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Cru'dt) towards Animals, particularly Horfes, rgprohattdr tjU as little conneftcd with humanity as ivith honcfty, The horfe is a rooft ufe-. ful, willing,noble animal; fotraable, that no one, under the influence of that peculiar charafleriftic of humanity, rea-fon, can ever think, of ipifufing a creature diftmguiffied by ftich vluable properties, Yet, Grange to fay, thete is fcarcely a man poffefled of a good horfc, that fails, either for fport dr prolit, to pu(h its goodnefs to its deflruclion, instead of prudently hulbanding his good fortune. If a horfe can trot ten miles an hour, it is not long before a wager is laid that he performs twelve ; if this ihould be accomplifhed, fa much the worfe far an excellent beaft: higher wages fuccced under an increafe of tafx, till his fpirit and powers fink at length under the whip and fpur! The favage owucr, who perhaps goes to church now and then, but would certainly ic-fcnt the fufpicion of his not being a Chriftian, only calculates the difference in his favour between the bet aud the price of his nag, If it Ihould be fpoilcd under the exertion required ; for, as to what the out-of-the-way people call feeling, lib is as totally dcflitute of it a.s a Hottentot; or, to he beiter undcr-ftood; as well as to come nearer the truth, as the only animal for which lie feels a natural affeftion, his favourite hourid. I ought, to beg pardon both of the Hottentot, and dog, for infulting them with fo degrading a companion.Many years ago I remember to have heard of a monfler of this clafs, though my recoUeflion fails in name, place, and date, which indeed may be difpenf-ed with, who had a fine fpirited flcnc-horfe, that won every flake he ftartcd for; infomuch, that a match was made for geldings, purpofely to exclude him. This monfler, refolvcd not to be jockeyed, brought his horfe to the poft, and caufed him to becaftratcd juft before he flarted ! 1 fhuddcr while 1 relate, that this poor animal, thus rrcatcd, won the heat, and—then dropped down dead ! Had I been an abfolute prince, and luch a deed had been perpetrated m my dominions, I would firft have fulfilled the lex tnliontsj I would next have extended this wretch between four flout dray-horfcs, in oppofue directions; I would have racked him to death, and finally h-tve giblwtcd him as a feaft for birds of prey. It is hard there ftould be no law for brute animals, wh«m they wrry f« large a proportion of repref«MMivtt* to every legiflative aflembly,Cit.N V. ;\Uu. ‘Januaryi 1789*I have been Jed into (his train of re* flexions by a *ranfa£tion that litely happened in my neighbourhood; it fig-nifies little where that neighbourhood may be, for the ftory may fuit any place where gambling fportfmen are to be found; and where is it that we are not pcftered with beings who, if properly difpofed of, ought to he fhipped off to the wilds of Africa ? A brother* monfler to. the one abovementioned, having an excellent horfe, thae was deemed fqpcrior to the one he wanted to match it with, confcntcd, in the de- , liriuiti of intoxication, to load it with 18 flone for one heat in the morning, and with ib flone for another in the afternoon of the feme day, for 50 guv* neas I He was afterwards fo fenfiblc g? his folly, that he offered 30 to b; i*e-leafed from his engagement; but, as if was not accepted, he, to favc the other ao, madly rifted, or rather doomed, a-horfc ro dcftruCtioii, that was eftcfcmtd to be worth four times the whole bet \ A fadftle was accordingly loaded with eight ftonc of lead for the brutal occa-fiun, and the refult may eafily be anticipated. I claim fome mem in not being able to tell mv flory in the languag® of the turf, and fhould blufli to conPcfa that I had been capable of feeing fo inhuman a fpcCtacle ; but the poor abufed animal was fo injured by the fixfl beat, that it was with the utmoft difficulty he was led back to the flablc, attended bf a groom, who was fcarcely able 10 fpp* port the weight of the feddle ! The conclufion of my ftory is fiiitablc to the beginning, as the Owner confoletj hifn-felf for fpoiling a valuable horfe; tty .*1 cunning cvafion of' paying his bet, bfc* caufe his antagonift, a well-known r*-fponfible neighbour, had neglected to depofit his flake on the courfe.Having informed you hotv 1 would have punifted the horfe-gclder, 1 will only aft any compaflionate man haw tfif two principals in this race ought to have been ferved ? For my part, my ideaa o no farther than the bag-fox, wjiofc ate has been already related,I once rcmonflratcd with a man for throwing at cocks on Shrqve Tuelday* whofe reply was, IVhy cocks have iff foul'., bavc ibeyf 1 make no fcrupU ro declare, (hat 1 efleem horfes far mor* noble, as well as valuable animals* in tbif world, than five ou; of ten of thcif waiters,; the other \vo^,d is beyond my Knowledge,I our a, /.c, H v M a fc y ♦.Wi.
Newspaper Details
Gentlemans Magazine and Historical Chronicle
London, Middlesex, GB
Thu, Jan 01, 1789
Page 62
Full Page
Clipped by
David L.
WI, USA 18 Jun 2017
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