behind, as enables him to become exceedingly teazing and
troublesome to mares, either in the field or stable. There have been
instances of COLTS having been cut by ignorant and illiterate operators,
who, by letting one of the testes recede during the process, it has
remained, and the horse then retains the power of propagating; many such
having been known to get FOALS.


RING-BONE—is an ossified enlargement upon the pastern, originating in a
ligamentary twist, and consequent protrusion, at the junction of the
pastern with the coronary-bone; it forms a callous substance soon after
the injury, and ossifies in a very short time. Some horses do moderate
work without much seeming inconvenience; others become lame, and
frequently continue so, in opposition to every endeavour at alleviation
or cure. A ring-bone seldom submits to either the strongest REPELLENTS,
SOLVENTS, or BLISTERING. The best method to avoid disappointment in
waiting the effect of either, is to FIRE the part in the form of _a
star_, so soon as the protrusion (or prominence) is at first perceived.


ROAN.—A horse is called a roan in colour, when his coat seems to be
formed of the mixed combination of sorrel and white hairs in nearly an
equal proportion. Horses of this description are, in general, of no
great attraction, although they may prove equal in execution with others
of every colour: the prevalence of opinion, however, is, that they are
weaker in constitution, less likely to work, and more subject to disease.


ROCKINGHAM.—This horse, now in so much estimation as a STALLION, proved
himself, by his performances, to be one of the best bred and best
bottomed of any this kingdom ever produced. He was bred in the north, by
MR. PRATT, foaled in 1781; and got by _Highflyer_, out of _Purity_, who
was got by _Matchem_, out of MR. PRATT'S old _Squirt_ mare. In 1784,
when three years old, he won a sweepstakes at Nottingham of 50 guineas
each, 3 subscribers. In 1785, when MR. WENTWORTH'S, he won a match for
500 guineas over the Beacon Course at Newmarket. The same meeting he won
the Jockey Club Plate, beating _five_ others: he also beat his Royal
Highness the Prince of Wales's _Hardwicke_, 9 stone each, over the
Beacon, 300 guineas. He was then purchased by the PRINCE, and beat
_Clay-hall Marsk_, a match, Beacon Course, for 500 guineas, giving him 5
lb. in weight. In 1786, he won a 50_l._ Plate at Newmarket, beating
_Delpini_, _Clay-hall_, and _George_. He won the subscription of 50
guineas each, (6 subscribers,) at Ascot Heath, and a 50_l._ Plate. At
the sale of his Royal Highness's stud he was bought by MR. BULLOCK. He
then won the KING'S HUNDRED at Litchfield; 70 guineas at Newmarket, and
60 guineas also; beating four others; as well as 70 guineas, beating the
well known _Drone_, and several others. In 1787, he won 525 guineas,
(the great subscription of 50 guineas each, _half forfeit_,) beating
_Fox_, _Delpini_, _Marplot_, _Drone_, _Oberon_, and _Pilot_; receiving
forfeit from MR. O'KELLY'S _Dungannon_, and six others. He also won a
50_l._ the KING'S two PLATES; the renewed 140 guineas, 70 guineas, 60
guineas, and 70 guineas, all at Newmarket; the King's Plate at
Guildford, the King's Plate at Winchester, the King's Plate at
Nottingham, the King's Plate and the Town Plate at York.

In 1788, he was purchased of MR. BULLOCK by LORD BARRYMORE for 2500
guineas; after which he won the King's Plate at Newmarket; the Jockey
Club Plate; and a match against SIR G. ARMYTAGE'S _Stargazer_, giving
her 8 lb. Beacon Course, for 300 guineas, and beat her _half a mile_;
rode by LORD BARRYMORE, which was the last time he started. He was then
announced as a STALLION, to cover at Bennington, near Stevenage, Herts.
at 10 guineas a mare, and 1 guinea the groom. So anxious were the
SPORTING WORLD to try his PRODUCE, that, in 1792, MR. PANTON'S _Coddy
Moddy_, by _Rockingham_, out of _Seagul's_ dam, and MR. FOX'S _Filly_,
by _Rockingham_, out of _Emily_, each won 100 guineas at Newmarket,
being then only two years old. In 1793 was brought to the post,
_Patriot_, (MR. PANTON'S,) who won 100 guineas, 100 guineas, and 105
guineas, at Newmarket. _Portland_, (MR. HAMMOND'S,) who won 100 guineas,
and 100 guineas, at Newmarket, and 100 guineas at Doncaster; and _Young
Rockingham_, (MR. DENTON'S,) who won 50_l._ at Peterborough, 50_l._ at
Reading, and 50_l._ at Egham. In 1794, LORD GROSVENOR'S _Bay Colt_, who
won 1400 guineas at Newmarket. _Bennington_, (MR. WILSON'S,) who won 50
guineas, 100 guineas, 300 guineas, 600 guineas, and 100 guineas, at
Newmarket. _Brother Red Cap_, (MR. BULLOCK'S,) 50_l._ at Chelmsford, and
100 guineas at Newmarket. _Miss Pumpkin_, 50 guineas at Newmarket.
_Mother Red Cap_, 50_l._ at Winchester, 22 guineas at Cirencester, and
50_l._ at Worcester. _Owen Tudor_, the silver cup, and 20 guineas, at
Bath, 50_l._ at Bridgnorth, and 50 guineas at Epsom. This year _Patriot_
won seven Plates and sweepstakes, at Stamford, Grantham, Nottingham,
Lincoln, and Doncaster.

In 1795 was produced of his get, _Arabella_, (MR. COSEN'S,) who won 50
guineas at Newmarket, and 50_l._ at Shrewsbury. LORD GROSVENOR'S Bay
Colt of last year won 700 guineas at Newmarket, and 50_l._ at
Huntingdon. _Bennington_ won the second class of the Oatlands at
Newmarket, 50 guineas each, 19 subscribers. _Brother Red Cap_, 40
guineas at Bath, and 50_l._ at Epsom. _Euphrasia_, 100 guineas at Bath,
and 50_l._ at Newcastle. _Patriot_, two fifties at Newmarket, and 180
guineas at Nantwich. _Portland_, 50 guineas at Newmarket. _Susannah_,
50_l._ at Derby, and 50_l._ at Penrith. In 1796, _Arabella_ won 100
guineas at Newmarket, and 50_l._ at Newcastle. _Patriot_, 100 guineas,
and 100 guineas, at Chester, 50_l._ at Nottingham, and 50_l._ at
Warwick. _Susannah_, the Queen's Plate of 100 guineas at Chelmsford, and
two fifties at Reading. In 1797, _Bennington_ won a 50_l._ and the first
class of the July and October Oatlands, at Newmarket, beating _Viret_,
_Wrangler_, _Parrot_, _Hornpipe_, _Plumette_, _Rattle_, _William_,
_Sober Robin_, _Cymbeline_, _Letitia_, and _Rosolio_. _Patriot_ won
50_l._ at Nottingham, 50_l._ at Warwick, and 50_l._ at Boroughbridge. In
1798, _Bennington_ won 50 guineas, and 50 guineas, at Newmarket, 50_l._
at Brighton, and 50_l._ at Lewes. _Patriot_ won 50_l._ at York. In 1799,
_Bellina_ (LORD GROSVENOR'S) won the OAKS STAKES of 50 guineas each at
Epsom, 24 subscribers, and 50_l._ at Stockbridge. _Logie O'Buchan_ (MR.
LONSDALE'S) won 50_l._ and 80_l._ at Manchester, two fifties at Morpeth,
and 50_l._ at Carlisle. In 1800, MR. BETTISON'S Brown Colt won 50_l._ at
Derby, and 50_l._ at Northampton. _Kill Devil_, (MR. HEMMING'S,) only
three years old, won ten prizes; 75 guineas at Bridgnorth, 50_l._ at
Nantwich, 100 guineas, and two fifties, at Haverfordwest, two fifties at
Hereford, 30 guineas and 50_l._ at Shrewsbury, and 50_l._ at Newmarket.
_Logie O'Buchan_ won the King's Plate at Edinburgh, two fifties at
Montrose, and 50_l._ at Air. _Statesman_ (now _Sacripant_) (MR. WHITE'S)
won 50_l._ at Newmarket, 50_l._ at Epsom, and 50_l._ at Worcester. In
addition to which, there are many other good runners, who have won a
considerable number of prizes.


ROUSE,—a term in STAG HUNTING: when an out-lying deer is found by the
hounds in covert, he is said to be ROUSED. When a deer is _carted_, and
carried to any particular spot for sport, and there liberated, he is
then said to be TURNED OUT. For instance, we draw the COVERTS, and ROUSE
a deer. We _try_ for and _unkennel_ a FOX; or we take _trail_, and START
A HARE.


ROWEL.—The small circular star, with sharp points, moving upon a pivot
at the heel of the spur, is so called, and which the horse, in breaking,
is taught to obey.

ROWEL in a HORSE,—is a well-known operation, resorted to upon every
possible occasion by common farriers, as "a _salve_ for every SORE;"
where they have neither judgment to guide or discretion to direct them.
It is performed by making an incision through the skin, large enough to
admit the point of a finger, which is then insinuated all round the
orifice between the skin and the flesh, as far as the extent of the
finger can conveniently reach. A thin round piece of leather being
previously provided, about the size of a crown-piece, having a large
hole in the middle, is covered over with a thin pledget of fine tow,
nicely bound round the marginal part; but the hole in the centre is left
open: it is then dipped into a melted composition of digestive ointment,
and a moderate proportion of turpentine, and is insinuated into the
wound. The operation being thus completed, the inflammation soon
commences, and swelling ensues; this is followed at first by a discharge
of yellowish serum or lymph, which in three or four days is converted
into a thick substantial white matter, when the rowel is said _to work_.

ROWELLING has ever been a favourite adoption with farriers of the old
school, although very few have ever been known able to give a scientific
and satisfactory explanation of its effects. It is said by them "to draw
off the humours;" and others are so truly and obstinately illiterate, as
to affirm, that "rowels draw off the corrupt and _bad_ blood, leaving
the good behind." In confirmation of which opinion, they introduce them
in almost every case that can possibly occur, and with almost every
horse, without exception. It was allowed by Bracken, "they might be
proper in all aches and pains, cold phlegmatic swellings, and sometimes
lameness and infirmities of the legs; that they might also give relief
where there is a fulness and redundancy of humours, and in defluxions
from the eyes." Immediately upon which he admits, what is most truly and
scientifically the fact, "that the horse might as well, nay better, lose
as much BLOOD every day, as he does _matter_ by the ROWELL." This is so
strictly consonant to truth, that it cannot be controverted: the
discharge is equally blood, with what at the time flows in the veins;
but it is diverted of its colour by the inflammation artificially
excited, and its extravasation.


RULES in BUYING—will be found very largely explained under the head,
HORSE.


RUNNING HORSES.—See HORSE RACING, NEWMARKET, JOCKEY CLUB, KING'S PLATE,
and RACING.


RUNNING THRUSH.—The defect so called, is a varicous state of the
centrical cleft of the frog, from whence oozes a fœtid corrosive ichor,
which continues to putrify and destroy the whole, in proportion to the
length of time it is neglected. In many instances, where the frog seems
hard and sound upon the surface, the confined acrid cause is corroding
underneath, and frequently breaks out on either side; when which is the
case, the hard and horny part must be superficially removed, so that the
proper applications may come into immediate contact with the parts
below: for so long as the diseased and disunited parts remain at top, so
long is there harbour for the insinuation and retention of gravel, dirt,
sand, or any other extraneous substance; and while this is permitted to
continue, a regeneration of the parts destroyed cannot be expected. The
leading steps to cure, are to keep the diseased frog remarkably clean,
by washings with warm water and a sponge, after each time of the horse's
being used, or taken to exercise. When dry, equal proportions of
TINCTURE of MYRRH and FRIAR'S BALSAM (previously incorporated) should be
poured upon the part, so as to admit of its reaching equally every
remote interstice where the corroding cause may have penetrated; this
will obtund the acrimonious property of the morbid ichor, and promote a
speedy restoration of whatever may have been destroyed. Solutions of
Roman vitriol, and other escharotics, are favourite applications with
the lower orders; who either do not know, or will not give themselves
time to consider, that their invariable effect is to contract the parts
to such a degree of internal rigidity, and external horny hardness, that
the frog is absolutely annihilated, the bars of the foot destroyed, the
heel narrowed; the bottom of the hoof, when held up, has much the
resemblance of a vacuum, of burnt appearance, as if the contents had
been intentionally scooped out by gradational degrees of cauterization.


RUT.—The DEER of both descriptions (red and fallow) are said to go to
RUT, at the particular season of VENERY and COPULATION.


RUTTING TIME—commences the latter end of August, and continues to the
first and second week in October; during which both the STAG and BUCK
assume a degree of courageous boldness in approaching man, that they
never display at any other time of the year. At this season their necks
swell; they range from one place to another incessantly, in seeming
search of some object to attack; the voice of the stag is loud and
alarming, to those who have not been accustomed to hear it. When
opposed, they are so exceedingly strong and ferocious, that no common
force can stand against them: they attack an individual in RUTTING TIME
with a _certainty_ of success. Some few years since, the LOCKSMITH who
inspected the _gate locks_ of Windsor Great Park weekly, was pursued by
a stag, and when within a few yards of him, most luckily escaped by
climbing a small tree, where he was kept in jeopardy near twenty-four
hours, till the next day the stag made a retreat upon the accidental
approach of the keepers. A short time after which, a girl, about
fourteen years of age, passing through Hackwood Park, near Basingstoke,
in Hampshire, (and having on a red cloak,) was attacked by one, the
oldest inhabitant of the district, who literally not only perforated her
body with his ANTLERS in almost every part, but extended his fury so
much to her apparel, that the melancholy spot was covered with rags; and
the corpse so maimed and disfigured, that it retained but little of the
appearance of a human frame.




S.


SADDLE—is the well-known mechanical construction formed for the mutual
accommodation and safety of both the HORSE and the RIDER. Although
historical records prove them to have been in use with the ancients,
there is no demonstrative reason to believe they were established in
England till the reign of HENRY the SEVENTH, when they were adopted
under a compulsory law, that the nobility should not ride without them.
Saddles are of different sorts, according to the distinct services for
which they are designed; and, in fact, are so universally known, not
only in the aggregate, but in all their component parts, that any
elucidation upon so common a subject; must be evidently superfluous and
unnecessary.


SADDLE-BACKED.—A horse is so termed, when the RUMP-BONE rises so high
behind, in conformity with the WITHERS before, that a hollow (or rather
a complete curve) is formed in the middle, as a natural receptacle for
the Saddle. Horses of this description are mostly, in action, easy and
pleasant to the rider; but they are invariably weaker in the loins than
those of an opposite description.


SADDLE-GALLED.—This is an injury frequently sustained by horses either
in the FIELD with HOUNDS, or in JOURNIES upon the ROAD; and can only
happen by the _inattention_, _neglect_, or _penury_, of the OWNER, in
not affording occasional precaution and inspection to the state of the
_pad_, as well as to the first and safe FITTING of the SADDLE. It cannot
but be known to the most superficial observer, that the padding of every
saddle becomes progressively harder, in proportion to the perspirative
matter it absorbs; and, in direct proportion with the hardness it
acquires, the greater is the chance of its being injurious to the parts
with which it comes into constant contact, and with a burning heat,
produced by a long and repeated friction. Injuries of this kind,
although originating in the same cause, vary a little in their effects:
with one but slightly affected, a WARBLE may be produced; this happens
on the side, and if attended to upon its first appearance, is easily
obliterated by applications of vinegar, or other mild repellents; but
unattended to, and a frequent repetition of the cause being permitted to
take place, they soon become SITFASTS, and can only be got rid of by
instrumental extirpation. Where any part of the saddle-tree (in the
centrical cleft between the saddle-pads) is inconsiderately suffered to
come into contact with the wither, or vertebræ of the back, and so
continues in _friction_ and _pressure_, during a CHASE or JOURNEY,
certain mischief inevitably ensues: in the first a swelling, formation
of matter, and FISTULA, may be the consequence; in the latter, an
excoriation, followed by a tedious wound, or ulcer, may take place.
Circumstances which so constantly occur (and that so often, from an
unthinking stupidity in those who ultimately suffer by trouble and
vexation in the event) are only brought to recollection, for the
interested inculcation of those, who, inexperienced at present, will be
taught, by time and prudence, that PREVENTION is at all seasons
preferable to CURE, as it will be the means of shielding the body from
trouble, and the mind from repentance.


SALLENDERS—are at the bend of the hock (or hough) behind, exactly what
the MALLENDERS are at the back of the knee; for which the modes of
treatment and means of cure are precisely the same. See MALLENDERS.


SALTRAM,—the name of a horse who acquired considerable celebrity by his
performances upon the TURF, since which he has stood as a STALLION in a
proportional degree of estimation. He was foaled in 1780; got by
_Eclipse_, dam (_Virago_) by _Snap_ grand-dam by _Regulus_, out of a
sister to _Black and all Black_. He was sire of his Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales's _St. David_, the Duke of York's _Laurustina_, and the
Duke of Bedford's _Sprightly_, Lord Grosvenor's _Brown Filly_ (out of
_Sting_,) who won five prizes in 1790, at _two years old_, amounting to
1100 guineas; _Caroline_, and _Tiffany_; _Queen of Sheba_, (who won 900
guineas, at Newmarket, in 1792;) _Rose_, _Spankaway_, _Sweeper_, and the
Prince of Wales's _Whiskey_, who won in the same year 1000 guineas, 2000
guineas, the 1400 guineas, 100 guineas, and 100 guineas, at Newmarket,
and 50_l._ at Bedford; _Royalist_, _General_, _Henrietta_, _Clytus_,
_Coal Merchant_, _Tear-Coat_, _Peeping Tom_, _Septem_, _Coiner_, _Whip_,
and _Oscar_; exclusive of many Colts and Fillies, who were winners at
Newmarket, and elsewhere, but never were named.


SANDCRACK—is a crack or cleft in the HOOF of a HORSE, which originates
in a preternatural brittleness, brought on by standing too constantly
upon hot dry litter, without stopping to the bottom, or a proper and
occasional oiling of the hoof, to keep it in a healthy state. It
generally runs in a straight line downwards; and when it extends from
the junction of hair and hoof to the bottom, with the bloody lymph
oozing from the membranous mass at the top, it then becomes a serious
concern, affording no expectation of speedy consolation. There is, in
fact, but one direct mode of cure, which is to reduce the projecting and
ragged edges to a level, with the finest side of the rasp. Then with the
fine edge of a small firing-iron, of moderate heat, run two lines
parallel to each other on each side the crack longitudinally; this done,
draw two in the same manner transversely _above_, and the same below the
centrical part of the cleft, by which it will be enclosed in a small
square of double lines, calculated to restore the union which has been
destroyed. A little compound tincture of myrrh, or friar's balsam,
should be poured into the crack so soon as it is observed, particularly
if blood should be perceived to transude from the opening. In slight
cases, horses may be continued in moderate use; but where they bear the
complexion previously described, turning out to grass in a pasture
_moist_, but not _wet_, and that for a length of time, is the only
foundation upon which the expectation of permanent cure can be
entertained.


SCAB.—The disorder in horses so called, is the species of mange become
inveterately _dry_ and _scabby_ by its long duration.


SCENT—is the leading principle from which the great and inexpressible
enjoyment of all FIELD SPORTS is derived. It is the sublime and
inexplicable mystery upon which so many have contemplated, without being
enabled to define. That every information may be collected upon a
subject so rich, and so desirable of attainment to the SPORTING WORLD, a
rotational but concise review shall be introduced from those who have
given their thoughts in print to the public.

We are told by one, that "SCENT is an _effluvium_ continually arising
from the _corpuscles_ that issue out of all bodies; and being
impregnated with the peculiar state and quality of the blood and juices
of that particular animal from which they flow, occasions the vast
variety of smells or scents cognizable by the olfactory nerves, or
organs of smelling." This writer proceeds in confirmation thus: "Hence
the reason why one person differs from another in scent, and why a dog
will trace the footsteps of his master for a hundred miles together,
following him into any house, church, or other building, though
surrounded by ten thousand: and when the faithful animal has thus
diligently sought out and recognized his master, he is seldom willing
even to trust the evidence of his own eyes, until, with erected crest,
he has taken a few cordial sniffs, to convince himself he is right.
Hence also we perceive how a pack of hounds are enabled to pursue HARE,
FOX, STAG, or any other animal they are trained to hunt, across the
scent, and amidst the society of others of the same species, without
being diverted from the pursuit of that self same animal they had first
on foot; and hence too we discover how it is possible for birds and
beasts of prey to be directed to their food at such vast distances; for
these corpuscles issuing from putrid bodies, and floating in the air,
are carried by the wind to different quarters; where striking the
olfactory nerves of whatever animals they meet in their way, immediately
conduct them to the spot: and it is by this means the small-pox,
measles, putrid fevers, and all epidemic complaints, are communicated,
and the plague and pestilence conveyed from one place to another.

"It matters not how much the effluvia may be gone off, so as enough
remains to irritate the olfactory organ: for whether it be bird or
beast, they try the scent in all directions, till at length they
discover that which is stronger and stronger, in proportion as they
proceed; and this Nature has taught them to know is the direct and
obvious road to their prey, and prevents them from following a contrary
course, which is naturally weaker and weaker, and what in hunting is
called _heel_. This observation is confirmed by the encreasing eagerness
we perceive in all animals, the nearer they approach the object of
pursuit; as we see hounds and spaniels in HUNTING and SHOOTING, are the
most earnest, in proportion as the scent is recent, and they draw nearer
to the GAME. The same thing amongst quadrupeds, whether wild or
domestic, directs the male to the female that is in season for love; and
hence we see the DOG, the BOAR, the BULL, and the STALLION, when turned
loose, apply their nostrils to the ambient air, and proceed accordingly.
By the same medium the vermin which infest our dwellings know how to
direct their operations; whether to undermine walls, eat through solid
boards, cross rivers, or climb spouts; which shows how much stronger the
faculty of smelling is possessed by the _brute_ than the HUMAN species;
wisely ordained by NATURE, to enable them to seek their food, and
propagate their species; but for which they would often perish, or have
long since become extinct."


SOMERVILE, seemingly anxious to explore this hidden source of instinct,
conceives the SCENT (divested of the dignity of blank verse) to arise
from the peculiar property of the blood; which, when the game is on
foot, is so encreased in its circulation, that the "ferous particles"
are propelled through the skin in perspiration, and

  "Leaves a long-steaming trail behind; which, by
  The cooler air condens'd, remains, unless
  By some rude storm dispers'd, or rarefy'd
  By the meridian sun's intenser heat:
  To every shrub the warm effluvia cling,
  Hang on the grass, impregnate earth and skies.
  With nostrils opening wide, o'er hill, o'er dale,
  The vig'rous hounds pursue, with ev'ry breath,
  Inhale the grateful steam, quick pleasures sting
  Their tingling nerves, while their thanks repay,
  And in triumphant melody confess
  The titillating joy. Thus on the air
  Depends the hunter's hopes."

MR. BECKFORD, equally energetic in his endeavours to discover and
ascertain the origin and property of SCENT, very modestly confesses his
state of uncertainty, in a few lines preparatory to his remarks made in
a letter to his friend, where he observes, "As you ask me my opinion of
SCENT, I think I had better give it you before we begin upon the subject
of HUNTING. I must, at the same time, take the liberty of telling you,
that you have puzzled me exceedingly; for scent is, I believe, what we
SPORTSMEN know least about. SOMERVILE, the only one I know of who has
thrown any light upon the subject of HUNTING, says, I think, but little
about scent; I send you his words: I shall afterwards add a few of my
own." Adverting then to the conclusion of the above quotation, he most
judiciously proceeds:

"I cannot agree with MR. SOMERVILE, in thinking that SCENT depends on
the AIR only; it depends also on the soil. Without doubt, the best scent
is that which is occasioned by the effluvia, as he calls it, or
particles of scent, which are constantly perspiring from GAME as it
_runs_, and are strongest and most favourable to the hound, when kept by
the gravity of the air to the height of his breast: for then it neither
is above his reach, nor is it necessary he should stoop for it. At such
times scent is said to lie _breast high_. Experience tells us, that
difference of soil occasions difference of SCENT; and on the richness
and moderate moistness of the _soil_ does it also depend, I think, as
well as on the AIR. At the time leaves begin to fall, and before they
are rotted, we know that the scent lies ill in covert. This alone would
be a sufficient proof, that scent does not depend on the _air only_. A
difference of scent is also occasioned by a difference of motion; the
faster the game goes, the less scent it leaves. When game has been
ridden after, and hurried on by imprudent sportsmen, the scent is less
favourable to hounds; one reason of which may be, that the particles of
scent are then more dissipated. But if the game should have been run by
a dog not belonging to the pack, seldom will any scent remain.

"I believe it is very difficult to ascertain what SCENT exactly is: I
have known it alter very often in the same day. I believe, however, that
it depends chiefly on two things; _the condition the ground is in, and
the temperature of the air_; both of which, I apprehend, should be
moist, without being wet: when both are in this condition, the scent is
then perfect; and _vice versa_, when the ground is hard, and the air
dry, there seldom will be any scent. It scarce ever lies with a north or
an east wind; a southerly wind, without rain, and a westerly wind, that
is not rough, are the most favourable. Storms in the air are great
enemies to scent, and seldom fail to take it entirely away. A fine
sun-shiny day is not often a good hunting day; but what the French call
_jour des dames_, warm without sun, is generally a perfect one: there
are not many such in a whole season. In some fogs, I have known the
scent lie high; in others, not at all; depending, I believe, on the
quarter the WIND is _then_ in. I have known it lie very high in a mist,
when not _too wet_; but if the wet should hang on the boughs and bushes,
it will fall upon the scent, and deaden it. When the dogs roll, the
scent, I have frequently observed, seldom lies; for what reason, I know
not; but, with permission, if they smell strong when first they come out
of the kennel, the proverb is in their favour; and _that smell_ is a
prognostic of good luck.

"When cobwebs hang on the bushes, there is seldom much scent. During a
white frost, the scent lies high; as it also does when the frost is
quite gone: at the time of its going off, scent never lies: it is a
critical minute for hounds, in which their game is frequently lost. In a
great dew, the scent is the same. In heathy countries, where the game
_brushes_ as it goes along, scent seldom fails. Where the ground
_carries_, the scent is bad, for a very evident reason, which
hare-hunters, who pursue their game over greasy fallows, and through
dirty roads, have great reason to complain of. A wet night frequently
produces good chases, as then the game neither like to run the COVERT,
nor the ROADS. It has been often remarked, that scent lies best in the
richest soils; and countries which are favourable to horses, are seldom
so to hounds. I have also observed, that in some particular places, let
the temperature of the air be as it may, scent never lies."

Amidst the various opinions upon the origin and property of scent, the
most opposite join issue upon the simple question of doubt; whether the
particles of effluvia which constitute what is termed scent, and by
which hounds are excited to follow the game, are proper identical parts
of the animal's body emitted in exhalations of respiration from the
lungs, or by the transpiration of perspirative matter through the skin.
This, perhaps, is of too abstruse a depth for the utmost extent of human
wisdom to explore with success. The opinion of SOMERVILE seems founded
upon the very basis of experimental observation, bettered by the sound
judgment, and practical remarks, upon the promoting, or retarding,
effects of both the atmosphere and soil; to which one circumstance alone
seems to convey additional rays of elucidation. It must be recollected
by every sportsman, who has occasionally taken the field with HARRIERS,
that, although they have _picked the trail_ for a mile, into the very
_stubble_, _fallow_, or _covert_, where the hare is sitting in her form;
although they are trying round her in every direction, and even within a
very few yards; there is then no more palpable perceptible scent, than
when they trailed at half a mile from her form; and when she _lays
close_, it is evident the dog, or dogs, derive no additional advantage
from being nearer to her, (in respect to finding,) unless by _stealing
away_, or jumping up, she gets into motion, when the scent is then
afloat, and continued as already described.

Whether this enquiry will ever be traced to the source of certainty, is
almost immaterial; it is a large field for the speculation of
philosophy, and well worthy investigation. From a contemplative review
of the operations of nature, it is evidently demonstrated, that there is
a secret instinctive principle infused into the whole race of animals,
whereby they are impulsively propelled to the propagation of their
species, the preservation of their offspring, or an implicit pursuit of
their propensities; so that no one shall become too numerous and
destructive for the existence of another upon whom they prey, or with
which they live in a perpetual state of warfare. It is likewise to be
remarked, that the greater likeness we discover in the form of the
animal creation, the more we perceive their friendly disposition to each
other; because the scent of their bodies afford a pleasing gratification
to the sensitive faculty, without exciting the appetite; if it was not
for which all-wise dispensation of a superior and invisible Power, the
same species would devour each other, and the purposes of the creation
would be annihilated by the operation of its own works.


SCHIRROUS.—The substance or enlargement so called, is an accumulation of
obstructed or extravasated lymph, becoming more and more indurated by
its stagnant retention. All tumours of this description, either in MAN
or _beast_, should be attended to in their infancy; when warm
stimulants, and powerful repellents, may be expected to have a proper
effect, previous to their having acquired induration; after which no
hope of obliteration can be indulged, but by instrumental extirpation.
From the reflection naturally arising upon which, will appear the
prudent necessity of paying early attention to swellings and
enlargements of every description; that nature may be assisted in her
own efforts, and her indications promoted without delay. Those tumours
which are hard, and seemingly insensible, not feeling pain upon
pressure, are of the indurated and schirrous kind; all swellings, and
enlargements, in which there is palpable heat, constant pain, and a
shrinking from the touch, denote SUPPURATION, which should be promoted
by means of FOMENTATIONS and POULTICES applicable to the purpose; for
where there is a well encouraged formation of matter, and a good
discharge, there is seldom any disappointment in the expectation of a
speedy cure.


SCIATICA—is a species of RHEUMATISM attacking a horse in one or both
hind quarters, which is sometimes so severe, as to render him nearly or
quite immoveable in his stall. It will be found enlarged on under the
head RHEUMATISM, where the means of relief are properly pointed out.


SCOURING.—A horse is said to have a scouring, when the body labours
under a continued LOOSENESS, similar to a course of purgation, without
any perceptible cause. Some, called fluey carcased horses, are liable to
this disorder from a variety of trifling causes, explained more largely
under the head LOOSENESS, which see.


SCRATCHES—are cracks in the heels of horses, which are originally
produced by the changes of weather, and their being left with _wet_
heels in the winter season. These, when long neglected, assume a degree
of virulence, and, from small, and almost imperceptible cracks, become
clefts with ragged edges, acquiring, by degrees, a kind of fungous
callosity. From these a fœtid oily ichor is discharged, attended with an
inflamed tension of the fetlock-joints, and so much constant pain, that
the horse is unwilling to move in his stall, unless compelled so to do;
and when a leg is lifted from the ground, he suspends it for some time,
in a seeming state of misery, from the fear of putting it again to the
ground. The cure consists solely in daily fomentations of warm,
well-boiled, gelatinous gruel, with a sponge; followed by linseed
poultices; dressings of digestive ointment; a few DIURETIC BALLS, given
three days apart; and, lastly, a course of ALTERATIVE POWDERS, to obtund
and correct the acrimony in the blood. If they have been permitted, by
neglect and inattention, to reach their most inveterate state,
displaying prominent fungous warts, or small tetters, mild escharotics,
or instrumental scarifications, must be brought into use; without one or
both of which, an early or certain cure will not be obtained.


SCUT.—The tail of either HARE or RABBIT is so called.


SEAMS—was a term formerly in use to signify the re-union of divided
parts in the hoof of a horse, as a cured SANDCRACK; or the cleft at the
junction of a FALSE QUARTER, with the uninjured part of the foot.


SEAT,—the position on horseback. A person once mounted, and sitting at
his ease, free from every seeming constraint, with his body pliably
erect, his thighs and knees adhering closely to the skirts of the
saddle, an easy freedom in his legs, and a personal motion corresponding
with the action of the horse, is said to have a GOOD SEAT. Those who are
always changing their position, throwing about their arms, swinging
their legs, looking every way but the right, with stirrups too _long_,
too _short_, or probably one shorter than the other, are horsemen of a
very different description, having a very _bad seat_, or rather no seat
at all.


SETONS—are artificial drains (or minor kind of rowels) in horses,
corresponding in effect with the issues inserted in the arms or thighs
of the human species. They are generally made upon the cheek, or under
the jaws of a horse, for some defect in, or inflammation of the eyes. A
writer of much celebrity admits "their utility to be very great, because
they facilitate the discharge of matter from abscesses, without the
necessity of admitting much air; the influence of which upon an ulcer,
produces pain and symptomatic fever." Another observes, that, "when
tumours are taken in time, whether on the POLL, WITHERS, or BACK, not
having been injudiciously retarded by common farriers, (whose management
in this case is always _worse_ than the DISEASE,) they may be carried
off, and brought to heal by the discharge from SETONS, without any of
the usual _butchery_, or cauterization, or the least blemish or loss of
parts. FARRIERS (he continues) are always very much disposed to proceed
with the _knife_, before the matter of the TUMOUR is fully concocted, by
which error they treble the difficulty, protract the period of cure, and
probably leave an indurated enlargement, which is never effaced."

The operation is in itself exceedingly simple, and is thus performed:
the practitioner being provided with a seton needle, of a size and
length proper for the tumour to be discussed, and having armed it with a
sufficient number of cotton threads, in proportion to the effect
required, and dipped in digestive ointment warm, the needle is to be
introduced (if possible) at the upper part of the swelling, and the
point conducted through the whole, and brought out at the bottom, as a
depending orifice is of considerable advantage in assisting the
discharge. The seton having been passed through the ABSCESS or TUMOUR,
is then separated from the needle, and the two ends tied together: or if
the length will not admit of that, a knot may be formed, or a wooden
button may be affixed to each end, by which it may be occasionally
pulled up or down, as when the two ends are tied together, it may be
moved in a circle. When the swelling is perfectly reduced, and the
offending matter entirely run off, the seton may be withdrawn, and the
orifice will soon unite, and form a cicatrix, without any farther
application.


SETTING DOG—is perhaps, in respect to natural formation and effect, the
most beautiful and attracting of the canine species: there is an
elegance of figure, an uniformity of shape, make, and speed; a pleasing
variegation in colour, (being generally yellow, or brown pied;) an
inexpressibly anxious solicitation of notice, and an aspect of
affability and anticipating gratitude, beyond the power of the PENCIL to
_depict_, or the PEN to _describe_. The sporting business of the
SETTING-DOG (commonly called the English setter) is precisely the same
with the POINTER, but with this difference, that, admitting their
olfactory sensations to be equally exquisite, and that ONE can discover
and receive the _particles_ of SCENT (alias the effluvia of the game) as
readily, and at an equal distance, with the OTHER, the difference of the
sport, in which they are separately engaged, renders it necessary that
one should do upon his legs, what the other does by prostration upon the
ground; and they are neither _more_ or _less_ than the effect of
education; for as in the sport of SHOOTING (with the pointer) the GAME
is expected to _rise_, so in drawing (with a setting-dog and net) the
BIRDS are required to _lie_.

Naturalists seem to have assumed a greater degree of _latitude_ in
respect to the CANINE SPECIES, than in any other part of the creation,
where they have been _less_ at a _loss_. Great musical teachers
inculcate strongly, one forcible precept upon the _minds_ and _memories_
of their PUPILS, which is, "when they happen to err in execution, _never
to stop_; because it will inevitably serve to convince the auditors,
such are inadequate to the task they have undertaken; when by _keeping
on_, not one in fifty may know an accidental mis-movement has taken
place." Just so it seems to have been with speculative delineators of
the CANINE RACE; where the pedigree could not be ascertained, the
peculiar kind of any distinct class appears to have been _accidentally_
forgotten. It does not seem that the _origin_ of the POINTER is any
where described, or by any writer attempted; but by the most respected
authority we have, from whence information, instruction, and
entertainment, can and may be derived, we are told, "the HOUND, the
SETTING-DOG, and the TERRIER, are only one and the _same race_ of DOGS;
for it has been remarked, that the same birth has produced setting-dogs,
terriers, and hounds, though the hound bitch has only had access to one
of the three dogs." The true state of the case is precisely this, that
although Nature, in her outlines, has furnished the canine race with
powerful instinctive properties, by which their propensities, their
pleasures, their dislikes, and attachments, may be disclosed; and
notwithstanding it must be admitted, their olfactory sensations are
refined in an extreme degree beyond the human species; yet much depends
upon the means, mode and manner of education. This has been demonstrated
a few years since beyond all manner of controversy, when a gamekeeper
absolutely brought a full-grown PIG to _hunt_ and _point_ to the BIRDS;
and procured a considerable emolument from displaying repeated proofs of
his ingenuity, patience, and perseverance.


SETTER,—in the game of HAZARD, is the person who _sets_ the CASTER;
or, in other words, the player, who makes stakes with the person holding
the box and dice, who, if he THROWS IN, draws the money; on the
contrary, if he _throws out_, the setter is the winner.


SETTER-TO—is a term in cocking. The setter-to is the person who in a
cock-pit receives the cock (going to fight) from the feeder, and hands
him upon the SOD during the battle, according to the laws of the pit,
and the conditions of the match. See COCKING, COCK-PIT, and MAIN of
COCKS.


SHANK-BONE,—in a horse, is the bone extending from the knee to the
fetlock-joint. This bone should be uniform, firm and compact, well
proportioned to the length of the fore-arm above, and the pastern below;
if too long for either, or both, the symmetry is totally lost; and hence
a general objection to horses whose legs are _too long_ for the CARCASE,
which is a defect readily observed; and indifferent judges are always
prepared to say, such a horse has "too much day-light under him."


SHAPE and MAKE.—The "shape and make" of horses offered for sale, is such
an eternal echo, whether at the public hammer, or by private contract,
from one end of the kingdom to the other, that it is natural to
conceive, no sporting subject can be more completely understood; but as
there are eternally younger branches coming forward, and monied
noviciates _paying_ for practical experience in the _art_ of DEALING,
such extensive rules are introduced, to inculcate the absolute necessity
for circumspection in BUYING, under the head HORSE, that not a single
line of utility can be added upon the subject.


SHARK—was the most capital horse of his time; bred by MR. PIGOTT, foaled
in 1771, got by MARSK, dam by _Snap_, out of the dam of _Warwickshire
Wag_. This horse was proved, next to CHILDERS and ECLIPSE, to have been
possessed of more speed than any horse ever bred or produced in the
kingdom. He beat all his cotemporaries at every distance, (_long_ or
_short_,) clearly demonstrating his superiority, whether they run for
_speed_, or run for _bottom_. His distinct winnings are too remote from
the present time to enumerate individually, but they amounted in the
aggregate to a GOLD CUP value 123 guineas, eleven hogsheads of claret,
and the astonishing sum of 20,000 guineas, in plates, matches,
sweepstakes, forfeits, and bets. When no horse in England could be found
to start against him, he was taken to America as a STALLION, although it
was publicly affirmed, 10,000 guineas were offered for him before his
departure; admitting which to be the fact, it could have been done with
no other motive than to render him a private STALLION for the mares of
those _only_ who subscribed to the aggregate.


SHOEING of HORSES,—which for time immemorial remained in its almost
original state, has for the last fourteen years become an object of
importance and general investigation. What for a century before was
never thought worthy a moment's consideration, but by those whose
professional province it was to FORM the SHOES, and _set them on_, is at
length found worthy the fashionable and condescending inspection of
NOBLEMEN, GENTLEMEN, the _polished_ groom, and the illiterate
stable-boy. This change is well known to have originated in the
publication of "TAPLIN'S Stable Directory" 1789; which, from its
unprecedented popularity, passed through TWELVE editions in the short
space of four years. To the appearance of this work, upon a subject so
long neglected, are the public indebted for the much-wanted veterinarian
improvement which has since taken place; as well as for the constantly
increasing influx of veterinary writers, who, speculating upon the
success of the original reformer, have obtruded upon the world such an
infinity of _imitations_, and such a profusion of what they have thought
_improvements_, that the discerning part of the public (plainly
perceiving the deceptive imbecility of such attempts) rendered them
abortive; a multiplicity of books having been announced upon veterinary
subjects within the last seven years, which have been immediately buried
in oblivion, without a sale sufficient to pay even for the paper upon
which the works were printed.

The rage for an improvement in the system of farriery which TAPLIN'S
books had induced, extended to almost every part of the kingdom, and
_necessitous_ adventurers became _vulcanian_ speculators in every
direction. Various new, important and _infallible_ plans of SHOEING were
_hypothetically_ introduced amongst the infant _crop_ of _newly-sown_
veterinarians; one avowed himself an advocate for _long_ shoes; another,
for _short_ shoes; a third, for _high_ shoes; a fourth, for _low_ shoes,
and _thin_ heels; a fifth, for _half_ shoes; and a still more
_sagacious_ groupe of THEORETICIANS, for _no shoes at all_!!! To the
great credit of the nation, and the strenuous endeavours of
investigating individuals, this fashionable _thirst_ of _folly_, this
_infatuating furor_, seems now in a great degree to have subsided, and
affords reason to believe, as well as to hope, the _veterinary mania_
has (at least in this respect) attained its CRISIS; and that the only
rational, safe, and judicious mode now in general use, will be no more
attacked by the wild and chimerical speculations of those, whose want of
professional skill and scientific information must ever render their
schemes abortive.

That gentlemen will dedicate part of their time to examine the internal
structure of the foot, the anatomical formation and junction of the
bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilages, and membranes, is not to
be expected; but that they will, upon the principle of self-defence, be
careful to understand enough of the EXTERIOR, to check occasionally the
rude hand of the injudicious or inconsiderate operator, is readily to be
believed. The operative act of shoeing, in its general sense, as
appertaining to the making of the shoe, the insertion of the nails, and
the external finish of the foot, are too well known, and publicly
performed, to require the most trifling description. Although one
general data, or fixed rule, is laid down, by which all good and
sound-footed horses should be shod without an exception, (proportioning
the form, size, substance and weight of the shoe to the use of the
horse,) yet there are occasional deviations, which cannot consistently
be avoided, but must be prudently submitted to, when diseases of the
foot, or injuries to the hoof, render them truly necessary. Hoofs, it is
well known, are not all alike, nor are the same hoofs always in the same
state; some are preserved so by unremitting care, and strict attention;
others are permitted to get into decay, and to become diseased by a want
of both. The OPERATIVE FARRIER has his different distinctions and
denominations for the various kinds of hoof which come under his hand;
as the sound, strong, firm, black hoof, which is generally perfect, and
seldom either defective or diseased; the rough and brittle hoof, which
is mostly wide and weak, requiring nightly stopping at the bottom, and
oiling round the top; the long, flat and shelly hoof, which runs all to
_toe_, and leaves nothing at the _heel_; the crooked or rather horny
hoof, which, from a defect in radical moisture, grows into a wrinkled
rigidity, that almost sets both the RASP and BUTTERIS at defiance. There
are also others so thin, wide, and expanded above, and the outer sole so
prominent on each side the frog below, that such are called
fleshy-footed, and require a shoe of peculiar formation, as well as much
extra care in setting it on. Some hoofs are so contracted with heat, and
narrowed at the heel, (particularly if the frogs are wasted by thrush
and corrosion,) that when turned, the vacuum bears the appearance of
intentional excavation.

Under this accumulation of considerations, some conditional variations
must be admitted, from the fixed and proper rules to be laid down,
although the fundamental principle should still be the same; and,
notwithstanding the superfluous and destructive freedom of the
_drawing-knife_ and _butteris_, are frequently, and with great justice,
condemned; yet they must sometimes be brought into moderate use: but
those who render them subservient to the purposes required, should
invariably retain it in memory, that more may be injudiciously destroyed
in _five_ minutes, than can possibly be restored in TEN months. The
entire ART of SHOEING may be reduced to a very concise description, and
consists in paring the foot (when it is necessary) with judgment,
tenderness, and safety; to form the shoe with good, substantial, sound,
Swedish iron, of a shape and make hereafter to be described; in
selecting nails of a proper size, length, or strength, equally adapted
to the shape of the foot, and the weight of the shoe; and, lastly, to
the very critical task of driving them properly, clinching them firmly,
and finishing the foot neatly.

The act itself being thus publicly seen in practice, and generally
comprehended, it becomes only necessary (amidst the variety of
speculative opinions lately obtruded upon public notice) to introduce
such comparative reasoning, and practical proof, of the superior
excellence and rational propriety of the execution, as may enable every
reader to take an impartial survey of the different modes recommended,
in doing which, he is then at liberty to adopt which ever he may be
induced to think approaches the nearest to perfection.

Amidst the great variety of attracting _novelties_ which issued from the
press, after the publication of TAPLIN'S PATTERN SHOES, was "a concave
shoe," most zealously recommended by the PROFESSOR of a public
institution, since deceased; who, had he lived only a few weeks longer,
would have received the most unequivocal proofs of the _fallacy_ of the
_theory_, when put into competition with the UNERRING criterion of
PRACTICE: but happily for him, and luckily for his great and opulent
friends, (who were daily and shamefully forsaking him,) he died just in
time to save his reputation. Suffice it, therefore, in delicacy to his
error, as well as to his memory, only to observe, that the SHOE passing
under that denomination (having a smooth or flat inside to cover the
foot, and a concave surface, to come in contact with the ground or
pavement) was the very _reverse_ of what it should be, and only
calculated to render tender, if not cripple, any horse, if obstinately
persevered in; as will be candidly admitted by every reader of
rationality, when the representation of the FOOT, the form of the SHOE,
and the setting on of that shoe, are taken into distinct and separate
consideration.

 [Illustration: _To face Page 265. Vol. 2ᵈ._
 DEMONSTRATIVE SHOEING.]

That this may be done with a more comprehensive and general effect,
divested of SCIENTIFIC disquisition, or ANATOMICAL ambiguity, a PLATE is
annexed; which, with very little explanatory matter, will afford the
most perfect and satisfactory elucidation. A is the representation of a
sound, firm, well-formed HOOF, in a slate of unembellished nature: here
is evidently no devastation required—no paring off at the heel—no
slicing off from the sole—no cutting-knife at the toe; nor does it, with
an eye of the strictest judgment and circumspection, seem to claim or
solicit from the art of man, any other assistance, than protection
against the injury it must inevitably sustain from harder bodies, when
brought into use by constant collision. That this fair and candid
investigation may be the less liable to miscontruction, and that cynical
misrepresentation, or envious opposition, may not (even in the weakest
minds) warp the effect of truth, let it be observed, that the circular
line marked 1 is the line of articulation, or, in other words, the
distinct line of separation; around which is the _wall_ or _crust_ of
the HOOF, (in itself insensible,) where the bearing only should be, and
where the figure 5 of E will be found accurately formed for its
reception.

That part of the foot extending from the line of separation on one side,
to the corresponding line of separation on the other, having the FROG in
the center, and marked 2 on each side, is called the _outer sole_,
covering a membranous mass, or substance, called the _inner sole_, which
is of exquisite sensibility, requiring PROTECTION without _pressure_
upon the external part; which it will be seen (by referring to the
PLATE) is sufficiently afforded by the concave formation at Fig. 6 of
letter E, which, upon the accurate inspection of the best informed and
most experienced investigators, must be admitted a shoe of the first
perfection for the promotion of every good, and the prevention of every
ill.

Having thus produced both _foot_ and _shoe_, as unsullied
representations of NATURE and ART, and adapted the _make_ of _one_ to
the _formation_ of the other, with a consistency no man of common
comprehension will presume to dispute, we proceed to an impartial
examination of the letter B, which represents the mode of SHOEING
adopted, and some time persevered in, at a place of veterinary
celebrity, upon the discontinuance of the very _short-lived_ concave
shoe.

As it is a remark of long standing, that the _exterior_ strikes _first_,
so we shall find here, that, upon a superficial survey of the letter B,
there is a neatness in the execution, that seems to excite attention,
and command respect; but when it is critically examined with the eye of
precision, and its deficiencies pointed out, it then loses all power of
permanent attraction, and will advance no well-founded claim to
approbation or imitation. Admitting (as it is presumed no opposition
whatever arises to the fact) that the _wall_ of the FOOT represented by
Fig. 1, should have its bearing upon the properly-adapted part of the
shoe, ascertained by referring to Fig. 5 of E, and continued home to the
extreme point of the heel accurately terminated by the Fig. 7 of C; let
us see what would be the inevitable consequence of having the shoes an
inch and a half too short at each heel, as represented by Fig. 3 of B,
where NATURE, REASON, OBSERVATION, and EXPERIENCE, concentrate their
whole force to demonstrate the consistency, the safety, in fact, the
indispensible necessity, of its being continued to Fig. 4 of B, as is
already explained by previous reference to Fig. 7 of C.

Convinced, therefore, beyond the shadow of doubt, (as every reader may
by another reference to No. 1,) that the _wall_ of the HOOF holds forth
its _own proof_, that the shoe should be continued home to the extreme
_point_ of the _heel_, or that it requires _no shoe at all_; and this
alternative being first understood, and then acceded to, by every
comprehension, it will be equally clear, that as much as _art_ falls
_short_ in the support which NATURE requires, proportional must the
injury be, by the inevitable _indentation_; invariably productive of
bruises, and tenderness upon the _edge_ of the _sole_, thereby laying
the foundation of preternatural stricture, _corns_, _callosities_, and
other _ills_, which would be more perfectly understood by an examination
of any such subject, after a shoe _one_ _third too short_ had been eight
or ten days in constant wear.

By way of concluding observations upon the PLATE, and its purpose, it
becomes only necessary to remark, that the letter C is the hoof of a
large saddle or carriage horse, well covered for the _pavement_ of the
METROPOLIS, or travelling upon the turnpike-road. That the letter B is a
perfect model of good shoeing for HUNTER or HACKNEY, provided the heel
of the shoe was continued to Fig. 4, instead of terminating at 3. That
Fig. 8 is called the _web_ of the SHOE, which is, in fact, no more than
the whole breadth of the iron, and may be widened, or narrowed, entirely
by the _judgment_ of the SMITH, or the discretion of the OWNER. That
Fig. 9 is the cavity called the _groove_, or fullering, to receive the
heads of the nails, above which (in SHOEING of EXCELLENCE, and
superiority) they should never constitute a prominence; and that the
letter D is no more than a back view of the short shoe, for some time so
powerfully recommended, which has already most deservedly fallen into
disrepute.

Having considered it necessary to introduce such minute references as
will sufficiently demonstrate the difference between _good_ shoeing and
_bad_, it remains only to add a single deficiency of SHOEING SMITHS in
general, who, from _indolence_, _inattention_, or _inability_, entirely
lose sight of, or never form at all, the proper line of distinction
between the bearing of Fig. 5 for the crust (or _wall_) Fig. 1; and the
protection afforded the _outer sole_, Fig. 2, by the internal concave
example in Fig. 6. Considering this remissness in the operator, and
shoeing too _short_ at the _heels_, to constitute the prevalent and
principal errors requiring rectification, it is anxiously to be hoped,
that those whose minds are open to conviction, will contribute their
assistance to inculcate the necessity of adopting one invariable
standard as a leading step to general reformation.


SHOEING SMITH.—The shoeing smith, more frequently known by the
denomination of BLACKSMITH or FARRIER, is, unluckily for those who
profess it, a business of much greater bodily labour than professional
emolument; hence it is, that few, except the very lowest classes of
society, can ever be prevailed upon to engage in it. Here then has
always been the deficiency so much complained of, and so universally
known, with all the practitioners of the old school, acting as SMITHS
and FARRIERS, whether in town or country; and it is much to be
regretted, that their original want of education, the means of
instruction, and their total ignorance of the _properties_ of MEDICINE,
should have hitherto secluded them from every chance of mental
improvement, and personal emulation. If we advert to their _manners_, we
find them in direct uniformity with their intellectual capacity: _rude_
by _nature_, they become _cunning_ by _art_; unfortunately _untaught_,
it is their greatest pride to become proportionally _untractable_, and
know so little themselves, they confidently affect to believe but
_little_ is known by _others_: shielded by which ideal sagacity, they
obstinately persist in an opinion of _their own_, in opposition to every
other, or individually determine to abide by no rational opinion _at
all_.

When a candid comparison is made between their dangerous and laborious
employment and their disproportioned emoluments, it must be admitted by
every mind of liberality, they are the _worst paid_ for their drudgery
of any set of men in the universe. Hence arises that _sterile apathy_ in
the business, which is so much the subject of general indignation and
universal contempt; and is the only well-founded reason, why there are
so few men of education, or intellectual ability, to be found amidst the
daily increasing number who profess the practice. Custom, too, has
excluded them from any respectable weight in the scale of society;
thereby rendering the obstacles to worldly elevation too numerous, and
too uncertain, for even the most laudable and spirited emulation to
encounter, with even a distant probability of success. These
considerations readily reconcile it to reason, why (upon the most
moderate calculation, taking the kingdom in general from one extremity
to another) there are not more than one in every hundred, who exists by
the practice of SHOEING and FARRIERY, that can speak with precision upon
the _property_ of the MEDICINE he prescribes; or elucidate, with
propriety, the probable process, or ultimate effect, of the OPERATION he
_recommends_.

In such predicament, probably anxious to do good, without the _personal
power_ to EFFECT it, they may be impartially considered "men more sinned
against than sinning;" and, in many instances, much more entitled to the
commiseration of the enlightened, than the contemptuous indifference
they so frequently receive. Happily, however, for the vocation itself,
much more happily for the community at large, improvement in the
PRACTICE of FARRIERY has at length become an object of national
consideration; and the institution has been repeatedly honored with
PARLIAMENTARY CONTRIBUTIONS; under which predictive ray of reformation,
part of the present generation may probably not only derive future
advantage, but live to see the former system rescued from the
_ignorance_ and _barbarity_ by which it has been for so many centuries
disgraced. The great hazard arising from the practice of the injudicious
or ill informed, is their possessing an unrestrained power of plunging
into a bold and inconsiderate use of the most _dangerous_ medicines, the
present operation and ultimate effect of which they so _little_
understand, and are so absolutely _unable_ to explain.

It is no uncommon thing to hear of _bleeding_, _rowelling_, _purging_,
_glystering_, and _blistering_, nearly all taking place (with the same
subject) within the space of _twenty-four_ hours; and could a
_thousandth_ part of the poor unfortunate animals so rashly annihilated,
but _rise_, and _recite_, the load of medical _combustibles_ and
_contrarieties_ by which they were _destined_ to their _long_ and _last_
sleep, what a complicated history of the MATERIA MEDICA would be brought
to light, and what a scene of _professional knowledge_ displayed, to
form the basis of REFORMATION, with that long list of sublime
disquisitionists, who, waving the disgraceful appellations of _smith_
and _farrier_, are becoming VETERINARY SURGEONS in almost every remote
corner of the kingdom! One great and almost invincible error amongst the
veterinarian fraternity (of whom there are many _juveniles_ now to be
seen) is their superficial survey, and hasty decision, in cases of the
utmost magnitude; anticipating the _prognostics_, without even
descending to examine the predominant _symptoms_ of DISEASE.
Passionately fond of _affecting infallibility_, they rashly promise
_more_ than they find themselves able to perform; and thus by their own
weakness, voluntarily exposed, are frequently compelled to _retract
to-morrow_, what they have most inconsiderately asserted _to-day_;
thereby overwhelming themselves with a load of professional _disgrace_,
from which there seems no sanguine prospect of speedy extrication.

SMITHS and FARRIERS in general, being unfortunately ignorant in the
peculiar property of each particular medicine, is not a greater
misfortune, than their being absolute strangers to the _medicines
themselves_, thereby becoming the standing dupes of adulteration. The
warehouses and shops of inferior druggists, it is well known by men of
experience, are by no means remarkable for professional _purity_; in
some obscure corner of which is generally a _reservoir_ of _rubbish_,
admirably adapted to the _prise_ and _practice_ of FARRIERS, with whom a
custom so laudable has been established for time immemorial, and from
the palpable pecuniary effects upon both parties is not likely to be
abolished.


SHOOTING—is become a sport of so much pleasure and universality, that
the legislature has found it expedient to extract an annual contribution
of THREE GUINEAS from every individual who enjoys it. In fact, it is so
perfectly congenial to the dispositions of the people, and so truly
conducive to the greatest blessing in life, HEALTH, that it should seem
its votaries have annually increased in proportion to the conditional
restraints of parliamentary prohibition. SHOOTING, in its most extensive
signification, may be supposed to imply the act of shooting with a
fowling-piece, at any object in general, without a specific
determination; but, narrowed into a less diffuse, and more expressive
compass, it is then reduced to the more particular points thus defined.
PHEASANT shooting, PARTRIDGE shooting, GROUSE shooting, COCK shooting,
RABBIT shooting, SNIPE shooting, DUCK, WILD FOWL, &c. These are
pleasures varying a little in the difference of pursuit and enjoyment,
but have, according to the season, their various degrees of attraction.
Pheasant shooting begins (under certain penalties and restrictions, if
killed _before_ or _after_ the days mentioned) on the _first_ of
_October_ in every year, and ends on the _first_ of _February_
following. Partridge shooting begins on the _first_ of _September_, and
extends to the _first_ of _February_ next ensuing. The season (under
similar restrictions, but heavier penalties) for killing HEATH-FOWL, or
black game, commences on the 20th of _August_, and terminates on the
10th of _December_; and for grouse, or red game, on the 12th of
_August_, and ends on the 10th of _December_. Woodcocks and Snipes being
birds of passage, and not included in any act for the preservation of
game, the time for killing is unlimited; being entirely dependent upon
the season, the country they appear in, and the flights as they arrive.

PHEASANT SHOOTING may be considered the most laborious, and least
entertaining, of the whole, unless in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex,
Hampshire, and some other counties, where the large tracts of lofty
woodlands, and corresponding underwood, contribute so materially to
their annual increase and preservation. This sport is mostly pursued
with the small springing spaniel, whose eager tongue, the moment he
touches _scent_ of the _foot_, or _winds_ the _bird_, gives "early note
of earnest preparation." Pointers of great strength, and high courage,
hunted with _a bell_, are frequently instrumental to good sport, and
great success; but they must be fast goers, and once knowing their
business, not readily disposed to _stop_, or _draw_ slowly; if so, the
bird will frequently rise in the highest part of the covert, or at such
_a distance_, that an open shot will but seldom be obtained,
particularly in a country thin of game. Those who wish to preserve
well-bred and well-broke pointers in a state of unsullied excellence,
will not accustom them to covert hunting, but invariably use their
spaniels in one of the sports for which they were so evidently intended.

PARTRIDGE SHOOTING is, to a contemplative mind, of a much more
entertaining description; for the objects of pursuit being found in the
open fields, every part of the sport is seen and enjoyed. Partridges are
not in equal abundance every year, but depend in a great degree upon the
state of the weather during the time of _laying_ the _eggs_, as well as
the time of HATCHING; which is almost invariably between the _middle_
and the _end_ of JUNE. When the months of MAY and JUNE are dry, birds
are in general exceedingly numerous, and proportionally strong upon wing
by the commencement of the SHOOTING SEASON; but when heavy and dreadful
rains fall, as they frequently do during the HAY HARVEST, the
destruction is incredible. Such continued rains not only chill the eggs
during incubation, but drown numbers of the young almost so soon as they
are out of their shells. Wet seasons also are destructive to ANTS, upon
which, and their eggs, young partridges and pheasants principally
subsist. Partridges so soon as the corn is cut down, and they are in a
great degree deprived of the shelter and protection under which they
were bred, display a most wonderful timidity and dread of danger; to
which the whole covey are induced by the unceasing anxiety of the HEN
for the safety of her young.

Thus incessantly alive to perpetual fear, they change their situation
repeatedly in the course of the day; as well to insure security from all
probable danger, as to supply the calls of nature. In the first part of
the shooting season, while the _stubbles_ of WHEAT and BARLEY are fresh,
and not rendered too bare, or too much beaten by cattle, they are to be
found in either one or the other, both late at night, and early in the
morning: after feeding in which, (if not disturbed by the approach of
those in pursuit of them,) by a signal from the hen, they rise gently,
as it were, in a cluster, and glide or skim along with as little flutter
as possible to the nearest turnips, standing clover, rushy moors, or
grassy low coverts, in some of which, during the middle of the day, they
are always to be found; and not unfrequently near a watry ditch, or
running stream; as it is at this time, and only once a day, they take
this part of their sustenance: but as there are many hilly countries in
which water is but rarely to be found, it is natural to conclude, their
wants in this respect may be amply supplied by the morning dewdrops with
which vegetation so plentifully abounds.

The dogs peculiarly appropriate to and used in this sport, are
principally POINTERS, at least with those who rank as SPORTSMEN, and
have too high a respect for its character to degrade the order; and it
is never pursued with greater consistency, or enjoyed with greater
ecstasy, (or more success,) than when _too many guns_, or _too many_
dogs, are not seen in the field together. Any number above two of the
former, and two brace of the latter, in one company, evidently denote
much more of _poaching rapacity_, and an intentional annihilation of
GAME, than of SPORTING equity. DOUBLE-BARRELLED GUNS partake a little of
the same impression, being admirably calculated to promote the very
scarcity so much and so constantly complained of. The art of SHOOTING
FLYING, in which numbers are so exceedingly expert, and which, in fact,
may be so easily attained, is not, in general, acquired with that
facility by young sportsmen, which might naturally be expected. This is
entirely owing to the _timidity_, _volatility_, _anxiety_, and
_impatience_, of the mind, at the very critical moment when all should
be _quiet_ and _calm_ within; but at the impressive crisis, when the
point takes place, and the animal is fixed seemingly immoveable, under
an instinctive impulse, which instantaneously excites in the human frame
a most aweful sensation, (the heart palpitating with HOPE, FEAR, and
SUSPENSE,) the birds rise, and with so much noisy rapidity, that the
mind and body being equally agitated, no particular bird is singled for
the AIM, at the instant of _pulling_ the _trigger_, and the whole escape.

There is no pursuit, game, or amusement, in which a proficiency is to be
obtained, can require a nicer eye, a steadier hand, a cooler head, or a
more philosophic patience, than the SPORT before us. Sportsmen of
experience waste neither their _time_ nor their _labour_; they well
know, according to the description not long since given, where to find
the game, according to the time of the day; and are seldom seen hunting
their dogs in unlikely places. They cover the ground slowly and
deliberately, that none should remain unbeaten, or birds be left behind:
when a dog stands (or makes his point) the master should for a moment
_stand still_ also; the general stillness settles the dog more firmly to
his point, and the birds are more likely to lie. If the gunner hurries
up, (as many frequently do,) it hurries the dog also, and not only makes
him impatient, but the game probably gets up _out of shot_; or, what is
equally productive of mortification, he himself gets up to the point so
flurried, and out of breath, that he finds it impracticable to take
regular aim; and when he _fancies_ he does, the bodily _tremor_ he is in
renders the shot ineffectual. To become a steady and good shot, some few
short rules are unavoidably necessary, the principal of which is cool
deliberation: those of too warm, hasty and impetuous a disposition,
should retain in memory a single line from the immortal bard;

  "WISELY and _slow_; they STUMBLE who run _fast_."

When the dog has enjoyed his point sufficiently, whether the birds are
walked up, or rise spontaneously, the gun should never be raised to the
shoulder till the whole covey are _patiently_ surveyed, and the very
bird fixed upon, at which the aim is intended to be taken; this once
done, and the eye not removed from the devoted _victim_ till the
instrument of death is brought to bear, the sight _once_ caught, and the
_motion_ with the _trigger_ made in the critical and corresponding
_twinkling_, success in most instances must eventually ensue. It may not
be inapplicable to remark, that the progress to perfection is greatly
retarded, amongst the _juvenile_ branches of SPORTING SOCIETY (when
shooting in company) by invariably and emulatively (but very
inconsiderately and imprudently) endeavouring to obtain the FIRST shot:
the error being mutual, so is the disappointment; probably _both_, or
all, _miss_; to which nothing ensues but a _vacant stare_ of
mortification, not to add disgrace: but if a bird _happens_ to fall, it
is productive of clamour, and general jealousy: it is claimed by all:
and personal acidities, from such trifling circumstances, have sometimes
arisen about a _paltry partridge_, that have continued during the lives
of the parties. The prudent and patient who shoot in company, will be
circumspect in every motion; they will not take aim at the _first bird_
which happens to rise, (to be confused by those who are rising,) or fix
upon a bird on the left hand when a companion is on _that side_, and the
bird going off directly _across him_. The right hand man and the left
should take invariably birds on their own distinct sides; but when they
go off in a _direct line_, circumstances and proceedings must be
regulated accordingly.

GROUSE SHOOTING differs but little from the preceding, excepting its
being more laborious, and taking place in the hotter months, and in the
more hilly or mountainous countries. This species of game is not
universally dispersed, like the partridge, over the face of the kingdom,
but a native inhabitant of some particular district in wild, remote, or
peculiar situations. They were some few years since to be plentifully
seen in many parts of WALES, and in the NEW FOREST of HAMPSHIRE; but
they are now very much reduced, and rarely to be found; at least not in
sufficient numbers to render it a sport worth pursuing. In the northern
counties bordering upon the Tweed, and in various parts of Scotland,
they are so numerous, that many of the most opulent and eager sportsmen
make very long and expensive journies, to satiate themselves, and weary
their dogs, with an unrestrained and unlimited profusion of sport. The
grouse is larger than the partridge, and, when full grown, weighs from
twenty to two-and-twenty ounces. The plumage is variegated, and
beautifully composed of black, red, and white; the tail being similar to
that of the partridge, but a little larger when extended in flight.

The GROUSE perseveringly adhere to those mountains and moors which are
covered with heath, seldom or ever descending into the lower grounds.
They fly in _packs_, consisting of four or five brace; and indulge upon
intervening tracts of soft mossy ground, particularly in the hotter
months of the year. The cackling noise of the cock may be heard at a
considerable distance; and when once the dog makes his point, he is
commonly the first bird upon wing. Upon the POINTER'S being first
observed to _stand_, it is instantly necessary to keep the eye forward;
for if the birds are perceived to _erect_ their heads, and _run_, it is
considered an infallible sign they will _not lie well_ during that day;
in which case there is no alternative, but to head the dog, and, if
possible, keep pace with them, so as to be within shot when they rise;
if which advantage is not taken, many a long and laborious day may be
undertaken without the consolation of a single bird. As the time for
this sport commences in the sultry season, and generally in parts of the
country remote from expeditious means of conveyance, they do not very
frequently reach the Metropolis; at least in such a recent state as to
be perfectly attracting: they are (particularly if not killed remarkably
clean) very soon disposed to _putridity_; and if required or intended to
be sent to any great distance, they should be drawn as soon as
convenient after they are shot, and the vacuum filled up with fine heath
or herbage for the journey.

COCK (or WOODCOCK) SHOOTING is of a different and most entertaining
description, when and wherever a plenty for the sport can be found. The
woodcock is a bird of passage, and found frequently in a greater or less
degree about the second, third, or last week of October. Their annual
arrival in this country is more or less protracted by the uncertainty of
the _wind_ and _weather_ at that particular season; the east and
north-east winds (with a foggy heavy atmosphere) bring them over in the
greatest plenty. Upon their first arrival, they have the appearance of
being nearly exhausted, and drop under the nearest offered protection to
the sea-shore; high trees, hedge-rows, small copses, heath, tufts of
bushes and brambles, are equally acceptable. After rest, and such
refreshment as the situations where they fall afford, they separate, and
almost singly explore their way into the country more in-land, and fall
in such woods, coverts, copses, or shaws, as are most applicably
attracting or convenient to the length of their flight; varying the
situation in future according to the accommodation they find, or the
country they are in. No one part of the coast is more remarkable for
their arrival in immense flights than another; Wales, Sussex, Norfolk,
and to the extreme points of the north of Scotland, are, at different
periods, supplied with equal plenty: in all or either of which, eight or
ten brace (immediately after a flight arrives) have been killed out of
one covert in a morning by a single gun.

The dogs used for this sport are the small COCKING SPANIEL; though they
are frequently found by pointers, who make their point upon winding the
bird, but not quite so staunch as to the more confirmed species; of
which game the cock in a certain degree seems to partake. The woodcock,
when _flushed_, rises heavily from the ground; and in an open glade, is
so easily brought down, that even a _moderate_ shot must be ashamed to
_miss_; but when sprung in a lofty oaken or beechen wood, he is obliged
to tower almost perpendicular above their tops, before he can attain
sufficient height to take his flight in a horizontal direction; and this
kind of vermicular flight he makes with such rapidity, (turning and
twisting to avoid the trees,) that it is almost impossible to seize a
moment for shooting with any tolerable prospect of success. As partridge
shooting requires an almost systematic silence for the production of
sport, so cock shooting admits of the reverse: for the greater the
noise, the greater probability of success. Well-bred spaniels
immediately _quest_ so soon as they come upon _haunt_, as well as the
moment a cock unexpectedly springs; this is the distinguishing trait of
their utility, as it gives timely notice to every one of the party, and
each individual has sufficient opportunity to be upon the _watch_.

Those who enter into the true spirit of this sport, and where cocks are
likely to be found, seldom set out for a complete day's adventure,
without being previously provided with a MARKER excellently qualified
for the purpose in which he is engaged. And an assistant of this
description becomes the more necessary, as a cock will very frequently
suffer himself to be found, and shot at, _four_ or _five_ times in the
same covert; and when absolutely driven out, will sink beyond the outer
fence, and gliding a short distance almost close to the ground, will
drop in some adjoining ditch.

WOODCOCKS are seen in this country till about the first, and sometimes
the second, week in MARCH: this, however, depends entirely upon the
openness or severity of the season: if the winter has been accompanied
with long and sharp frosts, they suddenly disappear within a few hours,
(as by a kind of magical mystery,) and none to be found, with
occasionally (and that but seldom) an exception of a disconsolate
individual at or near some warm or sheltered SPRING which has not
_frozen_. They are fullest of flesh during the months of DECEMBER and
JANUARY to the middle of FEBRUARY, from which time, as the spring sun
gets warmer, they decline in _weight_ to the time of their departure.

SNIPE SHOOTING is a sport the best calculated to try the persevering
_fag_ and _bottom_ of a SPORTSMAN of any yet recounted; if he is not
possessed of all the _fortitude_, _patience_, and indefatigable
_exertion_ of a WATER SPANIEL, he had better never be induced to make
the embarkation, at least with any sanguine expectation of success. To
_wet_, _dirt_, and _difficulty_, he must be habitually inured: in body
he must be invulnerable; with a constitution impregnable to the united
attacks of morbidity, and a mind most perfectly at ease. Thus armed at
all points for _land_ or _water_, _moor_ or _mire_, _swamps_ or _bogs_,
SNIPE SHOOTING (where they are to be found in plenty) is a most
excellent diversion; and some spots, particularly in a heath country,
intersected by moors, swamps, and bogs, (as a celebrated scope called
EEL MOOR, near Hartford Bridge, upon the western road,) the sport is so
incessant, that those who visit the place in open hazy weather, may
shoot so often in succession, as to have frequent occasions in the same
day to wait till the barrel cools. SNIPES are of two kinds, one being
full double the size of the other, and is called a WHOLE SNIPE; the
smaller is called a _jack_, and of course somewhat more difficult to
_kill_. Both sorts are found upon the same ground, and sometimes close
to each other. They are birds of passage, and vary but little with the
_flights_ of WOODCOCKS in the time of their arrival, which is generally
about the _first_ plentiful _rains_ in AUTUMN. They are said to breed
mostly in the low and swampiest parts of GERMANY and SWITZERLAND;
although it is certain numbers do not return with the greater bodies in
the spring, but remain here during the summer, and breed in the
_marshes_ and _fens_, where their nests are often found in the month of
June with four and five eggs in each. POINTERS only are made use of in
this sport; and it is rather remarkable, that, notwithstanding this
species of bird is so diminutive in proportion to the game that a dog is
constantly accustomed to, he stands equally staunch to even the _jack_,
(the least of the two) as to either PHEASANT, HARE, or PARTRIDGE.
Snipes, the moment they are upon wing, fly against the wind,
encountering which, they go off in such a _twisting_ and _twirling_
direction, that they are _then_ a very difficult object to _aim_ at; but
by waiting with patience till they take their intended line, the shot
may be made with a much greater probability of success. They cannot be
said to be in season before NOVEMBER, or after FEBRUARY; for killed at
any other time of the year, they mostly appear with a branny _scurf_
upon their bodies, as if _diseased_, or in a state of emaciation.

These are the different kinds of shooting only which comprize the
pleasure of the gentleman sportsman, and in which the better kind of
sporting dogs (POINTERS, SPANIELS, and SETTERS) are used. Shooting of
_wild-fowl_, _rabbits_, &c. are principally the amusement of those who
are not particular in their objects of pursuit; but equally prepared for
whatever may come in their way, from a PHEASANT to a _tom-tit_, or from
a SOLAN GOOSE to a _dab-chick_. The scientific and systematic rules of
shooting in the field are so generally known, and universally
comprehended, in respect to the length of the gun, the mode of charging,
the distance for firing, and some other trifling minutia, dependent upon
contingencies, that a single line must be unnecessary in elucidation;
except a salutary hint to the young and inexperienced, never to let
others do for them _with the gun_, what they can do for themselves. It
should be the particular province of the person who shoots, to charge
his own gun, and to be punctually precise in drawing the charge at his
_return_: a retrospective survey of the most melancholy and shocking
accidents which the last few years have produced, will demonstrate to
any humane and reflecting mind, the danger of letting either GUN or
PISTOL remain loaded in a dwelling-house, where, by the single
inadvertency alone, any individual of the family is perpetually liable
to instantaneous destruction.


SHOULDER-LAMENESS,—in a horse, is a defect in the scapularian muscles,
or at the ligamentary junction of the fore thigh-bone with the concave
point of the shoulder blade, upon which many, and some opposite opinions
have been obstinately maintained: and there are not wanting at the
present moment, those who _affect_ to believe, and presume to affirm,
"there is no such thing as a shoulder lameness in _any_ horse." The
absurdity of this ridiculous and contemptible assertion, can only be
equalled by the unparalleled ignorance and illiteracy of those who make
it: strangers to the anatomical structure of parts, they are inadequate
to the comprehension of their uses, and the purposes to which they
become intentionally appropriate. In direct confutation of such futile
opinion, it is most indisputably ascertained, that injuries are
frequently sustained in the shoulders, from which _incurable_ lameness
often ensues. Such accidents and misfortunes happen to horses in
different ways: some by unforeseen circumstances, which no human
prudence can prevent; others (equal, if not superior in number) by
carelessness, inhumanity, inattention, or neglect. Lameness in the
shoulder may be occasioned by the horse's being too suddenly _stopped_
and _turned_ upon uneven ground; sliding, stumbling, or flipping down,
in a distorted position of either fore leg; turning too rapidly in a
narrow stall, or too quick, sudden and short into a stable. That all
which may be the better understood, by those who are anxious for
information, and open to conviction, it is necessary, for the
accommodation of every comprehension, to observe, that the blade or
shoulder-bone not being fixed to the body by articulation, but by
apposition adhering to the ribs, and firmly fastened thereto by
corresponding muscles _above_ and _below_, the animal, in undergoing any
of the casualties before recited, sustains the injury described; in
which the tendons or coats of those muscles are strained and relaxed;
and as the extension has been more or less violent, so will the case be
more or less dangerous and perplexing.

Cases constantly occur, where, by a slip, a cavity in the road or
pavement, a rolling-stone, or any other cause, the leg of a horse is
unavoidably thrown into a distorted and unnatural position, from whence
ills ensue; the ligamentary junction, and muscular support, may be
singly or conjunctively injured, in proportion to the magnitude of the
cause by which the accident was sustained. In most occurrences of this
description, some difficulty arises in the endeavour to discover the
precise _seat_ of _injury_, which is not, by the most judicious and
observant investigator, always to be decisively ascertained: amidst such
doubts, strict examination should be made to discriminate with certainty
between a LAMENESS in the SHOULDER, and a _defect_ in the _foot_; and
this investigation is the more indispensibly necessary to be made,
because, in strict verification of the ancient adage, "Doctors differ,"
instances are numerous, where one practitioner _vehemently_ affirms the
lameness to be in _one part_, and his veterinarian opponent as
_violently_ pronounces it to be in another. There is, however, one kind
of clue, if properly attended to, which will generally lead to a ready
distinction between a lameness in the foot and an injury in the
shoulder; by getting twenty yards before the horse, so as to face him,
and having him brought forward with increased action, fixing the eye at
the foot, and bringing it gradually up to the chest, the imbecile effort
at the _point_ of the SHOULDER attended with pain, and the consequent
_bow_ or _drop_ of the _head_, (as if going to fall,) will evidently
demonstrate whether the seat of injury is there. On the contrary, in
most lamenesses of the FOOT, the subject makes an attempt rather to hop,
or to touch the earth lightly with the joint affected, than to give it
equal support with the rest upon the ground: a horse lame in the foot,
displays it most, the more he is ridden or driven; but a horse who has
received an injury in the shoulder, demonstrates it less and less, the
more he gets into a perspiration.


SIDE-SADDLE.—The saddle upon which women ride is so called. The injuries
horses sustain by the use of these saddles, when not properly attended
to, exceed conception. It is well known by those who are much in public,
and make their occasional observations as they ride, that most of the
women about the Metropolis (who, it may be presumed, are taught in the
schools) ride exceedingly _ill_, and to a spectator, most mortifyingly
_ungraceful_; or, in words more expressive and explanatory, they bear
near their _whole_ weight upon the swivel-clog _stirrup_ of the SADDLE,
and little or none upon the back of the horse. The evident effect of
this is, that the saddle, which should preserve a due and consistent
equilibrium, compulsively preponderates with the weight of the
injudicious RIDER, and has a constant bearing friction upon the WITHER
on the off side, from whence originates inflammation, bruise, tumor,
formation of matter, and not infrequently FISTULA, as a finishing
consolation to the concern. When a comparison is made between the
equestrian ability of the FINE LADIES in the environs of London, and the
_bounce-about_ self-taught damsels of the country, the former sink
extremely in comparative estimation. The best and most certain means of
insuring safety with a saddle of this description, is to have a hollow
on the inside the pad which comes in contact with the off side the
wither, so formed, as to admit of no bearing on that side at all. This
is readily accomplished, by ordering a vacuum of the size of an inverted
tea-cup, with elastic quilting to surround the edge, which taking a
regular, equal and circular bearing, so completely protects the wither,
that it is impossible an injury can be sustained.


SIGNS OF DISEASE—are various in horses, as influenced by the different
sensations originating in the peculiar disorder of which they are the
prognostics. One leading sign of internal pain or disquietude in a horse
is, the _refusal_ of his FOOD, a drooping of the _head_, a dulness of
the _eyes_, a general bodily _lassitude_, and a seeming dislike to
_action_. These are evident signs of indisposition, and should always
prove an immediate stimulus to necessary examination, which cannot be
made too soon, as many horses are totally lost for want of proper
attention at the commencement of disease. Those just mentioned, are not
considered symptoms of severity, or such as hold forth indications of
SPEEDY DANGER; but they are of consequence to justify such early
counteraction, as the nature of each particular case may render a matter
of prudence and precaution. Much information may be collected from the
state of the pulse, the warmth or coldness of the ears, the parching
heat, clammy viscidity, or fleshy smell of the mouth, the heaving of the
flank, the white or inflamed state of the eye-lids, and the glassy
appearance of the eyes themselves; all which appertain to cold, fever,
pleurisy, inflammation of the lungs, or affections of the liver. A
horse's being in excruciating pain, looking back to his flank
incessantly on either one side or the other, laying, or rather
_dropping_, down suddenly, extending his extremities to the utmost,
groaning at the same time, then raising his head as he lays, and
pointing the nose to his flank, rolling over in his stall, and hastily
rising, are all symptoms of cholic, and of that kind termed
inflammatory, occasioned by indurated excrements in the intestinal
canal, which, if not properly and expeditiously removed, produce
MORTIFICATION, and, of course, death.

If the body is greatly distended, having the same symptoms, it is then
called the flatulent cholic, and proceeds from the confined collection
and retention of _wind_; to the immediate relief of which, flank and
belly rubbing by two good strong men (one on each side) will greatly
contribute. Constantly striding, and endeavouring to stale without
success, denotes defect in the sphincter or neck of the bladder:
discharging the urine by dribblings, in small quantities, and often, may
be considered some injury sustained in the KIDNIES, particularly if the
urine is in any degree tinged with blood. Glandular tumefactions under
the jaws, with a soreness of the throat, if the horse is young, may be
supposed an attack of the strangles; if an aged horse, who is known to
have had _that_ disorder, GLANDERS may probably ensue. A dry parched
tongue, wrinkled at the sides with constant heat, is a palpable proof of
fever; a raw and fleshy smell from the same, confirms it: a putrid fœtid
smell from the nostrils, attended with a slimy discharge, equally
glutinous and offensive, denotes a consumption of the lungs. A horse
constantly dejected, with a gradually declining appetite, and
inattention to those about him, bearing his head constantly to his right
side, may be suspected of an inflammation of, or a tumefaction in, the
LIVER, affording an additional and strongly corroborating symptom, if
there is a palpable _yellowness_ upon the original white of the eyes.
This latter is also a distinguishing trait of jaundice.

Horses, when first attacked with fever, or an inflammation of the lungs,
are observed to have alternate fits of _shivering_ for the first two or
three hours. Although a horse's coat may be _rough_ and _hollow_ from a
cold stable, neglect, and ill looking after, it is sometimes a proof
that all is not right _within_. If a horse is observed to strike his
foot petulantly, and repeatedly, against his belly, threatenings of
CHOLIC may be apprehended: but if at the same time he frisks his tail,
and draws it in close to his quarters, irritation in the rectum is the
cause; and the pain in the body, and itching at the anus, are produced
by WORMS. In addition to the signs of disease, a few words may be
applicable upon the signs of health; and although the horse's VIGOUR,
STRENGTH, and SPIRITS, will, upon nearly all occasions, unerringly
demonstrate this, yet some few shades of instruction and precaution may
be acquired from a little attention to the secretions of, and discharges
from, the body.

A HORSE or MARE in high health, seldom varies much in the colors or
quantities of what are termed the excrementitious discharges from the
body; as they are in general a tolerable criterion of the real state it
is in. The dung from a horse in good condition for work, free from a
viscid or diseased affection of the blood, and the various disorders and
humours dependent thereupon, will be mostly observed of a pale yellow,
moderately united in firm bright globules, rather brittle than adhesive,
with a shining slippery surface, but perfectly free from a glutinous
viscid slime. If the dung is _hard_, _black_, and _offensive_, when it
falls, the body is overloaded, the habit is costive, and it has been too
long retained; if covered with the gluey slime before described, it is a
sufficient proof of internal foulness, and most probably of impending
disease. When a horse is labouring under a dangerous disease, some
occasional assisting information may be derived from the URINE as it
_falls_, and much more if caught, and set by to subside. If it comes
away limpid and colourless, remaining in that state after being set by,
it is not considered a symptom of a very favourable complexion; but if
it comes away red, or of a turbid yellow, with an oily skin upon its
surface, and afterwards deposits a kind of brickdust sediment, with a
kind of strong or terebinthinate effluvia, it may be considered a good
sign, and is very frequently the harbinger of a _speedy_ recovery.

If, during the progress and various changes of disease, it should assume
different appearances, first of the healthy, and then the opposite
aspect, the case is doubtful, and danger may be apprehended; as it
affords sufficient demonstration, there is a powerful struggle in the
system, and the morbid miasma is not subdued. The best state of a
horse's urine, when in HEALTH and CONDITION, is of a yellowish tinge,
moderate consistence, a strong smell, rather grateful than offensive,
and a penetrating property: these, in the aggregate, may be concluded
indications of _spirits_, _strength_, and _vigour_; the reverse, (in any
serious degree,) slight symptoms of disquietude, or impending disease.
After all the inculcations that can possibly be introduced under this
head, the most judicious and experienced practitioner will sometimes
find it extremely difficult to distinguish, with certainty, between one
internal disease and another; having nothing to assist him in the
discovery but his own judgment, and the most predominant symptoms at the
_moment_, many of which are common to other diseases. Notwithstanding
these uncertainties, and the doubts which may arise between one and the
other, it is the duty of every Veterinarian to acquire as perfect a
knowledge as possible of DIAGNOSTICS; for although his incessant
inquiries may not render him an _infallible_ guide in every case without
exception, it will afford him the gratification of a distinguished
superiority over those who have neglected to avail themselves of the
same advantages.


SINEWS—is the fashionable and common term for the tendinous coat of the
muscles extending from the back of a horse's knee to the fetlock joint,
when which is in any degree elongated by _strain_, _twist_, or any other
accident, the horse is then said to be broken down in the BACK SINEWS.
The sinews or tendons are liable at all times to violent spasmodic
contractions (see CRAMP) not only in any one of the extremities, but
throughout the whole body; the immediate and remote causes of which are
hitherto undiscovered, and will most probably remain so, in respect to
_certainty_; although there are not wanting speculators of _mental
fertility_, who attribute them to various causes, without having,
perhaps, in the whole number, fixed upon the _right_. One class of these
_suppose_, convulsive contractions of the tendons are occasioned by
_surfeits_, or the want of proper evacuation; another, from too
plentiful and repeated bleedings, too violent purgings, or too hard
labour; assigning for a reason, "that these fill the _hollowness_ of the
SINEWS with cold windy vapours, which are the only great causes of
convulsions." Where they occur from accidental causes, and casual
injuries, as in wounds, perforations, or instrumental incisions, the
origin is obvious, and in a certain degree points out the immediate road
to local relief. When a tendon has been in part divided, or only
punctured, a succession of painful and most alarming symptoms invariably
ensue, and relief can only be obtained by early application to the best
opinion, and most experienced judgment, that can be produced; with the
very slender and mortifying consolation, that not one in twenty (if
severely injured) ever after proves of any permanent utility.


SIR PETER TEAZLE,—the name of the most celebrated STALLION at present in
the kingdom; his blood, performances, and progeny, being reckoned
inferior to none, and superior to most of those who have ever appeared
upon the turf. He was foaled in 1784; bred by the EARL of DERBY, got by
_Highflyer_, dam (_Papillon_) by _Snap_, grand-dam by _Regulus_, who was
got by the GODOLPHIN ARABIAN. At three and four years old he was the
best of his time, beating every opponent, and winning stakes to a great
amount. The second day of the Craven Meeting at NEWMARKET in 1789, when
four years old, he won a subscription of 50 guineas each; beating
_Meteor_, _Pegasus_, and _Gunpowder_; and received forfeit from
_Bustler_, _Rockingham_, _Poker_, _Patrick_, _Schoolboy_, _Harlot_, and
three others. In the first October meeting of the same year, he broke
down, when running against _Cardock_, _Driver_, _Schoolboy_, and
_Gunpowder_, with the odds in his favour; immediately after which he was
announced as a stallion for the ensuing year at 10 guineas a mare, and
half a guinea the groom. In 1794 his get began to appear. A bay filly of
Mr. Clifton's won 120 guineas at Catterick, and 140 guineas at
Knutsford. Another of Mr. Tarleton's won 100 guineas at Preston, and
40_l._ 10_s._ at Nottingham; and the afterwards celebrated _Hermione_
won 80 guineas at Newmarket, the Oaks stakes of 50 guineas each (31
subscribers) at Epsom, 50_l._ at Lewes, and 50_l._ at Reading.

In 1795, _nine_ winners appeared, amongst whom _Hermione_ (then MR.
DURAND'S) won 100 guineas at Epsom; the gold cup, 40 guineas, and 100
guineas at Oxford; 45 guineas at Egham, and the Queen's 100 guineas at
Chelmsford.

In 1796 _twelve_ winners started. _Ambrosio_ (three years old) won 150
guineas, and 50_l._ at York; 275 guineas at the same place; and the St.
Leger stakes of 25 guineas each (15 subscribers) at Doncaster. _Brass_
won 300 guineas, and 50 guineas, at Newmarket. A brown colt of Sir F.
Standish's won 200 guineas, and the Prince's stakes of 500 guineas, at
the same. _Hermione_ won the two King's plates at Newmarket, and 50_l._
at Guildford. _Parisot_ won the Oaks stakes at Epsom, 50 guineas each,
42 subscribers.

In 1797 his reputation as a stallion continued increasing; eleven of his
produce obtained 33 stakes, plates, &c. _Ambrosio_ won the first class
of the Oatland stakes of 50 guineas each, (12 subscribers,) beating
_Stickler_, _Gabriel_, _Play or Pay_, _Frederick_, _Trumpeter_,
_Parrot_, and _Cannons_; 100 guineas, and 200 guineas, at Newmarket.
_Hermione_ won the third class of the Oatlands, 50 guineas each, (12
subscribers,) beating five others; and the King's plate at Newmarket,
and 50_l._ at Epsom; the King's plate, and 60 guineas, at Lewes; and the
King's 100 guineas at Canterbury and at Warwick. _Honest John_, 100
guineas at York, and 100 guineas at Richmond. _Petrina_ won three
fifties at Newcastle, Knutsford, and Northampton. _Shepherd_, two
fifties at Durham. _Stamford_ (3 years old) 200 guineas, and 150
guineas, at Newmarket, 200 guineas at Epsom, 280 guineas at Stamford,
and the gold cup at Doncaster. _Welshman_ won 100 guineas at Chester,
50_l._ and 50 guineas, at Knutsford, and a sweepstakes at Tarporley.

In 1798, _Ambrosio_ won eight stakes and plates, amounting to 1625
guineas. _Black George_ won 180 guineas, and 150 guineas, at Chester, 45
guineas at Newcastle, and 50_l._ at Knutsford. _Demon_, 100 guineas at
Chester, and 60 guineas at Tarporley. _Honest John_, 200 guineas at
York, and 134_l._ at Richmond. _Pentacrue_, 50_l._ at Dumfries, and
50_l._ at Ayr. _Petrina_, the gold cup at Chesterfield, and the King's
100 guineas at Lincoln. _Sir Harry_ (three years old) the Derby stakes
at Epsom, 50 guineas each, 37 subscribers. _Stamford_, 233_l._ 15_s._
and the Ladies' Plate at York; the gold cup, and 100_l._ at Doncaster.

In 1799 seventeen started, who were the winners of 37 subscriptions,
sweepstakes, and plates. _Ambrosio_ won 50_l._ at Newmarket, 225_l._ at
York, and 200 guineas at Doncaster. _Archduke_ (three years old) won 400
guineas at Newmarket, and the Derby stakes, 50 guineas each, 33
subscribers, at Epsom. _Black George_, 50 guineas at Newcastle, and 70
guineas at Litchfield. _Expectation_ (three years old) 100 guineas and a
handicap plate at Newmarket. _Fanny_, 140 guineas at Doncaster.
_Knowsley_, 60 guineas at Catterick; 120 guineas, and the stand plate,
at York. _Lady Jane_, 25 guineas at Preston, two fifties at Cardiff,
50_l._ at Hereford, and 50_l._ at Abingdon. _Parisot_, 800 guineas at
Newmarket. _Petrina_, 50_l._ at Warwick, and 50_l._ at Shrewsbury.
_Polyphemus_, 50_l._ at Shawbury, and 50_l._ at Northampton. _Princess_,
50_l._ at Epsom, 50_l._ at Brighton, and 50_l._ at Reading.
_Push-forward_, 50_l._ at Penrith, and 50_l._ at Carlisle. _Roxana_, 100
guineas at Catterick, 300 guineas, and 100 guineas, at York, and 80
guineas at Beverley. _Sir Harry_, the Claret stakes of 1100 guineas at
Newmarket. _Stamford_, the King's 100 guineas and the Ladies' Plate at
York.

His constantly increasing reputation as a stallion produced an annual
increase of winners. In 1800 fifteen of his get started, and were the
winners of _thirty-nine_ sweepstakes, subscriptions, matches, and
plates; the principal of which were, _Agonistes_, (three years old) 140
guineas at York, 220 guineas at Newcastle, the produce stakes of 100
guineas each at Preston, and 160 guineas at Malton. _Expectation_ (then
four years old) won _ten_ prizes, 150 guineas, 35 guineas, 32½ guineas,
and 25 guineas, at Newmarket; 50 guineas, and the Jockey Club Plate, at
the same; the Pavilion stakes of 25 guineas each (6 subscribers) at
Brighton; 200 guineas, and 60 guineas, at Lewes, and the Gold Cup at
Oxford. _Fanny_, the great produce sweepstakes of 100 guineas each at
York, (22 subscribers;) seven she beat, and fourteen paid half forfeit,
so that she won 1400 guineas in less than eight minutes. _Knowsley_ (the
Prince of Wales's) won the King's 100 guineas at Guildford, Winchester,
Lewes, and Litchfield, with 80 guineas also at Lewes. _Robin
Red-breast_, 50_l._ at Bridgenorth, 50_l._ at Newcastle, 50_l._ at
Nantwich, the King's 100 guineas at Warwick, and 50_l._ at Litchfield.
_Sir Harry_, 200 guineas, and 550 guineas. _Sir Solomon_ made a very
conspicuous figure, as will be seen under that distinct head.

In 1801 and 1802 he seems to have attained, in his progeny, the very
summit of all possible celebrity: during the former there appeared
fifteen of his produce, who were the winners of 44 sweepstakes,
subscriptions, and plates, of which the most eminent were _Agonistes_,
who won 100 guineas at Newcastle, the King's Plate, 216_l._ 5_s._ and
the Ladies Plate, at York; the Gold Cup, of 170 guineas value, at
Richmond; 120 guineas at Malton, and the King's 100 guineas at Carlisle.
_Haphazard_, 90 guineas at Catterick, 50_l._ at Preston, 60_l._ at
Knutsford, 50_l._ at Pontefract, 100_l._ at Doncaster, and 50_l._ at
Carlisle. _Lancaster_, 50 guineas at York, two fifties and 100 guineas
at Morpeth. _Lucan_, 100 guineas at Newmarket. _Sir Harry_, 400 guineas,
and 50 guineas, at Newmarket, 235 guineas at Ascot, and the King's Plate
at Winchester. _Telegraph_, 100 guineas, and 50_l._ at Newmarket, and 45
guineas at Bibury.

In the last year, 1802, sixteen of his get were the winners of 41
prizes; of which _Agonistes_ won 1000 guineas at Newcastle.
_Attainment_, 50_l._ at Newcastle, and 45_l._ at Nantwich. _Duxbury_,
250 guineas, and 100 guineas, at Newmarket. _Haphazard_, 50 guineas at
Catterick, 250 guineas, and 268_l._ 15_s._ at York, 92_l._ at Richmond,
the Doncaster stakes of 10 guineas each (13 subscribers) with 20 guineas
added by the Corporation of Doncaster, and the King's Plate of 100
guineas at Carlisle. _Lancaster_, 50_l._ at Middleham, 50_l._ at
Manchester, 150 guineas at York, 50_l._ and 50 guineas at Preston.
_Lethe_, 1000 guineas, and 50_l._ at York, 1000 guineas at Edinburgh,
and 100_l._ at Montrose. _Lucan_, 50_l._ at Newmarket, 130 guineas at
Bibury, 50_l._ at Oxford, 50_l._ at Bedford, and 50_l._ at Newmarket.
_Pipylin_, 150 guineas at Newmarket, and 65_l._ 15_s._ at Nottingham.
_Ransom_, 50_l._ at Stamford, and 50_l._ at Canterbury. _Robin
Red-Breast_, 100 guineas at Newmarket. _Sir Simon_, 50 guineas, and 25
guineas, at Goodwood: and _Wilkes_, 50 guineas at Newmarket.

Thus the united blood of _Herod_, _Blank_, _Snap_, and _Regulus_, are
proved equal, if not superior, to every other junction or cross ever
introduced. SIR PETER TEAZLE is now only nine years old, in high health,
and just announced to cover the present season (1803) forty-five mares
at Knowsley, near Prescot, Lancashire, at FIFTEEN GUINEAS each mare, and
fifteen shillings the groom.


SIR SOLOMON,—the name of a horse of much recent racing reputation: he
was got by SIR PETER TEAZLE, dam (_Matron_) by _Florizel_, who was got
by _Herod_. _Sir Solomon_ was bred by Earl Fitzwilliam, foaled in 1796,
and started for _six_ different three year old stakes, (in the name of
_Tankersley_,) always running in a capital form, and in a good place,
but without winning once in that year. He was then purchased by MR.
JOHNSON, and started 1800 for the King's Plate at Nottingham (with his
new name) which he won easy, beating _Welter_, _Honeycomb_, and
_Coniac_; and the next day a 50_l._ plate. At York he won the King's
hundred, beating _Applegarth_, and _Honeycomb_. In 1801, he won five
times out of the six stakes and plates he started for. He won the Stand
Plate at York, beating those famous horses _Chance_, _Cockboat_, and
_Timothy_; the King's Plate at Newcastle, with the gold cup and 130
guineas at the same; the gold cup at Nottingham, and 500 guineas at
Doncaster. In 1802 he won the gold cup, value 100 guineas, and 60
guineas in specie, at Newcastle. A subscription of 25 guineas each, nine
subscribers, and 268_l._ 15_s._ at York, (beating the famous
_Cockfighter_,) 50_l._ and 70 guineas, at Lincoln. He was since
purchased by Mr. Lumley Saville, and is announced to cover the present
season, 1803, (10 guineas a mare, and 10_s._ 6_d._ the groom,) at
Rufford, in Nottinghamshire.


SITFAST.—A sitfast is an eschar upon the side of a horse, which having
been originally a warble, from the pressure and friction of the
girth-buckle, (indiscreetly permitted to come upon, or near to, the edge
of the pad,) is, by a repetition of the injury, converted into a
_sitfast_; or, in terms of easier comprehension, a circular or oblong
space of the integument, so completely cauterized by the repeated heat
and friction, that it bears all the appearance of a piece of burnt
leather inserted upon the spot. When, by carelessness and neglect, it
has acquired the state now described, there is but one mode of cure,
which is instrumental extirpation. The edge being raised so as to admit
of being taken hold of by either FORCEPS, or common PINCERS, it may be
separated from the substance to which it adheres, by any common
operator, and healed in a few days, almost as soon, and with as little
difficulty, as the most trifling and superficial laceration.


SKITTISH.—A horse is said to be SKITTISH, who is considerably above
himself both in _spirit_ and _condition_; displaying much more of
pleasure in exercise, and the enjoyment of air and conditional freedom,
(from the narrow confines of a stable,) than the least tendency to
habitual _vice_. A skittish horse will jump two or three feet at the
flight of a sparrow, or dance a _saraband_ upon the rumbling approach of
a carriage: he is (unless weary with work) always alive with _gaiety_
and _motion_, without the least intentional injury to those who ride or
drive him. There are those who confound the terms, and consider a
SKITTISH and a STARTING horse one and the same thing; but they are in
the eye of accuracy by no means _synonymous_.


SKYSCRAPER,—the name of a horse of much present celebrity: he was bred
by the late DUKE of BEDFORD, and got by _Highflyer_ out of
_Everlasting_. In the Craven Meeting, at Newmarket, 1789, when two years
old, he received forfeit from three for a sweepstakes of 200 guineas
each across the flat. The same Meeting he beat Mr. Fox's _Maid of all
Work_ across the flat for 500 guineas. The second Spring Meeting (then
three years old) he won the Prince's Stakes of 100 guineas each, eight
subscribers; the Derby Stakes at Epsom, 50 guineas each, thirty
subscribers. At the same place he received 70 guineas compromise from
the Earl of Egremont's _Tag_. In the first October Meeting he received
250 guineas forfeit from Mr. Ladbroke's _Magpie_, two middle miles of
Beacon Course, for 500 guineas, half forfeit. In the second October
Meeting he won a sweepstakes of 100 guineas each, from the Ditch-in,
nine subscribers. The next day he won the 50_l._ Plate for three year
olds, beating _nine_ others. The same week he received 122½ guineas
forfeit in a Post Match with Lord Derby. In the Houghton Meeting he
received 130 guineas compromise from Mr. Fox's _Sister to Lethe_, 300
guineas, _half forfeit_. The same week he received 130 guineas
compromise from Mr. Fox's _Braggadocio_, across the flat, for 300
guineas, _half forfeit_.

In 1790, at the first Spring Meeting, he won the Jockey Stakes of 100
guineas each, (half forfeit,) fourteen subscribers, of which nine paid
forfeit. In the same week for the Claret Stakes of 200 guineas each,
_half forfeit_, he received from his Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales's _Sujah ul Dowlah_, his Royal Highness the Prince's _Deir Sing_,
Duke of Orleans's _Jericho_, Lord Egremont's _Calomel_, and Sir C.
Bunbury's _Glaucus_. In the first October Meeting he received 100
guineas forfeit from _Montezuma_. In the same Meeting he won half a
subscription of 30 guineas each, (seven subscribers,) beating the famous
_Escape_, then the property of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

In the first Spring Meeting of 1791, he won the renewed 1400 guineas, a
subscription of 200 guineas each, half forfeit; beating _Pipator_;
fourteen having paid forfeit. In the second Spring Meeting he received
150 guineas forfeit of four, for a sweepstakes of 300 guineas each, over
the Beacon. The first Spring Meeting, 1792, he won the King's Plate at
Newmarket, beating those famous horses _Coriander_, _Gustavus_, and
_Toby_, with the odds ten to one against him at starting. At Stockbridge
he won 50_l._ beating _Thalia_. He won the King's Plate at Winchester;
walked over for a sweepstakes of 10 guineas each, five subscribers, at
Bedford; won the King's Hundred in the first October Meeting at
Newmarket, beating _Skylark_; and in the second a subscription of 60
guineas, beating _Skylark_ and _Espersykes_, with the odds against him
at starting. In 1793 he started but twice, and was beat each time by the
celebrated _Coriander_. In 1794, on the first day of the first Spring
Meeting at Newmarket, he won a 50_l._ plate, beating _Serpent_ and _No
Pretender_; about which time the DUKE of BEDFORD beginning to reduce his
racing establishment, _Skyscraper_ appeared no more on the turf. He has
hitherto covered at Woburn Abbey, in Bedfordshire; but is now announced
for the ensuing season, 1803, at Tytherton, near Chippenham, Wilts, at
TEN GUINEAS a mare, and _half a guinea_ the groom.


SLOT.—The impression of a deer's foot upon the earth, so as to be
perceptible, is then called _a slot_; and when, in consequence of
storms, rain, sleet, or extreme drought, the hounds cannot carry on the
scent, the huntsman and his assistants have no alternative, but to avail
themselves of every possible clue and information from the SLOT, to
prevent the disgrace of the HOUNDS being _beat_, and the deer _lost_.


SMITHFIELD—is the name of a most celebrated spot in the Metropolis, from
which a SPORTSMAN is not likely to derive either _pleasure_ or
_emolument_; unless it is in the purchase of diseased or emaciated
subjects for his HOUNDS. To those in remote parts of the kingdom, it may
not be inapplicable to be informed, that Smithfield is the great CATTLE
MARKET for the consumption of the infinite body of inhabitants in the
cities of London, Westminster, their suburbs, and the environs for some
miles round. The principal days are MONDAY and FRIDAY in every week; on
which some hundreds of OXEN, in a state of perfection for slaughter, and
thousands of SHEEP and LAMBS, are constantly transferred to supply the
immense demand. The afternoons of those days are principally
appropriated to the purchase and sale of _aged_, _crippled_, and
_worn-out_ horses; the greater part of whom are only fit to receive
sentence from the INSPECTOR, previous to their being delivered to the
_nacker_, (or slaughterman,) unless it is _some few_, with still
remaining strength enough to drag the carts of the industrious about the
inferior streets, with a supply of vegetables in the summer, and
potatoes in the winter, for the accommodation of the lower classes of
society.


SNAFFLE.—The simplest and plainest BRIDLE-BIT is so called: it consists
of only a single mouthpiece, having a joint in the middle, with a cheek
of different lengths at each extremity, and an eye annexed to receive
the reins; when which are added, it is then called a SNAFFLE (or
single-reined) BRIDLE. When snaffle-bits are made very large in the
mouth for breaking colts or fillies, they are then called MOUTHING-BITS.


SNAP,—the name of a horse, as a STALLION, formerly held in high
estimation: he was bred by the late EARL of SANDWICH; foaled in 1750;
got by _Snip_; dam by _Fox_, grand-dam by _Bay Bolton_; from which the
blood of both sire and dam may be traced to most of the Barbs and Turks
ever brought to this country. There were also three others of this name,
distinguished by different appellations; as Lord Chedworth's _Snap_;
Wildman's _Snap_; and Latham's _Snap_. The first was got by _Old_
_Snap_; his dam by _Dormouse_, grand-dam by _Mixbury_. The second by
_Old Snap_; dam by _Regulus_, grand-dam by Bartlet's _Childers_; going
on both sides directly into Arabian blood. The third by _Snap_, dam by
_Cade_, grand-dam by _Old Partner_.


SNIPES—are well known to the sporting world in winter shooting, and are
of two sorts; one nearly as large again as the other, though precisely
the same in shape, make, feather, and formation. They frequent the same
places, subsist on the same food, and are frequently found near to each
other. The larger is called a _whole snipe_; the smaller, a _Jack_; the
latter of which is not very easily killed, at least by an indifferent
shot; of which some proof was recently given by a gentleman of
Easthampstead, in Windsor Forest, who very warmly entertained his friend
with a description of "a _Jack snipe_ he had found upon the heath, which
had afforded him sport for _six weeks_; and he did not at all doubt but
he would serve him for sport during the season, if he was not _taken
off_ by a frost; and what was still more _convenient_, he always knew
where to find him within a hundred yards of the same place." They are
birds of passage, supposed to breed principally in the lower lands of
Switzerland and Germany, though some (particularly the _Jacks_) remain
and breed in the fens and marshy swamps of this country, where their
nests with eggs and young are frequently found. They arrive here sooner
or later in the Autumn, regulated in respect to time by the wind and
weather, but never appear till after the first rains; and leave this
country in the spring, so soon as the warmer sun begins to absorb or
exhale the moisture from the earth, and denote the approach of
Summer.—See SHOOTING.


SNORTING.—is a cartilaginous propulsion of sound from the nostrils of a
horse, which he avails himself of at different times, to signify
sensations _seemingly_ opposite to each other. Upon being led from the
light, through a gloomy passage, to a still more gloomy stable, he is
frequently observed to SNORT either from fear or surprize; meeting or
coming suddenly upon a new, strange or unnatural object, he snorts from
absolute dread of injury; taken into a stable or out-house smelling
musty, from foul dung and confined air, he snorts with dislike, and
enters with reluctance: but snorting in the field at exercise, or in the
CHASE with HOUNDS, may each be considered a proof of pleasurable
gratification.


SOILING,—in the more confined signification, applies merely to the
supplying a horse with grass, clover, tares, lucern, fain-foin, or rye,
cut green, and brought to the stable for his daily consumption; but in a
more general acceptation it extends to the act of turning him out in a
plentiful pasture, and in the genial season, when and where he may enjoy
all the advantages of which the frame is susceptible. It cannot but be
known, that liberty, so dear to us, and to every part of the creation,
must be equally so to the horse: to have his limbs free from restraint,
to expand his frame, and roll upon the earth, to snort and snuff the
ambient air, and to have his coat cleansed and purified by the dew of
heaven, is to the horse a state of nature, and a life of luxury. Thus
free and uncontrouled, although they are equally subject to, yet they
are seldom known to be afflicted with pain or disease, in any degree
equal to those who are confined within the limits of a small and
offensive stable.

To constitute occasional revulsion, to correct acrimony in the blood, to
purify the juices, to invigorate the frame, and reanimate the system, it
is absolutely necessary the horse should have his annual run of _six
weeks_ or two months in a luxuriant pasture, and at a proper season of
the year, if either his frame or health is thought worthy protection. In
the Metropolis, and in large towns, where the environs are entirely
appropriated to HAY FARMERS and COW-KEEPERS, no such convenience can
probably be obtained for any pecuniary consideration whatever; in which
predicament the only alternative to be adopted, is to supply them with
green food daily, and this is termed SOILING in the STABLE. Even this
process, simple as it is, requires some previous precaution. The article
with which the Metropolis, and other cities and large towns, are
supplied, are mostly _tares_, (in some countries called _vetches_;)
though _clover_ is at some-times, and in some places, to be procured;
but whether one, or the other, it is absolutely necessary the supplies
should be fresh, and, if possible, never more than thirty or
six-and-thirty hours off the scythe; from which time (particularly if
laid in a heap) they begin to heat exceedingly fast; and when once the
juices are exhaled, become tough, turn black, and rapidly approach
putrefaction.

This, however, must be admitted a very inferior substitute for natural
pasture; as repeated experiments, and constant observation, hesitate not
to pronounce the NATIVE (in its nutritive and exhilarating property)
superior to every _artificial_ grass hitherto introduced. The quantities
of the latter grown in various parts of the kingdom (and in some it
cannot be avoided) is immense; but no doubt need be entertained of the
nutritious superiority of the native meadow grass, whether green or dry,
if it is cleanly cultivated, and well got in. It is very much the custom
in and about London, to send horses to what are called the SALT MARSHES
in Essex, from whence some arrive in tolerable condition; but where,
from their contiguity to town, or other causes, the land is overstocked,
and the summer dry, they come up in a state of wretched emaciation, as
if passing in mournful procession to some neighbouring dog kennel. Those
marshes, at a proper distance from town, where they are free from
offensive filth, and the pasture plentiful, are remarkable for their
peculiar property of attenuation, in altering the property of the blood,
promoting the secretions, purifying the system, and invigorating the
frame. They are well known to act as perfectly as the most powerful
antimonial or mercurial alterative, in obliterating the remains of
cutaneous disease; and this is readily accounted for by their first
effects, which is for many days equal to a state of medical purgation;
to which, however, the subject soon becomes superior in health,
strength, and an accumulation of flesh; demonstrating the process to
have been a very salutary interposition.

Those who wish their horses to avail themselves of every advantage to be
derived from SOILING, will certainly retain it in memory, that TWO
months in the prime and _early_ part of the season, will be preferable
to THREE at the _latter_ end: a dry summer, short pasture, and the
infinity of flies, and other insects, constitute a very sensible
drawback upon the privilege of liberty, as well as upon the restoration
of FLESH, and the renovation of STRENGTH. Horses in a plethoric state,
with a cough, full of blood, or the relics of disease about them, will
most likely come up in a much worse state than when turned out. Horses
of this description should undergo _bleeding_, and proper evacuations,
previous to their being set at liberty; as the nocturnal collapsion of
the porous system might probably repel the perspirative matter upon the
overloaded vessels, and thereby render the remedy (in _turning out_)
worse than the disease.

What is termed a _winter's run_, although attended with promised
advantages in some respects, is not without the chance of loss, anxiety,
vexation, and expence, in others: _frozen_ limbs, and an _empty_
carcase, are not calculated much for the promotion of flesh, strength,
or purity of condition. A horse, by such, is in possession of his
_shivering_ liberty, perhaps in some contracted spot, wretchedly
despondent over the effluvia of his own excrements, 'tis true; but how
far that may compensate for the want of shelter, food, care, and
attention, in the most severe, dreadful and dreary season of the year,
must be left entirely to the decision of those whose _pecuniary_
sensations may prompt them to make the experiment.


SOLE.—The external part of a horse's foot so called is at the bottom,
and situate between the _frog_ in the center, and the _wall_ or
_bearing_ which totally surrounds the outside. This will be the more
perfectly understood by referring to Fig. 2. of the letter A in the
Plate of "DEMONSTRATIVE SHOEING," where the SOLE, the WALL, and the
FROG, being accurately represented, will collaterally explain themselves
in the following description. The _outer_ sole (as it is called in
contra-distinction to the _inner_, which is its membranous lining) is a
sound and horny substance; but not so very firm and impenetrable in its
texture, as the hoof, by which it is surrounded, and is evidently
intended as a protection to the inferior structure of the foot. The
sole, to assist generally in constituting what is considered a
well-formed and substantial foot, should be thick, strong, and inclining
much more to a hollow, than the least appearance of _prominence_; for
when a shoe is well set, no bearing whatever should be sustained by the
sole, but the whole must positively rest upon the _crust_ or _wall_ of
the hoof, which may be seen in the line of articulation accurately
represented upon the Plate; where, on the inside of the circle, will be
observed the sole, Fig. 2. on the outer, the wall or crust, Fig. 1. When
the bottom of the foot has what is termed a crowned sole, with a
prominence similar to the convex side of an oyster shell, and the sole
projecting above the circular wall of the hoof, the horse is tender,
sometimes halts, and is tardy in progress: such horses are said to be
_fleshy-footed_, and require great care and attention in shoeing; and
unless the shoe is properly arched or hollowed within, to take off every
chance of pressure from the prominent sole, pain and subsequent lameness
must inevitably ensue.


SORREL—is the colour by which certain horses are distinguished, and
might, without any degree of inconsistency, be termed a _red chesnut_:
they are a colour nearly between a bright bay and a yellow chesnut,
giving and taking a tinge or shade either way, having invariably manes
and tails red or white. When tolerably well bred, of handsome shape,
make, and symmetry, with full silver mane and tail, they are majestic,
commanding figures, and are, in general, secured as cavalry chargers for
field officers, when they are to be obtained of size and strength for
the purpose.


SOUNDNESS,—in a horse, is of such extensive meaning, and infinite
importance to the sporting world, to dealers in horses, and to
individual purchasers, that it is exceedingly necessary some criterion
should be fixed by which its present _undefined_ meaning should be more
properly and more equitably understood; for want of which, more
litigation is carried into the Courts at Westminster for the emolument
and amusement of the Gentlemen of the Long-robe, than any other subject
whatever, the constantly increasing evil of _crim. con._ excepted. The
general custom between BUYER and SELLER is precisely this; the horse is
sold with or without certain conditions in respect to SOUNDNESS, and
this is done by what is called a WARRANTY on the part of the seller
thus: "He is warranted perfectly _sound_, free from _vice_ or _blemish_,
and quiet to _ride_, or _draw_," as either or both the latter may happen
to be. A horse sold without a warranty, and _taken as he is_, is then
purchased (and the purchase abided by) with all faults, and cannot be
returned under any plea whatever, unless he can be proved to have been
glandered at the time of purchase, in which state no horse can be
_legally_ sold.

In the strict and equitable sense of the word, a horse, to be _perfectly
sound_, should be _completely perfect_: he should have no obstruction to
_sight_, no impediment to _action_, but be in an acknowledged slate of
natural purity; neither _diseased_, _lame_, _blind_, or _broken-winded_:
he should not only be free from impediment at the time of sale, but
_bona fide_ never known to have been otherwise. Some there are who
support a different opinion, and conceive (or pretend so to do) that a
horse may be sold warranted perfectly sound, after he has recovered from
a palpable lameness: those should recollect, that such horse is always
liable to a relapse, or repetition of the injury; and whoever becomes so
obstinate as to defend an action brought under such circumstance, will
certainly feel the mortification of having a VERDICT pronounced
_against_ him, so soon as sufficient evidence has proved such horse to
have been _lame_ at any time whatever _previous_ to the purchase.

Some years since, a late Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench
laid it down as a rule, and promulgated the opinion, from the bench
during a trial then pending, that TWENTY POUNDS was a good and
sufficient price for a SOUND HORSE; and whether a _warranty_ was or was
not given, was totally immaterial: that sum implied a warranty, not only
for the horse's soundness at the time of his being then sold, but that
he should continue so for _at least_ three months afterwards; a
declaration so truly ridiculous in itself, and so void of every
principle of equity, that any man, to make it now, would lay
indisputable claim to the appellation of FOOL or MADMAN.


SPANIEL—is the name of a dog of which there are different kinds; and
even these have been so repeatedly crossed, that, unless it is in the
possession of sportsmen who have been careful in preserving the purity
of the breed perfectly free from _casual_ contamination, the well-bred
genuine _cocking_ Spaniel is difficult to obtain. There are four
distinct kinds of dog passing under this denomination; the large _water
Spaniel_, and a smaller of the same sort. Of _land Spaniels_ there are
two kinds also; the one larger than the other, much stronger in the
bone, but with curly waves in the hair; and the small yellow pied
springing Spaniel, (used in pheasant and cock shooting,) whose hair is
rather long, soft, and delicately pliable, with ears of the same
description, reaching, when extended, beyond the point of the nose. The
two kinds first mentioned are chiefly confined to the purposes of wild
fowl shooting, in moors, marshes, and the neighbourhood of rivers; where
ducks, wigeons, teal, coots, moor-hens, dab-chicks, and snipes, are to
be found; to all which they are particularly appropriate; not more for
their indefatigable industry in _finding_ the game, than for their
surmounting every obstacle to recover it, and bring it to hand when
_killed_. They are also of most wonderful sagacity, fidelity, and
observation; their olfactory sensations almost exceed belief, by which
alone they are taught the most incredible performances. Sticks, gloves,
handkerchiefs, coin, or any other article left some miles behind by the
owner upon the road, or any remote spot, (totally unknown to them,) they
will retrace to any distance upon a signal being given with the hand,
and never relinquish the search till they bring it safe to their master.

The large _springing_ Spaniel, and small _Cocker_, although they vary in
size, differ but little in their qualifications, except that the former
is rather slower in action; neither catching the scent of the game so
suddenly as the latter, or seeming to enjoy it with the same extatic
enthusiasm when found. The small cocking Spaniel has also the advantage
of getting through the low bushy covert with much less difficulty than
the larger Spaniel, and does not tire so soon, whatever may have been
the _length_ and _labour_ of the day. Spaniels of each description are
frequently used as finders in COURSING with GREYHOUNDS, and are
indefatigable in their exertions: from the time they are thrown off in
pursuit of game, the tail is in a perpetual motion, (called feathering,)
by the increasing vibration of which, an experienced sportsman well
knows when he gets nearer the object of attraction. The nearer he
approaches it, the more violent he becomes in his endeavours to succeed;
tremulative whimpers escape him as a matter of _doubt_; but the moment
that doubt's dispelled, his clamorous raptures break forth in full
confirmation of the gratification he receives. And this proclamation may
be so firmly relied on, (though in the midst of the thickest covert,)
that the happy owner may exultingly boast he is in the possession of one
faithful domestic who never tells a lie.

As it is the impulsive principle of this animal to give the most
outrageous proof of joy upon finding, or coming upon the foot or haunt
of game, so it is his determined disposition never to relax in his
perseverance till he brings it _to view_. It is therefore necessary for
all young and inexperienced sportsmen, who take the field with Spaniels,
not to be too tardy in their own motions, but to let their agility keep
pace with the incessant activity of their canine companions, without
which they may expect to cover many a weary mile without a successful
shot. Spaniels, when broke for the field, should never be taken out more
than one young dog at a time, and that in company with one or more old
and seasoned dogs, to whom they will mostly attend in every action, and
the sooner acquire the necessary knowledge of the business they are
engaged in. If young dogs are taken out alone, and in too great number,
their great eagerness, and emulative opposition, frequently occasions
them (particularly in covert, where they are safe from correction) to
hunt or chase _one_ thing for want of finding _another_; and in the
event of not being corrected when necessary, to become uncertain
_babblers_, and never to be relied upon. The judicious and experienced
sportsman will never be seen to hunt SPANIELS with POINTERS either in or
out of covert; for, although it can do little or no injury to the
former, it may very materially warp the _integrity_, if not totally
destroy the principles of the latter.


SPARRING—is a ceremony practised with game cocks during the time they
are in feeding (alias training) to fight in any MAIN or MATCH, for which
they stand engaged. When COCKS are brought up from their _walks_, and
placed in their pens, some are, of course, too full in flesh; others, as
much deficient: in the judgment of equalizing these different degrees,
(by reducing the weight of one, and increasing the substance of the
other,) does the art of cock-feeding entirely depend. On every second or
third day, during the time they are preparing for the match, each cock
has a _sparring_ with an opponent of nearly equal weight with himself;
and this _sham fight_ continues a longer or shorter time, according to
the flesh, weight, and wind, of each cock so exercised, in proportion to
the superflux of substance he is required to lose. For the occasion, and
that they may not injure each other, they are equally shielded with
mufflers upon the parts where their spurs have been sawed off; and that
they may be the better inured to labour, and prepared for difficulty,
the ceremony takes place upon a truss or two of straw loosely scattered,
that, having no firm hold for their feet, they have less power to oppose
each other. Cocks too full of flesh, and foggy, that require a great
deal of _sweating_ to bring them down to their proper match weight, are
sometimes permitted to continue the controversy till nearly exhausted.


SPAVIN-BLOOD—is a preternatural distension of the vein which runs down
the inside of a horse's hock, forming a soft and elastic (or puffy)
enlargement, commonly occasioning _weakness_, if not _lameness_, of the
joint. They are in general produced by sudden _twists_ or _strains_, in
short turns with loads, either in riding or drawing; and not
unfrequently by too rapid turning in narrow stalls. The cure is
frequently attempted by strong spirituous saturnine repellents, or
powerful restringents, with a compress and bandage firmly fixed upon the
part: these methods, however, seldom afford more than temporary relief.
The former mode of operating, by incision, and instrumental extirpation,
is in present practice entirely laid aside; a repetition BLISTER, or
slightly FIRING, being the only means relied on to ensure certain
obliteration.


SPAVIN-BONE.—The defect so called, is an enlargement on the outside of
the hock, originating in a gristly or cartilaginous protrusion, which
increases gradually to a callosity, and ultimately to a perfect
ossification as hard as the bone itself. In its early state, but little
limping or impediment to action is observed; but as it advances in
progress, the lameness becomes proportionally perceptible. A bone-spavin
is never known to submit to liquid applications, or solvents of any
description; repeated BLISTERINGS, and substantial FIRING, seem the only
means by which the enlargement and its painful irritability can be
reduced.


SPAYED BITCH,—is a bitch upon whom an operation has been performed, by
which she is deprived the power of generating a farther progeny. An
incision being made in the flank, midway between the hip-bone and the
belly, the ovaries are extracted through the orifice, and separated from
the parts to which they were united: these being returned, the wound is
stitched up, and heals in a few days, (if performed by a judicious
practitioner,) without farther trouble or inconvenience.


SPEED—is sportingly applicable to HORSE, HOUND, or GREYHOUND; and upon
this depends (in a great degree) the estimation in which they are held.
It is customary to say, such a horse has great _action_, or he is in
possession of the _gift_ of _going_. This is, however, considered
applicable only to excellent TROTTERS and _hacknies_ upon the road.
SPEED is always used in a superior sense, and intended to convey an idea
of the greatest rapidity of which the animal is capable, and which
enhances his value in proportion to his qualifications. In the art of
TRAINING for the TURF, there are ambiguities of such magnitude, that it
is averred by those who have made the practical part their study, that
one training-groom (from judgment, experience, and observation) shall
bring a horse to the post full half a distance better than another,
although their _speed_ was considered equal when placed under the racing
management of their different superintendants. This is admitted so much,
and so truly, an incontrovertible fact, that TRAINING-GROOMS have their
lights and shades of reputation and celebrity, in an equal degree with
the most eminent artists in the universe. JOCKIES also are admitted to
possess their different degrees of excellence, and to so very great and
discriminating a _nicety_, that when MATCHES are lost by some lengths,
and for large sums, offers are frequently made to run the match over
again for the same money, or to _double_ the STAKES, provided the
WINNING JOCKEY is permitted to ride the _losing_ horse. Thus speed is
not always the same, but is evidently dependent upon contingencies,
which the utmost human circumspection cannot always either foresee or
prevent. The increase of speed with RACE HORSES in this country, is very
readily admitted to have been great during the last fifty years; and
this is impartially attributed to the introduction of, and judicious
crosses from, the ARABIAN BLOOD with the best bred mares of our own:
although the effect of these experiments were held in great doubt for
some years, but are now universally acknowledged to have exceeded the
utmost expectation, and cannot be supposed to extend much farther.

There are two modes of trial for SPEED, according to the present
reformed mode of English racing: the one is to run _a mile_, which is
termed running for SPEED; the other, of _going off_ at SCORE, and
absolutely racing the whole _four miles_, which is called running for
_speed_ and _bottom_. _Flying Childers_, whose speed was almost
proverbial, went one third of a mile in twenty seconds. _Firetail_ and
_Pumpkin_ ran a mile in a few seconds more than a minute and a half.
_Childers_ ran the distance of four miles in six minutes and forty-eight
seconds, carrying nine stone, two pounds; he made a leap of _thirty
feet_ upon level ground; and he covered a space of twenty-five feet at
every stroke when racing. It was formerly known that any horse who could
run four miles in eight minutes, would prove a WINNER of PLATES: this
is, however, very materially refined, by judicious crosses in blood, or
improvements in training; as _Bay Malton_ ran four miles over York in
seven minutes, forty-three seconds and a half. _Eclipse_ ran the same
distance over York in eight minutes with _twelve stone_, though going
only at his rate, without any inducement to speed.

The means by which the wonderful velocity of the greyhound can be
ascertained are but few: there are, however, well authenticated
instances upon record; and as they are again quoted in MR. DANIELS
"Rural Sports," are entitled to credibility. In February, 1800, a hare
was darted before a brace of greyhounds in Lincolnshire, and upon the
distance being measured from her form to where she was killed, it proved
upwards of four miles in a direct line; but there having been several
turns, as well as some oblique running, during the course, it must have
increased the length considerably: this ground was run over in the space
of _twelve_ minutes; and the hare fell dead before the greyhounds
touched her; which serves to demonstrate the speed and strength of the
former. It is known that horses are more distrest (if they keep up) in a
moderate COURSE than in a long CHASE; of which an instance lately
occurred in the neighbourhood of Bottisham, in Cambridgeshire, from
whence the hare being started, took away for the Six Mile Bottom; and
although two-and-twenty horses went off with the greyhounds, only one
could make a _gallop_ at the conclusion of the course. The hare (who had
reached within fifty yards of the covert) dropped dead before the
greyhounds; and they were so exhausted, that it was found necessary to
bleed them to promote their recovery.

A few years since a hare was suddenly started at Finchingfield, in
Essex, when the brace of greyhounds running at her came into contact
with so much velocity, that both were killed on the spot. At Offham, in
Sussex, a brace of greyhounds coursed a hare over the edge of a
chalk-pit, and following themselves, were all found dead at the bottom.
The high spirit, persevering speed, and invincible ardour, of the
greyhound, not being universally known, (at least to those who have
either few or no opportunities to partake of the sport,) it may not be
inapplicable to introduce a singular circumstance which occurred in
1792. As LORD EGREMONT'S game-keeper was leading a brace of greyhounds
coupled together, a hare accidentally crossing the road, the dogs
instantly broke from their conductor, and gave chase, fastened as they
were to each other: the pursuit afforded an uncommon and no less
entertaining sight to several spectators. When the hare was turned, she
had a manifest advantage, and embarrassed the dogs exceedingly in
changing their direction; notwithstanding which, she was at length
killed at Pikeless Gate, after a course of between _three_ and _four_
miles. In 1796 a similar occurrence took place in Scotland, where a
brace of greyhounds, in couples, killed a hare after a course of a mile
with intervening obstructions.

Endeavours having been made to acquire some degree of information upon
the subject of comparative speed between a _greyhound_ and a RACE-HORSE
of superior powers and celebrity, it was at length brought to a decision
by absolute matter of chance. It having been previously submitted to the
opinion of an experienced sportsman, which would prove to possess the
greater portion of speed for _a mile_, or for a longer or shorter
distance, he returned for answer, that, upon a flat, he had no doubt but
a first rate horse would prove _superior_ to the greyhound; unless in a
_hilly_ country, where he conceived a good greyhound would have the
advantage. The information not to be acquired by any direct mode, was
brought to trial by an incident which occurred upon the Course of
Doncaster in 1800, and was precisely thus.

A match was to have been run between a horse and a mare for one hundred
guineas. At the time appointed, the former not appearing, the mare
started _alone_, to insure the STAKES; when, after having ran little
more than a mile, a greyhound bitch (to the great admiration and
entertainment of the company) took to her from the side of the Course,
and continued racing with her the other three miles, keeping her regular
line nearly _head_ and _head_, which produced a most excellent match;
for when they reached the DISTANCE POST, five to four was betted upon
the greyhound; when they came abreast of the stand, it was even betting;
and the mare won by only _a head_.

The speed of the fleetest and highest bred FOX HOUNDS, was brought to
public proof in the well-known match made between MR. MEYNELL and MR.
BARRY, for 500 guineas a side, and decided over Newmarket in the month
of September of the year in which it was run. The hounds of Mr. Barry's
(called _Bluecap_ and _Wanton_) were put in training on the first of
August with the famous WILL. CRANE. Their food consisted only of
_oatmeal_, _milk_, and _sheep's trotters_. The ground was fixed on at
the time of making the match; and upon the thirtieth of September the
drag was taken from the Rubbing-house at Newmarket Town end, to the
Rubbing-house at the starting-post of the Beacon Course: the four hounds
were then laid on the scent: at the conclusion, Mr. Barry's _Bluecap_
came in first; _Wanton_ (very close to _Bluecap_) second. Mr. Meynell's
_Richmond_ was beat more than a _hundred yards_; and the bitch never ran
in at all. The length of the drag was between eight and ten miles; the
time it was crossed in was some _seconds_ over _eight minutes_. Some
tolerable idea, in this instance, may be formed of the SPEED, when there
were SIXTY horses started fairly with the hounds, and only twelve were
up. COOPER, Mr. Barry's huntsman, was the first; but the mare that
carried him was rode blind in the exertion. WILL. CRANE, who rode _Rib_,
(a King's Plate horse,) was the last of the twelve who came up. The
current odds at starting were _seven_ to _four_ in favour of Mr.
Meynell, whose hounds were reported to have been fed upon legs of mutton
during the time they were in training.

MERKIN, a famous bitch, bred by COLONEL THORNTON, was considered far
superior in speed to any fox-hound of her time: she was challenged to
run any hound of her year five miles over Newmarket, giving 220 yards,
for 10,000 guineas; or to give _Madcap_ 100 yards, and run the same
distance for 5000. She ran a trial of four miles, and crossed the ground
in _seven minutes_ and half a second. _Merkin_ was sold, in 1795, for
four hogsheads of claret, and the seller to have two couple of her
whelps.

_Madcap_, at two years old, challenged all England for 500 guineas.
_Lounger_, brother to _Madcap_, did the same at four years old: the
challenge was accepted, and a bet made to run Mr. Meynell's _Pillager_
for 200 guineas. The parties were also allowed by Colonel Thornton to
start any other hound of Mr. Meynell's, and _Lounger_ was to beat both;
but, upon his being seen at Tattersal's by many of the best judges, his
bone, shape, and make, were thought so superior to any opponent that
could be brought against him, Colonel Thornton consented to accept a
pair of _gold_ dog-couples as a forfeit to the bet.


SPLENT—is the term given to an ossified prominence when it appears upon
the shank-bone of a horse's fore-leg: they are frequently seen upon the
legs of young horses, and are sometimes known to disappear without any
application whatever. If they do not make their appearance during the
fourth or fifth year, they are seldom seen after that time, unless
occasioned by blow, bruise, or accident. They are very rarely productive
of lameness or inconvenience, unless they curve towards the back sinews,
and vibrate in action. Various are the means too hastily and too rashly
brought into use for their extirpation, and many times without the least
necessity; for when they are not attended with pain or inconvenience, it
must be more prudent to let them remain in a state of dormant
inactivity, than rouse them into painful action. If some mode must be
inevitably adopted, a spirituous saturnine solvent is the most safe and
efficacious application.


SPORTSMAN—is the appellation, for time immemorial, annexed to any man
whose partiality to the SPORTS of the FIELD are universally known: they
are evidently marked out for him by the dispensing and benign hand of
Providence, for the promotion of health, and the gratification of
pleasure, of which, enjoyed with moderation and rationality, he is never
ashamed. The name of SPORTSMAN has ever been considered concisely
characteristic of strict honour, true courage, unbounded hospitality,
and the most unsullied integrity. However the character may have been
broken in upon by time, or mutilated by the innovations of fashion,
caprice, or folly, the original stock was derived solely from the
_blood_ of the true OLD ENGLISH COUNTRY ESQUIRE; who, uncontaminated by
the curse of insatiate ambition, is only happy himself in the happiness
of his domestic dependents, the corresponding smiles of his tenants who
surround his mansion, and an hospitable association with his numerous
friends.

His HOUNDS are kept from an instinctive attachment to the sport itself,
as well as to perpetuate the respectable and exhilarating establishment
of his ancestors, (hitherto transmitted to their posterity without a
stain,) and not from the least desire of having his name blazoned
through every part of the county in which he resides, for keeping what
he has neither PROPERTY to SUPPORT, or spirit to enjoy. Personally
frugal, (amidst the most spirited hospitality,) he never suffers his
mind to be disquieted by the pecuniary applications of people in trade:
having a soul superior to the idea of living beyond his income, and
running in debt, it is an invariable maxim, never to let his tradesmen
be a single quarter in arrear. The guardian of his own honour, he never
affords a chance of its becoming degraded by the officious and
unprincipled pride of a subordinate, under the appellation of STEWARD;
or to be disgraced, or prostituted, by the barefaced, unqualified
_denial_ of a menial bedaubed with lace and variegated finery, under the
denomination of a _footman_.

Innately philanthropic, the true, well-bred, liberal-minded SPORTSMAN is
always equally easy of access to friends, neighbours, tenants, and even
to necessitous parochial solicitants; and never countenances false
consequence amongst his domestics in one department, or impertinent
pride in another: by a persevering adherence to which system, his rustic
mansion seems the summit of all worldly happiness and earthly
gratification: not a dependent but eyes him with the warmest sensations
of gratitude; not a servant within, or a labourer without, but looks
awefully up to him as their best friend. The pleasures of the field he
extensively and judiciously engages in with all the fervency of a
well-informed and experienced sportsman; but by no means with all the
unqualified enthusiasm, and fashionable furor, of an indiscreet and
determined devotee. Capable of distinguishing between the _use_ and
_abuse_ of what is so evidently and benignantly placed before him, as an
excitement to exhilarating action, bodily invigoration, and general
health; he enters into all its _spirit_, avails himself of all its
_import_; not more as a personal gratification (in respect to sport)
than a mental perusal of one of Nature's many instructive volumes,
displaying to the ruminative and expansive comprehension, the applicable
and coinciding speed of the HORSE; the instinctive impulse, invincible
ardour, and corresponding perseverance of the HOUND; the various shifts
and evasions of the GAME; and lastly, the firm and manly fortitude of
those who join and surround him in the CHASE. These are the
distinguishing traits by which the true and generous sportsman may be
known: and it must be freely admitted, that so congenial are the
feelings, so sympathetic the liberality, and so uniform the hospitality
of SPORTSMEN in the scale of universality, that no friendships are
better founded, none more disinterested, few more permanent, and none
more sincere.


SPRAIN OR STRAIN,—is a preternatural extension, and forcible elongation,
of the tendons, beyond the power of immediately recovering their
previous elasticity; or a sudden twist of some particular joint, by
which the ligamentary junction sustains an injury, and produces
lameness. Whenever they happen in the hip, stifle, round-bone, or
shoulder, they then become serious considerations; the injured parts
being seated too deep for the effect of external applications. In such
cases it is seldom of use to lose time, and encounter disappointment, by
persevering stimulants; time and rest constitute the best foundation for
permanent relief. Horses having encountered such accidents, should be
turned out in a still and quiet pasture, where they may be free from
alarm and disturbance; and this should be adopted before any stiffness
is brought upon the joint, by too long standing in one position; which
they mostly do, when confined in a stable as invalids. When at
unrestrained liberty, it is natural to conclude, he adapts the
gentleness of his motion to the state of his case, and exerts himself no
more than a proper respect to his own safety may render secure. It is a
self-evident fact, that a restoration of elasticity or strength of the
part, is more likely to be obtained by rest, and the efforts of nature,
than any superficial or topical applications that can be made.

STRAINS (or LAMENESS) in the shoulder require nice investigation to
discriminate between such as arise from accident, rheumatic affection,
or chest-foundering. It is remarked, that when a horse has sustained a
severe injury in the shoulder, by wrench, slip, twist, short turn, or
any other accident, the pain prevents him from bringing the leg on that
side forward, in a parallel line, or in an equal degree with the other;
which being sound, is much more firmly set to the ground, with an
evident intent to save from pain the side that is lame. When a horse in
this situation stands still, the leg of the lame shoulder is almost
invariably placed before the other; and if he is trotted in hand, he
generally brings forward the leg of the shoulder affected with a kind of
circular sweep, and not in a direct line: if any attempt is made to turn
him _short_ on the _lame_ side, he instantly dreads it, and becomes
almost repugnant to the exertion: when compelled to make it, he will
almost sink on the lame side, to support himself entirely on the sound
one.

BLEEDING should in such accidents immediately precede every other
consideration; it unloads the vessels, prevents local stagnation, and
sometimes a general stiffness of the quarter in which the injury has
been sustained. Where either the season of the year prevents, or an
opportunity to turn out cannot be obtained, the only alternative, hot
fomentations, and stimulative embrocations, must be adopted. In strains
of the hip, the horse in general draws his leg after him with a painful
reluctance; and if impelled to a _trot_, is observed to drop upon his
heel. If the injury is in the stifle, by treading on the toe, his motion
is a kind of _hop_ with the side affected. Strains of the hock are
easily discovered, by a sort of limping twist in that joint at every
motion of the leg. Lamenesses of the _hip_, _stifle_, and _hock_, are
more likely to be assisted by external applications, judiciously
prescribed, than those which are more deeply seated.

The ligamentary junction of the pastern joints are sometimes greatly
weakened by incessant work and little rest; in unerring proof of which,
they frequently make sudden _drops_, as if falling to the ground. The
knees of many are affected in the same way, and overhang the shank-bone
and fetlock-joint; the moment a tendency to which is perceived, any
horse should be turned out to enjoy the rest he is so individually
entitled to, for want of which salutary and humane attention, very many
good and useful horses have been completely ruined and destroyed. There
is no part of a horse more liable to strains, than the back sinews of
the forelegs; they are materially concerned in every description of
labour, and are always in proportional danger. Whenever these happen,
there is no difficulty in making the discovery; there is an evident
enlargement, with inflammatory tension; and if one leg only is affected,
it is generally placed before the other, and rather upon the toe. In
slight cases of this kind, fomentations of hot vinegar, and
strengthening embrocations, assisted by rest, may produce a restoration;
but, in general practice, without blistering, firing, or both, a
permanent cure is seldom obtained.


SPUR—is the well-known weapon with which the heel of the horseman is
armed to enforce his authority; and which the well-broke horse will
always instantly obey.


STABLE.—Stables are the receptacles for horses in general, and are of
very different descriptions; not only in respect to the various sorts of
horses for which they are intended, but the improved mode of
construction, and the numerous conveniencies they are now made to
contain. As horses were never in such high estimation, or of such
intrinsic worth, as at the present moment, so never was so much money
expended upon their preservation. There can be no doubt, but the health
and condition of valuable horses, may depend much upon the situation and
structure of the stable; and although every person will appropriate the
size of the stable, and the number of stalls, to their own wants, yet
there are certain judicious rules, and desirable conveniencies, which
should admit of no deviation. Whether a stable consists of two stalls,
four, or six, it may be rendered equally uniform, and confidently
replete with every thing that can possibly be required.

It is an established opinion, that a building of BRICK (lined or not
lined with deal) is preferable to STONE for the purpose; the former
being _dry_, and always in the same state: the _latter_ is influenced,
or acted upon, by the changes of weather; and in a hazy atmosphere,
generally _damp_; and in constant (or continued) rains, the walls are
frequently streaming with _water_. This, however, depends much upon the
aspect to which they are erected; a circumstance not always sufficiently
attended to, till it is found too late to repent. Stables are paved with
_bricks_, _clinkers_, _flints_, _pebbles_, or _stone_, as may best
correspond with the conveniences of the country in which they are
erected, and where, perhaps, some of those articles are difficult to
obtain. Stalls should never be less than _six_ feet wide; nor the stable
less than _nine_ feet high: _eight_ feet in the clear should be allowed
from the heels of the horse to the wall behind him; and iron hay-racks
are preferable to wood, as the latter (wherever spirited horses stand)
are always in want of repair. No stables can be called good, unless they
have proper rooms annexed for the reception of SADDLES, BRIDLES, HORSE
CLOTHS, and every article necessary to the proper support of such an
establishment; each of those become more perishable amidst the nocturnal
steam of the horses than by daily use.

Experience has demonstrated the advantages of general cleanliness,
temperate air, (according to the season,) and regular exercise: to the
want of these, in part, or all, may be attributed the ills at INNS and
LIVERY STABLES, as well as the fashionable increase of Veterinarians.
Upon entering the stables of these public receptacles, (particularly if
the door has been a few minutes closed,) the olfactory sensations are
instantly assailed by such a profusion of volatile effluvia, as to
extract moisture from the eyes, in opposition to every endeavour made to
restrain it. Here stand rows of poor patient animals, absolutely
fumigated with the perspirative transpiration of their own bodies,
broiling with _heat_, and panting with _thirst_, in a degree beyond the
temperature of a common hot-house, in the severity of the winter season.
Each horse is observed to stand upon a load of litter (clean at top, and
rotten underneath) very little inferior to a common _cucumber-bed_ in
heigth, with all the _advantages_ of equal _warmth_ from the dung
_below_!

In this unexaggerated state stand hundreds within the environs of the
Metropolis; their owners the complete dupes of _ignorance_,
_indiscretion_, and _imposition_; the animals themselves in a constant
state of languid perspiration, and bodily debility: deprived the
comforts of pure air, and regular exercise, they become dull, sluggish,
and stupid, as if conscious of, and depressed with, their almost
perpetual imprisonment. All this erroneous mode of treatment instantly
affects the eye of experimental observation. The carcase seems an
incongruous accumulation, evidently full, and unnaturally overloaded,
for want of gentle motion, and general friction; the legs become
swelled, stiff, and tumefied; and, sooner or later, terminates in
_cracks_, _scratches_, _grease_, or some more vexatious disorder. The
_hoofs_, by being constantly fixed in a certain degree of heat, begin to
contrast, and get narrow at the heels, holding forth the _pleasing_
promise of hoof-bound lameness. The eyes, from a constant watry
discharge, give proof of habitual weakness; the lassitude of the body,
the heat of the mouth, the general gloom, and every corresponding
circumstance, seems to display a frame the reverse of those whose health
is preserved, and condition promoted, by a system of discipline opposite
in practice, and different in effect. See GROOM.


STAG, OR RED DEER.—The STAG and HIND are the _male_ and _female_ of this
tribe, as the BUCK and DOE are of the _fallow_ deer. The latter are
mostly the natives of parks, and bred for domestic purposes, producing
venison for the table; the former are the majestic inhabitants of those
extensive and sequestered tracts called FORESTS and CHACES, where they
are preserved as more peculiarly appropriated to the pleasures of the
chase, in which even his MAJESTY, with his hunting retinue, condescends
to engage. The STAG, individually surveyed, is one of the grandest and
most stately figures in the animal creation; his very appearance
instantly exciting attention and admiration. Naturally disposed to
solitude, he never obtrudes upon the haunt of man, but revels in the
remote and obscure shades of abstrusity. When caught sight of amidst the
umbrageous stillness of his abode, the grandeur, lofty look, and
commanding aspect, of his first survey, cannot be encountered without
the most aweful and impressive sensations. With ample power to oppose,
he has pliability to submit, and, after a few moments interview,
deliberately retires to his protecting covert, seemingly more
_surprized_ than _alarmed_ at the sight of the HUMAN SPECIES.

In the dignity of his deportment he stands unrivalled, and may, with
allegorical propriety, be considered the hereditary MONARCH of the
WOODS, as every other animal is observed to give way upon his approach.
In his peaceable and undisturbed retirement, he is perfectly tranquil
and inoffensive, displaying no antipathy or opposition to those who come
not in _hostility_ to him. His form is the most sublime and beautiful
that can possibly be conceived; the elegance of his figure, the
commanding effect of his stature, the flexibility of his frame, the
elasticity of his limbs, the velocity of his motion, and the
proportional immensity of his strength, in addition to the impression
made upon the mind by the magnific grandeur of the antlers, branching
from his brow, all seem uniformly calculated to render him an object of
the most serious and pleasing attraction.

The RED DEER, formerly so plentiful to be found in different remote
parts of ENGLAND, the Highlands of SCOTLAND, and the Lake of Killarney,
in IRELAND, are greatly reduced, and but very rarely to be found in a
wild and unpreserved state in either. This must of course be attributed
to the more advantageous distribution and cultivation of land, and the
improved state of every country. STAGS, or HINDS, were then found
_singly_, and hunted or pursued by those who happened to find them; but
now in the Forest of Windsor, and the New Forest in Hampshire, where
they are bred and protected for the ROYAL CHASE, they assemble together;
and upon Ascot Heath, near Swinley Lodge, (the official residence of the
Master of his Majesty's Stag Hounds,) may be seen the largest herd in
the King's dominions.

The colour of both STAG and HIND is a dingy red, with darker tints about
the eyes and mouth: down the upper part of the neck, and over the points
of the shoulders, is a shade of dark brown, bordering upon black: the
countenance is commandingly expressive; the eye beautifully brilliant,
even to poetic celebrity; and his senses of _smelling_ and _hearing_
equal to any animal of this country. When in the least alarmed, his
position is the most majestic; he raises his head to the highest pitch,
erects his ears, swells his neck, extends his nostrils, and snuffs the
air, as if in curious and impatient investigation of the cause by which
it was occasioned. Let this be what it may, he never takes to sudden
flight, without first measuring, by his _eye_ and _ear_, the magnitude
of the danger, and proceeds accordingly. If dogs are not of the party,
men, cattle, or carriages, seem to give him little or no concern; for,
after turning twice or thrice, to take a repeated survey with a kind of
confused admiration, he moves off very deliberately, without any
alarming sensation.

The season for copulation with the deer tribe (see "RUTTING TIME")
begins at the latter end of August and beginning of September, and
terminates in the beginning or middle of October; depending, in that
respect, a little upon the state of the season, and the ages of the
different head of deer; those of two and three years old being
backwarder, of course extending the time beyond those who are older.
From the moment of conception with the hind, to the time of parturition,
is nearly nine lunar months; as they produce in the last week in MAY, or
one of the two first in JUNE. Immediately after impregnation, she
separates herself from the STAG; no intercourse takes place; even common
association ceases; and nothing during the period of gestation ensues,
but mutual and marked indifference. The hind is seldom or ever known to
produce more than one, (which is called a CALF:) this she deposits in
the most remote, sequestered, and best sheltered spot to be procured,
for the purpose of secretion from its numerous enemies, amongst whom
there is none more determined or malicious than the masculine occasion
of its existence, even the sire himself. Mysterious as this may appear,
it is an unexaggerated fact; and the dam, perfectly conscious of the
stag's unnatural propensity, is more industrious to conceal the calf's
retreat from him, than the aggregate of its other enemies.

The CALF, when once it is of strength sufficient to accompany its dam,
never leaves her side during the first summer; and the ensuing winter,
none but the HINDS, and males _under_ a year old, remain together; the
annual separation between the STAGS and HINDS invariably taking place as
before described. During the months of infancy, the courage of the dam,
in defence of her offspring, is equal to any maternal affection of our
own species; she opposes every force, encounters every enemy, exposes
herself to every danger, and hazards her own life to insure the safety
of her young. The hind has but little protection upon the score of
self-preservation, nature having left her without horns, those useful
and ornamental weapons with which the stag is so powerfully armed. The
first year the male has no horns; the second they are straight, and
_single_; the third, they shew _two_ branches; the fourth, _three_; the
fifth, _four_; and the sixth, _five_; when the stag is reckoned
complete, and at his full growth: notwithstanding this, the antlers
continue to increase till there are _six_ or _seven_ on each side; and
though the age of the deer is mostly ascertained by the number, yet it
is not always certain, but is more nicely to be depended on from the
thickness and size of the trunk or body by which they are sustained.

These horns, enormous as they appear, are shed _annually_, which happens
in the latter end of FEBRUARY, or during the month of MARCH; of which
there is a most perfect regeneration before the commencement of the
RUTTING TIME, when they fight for the hind with the most determined and
incredible ferocity. After the season of _rutting_, the stags having
been found too weak to stand long before the hounds, the operation of
castration was adopted; and the stag thus deprived of the means of
propagation, (by the loss of the testes,) feeling no stimulative
propensity to copulate, is never debilitated, but always ready for the
field, and affords _runs_ of great duration. Thus operated upon, they
are then called HEAVIERS; and it is a remarkable fact, that if a stag is
castrated while his horns (alias antlers) are in a state of perfection,
they will never exfoliate: on the contrary, if the operation is
performed when the head is _bare_, the horns will _never_ return.


STAG,—the sporting term for a young GAME COCK during his second year.
For the whole of the first year, he is called a _chicken_; from which
time to the completion of the second, he is a STAG; and from thence
forward, a COCK. In regular matches and mains for considerable sums of
money, very few are brought to Pit before they are of that age; unless
it is made, and so agreed on both sides, in which case it is called a
stag main, or main of stags. See COCKING, GAME COCK, and COCK-PIT ROYAL.


STAG-EVIL—is a disorder of the most distressing kind, to which horses of
the draught kind are more particularly subject: it partakes of the
paralytic stroke and spasmodic affection, coming on suddenly, without
the least previous indication of approaching disease. The muscles become
so instantaneously contracted, that the head is raised to its utmost
heigth, the jaws are fixed, the neck stiff and immoveable, the eyes are
turned upwards, leaving only the whites to be seen; the palpitations of
the heart are exceedingly violent, and the laborious heavings of the
flank incessant. This disorder, difficult as it is in its cause to
define, is always more or less dangerous, in proportion to the mildness
or severity of the attack. If it proceeds from a profuse flux of _blood_
to the BRAIN, in consequence of too great and powerful exertions,
plentiful bleeding, and nervous stimulants, will be the most expeditious
and likely means to relieve.

When its symptoms are so exceedingly severe and alarming, that the jaws
are locked, and no medicines can be administered by the MOUTH, recourse
must be had to _collateral_ aids. Strong hot fomentations, with a
decoction from the most fragrant aromatic garden herbs, under the
_jaws_, behind the _ears_, and both sides the _throat_, followed by
fumigations from _myrrh_, _ammoniacum_, and _assafœtida_, grossly
powdered, and sprinkled upon a hot iron, or fire-shovel, held below the
_nostrils_; glysters of gruel, in which _valerian root_ has been boiled,
and _assafœtida_ dissolved, with an addition of _liquid laudanum_ and
_olive oil_ to each, and repeatedly frequently; are the only means,
properly persevered in, that can afford any hope or expectation of
success. These exertions are in general too much trouble for the lower
order of the Veterinary tribe, who fly to their _favourite_ and
_contemptible_ introduction of a ROWEL, many hours before which can
become productive in its effect, death closes the scene, and relieves
the subject from its accumulated misery.


STAGGERS.—This is likewise a disorder of the head, to which horses of
the same description are constantly liable, bearing in many respects no
distant affinity to the former; for although it cannot be deemed the
very same disease, yet, as it is known to derive its origin from the
same cause, it is evidently entitled to rank in the same class. BRACKEN,
who speaks of it with more scientific and professional precision than
any writer before or since, assimilates it to the _apoplexy_ and
_epilepsy_ of the human frame, and enters into an anatomical
disquisition of many pages to justify his opinion. He most judiciously
attributes it to its proper and only cause, a plethoric state of the
body; and that by the preternatural distension of all the vessels, the
blood is more forcibly propelled upon the brain, from whence
inflammation (in a greater or less degree) consequently ensues; making
the following remark, to which every experienced practitioner will yield
his unqualified approbation.

"That where one creature dies of a distempered brain from the loss of
_too much_ blood, there are _twenty_ lives _lost_ for want of taking
away a _sufficient_ quantity." In direct conformity with the opinion of
BRACKEN upon the subject of REPLETION, may be quoted a plain and true,
but less scientific remark of CAPTAIN BURDON, in his _Pocket Farrier_;
who, for want of more polished terms, and technical phraseology, thus
expresses himself: "Don't let your horse stand too long without
exercise; it fills his belly too full of meat, and his veins too full of
blood; and from hence the staggers, and many other distempers, proceed."

Admitting the affinity between the DISEASES, as lethargy, or
sleeping-evil, falling-evil, or convulsions, frenzy and madness,
stag-evil, or staggers, all practitioners consider them _individually_ a
species of APOPLEXY, originating in nearly the same cause, and to be
relieved only by the same means. Under which conjunctive authority,
plentiful bleedings, repeated stimulative glysters, and internally,
assafœtida, camphor, valerian, castor, and such other ingredients as
powerfully act upon the nervous system, constitute the whole that can
with consistency be introduced in all cases of a similar description.


STAG-HUNTING—is one of the most rapturous and enchanting pursuits within
the privilege or power of the human frame and mind to enjoy. As HUNTING,
in its general sense, is known to comprise an imaginary view of
different kinds under that concise term, so various remarks will be
found upon _each_, under the heads of CHASE, FOX-HUNTING, HARRIERS, and
HUNTING; rendering unnecessary the introduction of _new_, or repetition
of _former_ matter, more than what may strictly appertain to the
distinct sport now before us.

Opposite opinions have always been entertained by the advocates for each
particular kind of chase, as may have proved most applicable and
convenient to their situation, occasions, residence, and time of life.
That every description of HUNTING has its proportional attraction to its
distinct and different votaries is well known; but the constant struggle
for superiority in vindication of their _respective sports_, has ever
been between those who hunt FOX and those who hunt STAG; each being
equally violent in defence of the cause his private or personal reasons
prompt him to espouse. MR. DANIEL, in his "Rural Sports," when
animadverting upon the STAG, makes the following remarks: "At the
present day, as an object of chase to the sportsman, the stag requires
but cursory mention: those, indeed, who are fond of pomp and parade in
hunting, will not accede to this opinion; but the only mode in which
this chase can recommend itself to the _real_ sportsman, is, when the
deer is looked for, and found, like other game which hounds pursue. At
present very few hounds, except those of the royal establishment, are
kept exclusively for this amusement; and were the KING once to see a fox
well found, and killed handsomely, he would, in all, probability, give a
decided preference in favour of fox-hounds; for what a marked difference
is there between conveying, in a covered cart, an animal, nearly as big
as the horse that draws it, to a particular spot, where he is liberated,
and cheerly riding to the covert side with all the ecstacy of hope and
expectation!"

After quoting a few lines of beautiful imagery from the poetic sublime
of SOMERVILE, descriptive of throwing off, the drag, the unkenneling,
and breaking covert with fox-hounds, he proceeds thus: "The most
impassioned stag-hunter must confess, that no part of his chase admits
of such description. The only variety he can fairly expect, depends upon
the wind and the temper of the deer, who, by being either sulky, or not
in condition to maintain a contest with the hounds, (to whom he leaves a
burning scent, that gives them no trouble in the pursuit,) shortens or
extends his gallop; but there is none of the enthusiasm of hunting,
which the sportsman feels, when he is following an animal, upon whose
own exertions of speed and craftiness his life is staked; and where no
stoppages, but the checks arising from the two sources above mentioned,
intervene."

Without the most distant intent of endeavouring to depreciate the noble,
exhilarating, delightful, and universally admitted excellence of
FOX-HUNTING, (of which, by the bye, no adequate description can issue
from the pen,) such few remarks may be made, as will display the sport
of STAG-HUNTING in a different point of view to that in which the writer
just mentioned has been pleased to place the picture; and probably
rescue it from any little stigma of _disgrace_, or _inferiority_, which
his promulgated opinion may have stamped upon the canvass. There is
positively no instance in which the philosophic decision of SIR ROGER DE
COVERLEY ("much may be said on both sides") could have been more
strictly applicable, or more truly verified, than upon the present
occasion. The candid, judicious and experienced sportsman will readily
admit, that each retains its attractions too powerful to resist, as well
as some inconveniencies impossible to remove: these, however, are
reconcileable to the modification of those whose motives induce them to
engage in either.

Previous to the recital of a chase with the STAG-HOUNDS, a few
preparatory and comparative remarks are due to the observations already
quoted from the justly popular work of MR. DANIEL. That there are but
"few establishments" of the kind is certainly true, and for a most
substantial reason; if they were numerous, the question would instantly
present itself, from _whence_ are they to be supplied with GAME? The
idea of "the KING'S giving the preference to FOX-HUNTING, if he had once
seen a fox well _found_, and _killed_ handsomely," is an entire new
thought; and affords immediate mental reference to the degradation of
MAJESTIC DIGNITY, should it ever be found making its _dreary way_
through the _bushy brambles_ of a BEECHEN WOOD two or three miles in
length, following the chase by the reverberating sounds of distant
holloas! but without the _sight_ or _sound_ of a single hound. This is a
constantly occurring trait in FOX-HUNTING, constituting no small
drawback on its boasted _perfection_.

Whichever kind of chase is pursued, the ultimatum of enjoyment is much
the same; horses, hounds, air, exercise, health, society, and
exhilaration, constitute the aggregate: and TIME, which, to the opulent
and independent, seems of _trifling_ value, is to the scientific
inquisitant, or professional practitioner, neither more nor less than a
LIFE ESTATE, no part of which should be _wasted_ or squandered away. The
former class, in general, are industriously engaged in _killing_ time:
the latter, who know and feel its worth, are as constantly employed in
its preservation. The loss of time in the enjoyment of the two chases,
is nearly or full _half_ between the one and the other: this is a
circumstance, however, not likely to attract the _serious_ attention of
the gentleman who has thus attacked the "_pomp_ and _parade_" of hunting
the STAG; for as a clerical character, he had, of course, all the week
upon his hands, being _particularly_ engaged only on A SUNDAY. To one of
this description, who has most of his time to _kill_, and very little to
employ, a long and dreary day through the gloomy coverts of a dirty
country, without a _single challenge_, or one consolatory _chop_ of
drag, must prove a scene of the most enchanting enjoyment; and in the
very zenith of _exultation_, it must be acknowledged by professed and
_energetic_ FOX-HUNTERS, that riding thirty or forty miles in wet and
dirt, (replete with alternate hope, suspense, and expectation,) to enjoy
the supreme happiness of repeated disappointments, terminating with a
_blank day_, is equal, if not superior, to a STAG HUNT of even the first
description.

STAG HOUNDS are very rarely kept, and the sport but little known in many
parts of the kingdom: those of the most celebrity are the Royal
Establishment upon Ascot Heath, in Windsor Forest, (see "KING'S
HOUNDS;") the Earl of Derby's, near the Downs, in Surrey; and the
Subscription Pack near Enfield Chace. The greatest inducement to hunt
with either of which, is, the invariable _certainty_ of _sport_, that
first object of desirable attainment, not to be insured with hounds of a
different description; the great gratification of going away with the
pack, and covering a scope of country, without perpetual interruption
from frequent intervening coverts, where checks, faults, delays, and a
repetition of _wood riding_, so often ensue. Stag-hunting, indifferently
as it is spoken of by some, is too _severe_ and _arduous_ for others to
pursue: laborious as it is to the HORSE, it is in many cases not less so
to the RIDER: difficulties occur which require great exertions in one,
and fortitude in the other, to surmount, and none but those can lay at
all by the side of the hounds.

Rapturously transporting as is the moment of meeting and throwing off
with fox hounds, no less so is the awefully impressive prelude to
turning out the deer. The scene is affectingly grand, far beyond the
descriptive power of the pen, and can only be seen, to be perfectly
understood. Unless an outlying deer is drawn for, and found in the
neighbouring woods, as is sometimes the case, a STAG, HIND, or HEAVIER,
is carted from the paddocks of his Majesty at Swinley Lodge, (where they
are previously and properly fed for the chase,) and brought at a certain
hour, (ten o'clock in the morning,) to the place appointed, of which the
surrounding neighbourhood have been sufficiently informed. At the
distance of a quarter or half a mile from the covered convenience
containing the deer, are the hounds, surrounded by the Huntsman and his
assistants, (called Yeoman-Prickers,) in scarlet and gold; a part of
these having French horns, and upon which they must be good performers.

In a very short time after the expiration of the hour agreed on, his
MAJESTY is seen to approach, attended by the MASTER of the HORSE, and
Equerries in waiting; it being the official duty of the MASTER of the
STAG-HOUNDS to be with _them_, and ready to receive his Majesty when he
arrives. So soon as his Majesty resigns his hack, and is remounted for
the chase, the Huntsman receives an injunctive signal from the Master of
the Hounds to liberate the deer. The moment which is obeyed, the usual
_law_, amounting to ten minutes, (more or less,) is allowed for his
_going way_: during this interval the sonorous strains of the HORNS, the
musical melodious echo of the HOUNDS, the mutual gratulations of so
distinguished an assemblage, and the condescending kindness and
affability of the SOVEREIGN to the loyal subjects who love and surround
him, is a repast too rich, a treat too luxurious, for the side of a
fox-hunting covert to be brought into the least successful similitude.

The anxious crisis thus arrived, and every bosom glowing with emulative
inspiration, a single aspiration of acquiescence, and a removal of the
horse who heads the leading hound, give a loose to the _body_ of the
PACK; and superlatively happy he who can lay the nearest to them. Upon
the DEER'S going off from the cart, two of the YEOMAN-PRICKERS start
likewise, in such parallel directions to the _right_ and _left_, as not
to lose sight of the line he takes so long as they can keep him in
_view_; by which means they get five or six miles forward to assist in
_stopping_ the _hounds_ at any particular point where they happen to run
up to them: and if it was not for this prudent and necessary precaution,
half or _two thirds_ of the horsemen would never see the hounds again in
the course of the day.

The joyous burst, and determined velocity of every hound, followed by
upwards of a hundred horsemen, all in action at a single view; the spot
embellished, or rather variegated, with carriages containing ladies, who
come to enjoy the ceremony of _turning out_; and the emulative exertions
of HORSES, HOUNDS, and MEN; afford a blaze of sporting brilliancy beyond
the power of the utmost mental fertility to describe. At this moment of
rapturous exultation only it is, that the kind of horse indispensibly
necessary for this particular chase can be ascertained; for out of a
hundred and twenty, thirty, forty, or a hundred and fifty horsemen,
_seven_ or _eight_ only shall lay any where near, or within a hundred
yards of the hounds; for the longer the burst, the more the slow-going
horses _tail_; so that when the hounds are _stopt_ upon the heath, or in
an open country, by the few who _are up_, lines of horsemen are seen
behind, more than a mile in length, getting forward in a variety of
directions, bearing no inapplicable affinity to various teams of _wild
ducks_ crossing from one country to another. These horses, to whom it is
all labour, are so distrest even with the _first burst_, that if the
hounds break away, and the deer crosses the country, they are seldom to
be seen at the end of a _second_. This is a most palpable and
incontrovertible demonstration, that _any_ horse may _follow_, but none,
except THOROUGHBRED horses, can go _with_ the hounds.

During the time the chase is suspended, and the hounds are at bay,
(which is till the King gets up,) the exhilarating sound of the horns
before them, and the clamorous impatience of the hounds to proceed,
constitute a scene so truly rich and ecstatic, that the tear of
excessive joy and grateful sensibility may be frequently observed in
almost every eye. After this relief of a few minutes to both HOUNDS and
HORSES, in which they collect their _wind_, and become proportionally
refreshed, the hounds are permitted to break away, which they do with a
redoubled ardour, as if it had absolutely increased by their recent
restraint. The same scene of racing and _tailing_ continues during every
_burst_ to the termination of the chase, the longer which is, the more
the field of horsemen become reduced; while the blood horses only move
in perfect unison, and, at their common rating stroke, lay with _ease_
by the _side_ of the HOUNDS; and this is the reason why, in _long_ runs,
so many are completely _thrown out_, and left to explore their way in
different parts of the country through which the chase has passed. One
material difference is known to exist between this kind of sport and
every other; the utmost fortitude and indefatigable exertions are _here_
made to _save_: in all the rest, the summit of happiness, the sole
gratification of local ambition, is to _kill_: so that, at any rate,
STAG-HUNTING has the plea of HUMANITY in its favor; in proof of which,
the hounds are never known to run from _chase_ to _view_, but every
individual is feelingly alive to the _danger_ of the DEER, who have so
largely and laboriously contributed to the completion of his own most
ardent happiness: a secret inspiration operates upon every latent spring
of human sensibility; and no difficulty at the moment seems too great to
surmount, for the preservation of a life in which every spectator feels
himself most impressively concerned. This final burst of a chase is most
dreadfully severe, particularly if the last mile or two is _run in
view_; when which is the case, the deer exerts all his utmost and
remaining power to take the _soil_, if water is within his reach: this
he sometimes does with the hounds so close to his haunches, that it is
impossible to prevent their plunging with him into the stream. In such
predicament, if it is found impracticable to draw off the body of the
hounds, to insure his safety, the YEOMAN PRICKERS, and _others_, are
frequently seen above their middles in water, (uncertain of its depth,)
to preserve the life of the DEER, at the hazard of their own. This may
be considered, by the recluse and callous Cynic, a degree of valour
beyond discretion; but the debt of humanity, like the Hibernian Major's
_word_ in the Comedy, is "a DEBT of HONOUR, and must be _paid_."

The most moderate chases with the stag extend from an hour and a half to
two hours; though from three to four hours is by no means uncommon in
the course of the season. Horses too deficient in speed, too heavy in
formation, too full in flesh, or foul in condition, frequently fall
martyrs to a want of judgment or prudence in their RIDERS during the
_chase_: every man ought to know when his horse is dangerously
distressed, and of course should bow implicit obedience to the occasion:
there are times when _self-denial_ would add lustre to the brow of a
MONARCH; and it never can be displayed with a more humane effect, than
when in the defence and preservation of so useful an animal; who, being
deprived the privilege of free agency, is not possessed of the power to
protect himself: under the influence of which consideration, there is
not a SPORTSMAN of EXPERIENCE or HUMANITY existing, who would not
philosophically retire with patience from the field, to save the life of
a faithful persevering companion, than to see him _sink_ (never more to
rise) a victim to inadvertency, folly, or indiscretion. In a severe
chase of more than _four hours_, recited in the former part of the Work,
(where the stag was taken at Tilehurst, near Reading, in Berkshire,) one
horse dropped dead in the field, another died before he could reach a
stable, and seven more in the course of a week. The concluding ceremony
of the chase is the preservation of the deer, the baying of the hounds,
and the melodious concert of the horns; after which the former are drawn
off, and the stag, hind, or heavier, is deposited in a place of safety,
from whence he is taken the following day, in a convenient vehicle
constructed for the purpose.

The regular hunting days with the STAG hounds of his Majesty, are
_Tuesdays_ and _Saturdays_, from Holyrood Day (Sept. 25) to the first
Saturday in May; except in Christmas and Easter Weeks, in each of which
they hunt three times. The two grand or most public days, are HOLYROOD
DAY and EASTER MONDAY, when the field is uncommonly numerous;
particularly if the weather favourably corresponds with the occasion.


STALING—is the evacuation of urine by either horse or mare, which is at
some times partially obstructed, and at others totally suppressed. The
secretion of urine may be retarded from a variety of causes; such as
injuries sustained in the spine, particularly in the LOINS, near which
the _kidnies_ are seated; and these, from their irritability, are also
easily susceptible of disease, by which the discharge may be affected.
The urine, with a horse or mare in a healthy state, should flow in a
moderate stream, of a transparent colour, midway between a brown and
red; not inclining to a milky, foul consistence, or tending to a tinge
of blood. The evacuation should take place with ease, perfectly free
from laborious groanings, and equally so from partial dribblings, or
periodical trifling stoppings, which always denote a something imperfect
in the secretion, or some obstruction in the urinary passages.

Staling, when the urine is strongly impregnated with appearance of
blood, should be early attended to, as it is mostly occasioned by some
serious injury to the kidnies, or elsewhere. It is very frequently
brought on by hard, long and immoderate riding, or drawing; and may be
the effect of a rupture of some blood-vessel, the seat of which it may
be impossible to ascertain: if it should be a discharge of nearly pure
blood, and that in any considerable quantity, great danger may be
apprehended. Bleeding (to constitute revulsion) is a preliminary step to
every degree of hope, followed by small quantities of nitre in powder,
blended with equal parts of gum Arabic in the same state. Gelatinous
fluids, as oatmeal gruel, or malt sweet-wort, with _nursing_, _rest_,
and small doses of LIQUID LAUDANUM, are the only means to be pursued.


STALL.—The partitions into which a stable is divided are denominated
STALLS; and the space allotted to each horse is called a stall. These,
in stables constructed with judgment, and erected with a necessary
respect to health and convenience, should never be less than nine or ten
feet high, and six feet wide: the heighth will contribute much to the
equal temperature of the air; and the width will contribute to the
comfort of the horse in an occasional extension of his extremities, as
well as prevent many of those injuries sustained in too suddenly turning
in narrow and confined stalls, particularly in the common livery stables
of the Metropolis. In many large equestrian and hunting establishments
there are single stalls (called loose boxes) of such dimensions as are
adapted to the accommodation of horses either _sick_ or _lame_, where
they are then at liberty to expand at full length, and enabled to roll
at their ease: these are of great utility, and few sportsmen continue
long without them.


STALLION—is the appellation given to a perfect horse, not mutilated by
the operation of _castration_, but preserved in a state of nature, for
the purpose of propagation. Stallions should be of great strength,
according to the distinct breed they are intended to promote, of correct
shape, uniform make, and corresponding symmetry; free from every kind of
hereditary taint; good eyes, long forehand, short back, round barrel,
wide chest, straight legs, free from splents before, and spavins behind.
Although it is a difficult task to obtain perfection, some little
circumspection may be necessary, in coming as near to it as
circumstances and situation will permit. Experimental observation has
produced demonstration, that stallions really blind, or with eyes
defective, have produced colts of similar description; such defects not
appearing in their first _two_ or _three_ years, nor, indeed, till they
have been worked, and the powers brought into action. Instances are
never wanting of the great number annually disposed to breed, who as
annually _repent_ for want of these prudent precautions. Not only the
above points, but the temper and disposition of a stallion should be
also attended to: vicious and restive horses should be equally avoided;
those imperfections are very frequently transmitted from _sire_ to
_son_, and continued to posterity.

Stallions of the racing kind were never known to have covered at so high
a price as in the memory of the present generation. _Marsk_, after the
appearance of that prodigy _Eclipse_, covered a certain number of mares
at 100 guineas each; and none now of the first celebrity, cover at less
than ten, fifteen, or twenty. Those in the highest sporting estimation,
and announced for the present season, 1803, are _Alexander_, at 10
guineas; _Ambrosio_, 10 guineas; _Beningbrough_, 10 guineas; _Buzzard_,
10 guineas; _Coriander_, 10 guineas; _Dungannon_, 10 guineas; and _Sir
Harry_, at five. _Hambletonian_, 10 guineas; and _Patriot_, at five.
_Volunteer_, at 10 guineas; and _Shuttle_, at five. _Pegasus_,
_Precipitate_, and _Sir Solomon_, at 10 guineas each. _Stamford_,
_Idris_, _Meteor_, and _Mr. Teazle_, at five. _Sir Peter Teazle_, 15
guineas; _Young Eclipse_, 20 guineas; _Whisky_, _Worthy_, and _Waxy_, at
10 guineas; _Trumpator_, eight guineas; _Oscar_, at six. _Grouse_,
_Gouty_, _Fidget_, _Totteridge_, _Don Quixote_, and _Old Tat_, at five
guineas; and _Petworth_, _Stickler_, _Warter_, _Gamenut_, _Moorcock_,
(brother to _Grouse_,) and _Zachariah_, at three.

The following famous stallions died at or about the dates annexed to
their names. _Old Fox_, in 1738, aged 23 years. _Old Partner_, 1747,
aged 29. The GODOLPHIN _Arabian_, 1753, 29. _Old Cade_, 1756. The BOLTON
_Starling_, 1757. _Snip_, the same year. _Young Cade_, 1764. _Old
Marsk_, July 1779. _King Herod_, May 12, 1780. _Matchem_, February 21,
1781. _Imperator_, 1786. _Morwick Ball_, January 4, 1787, aged 25 years.
_Eclipse_, February 26, 1789, in his 26th year. _Goldfinder_, in 1789.
_Fortitude_, the same year. _Conductor_, in 1790. _Phlegon_, the same
year. _Faggergill_, 1791; and _Florizel_, the same year. _Fortunio_,
_Jupiter_, and _Soldier_, all died in 1802.


STANDARD—is the name of an instrument by which the exact heighth of a
horse is taken (to the eighth of an inch) when engaged to carry _weight_
for _inches_, or entered to run for a GIVE and TAKE PLATE. The standard
is about six feet six inches high, and so constructed with a line and
pendulum, in the centre of a circle, that no mismeasurement, by fraud or
imposition, can take place. The standard is one straight square piece of
oak or mahogany, and divided, from the top to the bottom, in figured
spaces of _four inches_ each; every space of which is termed a HAND; so
that a horse of fifteen hands is precisely _five feet high_. From the
standard branches horizontally a projecting arm, of about twenty inches,
or two feet in length, which sliding upwards or downwards, is raised
higher, or sunk lower, with the hand, till it rests easily upon the
extreme point of the wither; when, by looking at the proper suspension
of the pendulum and the figures at the same time, the heighth of the
horse is instantly ascertained.


STAR—is the white centrical spot in the forehead of a horse, directly
between, and rather above, the eyes. These are considered great natural
ornaments in _bays_, _chestnuts_, _browns_, and _blacks_; inducing
DEALERS to remedy the deficiencies of nature by the obtrusion of art.
This is effected by scraping off the hair carefully with a razor, from
the part where the intended star is to appear, when, by wetting the
surface with oil of vitriol, an eschar will soon appear, when which
exfoliates, it is followed by a growth of hair of the colour required.


STARING OF THE COAT.—This external appearance in a horse, so strikingly
denotes him _out_ of _condition_, or _diseased_, that it never escapes
the eye of the most superficial observer. It is originally occasioned by
a sudden collapsion of the porous system, from an exposure to cold
chilling rains, after having been previously heated; a change from a
warm stable to one less comfortable, and a consequent viscidity of the
blood; or from a low, impoverished, and acrimonious state of the
circulation. See HIDEBOUND, SURFEIT, and MANGE.


STARTING,—in horses, is an imperfection, if it becomes habitual, that is
of the most dangerous description. It is exceedingly different from a
horse _skittish_, _wanton_, and _playful_ only, for which the rider is
always prepared; and if a good horseman, it is generally as pleasing to
one as to the other. But when a horse is eternally in fear, and alarmed
at every object unlike himself, he not only sometimes snorts and stops
suddenly in the midst of a rapid career of either _trot_ or _gallop_,
but, by an instantaneous spring of five or six feet, brings the rider
over his head, or dismounts him on one side or the other. It is not at
all matter of surprise, that most of the young horses brought from the
country, should at first be alarmed at the infinite variety and velocity
of carriages, as well as with other strange and unaccountable objects,
to which they must have been entirely unaccustomed before they reached
the environs of the Metropolis. Horses of this description,
(good-tempered, and not viciously inclined,) are never known to be long
so disposed, provided they are treated tenderly, and encouraged mildly
to pass the object by which they have been so suddenly, accidentally,
and perhaps unnecessarily, alarmed; but when the fools who ride them
permit _passion_ and _inhumanity_ to predominate over reason, obstinacy
on one side often begets opposition on the other, and accident or death
frequently ensues; in confirmation of which, the following fact may be
applicably introduced, as a check to the impetuosity of those _heroes_
on horseback, with which every road, and every country, so plentifully
abound.

Some few years since, a medical practitioner, of much celebrity in the
town of Putney, not many miles from London, being suddenly called from
home upon a professional occasion, happened to meet a broad wheel waggon
upon the turnpike road, at which the horse being greatly terrified,
immediately started, and sprung to a considerable distance, producing,
in fact, no small degree of alarm and passionate mortification in the
rider; who most inconsiderately adopted the usual mode of attempting to
obtain by _violence_, what might have been probably acquired in an equal
space of time with _patience_ and _philosophy_. Not affording time to
recollect that the horse had his sensations of joy, fear, surprise, and
dread of danger, in an equal degree with himself, he immediately
proceeded to the use of _whip_ and _spur_, till the horse approached the
waggon, which the poor complying animal no sooner did, in obedience to
his master, than a sudden gust of wind passing under the tilt, raised it
in such a manner just in the face of the horse, that so strange and
aweful a renewal of the first alarm repeated the start, and with such
violence, that the rider was dismounted, and the wheels going over his
body, he lost his life upon the spot. A retention of this transaction in
the memory of every juvenile or inexperienced reader, may, perhaps,
prove an applicable preventive to unmanly passion at the very moment of
its intentional exertion.


STERN.—The tail of the HOUND, or GREYHOUND, is sportingly so called.


STEW—is a small reservoir of water, to which fish are brought from
larger receptacles where they are bred or caught, and there deposited
for the daily use of the family, the supply being constantly kept up in
proportion to the domestic consumption.


STIFLE.—The part of a horse called the stifle, is the projecting point
of the hind-quarter, which comes forward under the flank towards the
belly, forming an angular joint from the round bone above to the hock
below. Injuries are not often sustained at this junction; and when they
are, it is much oftener by neglect, a blow, or inadvertence, than by
unavoidable accident. Lameness in this part can receive no assistance
from bandage; fomentation, embrocation, and rest, are the only means
that can be adopted to obtain _relief_; for when a lameness in the
stifle is severe, or of long standing, a perfect cure is seldom obtained.


STIRRUP—is the well-known polished iron convenience suspended from each
side of the saddle; of a proper shape, make, and size, to receive and
support the foot, for the joint promotion of ease and safety. Upon the
length of the leather strap (called stirrup-leather) entirely depends
the graceful position of the rider, and his command of the horse; if
which is _too short_, he is in danger, upon any start or sudden exertion
of the horse, of being thrown over his head: if they are _too long_, he
is in an equally aukward predicament; for having then no assisting
support, but the internal part of the knees, they must, if the horse is
a rough goer, be soon in a state of laceration. The proper length of the
stirrup-leathers, for either field or road, is so as to be able, when
sitting firm upon the saddle, to disengage the foot from the stirrup
with one action of drawing back, and to receive it again with the
reverse. In racing, the stirrups are required a degree shorter; as it is
by the joint and corresponding support of the knees, and the strength of
the arms and shoulders, that the horse is held to his stroke.


STONE.—This is a sporting term upon the TURF, and used in _matches_,
_plates_, and _sweepstakes_, to denote or imply what weight each horse
is to carry; that is, so many STONE, so many POUNDS. Every stone is
_fourteen_ pounds, and this is called "horseman's weight," in
contra-distinction to a common stone, of _eight_ pounds, by which meat,
and other articles in trade, are sold.


STOAT.—The stoat is a most mischievous little animal, very much
resembling the weasel, and at a small distance, when running, not to be
readily distinguished from each other. They abound near large farms
surrounded with corn-ricks and faggot-piles, under each of which they
ensure to a certainty never-failing protection. This diminutive pest,
though but from two to three inches in heighth, (ten inches long, the
tail half the length of its body, disgustingly hairy, and pointed with
black, the edges of the ears and the toes both of a cream-coloured
white,) is a most indefatigable, determined, and destructive enemy to
GAME in all its _forms_, and POULTRY in all its _branches_.


STRAIN.—See SPRAIN.


STRANGLES—is a disorder to which young horses in general are always
liable, and few or none escape, any more than children escape the
small-pox, hooping-cough, or measles. It first displays itself in a
heaviness of the head, a dulness of the eyes, a reluctance to action, a
heat in the mouth, and a gradually declining appetite: this is followed
by a swelling in the concavity beneath the under jaw, which being
centrical, is sometimes surrounded by two or three tumefactions of
smaller formation. These, in their progress to maturation, are
frequently slow, and require patient perseverance in external
application; for in all cases of suppuration, NATURE may be _led_, but
will never be _driven_. During the time the matter is forming, and
progressively getting into a state of concoction, an _internal_ soreness
of the _throat_ correspondingly comes on, and is followed by an almost
or total refusal of food. When it is ascertained that STRANGLES is the
true face of the disorder, care must be taken to avoid bleeding, and
every kind of medical evacuants, which would tend to embarrass Nature in
her own efforts, and protract the crisis of disease; upon which the very
safety of the horse, and his expeditious cure, entirely depend.

The strangles is a disorder standing in much greater need of nursing,
and constant stable attendance, than the least medical interposition:
the system requires to be kept up by art, and every nutritious attention
in proportion as the appetite has been observed to decline. In its
earliest stage, no attempt whatever should be made at repulsion, (by
external astringents, or any spirituous application whatever;) on the
contrary, hot emollient fomentations to the part, (with two sponges dipt
in the decoction alternately for a quarter of an hour daily,) followed
directly with stimulative poultices of a proper heat, _repeated_ and
_patient_ offers of gruel and sweet-wort, mixed a little warm in a pail
perfectly clean, and free from grease. Small quantities of mash
(prepared of ground malt and bran, equal parts) should, at proper
intervals, be placed in the manger: these and the gruel being constantly
refused, the case will then require the additional adoption of a
pectoral cordial ball, to be dissolved in a pint of gruel, and mildly
insinuated about a third part with the horn at each time, till the whole
is got down; and this should be repeated three times in every
twenty-four hours, till the tumor is broke, and the crisis arrives; when
which is observed, if the aperture is too small, it may be a little
enlarged with the point of any instrument, that the matter may the more
easily run off. To promote this, the poultice, covering a pledget of
digestive ointment, should be continued for two or three days, when a
cure is soon effected. Two or three doses of physic, or a course of
alteratives, is always necessary after this disease.


STRANGURY—is a temporary suppression of urine in horses, brought on more
by the indiscretion of their riders or drivers, than any morbid
affection, or constitutional defect in the horse. It may proceed from a
spasmodic stricture upon the sphincter, or the neck of the bladder,
occasioned by a too long retention of urine; in continuing an immoderate
length of time on the road, or in the field, during which the distrest
animal has no opportunity to stale; as well as from a slight
inflammation, or tendency to tumefaction, in the kidnies; likewise from
calculous concretions in the bladder, jaggy particles of which may
irritate, and painfully plug up the urinary passages. Some horses feel
great pain when labouring under the suppression, which, when judiciously
managed, seldom proves more than a temporary inconvenience.
Instantaneous bleeding will sometimes, by unloading the vessels, take
off the stricture, and produce instantaneous effect. If the horse is
perpetually straining to stale, evacuating only a few drops, or partial
dribblings, two or three cloves of a separated onion, or divided garlic,
may be insinuated, and left within each side of the sheath; in addition
to which, a large sponge, dipt in very warm water, and repeatedly
applied to the neighbouring parts, will assist; those local applications
proving salutary and expeditious substitutes for the more tedious
process of medicine internally administered. In cases of long
continuance, and increasing emergency, more commanding means must be
adopted; of which DIURETIC BALLS, with a drachm of _camphire_, and a few
grains of _opium_ incorporated with each, and periodically repeated,
will be found to answer the most sanguine expectation.


STRING-HALT.—This defect in a horse is a kind of spasmodic jerk, or
sudden twitching of one or other of the hind-legs in action, and has
been, in different opinions, attributed to various causes, and probably
by none to the right; as there is no one disorder, disease, defect, or
imperfection, to which the horse is liable, upon the origin, progress,
or cure of which so little has been introduced. It is conjecturally said
by some "to be brought on by sudden colds, after severe riding or hard
labour, particularly by washing a horse when hot with cold water; a
practice too common, and erroneously ridiculous; and that it may also be
produced by blows or bruises near the hock." All this may be well upon
the score of speculative amusement, but it forms no feature of
scientific disquisition. The string-halt, from its appearance, must
palpably originate in a previous distortion of some part of the
ligamentary junction; or a preternatural contraction, (or partial
rupture,) of its muscular appendages; in either or both of which, no
regular road to relief can be adverted to without a much greater
probability of repentant trouble and mortifying disappointment.


STUBBED.—A horse is said to have sustained this injury, when in hunting
amongst the stumps of newly cut coverts and underwood, he is punctured,
cut, or bruised, in any part of the foot, coronet, or fetlock, by some
of the infinity of stubs with which newly cut copses so plentifully
abound. When accidents of this kind happen, the applications must depend
entirely upon the magnitude of the injury received. In all slight cases,
amounting to little more than simple laceration, Friar's balsam,
tincture of myrrh, or even common vinegar, may soon close the mouths of
the vessels, harden the surface, and effect a cure. Where swelling and
inflammation ensue, poultices must follow; and WOUNDS must of course be
treated as _such_. Although misfortunes may frequently occur, and
cannot, even by the most circumspect, be always avoided, yet it is
certain, more horses are stubbed by the folly and indiscretion of those
who ride them, than by any casual or inevitable occurrences of the chase.


STUD—is a term applicable to three distinct meanings, and is so used in
its different significations. A stud, in its more extended acceptation,
applies to an aggregate collection of horses, without giving priority to
any particular sort; as the person having a great number of horses, is
said to have _a very large stud_; but the term, in its divided and
sub-divided state, proves more extensively comprehensive. One is in
possession of a very expensive RACING STUD; another has a numerous STUD
of HUNTERS; and a third, still more opulent, or still more
_fashionable_, shall have a BREEDING STUD, to produce an annual supply
for the two preceding. The management of each _individually_, is now so
perfectly understood, by those perpetually engaged in the practice, that
no information can be derived from literary or theoretic inculcation.


STUD-BOOK—is the hereditary deposit of PEDIGREE, transmitted from one
generation to another, and punctually preserved by the proprietor of
every RACING STUD of eminence in the kingdom; in which may be retraced
the exact lineal descent of each HORSE and MARE, from the earliest time
in which _racing blood_ began to bear a promise of estimation. From a
most industrious and elaborate accumulative collection of these, Mr.
Weatherby has given to the public, a full, clear, explanatory and
well-authenticated pedigree of between four and five thousand of the
best bred horses who have raced and covered in England, Scotland, and
Ireland. This publication bears the title of "Weatherby's General
Stud-Book;" and must, to every sportsman of taste and literature, prove
a most useful and entertaining volume.


STUMBLING—is so great an imperfection in a horse, that it affects his
intrinsic worth, in proportion to the readiness with which it is
perceived. Horses having short forehands, large heads, and thick
shoulders, are the most subject to this defect of any other formation:
those low at the point of the withers, (which is called being lower
_before_ than _behind_,) in addition to the deficiencies already
mentioned, are the worst of _stumblers_; the whole forming such a
combination of _bad points_, as not to leave one enlivening hope of
reformation. A horse addicted to _stumbling_, occasions so many dreadful
sensations to the rider, that he may almost as well encounter so many
shocks of electricity. Those who unluckily get into possession of such,
cannot separate too soon. The old sportsman never rides a _stumbler_
more than _once_, which he thinks _once_ too _often_.


SURBATING—is a term getting into disuse, and with the last of the old
school of farriery will in a few years be buried in total oblivion: this
it well deserves to be, as a word without either meaning or derivation.
Insignificant as it sounds, it has been, till within a very few years,
used to signify a hoof so _battered_, _bruised_, and _worn_, with bad
shoeing, bad shoes, and sometimes with _no shoes at all_, that the
horse, having hardly any feet to stand upon, was then said to be
_surbated_; which, in more explanatory and comprehensive language, is
neither more or less than the sole of the foot so completely destroyed,
(by the means before-mentioned,) that a horse in such situation is now
said to be foot-foundered, who was formerly said to be surbated.


SURFEIT.—In respect to the disease in horses so called, it seems, with
most veterinary writers of the preceding and present time, to be an
almost indefinite or undefined term. It is not only differently
described, but attributed to various causes; without the superfluous
investigation of which, it is only necessary to observe, that it is the
effect of acrimonious morbidity in the blood, possessing gradational
shades of progress, in a corresponding degree with what is denominated
scurvy in the frame of the human species. In the first stage of what is
professionally deemed SURFEIT, the horse's coat partially stares, and is
in some parts nearly erect: under the raised parts is perceived a kind
of blue dusty hue, which, not counteracted by medical means, or an
increase of good _healthy provender_, soon degenerates to a palpable
scurf; this continuing to extend itself over the surface, so hardens by
time, that each becomes a pustule or eschar, which afterwards
exfoliating, leaves alternate appearances of the bare skin and hair,
somewhat similar to an advanced stage of the _mange_, to which species
of disease it is, in fact, no very distant relation. Its progress to
inveteracy is not the same in all subjects, as it will continue its
ravages with fixed scales, or dry barky scabs, in some, but will emit a
sharp serous ichor from others.

This discharge is generally of such a sharp and acrid property, that the
violent itching it occasions, keeps the poor object in a state of
incessant misery; for when the disorder is far advanced, the time is so
constantly appropriated to the indispensible office of rubbing, (for the
attainment of temporary relief,) that very little is afforded to the
purpose of subsistence, should pasture be furnished in plenty; which,
with such unfortunate and unprofitable subjects, is very rarely the
case. The first step to cure, is to alter and enrich the _property_ of
the _blood_, by altering the aliment to a more nutritious and
invigorating kind than it was before. In a week or ten days, when the
frame is in a perceptible degree improved, a first bleeding may take
place, followed by such antimonial alteratives, as may be found best
adapted to the complexion of the case. Many instances there are, where,
from long standing, and great malignancy, mercurial solutions, or
vitriolic lotions, become so indispensibly necessary, that a cure cannot
be perfectly insured without. When the system is in a certain degree
restored, and visibly rising superior to the depredating effects of
disease, _bleeding_ may be repeated, and _antimonial powders_ in mashes
nightly administered, till indications of certain recovery appear, when
a course of mild mercurial physic should be proceeded upon, that no
doubt of obliteration may be entertained.


SWAINMOTE—is a peculiar court, appertaining solely to the LAWS of a
_forest_, and held three times within the year. In this court the
VERDERERS preside in the official capacity of Judges; for although the
Warden, or his deputy, may take their seats in the court, they have no
judicial authority there. The court of Swainmote may enquire of
offences, receive informations, and proceed to conviction; but judgment
is not within the limits of this court; their province extends no
farther than to _hear_ and _convict_; judgment cannot be given but from
the judgment-seat, where the JUSTICE in EYRE presides as chief officer;
and all associated with him, are called Justices of the Forest. This
court being a COURT of RECORD, can fine and imprison for offences within
the forest; and therefore if the judgment is conceived erroneous, the
record may be removed by _writ_ of _error_ into the Court of King's
Bench.


SWEAT—is the transpiration of perspirative matter through the skin by
the effect of an increased circulation of the blood. This, in a moderate
degree, is so conducive to the _promotion_ of HEALTH, that those horses
who regularly enjoy exercise to a proper state of perspiration,
occasionally, and at proper times, are always in the highest condition;
provided they are taken care of in proportion to the exercise each has
had, or the work he has undergone. By the appearance of a horse in a
high perspiration, immediate judgment may be formed of the property of
his blood; and in a collateral degree, of the state of his health; for
when a horse in good condition is under a profuse perspiration, the
sweat is so congenially incorporated with the coat, (particularly if the
horse is _well bred_,) that the hair lays so uniformly one way, that if
the sun happens to shine, it seems a covering of satin: on the contrary,
when a horse, after equal (or, in fact, much less) exertion, bears a
_greasy_ kind of perspiration upon the surface, with the coat turning in
different directions, bearing a gross matted appearance, and of a faint
fœtid effluvia, the blood is in an improper state, and the horse in very
bad condition. SWEATING a horse in the _stable_, by the administration
of medicine, is a practice, the propriety of which has not hitherto been
clearly ascertained; at least not perfectly demonstrated upon the true
principles of science, uncontaminated by the obtrusive aid of deceptive
speculation. See "TARTAR EMETIC."


SWEATING FOR THE TURF—is a sporting ceremony with training-grooms, to
which, in their opinion, no small probable consequence is attached; as
is fully confirmed by the invariable punctuality with which it is
performed. The two reasons assigned for the necessity of this operation,
is to preserve the WIND in its proper state of _purity_, and to prevent
a superfluous and improper _accumulation_ of FLESH. Horses in training
are (in strict conformity with this intent) sweated at certain periods,
or intervals, of six, seven or eight days each; which are brought nearer
to, or delayed farther from each other, by the increasing or reduced
state of the subject so to be sweated. The ceremony is performed in the
morning, soon after the dawn of day, under the ancient superstitious
opinion, that the AIR is then more _pure_ than at any other part of the
twenty-four hours; and with those whose department it is to execute the
office, as much _imaginary_ consequence appertains to it, as to making
up the most important national dispatches at the principal office of
Administration.

The horse intended to be sweated, is previously loaded with a profusion
of sheets, quarter-pieces, and horse-cloths; the number and weight
judiciously proportioned to the quantity of perspirative matter it is
intended he should lose: when all which is completely fixed in the
stable, he is then brought to the exercise ground, with a light or
_feather weight_ upon his back, where, after having been walked time
sufficient to afford ample opportunities of unloading the carcase by
excrementitious evacuation, he is permitted to start for a sweat of
_two_, _three_, _four_ or _five_ miles, according to his age, his
strength, his state of flesh, and the kind of race (in respect to
distance) he is in training for; as well as the sort of course he is
intended to run over. It is a most judicious and confirmed rule in
sweating, that the horse is to begin at a very slow rate, and so
continue till he has covered half the ground he is to go, when he should
have his speed moderately increased during the third quarter, so that
his fourth should be at a degree of speed very little short of his rate
in racing.

Having ran his ground, and pulled up, he is walked in hand for a few
minutes, to give time (in the language of the turf) for the _sweat to
come out_, which, when the cloths are taken off, follows in copious
streams that the animal seems to enjoy. At this moment two assistants
are ready with each a thin wooden instrument, called a _scraper_, made
of oak or ash, in shape resembling half the blade of a mowing scythe,
(narrowed at the ends for the convenience of the hands,) with which they
scrape the sweat from the neck, back, sides, belly, and quarters, so
long as the least moisture is observed to appear; the moment which
ceases, the scrapers are exchanged for wisps of soft straw, or separated
hay-bands, 'till the body, and every part, is perfectly clean and
refreshed. He is then furnished with dry sheets, hood, &c. brought to
the ground for the purpose; when being led home to the stable, he is
supplied with the necessary quantity of soft water, a little warm,
previous to undergoing a regular and complete dressing, with greater
nicety, than in the open air: when this is systematically gone through,
he has a farther moderate supply of water, which is most commonly
(though there are occasional deviations) followed by a warm and
comfortable mash; upon depositing which in the manger, and setting the
stable fair, the door is closed for a _double period_ of the usual hours
for going to stable when a horse has _not_ been sweated; and although he
undergoes the afternoon and evening routine of being fed, set fair, &c.
he is neither stripped, or goes to exercise, any more on that day.


SWEATING OF JOCKIES—is a ceremony which every JOCKEY is under the
necessity of going through when engaged to ride, and the horse is to
carry less than his own natural weight. For the reduction of weight,
jockies are obliged to encounter great inconveniencies, particularly
when they have much to lose, and a very short time to lose it in. The
means of reducing themselves to the weight required are various, and
depend upon the greater or lesser quantity they wish to lose in a given
time, and have to waste themselves accordingly. If they have but _two_
or _three_ pounds to lose, they will waste that in a single day's
abstinence, and a morning and evening's walking: should four or five
pounds be required, a gentle laxative, followed by two or three days
extra walking, with an additional waistcoat or two, will generally carry
the point: if more is necessary to be lost, it is sometimes a hazardous
reduction, and great exertions are made to effect it: additional
purgation, continued abstinence, increased perspiration, and almost
perpetual exercise, all which, if persevered in to an extreme, tend to
undermine the natural stamen by which the frame is supported, and
absolutely saps the constitution. Instances have been numerous, where
JOCKIES have undertaken to _waste_ fourteen or sixteen pounds against
the day of running; which having been at no great distance, they have,
in addition to the evacuations already described, submitted their bodies
to the debilitating FUMES of a _hot-bed_; and what is still more
extraordinary, to be immersed in the _stench_ and _steam_ of a DUNGHILL
to effect their purpose, which so completely relaxed the solids, and
deranged the system of the natural economy, that _consumption_ followed,
and DEATH soon closed the scene.


SWELLED LEGS.—See LEGS SWELLED, HUMOURS, and GREASE.


SWELLING in the SHEATH or GROIN,—of a horse externally in good health,
and without any predominant symptoms of pain or disquietude, is
sometimes of little consequence; denoting no more than a general
plethora, or distension of the vessels, which immediate bleeding,
followed by gentle friction, and moderate evacuants, may be expected to
remove: but if it makes its appearance at the crisis of any inflammatory
disorder, of either liver, lungs, or kidnies, it may be considered a
very unfavourable prognostic, and the worst is yet to come; though the
writer has seen many cases of extreme danger, where the patients have
recovered by persevering in the medical means which were previously
known to be right.


SWAN.—The swan, as the most majestic and distinguished of all water
fowl, is honoured with royal protection: those who disturb their nests,
destroy their eggs, or injure, wound, or cripple the swans, are liable
to imprisonment for twelve months, and a fine at the pleasure of the
King. The corporate body of the City of London, as CONSERVATORS of the
RIVER THAMES, have an annual aquatic excursion to Staines, (which is the
western extremity of their boundaries,) in the most pleasant and most
plentiful season of the year, with colours flying, music playing, and
all the appropriate parapharnalia of the first and most opulent city in
the universe. All the swans upon the Thames, within their district, are
under the protection of the Conservators; and this display of civic
grandeur is perpetuated from one generation to another, by the
appellation of "Swan-hopping day."




T.


TAIL.—Upon the uniform shape and setting on of a horse's tail, his
_good_ or _ill_ appearance greatly depends. When the spine is continued
in a curvilinear direction beyond the rump, and the basis of the tail is
formed _too low_ in the quarters, the horse is termed "goose-rumped;"
and no _nicking_, or _setting_, will ever give him the figure of a
handsome horse _behind_. It has been a long-standing maxim, that "a good
horse can't be of a bad colour;" and there may probably be some who
think a good horse can't have a _bad tail_; but a little experience, in
buying and selling, will convince them, that the difference between the
two will be little less than _ten_ or _fifteen_ pounds in a horse of no
more than fifty pounds value. Great losses are sometimes sustained for
want of a little circumspection at the moment of making a purchase; and
this may sometimes proceed from the horse's having some peculiar points
of attraction, in the fascinating survey of which the defects are
totally absorbed; hence arises the pecuniary deficiency when the subject
becomes again to be sold, particularly if to a more prudent and less
hasty purchaser. The old sportsman, when going to _buy_, looks at the
horse as if it was really his _own_, and he was going to _sell_; in
doing which, he estimates his _saleable_ value with an eye of greater
accuracy, makes a tolerably fair calculation what he ought with
consistency to _bid_, that he may sustain no great loss, should he have
future occasion to sell.


TARTAR—was an excellent racer, and the most celebrated stallion of his
time. He was bred by MR. LEEDES, foaled in 1743; was got by _Partner_,
out of _Meliora_, who was got by _Fox_, out of _Milkmaid_. _Tartar_ was
sire of the famous _King Herod_, _Beaufremont_, _Miner_, and Colonel
O'Kelly's mare the dam of _Maria_, _Antiochus_, _Venus_, _Jupiter_,
_Mercury_, _Volunteer_, &c. &c.

_Tartar_, called Wildman's _Tartar_, was a horse of some note likewise;
he was bred by Sir J. Moore, foaled in 1758, and got by the above, out
of _Miss Meredith_, who was got by _Cade_ out of the little Hartley Mare.


TARTAR EMETIC—is one of the most powerful, and, in respect to horses,
one of the most prostituted medicines in the whole MATERIA MEDICA: its
name here is only introduced, and its properties described, that the
SPORTING WORLD, as well as individuals, may be sufficiently guarded
against its dangerous effects, if injudiciously administered, or
secretly brought into use, by practitioners of little knowledge, and
less celebrity, who, knowing no more of its preparation than its name,
know less of its _effects_ than its preparation. With farriers or
veterinarians of this description, it is become a favourite medicine
upon so many occasions, that it stands entitled to a fair, candid, and
unequivocal investigation. EMETIC TARTAR, when administered to the human
frame, with a design of producing the forcible effect of a strong
emetic, has never, by professional men, of the most learned,
distinguished, and experienced ability, exceeded _six_ or _seven_; and
in truly critical cases of dangerous emergency, _eight_ grains may have
been given. _Ten_ grains have been known to operate so violently as to
excite _convulsions_; _twelve_, to occasion DEATH.

Amidst such incontrovertible facts, it naturally becomes a serious
consideration, that men, knowing nothing of the property of medicine,
should have the unrestrained privilege and permission of bringing into
use articles of so much dangerous magnitude, not only without knowing
their _basis_, _preparation_, and peculiar _properties_, but without the
power of prognosticating their _probable_ effects. It is a circumstance
worthy the attention of those possessing a number of horses for either
business or pleasure, (who must consequently have some occasionally
labouring under disease,) how far it may be safe, proper, consistent, or
discreet, to give a horse _half an ounce_ of TARTAR EMETIC at _one_
dose, which, according to the above ascertained facts, will, if divided
accurately into equal proportions, (and the experiments made,) take away
the _lives_ of _twenty_ men. Those who have ignorantly adopted this
practice, as ignorantly and obstinately assert the _impossibility_ of
its doing _any harm_; without either not possessing the knowledge, or
not giving themselves time to recollect, that if _seven_ or _eight_
grains will distress and exhaust the human frame, by every kind of
violent and sensible evacuation, to the appearance of, and in some cases
to actual death; what must be the internally destructive ravages of
twenty (or thirty) times that quantity, thrown into the frame of an
animal, who, not having, like the human species, power to regurgitate,
or throw off the offending consequence by _vomit_, has no alternative,
but to stand a comparative barrel of combustibles, ready to burst with
the effervescent conflagration raised within, and which must, in a
variety of cases, be evidently productive of certain death. But such
practitioners have no character to _support_, no reputation to _lose_;
and they likewise well know, that _dead_ horses, any more than _dead
men_, tell no tales.


TEAL—is a well-known wild fowl, much esteemed for the table. A teal is
of the form, shape, and make of the wild duck and widgeon, but a degree
smaller than the latter, which is equally so from the former.


TEETH—are the arrangement of small bones in the mouth of a horse, for
the particular purpose of mastication; and by which the AGE also may be
ascertained. (See COLT.) The teeth are of a much harder texture than any
other bones in the body, which seems to have been necessary for the
execution of the office they are assigned by Nature. A horse come to
maturity, is in possession of forty teeth, (including the tushes,) which
are thus distinguished: four-and-twenty of these are called _grinders_,
and situate on the sides of the upper and lower jaws above the _tushes_,
and are of no use in discovering the age. With respect to the other
sixteen, twelve of them are called _colt's teeth_ till upwards of two
years old, (when they begin to shed;) and the remaining four are
denominated _tushes_; but _they_ never make the least appearance till
rising, or full five years old. The twelve colt's teeth are six in front
above, and the same below; four of these (that is, two above, and two
below) exfoliate annually, beginning at the middle two, and continue
shedding the neighbouring two in succession for the next two years, till
they are succeeded by the entire new set in front, when the horse is
five years old.

These new teeth, upon their appearance, are distinguished by different
appellations: the first four are called _nippers_; the next, _middle
teeth_; and the last, _corner teeth_. The four nippers are the centrical
four, (that is, two _above_, and two _below_:) these he sheds when about
two years and a half old, varying a little in the time, according as he
may have been an early or a backward colt. The middle teeth, as they are
called, one on each side the nippers above and below, exfoliate, and are
followed by others about the same time the following year, when the colt
is three and a half, (called, rising four:) in this state the teeth
continue till the decline of the following year, when the corner teeth
are shed likewise, and it is then said, he has lost all his colt's
teeth: when the successors to the corner teeth are full shelled on both
sides, the horse has then completed his fifth year. It is a practice
with DEALERS in general, so soon as they have purchased a _four year
old_ in a country fair, to immediately _wrench out_ the corner teeth
with _a key_, or some other convenient instrument, that its successor
may have the credit of spontaneous appearance, upon which the horse is
sold to an inexperienced purchaser as a FIVE YEAR OLD, though, in
reality, no more than _four_.

The horse having completed his fifth year, will have a black cavity in
every tooth _above_ and _below_: but the inner edge of the five year old
tooth at the corners, is not completely grown up till the last half of
the sixth year, as may be seen by a reference to the Plate, Fig. 3;
"_Rising Six_." When the horse is about four or five months beyond his
sixth year, which is called _six off_, the black mark in the centrical
teeth fill up by degrees; those standing next, fill up next in the same
way; and in faint succession one pair to the other, till, at the seventh
year, (when the horse is said to be _aged_,) the mark is fairly retained
in only the corner teeth, which continues to decline during the year,
and is generally obliterated by the time the horse is eight years old.
The tushes begin to appear about four, or between that and the fifth
year; they display themselves one above and one below, on each side, at
a little distance from the corner teeth, without having been preceded by
any colt's teeth in _that spot_ since they were foaled. After a horse is
eight years old, his age can only be guessed at by the length, and worn
edges, of his teeth; which may always be nearly ascertained by any
person a little accustomed to the examination.


TENDONS—are the elastic covering of the muscles, composed of an infinity
of fibres, which, in their aggregate, form a substance of great
strength, and appropriate contraction and elongation, for all the
purposes of expansion and flexibility. The tendons in a horse most
liable to injury and accident, are those passing down the shank-bone of
the fore-legs, from nearly the back of the knee, to their seat of
insertion at the fetlock joint, which are in general known by the name
of the _back sinews_. These, and the accidents to which they are liable,
have been so fully treated on under the heads of LAMENESS and SPRAINS,
that enlarging here would only prove a repetition superfluous and
unnecessary. A wounded or punctured tendon, by thorn, stub,
stable-prong, or with any other instrument, is always attended with
excruciating pain, and violent inflammation, producing the most
dangerous symptoms. In such cases it has been too much the practice to
have immediate recourse to turpentine, and other spirituous
applications, which is only adding _fuel_ to the FIRE, and rendering the
_remedy_ worse than the DISEASE. Warm, mild fomentations, emollient
poultices, gentle digestives upon lint covered with tow, and recourse to
the most judicious and experienced practitioner to be obtained,
constitute the only sound basis upon which even _hope_ of recovery can
be entertained; as most cases of the kind, if serious and severe, have a
very unfavourable termination; those few subjects who seem completely
restored, being ever after incapable of any work of consequence, ranking
only as invalids.


TERMS IN SPORTING—are, in general, the same through every part of the
kingdom; except some few provincial deviations in distant districts,
remote from the centrical parts near the Metropolis. When going out with
hounds in the morning, and reaching the place of meeting, we _throw_ off
(or _cast_ off) the hounds; we _rouse_ a deer, _unkennel_ a fox, or
_start_ a hare. When a hound challenges who can be relied upon, he has
taken _scent_ of a deer, _drag_ of a fox, or _trail_ of a hare. If a
hound _quests_ (that is, gives tongue) without a cause, he is said to
_babble_. After finding, if the _scent_ lies well, and the hounds run
together, the scent is said to be _breast-high_. When, during the chase,
the hounds (in consequence of bad, dry, or stormy weather) are often at
fault, and the huntsman is under the necessity of adverting to whatever
advantages and assistance he can obtain, he has, perhaps, no other
alternative, than to avail himself of the _track_ of whatever GAME he
has in pursuit; in either of which chases, he _slots_ a deer, he _foots_
a fox, or he _pricks_ a hare.

It was formerly the custom to say a _kennel_ of hounds; of beagles a
_pack_: it is now more usual to call them indiscriminately a kennel of
hounds, when in the kennel; but all are equally called a pack in the
field. Of greyhounds, pointers, and spaniels, when speaking of numbers,
it is right to say a _brace_, (for two;) a _leash_ of greyhounds, a
_brace_ and _half_ of pointers and spaniels, (for three;) and two brace
of either, for four. When a deer, during the chase, gets into the water,
he is then said _to take soil_: when so hard run, and so much distrest,
that he turns round, and faces the hounds, he is then said to _stand at
bay_. The head of the fox, when killed, is called the _front_, (in some
parts, the _scalp_;) his feet, _pads_; and his tail, the _brush_; which
is the distinguishing trait of honour for the day, that every fearless
foxhunter rides for. When the game leaves covert, it is said to have
_gone away_: when, in the heighth of the chase, the game makes a short
turn to the right or left, and the hounds come to a fault, by having
over-run the scent, the game is then said to have _headed_: if that is
returned in a parallel line with the original chase, it is called a
_double_; and if it is brought again directly into the old _track_, it
is called running _the soil_.

Hounds at the commencement of a season, after so long a confinement and
restraint, are inclined to chase every thing they see, or scent from a
_pig_ to a _polecat_, in all which cases they are said to _run riot_.
Hounds _draw_ for a fox; they _try_ for a hare. When greyhounds are
removed from one country to another, they travel with _collars_; hounds
in _couples_. In shooting terms, we say, a _brace_ of hares, a _leash_
of pheasants, and _two brace_ of partridges; a _brace_ of snipes, a
_couple and half_ of woodcocks, and _two couple_ of rabbits.


TERRIER.—The terrier may naturally be concluded to have derived his name
from the avidity with which he takes the earth; particularly when in
pursuit of his _own_ game, which is vermin of every kind, without
distinction. To the fox, badger, polecat, weasel, rat, and even the poor
domestic cat, the terrier is a most implacable enemy. For the purposes
of BADGER BAITING, they have, by the lower classes, been crossed, and
bred _in_ and _in_ with the bull-dog, which has enlarged the produce of
those crosses, and increased the natural ferocity, as a greater stimulus
to that particular sport now so fashionable with the sons of the
cleaver, since the practice of BULL-BAITING has been so happily upon the
decline. The genuine and lesser breed of terrier is employed in a
business, to which, by his size, his fortitude, persevering strength,
and invincible ardour, he seems more peculiarly adapted, and may be most
truly said "to labour cheerfully in his vocation." This is, in his
subordinate attendance upon the chase, where, like distinguished
personages in a procession, though _last_, he is not the _least_ in
consequence.

TERRIERS of even the _best blood_ are now bred of all colours; red,
black, (with tan faces, flanks, feet, and legs;) brindled sandy; some
few, brown pied, white pied, and pure white; as well as one sort of each
colour, rough and wire-haired; the others, soft and smooth; and, what is
rather extraordinary, the latter not much deficient in courage with the
former; but the _rough breed_ must be acknowledged the most severe and
invincible biter of the two. Since fox-hunting is so deservedly and
universally popular in every county where it can be enjoyed, these
faithful little animals have become so exceedingly fashionable, that few
stables of the independent are seen without them. Four and five guineas
is no great price for a handsome, well-bred terrier; and a very short
time since, seven puppies were sold at the Running-horse livery-stables,
in Piccadilly, for _one-and-twenty_ guineas; and _these_, at this time,
is as true a breed of the small sort as any in England.

With every established pack of fox-hounds there is seldom to be seen
less than _a brace_ of terriers; and, for the best of reasons, one is
generally larger and stronger than the other; in a small earth, where
one cannot enter, the other may. With the hounds, in endeavouring to
find, as well as during the chase, their exertions are incessant and
indefatigable; and although the fleet pack shall be carrying the scent
breast high at the top of their speed, these instinctive devotees to the
sport are seldom far behind them. When a fox is run to _earth_, it is
the province of the terrier to follow, and _lay at him_; as, by the
baying of one at the other, the ear will soon be informed, whether the
fox lays _deep_, or near the _surface_; and those who are employed in
digging him out, will be enabled and encouraged to proceed accordingly.
In fidelity, sagacity, courage, as well as the most incredible endurance
of fatigue and hunger, they are inferior to no one particular tribe of
the canine species.


THRUSHES—are defects in the centrical part of the frogs, which having,
by neglect, been permitted to get into a _rotten_ and _decayed_ state,
they ooze from the middle a most offensive acrid ichor; and this, unless
it is properly cleansed and counteracted, will continue to corrode the
parts underneath, till the foundation of the frog is totally destroyed.
It has been, and still is, too much the practice with the ignorant and
illiterate, to oppose the efforts of Nature, instead of rendering her
judicious and necessary assistance. VITRIOLIC solutions, VERDIGREASE,
and ALUM, are the favourite _infallibles_ with the common farrier, the
coachman, and the groom; but to those of more comprehensive minds, and
complying dispositions, perfect cleansings, with sponge and water,
followed by simple white wine vinegar, and compound tincture of myrrh,
will be found sufficient, if properly persevered in.


TIRING is so bad a quality in any horse, in fact, a circumstance so
little likely to occur, that, when it does happen, (unless by some
improper, cruel, or immoderate riding,) indisposition, or latent
internal defect, may be naturally looked to as the particular cause. In
all cases of this kind, bleeding, a cordial ball, a malt mash, and a
little nursing, seem the only means most likely to promote a speedy
restoration of strength and spirits.


TOBY—was a horse of much recent celebrity as a RACER, and has since
covered as a STALLION in some estimation. He was bred by MR. BULLOCK;
was got by _Highflyer_, dam by _Matchem_. In 1789, when three years old,
he won 100 guineas at Newmarket, 200 guineas at Epsom, and 1100 guineas
at York, beating six others. In 1790, he beat _Euphrosyne_ across the
flat at Newmarket for 500 guineas. The next Meeting he beat Sir W.
Aston's _Marcia_, the same Course, 200 guineas. In 1791, he did not
start. In 1792, Craven Meeting, Newmarket, he again beat _Euphrosyne_
the two year old course, 200 guineas. The next day but one, he won the
great Oatlands Stakes of 100 guineas, fifty-six subscribers, _half
forfeit_; beating _Coriander_, _Asparagus_, _Eager_, _Precipitate_,
_Stride_, _Highlander_, _Buzzard_, _Rhadamanthus_, _Vermin_,
_Turnip-Top_, and nine others. The next Meeting he received 75 guineas
forfeit from _Alderman_, and 50 guineas from _Exciseman_; at the
expiration of which season he was withdrawn from the turf, and
advertized as a stallion, to cover racing mares _gratis_, and others at
two guineas, and half a crown.


TOILS.—Park nets, of great strength and magnitude, are so called. They
are used in taking deer alive, for removal from one park to another; or
from his Majesty's parks to the hunting paddocks at Swinley Lodge, in
Windsor Forest, for the purposes of the chase.


TONGUE.—The tongue of a horse is sometimes lacerated by the bit of the
bridle being too narrow in the mouth-piece; as also by the frequent
_petulant_ jerks of the rider. These, which are slight in the first
instance, are occasionally repeated, till they become perfect cadaverous
ulcers, with a slough (similar to a sitfast) in the middle of each. In
cases of this description, the tongue should be held on one side, while
the part is daily touched with a strong _solution_ of _borax_ in water,
till the slough is fallen off; when it may be soon cured with equal
parts of honey and tincture of myrrh, well incorporated with each other.


TRACK—is the term used to imply the _footmark_ of either man or beast;
but, in the language of the field, it admits of some deviations. We
_track_ a man, a horse, an ox, or an ass; we _slot_ a deer; we _foot_ a
fox; and we _prick_ a hare.


TRAIL, or TRAILING,—appertains solely to HARE HUNTING; by which, in
general, the hare is found and _started_ from her _form_. Soon after
hounds are _thrown off_, some one or more are quickly observed to _give
tongue_; this the old and best hounds immediately attend to, and
instantly join, which is called _taking trail_: but whether such trail
arises from perspirative particles adhering to the line of her works
during the night from her feet only, or whether it is produced from the
lungs by transpiration, and only partially exhaled, is a matter that has
never yet been satisfactorily ascertained. See SCENT.

When it was the custom formerly to take the field so soon as the
horsemen could see to ride, _trail_ was the sure and certain means by
which the hare was found: in a few minutes after the hounds were thrown
off, a general clamour of trail ensued, and the inexpressible
gratification of seeing all the clue of her night-work unravelled to _a
view_, was sport much superior to a bad chase. Trail is of much less
import now, when harriers (at least, in the centrical part of the
kingdom) are seldom known to take the field before ten or eleven o'clock
in the day, when the very slight and partial remains of trail can be but
of small avail: the sole reliance now principally depends upon drawing
over the ground most likely, according to the season, with the chance of
having a hare found sitting, or the greater probability of her jumping
up before them. The paltry custom of _field money_ for hares _found
sitting_, has very considerably warped the judgment from the
sporting-like practice of finding the hare by _trailing_ up to her; for
the huntsman and whipper-in having caught the _pecuniary_ infection, are
poking and prying in every bush, in a hope and eager expectation of
obtaining a few shillings, instead of attending to their hounds.


TRAIN SCENTS,—formerly so called, but now more frequently termed
_drags_, are means by which young hounds may be first entered with old
hounds; a body of hounds exercised upon heaths or commons, soon after
dawn of day in the summer season: or bets may be decided upon the speed
of either HOUNDS or HORSES, by means of such _drag_ or _train scent_.
They are of different kinds, and very few hounds will refuse to hunt
them: when the scent lies well, the wind is still, and the atmosphere
free from variation by storms or rain, they will carry it _breast high_.
The skin of hare or fox, newly killed; a slice of bacon, and a red
herring firmly united; or either, plentifully impregnated with _oil_ of
_aniseed_; will lead hounds in full cry across any country over which
the drag is directed.


TRAINING.—The process of training horses for the TURF was formerly
plain, simple, open, and free from mystery or ambiguity. Circumstances,
however, are so altered, and fashions have so changed, that a
training-stable exceeds in _secrecy_ the inmost recesses of his
Majesty's Councils, upon which the prosperity and peace of so great a
nation entirely depend. A training-stable is, in the opinion of those
who conduct them, the very summit of earthly dignity and _imaginary_
consequence. The "insolence of office," so emphatically alluded to by
our immortal bard, cannot with justice be better applied than to this
immaculate _mart_ of _integrity_, this delectable haven of sublime and
_unsullied_ perfection. Those noblemen and gentlemen whose opulence and
liberality command respect, are entitled to insure it; but it is
frequently and publicly seen upon the common race course, that they are
_gratefully_ treated by their own pampered and subordinate _harpies_,
with the most consummate confidence, and upon many occasions (if their
own judgments are opposed, or opinions thwarted) with the most
_contemptuous_ indifference. Thus it is even with the great and
independent, who have no sooner relinquished their horses to the
superintendance of _others_, than they have resigned their _free agency_
also; and it becomes almost a crime to offer _an opinion_, or to ask _a
question_: the etiquette of professional secresy must by no means be
assailed; and it is only as matter of favour, that a man can get a sight
of his _own_ horse, or obtain _authentic_ information of the real state
of his condition: if the owner (unless he is of _the family_) presumes
to obtrude a question, he will not be so likely to receive an
unequivocal answer, as one of the most _deminutive_ stable-boys.

The _morality_ and aggregate of _virtues_ so peculiarly appertaining to
the profession, being placed in the back-ground of the picture;
admitting in this, as in all others, that there are men of strict honor,
and unsullied integrity, who do not deviate from the path of rectitude
in private transactions; yet the broad road of _temptation_ is a
dangerous track, and very few there are who are able to withstand it. It
is a long-standing maxim, that "those who play at bowls must expect
rubs:" so those who make the embarkation, must abide the consequence.
Certain it is, that the business (or rather _art_) of TRAINING, was
never before brought to its present pitch of perfection; but the expence
is (with the collaterals attendant upon it) so _enormous_, that nothing
but an immensity of wealth can stand against it. Training has of late
years undergone many changes, and much refinement; but in none more than
the early age at which COLTS and FILLIES are brought to the _post_. Very
far within the knowledge of the present generation, no colt was ever
taken in hand till he was three years old to be made quiet for breaking;
and he was never thought capable of being brought to the post for a
racing contest, previous to some part of his fifth year. On the
contrary, many are now taken in hand at _eighteen months_ old; some few
run a short match before they have attained the second year; more run
when rising three: and plates, subscriptions, and sweepstakes, are
common for three year olds from one extremity of the kingdom to the
other.

This constantly increasing and invincible thirst for racing popularity,
by which so many of the finest horses are crippled before they come to
their prime, has constituted such a sterility, or drawback, upon the
usual supplies for the chase, that the value of even common hunting
horses has increased beyond all former example. The present system of
training is considered so truly scientific, that one general jealousy is
known to prevail amongst its professors of every denomination: the same
secresy which pervades one establishment, is, by the spirit of
emulation, (or infection,) communicated to every other; and the hour
that stimulates one stable lad to action, regulates the rest in every
training-stable through the kingdom. The serjeant or corporal's guard in
the best disciplined military garrison of his Majesty's dominions,
cannot be more precise, more critically exact to time, than the training
lads are to stable hours. At the first dawn of day, every somniferous
sensation is shaken off, and each is in his stable by the time he has
day-light sufficient to brush over his horse: this done, and the
quantity of corn he is allowed consumed, the ceremony of exercise is
proceeded upon, where his walking, galloping before and after water,
take place, in _time_ and _distance_, according to the age, state of
flesh, and his condition; all which are nicely attended to, and his work
proceeded upon in proportion. At his return, the dressings, leg rubbing,
and every minute part of stable discipline, is regulated to a degree of
admiration; when which is completed, the feeding over, and the stable
set fair, silence prevails; the door is closed, and firmly secured; the
horse being left free from every thing that can possibly afford
disturbance; and this as much before six in the morning, as it can be
accomplished according to the season of the year. A short ceremony of
the same kind takes place about three hours after. TWELVE at NOON,
regular brushing over, feeding, and setting all fair, again take place;
being then once more close locked till FOUR, when the _first_ ceremony
of the morning, _air_, _exercise_, and _water_, are again repeated; the
regular routine succeeds in the stable, which is closed as near to the
hour of _six_ as possible. When the perpetual prompter announces the
hour of eight, it is the signal for _racking up_: this neatly and
expeditiously performed, an early hour of rest is the invariable rule,
that all parties may be the better enabled to enter upon the business of
the morning.

Such is the diurnal ceremony of training; varying the length and speed
of the morning gallops by the flesh, wind, substance and condition of
the horse; with such intervening SWEATS (which see) as circumstances may
justify, or render necessary; in all which, training grooms of the best
judgment, and most industrious observation, are liable to err. Horses
are seen to _train on_, others to _train off_; or, in plainer terms,
some horses have great speed at _three_ and _four_ years old, who never
make a display of any after; and many have made no promise in the
_first_ or _second_ year of their running, who afterwards became most
capital racers. As a recent instance of this, reference may be made to
"SIR SOLOMON," which see. No small degree of penetration is necessary to
ascertain when a horse is trained the _nearest_ to the utmost point of
his SPEED; most horses are _over trained_, and are, of course, the
likeliest to be beaten, or lamed, whenever they are brought into
competition with a powerful opponent; who, by having been _less_
trained, is _more_ above his work; or, in other words, better adapted to
difficulty, and a severe struggle for victory, should it happen to ensue.


TRAMMELS—are a collection of side and cross-lines, having leather loops
at the ends, with which horses are trammelled for the operations of
_nicking_, _docking_, _cropping_, &c.


TRAMEL-NET—is a long and large net for taking birds by night with
lights; a practice occasionally enjoyed by the lower class of rustics on
a winter evening.


TRAVELLER—has been a name of so much celebrity upon the TURF, that it
cannot with propriety be omitted. _Old Traveller_ was a winner of a
great many plates, and afterwards proved himself a stallion of much
estimation: he was the sire of _Squirrel_, _Dainty Davy_, the dam of
_Morwick Ball_, &c. &c. He was bred by MR. OSBALDESTON, foaled in 1735,
got by _Partner_, dam by _Almanzor_, who was got by DARLEY'S _Arabian_.

_Young Traveller_ was bred by Mr. Coatsworth, foaled in 1746, got by
_Old Traveller_, dam by _Bartlet's Childers_. The last _Traveller_ was
bred by MR. HUTCHINSON, foaled in 1785, and got by _Highflyer_, dam by
_Henricus_, who was got by _Black and all Black_. In 1789, when four
years old, he beat a son of _Orpheus_ over New Malton, one mile and a
half, for 100 guineas. Two days after, he won a sweepstakes of 10
guineas each over Malton, beating four others. The next day he won a
50_l._ Plate, beating three others. At York he won the Stand Plate of
50_l._ beating _Cavendish_, _Spangle_, and a son of _Orpheus_. In the
August York Meeting he won the City Plate of 50_l._ added to a
subscription purse, beating _Gustavus_, and _six_ others. He was then
purchased by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales; and in the Houghton
Meeting at Newmarket, beat the Duke of Bedford's _Grey Diomed_ over the
Beacon Course for 500 guineas.

In 1790, Craven Meeting, Newmarket, he walked over the Duke's Course for
a subscription of 50 guineas each, eight Subscribers, _half forfeit_.
Second Spring Meeting, he beat Lord Grosvenor's _Meteor_, over the
Beacon Course, 500 guineas. Newmarket first Spring Meeting, 1791, he
received 400 guineas forfeit from _Meteor_, with whom he was matched for
1000 guineas over the Beacon. After which he was travelled long journies
to the North, where meeting the most celebrated horses fresh upon their
own training-ground, he was repeatedly beat, but ran handsome. In 1792,
first Spring Meeting, he received 100 guineas forfeit from _Cavendish_,
and was withdrawn from the turf.


TREAD—is an injury sustained by one foot upon the other. See OVER-REACH.


TRESPASS,—in its sporting signification, appertains only to such
trespasses as may be committed in the pursuit of, or the attempt to,
kill game. It has been decided by law, and is upon record, that a
person, _though qualified_, cannot come upon another man's ground to
kill game, without being liable to an action of trespass for so doing:
and an _unqualified_ person for trespassing, shall pay full costs: but
if he is legally qualified to kill game, and the damage shall be found
under 40_s._ he shall in such case pay no more COSTS than _damages_.


TRIAL.—It is a common and prudent custom with those engaged upon the
turf, to ascertain as near as possible, some tolerable idea of the
probable future speed of their COLTS and FILLIES, before they put
themselves to the expence of general training, or too confidently
presume to become SUBSCRIBERS to _large stakes_, without at least a
promising prospect of adequate qualifications. To acquire information so
absolutely necessary for the regulation of future proceedings, there is
only one sure and certain criterion (admitting of no alternative) upon
which reliance can be made to avoid deception. This is to obtain a
confidential trial against some horse whose superiority upon the turf is
established, and who has given ample and repeated proofs of his powers
in public. Such trial obtained, a proper opinion may then be formed, how
far it will be prudent and profitable to continue the horse so tried in
training, or discontinue the intent of his appearance altogether.

Trials between horses of superior qualifications, preparatory to their
being engaged in matches or stakes of magnitude, are always considered
matters of great consideration, and for which the most serious
preparations are made. Upon the issue of such trials, engagements are
sometimes entered into, upon the termination of which, many thousands
eventually depend. It is therefore matter of indispensible necessity,
they should not only be run with the most energetic opposition, but that
the superiority in speed should be fully and clearly ascertained. Trials
of this description are always conduced with the utmost secresy; for the
better preservation of which, they generally take place at the very dawn
of day, so soon as the lads can see to ride with safety; and these
trials are considered of so much consequence at Newmarket, that if any
feeder, rider, groom, stable-lad, or any other person concerned, is
known to discover the result, or shall be detected in watching trials
himself, or procuring other persons so to do, he is dismissed the
service of his master with every stigma of disgrace, and rendered
incapable of being again employed by a Member of the Jockey Club in any
capacity whatever. See JOCKEY CLUB.


TRIPPING. A horse who goes near to the ground, is always subject to
_tripping_ against every little prominence or projection that happens to
lie in his way. Many well-bred horses, exceedingly dull and indolent in
a _walk_, overcome with ease all those trifling impediments, when put
into a more enlivening and emulative action. This imperfection always
displays itself most in _slow_ paces, which is one predominant reason
why a DEALER is invariably anxious to let his horse, when shewn out, be
seen in a _trot_ or a _gallop_. Horses excellent in their fast paces,
are sometimes _bad_ walkers; but instances are very rare, where a good
walker is deficient in superior qualifications. It is a remark justified
by long and attentive observation, that most thorough-bred horses are
sluggish stumbling walkers; they are therefore almost proverbially
considered dull and dangerous roadsters.


TROTTING—is one of the natural paces of a horse, which, in respect to
speed, is wonderfully to be improved by constant practice; and it being
a favourite pace with almost every horse of common description for the
purposes of the road, they are observed to enjoy it, in proportion as
they excel their companions or opponents, seemingly conscious of their
own improvements. The qualifying points for a good trotter, are by no
means precisely the same as those requisite to form a speedy and
successful racer: the action in _trotting_ greatly depends upon the bend
of the knee, and the pliability of the joint above, and the joint below:
racing is regulated by the geometrical expansion of the limbs, more
materially dependent upon the _shoulder_, which is the perceptible
fulcrum from whence the velocity of the animal is known to proceed.

Although trotting is admitted one of the natural paces of a horse, yet
it will admit of great improvement, by the persevering exertions of
_art_. It is a long-standing remark, that "a _butcher_ always rides _a
trotter_;" and why is it? because they invariably make them so: they in
general ride them _no other pace_: they all know they have the credit of
"making _trotters_," and they are incessantly alive to the preservation
of their professional reputation. That horses may be taught, by time and
patience, to exceed their original trotting, _two_ or _three_ miles an
_hour_, is as certain, as that blood horses exceed their former speed a
full _distance_ in _four miles_ by training. It is within the memory of
many, that _fourteen_ miles within an hour was thought excellent
trotting, and _fifteen_ was considered a wonderful performance, all
which is long since buried in oblivion, by the almost incredible
exploits of the last few years.

Famous trotters have undoubtedly been produced from different parts of
the kingdom; but Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Norfolk, are said
to have exceeded all others in their proportion; and this may probably
with justice be attributed to those famous trotting stallions, "_Old
Shields_," "_Useful Cub_," and "_Hue_ and _Cry_," who principally
_covered_ that scope of country. The celebrated trotter _Archer_ was
descended from _Old Shields_; he was a remarkably strong horse, master
of fifteen stone, and the fastest trotting horse of his time; but was
cruelly destroyed, by being inhumanly matched to trot upon the road
_sixteen miles_ within the hour in the midst of a very severe frost: the
poor persevering animal performed it in less than _fifty five minutes_;
but the violent concussions sustained by the body, and the battering
upon the feet by the dreadfully hard state of the road, produced
symptoms which soon put a period to his existence.

A brown mare, the last proprietor of whom was MR. BISHOP, trotted upon
the Epsom road, _sixteen miles_ in fifty-eight minutes and a half,
carrying twelve stone; and it was then said to have been the first time
that distance had ever been trotted within the hour. In 1791, being
eighteen years old, she trotted on the Essex road, sixteen miles in
fifty-eight minutes and some seconds, beating a famous trotter of Mr.
Green's for fifty pounds; and it was the opinion of the sporting parties
concerned, that she would have trotted thirty miles within two hours; a
distance which was actually trotted in two hours and ten minutes, by the
celebrated chesnut mare of Mr. Ogden's. A grey mare, called the
_Locksmith's_, trotted _seventy-two_ miles in _six hours_. In 1793, a
grey mare, of Mr. Crocket's, trotted _one hundred_ miles in _twelve
hours_, and had twenty minutes to spare. A five year old, son of young
_Pretender_, (who was got by _Hue_ and _Cry_,) trotted in Lincolnshire,
sixteen miles in fifty-nine minutes, carrying fifteen stone.

In April, 1792, a bay gelding, called _Spider_, and an old chesnut
gelding, called _Cartwright_, near thirty years old, trotted thirty-two
miles in two hours between Stilton and Cambridge. _Spider_ trotted the
first twenty-four miles in one hour twenty-eight minutes and a half, and
the old horse the remainder. It was supposed they could have trotted
thirty-four miles within the time agreed on. In 1797, Mr. Dyson made a
bet of 100 guineas with Mr. Fagg, that he would produce a mare which
should trot upon the road between Cambridge and Huntingdon _seventeen_
miles within _the hour_: the experiment was made on the 7th of August in
that year, and the mare lost by _one minute_ and four seconds only. On
the 13th of June, 1799, a trotting match was decided over Sunbury
Common, between Mr. Dixon's brown gelding and Mr. Bishop's grey gelding,
carrying twelve stone each, which was won by the former, having trotted
the eight miles in twenty-seven minutes and ten seconds. Extraordinary
as these performances have been, no less entitled to recital, is a bet
made by Mr. Stevens, which was decided on the 5th of October, 1796, that
he would produce a pair of horses, his _own_ property, that should _trot
in a tandem_ from Windsor to Hampton Court, a distance of _sixteen
miles_, within the hour: notwithstanding the cross country road, and
great number of _turnings_, they performed it with ease in fifty-seven
minutes and thirteen seconds.


TRUMPATOR,—the name of a horse whose performances on the turf insured
him infinite opportunities of acquiring additional celebrity as a
STALLION, which he has now supported for twelve years, and is announced
for the present season, 1803, at Clermont Lodge, near Brandon, Norfolk,
at eight guineas each mare, and half a guinea the groom. _Trumpator_ was
bred by LORD CLERMONT, foaled in 1782; got by _Conductor_, out of
_Brunette_, who was got by _Squirrel_. The first of his get started in
1790, at two years old, and were both winners, under the names of _Black
Deuce_, and _Young Peggy_. In 1791, _Trumpetta_ appeared at only two
years old, and won 200 guineas, and 100 guineas, at Newmarket; and
_Young Peggy_, then three years old, won _seven_ stakes and matches at
Newmarket. In 1792, _Trumpetta_, then three years old, won five prizes
at Newmarket. _Rally_, only two years old, won 100 guineas and 50_l._ at
the same place. This year appeared also _Gipsey_, _Misenus_, and a
_chesnut colt_, the winners of six stakes at Newmarket. In 1793, nine of
his get started, who were the winners of _twenty plates_, matches and
sweepstakes. In 1794, _Aimator_, _Paynator_, _Repeator_, and four
others, were the winners of _twenty-one_ prizes, when his reputation as
a stallion became firmly established.

In 1795 appeared ten winners of twenty-two prizes, amongst whom were
_Ploughator_, _Oateater_, and _Trumpeter_; the first and last of which
were then only two years old. In 1796, thirteen of his produce started,
and were the winners of _thirty-eight_ plates, matches, and sweepstakes.
Of these, _Aimator_ won 500 guineas, 400 guineas, and 100 guineas, at
Newmarket. _Didelot_, the Prince's stakes, 100 guineas, six subscribers;
and the Derby stakes of 50 guineas each, _half forfeit_, when eleven
started; the rest paid. _Hornpipe_ won five times at Newmarket, Epsom,
Brighton, and Lewes. _Paynator_ won 50_l._ 100 guineas, the first class
and main of the Oatlands Stakes at Newmarket. _Repeator_, seven plates,
matches, and stakes, at Newmarket, Ipswich, Brighton, and Lewes.
_Spinetta_ won 200 guineas, and 50 guineas, at Newmarket. _Spoliator_
won the King's Plate at Ipswich; 50_l._, 200 guineas, and 100 guineas,
at Newmarket. _True Blue_, 80 guineas at Epsom, and 50_l._ at Ludlow.
_Trumpeter_, three fifties, and 100 guineas, at Newmarket.

In 1797, ten of his get started, and were winners of sixteen prizes. In
1798, fifteen appeared, and were the winners of twenty-nine. In 1799,
eighteen of his get started, and were winners of thirty three; amongst
whom _Chippenham_, then three years old, won 400 guineas, and 300
guineas, at Newmarket. _Sorcerer_, three years old, 100 guineas at
Newmarket. _Spoliator_ won six stakes and matches, all at Newmarket! and
_Trumpeter_ won three at Newmarket, and one at Lewes. In 1800, nine
started, who were the winners of twenty-five. _Sorcerer_, then four
years old, won 100 guineas, 150 guineas, 50_l._, 200 guineas, and the
October Oatlands, at Newmarket, and the King's Plate at Ipswich.
_Thais_, only two years old, won 400 guineas at Brighton, 60 guineas at
Egham, and 100 guineas at Newmarket; and _Tuneful_, only three years
old, won twice at Newmarket, and twice at Canterbury. In 1801 he seemed
to have attained the zenith of celebrity; thirteen of his produce were
the winners of forty-three plates, matches, and sweepstakes. _Sorcerer_
won six at Newmarket, 50_l._ at Oxford, the King's Plate at Burford, and
70 guineas at Lewes. _Chippenham_ won six at Newmarket, and 50_l._ at
Shrewsbury. _Penelope_ only three years old, won five at Newmarket, and
the King's Plate at Ipswich. _Rebel_ won 90 guineas at Bibury, two
fifties at the same place, and the Petworth Stakes at Brighton. In 1802,
twelve were the winners of forty-one prizes of different descriptions,
of which _Edgar_ won nine; _Orange Flower_, eight; _Chippenham_, five;
_Rebel_, four; _Pacificator_, three; and the remainder two each; under
which repetition of success, through so great a variety of channels, the
blood of his progeny bids fair to stand in no unfavourable degree of
estimation.


TUMOURS—are preternatural enlargements in any part of the body or
extremities of a horse, occasioned by external injuries, or arising from
internal causes, requiring different modes of treatment, according to
appearances, or the means by which they have been produced. Swellings
proceeding from _blows_, _bruises_, and other accidents, are, in
general, merely temporary, and submit to such cool repellents, and mild
astringents, as are usually applied upon such occasions; but not
submitting in a few days, a formation of matter may be suspected, and
should expeditiously be promoted; for which purpose, fomentations,
poultices, and patience, are the only aids required. See "ABCESS," and
"STRANGLES."


TUNNEL-NET—is a net for the taking of partridges by night, and
principally in use with poachers _only_ for that purpose. This net is
never less than fifteen feet in length, and about twenty inches deep;
and is made with two wings; so that when they are extended, and fixed to
the ground by the stakes prepared for the business, the net forms an
angle, with the tunnel or flue in the middle. The covey of birds having
been watched at the time of calling together in the evening, and known
to be in the field, when the proper hour arrives, (which is seldom
before eleven or twelve at night,) the net being previously and properly
adjusted, a horse is employed in the process, led in hand by the
principal of _the firm_, who has so nice _an ear_ to the _chuckle_ of
the partridges in running, that he is very seldom foiled in his intent
of securing the whole in his net; and it is by this _wholesale_ mode of
destruction, that even the most plentiful districts are sometimes
suddenly cleared.


TURF.—The turf, when used in a sporting sense, is intended to imply
whatever appertains solely to the pleasure of HORSE-RACING, without any
collateral signification whatever; custom having established three
concise terms, by which the distinct sports may be fully comprehended,
and the intentional meaning perfectly understood. The "SOD" is known to
be fully expressive of _cocking_; the "FIELD," of _hunting_; and the
"TURF," of _racing_; these being the admitted technical terms of the
sporting world, to which none else make the least pretensions. The
emulative and inspiring pleasures of the turf, like the ecstatic
enjoyment of the chase, are too great in their temptation and
attractions for the spirited part of mankind to resist. Replete as it is
with that great variety which tends to diffuse a genial glow of
conscious gratification in every countenance, bespeaking a sense of
inexpressible happiness in those who engage in it as spectators only,
how much is it to be regretted, that the speed and spirited endeavours
of the most beautiful animal in the creation should be prostituted to
the worst of purposes!

It can require no trumpet of fame to establish a fact so universally
known, that the TURF, with the nocturnal amusement of _hazard_, (which
invariably follows it,) have, in conjunction, destroyed (or rather
alienated) more PROPERTY, in the last _fifty_ years, than all the
_hurricanes_ within the same given time, from one extremity of the
kingdom to the other. Numbers there are at this moment in existence, who
formerly possessed their numerous studs, their landed estates, their
magnificent mansions, with all the comforts, all the elegant
gratifications of life, some of whom are to be found in _prisons_;
others pining in _obscurity_, severely wounded, even _in spirit_, by the
barbed arrow of adversity; and a third part (by far the most numerous)
living upon the liberality and hospitality of their kind and
commiserating friends. But that so deep and desponding a shade may not
cast too great a gloom over the picture for want of contrast, let the
eye turn to an imaginary view of those likewise _living_, who, during
the last thirty years of the fifty already alluded to, have risen from
the very _lowest classes_ of society, to a degree of opulence beyond
every moderate conception; when a few moments of retrospection may serve
to convince the ruminative observer, that, however largely the ARTS and
SCIENCES may be admitted to have improved, they bear no proportion to
the pecuniary improvements of the _arts_ either upon the _turf_ or at
the _gaming table_. No man of unsullied honour, and strict integrity,
can become successful, for any length of time, amidst a _horde_ of
determined _depredators_; experience having fully proved, that the most
princely fortune cannot sustain itself against the stratagems of such
villainous combinations.

The TURF, in respect to its pleasures, pursued with prudence, and
entered into with moderation, by those whose immense property will admit
of its support, is certainly one of the most noble, exhilarating, and
amusing gratifications in the long catalogue of human enjoyments; but,
unfortunately, there is the same insatiate infection in _ambition_ as in
_wealth_, and neither one, more than the other, are ever to be
satisfied. From this inordinate thirst of fame, this furor of fashion,
this excess of inconsideracy, has recently arisen RACING STUDS of such
rapacious enormity, that they have reduced to a _degraded_ state of
_necessity_, many of the most opulent and most dignified individuals in
his Majesty's dominions; to whom it must prove, upon the _downy pillow_
of repentant reflection, a most mortifying retrospection, that,
notwithstanding the _thousands_ upon _thousands_ ingulphed within the
_vortex_ of the TURF, there has been hardly an instance in which they
have been enabled to become the guardians of their own honour, the
protectors of their own property, or barely thought worthy of being
entrusted with the _secrets_ of their own stables; for the subordinates
in a training establishment have their _cards to play_ as well as their
superiors; and having skill enough, in the language of Tony Lumpkin in
the comedy, "to manage their own affairs by the _rule of thumb_," they
do not omit to recollect the ancient axiom, that self-preservation is
the first or most predominant law in nature.

The noblemen and gentlemen of the Jockey Club at Newmarket, have adopted
every means, that superior wisdom could possibly devise, to restrain
villainy, and reward integrity: but so long as human depravity shall
have power to retain a seat within the heart; so long as the _secret
betting_ emoluments of the _subordinates_ may be more increased by
deceptively _opposing_, than by promoting the interest of their
EMPLOYERS; so long as a pail of water, a nauseating ball, or half a peck
of corn, can be privately administered in the night, or a horse rode on
the wrong side of the post by day; no man existing (however dignified
his station, however benevolent his heart, however expanded his mind,
and liberal his hand) must expect to see the TURF rise from its late
public and well-known degradation, to a state of the so-much-wished-for
perfection.


TUSHES.—The teeth so called in a horse, are the two above, and the two
below, standing single behind the corner teeth of both the upper and the
under jaw: these seldom make their appearance till the horse is four
years old off, and attain their full growth at six. If these are
examined when the horse is of that age, the inside will be found flat,
with two grooves or channels running down to the gum; but when the horse
is a few years older, those two are reduced to _one_; and soon after he
has reached his twelfth year, even that is obliterated, leaving no other
remaining certainty respecting age by the mouth. External appearances
are, however, so numerous, by which a tolerable opinion may be formed,
that good judges are seldom at a loss to decide with some degree of
precision.


TURNING-OUT—is of two kinds; one called a summer's, the other, a
winter's run; a description of which, with their expected and probable
effects, will be found under the heads GRASS and SOILING.




V.


VENOMOUS BITES—are sometimes sustained by horses and dogs; and become
the more perplexing, in consequence of not knowing from whence the
injury proceeds. Vipers, slow-worms, efts, horse-stingers, hornets, and
wasps, seem to be nearly the whole tribe from which bites (or stings) of
this description are received. The effect of either is much the same, as
to inflammation, pain, and tension; but that the symptoms are not
equally severe, being gradational in their degrees of violence,
according to the individual by which the wound is inflicted. Of these
the viper is by much the worst; for the vesicle in which the poisonous
particles are contained, being seated upon the gum close to the
insertion of the tooth, in the very act of biting, the vesicle is
broken, and the venomous fluid at the same moment communicated to the
wound. This is followed by excruciating pain, increasing inflammation,
and various violent symptoms, in either man or beast. By way of
immediate relief, bleeding is first premised, to unload the vessels, and
take off the increasing stricture from the part: this, followed by an
early application of the _oil_ of _vipers_, is said to be infallible.
Repeated experiments have proved the finest _olive oil_ to be equally
efficacious. The others, however painful at first, soon submit to
repeated bathings with the strongest white wine vinegar, or a weak
solution of sugar of lead.


VENERY, BEASTS OF,—are little heard or spoken of, but in the code of
FOREST LAWS originally framed for the preservation of _vert_ and
_venison_. Beasts of venery (alias, beasts of forest) are the hart,
hare, hind, boar, and wolf.


VERDERER—is a judicial officer of the King's Forest, elected (under his
Majesty's writ) by a majority of votes in a convened county court of the
shire in which the forest is; and there sworn before the sheriff, to
keep and maintain the assizes and laws of the forest; and also to
review, receive, and enrol, all the attachments and presentments of all
manner of trespasses of the forest in respect to vert and venison.

The official department of a Verderer bears great similitude to that of
a coroner, and in this particular respect; that as a coroner, upon the
notice of a sudden or accidental death, (if attended with circumstances
to render the inquisition necessary,) is to take a personal view of the
body, and to make inquiry, upon the joint oaths of twelve men, how and
by what means the person came by his or her death, and who and what was
the occasion thereof; so it is the official duty of the Verderer to look
after and view the beasts of the forest; for any of those being found
hurt, wounded, or slain, upon notice given to the Verderer, he is to
take a view of the same, and to cause a jury of twelve men to be
summoned from the surrounding district, that an inquisition may be made
to discover (if possible) how and by whom the said beast was hurt,
wounded, or killed. The office of the Verderer at the Court of
Attachments, is to sit there to see, hear and examine the attachments of
the forest, both in vert and in venison, and to receive the same of the
subordinate officers, or those who may attend to present them there, and
then to enter them into their own rolls. See FOREST LAWS.


VERMIN—is a term of very extensive signification, including a long list
of noxious animals, some of which contribute largely to the sports of
the field. The principal vermin of this country consist of the fox, the
badger, the martern, the pole-cat, the weasel, the stoat, the rat, and
the mouse; of which a description of all the former will be found under
their distinct heads.


VERT—is a term in the Forest Laws, meant to include every plant growing
within a forest or its purlieus, bearing a _green leaf_, and of
sufficient magnitude to hide or cover a deer beneath its branches; but
it must be understood to signify such plants as are either trees, woods,
bushes, or underwood; not descending to inferior shrubs, passing under
the denomination of plants, but affording no cover. By _vert_ is
therefore implied those trees of growth and size sufficient to be
entitled conjunctively to the appellation of covert; as well underwood,
as great woods; and overt-vert is all sorts of high trees, as
nether-vert includes every kind of underwood.


VERTUMNUS—was a horse of some racing celebrity; and there is reason to
believe he would have been held in equal estimation with his
cotemporaries as a stallion, if he had enjoyed the run of _fashion_ in
his favour. He was bred by the late COLONEL O'KELLY; foaled in 1775; got
by _Eclipse_, dam by _Sweeper_, out of an old Tartar mare, the dam of
_Mercury_ and _Volunteer_. _Vertumnus_ got many tolerable runners as
country plate horses; but his merits as a stallion were never known,
till a circumstance occurred at a period of life when it was generally
considered too late to bring his powers experimentally into action.
_Baronet_ was got by _Vertumnus_, dam by _Snap_, out of an own sister to
_Nabob_. He was foaled in 1785; bred by Sir W. Vavasour, and by him sold
to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, who brought him forward from
obscurity, at six years old, to start at Ascot Heath for the great
Oatlands Stakes of 100 guineas each, _half forfeit_, two miles,
forty-one subscribers, for which _nineteen_ started, (forming one of the
richest and most striking spectacles ever seen upon the turf,) and was
won by _Baronet_; beating _Express_, _Chanticleer_, _Escape_,
_Coriander_, _Toby_, _Skylark_, _Precipitate_, _Minos_, _Pipator_,
_Euphrosyne_, _Competitor_, _Microscope_, _Crazy_, _Turnip-Top_,
_Buzzard_, _Lambinos_, and _Vermin_, who were concluded the best horses
in the kingdom. The sums betted were immense, which were sported in the
following proportions. Three to one against _Vermin_; seven to one
against _Precipitate_; eight to one against _Buzzard_; nine to one
against _Chanticleer_; twenty to one against _Baronet_; and one hundred
to three against _Express_, who was second. _Vermin_, who was then the
best three year old in the kingdom, and carried only five stone, three
pounds, was universally expected to win easy; but the diminutive
juvenile who rode him, was so hemmed in, and completely surrounded, by
the rest _at starting_, that those horses keeping their strokes, and
going well together, (or what is sportingly termed all _in a hustle_,)
they never afforded him the least chance of extrication.


VETERINARY COLLEGE.—The Veterinary College is a national establishment
for the general improvement of farriery, situate at Camden Town, in the
parish of St. Pancras, at the northern extremity of the Metropolis; and
derived its origin and institution from the following circumstance. In
January, 1789, issued from the press, a Treatise upon Farriery, in an
octavo volume, under the title of "The Gentleman's Stable Directory," by
the present Writer; the popularity of which occasioned it to pass
through _seven editions_ in the first twelve months, which number has
since been exactly doubled. In the course of the work, it was repeatedly
regretted, that, amidst the infinity of improvements for which the
English were so remarkable, the system of farriery should still remain
in its original state of barbarism. In a few months after which,
advertisements appeared in the different prints, under sanction of the
"ODIHAM AGRICULTURE SOCIETY," proposing a public subscription for
sending a certain number of lads _annually_ to _France_ to study
farriery, (now called the _veterinary science_.) The Author of the
Stable Directory, who was then preparing his _second_ volume for the
press, availed himself of the opportunity to congratulate the promoters
of so laudable an undertaking; at the same time obliquely observing, he
was concerned to see _France_ was to have the reputation of doing that
for us, which we could not do for ourselves.

Whether it was from the force of this admonition, or the effect of
chance, is not material; the scene within a period of two or three
months was totally changed. With a grant from Parliament, aided by
public contributions, and private subscriptions, the College was
erected, and instituted in February; and their propositions, rules, and
regulations, published April the 8th, 1791: the principal purport of
which were as follows. The establishment to consist of a President, ten
Vice-Presidents, twenty Directors, Treasurer, Professor, and Secretary.
The Society and School to be called the VETERINARY COLLEGE, LONDON. The
President, Vice-Presidents, ten of the Directors, and the Treasurer, to
be chosen every year by ballot. The President, Vice-Presidents, and
Directors, to form the Council, in which shall be lodged the whole
executive power of the College; subject to the controul of the members
(that is, the annual or perpetual subscribers) at large, at four
quarterly meetings. The Council to meet the first Tuesday in every
month; from which Council a Committee was to be elected, and called the
Permanent Committee, who were to meet the remaining Tuesdays in each
month: this Committee were to act with the authority of the Council, but
subject to its controul.

After various regulations respecting meetings of council, committees,
and members, it proceeded to state the annual election of a Medical
Experimental Committee, and a Committee of Transaction. The former to
meet occasionally, for the purpose of suggesting and trying experiments,
with a view to throw additional light on the animal œconomy, and to
discover the effects of medicines upon different animals, to be procured
for that particular purpose; and this Committee, from time to time, were
to make reports of their proceedings to the Council. The Committee of
Transaction to be charged with the selection, compilation and
arrangement of the matter for the _annual volume_ of transactions, and
the preparation of a prefatory discourse. This annual volume was
promised to each subscriber _gratis_, in page the eighth of their
original Prospectus, dated 1791; but how _many_ volumes have _appeared_
in the _twelve years_ is not _publicly_ known.

Of the SCHOOL, there shall be a PROFESSOR of Veterinary Medicine, who is
to continue superintendant of the whole. The Professor to be elected at
a general meeting, and to have the sole arrangement and direction of the
studies and occupations of the pupils of the school, of their matter and
order, of the distribution of his lectures, of the number and nature of
the subjects required for dissection. He shall likewise judge of the
kind and quality of the forage to be used in the infirmary; of the
regulation of the cattle therein, and of the remedies to be employed.
The Professor to have a yearly income, or salary, to increase
proportionally with the revenue of the College; but not to exceed a
certain sum _per annum_. There shall be a Clerk to assist the Professor
in keeping his books, and to follow his directions in entering and
registering all the concerns of the school, infirmary, laboratory, and
forge.

RULES respecting the PUPILS were these: Any person desirous of becoming
a resident pupil, must be able to read and write well. The preference
shall be given to such youths as shall have received the elements of a
good education, and more especially to those who have some knowledge of
surgery and pharmacy. Such candidate not being under the age of fifteen
years, nor more than twenty-two, must apply to the Secretary, and
deliver a paper, containing his name, age, and place of abode; and the
Secretary shall refer the same to the next meeting of the Council or
Permanent Committee. The resident pupils to be appointed by the Council,
and to be taken as much as possible from different counties, for the
better and more expeditious dissemination of the art. Each perpetual
member (that is, a subscriber of not less than twenty guineas) to have
the privilege of sending a pupil to attend a complete course of study. A
library shall be annexed to the College, comprehending all such works as
may contribute to enlarge and improve the veterinary science.

The studies for the pupils were divided into eight courses; after having
regularly and diligently gone through all which practically, as well as
theoretically, they were then to undergo a public examination in the
theory and practice of every branch of the veterinary art; and those
considered as perfectly qualified, were to receive a certificate, signed
by the Professor, and confirmed by the Council. It was concluded at the
publication of these original propositions, that the term for completing
the education would not exceed three years, provided the pupils were
equally capable, assiduous, and well-inclined. An INFIRMARY was to be
opened for the reception of diseased animals belonging to the members of
the College, at a fixed sum for their livery or subsistence, during the
time they remained under cure. The annual subscription was originally
not less than two guineas; and not less than twenty at one payment to
become a perpetual member. These, however, may probably, amidst the many
improvements made, have undergone various alterations.

It was at first supposed, from the great prospect of general utility,
and universal accommodation, that the establishment would soon have been
enabled to support itself upon the basis of public contribution and
private subscriptions: this, however, did not prove to be the case; for
in the month of April, 1795, precisely four years after its institution,
a petition was presented to the House of Commons, praying pecuniary
assistance for its support; which, from a consideration of its promised
advantages, was soon unanimously complied with, and a large sum voted to
its service. This was followed by an additional parliamentary grant of
1520_l._ in June 1797, since which it has also received farther national
assistance. Whether the number of annual subscribers declining, or the
aggregate not being adequate to the unavoidable expenditure of the
establishment, and occasioned pecuniary deficiencies, it is not
necessary to ascertain; evident it is, the establishment has been
productive of one great and substantial service to the country, not more
in respect to the general reformation and improvement of farriery, than
in affording to the military cavalry scientific practitioners, of which
they so very palpably stood in need.

Notwithstanding the advantages already resulting to the public at large,
time alone can demonstrate what emoluments will be derived by the
numerous individuals who were encouraged, by specious appearances, to
embark in the undertaking: one thing seems at present incontrovertibly
certain, that of those who have entered into the profession, the greater
part did so with an intention (since confirmed) of becoming MASTERS
immediately upon obtaining a certificate, and quitting the College; and
hence it is we have a _veterinary surgeon_ in every street and lane of
the Metropolis, with as great a scarcity of expert _journeymen_ as
before the institution took place. Experience and attentive observation
must have convinced every enlightened, humane, and liberal sportsman,
that the shoeing-smith has a life of _labour_ and _drudgery_, for which
he is the _least_ paid, and the _worst_ looked upon, of any tradesman in
the numerous catalogue of those who have a subsistence to obtain by the
sweat of the brow.

That the science of shoeing, and system of farriery, has seldom or ever
been undertaken or practised in this kingdom, but by men of the lowest
order, and without the advantage of education, must be candidly and
clearly admitted; the reason must be equally striking, and can stand in
little or no need of elucidation. Are there any attractions (as they are
now paid or compensated) beyond drudgery, degradation, and impending
indigence? Incessant labour during the early part of life, and
inevitable _poverty_ in _old age_, have, for century upon century, been
the hard-earned lot of _nineteen_ out of every _twenty_ shoeing-smiths
from one extremity of the kingdom to the other. Can it be expected that
those of much mental brilliancy, or manual dexterity, will prostitute
both, and descend to so dangerous, so laborious, and so degrading an
occupation, without even a chance of adequate compensation? These, it is
to be presumed, are very fairly inferred reasons why the practice has
always remained in a state of uncultivated sterility; from which even
now it appears not to be permanently rescued; for, exclusive of the
palpable inconveniencies, and discouraging prospects, already described,
which, to a man of spirit and emulation, are sufficiently disgusting,
when he adverts to the inferior rank he is in future destined to hold in
the scale of society, he becomes conscious of his own insignificance;
and, whatever education he may possess, or whatever knowledge he may
have attained, he feels but little probability of being held in a degree
of public estimation superior to the parochial _scavenger_ or _nightman_.

Whether the refinement of a college education may give a more sublime
complexion of respectability to the practice, and divest it of the
distinguished appellation of "_horse-doctor_," with its collateral
indignities, time alone must ascertain; it becoming here applicable only
to consider the state and condition of those who have hitherto
_voluntarily_ placed their children to so laborious, so hazardous, and
so unprofitable an employment. The _poor_ most probably feel equal
parental affection with the RICH, and would consequently venture as far
to prevent their offspring from embarking in a service of danger: thus,
then, it evidently is, the eyes of the most indigent, and the most
illiterate, are equally open, and require not to be told, that the trade
is a trade of constant labour, some danger, and little profit: they, of
course, reject it with contempt; and it has been very weakly supplied
even from the confines of a cottage, or the walls of a workhouse. If
there can possibly remain "a doubt to hang a loop upon," let a moment's
reflection solve the question, whether it can with consistency be
conceived, that any man, in moderate circumstances, who had given his
son a tolerable education, and had merely a few hundreds to give him, at
the hour of his own dissolution, would ever, for one hour, indulge the
idea or intent of placing him to a _blacksmith_? According to the
principles and facts already laid down, it is to be presumed, that a
circumstance so truly paradoxical and heterogeneous, has not often
occurred, and, from present appearances, is not likely to be often
repeated.

It is certainly a matter of general good, "most devoutly to be wished,"
that the present exertions to promote an improvement in the veterinary
science may be ultimately successful, and that it may also tend rapidly
to remove the paltry stigma of disgrace hitherto annexed to the
practice; but to do this, more _stimulative_ means must be attempted,
than those already adopted, which have held out nothing but a
_flattering glare_ of emulation, without the least prospect of
additional reward. There needs no "ghost from the grave" to demonstrate
an incontrovertible fact, that the _more_ the mind becomes expanded by
the sublunary rays of intellectual refinement, the less it is disposed
to encounter the subservience of drudgery, and the mortifying sensations
of partial indifference and public contempt; from the influence of which
impressive contemplation, it becomes conclusive, that very few, if any,
who become proficients (at the College or elsewhere) in the study of
PHYSIC, ANATOMY, and the peculiar property of medicine, will ever
condescend to blend those qualifications so industriously acquired with
the _act_ of _shoeing_, but consider themselves in a degree superior to
the _leathern apron_, the _vulcanian sledge_, the massy _anvil_, and
such inferior offices annexed to the operative department, as will, in
all human probability, continue it in the same state of predestined
subordination.

However repugnant it may prove to the wishes and laudable endeavours of
those patriotic, opulent, and distinguished characters, the President,
Vice-Presidents, and Directors, as well as the great body of original
subscribers to the establishment and support of the Veterinary College;
it now seems unequivocally to appear, that one mode must be ultimately
adopted, to produce the so much-desired stamp of success. When the
practice of the VETERINARY SURGEON (or equestrian physician) and
_operative farrier_ (or _shoeing-smith_) become as distinct as the
dignified diploma, and the pharmaceutic drudge; when the different
pursuits necessary to the attainment of adequate scientific knowledge,
are completed by the parties whose abilities are adapted to the
departments they are intended to fill; and when both are much more amply
rewarded than at present for their professional assistance; then, and
_not till then_, will the practice become an object of sufficient
attraction to men of genius, and intellectual capacity, capable of
rendering its improvement matter of national utility; and general
gratification to the inhabitants of a country where it has so long
continued a subject of almost indelible disgrace.


VICE.—The imperfections so called in a horse, are the distinguishing
traits of an innate bad temper, or a habit mischievously inclined: these
are very different from the little airs of skittishness, and proofs of
playful spirit, which are displayed by many horses, when brought from
confinement to enjoy the comforts and healthy advantages of _air_ and
_exercise_; or others who afford the same indications of pleasure during
the ceremony of dressing in the stable. Horses naturally vicious and
untractable, seldom keep that propensity long concealed; it generally
begins to appear early, and in most cases, with colts, even before they
are taken in hand to break. This tendency in some is soon obliterated by
gentle treatment, and frequent attentions of tenderness; but with others
it continues invincible, and occasionally shews itself during the whole
period of their existence. Some are constantly disposed to _kick_ or
_bite_ in the stable, who have no one imperfection without; on the
contrary, others, who are most incorrigibly restive and unruly without,
shall be incredibly calm and quiet within.

Opinions opposite to each other have always prevailed upon the treatment
necessary and _proper_ with horses of this description. That authority
must be enforced, fortitude exerted, patience persevered in, and
submission obtained, are all positions too firmly admitted, and
acquiesced in, to admit of contrariety; but experience has fully
demonstrated, that great points are sometimes effected by the salutary
interposition of equanimity and moderation, that never could be
accomplished by the frequently destructive gusts of inconsiderate
passion and unmanly violence. If a horse, disposed to be restive, is
addicted to running backwards, the best and only remedy is to continue
backing him (if there is room for the experiment) till he becomes
completely averse to his own undertaking; or procuring a person to come
suddenly upon him behind, during his retrograde motion, with a complete
_flagellation_ from a cart or hunting _whip_, which seldom or ever fails
to set such a one running from the _effect of fear_, and to produce a
complete eradication.

Horses rearing up on end, so as to stand nearly perpendicular upon their
hind legs, is the most dangerous of any description, even to the most
judicious, expert, and experienced horseman; who has, in such aukward
predicament, (particularly when a horse most viciously repeats it,) no
alternative, but to slacken his reins, and lean his body close to the
neck, the better to expedite so critical a preponderation. Horses
inclined to run away, from an impetuosity of temper, and an eagerness to
get forward, frequently alarm their riders, if they are exceedingly
irritable upon the score of _timidity_, or terrified upon the principle
of inexperience; but sportsmen mostly prefer horses who require the
_curb_, to those who want _a spur_, well knowing the utility of
moderately dropping the hand, and indulging the loose occasionally; as a
_dead pull_ at a hard-mouthed run-away horse, is the sure means of
making him endeavour to continue his career the longer.


VIPER, BITE OF.—See VENOMOUS BITES.


VISCIDITY OF THE BLOOD—is that state in which the blood is frequently
known, when, by a collapsion of the pores, (from some of those causes
which produce colds, coughs, and inflammatory diseases,) it acquires a
preternatural consistence from the external repulsion of the
perspirative matter, which, thrown upon the circulation, constitutes a
_siziness_ of the _blood_: this, by its retention, becomes so viscid and
adhesive, (or tough,) that, when it has been drawn off by bleeding, and
set by two or three hours to cool, it is with difficulty separated upon
the surface, even with the sharpest penknife. Horses having their blood
in a state too _sizy_ and _viscid_ for the perfect purposes of secretion
and health, soon display it in some way or other: a heaviness of the
head, a dulness of the eyes, a lassitude of the body, a husky tendency
to cough, a rough harshness in the coat, a swelling of the legs, or
cracks in the heels, (particularly if it happens in the winter season,)
are some of the indications by which it may be readily known, and should
be speedily counteracted. Unloading the vessels, by twice bleeding,
about ten days apart, attenuating the crassamentum of the blood by mild
diuretics, and altering its property by a short course of alterative
powders, will prove all that is necessary to promote and ensure
condition.


VIVES—is a disorder so similar to the strangles, that the leading
symptoms (at the commencement of the attack) are nearly the same; with
this difference only, that in the _strangles_ the tumefactions are
centrically situate in the concavity of the under jaw, just below the
gullet; and in the _vives_, the swellings are seated at the roots of the
ears, descending more or less towards the neck. These differ in
different subjects, as in some they do not suppurate; but by warmth, and
emollient unguents, applied twice or thrice a day, are absorbed into the
circulation, and are then to be taken out of the habit by a gentle
course of mercurial physic; but where the swelling and inflammation are
evidently too great for repulsion and absorption, suppuration must be
promoted by the means described, and the case treated as will be found
under the head STRANGLES.


VIXEN.—A bitch fox, or a female cub, is so called.


VOLUNTEER—was a racer in high estimation, and has long been a stallion
of much repute. He was bred by the late COLONEL O'KELLY, foaled in 1780;
got by _Eclipse_, dam by _Tartar_; and is own brother to _Mercury_,
_Venus_, _Jupiter_, _Adonis_, and _Queen Mab_. He is the sire of many
capital racers, the most remarkable of which are the following. In 1791,
_Portia_, (the Duke of Bedford's,) then three years old, won a
sweepstakes of 100 guineas each, six subscribers; 250 guineas forfeit
from five; both at Newmarket; the Oaks Stakes of 50 guineas each,
thirty-eight subscribers, at Epsom; and 200 guineas at Newmarket.
_Recruit_, three years old, won two fifties at Penrith. In 1792, five of
his get appeared with increasing reputation. _Nerissa_, (Duke of
Bedford's,) two years old, won 200 guineas at Newmarket. _Scanderbeg_,
(Mr. Fox's,) only two years old, won 200 guineas, 130 guineas, 100
guineas, 75 guineas, 100 guineas, and 200 guineas, all at Newmarket.
_Hop-planter_, three years old, won 50_l._ at Epsom, 50_l._ at
Guildford, and 50_l._ at Stockbridge. _Recruit_ won 50_l._ at Stamford,
50_l._ at Grantham, 50_l._ at Worcester, 50_l._ at Penrith: and
_Fetters_, (two years old,) 50 guineas at Newmarket.

In 1793 appeared _Cælia_, (Duke of Bedford's,) who at three years won
the Filly Stakes of 300 guineas, 1500 guineas, 50_l._ and 50 guineas, at
Newmarket; and the Oaks Stakes, of 50 guineas each, thirty-seven
subscribers, at Epsom. _Nerissa_ won 400 guineas, 600 guineas, 250
guineas, and 100 guineas, at Newmarket. _Scanderbeg_ won 800 guineas,
and 200 guineas, at Newmarket. _Hillisberg_ won 200 guineas at
Newmarket. _Hop-planter_ won 90 guineas, 180 guineas, and 50_l._ at
Canterbury. _Hybla_, 175 guineas at Litchfield. _Isaline_, 100 guineas;
and _Brimstone_, 50_l._ both at Newmarket. In 1794, the brother to
_Portia_, then two years old, won 135 guineas, 360 guineas, and the July
Stakes of 490 guineas, at Newmarket. _Cockade_ won 100 guineas, and 100
guineas, at Newmarket. _Jessica_, 200 guineas at Ascot, and 50_l._ at
Newmarket. _Cælia_, the Fortescue Stakes of 90 guineas at Newmarket.
_Stirling_, 100 guineas at Ascot, and the Magna Charta Stakes at Egham.

The merits of _Volunteer_, as a stallion, now became so perceptible,
that ten of his produce, in 1795, were repeatedly brought to the post: a
three year old of Mr. G. Bowes's won 50 guineas, 50 guineas, and 50
guineas, at Newmarket. _Bonny Kate_, two years old, 100 guineas also.
_Miller_, 25 guineas at Epsom, 50_l._ and 20 guineas at Lambourn.
_Hop-planter_, 50_l._ at Newmarket, and the King's 100 guineas at
Guildford. _Stirling_ won 50_l._ and the Jockey Club Plate, at
Newmarket; 75 guineas at Epsom; and the King's Plate at Ipswich. A colt
of Mr. O'Kelly's, 50_l._ at Epsom, and 50_l._ at Northampton. _Spread
Eagle_, 450 guineas, and 500 guineas, at Newmarket; and the Derby Stakes
of 50 guineas each, 45 subscribers, at Epsom.

In 1796, _Miss Whip_, at three years old, won 50_l._ at Ascot; 60
guineas, and 100 guineas, at Canterbury; 200 guineas, 100 guineas, and
100 guineas, at Newmarket. _Pepper-pot_, the same age, won 25 guineas,
and 50 guineas, at Newmarket; 76_l._ 5_s._ 0_d._ at Nottingham; 125
guineas, and 200 guineas, at Litchfield. _Pleader_, 50_l._ at Preston,
50_l._ at York, 50_l._ at Richmond, and the cup at Northallerton.
_Miller_, 50 guineas at Newmarket, 100 guineas, and 25 guineas, at
Ascot, and 50_l._ at Enfield. _Hum_, 100 guineas at Lambourn, and 25
guineas at Wantage. _Spread Eagle_, 450 guineas at York. _Recruit_, 50
guineas, 50 guineas, and 40 guineas, at Newmarket: and _Stirling_, 400
guineas, and 400 guineas, at Newmarket, and the King's 100_l._ at
Burford.

In 1797, a three year old of Lord Sackville's won 50 guineas, 50
guineas, and 50 guineas, at Newmarket, and 40 guineas at Lewes. _Miss
Whip_, 100 guineas at Newmarket, 50_l._ at Ayr, and two 50's at
Dumfries. _Stirling_, 300 guineas, 500 guineas, and 400 guineas; and
_Pepper-pot_, the Claret Stakes of 600 guineas, at Newmarket.

In 1798, _Commodore_ won 50_l._ and 50 guineas, at Newmarket.
_Ironsides_, 50_l._ and 100 guineas, at Haverfordwest. _Magic_, (Lord
Sackville's,) the Petworth Stakes of 170 guineas at Brighton, (beating
_Wrangler_, _Johnny_, _Bennington_, _Montezuma_, and _Play or Pay_;) 120
guineas at Lewes; the King's Plate and 50_l._ at Canterbury. _Split
Pigeon_, 800 guineas; and _Spread Eagle_, the King's 100 guineas; both
at Newmarket.

In 1799, a three year old bay colt of Sir F. Standish's won 85 guineas,
400 guineas, and 1800 guineas, at Newmarket. _Split Pigeon_, 50_l._ at
Winchester, 50_l._ at Blandford, and 50_l._ at Taunton. _Rosalind_,
50_l._ and 100 guineas, at Dumfries. _Magic_, 240 guineas at Litchfield,
and 50_l._ at Leicester. _Jemmy_, 50_l._ at Ascot, and 30 guineas at
Abingdon. _Commodore_ and _Provisional_, each 50 guineas at Newmarket.

In 1800, _Brighton_ won 50_l._ at Lambourn. _Eagle_, 400 guineas at
York. _Rosalind_, 1500 guineas, and 300 guineas, at Ayr. _Triumvir_, 300
guineas, and 250 guineas, at Newmarket: and _Volonté_, the bowl at
Salisbury.

In 1801, the brother to _Recruit_ won 40 guineas at Epsom; 50 guineas,
and 20 guineas, at Newmarket. _Brighton_, 50_l._ at Winchester, 50_l._
at Blandford, and 50_l._ at Reading. _Eagle_, the Craven Stakes of 110
guineas, and 200 guineas, at Newmarket. _Gaoler_, 120 guineas at
Stamford, and 50 guineas at Newmarket: and _Triumvir_, 110 guineas at
Canterbury; 15 guineas, and 25 guineas, at Newmarket.

In 1802, _Brighton_ won 50_l._ and 25 guineas, at Ascot. _Conscript_,
50_l._ at Ayr. _Eagle_, 150 guineas, at Newmarket. _Fusileer_, 50_l._ at
Kingscote; and _Gaoler_, 600 guineas, 100 guineas, 100 guineas, and 42½
guineas, at Newmarket.

_Volunteer_, though now twenty-three years old, is in good health, and
covers at Cannons, near Edgware, in Middlesex, at 10 guineas the mare,
and half a guinea the groom.


VOMITING—is often a favourable relief to the human frame, which
advantage the horse does not posses, in consequence of the peculiar
construction of the gullet. It therefore becomes a matter of serious
consideration, how far it may be proper or prudent to administer to a
horse, medicines whose properties tend to excite a stimulus, and induce
the stomach to a regurgitation by vomit; an operation which it is
impossible can take place. See _Tartar Emetic_.




U.


ULCER.—An ulcer is a wound, which, from long standing, and injudicious
treatment, is become virulent and inveterate; having acquired a rigid
callosity at the edges, and a discoloured, foul, unhealthy slough in the
middle. These conjunctive appearances never submit to mere superficial
digestive applications, but must be subdued by superficial
scarification, and the milder class of corrosives and escharotics.


UNGUENTS—are ointments, of which there are many different kinds.
Blistering ointment, for lameness in the back sinews, splents, spavins,
and curbs. Digestive ointment, strong and mild, for dressing wounds in
their different stages, and after maturation. Elder ointment, to allay
the pain of inflammatory swellings, particularly when proceeding from
the stings or bites of animals or venomous insects: and camphorated
sperma-cæti ointment, for cracks in the heels of horses during the
severity of the winter season.


UMBLES—are the eatable part of a deer's entrails, which being a
perquisite of office, afford a treat to the keeper and his friends.


URINE—is that well known excrementitious fluid secreted or separated by
the kidnies from the blood; the evacuation of which is sometimes
partially obstructed, or totally suppressed, by different injuries
sustained, or diseases particularly affecting the kidnies, the bladder,
or some of the parts appropriated to the secretion and discharge of
urine. Internal inflammation, or a paralytic affection of the kidnies,
as well as external violence there; spasmodic stricture upon the neck or
sphincter of the bladder; calculous concretions, originating in the
kidnies, and afterwards descending the ureters, occasions sometimes a
most painful suppression of urine: having obtained a seat in the
bladder, they then lay the foundation of stone; and many
well-authenticated instances are extant, where stones of considerable
weight have been extracted from the bladders of different horses after
their death.

Horses, on the contrary, from a debility of the parts, or some remote
causes, are subject to an immoderate and involuntary flux of urine, and
that almost incessantly; so that, from a latent flaccidity, it seems to
come away immediately after its secretion. This preternatural discharge
may probably be sometimes occasioned by a sharp, ferous and acrimonious
state of the blood; in young horses, the being too severely and
unreasonably overworked; a weakness of the loins and kidnies, brought on
by drawing weights disproportioned to the strength of the horse;
standing long in the cold and chilling rains of winter; or, what
produces it still more frequently, is the eating of ship oats, which
have been long upon their passage, and imbibed a portion of saline
particles, and effluvia, from the sea. In all cases of the former
description, recourse must be had to medical assistance; but in the
latter, nutritive food, gelatinous clean-boiled oatmeal gruel, with two
or three ounces of gum Arabic dissolved in water, and mixed with the
gruel for drink, will, in all slight and recent cases, be productive of
a speedy restoration.




W.


WALK—is the slowest of a horse's natural paces, upon the safety,
excellence and ease of which, much of his worth depends. Good walkers
are always in request, and will (if gentle and good tempered) never fail
of finding purchasers, even among the _aged_ and _infirm_. There are
numbers to be seen daily, who are admirable goers in the _fast_ paces,
that cannot _walk at all_; but instances are very rare, of a horse who
is a good walker, not having a gift of his other paces in proportion.


WALNUT,—the name of a horse of much racing reputation. He was bred by
the present DUKE of HAMILTON, foaled in 1786; got by _Highflyer_, out of
_Maiden_, (who was got by _Matchem_,) own sister to _Pumpkin_. In 1790,
then four years old, _Walnut_ started at York, and won a subscription of
25 guineas each, seven subscribers. The same week he won the great
subscription of 295_l._ beating those excellent runners, _Telescope_,
_Enchanter_, _Toby_, _Tickle Toby_, and _Camilla_. At Doncaster he
walked over for the Doncaster Stakes of 10 guineas each, six
subscribers, with 20 guineas added by the Corporation; and the next day
won the 100_l._ plate, beating _Harold_ and _Telescope_. In 1791, he
again won the great subscription at York, beating the Prince of Wales's
_Creeper_, and _Telescope_. At Doncaster he again won the Doncaster
Stakes of 10 guineas each, with 20 guineas added by the Corporation.

The first of his produce, as a stallion, appeared in 1798. A bay filly
(Duke of Hamilton's) won 200 guineas at Doncaster: and a bay colt (Mr.
Peirse's) 200 guineas at York, and 80 guineas at Malton. In 1799, seven
of his get started, who were the winners of ten plates, matches, and
stakes. In 1800, nine appeared, and were the winners of sixteen prizes.
In 1801, twelve started, and won twenty-five plates, matches, and
sweepstakes, of which Lord Strathmore's colt won seven; _Lignum Vitæ_,
five; _Jack's Alive_, three; and _Richmond_, two. In 1802, the Duke of
Hamilton's bay filly won two sweepstakes at Ayr; 80 guineas, 50_l._ and
20 guineas, at Hamilton. Lord Strathmore's bay horse, two fifties at
Chester, and the King's Plate at Newcastle. _Risby_, 150 guineas at
Catterick, and 86_l._ 15_s._ 0_d._ at Morpeth; and _Lignum Vitæ_ won the
first class of the Oatlands Stakes, 450 guineas, 50_l._ and the King's
Plate, at Newmarket; 120 guineas at Newton; 70 guineas at Stamford; 220
guineas, and the King's Plate, at Litchfield.


WARBLE—is a small hard tumour, produced upon the side or the back of a
horse, by the heat and friction of an ill-fitted saddle. It is sometimes
occasioned by the pad of the saddle's becoming exceedingly hard, and
inelastic, from its long and constant absorption of perspirative matter;
to prevent which, the pads of saddles should be occasionally inspected,
beat with a stick, and the stuffing restored to its elasticity, by the
use of a proper awl, or point of a packing-needle. Upon their first
appearance, if they are attended to before the injury is repeated, they
never fail of submitting to a plentiful bathing of hot vinegar, followed
by a gentle friction with camphorated spirits, if twice or thrice
repeated; but if they are neglected in the first instance, and the same
saddle (or harness) persevered in without alteration, the surface will
become an eschar, and ultimately a _sitfast_, (which see,) and then can
only be removed by instrumental extirpation.


WARRANTY—is the personal assurance the purchaser of a horse receives
from the seller, at the moment of terminating the bargain, if such
purchase absolutely takes place, that the horse in question is _no more_
than a certain number of years old, (as the case may be;) that he is
perfectly free from every kind of _vice_, _blemish_, and _defect_; that
he is completely sound, "_wind_ and _limb_"; or, in other words, that he
is in a state of perfection. Much professional jargon has transpired
during the last half of a century in the courts of legal litigation upon
this subject: and a great law authority who presided once (rather
inadvertently, it is supposed) presumed to declare in open court, "that
paying 20_l._ for a horse, was a price sufficient to have the SOUNDNESS
implied by the _sum paid_, and that he should consider the _warranty_ to
extend to full _three months_ from the day of purchase." Whether this
assertion was merely a lapse of the tongue, or a temporary deviation
from sagacity and discretion, is not now worthy disquisition; as it must
certainly be admitted to have been one of the most absurd, unequitable
and ridiculous opinions ever promulgated in a court of judicial
investigation.

In confirmation of which, let it be supposed, that a horse is sold by
either gentleman or dealer, known and declared to be _bona fide_ sound
at the moment of transfer, and absolutely never to have been otherways;
in equity, and in justice, what can the late owner of such horse have to
do with his state of futurity? Is not a horse of this description,
though _sound_ and _perfect_, as likely to become _diseased_, to fall
_lame_, or even to _die_, on that, or the following day, as at any other
period of his life? Where then can be found the consistency, the equity,
or, indeed, the common honesty, of requiring or expecting any man to
warrant for _weeks_, or _months_, what it is not within his power to
insure for a _single hour_? The equitable intent of a _warranty_,
between persons of mutual good intent and integrity, cannot be
reasonably expected to go beyond the hour of _purchase_ and _sale_; for
as neither can explore, with certainty, the abstruse pages of the great
volume of time yet to come, there cannot be the least plea for a
retrospective compensation. See "LAW SUITS," and "SOUNDNESS."


WARREN,—the name applied to a privileged place, by prescription or grant
from the King, in which to keep beasts or fowls of WARREN. These in
ancient records were said to be the _hare_, the _coney_, the _pheasant_,
and the _partridge_; but the word now principally applies to any
particular district, or tract of land, set aside entirely for, and
appropriated to, the breeding and preservation of rabbits as private
property. These become a most valuable and profitable stock; paying a
much greater annual rent than can be expected from a light and sandy
soil, under any other mode of cultivation. There is a distinction
between a WARREN and FREE WARREN, (which see.) The franchise next in
degree to a park, is a free warren, and appertains chiefly to the
privilege of killing game within its boundaries. A warren, in its
general signification, extends no farther than a peculiar spot, of much
magnitude for the infinitely numerous production of conies, with which
the neighbouring inhabitants, and the markets of the Metropolis, are
supplied; and these invariably pass under the denomination of rabbit
warrens.


WARTER—is the name of a horse of much celebrity, whose performances upon
the turf rendered him of constantly increasing value, and insured him a
succession of different owners. He was bred by Mr. G. Crompton, foaled
in 1794; got by _King Fergus_, dam by _Highflyer_. In the York spring
meeting, when three years old, he won a sweepstakes of 20 guineas, six
subscribers, beating _Dapple_, and _Telegraph_. At Doncaster, in
September, he won the following extraordinary race, well worthy a place
in the cabinet of every sportsman in the kingdom.

Thursday, September 28th, 1797. One hundred pounds in specie for three
year olds, 7st. 5lb. and four year olds, 8st. 7lb. Maiden colts allowed
2lb. Maiden fillies allowed 3lb. The winner of any subscription or
sweepstakes carrying 4lb. extra. Two mile heats.

                                                      Heats.

 Mr. G. Crompton's    b. c.   _Warter_,        5 0 5 1 0 1.
 Sir C. Turner's      ch. c.  _Pepper-Pot_,    3 0 1 5 0 2.
 Sir F. Standish's    br. c.  _Stamford_,      1 3 6 2 _Dr._
 Mr. Wentworth's      b. c.   _Cardinal_,      2 5 2 3.
 Lord H. Hamilton's   b. c.   by _Trumpator_,  7 4 4 4.
 Mr. T. Hutchinson's          _Hipswell_,      6 6 3 _Dr._
 Mr. Sitwell's        ch. c.  _Commodore_,     4 _Dr._


The odds at starting were 5 to 2 against _Stamford_, 3 to 1 against
_Cardinal_, and 5 to 1 against _Warter_: during the different heats, and
at the termination of each, the bettings varied exceedingly.

In 1798 he won 50_l._ at Preston, beating three others. Two days after,
at the same place, he won 50_l._ at four heats, beating the famous
_Patriot_ (by _Rockingham_) and another; and 50_l._ at Doncaster. In
1799, then Mr. Heathcoate's, he won the main of the Oatlands, 100
guineas each, beating _Oscar_, and the then celebrated _Diamond_; and 50
guineas at Newmarket; the gold cup at Stamford; 50_l._ at Oxford; and
the King's Plates at Burford and Litchfield. In 1800 he won 250 guineas,
and 100 guineas, at Newmarket. In 1801, first Spring Meeting, he beat
_Jack Andrews_ three miles over the Beacon Course for 200 guineas each.
The same year, when Lord Sackville's, he won the King's Plate at
Guildford; the same at Winchester; and 200 guineas at Brighton. In 1802,
in the Craven Meeting at Newmarket, he won a sweepstakes of 100 guineas
each, beating _Cockfighter_ and _Hippona_. At Bibury, a sweepstakes of
25 guineas each, seven subscribers; and is since withdrawn from the
turf, and announced as a stallion at Cottesmore, in the county of
Rutland, at three guineas a mare, and half a guinea the groom.


WARTS—are spongy excrescences, sometimes appearing upon different parts
of the body, and in great numbers: they are exceedingly difficult of
instrumental extirpation; for, from their being critically seated,
profuse bleeding might probably follow. This mode of operation becomes
the less necessary, because a moistening of the surface once in three
days, with butter of Antimony, will effect certain obliteration, without
the least inconvenience, even upon the eye-lids, which are of equal or
superior irritability with any other part of the body.


WASP.—See "VENOMOUS BITES."


WATERING.—Upon the proper and confident mode of watering a horse, his
health in some degree (but more particularly his condition) principally
depends. During a journey in the summer, as well as in a stable in the
winter, some attention is necessary to both the _quality_ and _quantity_
of water a horse is permitted to indulge in. There are fixed rules with
systematic sportsmen, from which there is never the slighted deviation,
but when circumstances may compulsively occasion a temporary variation:
the most important of these are, never to let a horse drink _cold_ water
when he is _hot_; or to give him _pump_ or _well_ water, when river or
rain water can be obtained. The difference of effect between the two may
(particularly in the winter months) be immediately observed by those who
chuse to make the experiment: hard spring water is frequently known,
from its chilling frigidity, to occasion severe and dangerous fits of
the cholic; and when it has not that effect, it never fails to check the
circulation; producing such an instantaneous collapsion of the pores,
that the coat, though fine a few minutes before, becomes as rough and
staring, as if the horse had been exposed to the inclemency of the
winter season. Horses kept for the sports of the field, and in a state
of condition superior to those employed on more common occasions, are
usually watered with a pail in the stable; but this should never be done
till hay has been previously placed in the rack; and the act of watering
should be instantly followed by the usual ceremony of substantial
dressing, wisping, and brushing over, to prevent either of the two
inconveniencies before described. The old and ridiculous custom of
taking a horse to a pond, that he may have a gallop "to _warm_ the
_water_ in his belly," seems to be nearly abolished with the more
enlightened part of the world; and although the practice is persevered
in upon the turf, it is to be observed, that those horses are restricted
in quantity; and that they are walked for some time after drinking,
previous to what is termed their watering gallop.


WATTLES—are the gills hanging from below the under beak of a cock: these
are taken from _a stag_ (young game cock) at the same time with his
comb, so soon as they are sufficiently grown for the operation, which is
performed before they are turned down to a master walk. The little
finger is insinuated into the throat of the cock, when which is properly
distended, the wattles are cut off close all round with the scissars;
and, lastly, the comb; the whole being slightly washed with a little
weak salt and water.


WAXY—is a horse of recent reputation upon the turf, whose performances
promise to render him a stallion high in estimation. He was bred by Sir
F. Poole; foaled in 1790; got by _Pot8o's_ out of _Maria_, a daughter of
_Herod_. In 1793, when three years old, he won the Derby Stakes (at
Epsom) of 50 guineas each, _half forfeit_, (50 subscribers,) beating
twelve; the remainder paying forfeit. The odds _twelve_ to _one_ against
him at starting. At Lewes he won a sweepstakes of 10 guineas each, (nine
subscribers,) carrying 7lb. extra. At Abingdon he won a sweepstakes of
10 guineas each, 5 subscribers. In 1794, he won the Jockey Club Plate at
Newmarket; the King's 100 guineas at Ipswich; a 50_l._ plate, and 60
guineas, at Lewes. In 1795, the King's Plate at Salisbury. In 1796, the
King's Plate at Guildford; a subscription of 10 guineas each, (13
subscribers,) at Lewes; and the King's Plate at Salisbury. In 1797, he
broke down in running for the gold cup at Oxford. The following season
he was announced as a stallion at 10 guineas a mare, and half a guinea
the groom, at Lewes, in Sussex. Two of his produce, each three years
old, were brought to the Post last year, 1802; one called _Miss
Newland_, who won two 50_l._ plates at Canterbury; and _Shock_, who won
100 guineas at Brighton, and 50 guineas at Newmarket.


WEANING—is the act of separating a colt or filly from its dam, that it
may no longer derive support from _suction_, but be compelled to collect
its own subsistence from such proper articles of aliment as present
themselves according to the season of the year, at which such weaning
may be found convenient to take place. This must always become dependent
upon circumstances, in respect to the kind of country in which the colt
is produced, as well as the purpose for which he is bred, and the late
or early part of the season in which he was foaled. A foal produced at
the latter end of April, or the beginning of May, will better bear
weaning in the early part of October, than a foal dropt in June will in
two months after; and this is readily accounted for by the great length
of summer the former enjoys in respect to growth, strength, and
expansion, over the latter. Where the foal, from having fallen late in
the year, or any other cause, is observed to be weak in body and
constitution, or stinted in growth, great advantage may be obtained by
letting him run in an unrestrained state with the dam during the
remainder of the winter.

It is in general the custom, particularly with colts and fillies bred
for the turf, to wean the latter end of September, or during the month
of October; the reason of which is, that as the dam is then again in a
state of gestation, it is by no means proper, nor can it be consistent,
that a subsistence for the colt should be extracted from the dam, which
nature requires to be absorbed for the nutritious support of the fœtus
in embryo. At whatever time weaning may be determined on, the transition
from one food to another so exceedingly opposite, should not be too
suddenly made; the salutary interposition of mashes, made from ground
malt and bran, equal parts, and thin in consistence, from which the
fluid may be sucked, will prove a pleasing and consolatory assistance
for the loss the foal has sustained.


WEASEL.—The weasel, though little seen in the environs of towns, is an
animal very well known in most parts of the country: it varies in no
great degree from the _stoat_, either in shape, make, or propensity. Its
favourite alimentary enjoyment seems the destruction of eggs by suction;
although it pursues and destroys poultry and game with equal avidity. By
some instinctive impulse of scent or sagacity, the weasel is enabled to
follow a hare, which it pursues with a kind of energetic phrensy; and
whenever the hare unsuspectingly squats, if this inveterate enemy
happens to get up, it immediately makes a spring, seizes the hare near
the poll, and never quits its hold till the animal (though running in a
state of distraction, and with the most piteous cries) is deprived of
existence. The weasel may justly rank in the list of _venomous_ animals,
for its bite is almost universally fatal: a hare, rabbit, or any other
object, bit by the weasel, is never known to recover, but continues in a
lingering state till death.

In its pursuits, it has several points much in its favour: its activity,
and the peculiar formation of its claws, enable it to scale walls with
so much ease, that no spot is secure from its depredations. By way of
compensation to the farmer for its luxurious repasts upon eggs and young
poultry, it makes some amends by its inveteracy to rats and mice; having
a spice of the ferret in its nature, it is to those an inveterate enemy,
and pursues them with a most implacable hatred to certain destruction.
It is a more successful invader than any other to these smaller animals,
as, from its diminutive circumference, it can follow them into their
inmost recesses, and destroy with very little _ineffectual_ opposition.
To young pigeons it is likewise a destructive depredator; and when it
has young, is more bold and indefatigable in its researches. In the dusk
of the evening, and by moonlight, it may frequently be seen stealing
from its lurking place, under faggot piles or corn ricks, near the
farm-house, taking the barns, stables, pig-sties, and poultry-house, in
search of prey; which, when they have killed, if not too large, they
carry or drag to the place of their retreat. In the summer season, the
weasel will venture a great distance from its usual haunts, and the spot
which has afforded it winter protection; it is then very frequently
found by the sides of rivulets; and is particularly fond of a situation
near a mill, and that is concluded to be from the plenty of rats with
which they are invariably surrounded.


WEIGHT FOR AGE.—In racing advertisements, propositions of different
kinds appear, in respect to the weights which are to be carried by the
horses who are a year younger or a year older than each other. Such
announcements vary, in some degree, between the weights of one place of
sport and another; but as the GOLD CUP weights at OXFORD are considered
a fair criterion of equity, they are here introduced in explanation.

                                st. lb.

 Four year olds carry            7  7
 Five year olds                  8  7
 Six year olds                   9  0
 And aged                        9  4


WEIGHT FOR INCHES.—When a plate is advertised to be run for by horses
"to carry weight for inches," it is then called a GIVE and TAKE PLATE,
which see.


WEIGHT TO THE SCALE.—Bringing the proper weight to the scale immediately
after _each heat_, is in racing a very important consideration. Whatever
weight by the conditions, in either plate, match, sweepstakes, or
subscription, a horse is appointed to carry, the rider or jockey must
have ascertained before the Stewards, or Clerk of the Course, by the
scales and weights publicly affixed to the starting-post of every race
ground for that purpose. So soon as each and every heat is ended, such
rider or jockey is to ride his horse up to the scales, there to be
weighed in immediate succession; and any rider or jockey neglecting so
to do, dismounting before he reaches the scale, or not bringing his full
weight when there, the horse in either case is deemed equally
_distanced_, and can start no more for that plate or prize, whatever may
be its denomination.


WENS—are enlargements which may appear upon any of the soft or fleshy
parts of a horse's body, and are technically termed encysted tumours;
but divided into different kinds, which are thus distinguished. One,
upon separation, is found to contain a substance somewhat similar to
boiled rice, curds, or a bread poultice; a second, a glutinous adhesive
coagulum, nearly resembling honey when not in a state of absolute
fluidity; a third, in which the substance has every appearance of suet
in its progress from the butcher's to the tallow chandlers; and a
fourth, with the contents a little like half-melted grease. The only
mode of extirpation (where it can with safety be ventured upon) is by
the knife; but if, in performing the operation, every part of the cyst
or bag is not completely removed, it will always be liable to enlarge
again, and render abortive all that may have been done before. Whenever
the tumour is so extirpated, the wound is to be dressed in the usual
way, and a favourable incarnation and union of parts will soon be
obtained.


WHEEZING—is that seeming difficulty of respiration through the nostrils
of a horse, which is by some attributed to a wrong cause; suspecting it
to be a contraction or narrowness between the bones and cartilages of
the nose. This, to a more nice or accurate observer, does not appear to
be the case; on the contrary, attentively investigated, it appears there
is very little, if any, doubt to be entertained of its being a defect in
the natural inflation of the lungs. Admitting this, it is then a
gradational relative to the asthmatic and thick-winded tribe, where some
of the finer vessels are obstructed, become impervious, or tubercles
formed. In the latter, cure cannot be expected; alleviation may be
obtained by a patient perseverance in mild mercurial alteratives; and in
all the different shades of these affections of the lungs, originating
in plethora and a viscid sizy state of the blood, frequently unloading
the vessels of their contents by bleeding, attenuating the blood by
antimonials, and enlivening the circulation by pectoral cordial
detergents, are the only means upon which an expectation of permanent
relief can be entertained.


WHIM PLATE,—in the language of the TURF, is where the horses who run
carry weight for age, and weight for inches.


WHIP.—Sporting whips are of two kinds; one of which, having a handle
with a hook, and a long thong, is called a hunting-whip; being useful in
assisting to manage the hounds. A light straight single-stem whip, is
called a jockey whip, being the sort used on the turf.


WHIP—is the name of a horse of some reputation as a racer, but was
withdrawn from the turf, and announced as a stallion, at five years old.
He was bred by MR. DURAND; foaled in 1794; got by _Saltram_, dam by
_King Herod_, and was the favourite for the Derby in 1797, and expected
to win it easy, had he been well enough to have started. He was tried to
have so much speed, as to be able to give many colts of the same year
from twenty to thirty pounds. The first time he started, he won a
sweepstakes of 20 guineas each, the New Mile at Ascot, beating three
others; and afterwards a 50_l._ plate for three year olds at Reading. In
1798 he won 50_l._ at Ascot Heath. In running for the gold cup at
Oxford, against _Diamond_, _Stickler_, _Johnny_, and _Oatlands_, he ran
out of the Course, when supposed to be winning to a certainty. At
Brighton he won a 50_l._ plate, beating _Combatant_, who had the day
before won a sweepstakes of 10 guineas each, (17 subscribers,) beating
seven others. At Canterbury he won a sweepstakes of 20 guineas each,
(five subscribers,) which was the last time he started; having since
been advertised to cover at five guineas a mare, and five shillings the
groom.


WHIPPER-IN—is an assistant subordinate to the huntsman in every hunting
establishment, which, if upon a well-regulated scale of any magnitude,
is never considered complete with _less_ than _two_. One of these has a
shade of superiority, and is called the _first_; the other, the
_second_, whipper-in. The first, upon all and every occasion, is
considered as a second huntsman, empowered to act with his authority
upon every emergency, and at all times during temporary separation in
the chase, or unavoidable absence. Notwithstanding this delegation of
power, it is his duty to remain strictly obedient to the huntsman, and
to execute all his injunctions with the most cheerful alacrity; and
however largely he may be qualified in other respects, it is impossible
he can ever become a _good_ whipper-in, if he is in possession of a
_bad_ temper. It is absolutely indispensible that he should be a natural
philosopher in respect to patience and self-denial, as it is so
peculiarly his province to act an inferior part, unless when
circumstances occur to bring him more forward upon the canvass; the
moment which cease, he must contentedly retire again from the front, to
his former station in the background of the picture.

MR. BECKFORD, after a profusion of the most observant experience,
admitted an excellent whipper-in to be preferable to an excellent
huntsman; and as the opinion he believed was entirely new, he felt
himself in some degree called upon to explain it. He had no doubt but he
should have better sport, and kill more foxes, with a moderate huntsman,
and an excellent whipper-in, than with the best of huntsmen without such
assistance. For he considered, that, in general sporting acceptation, it
might probably be conceived, that a good huntsman might always make a
good whipper-in; not such, however, as he meant; his talent must be
_born with him_. His reasons were, that good hounds (and bad he would
not keep) oftener need the one than the other; and genius, which, in a
whipper-in, if attended by obedience, (his first distinguishing
requisite,) can be productive of no ill, is, in a huntsman, a dangerous
though a desirable quality; and if not accompanied with a large share of
prudence, blended with humility, will oftentimes retard and spoil the
sport, as well as tend materially to hurt the hounds.

It has been erroneously conceived, by some theoretic and _newly-entered_
sportsmen, that it is the business of a whipper-in to attend closely
upon the huntsman, to receive his commands, and execute his orders;
which is by no means the case. If he is on the opposite side of the
covert to the huntsman, he is in his proper place; and if within hearing
of his _halloo_, he is near enough; for that is the signal it is the
province of the whipper-in to obey. The second whipper-in may
occasionally attend upon the huntsman, to act as a field _aid de camp_,
when he is not required by circumstances to be active elsewhere. The
first whipper-in should of course be qualified to hunt the hounds, if
necessary: nothing can be better calculated to keep a huntsman within
the bounds of decency and good manners; as they in general are by no
means deficient in the assumption of imaginary consequence, when once
they have imbibed an opinion of their own superiority.

When hounds are taken from the kennel, it is the place of the first
whipper-in to go before, and of the second to come at some distance
behind them. If permitted to follow too near, however great the
necessity may be, the poor animals will never be allowed time to empty
themselves; for these juvenile whippers-in, upon their initiation,
conceive it their proper element to be always in a gallop, and
incessantly whipping the hounds whenever they can get at them. The first
whipper-in should be of light weight, great agility, quick conception,
of much personal fortitude, and an excellent horseman. With these
qualifications, he has it always in his power to exert and display his
ability to advantage. While the huntsman slicks close to his headmost
hounds, the whipper-in can give proof of his judgment in various ways:
he can _clap forward_ to any great earth that may be open; he may _sink
the wind_, to view and halloo a fox when the scent fails, or keep him
off _his soil_: he may avail himself of the first opportunity to _stop_
the _tail hounds_, and get them forward; and he has it constantly in his
power to assist the hounds, if he has penetration to discover where, and
at what time, it is most wanted. The making and keeping a pack steady,
depend entirely upon him; as it is not the province of a huntsman either
to _rate_ or _flog_ a hound, if it can consistently be avoided.

During the chase, whenever it may be necessary to stop the hounds, the
whipper-in should always be at their head before he begins to make the
attempt. _Rating behind_ can effect but little; and if they are running
riot in covert, it may prevent him from knowing which are the
aggressors. Whippers-in are frequently in the extreme, and continue
rating long after they find that rating will not avail: a hound should
never be struck, unless he is first made sensible what it is for: if
they were a little less hasty, and more disposed to reflection, they
would never strike a hound that did _not_ deserve it, and would strike
those hard who do. In fact, the experience of every additional season
affords ample conviction, that a whipper-in seldom distinguishes
sufficiently the degrees of offence which a dog may have committed, to
proportion his punishment accordingly; and such is the prevalence of
custom, that when only riding a hound, to turn him after the huntsman,
he is rated (if not flogged) as severely as if he had been guilty of the
greatest possible offence.

A whipper-in is generally so exceedingly pleased with his own powers of
vociferation, that he is incessantly _rating_ some one hound or another,
and then as industriously endeavours to _flog_ him; without asking
himself the question, whether it is likely a hound thus rated will not
naturally feel inclined to avoid the whip. It is certainly the most
consistent, whenever a hound may deserve correction, to whip him first,
and to rate him afterwards. The getting forward the tail hounds is a
material and necessary part of the chase, in which a whipper-in, of
energy and judgment, can always give proof of his ability. Where there
are two whippers-in, the _first_ is often justified in getting forward,
when the huntsman, from accident, or unforeseen and unavoidable
obstructions, may be prevented from being up with the hounds; but the
_second_ has no right whatever to be forward, so long as a single hound
is known to have been left behind. Most huntsmen cast an eye of
jaundiced jealousy at a whipper-in, particularly if his merits have
attracted the attention of his employer; upon a presumption he may have
a rival in his subordinate, who may, upon any indiscretion or
disobedience of his own, have a fair chance of becoming his successor; a
circumstance that sometimes a little cankers the basis of unanimity.
After these accumulated remarks upon the personal qualifications and
official efforts of a whipper-in, it may with truth be affirmed, if he
is innately bold, active, and energetic; a prudent, careful, and steady
horseman, with a quick ear, and clear voice; with attentive knowledge,
and observation to distinguish where he can be the most useful; not
possessing the simple conceit of killing a fox without the huntsman,
but, on the contrary, feel disposed to assist him all he can; such a one
may be considered completely perfect in his department, and will seldom
or ever be long out of employment.


WHELPS.—The produce of hounds during their first months are termed
_whelps_; the young of other sporting dogs are in general called
_puppies_. Those who are intent upon forming a hunting establishment,
will, in laying the foundation, recollect, that hounds are very
frequently to be purchased for considerably less money than they can be
bred. The pack once obtained, breeding then becomes indispensibly
necessary for the proper support of the stock, and the acquisition of
superior excellence; by possessing the annual convenience of entering
young, and rejecting old, till the body become perfectly complete. The
business of breeding is considered so very material to the sporting
reputation of the establishment, that, by amateurs and professed
sportsmen, it is conducted with a systematic circumspection, and most
judicious discrimination. Uniformity in size, shape, make, colour,
speed, and constitution, are leading perfections, which should never be
lost sight of. MR. BECKFORD, who seems to have understood the chase much
better than any writer that has ever promulgated an opinion upon the
subject, has laid down some precautionary rules, from which the emulous
and the prudent will seldom deviate.

In a well-regulated and extensive hunting establishment, no less than
nine or ten couple of whelps should be annually bred to keep up a
regular supply: the distemper sometimes making dreadful havoc amongst
the whelps, as well as age and infirmities amongst the old hounds, if a
proper number of recruits were not always ready, much mortifying
disappointment might probably ensue. Whenever it can be so contrived,
the whelps should appear between the second or third week in February,
and the middle of the month of March; they have then nothing to
encounter from the cold severity of the winter season, and the ensuing
summer to bask, expand, and grow in. It is on all hands admitted
injudicious to breed from hounds with palpable imperfections: weak
hounds, babblers, skirters, slow, and tardy-tongued hounds, should
always be rejected. An old dog should never be put to an old bitch; nor
should either dog or bitch be in an unhealthy state, lest the offspring
should be eventually affected.


WHISKEY,—the name of a most excellent runner, whose recent performances
on the turf laid the foundation of his present celebrity as a stallion
of much promised reputation. He was bred by his Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales; foaled in 1780, and got by _Saltram_ out of _Calash_,
(who was got by _Herod_;) her dam (_Teresa_) by _Matchem_. In 1792, when
three years old, in the July Meeting at Newmarket, he won a sweepstakes
of 200 guineas, eight subscribers; and 50_l._ at Bedford. First October
Meeting, a post sweepstakes of 1000 guineas each, three subscribers. The
next day a subscription of 200 guineas each, eleven subscribers. Second
October Meeting, a subscription of 20 guineas each, six subscribers. In
the Houghton Meeting, he beat Sir F. Standish's _Sir John_ across the
flat, staking 150 to 100 guineas. In 1793 (then Mr. Durand's) he won the
Jockey Stakes of 100 guineas each, half forfeit, twelve subscribers. The
next Meeting he beat _Halbert_ a match over the Beacon for 200 guineas.
At Winchester he walked over the Course for a 50_l._ plate; and won a
sweepstakes of 10 guineas each, six subscribers. He was then withdrawn
from the turf, and announced as a stallion at five guineas a mare, and
half a guinea the groom. Two of his get started at only two years, and
were both winners. In 1799, _Clarissa_ appeared, and at two years old
won 150 guineas, and 120 guineas, at Brighton. _Pamela_, three years
old, 50_l._ at Brocket Hall; 200 guineas at Epsom; and 50_l._ at
Ipswich. In 1800, two others appeared, each two years old, both winners
at Newmarket. In 1801, _Eleanor_ started, and won 250 guineas, 700
guineas, and 200 guineas, at Newmarket; and the Derby and Oaks Stakes,
both at Epsom, amounting to 1475 guineas. _Julia_ won the July Stakes,
40 guineas, and 450 guineas, at Newmarket; and _Whiskerandos_ won three
prizes at Newmarket, Brighton, and Egham. In 1802, _Whirligig_ won seven
prizes; _Julia_, six; _Eleanor_, three; _Gig_, two; and _Orlando_, 100
guineas, at Newmarket. Under the increasing merits of which progeny, his
price as a stallion is advanced to double the original sum; standing
announced to cover for 10 guineas a mare the present season, 1803, at
Great Barton, near Bury St. Edmund's.


WHITE-FOOTED HORSE—is always considered an indication of future weakness
in the feet; such horses, in general, having hoofs which become soon
brittle and battered; or an outer sole so thin at the bottom, that it
compulsively submits to the propulsive force of the membranous mass
within, and soon forms a preternatural prominence upon the surface,
rendering the foot not only weak, but exceedingly difficult to shoe,
without pressing upon the part requiring to be protected.


WHITE HOUND.—A hound perfectly white is hardly ever bred up for the
chase; not more on account of their being considered weaker in
constitution than hounds of a variegated description, than their
contributing less to the uniformity of the pack. The hounds in the
highest estimation to constitute beauty, are brown, liver-coloured, or
yellow pied; either of those having a proportional participation with
the white, and of these the most are now bred. There are, however, some
instances, where hounds entirely of a black, or sandy tan, are admitted,
and prove the _crack_ or leading hound of the pack.


WIDGEON—is a species of wild fowl, inferior in size to the wild duck,
but considerably larger than the teal. They afford little or no sport to
the gunner, being but rarely found, except in the utmost severity of the
winter, and then only in certain particular fens and marshes in some few
different parts of the kingdom. Those with which the markets of the
Metropolis are supplied, are caught in the same manner as wild-ducks.
See DECOY.


WILD BOAR.—This animal was formerly a native of Britain, and held in
such high estimation, that those convicted of killing or maiming them in
the time of William the Conqueror, were punished with the loss of their
eyes. Charles the First procured wild boars from the continent, and had
them turned down in the New Forest to promote the breed; but they were
entirely destroyed in the civil wars that ensued. Hunting the wild boar
is considered a magnanimous sport with the grandees of those countries
in which they abound; but it partakes in no degree of comparison with
the exhilarating sport, and enlivening scenes, displayed in the
different kinds of chase in our own country. Wild boars are sought
after, and tried for, in the largest and thickest woods and coverts,
(having angular and cross rides cut through them for the purpose of the
chase,) in the same way by which stags are roused, or foxes unkenneled,
in this country. The dogs used for the sport, are slow and heavy, much
more like a cross between a mastiff and a wire-haired lurcher, than any
species of the hound kind. When the boar is once roused, more by the
incessant noise and clamour of the multitude than any peculiar property
of the dogs, he goes moderately off, not much alarmed at, or seemingly
afraid of, the exultations of his pursuers. During the chase (if it is
worthy to be termed so) he frequently turns round to face the dogs, and
offers to attack them; again proceeds; again turns; and they for a while
keep each other _at bay_: the same ceremony is renewed, till at length
the boar becomes completely tired, refusing to go any farther. The
serious conflict then begins in earnest. His defence being strong, and
wonderfully powerful, before, the dogs (particularly the young ones)
endeavour to attack him behind, in which attempt some lives are
frequently lost; but during the struggle, the hunters get up, and put a
period to his existence with their spears.


WILD DUCK.—See DECOY.


WILD-GOOSE CHASE,—is neither more or less than a metaphorical allusion
to the _uncertainty_ of its _termination_. This originated in a kind of
chase (more properly match) formerly decided in the following way. Two
horses having started at the place appointed, continued to race by the
side of each other, till one having obtained the lead, was entitled to
proceed in whatever direction the rider pleased, (either by shortening
or prolonging the distance to the winning spot previously agreed on,)
according to the qualifications of his horse. This kind of chase so
frequently terminated in _tired_ or _spoiled_ horses, without a
decision, that it was long since changed to a _train scent_, (that is, a
drag across the country;) better known by the denomination of a _steeple
chase_.


WIND BROKEN.—The disorder or malady so called, is (with the most
experienced) discovered by a quick and irregular heaving of the flanks,
accompanied by a great and palpable difficulty of respiration after
brisk exertion. The usual mode of examination with dealers, is to try
the perfect or imperfect state of the wind, by a cough compulsively
excited: this is effected by forcibly pressing the gullet, just below
the under jaw, at the junction of the head with the neck; from which
pressure, if a strong, clear, healthy cough immediately proceeds, the
wind may be considered sound, and naturally good; but, on the contrary,
should it prove a wheezing husky attempt to cough, terminating with a
kind of distant moan, or groan, the horse is asthmatic, and unsound, if
not completely broken-winded; in which state most horses may be
discovered, from the noise they make in their difficulty of respiration
during either a sharp trot or moderate canter; from which they have
acquired the common appellation of _roarers_, which is understood to
imply a certainty of BROKEN WIND; which see.


WINDGALLS—are soft and flatulent or fluctuating tumours, seated on one
or both sides the back sinews, above the fetlock-joint of a horse, and
principally upon the fore-legs; but with horses who have been
immoderately worked, they frequently appear upon the hind-legs also.
They generally make their appearance upon subjects who have been brought
into labour too young, and before the vessels have acquired a proper
strength and elasticity. Permitted to continue long, without
counteraction, they soon possess a rigid inflexibility, which is never
to be subdued. Whenever they are first perceived, early means should be
adopted, to prevent a farther protrusion of the integument. Plentiful
impregnations of the best white wine vinegar, followed by powerful
repellents of camphorated spirits, incorporated with a sixth part of
saturnine extract; or a strong solution of alum in water, assisted by a
moderate woollen bandage; will sometimes obliterate them _entirely_,
provided they are attacked in their infancy, and the mode thus adopted
patiently persevered in.


WITHERS.—The part of a horse so called, is the superior point of the
shoulders, situate above the blades, precisely at the termination of the
mane, from whence the back begins. Upon the good or ill formation of the
withers, the symmetry, strength and value of the horse materially
depend. If the subject is well made in the withers, with a gradually
advancing forehand, long and proportionally erect, it produces a
commanding majestic dignity in the fore quarters, generally accompanied
with a corresponding uniformity behind. A horse of this description is
almost invariably sure-footed, and an admirable goer in all his paces:
on the contrary, if he is defective in this particular point, he is
lower _before_ than _behind_, and is proportionally reduced in
estimation and intrinsic worth. A horse low in the withers, is mostly
short in the forehand also; forcible indications of a deficiency in
speedy action, an habitual tendency to the _perfection_ of _stumbling_,
and the equally mortifying memento of not being able to carry a saddle
in its proper place, without the pleasing appendage called _a crupper_.

The withers are constantly liable to injury, from saddles being wide in
the tree, or coming too far forward, which letting the internal part of
the pummel come into contact with the projecting point of the withers,
mischief (from the pinching, pressure, or friction) frequently ensues,
terminating in inflammation, laceration, tumefaction, maturation, and
sometimes fistula, which see. Injuries sustained in this part by either
of the means before mentioned, should never remain unattended to: a
repetition of the cause, from neglect or inattention, is likely to
render that serious and severe, which might, by a contrary conduct, have
proved only a slight and temporary inconvenience. When such a
circumstance has unluckily taken place, and is attended to without
delay, cool repellents, and mild astringents, will generally effect an
early obliteration; but it should be retained in memory, that the part
once bruised acquires an additional degree of tenderness and
irritability, which will render the cure more tedious and difficult,
should the bruise be inconsiderately or inattentively repeated.


WITHER-WRUNG.—A horse is said to be wither-wrung, when he sustained the
origin of the injuries described under the last head.


WOLF.—The wolf, although not now to be found among us, was once a very
destructive native of this country, and the whole were ultimately
destroyed by mandate from the Crown. Naturalists universally agree in an
opinion, that the wolf and dog were originally of the same class; and
argue, from its external form, that it is in every respect what the dog
was in its natural state of freedom. Although completely annihilated in
this country, they are to be found in great abundance in every other,
from whence they are speculatively imported, and may be seen in the
menageries of those by whom they are established for the sole purpose of
public exhibition. In respect to the degree of similitude between the
two, impartial inspection must admit the perceptible shades of
difference: the shape of the head differs materially; and the eyes being
more obliquely seated, affords an aspect of the most savage ferocity.
The ears of the wolf are sharp and erect; the tail long, bushy, and
bending inwards from its hind legs; its body is of stronger formation
than the body of any species of dog; its jaws and teeth evidently
larger, and more powerful; and its hair both coarser and thicker. The
internal structure of the dog and wolf is precisely the same in every
particular; the latter copulate in the same manner, and their sudden
separation prevented by the same means. The time of gestation also
varies but little, if any; and, from the various experiments recited by
the late celebrated Dr. Hunter, there is left no room to doubt, that the
wolf and dog will copulate, and produce an intermediate species, capable
of subsequent propagation.

In all ages, the wolf has been considered the most savage enemy of
mankind; and at most times, and in all countries, rewards have been
offered for its destruction. When pressed with hunger, from repeated
disappointments, the wolf becomes doubly courageous from necessity;
braves every danger, and will attack the very animals under the
protection of the human species. The horse alone seems to possess the
power of superiority; all inferior animals have no alternative to
unconditional submission, and inevitable destruction. Even man himself
has frequently fallen a victim to its rapacity; and it is said, upon the
best authorities, that when once they have feasted upon human blood,
they become the more incessantly rapacious in the pursuit of it. The
wolf, from his muscular strength, is enabled to carry off a sheep in his
mouth, and even run with it in that manner: his bite is dreadfully
severe, and the keener, the less it meets with opposition; but when
powerfully refilled, he is exceedingly cautious and circumspect, never
fighting when nearly upon an equality, but under the most absolute
necessity. The wolf is hardier, and more robust, than the dog, but less
alive to the powers of intellectual discrimination: he is almost
incessantly prowling in search of prey, and is himself, of all animals,
the most difficult to conquer in the chase.

Every possible means were adopted, many centuries since, to rid this
country of so rapacious a despoiler. KING EDGAR attempted to effect it
in England, by remitting the punishment of certain crimes on producing a
certain number of wolves' tongues: and in Wales, the tax of gold and
silver was commuted for an annual tribute of their heads. Some centuries
after which, they had increased to such a destructive infinity, as to
become again an object of royal attention, and great rewards were once
more held forth for their destruction. EDWARD the FIRST issued his royal
mandate to Peter Corbet, to superintend and assist in the destruction of
them in the several counties of Gloucester, Worcester, Hereford, Salop,
and Stafford. In other counties, certain persons held their lands upon
condition of hunting, taking, and destroying, a number of wolves
annually, in proportion to the quantity of land so held. They were so
numerous in Scotland about the middle of the fifteenth century, that
they completely overrun the country, to the incessant destruction of the
flocks, and the immense losses of the community; nor were they, with
every indefatigable exertion of the natives, extirpated till the year
1680, when the _last wolf_ is recorded to have fallen by the hand of the
then famous Sir Ewen Cameron. Ireland in those times suffered by their
immense numbers in an equal degree with England, Scotland, and Wales,
and for a much longer duration, as they were not perfectly annihilated
in that country till the earlier part of the last century.


WOLVES' TEETH.—Those so called, are the natural teeth of the horse,
enlarged by a preternatural growth, so as to lacerate the fleshy
internal part of the cheek by the prominence of their ragged edges, or
by the upper grinders overhanging the lower; they catch the wrinkled
parts (called flaps) between them in the act of mastication, occasioning
so much pain, that some horses are considerably reduced in flesh by a
compulsive abstinence, eating no more than merely sufficient to keep the
frame in a state of subsistence. With horses labouring under such
infirmity or imperfection, there is no relief to be obtained, but from a
proper file, and the hand of a steady operator.


WOODCOCK.—This is a bird of passage, with a simply variegated plumage,
having a long bill, peculiarly appropriated to the purposes of insertion
and suction, from which its subsistence is principally derived: it is
rather inferior in size to the partridge, varying in weight, according
to the condition it may be in, and the season in which it is killed,
being rarely less than eight, or more than eleven ounces in the scale.
They arrive in this country some time in the month of October; but
whether early or late, depends entirely upon the prevalence of the winds
by which they are brought over. The east and north-easterly winds
(particularly when accompanied by fogs) are the most favourable for
their arrival: reaching our shores fatigued with flight, they drop under
any tree, shrub, or bush, bearing the appearance of covert: after rest
and refreshment, they in longer flights disperse themselves in the
different woods, copses, shaws, and hedge-rows, in various parts of the
country, selecting chiefly such parts as seem best calculated for the
singularity of their accommodation. They are by no means remarkable for
remaining long in one place, or even in the same neighbourhood; on the
contrary, they never continue more than ten or twelve days in any
particular spot, though favourably adapted to their reception.

The woodcock is a very clumsy waddling walker, as is the case with every
kind of fowl having short legs and long wings: when flushed, he rises
heavily from the ground, and makes a considerable noise before he can
gather wind sufficient for flight. If found in a rushy spot, a ditch, or
a hedge-row, from whence he is obliged to present an _open_ mark, he
frequently slowly skims over the ground, and is very easily shot; as,
indeed, is the case elsewhere, provided any obstruction does not arise
from intervening branches of trees, and boughs of underwood, which, in
cock and covert shooting, must always be expected. After a plentiful
arrival, they afford excellent sport, and may be found as well with
pointers as with spaniels, (the pointers being hunted in the covert with
bells:) but cock shooting, with spaniels is almost universally
preferred, as it is more enlivening and exhilarating to _hear_ the
spaniels occasionally in _quest_, rather than pursue so pleasing a scene
with the solemnity of a general silence.


WOODPECKER—was a horse whose blood and performances rendered him, as a
racer, and stallion, of the most distinguished celebrity. He was bred by
Sir C. Davers; foaled in 1773; got by _Herod_, dam (_Miss Ramsden_) by
_Old Cade_, grand-dam by Lord Lonsdale's Bay _Arabian_. His winnings are
now become too remote to give in the detail. As a stallion, his progeny
are infinite; amongst the principal of which the following have been the
most conspicuous. In 1789, _Bullfinch_ won 300 guineas, 100 guineas, 20
guineas, 100 guineas, 100 guineas, and 50 guineas, at Newmarket.
_Chanticleer_, 650 guineas, 500 guineas, and 400 guineas, at Newmarket.
_Cormorant_, 135 guineas, 62 guineas, 40 guineas, 200 guineas, 300
guineas, 62½ guineas, 300 guineas, and 75 guineas, at Newmarket. _Hawk_,
100 guineas, 150 guineas, and 50 guineas, at Newmarket. _Seagull_, 35
guineas, and 800 guineas, 200 guineas, 100 guineas, 62 guineas, 250
guineas, 200 guineas, 20 guineas, 200 guineas, 400 guineas, 160 guineas,
and 300 guineas, at Newmarket. _Swallow_, 100 guineas, and 100 guineas,
at Newmarket. _Woodlark_, 50_l._ at Stockbridge, and the King's Hundred
Guineas, at Winchester, and Salisbury.

In 1790, twenty-seven of his get started, and were the winners of
_seventy-eight_ subscriptions, sweepstakes, matches, and plates. _Bat_
won 100 guineas, 50 guineas, 100 guineas, 100 guineas, and 100 guineas,
at Newmarket. A bay filly out of _Camilla_, 200 guineas, 143 guineas,
and 200 guineas, at the same. _Buzzard_, 100 guineas, 50 guineas, 200
guineas, and 200 guineas, at Newmarket. _Chanticleer_, 300 guineas, 200
guineas, 100 guineas, and 152 guineas, at Newmarket. _Cormorant_, 50_l._
100 guineas, 200 guineas, 400 guineas, 200 guineas, and 60 guineas, at
Newmarket. _Dragon_, 200 guineas, 200 guineas, 200 guineas, 450 guineas,
100 guineas, 88 guineas, 45 guineas, 200 guineas, and 200 guineas, at
the same. _Griffin_, 300 guineas, 120 guineas, and 125 guineas, at
Newmarket. _Isabel_, 50_l._ 100 guineas, 300 guineas, and 150 guineas,
at Newmarket. _Mrs. Candour_, 50 guineas, 50 guineas, 100 guineas, and
100 guineas, at the same. _Pecker_, 100 guineas, 100 guineas, 100
guineas, 100 guineas, 200 guineas, 100 guineas, and 100 guineas, at
Newmarket. _Seagull_, 200 guineas, 500 guineas, and the Grosvenor
Stakes, at Newmarket; the Oatlands Stakes, of 100 guineas each, nineteen
subscribers, and 500 guineas, at Ascot Heath; 60 guineas, 250 guineas,
200 guineas, and 300 guineas, at Newmarket; and _Tom Tit_, 50_l._ at
Stamford, 97_l._ 5_s._ 0_d._ at Nottingham, and 50_l._ at Derby.

In 1791, twenty-two of his produce started, and were winners of
fifty-eight prizes. _Buzzard_ won 250 guineas, 200 guineas, 120 guineas,
and 300 guineas, at Newmarket, and two fifties at Chesterfield.
_Chanticleer_, 150 guineas, 200 guineas, the Grosvenor Stakes, 100
guineas, and 200 guineas, at Newmarket. _Cormorant_, 100 guineas, 100
guineas, 300 guineas, 100 guineas, and 80 guineas, at Newmarket.
_Dancing Master_, 200 guineas, 100 guineas, and 130 guineas, at
Newmarket. _Dragon_, the Claret and Fortescue Stakes, the Jockey Club
Plate, the 140 guineas, 50_l._ 1000 guineas, the Prince's Plate, and 70
guineas, at Newmarket. _Hawk_, 100 guineas, 100 guineas, 100 guineas,
and 150 guineas, at Stockbridge. _Isabel_, the Queen's 100 guineas at
Chelmsford, and the King's Plate at Lincoln. _Pecker_, 200 guineas, 100
guineas, and the Give and Take Plate, at Newmarket. _Seagull_, 600
guineas at Newmarket; and _Tree Creeper_, 200 guineas, 50 guineas, 60
guineas, and 50_l._ all at Newmarket. In 1792, _Bustard_ won 200
guineas, 100 guineas, 100 guineas, 50_l._ and 100 guineas, at Newmarket,
and 200 guineas, 37½ guineas, 200 guineas, 100 guineas, and 50 guineas,
at the same. _Chanticleer_, 100 guineas, 500 guineas, 500 guineas, 500
guineas, and 400 guineas, at Newmarket. _Dragon_, 275 guineas, the Whip
(with 400 guineas,) and 300 guineas, at Newmarket. _Hawk_, 100 guineas
at Newmarket, and the Bowl at Salisbury. _Ostrich_, 80 guineas at
Newmarket, 50_l._ at Brighton, and the King's Plate at Canterbury.
_Rover_, 50 guineas, and 90 guineas, at Exeter; and 50_l._ at
Dorchester. _Tree Creeper_, 100 guineas, the second class and main of
the Filly Stakes, and 200 guineas, at Newmarket; and the Prince's Stakes
of 50 guineas each, _half forfeit_, seventeen subscribers, at Brighton.

In 1793, _Buzzard_ won the Craven Stakes, 200 guineas, 200 guineas, 60
guineas, 100 guineas, and 60 guineas, at Newmarket; and a two year old
bay filly of Lord Grosvenor's, the July Filly Stakes at Newmarket, and
the Orleans Stakes at Brighton. In 1794, _Buzzard_ won the Craven
Stakes, 50 guineas, the Jockey Club Plate, 200 guineas, 50_l._ and 100
guineas, at Newmarket. _Jack_ of _Newbury_, 50_l._ at Bath, 40 guineas
at Tewksbury, and 60 guineas at Abingdon. _Paroquet_, 300 guineas at
Newmarket; and _Seagull_, 50 guineas, 100 guineas, and 105 guineas, at
the same. In 1795, _Atropa_ (at two years old) won 400 guineas at
Newmarket. _Colibri_, (two years old,) 50 guineas, and 75 guineas, at
Brighton; 200 guineas, 100 guineas, 100 guineas, 80 guineas, and 100
guineas, at Newmarket. _Ida_, 100 guineas at Ascot Heath, 50_l._ and 50
guineas at Brighton, and 50_l._ at Lewes. _Shoveller_, 150 guineas at
Ascot; and _Pecker_, 500 guineas at Newmarket. In 1796, nine of his get
started, and received nineteen prizes. In 1797, six were the winners of
ten. In 1798, three only started, and were winners of five. In 1799,
_Vivalde_, three years old, won 300 guineas, 200 guineas, 100 guineas,
and 100 guineas, at Newmarket, and 100 guineas at Stamford; and
_Thrush_, only two years old, 100 guineas, 50 guineas, and 45 guineas,
at Newmarket. In 1800, _Ephemera_ won the Oaks Stakes, of 50 guineas
each, (twenty-four subscribers,) at Epsom, and 50_l._ at Newmarket.
_Sophia_, 100 guineas at Brighton. _Thrush_, 100 guineas, and 20
guineas, at Newmarket. _Vivalde_, 200 guineas, and 45 guineas, at
Newmarket; 50_l._ at Epsom; and 50_l._ at Reading. In 1801, _Crazy
Poetess_ won 100 guineas at Lewes. _Cocoa-Tree_, the Brocket Stakes of
100 guineas at Brocket Hall; 100 guineas, 75 guineas, and 50 guineas, at
Newmarket; and _Anna Maria_, 60 guineas at Epsom. In 1802, _Mystery_ won
60 guineas, and 50_l._ at Goodwood, and 50 guineas at Epsom; _Paulo_
winning a 50_l._ plate at Northampton. So that, upon a review of
Woodpecker's progeny, he has proved himself inferior to but very few of
his predecessors.


WORMS—are known to be of different kinds; and when any one particular
species has taken possession of the stomach, or any part of the
intestinal canal, in a horse, they not only occasion extreme pain, or
perpetual disquietude, but become inveterate opponents to health, and
constant enemies to flesh and condition. Some horses, of strong
constitution, will bear their persecuting pinchings for a great length
of time, before they give external proof of internal depredation;
others, from less patience, or greater irritability, are very early in
their indications. Symptoms of worms are various, and not unfrequently
deceptive: those most relied upon are a largeness of the belly, with a
leanness of the flesh; an unkind and hollow slaring of the coat, a
flaccidity of the skin, a dryness of the mouth, a fœtidity of the
breath, an occasional looking towards the flank on either side, or
stamping with one hind foot or the other when in pain. A kind of
straw-coloured sulphureous scurfy stain at the sphincter of the anus, is
considered a certain and invariable sign; but ocular demonstration
(which very frequently happens) removes the matter beyond all present
doubt, and subsequent disappointment.

The sorts with which horses are most commonly afflicted, are as follow:
_Botts_, a short circular worm, with a shelly kind of coat, picked at
one end, and nearly round at the other, not unlike the silk-worm in its
dormant state: these adhere closely to the internal coat of the stomach,
causing the most excruciating pains as they increase in numbers, and are
sometimes so numerous and destructive as to occasion the _loss of life_;
instances of which have been proved by an examination of the viscera
after death; of which a case is described in Page 132 of "A Compendium
of Farriery," by the present Author, published in 1796. These take their
seat also in the rectum, (the large intestine nearest the anus,) where
they are seen adhering to the interstices as close to each other, during
the moments of evacuation, as a swarm of bees; and five or six may be
twitched off at a time with the fingers and thumb, just at the critical
contraction of the sphincter.

There is also a large dark worm comes from horses, having a black head,
and in its formation precisely the same as the grub-worm, so destructive
to the roots of strawberries in certain dry seasons; but that these are
of a cream coloured white, and the former of a brownish yellow, which
tinge may probably be derived from the excrements in which they have
been ingulfed. A third is the long white worm, from six or seven to
fourteen inches long, equally picked at both ends, but larger in
circumference towards one end than the other; these are prolific in the
body beyond description, and when completely dislodged by medical
specifics, are evacuated in putrified masses exceeding credibility. The
fourth are a greenish small worm, with a perpetual vermicular motion,
which, by its continual twisting and twirling in the intestinal canal,
so irritates the animal, that he sometimes evacuates suddenly, and in a
state so lax, that these worms are frequently expelled with the dung in
great numbers, and seen working in all directions upon its surface,
exactly similar to the exertions of an eel when thrown upon the grass
from its native element.

Numerous are the quackeries and nostrums recommended by the
_il-literati_, from old books, and unenlightened practice, long since
buried in oblivion; but more particularly since the discovery of those
grand specifics, MERCURY and ANTIMONY, which may be comparatively said
to contain an equal degree of merit with the remaining conjunctive parts
of the whole Materia Medica. After all the various experiments made, and
minute observations collected, it does not appear that any mode, but
mercurial purgation, will be productive of actual and infallible
extirpation. Instances are numerous, where they have been evacuated in
large quantities (and in many cases completely eradicated) by the
advertised Antimonial Alterative Powders of the Author; but MERCURIALS
are certainly entitled to priority, upon the well-founded plea of
infallibity. Worms are as common with dogs as with horses, and may as
certainly be cured by the same proportional means.


WORMING OF DOGS,—when whelps, or puppies, is believed by some to prevent
their wanton and destructive propensity in play when young; and by
others, to render unnecessary any fear of their receiving the canine
infection of _madness_ during their lives: the latter, however, is too
slender a foundation for any decisive opinion to be erected upon. The
operation of worming is simply this; underneath the tongue is a frænum
(or bridle) by which the motion of the tongue is regulated; the exterior
skin of this is to be delicately slit superficially with a lancet, when
a tendinous substance, called _the worm_, will be perceived: the point
of a small probe, awl, or large needle, should then be insinuated
beneath its center, to raise it up, when, with very little force, one
end will come away; this taken hold of, with a linen cloth, or
handkerchief, the other end will soon come away under gentle extraction.
Too sudden force, or violence, must not be used, lest the worm should be
broken, and a part left behind in the attempt.


WORMWOOD.—This plant is of two sorts, distinguished by the names of
Roman and Common Wormwood: both have their properties of utility; but
the former is esteemed the most efficacious of the two. It has a strong
but fragrant smell, and is intensely bitter to the taste: it powerfully
resists putrefaction, and is highly useful in antiseptic and emollient
fomentations; consequently well worthy a place in the garden of every
rural sportsman, to be ready upon unexpected emergencies. Experiments
have been made with this article dried, powdered, and given to horses in
balls, for the cure of worms; but it does not appear to have acquired
reputation for any specific or infallible effect in their extirpation.


WOUNDS—are well known to be occasioned by various means; and, in the
strictest signification, imply an accidental separation of parts, or
solution of continuity, by some sharp instrument, suddenly and
accidentally, or wilfully introduced. In all recent wounds casually
encountered, and in a bleeding state, (if not deeply seated,) little
more is required, or can indeed be effected by the most expert
practitioner, than to absorb the flux of blood, and then to bring the
edges of the wound as nearly into contact with each other as
circumstances will admit, either by suture or bandage, where the seat of
injury will admit of such process; which is not always the case; wounds
sometimes happening where the edges of the separated parts cannot be
brought into _any_ degree of union, and the cure can only be effected by
incarnation. In some circumstances, wounds are sustained in such
singular situations, and across such large muscles, that the insertion
of stitches, to secure the edges, would prove of no effect, as the whole
would inevitably rupture upon every exertion of the horse, in either
laying down or getting up.

Wounds of magnitude vary so much in appearance, as influenced by the
healthy or morbid state of the body, the proper or improper mode of
treatment, or even the changes in the weather, that no precise and
invariable plan can be derived from books, or inculcated by the pen, but
what must necessarily become subject to such alterations as prudence may
prompt, or the judicious practitioner point out. In all wounds of the
smaller kind, and where neither the arteries or the tendinous parts are
affected, dressings of mild digestive or other emollient unguents, upon
pledgets of lint, with a soft bed of tow, and proper covering for the
whole, will promote a speedy incarnation, when cicatrization will follow
of course. Wounds of other kinds are produced by different means, and
require modes of treatment in a degree adapted to their magnitude, and
the causes by which they have been occasioned. See ABSCESS, FISTULA, and
STRANGLES.




Y.


YARD-FALLEN—is what some horses are constitutionally subject to, and
frequently display it in a state of weariness, or bodily lassitude,
denoting no indisposition, and to which no ill appertains. If the yard
is seen to drop, and continue so any length of time, in a state of
flaccid debility, (the horse being in other respects healthy, and free
from pain,) it indicates a previous injury, sustained by pinch,
pressure, or some other means, upon that part in the groins; or by slip,
strain, stroke, or bruise upon the back, by which the internal organs
are severely affected. From whatever cause such debility may have been
derived, the restorative and invigorating system is the only rational
plan to be adopted; nursing in all such cases is preferable to a paltry
and unnecessary profusion of medicines: the latter may be proper for an
interested individual to recommend, but is too inconsistent for a man of
sense to adopt. Good mashes, prepared of malt and bran, equal parts,
solutions of gum arabic in oatmeal gruel and water, for common drink
thrice a day, and a cordial ball night and morning, for two or three
days in succession, are the best and simplest means that can be brought
into use upon such an occasion.


YARD FOUL.—A foulness within the sheath is what happens with most
geldings; but some generate or form much more filth than others. This
collection, for want of being occasionally relieved, and cleaned out, so
nearly plugs up the orifice, that the yard, in its vapid state, has not
the power to protrude itself for the purpose of evacuation, and the
urine falls dribbling from the sheath; a circumstance that in itself
points out the necessity of occasional cleansings, to prevent so
unpleasant an obstruction.


YELLOWS—is a disorder in horned cattle, denominated the _yellows_; but
in horses, as well as in the human species, it is distinguished by the
appellation of JAUNDICE, which see.


YEOMAN-PRICKER—is a part of the royal retinue annexed to his Majesty's
hunting establishment. Of these there are SIX, whose official department
it is to be subordinate to the huntsman, and execute his orders in all
matters relative to the STAG HOUNDS, whether at their exercise and
airings, or during the chase; full and explanatory particulars of which
will be found under the separate and distinct heads of KING'S HOUNDS,
and STAG HUNTING.


THE END.


_Printed by T. Maiden, Sherbourn Lane._




 TAPLIN,
 VETERINARY SURGEON,

 AUTHOR OF
 _The Gentleman's Stable Directory_;
 (2 VOLS.)
 "A Compendium of Farriery," and "Multum in Parvo;"

 REMOVED FROM EDGEWARE ROAD, TO
 _SLOANE SQUARE_,


Begs to make his most grateful Acknowledgements to those Noblemen and
Gentlemen, who have continued to honour him with their Patronage during
the _fourteen years_ he has been energetically employed in endeavouring
to promote a Reform in the former _cruel_ and _erroneous_ System of
Farriery. It is the greatest ambition of his life to have seen that
endeavour fully accomplished. Since the original Publication of his
"GENTLEMAN'S STABLE DIRECTORY," he has exultingly surveyed, not only the
Institution, the Erection and the Establishment of the VETERINARY
COLLEGE, but the almost incredible increase of VETERINARY SURGEONS in
every Town; and _Veterinary Druggists_ in every Street of the
Metropolis. Many of these, with a certain degree of Professional
Fertility, not only do him the _honour_ to imitate his long-established
HORSE MEDICINES; but others, with a degree of Liberality _peculiar_ to
_themselves_, offer to supply the Public with "_cheap_ and
_efficacious_" Horse Medicines, for even _half_ what Mr. Taplin's
GENUINE Ingredients can be obtained at the first Commercial Houses in
the City of London. To the judicious and enlightened this _Mystery_ will
sufficiently explain itself. Mr. Taplin, so long honoured by the
Countenance and Support of the most distinguished and opulent
Characters, never indulged a momentary Idea of dispensing _Cheap_
Medicines, because his Principles would never permit him to put his Hand
dishonourably into the Pockets of his best Friends; nor would his
well-known Attachment to the Animal, allow him to prepare a single
Article upon the genuine Property and expected probable Efficacy of
which, he is not only ready at all times to pledge his Reputation, but
his Existence. The honour of supplying near _six hundred_ Gentlemen, (a
List of whom may be seen,) exclusive of his different Agents, preclude
the necessity of pestering the Public with perpetual Advertisements;
rendering it at the Commencement of every Season, only necessary to
communicate respectful Information, that Gentlemen residing in any part
of the Kingdom, addressing their Commands to MR. TAPLIN, Sloane-Square,
LONDON, shall have their Medicines immediately dispatched by whatever
Conveyance they may please to appoint.


_List of Medicines, with their Prices._

                                                     _s._ _d._
 Mild Purging Balls                                    1    6 _each_.
 Stronger ditto                                        2    0
 Mild Mercurial Purging Balls                          2    0
 Stronger ditto                                        2    6
 Cordial Rhubarb Purging Balls                         2    6
 Purging Balls for Worms                               2    6
 Mild Diuretic Balls for Cracks, Scratches,
   Surfeit, Hide-bound, or fluctuating Humours         9    0 _per doz._
 Stronger ditto, for perceptible Foulness,
   Defects of the Eyes, Swelled Legs, and Grease      12    0
 Pectoral Cordial Balls for recent Colds or Coughs,
   and to be given after severe chases
   and long journies                                  12    0
 Pectoral Detergent Balls, for Obstinate Coughs,
   or Asthmatic and Thick Winded Horses               12    0
 Fever Balls                                           1    6 _each_.
 Balls for Looseness or Scouring                       1    6
 Ditto for the Strangury, or Suppression of Urine      1    6
 Ditto for the Flatulent Cholic, or Fret               2    0
 Ditto for the Inflammatory Cholic or Gripes           2    0
 Blistering Ointment for Lameness, Spavins,
   Splents, or Curbs                                   4    0 _per pot_.
 Embrocation for Lameness or Strains                   3    6 _per bottle_.
 Alterative Powders, for Cracks, Scratches,
   Surfeit, Hide-bound, Mange, Grease, or Worms        8    0 _per doz._
 Camphorated Sperma-cæti Liniment, for Cracks          3    0 per pot.
 Saturnine Solvent, for Splents                        5    0 _per bottle_.
 An Efficacious Collyrium for all Defects
   and Defluxions of the Eyes                          3    6 _per pint_.
 Mercurial Purging Balls for Dogs                4s. & 6    0 _per doz._

MR. TAPLIN _continues to give Advice upon the_ DEFECTS _and_ DISEASES
_of_ HORSES, _and to render Assistance in all Cases of_ DIFFICULTY _and_
DANGER, _within_ TEN MILES _of the_ METROPOLIS, _upon the most moderate
Terms._