Advice to purchasers of horses : being a short and familiar treatise on the external conformation of the horse : the nature of soundness & unsoundness : and the laws relating to sale and warranty

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JOHNA.SEAVERNS

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ADVICE

PURCHASERS OF HORSES;

BKING A SHORT AND FAMILI A R TREATISE ON THE EXTERIOR CONFORMATION
OF THE KOaSE ; THE NATURE OF SOUNDNESS AND UNSOUNDNKSS ; ANI»
THE LAWS RELATING TO SALE AND WARRANTY ; WITH COPIOUS DIHliC-
TIONS FOR DISCOVERING UNSOUNDNESSES PRIOR TO PURCHASING.

By J. STEWART,

VETERINARY SURGEON, AND PROFESSOR OF VETERINARY SURGERY
IN THE ANDERSONIAN UNIVERSITY.

" The buyer hath need of an hondrccl eyes,
But the seller of only one."

THIRD EDITION.

PRINTED AT THE

Glasgow University Press.
PUBLISHED BY W. R. M'PHUN, 86, TRONGATE,

AND

SIMPKIN AND MARSHALL, LONDON.

MDCCCXXXV.

CONTENTS.

Preface, ......

V

Exterior Conformation of the Horse,

1

Soundness, ....

16

Unsoundness, .....

18

Laws Relating to Sale and Warranty,

21

Vice,

42

Directions for Discovering Unsoundnesses,

48

index. •....»..

111

PREFACE.

There is no species of traffic in which the
purchaser runs greater risk, exposes himself
to more imposition, and experiences more
disappointment, than in that of horse-dealing.
There is none in which so little confidence
is placed in the seller ; and, generally speak-
ing, there is none in which greater ignorance
is displayed by both, in judging of the sound-
ness of the commodity. The buyer inquires
" is the horse sound?" the seller replies
" warranted sound," and makes himself re-
sponsible for it by giving a written certificate.
As the word sound forms such an important
part of the contract, we might expect that
its meaning would be welt defined, and clearly
understood in the same sense by both parties.
But no such thing; on the contrary, not two

out of an hundred attach the same meaning
to it. One says, a horse is sound when free
from lameness ; another enumerates a certain
number of diseases, such as spavin, broken
wind, glanders, &C.5 the existence of any of
which makes a horse, in his opinion, unfit to
be warranted, but no two agree as to the
kind, or number of diseases. Hence arise
misconception, litigation, suspicion of knavery,
and the low estimation in which the dealer
is too generally held. Many people are not
aware while they vilify the dealer for palm-
ing an unsound horse upon them, that it is
quite possible he knew nothing about the
unsoundness. It is only under certain cir-
cumstances that he can know more of the
horse than the purchaser (if a horseman)
would, after possessing him the same length
of time. For the truth is, the majority of
men embark in horse-dealing with scarcely a
qualification requisite for conducting it, with
profit to themselves and satisfaction to their
customers. It is not enough to be a toler-

able judge of a horse's shape, to have tact in
buying at a low rate, and selling at a high
one. In order to select with judgment, and
recommend with confidence, some knowledge
of the structure and diseases of their mer-
chandise, should be added to their ordinary
qualifications. With such information, the
dealer would be much less exposed to the
mortification of having his horses returned
for what he knew nothing about — his war-
ranty would be more valuable — he would be
more trusted to, and stand higher in public
estimation.

While the ignorance of the dealer is one
great source of dispute, his undoubted dis-
honesty is another. " Too many," as I once
heard an experienced and intelligent horse-
man remark, " begin business who have nei-
ther principle nor capital," and whose whole
life is spent in downright imposition. They
buy up a lot of lame or worn-out horses, try
their skill in removing or healing their worst
faults, and then resell them to some small

VIU

former, or poor carter; and thus, these des-
picable rascals, like quacks, contrive to live
by robbing the poor. It is some consolation,
however, that they are not nearly so numer-
ous as they were some years ago. Men of
respectability and information are gradually
pushing them out of the field.

The dealer is not always in the wrong.
It is imagined by many purchasers, that the
warranty makes the seller responsible for
whatever may happen the horse for a certain
period after sale ; some say three weeks, some
three months, and others, still more rapacious,
would have it extend to six months. Now,
by referring to the article on warranty, it
will be seen that though the horse dies a
day, an hour, or even a minute after the
completing of the sale, yet the purchaser must
bear the whole of the loss, unless it can be
proved that the cause of death existed at the
moment of sale. Few men would be foolish
enough to warrant a horse, at any price, if the
law were such as it is so commonly supposed.

IX

Indeed as it is, some gentlemen when selling
their horses, have been so much annoyed
that they have given up warranting altoge-
ther; and they contend that it is upon the
whole the best way. But to me it appears
otherw^ise; for it would encourage all sorts
of knavery, the purchaser would be com-
pletely at the mercy of the seller, and it
would very much impede the transaction of
business. It is often said that a horse is like
a lottery ticket, but he would be much more
so if he were never warranted. The irre-
gular mode in which horse-dealing is man-
aged, makes it more a lottery than it naturally
is. Alter the system, and fewer warranties
will be asked, and fewer objections will be
made to granting them. The purchaser can-
not return the horse without a veterinary
surgeon's certificate that he is unsound, and
that the cause of that unsoundness existed
prior to sale; and therefore the seller runs
no risk, if the horse is really sound when sold.
He should, however, reject the opinion of a

man who is not qualified to give one. But
now I am getting out of my province ; this
book is written for the purchaser.

In the following pages I have endeavoured
to supply the horseman with what he must often
have felt the want of. I believe there is no
separate treatise in the English language on
the examination of purchases, and, with the
exception of the author of the " Horse" in
the " Library of Useful Knowledge,'* our
authors are all too scholastic, and too volumin-
ous to be useful to an ordinary reader.

Glasgow, October^ 1833.

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ADVICE

PURCHASERS OF HORSES.

Exterior Conformation of the Horse.

There are some peculiarities in tlie form of the
horse, which admirably fit him for one kind of
work, but at the same time render him useless,
or nearly so, for another. The racer, with his
light airy form, delicate limbs, rapid movements,
and fiery spirit, is eminently an animal of speed ;
but yoked to a heavy wagg-on along with a stout
cart horse, he appears comparatively weak and
worthless. Though one horse, from his con-
formation, is best fitted to carry, and another to
draw, and another still to do both with decency,
yet there are certain points, which it is desirable
to have in all horses, for whatever work they
may be designed. Such, for example, is a large
nostril, which is a good quality in all, and does
not, like some others, become a bad one, when
the horse is applied to a different purpose. But
then, it is one of far more consequence in ahorse

2 EXTERIOR CONFORMATION

wanted for quick work, than one whose pace
need never exceed a walk. In the one case, it
is absolutely requisite, but in the other, is only
a secondary consideration.

The horse in most general use, is a compound
of the speed of the racer and the power of the
draught horse : and it is the different proportions
in which these qualities exist, that make one a
hunter, another a hackney, &c. To explain how
a certain form makes one horse fleet, and another
powerful, would, in mest cases, lead to an ana-
tomical consideration of the whole machine, so
that in the majority of cases, I can only state
the fact, and those who wish for more, may
obtain it by some dissection, and a careful perusal
of " The Horse," in the Library of Useful Know-
ledge— a work, by the way, which no admirer or
proprietor of the horse should be without. I
shall only observe here, that difference in form
is almost entirely produced by the relative pro-
portion (length generally) of the bones, and the
position they occupy. The muscles are the organs
of motion, and in proportion to their development,
the animal is strong, but the bones being the
levers upon which the muscles act, that strength,
and the horse's action, must be considerably in-

OP THE HORSE. 3

creased or diminished, according as the bone they
are attached to is longer or shorter than is usual.
The strength is likewise much, and, generally
speaking, the extent of action more, influenced,
by the position of the bone, as in the case of the
shoulder blade, which by being long, and slanting
from the withers forwards and downwards, gives
the horse extensive action as well as strength,
while a more upright position (and if upright, it
musthe short likewise) of the same bone, confines
the action of the whole limb, and reduces the
power of the muscles. The bones, besides,
sustain and give form to the whole structure,
and add considerably to the weight: consequently
their bulk in the draught horse is not a serious
objection, for he does much of his work by throw-
ing his weight into the collar, and as it were
pushing it before him.

Notwithstanding the importance of conforma-
tion, it is not all that is required. Experience
reminds us, that many seemingly faultless animals
have lamentably disappointed the expectations
their figure had raised, while others, as insig-
nificant in appearance as may be, have surprised
good judges by their extraordinary and iinlooked
for performances. Hence, many horsemen ex-

4 EXTERIOR CONFORMATION

claim, that <' there are good horses of all shapes."
The fact is, a great deal depends on the quantum
of nervous energy or " bottom" which the animal
possesses, and it is the union of this energy with
good conformation that makes many horses
invaluable. Its absence or presence, however,
is not likely to be discovered by the purchaser
without a trial ; and to avoid disappointment in
this respect, it is therefore advisable to obtain
one prior to purchase. The horse should be set
to the work he will be called on to perform, and
if he is intended for the saddle or single harness,
he should have no companion on his trial, for
many horses work well in company, that are
downright sluggards when alone.

Some horses have an unpleasant way of going,
or are difficult to manage, or have some vice
which is only displayed at work. These are so
many more reasons for having a trial prior to
striking a bargain. But if that cannot be obtained,
some sort of conclusion regarding the animal's
spirit may be drawn from his general appearance.
The way he carries his head — his attention to
surrounding objects — his gait — and the lively
motion of his ears, may all or each be looked to
as indicative of " bottom" or willingness to work.

OP THE HORSE. 5

It is only however in a private stable, ov in that

of a respectable dealer, that these criteria can be

depended upon : for in a market-place, the

animal is too much excited by the cracking of

whips, and the too frequent application of them,

to be judged of as regards his temper. Neither

must the buyer be thrown off his guard by the

animation which horses display at an auction, or

on coming out of the stable of a petty dealer,

for it is a fact which cannot be too well made

known, that there are many unprincipled dealers

who make it their business, before showing a

horse, to "put some life in him," that is, they

torture him with the lash, till, between pain and

fear, the poor animal is so much excited as to

bound from side to side with his utmost agility,

at the least sound or movement of the bystanders.

Such a wretched want of humanity cannot bo

too severely censured, and I would neither buy

nor recommend another to buy, from a man, who

degrades himself by such abominable cruelty and

pitiful eflPorts to cheat his customer. However,

I believe, most well-informed and respectable

dealers have now done away with, and prohibited

their grooms, from whipping as well as many

other paltry and easily seen through attempts to

b THE HEAD AND NECK.

impose upon the unwary. But the art of cheat-
ing still reigns triumphant in the stables of the
unprincipled " coper," and the buyer should, if
possible, shun him.

In considering the conformation of the horse,
it is convenient to divide him into Head and
Neck, Trunk or Carcase, and Extremities, or
the Hind and Fore Legs. Under these heads,
I shall note what are deemed the most essential
points, and only those : for there can be no
occasion for dilating upon the subject as is usual,
when attention is directed to such trifles as, " the
ears should be well placed, small, pointed, erect,
covered with thin skin, the eyelids thin, the
muzzle thin, and Avell supported," &c. Such an
account might consistently close by saying, that
the horse should have four feet as well as four
legs. Until men can make horses as they say
they slioidd be, the purchaser must content him-
self if he gets one with those qualities which are
most important in fitting him for his destined
work, and whose general appearance will do his
master no discredit.

The Head and Neck,
The head, as being a part not at a,ll contri-

THE HEAD AND NECK. 7

bating to progression, should, in the saddle horse,
be small, that it may be light — the nostrils
expanded to admit plenty of air, and the space
between the branches of the lower jaw, called
the channel, should be wide, that there may be
plenty of room for the head of the windpipe. In
the draught horse, a heavy head is not, as far as
utility is concerned, an objection, for it enables
him to throw some weight into the collar, and
hence, excepting its ugliness, it is rather an
advantage if he is used entirely for draught. But
it makes the saddle horse bear heavy on the
band of the rider, makes him liable to stumble,
and, when placed at the end of a long neck, is
apt to wear out the fore feet and legs by its
great weight. The neck of the saddle horse
should be thin, not too much arched, and rather
short than long, for the same reason that the
head should be light : and in the draught horse,
it may be thick, stallion-like, and sufficiently long
to afford plenty of room for the collar, and for
the same reason that the head may be large in
this animal. The windpipe should be large, and
standing well out from the neck, that the air
may have an easy passage to and from the lungs.
The horse used for both carrying and drawing,

b THE TRUNK OR CARCASE.

should have a head and neck neither too light
nor too heavy. The advantage of a heavy head
and neck to a draught horse, is illustrated by the
practice of some carters putting a boy on the
shoulder of a horse, when starting a load in deep
ground. By enabling him to throw the boy'
weight besides his own into the collar, it assists
him materially.

The Trunk or Carcase.

That the saddle horse may be safe and have
extensive action, it is necessary that the withers
be high. This advantage is indicated by the
horse standing well up before ; and it is usual in
showing a horse to exaggerate the height of the
forehand, by making him stand with his fore feet
on a somewhat elevated spot. A horse with
low withers appears thick and cloddy about the
shoulder. In the ass and mule, the withers are
very low, and the shoulders very flat, and this
is the reason why they are so unpleasant to ride,
and why it is next to impossible to keep the
saddle in its proper place without the aid of a
crupper. High withers, however, are not essen-

THE TRUNK OR CARCASE. 9

tial to the racer or the draught horse. The
former does all his work by leaps, and that is
performed best when the horse stands somewhat
higher behind than before: neither are high
withers necessary to the draught horse : but in
the roadster they are as important as the safety
of the rider is, for a horse with a low forehand
is easily thrown on his knees. In the draught
horse, this tendency towards the ground is
obviated by the support the collar affords.

The chest should be deep and wide in all
horses, but especially so in one intended for quick
work, in order that there may be plenty of room
for those important organs, the lungs. When
the chest is deficient in capacity, the horse has
neither strength nor endurance ; and is in stable
language termed " washy." Such horses have
in general more fire than vigour, and being
showy, may carry a lady well enough, but are
comparatively worthless for effective service. A
narrow chest is indicated by the fore legs stand-
ing close to each other.

The barrel behind the girth should approach
as nearly as may be to a cylindrical form, that
there may be plenty of room for the digestive
organs.

10 THE TRUNK OR CARCASE.

The back should not be too long nor too
short, for though length is favourable to an
extended stride and rapid motion, yet it makes
the horse weak, and unable either to draw or
carry any considerable weight. On the other
hand, if the back be too short, the horse's action
must be confined, and short-backed horses in
general make an unpleasant noise when trotting,
by striking the shoe of the hind foot against the
shoe of the fore one : and though they are in
general very hardy, and capable of enduring
much fatigue, and of living on but little food,
yet a back of middling length is better by far
than one immoderately short or long.

The back should be nearly straight ; when it
is curved downwards, the horse is termed "saddle-
backed," and though he is very easy to ride and
pleasant in his pace, yet he is weak, and unable
to carry a great weight. Sometimes, instead of
being sunk, the spine is arched upwards, and the
horse is said to be " roach backed." He is the
very reverse of the saddle-backed horse in every
respect.

The croup, or space between the termination
of the loins and the root of the tail, should he
considerable, and in a horse intended for quick

THE FORE LEG. II

work, it should run more in a horizontal than a
perpendicular direction. In the Irish horse, this
part is short, and instead of proceeding" almost
directly backwards, suddenly droops, and though
such a conformation does not unfit him for trot-
ting, or drawing, or even leaping, and is even
an advantage for an upright leap, yet he cannot
in the gallop compete with the English horse,
whose croup is long, and very little inclined
downwards.

The quarters are never too extensive from before
backwards, nor deep from above downward, nor
are they ever too much spread out laterally. A
great deal is done by the hind legs, and the
quarters should in every case be as expanded
and well furnished with muscles as possible.
When the haunch bone projects more than usual,
the horse is said to be " ragged hipped," and is
commonly objected to for it. But as this bone,
by spreading well out, affords plenty of room
for the attachment of muscles, it cannot be said
to be a fault. When it appears so, the loins are
the seat of that fault. They are too narrow.

The Fore Leg.
In the saddle horse, and where safety is desir-

12

THE FORE LEG.

able, the position of the fore leg is worthy of
attention. It should be placed well forward, and
descend perpendicularly to the ground, the toe
being nearly in a line with the point of the
shoulder. The pasterns should neither be turned
in nor out. When they are turned inwards, the
horse is in general very liable to cut the fetlock
joint by striking the opposite foot against it.
The draught horse may be excused, though he
leans a little over his fore legs, but the saddle
horse will be apt to stumble if he does so.

The shoulder should, like the hind quarter, be
extensive, well covered with muscle, and in the
saddle horse, where rapid and extensive action
is required, it should slant from the withers to
the breast. The neck should join the shoulder
in such a manner as to seem to run into it. But
the draught horse's shoulder should be, and usually
is, more upright, that the collar may sit well upon
it. The setting on of the neck is more distinct
in the draught than in the saddle horse, the
shoulder bone being more upright ; and the mus-
cles taking a diflFerent direction make the shoulder
swell out abruptly, and form a seat upon which
the collar conveniently rests.

The elbow should be wide from before back-

THE FORE LEG. 13

wards — the space between it and the knee rather
long", and well supplied with muscles — the knee
should be broad from before backwards, and
straight : when it is bent forward, the horse is said
to be " bent before," and it is, in general, a
symptom that he has endured some hard work,
and his sure-footedness cannot be depended upon.
When the knee is bent backwards, it is called a
" calf knee," and though it is an ugly fault, I am
not aware that it is any thing more, although it
is possible there may be a little loss of power in
the muscles that bend it. Below the knee the
leg should be fine, and flat in back and front,
and broad from before backwards. The back
tendons should stand equally well out from the
knee to the fetlock.

The pasterns in the very heavy draught horse,
are, in general, short and nearly upright : and it
is necessary that they should be so, in order to
uphold his huge frame; but in the racer, they
are long and slanting, in order that, by giving
way at every step of the animal, the shock ac-
companying rapid motion may be destroyed.
The purchaser must, therefore, look for a horse,
whose pasterns have the proper degree of obli-
quity for the purpose the horse is to be used for.

14 THE HIND LEO.

If the pastern be too long, the leg is very liable
to strain, and even the horse to break down
when urged to the top of his speed. If it be too
upright, the action of the horse is stilly, and very-
unpleasant to the rider. And besides that, such
horses are, from the concussion they are liable
to, very subject to diseases of the bones below
the knee, such as ring bones, splints, &c.

The foot should be as nearly round as possible,
smooth, and displaying no signs of brittleness by
pieces being broken and chipped off by the nails ;
the sole should be bat moderately concave ;
when flat, it is objectionable, and particularly
so in the heavy, high actioned horse, for there is
then a probability, of its becoming convex.

The Hind Leg.

I have already spoken of the quarter. The
part between the stifle and hock joint, commonly
called the thigh, should be long, and, above all,
supplied with abundance of muscle.

he hock should be broad from before back-
wards, because when it is so, it shows that a lever
(the point of the hock) is long, and, consequently,

THE HIND LEG. 35

the muscles that act upon it will have more power
to extend the leg. And as it is by the extension
of the leg" that the animal is projected in the
gallop and leap, it is of importance that the hock
be broad, and the point projecting backward, in
the horse wanted for quick work. The hock
should likewise in the same animal be well bent
under him. When the hocks lean towards each
other, the horse is said to be " cat hammed," or
" cow hocked." It is most common in ponies ;
but setting aside its ugliness, it is not a serious
defect : indeed it is commonly thought to make
the animal a good trotter. It is certain, that a
hock bent outwards is more objectionable, for the
weight of the carcase is then like a person placed
between two stools. Below the hock, the back
tendons and the pasterns should be the same as
in the fore leg.

Short as this account of the conformation of
the horse is, it might have been still shorter, for
it is a fact, that the existence of one good point
is in general sufficient to ensure the possession or
another or others. A good shoulder, for instance,
rarely goes without good withers, a deep chest,
and a well-turned fore leg : but as it sometimes
does, I have briefly particularized all that is com-

16 SOUNDNESS.

nionly deemed most essential in the formation of
a good useful horse. I must now proceed to
speak of the proper method of examining him
for disease. But first, a few words on the nature
of soundness, unsoundness, and the laws relating
to warranty.

Soundness.

At first view it seems easy enough to define a
sound horse. It may be said that a horse is
sound, when every part of him is in perfect
health : but, upon further consideration, it will
appear, that such a definition would be of little
or no practical utility; for scarcely a seven year
old in the kingdom could be fairly said to answer
to it. The most trifling splent, or even a wart,
no matter how small, or where placed, are devia-
tions from health, and would make a horse unfit to
be warranted, if such a definition of the term sound
were to be adopted. It must therefore be quali-
fied in order to be useful, and that the buyer and
seller may be placed upon something like an
equal footing. This, however, is not so easily
done, for a horse is liable to several trifling dis-

SOUNDNESS. 17

eases, which do not in the least incapacitate hira ;
and yet it is difficult, I think I may almost say '»
impossible, to define soundness in such a way as|
to admit those, without, at the same time, ad-l
mitting others of greater consequence : and, on '_
the other hand, it is as difficult to define unsound-
ness, so as to embrace all those diseases or faults
which deteriorate the animal, without likewise
including many that do not. Under such circum-
stances, a middle course is the most advisable,
and though there must be some outstanding
points, yet they are so seldom met with, that
they may be left to the decision of the lawyer or
the veterinary surgeon, according to circum-
stances. It is evident, however, that natural
defects in the conformation, temper, or action of
the animal must not be considered as unsound-
nesses. There is difi^erence of opinion and strife
enough in horse-dealing already, and to intro-
duce the doctrine, that a natural defect is an
unsoundness, would not diminish it. Nothing
but the existence of disease of one kind or an-
other can in justice be so considered. I think the
definition most likely to be generally useful, and
most impartial to both buyer and seller, is this :
—A horse is sound, when there is no disease

18 SOUNDNESS.

about any part of him, that renders, or is likely
in future to render him, less useful than he would
be without it. And, of course, «'t horse must be
unsound, when he has any disease about him,
that renders, or is likely in future to render him,
less useful than he would be without it.

Before I proceed further, perhaps I had better
explain what the word disease means ; lest it
prove as great a puzzler as unsoundness itself.
It may be shortly stated to mean deviation from
the healthy structure, or function, or both, of a
part or the whole of the frame. Every part of
an animal has a texture or structure peculiar to
itself in health, and every part has its duty or
function to perform ; and every part is subject
to alteration in structure, and interruption in
function : and thus we have two kinds of disease.
An example will illustrate this. It is the duty
of the liver to make bile, to answer a certain
purpose in the animal economy : but if the bile
is made so deficient in quantity or quality as not
to serve that purpose, then we say there is a
functional disease of the liver. Again, if the
liver be altered in bulk, or hardened or softened,
or in any other way deviates from its natural
and healthy texture, then we say there is organic

SOUNDNESS. 19

disease of the liver. Every part of the body is
liable to these two kinds of disease, and either
may exist separately or combined in the same
part. It is their union in an important part, that
in general makes a horse unsound. Some veter-
inarians therefore say, that " alterations of struc-
ture, attended with interruption or impairment
in function, constitute unsoundness." But I do
not adopt such a definition, because, in my opin-
ion, it is not sufficiently comprehensive on the
one hand, and is too much so on the other. Of
course, it excludes those diseases where altered
function is not combined with altered texture,
and hence several undoubted unsoundnesses are
out of its reach, such as glass eyes, partial palsy,
crib-biting, &c., where there is no perceptible
alteration in structure ; and even mange, and
some stages of glanders are not comprehended
in it, because, though there may be, and generally
is, alteration of structure united with impairment
in function, yet a slight alteration in the function
of the part where the disease is seated, does not
in every case interfere with the horse's capability
for work. Still these diseases constitute un-
soundness : the one will sooner or later destroy
the animal, while there is little chance of the

20 SOUNDNESS.

Other being cured, without the owner's losing
some of the horse's service. A mangy horse
cannot be used upon every occasion : his owner
cannot with decency ride him in the field, neither
can he harness him along with another horse
without the risk of infecting him likewise. More
might be said against this definition, and much
against some at present adopted by eminent
veterinarians : and, indeed, something may be
urged against every definition of unsoundness
that we can possibly frame. The only way of
proceeding, is to use that which a majority would
decide to be the most useful. Intercourse be-
tween experienced veterinarians has, till within
these few years, been exceedingly limited, and
hence advancement has not been so rapid as it
could be wished. But the establishment of a
useful periodical has done much, and will, by and
by, do more. In the mean time, I think it is
better, in defining unsoundness, to use disease,
and let that word express deviation from healthy
structure, or function, or both, of any part, or
the whole of the body. Hoping I have spoken
sufiiciently plain on this head to be understood
by non-professional men (for I wrote only for
them,) I shall now proceed to the

SALE AND WARRANTY, 21

Laws relating to Sale and Warranty.

And as the following extract from the " Vete-
rinarian," as quoted from the " Law Magazine"
for October, 1828, comprises all that I can say
upon the subject, I shall insert it as it stands.

" Lawsuits, it has been justly remarked, origi-
nate less frequently in the positive dishonesty
and bad faith of the litigants, than in their gross
misconception of each other's rights and liabilities.
We therefore conceive, that an occasional pur-
chaser, would often, by a very slight acquaintance
with the first principles of the law of sales and
warranties, be not only delivered from much
anxiety in negotiating this awfully delicate bar-
gain, but he also, in many instances, would escape
the misery of being driven to contend for his
rights in the dreaded arena of a court of justice.
Our observations on warranty shall be preceded
by a cursory view of the general contract of sale
itself, in the course of which we shall select for
our more particular notice, out of the multitude
of rules by which this contract is more or less
directly governed, a few that are marked by some
degree either of difficulty or peculiarity in their

22 SALE AND WARRANTY.

application to our subject-matter, and a few others
of primary importance, though not similarly dis-
tinguished ; being compelled to a selection of
some sort, by the obvious impossibility of even
alluding, in the compass of a few pages, to a
hundredth part of the incidents which ought to
be treated of in a regular dissertation on this
subject.

" A sale is defined by Blackstone to be 'a
transmutation of property from one man to
another, in consideration of some price or recom-
pense in value.' But the terms of this definition,
as the celebrated commentator immediately sub-
joins, are evidently too comprehensive, as they
embrace the case of an exchange as well. A
transmutation of property for a pecuniary consi-
deration, seems, therefore, to be the proper defi-
nition of a sale. It is a transmutation of the
right oi property in goods, let it be remarked, as
contradistinguished from the mere right of pos-
session.

" To enable society to enforce the obligations
resulting from such an engagement, some satis-
factory remarks are obviously requisite, of the
mutual consent of the contracting parties hav-
ing existed in a serious and deliberate form.

DELIVERY AND ACCEPTANCE. 23

By the Statute of Frauds it is enacted, ' that no
contract for the sale of any goods, wares, or
merchandize, for the price of £10 or upwards,
shall be allowed to be good, except the buyer
shall accept part of the goods so sold, and actually
receive the same, or give something in earnest to
bind the bargain, or in part of payment ; or that
some note, or memorandum, in writing, of the
said bargain, be made and signed by the parties
to be charged by such contract, or their agents
thereunto lawfully authorized.' "

In regard to Delivery and Acceptance.

" It is necessary to observe, that a manual
transfer or actual delivery and acceptance is not
in every case essential ; for the law will often,
from certain acts, imply a delivery to satisfy the
statute. In the case, e. g., where the plaintiff,
who kept a livery stable and dealt in horses, was
in treaty with the defendant for the sale of two
horses, and the defendant offered a less sum than
was demanded, but at length sent word that
' the horses were his, but that, as he had neither
servant nor stable, the plaintiff must keep them
at livery for him.' The plaintiff, upon this, re-

24 EARNEST.

moved them out of his sale stable into another
stable; and it Avas held that there was here a
sufl&cient delivery to satisfy the statute. The
key to this and similar cases, seems to be, that
the vender, by the terms of the bargain, is con-
verted into an agent for the vendee, and thus
occupies the double character of principal during
the sale and servant upon its completion. It is
also sufficient evidence of a delivery, if a purcha-
ser, with the privity and approbation of the ven-
der, exercises any act of ownership over the
goods, though their local situation remains
unchanged ; as by selling, (or even showing the
animal out for sale) to a third person, or marking
the animal in any manner. Delivery to a ser-
vant or agent, is equivalent to a delivery to the
employer himself.

In regard to Earnest.
" It would seem, that giving a piece of money,
however low its value, (supposing it to be < alto-
gether parted with,') is sufficient to bind the bar-
gain.

In regard to any signed Note or Memorandum.
" It may be useful to observe, that, although

SIGNED NOTE OR MEMORANDUM. 25

the names of both parties must appear upon the
face of the memorandum, or at least, in some
writing capable of being connected therewith by
sound legal inference, yet the signature of the
party sought to be charged, or of his agent is
sufficient; and this term, signaturCy be it observed,
is not here used in the limited sense of suhscrip'
Hon, so as to require the party to sign his name
at the end of the instrument, but is equally appli-
cable in whatever part the name is written.
Whether sales by public auction are within the
Statute of Frauds has long been a disputed point,
the later opinion is in favour of their being so ;
and it therefore becomes necessary to mention
here, that the auctioneer, is, in such sales, the
agent of both parties.

" Upon the regular completion of the sale, the
property in the article is transferred to, and ab-
solutely vested in the vendee; and the purchaser,
thenceforward, stands by all risks, and is the sole
sufferer from any injury which may happen to
the animal, otherwise than through the negligence
of the vender. As in the example given by
Blackstone: If A sells a horse to B for £10,
and B pays him earnest, or signs a note in writ-
ing of the bargain, and afterwards, before the

Sft- WARRANTY.

delivery of the horse or money paid, the horse
dies in the vender's custody, still he is entitled to
the money, because by the contract the property
is in the vendee.

But, although the right oi property is thus ab-
solutely transferred by the contract, yet, unless
payment be expressly postponed to a future day,
the buyer will not be entitled to possession^ with-
out tendering the stipulated price.*

Warranty,
" We now come to the important doctrine of
Warranty^ which is thus summed up by Lord

* The principles of the Law of Scotland, in regard to the
constitution of the contract of sale, differ considerably from
those of the Law of England, as stated in the preceding
paragraphs. There is no statutory enactment in Scotland
similar to the statute of fraud in England, and matters are
left to be ruled by the common law, according to which, the
contract or hargain is fully completed so as to prevent resil-
ing, without either earnest, delivery, or note of sale. But
although a simple verbal bargain is thus binding on the
parties, so that neither can draw back, the other being will-
ing and able to perform his part, the property of the thing
sold is not passed without delivery, contrary to the English
rule, which holds the property to have passed immediately
on the bargain being completed. The practical result, how-
ever, of the two laws, as to this last-mentioned particular, is
nearly the same, as the rules in England as to the right to
obtain possession, place matters on almost the same footing
as the principle of the Law of Scotland as to the property
not being passed till delivery.

WARRANTY. 27

Coke. ' By the civil law, every person is bound
to warrant the thing that he sells or conveys,
although there is no express warranty ; but the
common law binds him not, unless there be a
warranty either in deed or in law, for caveat
emptor ; the meaning of which Latin expression
is, that the buyer takes the article sold, with all
its defects, and must not look to the law for any
redress, if its intrinsic worth do not correspond
with its outward appearance. It cautions the
buyer, therefore, according to the Italian proverb,
that he has need of a hundred eyes, but the sel-
ler of only one.' "

'• By the law of England, warranties are
divided into express or implied ; the latter, how-
ever, differ in no respect from the former, except
in the circumstance of proof. The intention to
warrant, is collected from the whole tissue of
circumstances proved, and as a legitimate deduc-
tion from them, like the presumption of any other
part not established by direct evidence: while
the express warranty is proved by direct and
express testimony to the fact itself. To give a
single instance : In Jones v. Bowden, it was
proved to be the uniform course and habit of
dealing in a particular place, if the article were

28 WARRANTY.

sea- dam aged, to state that fact on the sale of it;
a sale was made without any such statment, and
it was therefore held that the article was war-
ranted not sea-damaged. This was an implied
warranty."*

" A warranty can only exist as a term and
condition of the contract of sale, into the very
essence of which it so completely enters, that a
breach of it entitles the buyer to treat, if he
pleases, the whole contract as a nullity. It con-
stitutes part of the inducement or consideration
for the purchase. It follows that, for a warranty
to be valid, it must exist or be made at the time
of the sale ; or at least, that, being agreed to be
made before, there should be an understood

* In Scotland, warranty, or warrandice as it is termed in
Scotch law phraseology, is always implied in the contract of
sale, (unless, perhaps, excluded by the special practice of
particular trades,) and therefore if the seller intend not to
wari'ant, this must be expressly stipulated in the contract.
The wari-andice thus implied in all contracts of sale extends
not only to the soundness of the animal sold, and its being free
from vice, but also to its fitness for the special pui'poses for
which it has been sold, when that purpose has been specified
in the bargain ; and, if two horses have been sold as a pair,
even although not for running together in harness, if one
of them should prove unsound or unfit, so as to authorize
his being returned, the purchaser will be entitled to return
both.

WARRANTY. 29

reference at the actual sale to that agreement.
As for instance, if, previous to the time of sale,
the vender says he ivill warrant the goods, and
having named his price, gives the vendee two
or three days to consider of it, and the vender
then agrees to purchase, the warranty, though
only made hypothetically, is tacitly incorporated
into the terms of the sale, and is a valid warranty.

" But a warranty made after the completion
of the sale is of no value whatever, being with-
out any consideration.

" From these premises also, coupled with the
rule, that where a contract is reduced to writing,
the writing is the sole legitimate evidence to
prove its terms, we may further deduce, that an
oral warranty made previously to a sale by
written contract, but not inserted in the instru-
ment, will not be valid. Thus in Pickering v.
Dowson, Gibbs, C. J., says, ' I hold that if a man
brings me a horse, and makes any representation
whatever of his quality and soundness, and after-
wards we agree in writing for the purchase of
the horse, that shortens and corrects the repre-
sentations ; and whatever terms are not contained
in the contract do not bind the seller, and must
be struck out of the case.' "

30 WARRANTY.

" It is also a rule of law, that where a com-
mission is given to execute any work, every
power necessary to carry it on will be implied.
A servant, therefore, employed to sell a horse,
has an implied authority to warrant that it is
sound ; and in the case of a general agent — for
example, the servant of a livery-stable keeper —
this warranty will bind the master though made
contrary to his express directions ; and in every
case, the warranty of a servant or agent, so
intrusted to sell, will bind the principal, if he do
not expressly prohibit it being made.

" With respect to what declarations of the
seUer will amount to a warranty, the primary
rule for the interpretation of contracts in general
is applicable. It depends upon the intention of
the parties.

" Thus a simple affirmation of the goodness
of an article is a warranty, provided it appear to
have been so intended; whereas the sublimest
epithets that seller ever employed to recommend
his goods to a credulous buyer, will be regarded
as the idle phraseology of the market, unless an
intention to warrant actually appear. For exam-
ple, when the vender declared at the time of
sale, that he could warrant, it was held to mean

WARRANTY. 31

that he would and did warrant. So when the
seller aflSrms that the goods are his property, he
is held to warrant the title. And, on the other
hand, when at the time of sale the seller showed
the huyer a written pedigree, which he had
received from the person of whom he bought the
horse, and said he sold him according to that
pedigree, the mark being out of his mouth when
he bought him, and the pedigree was proved to
be false ; it was held that this was no warranty.
No general rule, therefore, can be laid down on
the present head, further than this — that it is
from the intention of the parties, as collected from
the whole transaction, and from the meaning
they appear to afford to particular expressions,
that the existence or non-existence of a warranty
is to be inferred.

" But the most important part of our investi-
gation relates to the extent of the warranty. We
must here observe, in the first place, that although
a warranty may be made to extend to temper,
freedom from blemish, age, aptitude for parti-
cular work, and many other similar qualities, as
well as to soundness ; yet unless expressly so
extended, it will be construed to apply to sound-
ness alone. Thus, when an ambiguity arose from

32 WARRANTY.

the insular position of the word * warranted' in
the following notice: ' To be sold, a black geld-
ing, five years old ; has been constantly driven
in the plough — warranted,' the warranty was
held to apply to soundness alone.

" Unsoundness is a term the exact limits of
which are not very clearly defined. According
to Lord Ellenborough, any infirmity which
renders a horse less fit for present use or con-
venience, is an unsoundness. This doctrine was
laid down by his lordship in a case which turned
upon an alleged lameness, and wherein it was
admitted by a witness for the defendant, that one
of the fore legs had been bandaged, because it
was weaker than the other : upon this admission,
the verdict in favour of the plaintiff seems to
have been founded : and it was then observed by
the court to constitute unsoundness, it is not
essential that the infirmity should be of a per»
manent nature ; it is sufl&cient if it render the
animal for the time unfit for service; as for instance,
a cough, which renders it for the time less use-
ful, and may ultimately prove fatal. Now this
decision appears to contradict a prior one, in
which Eyre, C. J., held, that a slight lameness
occasioned by the horse having taken up a nail

WARRANTY. 33

at the farrier's was not an unsoundness. This
learned judge, in his observations to his jury,
remarks — ' a horse labouring under a temporary-
injury or hurt, which is capable of being speedily
cured or removed, is not for that an unsound
horse within the meaning of the warranty.' If
these decisions are not to be regarded as con-
flicting, one deduction ought possibly to be, that
such slight injuries as proceed from external
causes, and are with moral certainty to be
speedily and effectually cured, do not fall under
the head of infirmities, which term properly com-
prehends such diseases only as may without much
improbability hang by the animal through life,
while they impair his present usefulness.

" Crib-biting, in its incipient state, has been
held to be no unsoundness ; but, when inveterate,
(and interfering with the health of the animal,}
it then falls within the meaning of the term.

*' It is commonly asserted that a warranty
will not bind when it is obviously false ; the
instance given being that of a horse warranted
sound, when it is apparent that he is blind ; and
for this doctrine, the venerable argument, which
makes so conspicuous a figure in legal logic, is
usually urged — for that it is his own folly. For

34 WARRANTY.

that it is the other's roguery ^ might, we think, be
an argument of greater cogency the other way,
unless knaves in this country are to be regarded
with peculiar favour, like idiots in Turkey; but
we apprehend that this rule, if any such indeed
exist, is one of presumption only, it being inferred
that both parties meant to exclude the particular
defect from the warranty. The case of Shillitoe
V. Claridge, however, goes far towards disproving
the existence of such a rule.*

" Let us now consider how the rights of the
parties are affected by the horse being unsound

" Shillitce V. Claridge, -where the horse had a cough at
the time of the sale, it appeared that he had been bled for it
before he was sold, and there was no evidence of any mis-
management by the buyer ; and it appeared he was told that
the horse had a cough, and was used only to the road, and
that he had sent him to the hunt. Lord EUenborough : ' If
it had the cough, and it was of a permanent nature, I have
always held that it was a breach of the warranty ; and such
has, I believe, been the understanding both in the profession
and amongst veterinary surgeons. On that understanding
I have always acted, and think it quite right. Knowledge
makes no difference. There was a case before Mr. J. Law-
rence in which it was held, and it was there said, that the
plaintiff might rely upon the warranty only, and not choose
to trust to his own knowledge. I have ahvays understood
that a cough is an unsoundness ; the horse then was unsound
when he was bought, and there was no proof of any discon-
tinuance of that unsoundness, or that he would have got
j^rell if be had not been hunted.' "

WARRANTY. 35

at th6 time of warranty. The contract being
thus broken on the part of the seller, it is at the
buyer's option either to treat it as a nullity, and
return the horse, or to retain him notwithstand-
ing", and bring an action on the warranty.* In
the former case, the price paid is the measure of
damages, which he will be entitled to recover in
an action ; in the latter, the difference between
that price and his real value. If he offer to
rescind the contract, and return the horse, he
may also recover the expenses of his keep ; but
in order to this, a positive tender is said to be
necessary.f No notice of the unsoundness need
be given to the vender to entitle the vendee to
maintain the action ; nor is it necessary to bring

* In Scotland the purchaser cannot retain the horse
and hring an action to I'ecover the difference between the
price and the real value. He must either keep him at the
price at which he has bought him, or return him on getting
repayment, and if he have further suffered direct damage
from the unsoundness, &c., of the horse, he will also have
an action, of damages for reparation.

f As in the case of Caswell v. Coare, " where upon breach
of the warranty proved, but no tender made of returning the
horse, it was objected that plaintiff could recover nothing
for the keep. Lord Mansfield : ' The contract being broken,
the defendant must give back the money, and the plaintiff
must return the horse ; but unless he has previously ten-
dered him, he cannot recover for the keep, because it was
not the defendant's fault that the plaintiff kept him.' '*

36 WARRANTY.

the action immediately on discovering the un-
soundness."*

* As in the case of Fielder v. Starkin, where an action
was brought " on the warranty of a mare, * that she was
sound, quiet, and free from vice and blemish.' Soon after
the sale, the plaintiff discovered that she was unsound and
vicious; viz., a roarer, had a thorough pin through the hack,
and had a swelled hock from kicking ; but kept her three
months, and gave her physic, and used other means to cure
her ; at ^'^'hich time he sold her, but had her soon after re-
turned as unsound, when he returned her to the defendant
as unsound, who refused to receive her. On her way back
she died ; and upon being examined, it was the opinion of
the farriers that she had been unsound a full twelvemonth
before her death ; but it did not appear that the plaintiff had
ever in the interval, though in the defendant's company,
complained of the mare being imsound. Lord Loughbor-
ough : — ' Where there is an express warranty, the warran-
ter undertakes that it is true at the time of making it. If a
horse which is warranted sound at the time of sale, be
proved to have been at that time unsound, it is not necessary
that he should be returned to the seller. No length of time
elapsed after the sale will alter the nature of a contract
originally false, neither is notice necessary to be given ;
though the not giving notice will be a strong presumption
against the buyer that the horse at the time of sale had not
the defect complained of, and will make the proof on his
part much more difficult. The bargain is complete ; and if
fraudulent on the part of the seller, he wUl be liable to the
buyer in damages, without either a return or notice. If, on
account of a horse warranted sound, the buyer should sell
him again at a loss, an action might perhaps be sustained
against the orignal seller, to recover the difference of the
price. In the present case, it appears, from the evidence oi
the farriers who saw the mare opened, that she must have

WARRANTY. 37

" But although such notice be not essential,
yet it is always advisable to be given, as the
omitting to do so will furnish at the trial a strong
presumption that the horse, at the time of sale,
was free from the defect complained of, thus
rendering the proof of a breach of warranty more
difficult. Common justice and honesty, it has
been remarked, require that the commodity
should be returned at the earliest period, and
before it has been so changed by lapse of time,
as to make it impossible to ascertain, by proper
tests, what were its original qualities.*

been unsound at the time of the sale to the plaintiiF."
Plaintiff recovered the full price.

The principle of the Law of Scotland is very different
from this ; a purchaser is bound so soon as he discovers a
defect, to give notice to the seller, and offer to return him,
and if he neglect this, he will be held to have acquiesced,
and win be barred from afterwards throwing him back on
the seller. The exact time after coming to the knowledge
of the defect, within which the purchaser must offer to re-
turn, has never been precisely fixed, but there must be no
undue delay, and the sooner a purchaser gives notice the
better.

* As in the case of Curtis v. Hannay, " where, after the
sale of a horse warranted, the purchaser was informed of a
defect in the eyes ; but he kept him for nearly seven weeks,
in which time, suspecting the horse to have some defect in
his feet, he had applied a blister and other medicines, which
D

•38 WAKRANIY.

To entitle the buyer to the benefit of the
warranty, he must, of course, strictly fulfil the

produced thrush and a considerable degree of lameness ; it
was, however, only temporary ; and it was in evidence, that
the remedies applied to the feet could not have affected the
eyes. Lord Eldon thought the matter set up by the defen-
dant no answer to the action. < The question was, would
the horse, when retui'ned to the seller, be diminished in
value by this doctoring? If he would, he thought the de-
fendant should pay the price, and bring his action against
the seller for any defect in the warranty existing at tne time
of the sale. He took it to be clear law, that if a person pur-
chased a horse which is warranted, and it afterwards turns
out that the horse was unsound at the time of the warranty,
the buyer, might, if he pleased, keep the horse, and bring
an action on the warranty, in which he would have a right
to recover the difference between the value of a sound horse
and one with such defects as existed at the time of the war-
ranty, or he might return the horse, and bring an action to
recover the full money paid ; but in the latter case, the sel-
ler had a right to expect that the horse should be returned
in the same state he was in when sold, and not by any means
diminished in value ; for if a person keeps a warranted arti-
cle for any length of time after discovering its defects, and
when he returns it, it is in a worse state than it would have
been if returned immediatelj^ after such discovery, the party
can have no defence to an action for the price of the article,
on the ground of non-compliance with the warranty, but
must be left to his action on the warranty to recover the dif-
ference in the value of the article warranted, and its actual
value when sold.' His Lordship directed to find for the
price of the horse, if they thought that by such blistering
and doctoring the animal was not diminished in value to a
future purchaser ; and they found accordingly."

WAHRANTY. 39

conditions stipulated to be performed on his
part. Thus if, as is frequently the case, a con-
dition be introduced into the warranty, that the
horse, if objected to as unsound, shall be returned
within a limited time, no action can be main-
tained for the unsoundness without the strict
performance of this condition. So where the
warranty was qualified by the vender by an
undertaking to take back the horse, if, on trial,
he should be found to have any of the defects
mentioned in the warranty, it was held, that the
buyer must return the horse immediately on the
discovery of them. When the contract is re-
scinded by the buyer on account of the warranty
being broken, the seller has a right to require
that the horse shall be returned in as good
condition as he was when the defect was dis-
covered ; and therefore, if the animal fall into a
worse state subsequently to such discovery, the buyer
cannot then return him, but must rely on his action
to recover back a proportional part of the price.

" There being no warranty, but the pur-
chaser having been imposed upon, and entrapped
into a losing bargain by the artifices and wilful
misrepresentations of the seller, his remedy is
an action for the deceit ; to support which he

40 WARRANTY.

mtist prove a fraud to have been committed by
the seller, and also that it was suck as might well
impose upon a person of ordinary circumspection ;
or, in other words, that he was deceived and
misled by relying upon the integrity of the seller, in
a point where he might reasonably have placed
trust and confidence in him.

'* Any wilful misrepresentations by the vender, of
the qualities of the commodity to be sold, whereby
the vendee is induced to purchase, falls within the
legal idea of fraud, and will vitiate the contract ;
as being a breach of that good faith which ought
to reign throughout every commercial transac-
tion. This may be called fraud in words.
Thus if A, knowing his horse to be broken-
winded or lame, induce B to purchase, by an
assurance that he is sound in wind and limb,
then although A may have expressly refused
to warrant, B will nevertheless be entitled to
recover from A in an action for the deceit. It
is obvious, however, that this action could not be
here maintained upon mere proof of the abstract
falseness of the representation made by the
seller ; but that evidence of the moral falsehood
is requisite — the seller's knowledge of the falsity,
that is called, in technical language, the scienter.

WARRANTY.

41

And herein it is, principally, that this action is
distinguished from actions on breach of warranty;
for the warranty extends to all faults, known or
unknown to the seller.

" The other kind of fraud may be termed
fraud in deed; and we shall conclude this article
by producing an instance which may serve to
exemplify the nature of those acts of the seller,
which would fall under this head, ' I remember,'
says Gibbs, C. J., ' the case of the sale of a
house in South Audley Square, where the seller,
being conscious of a defect in the main wall,
plastered it up, and papered it over ; and it was
held that, as the vender had expressly concealed
it, the purchaser might recover.' To extend
this principle to our subject-matter : — it is con-
ceived if the vender were to deceive the pur-
chaser, either as to colour, which may be easily
done by chemical means, or as to age, by (to
use a west-country phrase) bishopping the animal,
he would be liable for the deceit, although no
verbal representations had been made."*

* " If the vendei" knew the goods to be unsound, and hath
used any art to disguise them, or if they are in any shape
different from what he represents them to be to the buyer,
this artifice shall be equivalent to an express warranty, and
the vender is answerable for theij- goodness." — Blacksioiic' s
Commentarit'S.

42 WARRANTY.

The warranty is generally included in the
receipt for the purchase money, and should run
thus :

" Glasgow, August 9d, 1833.
Received from A. B. the sum of thirty
pounds sterling for a Bay Gelding, warranted
Sound and free from Vice.

£30. C. D."

The animal's temper and abilities may also be
included, if the purchaser thinks proper. As
'* warranted sound, free from vice, quiet to ride
and drive, and a good leaper." Vice should
always be included, for a vicious horse is often
a worse bargain than an unsound one. And as
there is little probability of vice being discovered
by the purchaser prior to sale, unless a trial be
obtained and opportunity afforded of displaying
it, it is so much the more necessary that it should
be guarded against by the warranty.

A qualified warranty is one, in which the horse
is warranted sound, with the exception of some-
thing pointed out at the time of sale, and men-
tioned in the warranty : as for instance, " war-
ranted sound, excepting some tenderness of the
off fore foot." In this case, the horse cannot
be returned, though the lameness should turn

WARRANTY. 43

out to be greater than the purchaser expected,
unless it can be proved that the seller took some
means to hide its real nature, as he might, and
sometimes does, by making the horse tender on
the sound foot.

With regard to vice, I would say a horse is
not free from it, when he has any thing in his
temper or habits that makes him more difficult
to manage, either in the stable or at work, than
he would be without it: and consequently, I
consider a horse warranted free from vice,
returnable, if he turn out a kicker, biter, rearer,
dangerous to shoe or clean, guilty of shying, run-
ning away, or of being dangerously or annoyingly
restive in any way. It is not always easy, how-
ever, to return a horse for any of these faults,
for, even though he may have been warranted
free from them, it is very difficult, often impossi-
ble, to prove that he possessed them before he
changed masters.

The purchaser, after selecting an animal,
whose height, form, age, and action, are most
suitably adapted for the work, will next proceed
to examine him for diseases that do, or are
likely to, make him less serviceable.

This scrutinizing process will be much sooner,

44' THE HEAD AND NECK.

much better and more completely performed,
by proceeding in a systematic manner. Very
rarely indeed does a buyer pursue any method
in examining a horse. Even the majority of
dealers do nothing but look at the foot, back
tendons, teeth, give the horse a punch in the
ribs — and all is over : and then he takes upon
him to warrant the horse sound. The follow-
ing Table is an enumeration of the parts to be
examined, and the diseases most frequently
found in those parts. The order in which they
stand, is that in which I regard them myself,
when examining a warranted horse.

I. — The Head and Neck.

1. The Eyes, for Cataract, Glass eyes, and
specks.

2. The Nostrils, for Glanders, Tumours, and
cold.

3. The Glands between the branches of the
lower jaw, for Enlargement.

4. The Throat, for mark of Crib-biting stra]),
and the tenderness which accompanies cold.

5. The Teeth, for the Age, and marks of
Crib-biting.

6. The Veins of the Neck. See that both
are entire

TRUNK AND QUARTERS. 45

II. — The Foreleg and Shoulder.

1. The Seat of the Collar, for tumours.

2. The point of the Elbow, for tumours.

3. The Knee, for blemishes, and stiffness of
that joint.

4. The Shank, for Speedy cut, Splent, and
Strain.

6. The Fetlock Joint, for Enlargement,
Windgalls, Unnerving, and marks of Cutting.
6. The Pastern for Ring bone.

III.-^ The Foot for

1. Sidebones,

2. Sand crack,

3. Contraction,

4. Thrush,

5. Corns,

6. Flat Soles.

7. The Shoe, for signs of Cutting.

IV. — The Trunk and Quarters.

1. Each side of the chest, for marks of blisters
and rowels.

2. The space between the fore legs, for the
same.

3. The Hip bones. See that both are equally
prominent.

4. The Stifle for Enlargement.
3. The Groin for rupture.

^5 THE HOOK.

v.— The Hock.

1. Capped Hock.

2. Curb.

3. Thorough pin.

4. Bone Spavin.

5. Bog Spavin.
No blood Spavin.

Now let the horse be trotted, to see whether
or not he is free from

1. Lameness,

2. The effects of founder,

3. String Halt,

4. Weak Loins.

Then the horse should be mounted, and
ridden a few hundred yards at a gallop in order
to quicken his breathing, and thereby display
the presence or absence of

1. Roaring, wheezing, thick wind, &c.

2. Broken wind.

This brief summary will assist the memory,
bringing as it does the seat and causes of un-
soundness into one point of view. It includes
however, some objectionahles, which, properly
speaking, do not constitute unsoundness; such

THE HOCK. 47

as windgalls, thorough pin, capped hock, and
stringlialt. The first two are objectionable, as
indicating that the horse has been severely ex-
erted, and may be otherwise more seriously in-
jured. The last two are eye-sores, and only to
be avoided as such. This will appear more
clearly presently.

I must now consider in detail, the different
diseases enumerated in the above Table. The
method of detecting them, must, in the first
place, be pointed out ; then those which constitute
unsoundness must be distinguished from those
that do not, and it will be proper now and then
to mention, how far a horse may be useful, ad-
mitting tliat he have one, or even two diseases,
that are unsoundnesses. In giving directions
however, for discovering unsoundnesses, I can
only go a certain length, for some of them re-
quire anatomical knowledge on the part of the
examiner, in order to discover their existence?
and even the possession of that advantage is not
at all times sufl&cient to enable him to give a
decided opinion, I shall endeavour, however, to
make myself as clearly understood, as the nature
of the subject will admit of.

48 THE HEAD AND NECK.

The Read and Neck,

The Eyes, Examination of the eye for catar-
act, illustrates what I have just said on the ne-
cessity of possessing an anatomical knowledge of
parts. Cataract is a deep seated disease of the
eye, which often exists in such a trifling degree,
as, in many cases, to escape the scrutiny of the
most careful veterinarian. At first it is a small
white speck, situated at the bottom, not on the
transparent surface of the eye ; and this almost
invariably increases in size, till it produces com-
plete blindness ; and a white ball, spotted with
black, is then perceived, occupying a large por-
tion of the interior of the eye. Long before
total blindness takes place, the disease is visible
to the most common observer, and the horse is
said to have "Buck eyes." In its earlier stages,
it is best observed in the shade, for then the
pupil enlarges, and gives you a fuller view of
the bottom of the eye ; when it exists, a small
milk-white spot is seen, whitest and brightest in
the centre, the circumference of which passes
gradually into transparency. Care must be taken,

THE HEAD AND NECK. 49

however, that this appearance be not prodaced
by the reflection of some external body opposed
to the eye. A white hat, or neckcloth, or a white
wall, for example, would produce an appearance
which a non-professional man might very readily
mistake for disease. To prevent such a blunder,
place the crown of your hat (if a black one) op-
posite the eye, and observe if the white mark
disappears, which it will, if merely a reflection.

Cataract, in all its stages, renders a horse un-
sound. Even when very small, vision is imper-
fect, and the horse is very apt to shy. But the
worst of it is, it goes on, in nine cases out of ten,
till total blindness is the result : and it requires
no great strength of reasoning to show, that a
blind horse is not so useful as a perfect one.
When the horse is destined to work with a com-
panion, as in a stage-coach, where the road is
clear, and the work done by day, a blind eye is
beyond comparison, a less evil than a perma-
nently lame leg. But ahorse blind of both eyes
is almost useless as a roadster, totally so as a
hunter, and all but so for a carrier's cart. So
that it will depend upon the price asked for the
animal, and the work he is wanted for, whether

50 THE HEAD AND NECK.

the purchaser will reject or receive a horse par-
tially or totally blind.

Gutta Serena, or Glass Eyes, is a disease in
which the horse is quite blind, without any ap-
parent alteration in the structure of the eye.
The optic nerve is palsied, and insensible to the
rays of light. When it exists in both eyes, the
general appearance of the horse will at once
point out his lamentable condition — the rapid
motion of the ears — the high, yet cautious action
of the forelegs — and the extreme readiness with
which the animal yields to the least movement
of the bit.

When only one eye is affected with Gutta serena^
it may be discovered by observing what is called
the pupil — the opening in the centre of the dark-
coloured part of the eyes. It will be found to
be considerably larger than the opening in the
living eye, and that opening does not contract
when the eye is opposed to a strong light.
In the other it does, and its contraction and
delatation is sufficient evidence of the optic nerve
being in health.

Gutta Serena is unsoundness ; but as It may
have come on in an instant, and consequently it

THE NOSTRILS. 51

is impossible for a Veterinarian Surgeon to say
that it existed prior to sale, it behoves the pur-
chaser to guard well against it himself.

What I have said of the usefulness of a horse
with cataract is equally applicable here, with this
exception, that as it often proceeds from a disease
of the brain, there is a possibility, a probability,
of its sooner or later ending fatally, and that
more especially if the horse is put to quick har-
ness work.

Specks on the external transparent part of the
eye are evident to all. They are generally pro-
duced by mechanical injuries, and do not con-
stitute unsoundness. There is every chance of
them disappearing of themselves, while there is
none of their increasing in magnitude.

The Nostrils.

Few men have sufficient hardihood to offer a
glandered horse for sale, yet there have been
cases, where, after hiding all the symptoms, a
glandered horse has been thrown into the hands
of a simpleton ; so that there can be no harm in
looking for the symptoms in every case : but in

62 THE NOSTRILS.

a crowded market, where all sorts of characters
make their appearance, and some rascals too,
make a very specious appearance, it is very
necessary to guard against every thing, however
improbable it may seem.

In Glanders, there will be a discharge from
the nose ; but that will be either hidden by the
frequent application of a handkerchief, or, as is
oftenest the case, before coming in to the mar-
ket, the horse gets a gallop to clear his nostrils,
an astringent wash is injected, and then a piece
of sponge is forced up, so as to retain the matter.
In such cases however, there is almost invariably
some abrasion, or eating in, on the red surface,
which covers the partition between the nostrils,
and this may be seen by bringing the horse's head
to the sun, and expanding the nostril, so as to
get as high a view as possible. If there be any
sore, reject the horse.

A plug in the nose may be very readily dis-
covered, by shutting first one nostril, and then
the other, so as to compel the animal to breathe
through one at a time, which of course he cannot
do, if any thing obstruct one of them while you
shut the other. This will also serve to assure
you tliat the horse is free from a tumour which

THE NOSTRILS. 53

sometimes grows in it, and by gradually increas-
ing blocks it up. It is termed a Polypus, in
Surgery, and constitutes unsoundness : as I need
scarcely add, so does Glanders.

Horses, in travelling to a fair, or from the
country to a dealer's stables in town, are very
apt to catch cold on the way, and have discharge
from the nose and soreness of throat. This the
purchaser should guard against, for such cases
frequently end very unfavourably ; and indeed
if the horse were treated as if he were well, he
might probably take inflamed lungs and die.
Such things are of frequent occurrence, and cir-
cumspection is therefore requisite. A thin
watery discharge from the nose, and that small
in quantity, is a symptom of this cold ; and upon
pressing the throat a little, the animal winces,
evidently from pain : many horses, however, are
purchased with colds, and no ill consequences
ensue ; but if the purchaser chooses to run the
risk, he should not by any means use the horse
as if he were perfectly well. A few days' rest
in a well ventilated stable, mash diet, and some
liquid blister to the throat, will, in a great many
cases entirely remove a cold ; while exertion,
and re-exposure to the causes that first produced

54 CHRONIC COUGH.

it, will most surely aggravate it, and perhaps
induce a much worse disease. A special warranty
may be obtained, making the seller responsible
for the cold ; but to take that, and use the horse
as if he were in health, would manifestly be tak-
ing an unfair advantage of the seller's ignorance :
to say nothing of the inhumanity of working a
sick horse.

A cough more or less frequent, always accom-
panies soreness of the throat, but it is not a dis-
ease of itself ; and, therefore, need not be spoken
of as one. Some horses have a cough for years,
and yet do their work, and maintain their condi-
tion, as perfectly, as if they had no such thing.
The cough is harsh, dry, and most frequent
directly after feeding or drinking, or just when
the horse is taken into the open air. It is called
chronic cough, and though the horse's health
remains unaffected by it, yet it very much annoys
him, and is exceedingly unpleasant to those who
hear it. It cannot be discovered prior to pui'-
chase, nor can the purchaser be assured that it
is not a symptom of common cold, until its con-
tinuance, unabated by the ordinary remedies,
shows its real nature.

Chronic cough is generally considered an

CRIB-BITING. 55

unsoundness, on the ground that it makes the
horse more susceptible of the evils arising from
sudden changes of temperature. I can only say,
that I never observed this susceptibility. The
purchaser, however, would do well to take a
Veterinary Surgeon's opinion on the case before
he makes up his mind to keep a horse with chronic
cough, for it is frequently a symptom of diseased
lungs, &c.

If the glands between the bones of the lower
jaw are swelled, it will most certainly prevent
you from buying from a stranger or a reputed
rogue : and in all cases, it will induce you to pay
much attention to the nostrils ; for this enlarge-
ment is one of the symptoms of glanders; but it
likewise sometimes exists as a remnant of Stran-
gles, and is then not at all prejudicial.

If the neck at its junction with the head, be
out of proportion small, it is probable that that
smallness has been produced by the use of a tight
strap, to prevent crib-biting: and the teeth should
be examined to see if they are much worn away,
and chipped on their outer edge, which they
always are when the horse is an old crib-biter :
and his neck will not show any trace of the
crib-biting strap, till he is an old one.

56 CRIii-BlTING.

Except the sniallness of the neck, and the
worn state of the teeth, I know of no symptom
by which crib-biting may be discovered, until
the animal has an opportunity, and is inclined to
show it, as he does by seizing the manger, bend-
ing his head in towards his chest, and swallow-
ing air, at the same time making a grunting sort
of noise.

The nature of this objectionable point in the
horse, has not yet been precisely ascertained ;
and hence much dispute has arisen, whether it
be a vice or an unsoundness, or whether it be the
product of disease, or of an imitative disposi-
tion. The following quotation from the Veteri-
narian, will show what a difference of opinion
exists on this point, even amongst professional
men.

" Paul V. Hardwick. This was an action on the
warranty of a horse sold by the defendant, a
horse dealer in Tottenham-court road, to the
plaintiff, Mr. Paul the banker, in July last.

" The warranty was contained in the receipt
given by the defendant for the price of the horse,
and was in these terms: — ' Received of J. B. Paul,
Esq., the sum of sixty-five pounds, for a bay
gelding, warranted sound, and free from vice.'

ORIB-BITING. 57

The alleged unsoundness or vice was, tliat the
horse was a crib-biter.

" Sir James Scarlet^ in opening the case for the
plaintiff, read an extract from Dr. Rees's Cyclo-
paedia, in which crib-biting was described as a
vice, and the writer, distinguishing vice from
unsoundness, gave it as his opinion, on the effect
of a warranty, that if it extended to soundness
only, the horse was not returnable for crib-biting,
but if it included a warranty against vice, it was ;
crib-biting being, it was said, * one of the worst
vices.'

" Philip ffearn, who had had the care of the
horse after the plaintiff purchased it, stated, that
as soon as it was put into the stables, it began
crib-biting pretty sharply, and mauled the har-
ness about.

" Did you put the harness out of its way ? O
yes, or it would have been soon all gone.

<* Did he appear to be an old crib-biter ? Yes,
he was a stanch old hand.

" It was proved that the defendant had had
notice to take the horse back ; and that he refus-
ed, stating that crib-biting was no * vice.' He ad-
mitted that he knew the horse was a crib-biter
at the time he sold it to the plaintiff.

68 CRIB-BITING.

" The plaintiff's attorney said he believed it
was the same horse that had been offered to him
for £30, about six weeks before. It was a good-
shaped horse, and in very fair condition ; but he
returned it because it was a crib-biter.

" Richard Tattersall, proved that the horse was
sold at his father's auction, by the plaintiff's
direction, on the \2t\\ of July last, at 26 guineas.
It was knocked down in the name of Robinson ;
but the defendant was present at the sale, and
paid the money. The net proceeds were £23 :
19: 6d.

" [It appeared by the subsequent evidence, that
the defendant having got the horse again, after-
wards sold it to the Rev. Dr. Halcomb.]

" Mr. Sewell stated, that he was assistant pro-
fessor of the Veterinary College. Crib-biting,
which was a vicious habit in horses, was consi-
dered as an unsoundness. It was treated as a
disease. It frequently led to indigestion, and
then, of course, there was no saying what might
follow. It was curable in its early stages.

" Mr. Bracy Clark was of opinion, that crib-
biting was one of the worst vices of ahorse. It
had always been considered as a vice. When it
became confirmed, so as to affect the health of

CRIB-BITING. 59

the animal, it was an unsoundness. A crib-biter,
he should say, would be returnable upon a war-
ranty against vice, but not upon a warranty
confined to unsoundness, unless the health of the
horse was aflFected by the habit at the time.

" The Attorney General addressed the Jury for
the defendant, and called the following- wit-
nesses : —

" William Cadman stated, that he was in the
employment of Mr. Shackwell, who kept stables
in Oxford-street, for the sale of horses on com-
mission. The horse in question (he believed it
was the same) stood in those stables for sale in
June last, and was purchased by the defendant.
It was tlien very healthy, and in good condition.
It was not a ' stanch old hand' at crib-biting :
it bit but very slightly.

" Cross-examined. — Young horses would fre-
quently imitate stanch old crib-biters.

" Hichard Hardwick, the defendant's brother,
stated, that the defendant bought the horse of
Mr. Shackwell, in June last, for 40 guineas. It
was warranted sound, and quiet to ride or
drive. It was fresh, and in good condition ; and
continued so, till it was sold to the plaintiff. It
was not a ' determined' crib-biter. It was kept

e^ CRIB-BITING.

in the defendant's stables, for a month before it
was sold to the plaintiff, and the manger (a
wooden one) was not at all injured by its biting.

" Cross-examined. It had been since sold to Dr.
Halcomb. The price asked was 60 guineas ;
but witness did not know what his brother got
of Dr. Halcomb for it.

" Professor Coleman stated, that horses had the
habit of crib-biting in very different degrees.
He was inclined to think that the true meaning
of the word 'vice,' was some vicious quality
which was dangerous to the owner of the horse,
or to others who rode or drove it, and not merely
a defect or fault, because, if that were the case,
tripping or shying would be a vice, and few
horses were free from some defect or fault.
A crib-biter might be a vicious horse, but not
necessarily so because he was a crib-biter.

" Is crib-biting an unsoundness ?

" That depends on the definition of the word
unsoundness. I have always considered wherever
there is an alteration of the function in any part,
so as to influence the entire functions, and pre-
vent the animal from performing the common
du ties of a horse, that he is unsound. According
to that definition, a crib-biter may or may not

CRIB-BITING. 61

be unsound. If the habit exists in a slight
degree — that is, if the horse only occasionally
bites his crib, but supports his condition, and
can perform all the duties of a horse, then I should
say he was not unsound.

"On his cross-examination, the witness stated
that the habit of crib-biting frequently produced
a disordered function, which was the effect of
swallowing the air in the attempt to lay hold of
some fixed object. That produced indigestion
and a disordered stomach, a difficulty of breath-
ing, with spasms and inflammation ; and if the
disorder got lower down, it produced a disorder
of the bowels. The habit of crib-biting might
be acquired from imitating other horses ; but
that was by no means the most frequent cause.
It frequently attached to high-bred horses, and
others that were kept long without food. In
ninety-nine cases out of a hundred that was the
main cause of crib-biting. As the horse in ques-
tion had been stated to be in good condition,
witness should infer that none of its functions
were impaired, and its health was not affected
by this habit; and his opinion was, that, in
gi;.ieral, crib-biting did not affect the health of
tlie animal.

62 CRIB-BITING.

" Sir J. Scarlett — Don't you know that crib-
biters are always draughted from a regiment.

" Witness. — Not unless they have some other
defect besides crib-biting.

" Re-examined Crib-biting did not arise

from impaired functions in the animal, though it
sometimes produced that effect.

" Lord Tenterden. — Suppose a crib-biter sold
to-day in good condition, in six months hence it
is found to have inflammation in the stomach or
bowels, with a difficulty of breathing, or any of
the other symptoms you have described, should
you say it was unsound or not ?

" Witness. — Unsound when sold, inasmuch as
you would be able to trace the effect from the
cause.

" ^Iy. James Turner stated, that crib-biting, in
his opinion, was, in the greater number of in-
stances, a habit contracted by imitation. Whether
it was or was not injurious to the health of the
animal, depended upon the degree in which it
existed. Witness believed that a horse might
be a crib -biter and yet be perfectly sound ; but
he believed also, that it was decided unsound-
ness in many cas.es. It showed itself more par-
ticularly by the animal distending its body with

CRIB-BITING. 63

wind, but all crib-biters did not distend their
bodies with wind in the same degree. It could
not be considered as a vice, inasmuch as crib-
biters were generally perfectly tractable to ride
or drive, and they did no danger to their owners.

"George Gosden stated, that he had been a
veterinary surgeon for sixteen or seventeen
years. Had known the habit of crib-biting to
exist in various degrees.

*' The Attorney General. Is it necessarily a vice
or an unsoundness ?

'' Witness. Neither.

" Have you known horses to have that habit in
a considerable degree, and yet to be extremely
healthy for a number of years, and be capable
of doing their work ? — I have. I have known
the best of horses to be crib-biters.

" Do you know that the horse called ' The
Colonel,' had the habit of crib-biting? — I have
heard he had it for a number of years.

" Sir J. Scarlett. Does your experience agree
with that of Mr. Coleman, that it very rarely
arises from imitation ; or with Mr. Turner, that
it generally does ? — That it generally does.

" As in your opinion, it is neither a vice nor an

64 CRIB-BITING.

unsoundness, allow me to ask you, whether it is
an advantage ? — It certainly is not an advantage.

" Is it a merit ? — Yes. (Laughter.)

" The witness explained, by saying he meant
to state that 'a slight' crib-biter was neither
an unsound nor a vicious animal.

"What is a 'good stanch' crib-biter? — An
old horse that has had it for a long while.
(Great laughter.)

" Is the health of an old stanch crib-biter
affected by the habit ? — Not unless the stomach
or bowels are affected.

" Is it a disadvantage to have a crib-biter where
the habit exists in a great degree ? — Sometimes
it is, sometimes not.

" You would not then give a guinea less for a
horse because it was a crib-biter ?— -Perhaps not,
if it had it only slightly.

" Perhaps you have cured some crib-biters ? —
No ; I never have.

" Have you ever attempted it ? — No.

<' What remedy would you apply if you were
to attempt to effect a cure ? — Tie his head up
to the manger. (Laughter.)

" Would that cure him ? — It would not.

CRlB-BITlNG. 65

""^Lord Tenterden. Why should you do it then?
-—It would preveut him from biting the manger.
(A laugh.)

" John Lythe, a veterinary surgeon examined
by Mr. Hutchinson. Have you known horses to
have the habit of crib-biting, and yet their gene-
ral health not affected by it ? — Many ; in the
army particularly.

" If they have it not in a degree to affect the
health of the animal, are they, in your judgment,
unsound, because they are crib-biters? — Cer-
tainly not.

" When they have it only in a slight degree is
it a vice ? — Not unless it disposes the horse to
some bodily mischief.

" The witness, on cross-examination, stated that
the habit arose frequently from want of food,
and frequently from irritation ; and he mention-
ed an instance of the latter.

" Is it a desirable thing for a horse to have ? —
It is not desirable, certainly ; but I never cast a
horse for it.

'■'-Lord Tenterden^ after Sir James Scarlett had
replied to the defendant's evidence, stated, that
the question for the jury was, whether the horse
Mas unsound, or laboured under a defect which

66 CRIB-BITING.

could be properly called a vice. His Lordship
was about to sum up the evidence, but the jury
interposed, saying their minds were made up.

" Lord Tenterden. You find for the plaintiff,
gentlemen ?

" A Juror, Yes, my Lord.

" A verdict was then entered for £41 0*. 6rf.,
the difference between the price which the plain-
tiff had paid for the horse and the net proceeds
of the sale."

From this it appears, that the horse was
warranted sound and free from vice : but it is
not said, whether the jury regarded it as an un-
soundness or a vice. My own opinion is, that
crib-biting in every case, constitutes unsoundness;
for though it is difficult to say whether the habit
is produced by disease, or by imitation, yet it is
certain that it cannot exist long, without in some
degree impairing the function of the stomach :
and dissection shows, that alteration of structure
is a consequence of its long continuance, and
that, to a greater or less degree, diminishing the
efficiency of the animal. It is no argument
against this to say, that crib-biters often work
well : the question is, would they not work
better without such a habit ? It is likewise

CRIll-BITING. 67

well known, that crib-biters are very liable to
attacks of cholic, in consequence of their filling
their stomach and bowels with air : and this may,
often does, carry the horse off after an hour's ill
ness. So that the buyer should think well,
before he makes up his mind to keep a crib-
biter. He often makes himself quite unfit for great
exertion, by distending the stomach in such
a manner as to impede his breathing.

The Teeth

In front of the lower jaw are examined to
ascertain the animal's age. As few horses
change hands before they are three years old,
I might be content with describing the appear-
ances which the teeth present after that period :
but as it requires little room, and may possibly
be of use in some cases, I shall begin with the
colt's mouth soon after his birth.

The horse, like many other animals, has two
sets of teeth ; the first, called the temporary or
milk teeth, are in general all above the gums
by the time the colt is six or eight months old;
and soon after he is two years, these drop out

6B The age.

in pairs, to make way for the permanent, or
horse teeth. They have all made their appear-
ance by the time the horse is five years old, and
he is then said to he full-mouthed, having twelve
grinders, two tushes, and six nippers in each jaw.

Each of the front teeth, when they first ap-
jjear above the gums, has an oval cavity in the
centre of the wearing surface, which dips into the
tooth like a funnel, becoming narrower towards
the bottom ; and as the teeth are worn down by
friction, this cavity gradually diminishes in depth
and in breadth, till in time it is altogether obli-
terated ; and as this takes place at stated periods,
it affords a pretty correct criterion of the horse's
age. It is improper to say that the cavity or
"mark," fills up, for it is actually worn out by
the action of the opposite teeth.

The following refers only to the front of the
lower jaw.

About eight or ten days after birth, the colt
has two nippers in the centre of the jaw.

Some time between the second and fourth
month, other two make their appearance, one
on each side of the first and central pair.

And betwixt the sixth and eighth, another pair
is added, making six in all.

THE AGE. 69

After this period, and until the horse teeth
appear, the "mark," guides us in determining
the animal's age.

At twelve months, the cavity is all but obli-
terated from the two central nippers ; and in
those on each side of them, the " mark" is less
extended from side to side than it was at first.

At eighteen months, the " mark" is gone
from the four central teeth, and the two that
first appeared are nearly triangular on their
wearing surface, taking the shape of the root as
they are worn down to it.

At two years, the "mark" is gone fix)m all
the six, and the two central teeth appear con-
siderably smaller than the side ones.

At two and a half years, the two central milk
teeth become loose, drop out, and the first two
permanent nippers appear in their places, and
are soon on a level with the remaining four milk
teeth. The permanent nippers are larger and
darker coloured than the temporary ones, and
their external surface has a well-marked furrow,
which is not observed in the colt teeth.

Soon after this period, if the colt has been
well fed, and is tolerably well furnished, it be-
€3omes an object with the breeder to pass him

70 THE AGE.

off for a four year old, as some months' keep
will thereby be saved. He therefore pulls out
a milk tooth on each side of the two central per-
manent ones, and then other two horse teeth
make their appearance much sooner than they
otherwise would, and the colt brings a four year
old price, while in fact he is but a few months
past three. This deception may sometimes be
detected by examining the grinders, but in
general the animal's youthful appearance is suffi-
cient to show that he is not yet fit for work.

At three and a half years, other two perma-
nent teeth make their appearance, one on each
side of the central pair : and before the colt is
four years old, they are on a level with the
corner milk teeth, which are now yellow on the
wearing surface, and very small at the neck,
where it joins the gums.

At four and a half, the corner teeth come up,
and by the time the animal is five years old, they
are level with the others. Before this time, if a
horse, he has likewise four tushes, and the colt
is now called a horse, and the filly a mare. A
few mares have tushes, but the majority have
none.

At six years old, the "mark" is gone from

THE AGE. 71

the two central nippers : they being the oldest
by a year, are of course soonest worn down.

At seven, the "mark" is worn out of the four
central teeth, and at eight the majority of horses
lose all " mark," and afterwards he is very im-
properly styled aged.

Many horsemen, after the " mark" is worn
out of the lower jaw, have recourse to the upper
one, the " mark" remaining in its teeth much
longer than those of the other. But, in general,
they offer but uncertain criteria of the age, for
their wear is exceedingly irregular, and scarcely
four horses can be got together, whose upper
teeth present any thing like the same appearance
at the same age. I do not therefore place any
dependance on them ; neither do I regard the
tush as at all indicating the age : for though
some rely much on its height, sharpness and the
degree of its concavity, yet these are so irre-
gular of themselves, and so much altere d by the
bit, that it is almost useless to look at them.
Indeed, it is rather rare to find two tushes in
the same jaw exactly resembling each other.

Up to eight years, there is little difficulty in
determining the age by the nippers of the lower
jaw, and, I believe, we must still adhere to them

72 THE AGE.

when we want to go further. Their shape,
though by no means so good a criterion as their
mark, is yet characteristic enough of age to en-
able us to come within a year or two ; and no
horseman need foolishly boast of being able to
do more, for the thing is of such a nature as to
make it morally impossible to draw an infallible
conclusion upon any such grounds.

At ten years, the central nippers, instead of
being nearly oval on the wearing surface, as
they were at seven, have become narrower from
side to side, and broader from before backwards.

The fang of the nippers tapers towards the
extremity, and is narrower from side to side, and
broader from before backwards, than the tooth
above the gum is ; and as the nipper wears
down, it assumes on its surface the shape of a
transverse section of the fang at different places.

At eleven years, the four central nippers are
also altered in their shape, and at twelve, the
corner teeth have the same shape which the two
central ones have at ten, while they have now
more distinctly approached to the triangular
form of the fang. I need not proceed further
and indeed to say the truth, if the horse be
above twelve, it is not of much consequence

THE AGE. 73

whether he be two or six more, provided he is
under twenty, and fresh and able-like in his ap-
pearance. If he has been well taken care of
while youngs he may be as good a horse at four-
teen or sixteen, as, I am sorry to say, most of
those now met with, are at ten, in consequence
of being too soon, and far two liardly worked.
The purchaser need not reject a horse because
his mouth is too old to express his age ; if his
limbs appear clean and firm, it is a pretty certain
sign that he is yet able to do much work, as far
as age is concerned : for few, far too few, horses
become useless from natural decay. In ninety
cases out of a hundred, the animal is driven, if
I may say so, to old age, and then almost every
part of his frame bears testimony to the fact.

Besides the teeth, some conclusion may be
drawn regarding the animal's age from his gen-
eral appearance. When old or worn out, (for
here they are nearly synonymous terms,) he is
listless to excess, regardless of surrounding ob-
jects, heedless of either the whip or the voice of the
driver, and apparently, but only apparently, insen-
sible to pain. The spine becomes curved down~
wards, while the bones composing it form a ridge

74' THE AGE.

extending from the mane to the croup: the hairs
about the face and forehead become gray, the
lips hang apart, the whole countenance has a
peculiarly anxious-like expression : and above
the eye, a deep pit appears, which along with
the eyelids, contribute to form the anxious-like
expression so peculiar to a worn out horse. And
this leads me to remark another talent which
horse-copers have got. In order to hide this
cavity over the eye, they prick the skin covering
or rather lining it, and blow in a little air, which
for a short time fills up the pit, and subtracts
not a little from the horse's aged appearance, and
thereby deceives the uncautious. This opera-
tion is learnedly called "puflfing the glimms."
Like bishopping, however, it is beyond comparison
far oftener practised about London, than in
Scotland.

I ought to remark that although the teeth are
continually wearing, yet as a horse gets old, they
appear to grow longer, but they are not really
so, it is the shrinking of the bone and gum from
them, that produces the apparent elongation.

I may also here mention a fact, that horses
much kept at ffrass, and especially in a sandy

THE AOE. 75

pasture, lose tlie mark niiicli sooner tlian those
in the stable. The reason is, that the front
teeth have little or nothing to do in stahle-feed*
ing; while the horse is out, they have all the
grass to cut, and that often so rough and sandy,
as to wear the teeth veiy fast. The purchaser
may bear this in mind, and make allowance for
it.

Before quitting the teeth, I must take notice
of a rascally trick sometimes played by some of
our /iofiest dealers. It is called " Bishopping,*'
from Bishop being the name of the ingenious
inventor. It consists in making an artificial
mark, after the natural one is worn out ; and is
done by scooping a piece out of the surface of
the tooth with an instrument made for the pur-
pose, and then blackening the cavity with a hot
iron, or instead, a clumsy job is sometimes made
of it by using lunar caustic. Commonly only
the comer teeth of an eight years' old mouth are
thus operated upon ; and then the horse is
*« warranted sound, and only seven years old."
Sometimes the next corner teeth are likewise
bored and burned, to make a six year old ; and
indeed, I have seen all six equally well bishop-
ped : when the shape and length of the teeth

76 THE AGE.

plainly told, that the horse must have been at
least twelve years of age. But so wise are the
" knowing ones," that as they only look at the
mark themselves, they never dream of another
comparing that with the shape and length of the
tooth, and hence to more acute observers they
unwittingly display their roguery in all its
nakedness.

The imposition may be discovered by the
irregular roughness on the sides of the cavity of
tlie teeth — the unnatural darkness of the mark
— the absence of a white ring of enamel that
always surrounds the natural cavity : and that,
compared with the length of the body, and the
shape of the surface, will render imposition ex-
ceedingly difficult. The bisliopped horse is
likewise loath to allow you to examine his
mouth, being fearful of a repetition of the pain
which he suflFered while undergoing this dis>
graceful operation.

A bishopped horse is not of necessity an un-
sound one ; but he is returnable to the seller,
who makes himself liable to an action for having
used fradulent means to get a purchaser. See
note, p. 41.

THE VEINS OF THE NECK. 77

The Veins of the Neck.

One of them is sometimes obliterated in con-
sequence of becoming- inflamed after the opera-
tion of bleeding. Such a deficiency in structure
may bc^ discovered, by placing the finger on the
loNvor part of the neck, and compressing the vein
sufficiently to stop the passage of the blood. If
the vein is entire, it will be seen to fill and swell
upwards from the point of pressure.

The loss of a vein I consider an unsoundness,
because, even for many months after it has been
shut up, the blood cannot pass so readily from
the head ; and if the horse ever needs to be
turned out to grass, his head will probably swell
from the accumulation of blood, and he will be
predisposed to bad eyes and staggers. Tiie
purchaser need not, however, reject a horse be-
cause he has lost a vein ; for, in course of time,
other veins of the neck increase in size, and
among them perform the work of the large one
that was lost : and then the only objection to it is,
that he must not again be bled in the ne<k, lest

78 THE FORELEG AND SHOULDER.

possibly the other vein also inflame, and become
impervious.

The Foreleg and Shoulder.

Grooms and blacksmiths make the shoulder
the seat of every lameness in the foreleg, when
their acuteness is not sufficient to enable them
to discover it any where else : but the fact is the
shoulder is very rarely diseased, and hence, in
an examination for unsoundnesses, it is a part
not much looked to. Tumours on the seat of
the collar, however, are not unfrequently met
with ; and when large, they must either be cut
out, or a collar must be used of such a construc-
tion as to avoid pressing upon them. Except
under such circumstances, a tumour of this kind
does not make a horse unsound ; if he is bought
entirely for the saddle, then it is only an eye-
sore ; but if he is bought to go in harness,
and the tumour be of such a size or nature as in
the least to unfit him for wearing the collar,
then the horse is unsound.

THPJ FORELEG AND SHOULDER. 79

The Point of the Elbow is sometimes the seat
of a large and ugly tumour, produced by the
heel of the shoe bruising it, when the horse is
lying with the leg bent under him.

I never saw a case where it interfered with
the horse's action ; and unless it does so, it is
merely a blemish, not an unsoundness.

The Front of the Knee is invariably scrutinized
with the utmost severity by every purchaser at
all acquainted with horses. If the hair be rubbed
off, it is a symptom, that the horse has at some
time fallen, and injured himself: and it is a po-
pular, though erroneous opinion, that if he has
once come down, he will be ever after very apt
to do so again. This error has had its origin
in, and is perpetuated by, the fact, that some
horses come down very frequently. But they
do so, because they are not well formed for the
saddle ; having either a low forehand, or a heavy
head, or an upright shoulder, or what is a natural
consequence of these faults, they lean so much over
their forelegs, as to be very easily thrown on their
knees. In a horse that is known to fall often, some,
or all of these defects will be found in his conform-
ation, but there is nothing in the nature of the
injury of the skin, that can at all make him

80 THE FORELEG AND SHOULDER.

liable to fall. It is true, however, tliat now aim
then the injury has been such as to affect the
joints, and the bones of the knee, in such a way
as partially to stiffen it ; but this, compared with
the simple injury of the skin, is of rare occur-
rence. It is an easy matter to ascertain whether
the knee joint be perfect or not ; the purchaser
has only to lift the foot, and bend it backwards,
till the heel of the shoe touches the point of the
elbow. If it cannot be bent so far, the horse is
unsound, unfit for quick work, and liable to fall
at any M'ork on a rough road, or in deep ground.
But, of course, the degree of this unfitness and
liability will depend upon the degree in which
the knee is stiffened: but the least degree con-
stitutes unsoundness ; and I may observe, that
though there is a probability of the evil increas-
ing, yet there is none of its decreasing: and
knowing this, the purchaser wnll act accord-
ingly.

When the hair is awanting in the front of the
knee, the horse is said to have had broken knees,
which shows how the evil is estimated. It is a
mere blemish, no unsoundness ; unless, as I have
already observed, the structure of the joint is
affected.

THE FORELEG AND SHOULDER. 81

Immediately below the knee joint, on the
inside, the skin will, in some cases, he found
abraded, and the bone enlarged. This is produced
by the opposite foot striking it, when the high-
actioned horse is trotting fast. It is denominated
Speedy cut, and is only objectionable, as indicat-
ing bad action, but is no unsoundness.

Between the knee and the fetlock joint, on
the inside, and some way between the knee and
the middle of the shank, a little bony tumour is
found, called Splent. Few horses, after a year's
work, are free from it. At its commencement it
is attended with considerable lameness ; yet,
after a time, the lameness goes off, and we can
perceive no difference between the action or
ability of a horse with, and one without splent ;
unless, indeed, it become, through neglect or
improper treatment, so large as to interfere with
the motion of the back tendons. When it does
so, the horse is unsound : but not otherwise.

Strain of the hack tendons is a very common
occurrence in the horse, and more especially so
in heavy draught horses, and those with long
and slanting pasterns. When it has been severe
it is a long time before the attending enlarge-
ment is entirely removed ; and while any remains,
the leg is weak and easily re-injured

82 THE FORELEG AND SHOULDEIl.

I would here remark, that in every actual or
suspected case of enlargement, of any part of the
limbs, the examiner may make up his mind with
precision as to its existence or non-existence, by
comparing the suspected part with the same part
in the opposite leg : for it rarely happens that
both have the same disease, but when they have,
the degree of enlargement differs, which is enough
to show, that there is deviation from health. So,
the enlargement left by an old strain, may be so
slight, as not to be recognised by the eye, yet
detected at once, })y carefully and slowly draw-
ing the thumb and first two fingers down the
whole length of the back tendons of each leg.
Some staring of the hair may hint that the leg
has been blistered, and may strengthen the
opinion you have formed, after comparing the
fineness of the two legs by your hand.

The remnants of a strain in the back tendons
make a horse unsound, inasmuch as, though he
may, at the time of sale, appear perfectly free
from lameness, yet these tendons have so much
work to do, tliat they cannot afiFord to lose any
of their original strength.

The Fetlock Joints are frequently the seat of
bony and tendinous enlargement : they should,
therefore, be well examined by both the eye and

THE FORELEG AND SHOULDER. 83

the hand. When enlargement does exist, it in
almost every case constitutes unsoundness. The
inside of the fetlock joint should be examined,
to see if the horse is a cutter, that is, one who
strikes the fetlock Avith the opposite foot, and
cuts the skin. Cutting is a natural defect in the
animal's conformation or action, and cannot,
however objectionable, be called unsoundness.

Windgalls are little puffy tumours situated
directly above, and almost on, the fetlock joint.
They are little bags containing a fluid for lubri-
cating and preventing friction, between a tendon
and two little bones, which it here passes over :
and it is an increase of this fluid, commonly
called joint oil, which distends the containing
bag, and constitutes windgalls. Few horses
are without them, and they do not constitute
unsoundness ; but they show that the animal
has done a good deal of work.

The Fetlock is sometimes subjected to an
operation, which may, and has before now, aided
the roguish seller, and cheated the purchaser.
The operation is called unnerving, and is per-
formed, not by a dealer, but by a veterinarian, for
the purpose of destroying sensation in the foot of
an incurably lame horse. It consists in making an

84 THE FORELEG AND SHOULDER.

incisioa through the skin, either directly above,
or below the fetlock joint ; and then dividing,
or even entirely removing, a small portion or
the nerves that supply the foot with sensibility.
After this, the groggy horse appears perfectly
sound : but it must be remembered, that the
disease is not cured, though the pain and lame-
ness are removed. In many cases the disease
goes gradually on, till the horse breaks down,
throws off the hoof, or, in some other way,
becomes quite useless. This is quite a com-
mon affair in England : but in Scotland, the
operation is rarely practised. Where it is per-
formed merely that the horse may be got rid
of, the usual result is that which I have just
mentioned : but there are other cases, where,
when properly performed, it makes a perfect
cripple serviceable for many years, and is a useful
operation, notwithstanding what has been said
against it, by those who neither know how nor
when to perform it. But the purchaser, who
can neither know why nor how it has been per-
formed, should never buy an unnerved horse.

Sometimes one, and sometimes both legs are
operated upon : and as the incisions never heal
so well as to leave no trace of their having been

THE FOOT. 85

made, the scar in the skin should be looked for
on each side of the fetlock; it is generally under,
though sometimes above, that joint.

The mere division of the nerve would only
make a horse unsound, until its ends unite, as
in time they will ; but then, the operation is
almost always performed for a disease that
always remains and makes the horse unsound
for life.

The Pastern, or space between the fetlock
joint and the top of the hoof is the seat of a
bony tumour, called Ringbone. It may be dis-
covered by its prominence, and, when it exists,
it constitutes unsoundness. But many a horse
has worked well for many years with a small
ringbone.

The Foot.

Side bones. Immediately above the hoof, at
the heels, and stretching somewhat forward on
each side, and having the hollow of the pastern
between them, are two elastic bodies, called by
veterinary surgeons the lateral cartilages. When
in health, they bend inwards and a little out.
11

86 THE FOOT.

wards, to the pressure of the finger and thumb ;
but they are liable to a disease, which renders
them partially or wholly inelastic, and frequently
makes them so prominent as to invite attention.
They are converted into bone, and stable-men
say the horse has side bones. It is a disease
most commonly met with in heavy draught
horses, and is one which constitutes unsound-
ness, inasmuch as it produces more or less
tenderness in all its stages : and if the horse has
to be driven about a town, it will, in time, pro-
ceed to such an extent as to make him a perfect
cripple ; and besides that, it makes the bone of
the foot liable to fracture. To a farmer, how-
ever, a horse having side bones may be useful
for many years, at any work where the ground
is soft, and the pace slow.

Sandcrack is a fracture of the hoof, or a
separation of the fibres composing it. The
fissure is commonly found in the inside quarter
of the hoof, and varies in length from half an
inch to the whole depth of the crust. It some-
times occurs in the market-place, where the
horse is driven violently about on the stones ;
and the buyer should therefore look for it,
because it may be so small as otherwise to

THE FOOT. 87

escape notice : and if he has once got the horse
home with a sandcrack, there is little or no
probability of getting him returned : for, unless
something about it shows that it has been treated,
no veterinary surgeon can swear that it existed
prior to sale. It is an unsoundness, however,
if it did.

Contraction. The foot may be said to be
contracted, when it is narrower from side to
side, than it is long from the point of the toe to
the heel of the frog. Most people regard a
contracted foot as being a great detriment to
the horse : but it frequently happens that the
very people who do so, have a horse whose foot
is very narrow, without their being aware of it ;
which, along with many other circumstances,
shows, that it is not so serious an evil as is
commonly imagined. Indeed, there are very iew
well-bred horses above the age of seven, thathave
not more or less contraction in their hoofs, and
yet show no symptoms of being in the least
incapacitated by it. A fact we need not wonder
at, when it is known, that where the contraction
comes on very slowly, the parts within accommo-
date themselves to the diminished size of the
lioof, and hence we have a small foot, which of

88 THE FOOT.

itself would scarcely ever be deemed an objec-
tion, if it were not known that lameness is so
common an attendant upon it. For my own
part, I would not reject a horse, merely because
its feet were contracted, provided both were
equally so, and free from heat and tenderness ;
and the horse's action such as to assure me,
that no disease existed in the foot besides the
contraction : and therefore though I never pass
a horse without pointing it out, yet I endeavour,
at the same time, to explain its harmlessness.
But, where one foot is smaller than the other,
it alters the case : 1 am then certain, that there
either is, or has been, some long-continued
cause of lameness, existing either in the leg or
foot : and the discovery of that in many cases,
sufficiently warrants me in saying that the horse
is unsound, without taking any notice of the
smallness of the foot, which may here be only a
natural consequence of the animal's setting less
weight on it than the other. Contraction alone
is therefore not unsoundness.

Thrush. Every man at all acquainted with
horses knows a thrush when he sees it ; and I
need not, therefore, give directions for discover-
ing It. It is a disease very frequently met

THE FOOT. 89

With, and one that, in some cases, exists in so
trifling a degree, as almost to escape the ohser-
vation of a superficial examiner: while, in other
cases, its magnitude is such as to give the foot
the appearance of being " rotten for good and
all." Sometimes it consists in a very trifling
discharge of matter from the cleft of the frog :
at other times, the frog is small, ragged, soft,
and useless. It is the various degrees in which
it exists, that have produced the great diversity
of opinion that prevails regarding how far it
constitutes unsoundness : one party contending
that a tlirush, in every case, makes a horse un-
sound ; and another, that in some cases it does
not. The question has been tried more than
once in a court of justice : but the lawyers aver,
that the evidence was so contradictory, that no
general rule could be laid down. It is a disease,
as I have already observed, so common, and so
seldom attended by any apparent bad conse-
quences, that few people object to it ; and I
am inclined to believe, that the horse is often
returned to the seller for having a thrush, when
the actual objection is something having more
alliance to some fault for which he cannot be
returned. The purchaser perhaps rues his

90 THE FOOT.

bargain : the horse is too dear, or is found to
have some defect in his action or conformation,
and the thrush is made a handle of to get rid of
the horse altogether.

Not long- ago, I was one of those who do
not consider every case of thrush an unsound-
ness : but I find so much difiiculty in fixing upon
the proper degree in which it must exist to do
so, that I now consider thrush as one of those
diseases, that, strictly speaking, make a horse
less useful than he would be without it. If it
be neglected, it will increase : the frog will
become tender, and the horse shows it, when
among small stones, or on a newly metalled
road. The foot contracts : and if, at this
period, any attempt is made to dry the discharge,
the horse becomes lame, unless it is very gradu-
ally accomplished : and then too, not an unfre-
quent result of long continued thrush is a much
more formidable disease, called Canker, which
is tedious and difficult to cure ; so that upon the
whole, a thrush may not be so trifling a matter
as is generally considered. It is an unsound-
ness, according to our definition of that word.
I am aware, that in its commencement, it is
very readily cured, and the seller never fails to

'*#>

THE FOOT.

91

tell the purchaser so : but why does he not cure
it himself? Objections aud returns would then
be done away with, at least as far as thrush is
concerned.

The purchaser will infer from what I have
just said, that I do not by any means advise him
to reject a horse with slight thrushes, or even
one with them in a somewhat advanced stage,
provided the horse pleases him otherwise, and
he gets him at such a rate, as to afford the
expense necessary in curing what may probably
become a more serious evil.

Corns cannot be discovered without removing
the shoe ; so that, when you suspect their exis-
tence, you had better accompany the horse to
the forge, the first time he goes there to be shod.
They are found at the extremity of the sole,
between the crust of the hoof and the bars ; and
they are known by the horn at that part being
discoloured with blood. If the blacksmith can
remove this reddish horn with his knife without
bleeding the foot, there is nothing to fear : there
has been a corn, but there is not now.

If corns exist in such a degree, as to render
more than ordinary care necessary in shoeing,
the horse is unsound, but not otherwise : for a

■^'

92 THE FOOT.

eoni may be produced by an ill put on shoe, the
removal and properly replacing of which will
remove the corn.

Flat soles are not always the result of disease.
When they are so, the crust (or all that part of
the hoof exposed to view, when the foot stands
on the ground) runs very obliquely from the
termination of the skin to the ground ; and
transversely, it is marked by alternate ridges
and furrows. Such feet are very objectionable
in any horse, but particularly so in a heavy one,
who has to work in or about a town : for if the
feet ev^er again become inflamed, there is every
probability of the sole bulging out, and becoming
so convex as to render the animal all but useless.
Sometimes the foot is naturally flat, and then it
does not, as in the other case, constitute un-
soundness : the horse having the diseased flat
foot may be more particularly distinguished
from the other by his gait, which I have to
speak of by and by, wndi&v founder.

The Shoe should be looked at, in order to
assist in determining whether or not the horse
cuts himself. If a bad cutter, he will either
have the inside branch of the shoe considerably
thicker than the outer one, or he will have a

THE CHEST AND QUARTERS. 95

high calkin on it, and the nails will be driven
principally in the outside, and round the toe : and
the hoof will hang a little over the outer edge of
the inside of the shoe. I have already mentioned,
that the fetlock should be examined for the same
reason that the shoe should : both should be at-
tended to.

The Chest and Quarters.

Each side of the chest, immediately behind the
point of the elbow, should be examined, to dis-
cover the marks left by blisters, setons, and
rowels. If any are found, it will be pretty
certain evidence, that the horse has had inflam-
mation in the lungs ; and as it is possible the
disease may not have left these organs uninjured,
the wind should be well tried oy a smart gallop
before purchase.

The Shin between the Forelegs should be ex-
amined for the same marks, and for the same
reason that the side should. The hair staring,
being thin, and running irregularly in different
directions, are signs that a blister has been there

^4 THE CHEST AND QUARTERS.

recently, while little, bald, and somewliat knotty-
spots, are as certain signs of the recent use of
setons or rowels. It is impossible to say from
these appearances, that the horse is unsound :
they only show, that he has had, or been treated
for, a disease which often makes him so.

The Haunch hones should be compared with
eacli other, to see that they are equally promin-
ent : for sometimes a piece is broken off one by
accident. The examiner will see this best, by
standing a little way directly behind the horse.
If but a small piece has been chipped off, and
the horse does not seem to suffer from it, he
cannot be said to be unsound : and he is only,
therefore, objected to for the deformity, which,
by the way, is sometimes so trifling, as to exist
without the owner of the horse being at all
aware of it. There is a mare Avorking in a
stage-coach in the neighbourhood of Glasgow
just now, which has had so large a piece broken
off the haunch bone, as to form a deficiency in
the prominence of the belly on that side ; and
vet she does her work as well as her companion.
But I should think she would be unable to take
any thing like a considerable leap.

THE HOCK. 95

The Stifle is rarely diseased, but any enlarge-
ment ot* so important a joint must be considered
as an unsoundness.

The Groin is now and then the seat of a soft
compressible tumour, varying from the size of
an egg to that of a man's head. It is formed by
the escape of a portion of bowel from the cavity
of the belly, and is tlie same with what is de-
nominated rupture in the human being. It is
oftenest met with in the stallion, and then it
occupies the same bag with the testicle. But
though rupture, or hernia, as it is called in
medical language, is oftener met with in stal-
lions than geldings, yet it so rarely occurs in
either, that few look for it. It can do no harm
however, to take a glance at the groin, and see
that all be right.

Hernia is decidedly an unsoundness.

I may here observe, that in purchasing a
stallion, the testicles ought to be examined: but
the assistance of some one acquainted with their
healthy structure will here be necessary.

The Hock.
It has been often remarked, that the foot

96 THE HOCK.

before, and the hock behind are subject to more
disease than any other part of the horse. It is
an observation founded on experience, and should
not be forgotten by the purchaser, when examin-
ing those parts.

Capped Hock is a swelling on the point of the
hock, produced generally by the horse kicking
in the stable or in harness. It never produces
lameness after the inflammation which accom-
panies its commencement is subdued, and is
therefore not an unsoundness ; but it is an ugly
blemish, and one that, in many cases, belongs to
a vicious horse.

There is another kind of swelling on the point
of the hock, differing from the former by being
attended with lameness, and especially so after
a hard day's work; consequently it is an unsound-
ness ; but the Veterinary Surgeon is the only
person fit to distinguish between this and the
mere blemish : though as both hocks are rarely
aflfected in this case, and are generally so in the
other, the purchaser runs less risk in ge4;ting u
horse with two, than only one capped hock.

Curb is a longitudinal swelling, found at the
back of the hind leg, and three or four inches
directly below the point of the Iiock. It is best

THE HOCK. 97

seen, when the examiner stands a yard or two
from the side of the horse. A small curb does
not make a horse unsound;, neither does a large
one, unless the horse become lame from it when
put to work, which rarely (perhaps never, but
under over-exertion) happens, after the pain
and inflammation are removed which attended
it at its commencement.

Thorough Pin is a tumour of the same nature
as windfalls, and is of no more consequence.
It is situated on each side of the hock joint,
about an inch above and behind the centre of
motion.

JSone Spavin is a diseased state of the small
joints and bones which enter into the formation
of the hock. It is a disease of very frequent
occurrence, and, with the exception of curb,
almost the only one belonging- to the hock, which
produces lameness. To discover its existence is
not always an easy matter : on the contrary, the
horse may be dead lame from spavin, and yet
the most skilful veterinarian is unable to say posi-
tively, whether the lameness proceeds from that
disease or some other. Many people suppose,
that spavin does not exist, till there is a bony
I

98 THE HOCK.

swelling perceptible to the eye : but this is quite
erroneous, for as bone grows very slowly, and
as, in this case, inflammation and pain are at first
necessarily combined with, and must even precede,
the formation of the bony tumour, it follows,
that we must have lameness, long- before we are
informed of the cause by external enlargement.
The horse with spavin, however, is, in almost
every case, lame from the commencement of the
disease, till the hock is enlarged : and then the
lameness subsides into stijffness : and then, but
not before, the horse is offered for sale : so that
the purchaser will not find it a very difficult
matter to guard against spavin. It makes its
appearance on the inside of the leg, and most
commonly at that part where the hock joint
terminates and the leg begins. In some cases,
both hocks are affected: but, at a rough guess,
I would say, both are not equally so in more
than one case out of a hundred ; and it is the
inequality of the enlargement that will enable
the examiner to decide whether the hock be
naturally large, or increased in size by disease.
Let the eye and the hand be both used in com-
paring the hocks with each other ; and look at

THE HOCK. 99

the toe of the shoe, and the hoof, to see if they
are worn away by the horse dragging his foot
along the ground.

Bone spavin, in whatever degree it may exist,
is decidedly an unsoundness. A spavined horse
may appear to do his work well for a long
period ; but, if closely observed, he will be found
to be always a little stifF, and that stiifness will
never entirely disappear ; though it may be pre-
dicted with safety, that it will sooner or later
end in downright lameness, unless the horse is
kept at work which never requires the full exer-
tion of his powers ; for the disease is of such a
nature as in most cases to remain stationary, if
the cause that first produced it is not re -applied
— over-exertion, and over-weight.

JBog Spavin is a swelling in the front, and
rather to the inside of the hock, on the centre of
the joint. It is of the same nature as windgalls
and thorough pin, and only to be regarded in
the same light as these two indications of over-
exertion.

Over the middle of the tumour, constituting
bog spavin, a vein runs, which, by the distention
of the bag beneath, is always pushed a little out
of its place, and then appearing more prominent.

100 LAMENESS.

the groom thinks it is a disease, and calls it
blood spavin. Dissection, however, and measure-
ment of the vein, show no trace of disease,
neither, when filled with wax in the dead sub-
ject, does it appear at all larger, than where
neither bog- nor blood spavin had existed.

Below the hock joint, the leg- should be exam-
ined for strains, the fetlock for enlargement,
windgalls, and cutting, the pastern for ringbone,
the foot for side bones and thrushes. The other
diseases mentioned as belonging to the foreleg
and foot, are rarely, and some of them never,
seen in the hind foot.

Suppose the purchaser to have proceeded
thus far in his examination, he will next have
the horse trotted upon the stones, to see that
he is not lame, either before or behind. I need
not attempt to give directions for discovering
lameness, for no man should, unaided, buy a
horse, if his knowledge of that animal be too
scanty to enable him to discover it himself. I
may observe, however, that, as lameness in the
forefeet or legs is shown by the motion of the
animal's head, care must be taken that the
seller do not hide this symptom by holding the
horse's head so firmly, as to prevent its up and

LAMENESS.

101

down motion. Let the horse have the full length
of the rein to himseif, for his head is fixed, when
the groom takes what he calls a short hold.
The horse's action should at this time be attend-
ed to, for if he be tender on both forefeet, it is
much less likely to be observed, than if only one
were affected. A groggy horse has passed often
enough for " warranted sound," when his action
would, a priori^ have informed an experienced
horseman of his unsound condition. The groggy
horse shuffles his feet before him as if the whole
leg were stiff; he goes very near the ground,
and treads so lightly, that he reminds one of a
" cat on a hot girdle." A horse with such action,
is called by stablemen a " daisy cutter."

Lameness, however trifling, or from whatever
cause, is an unsoundness : and, I suppose, no one
(excepting of course our small, yet gentlemanly
dealer,) would buy a lame horse, without know-
ing the cause and probable termination of the
lameness.

Founder is a name given to an inflammation of
the foot, which frequently leaves bad effects be-
hind it, without their immediately showing them-
selves in an altered state of the hoof. In many

102 LAMENESS.

cases, the horse's action shows that all is not
right; and in time it is demonstrated by the
descent of the sole. When an attack of founder
has permanently injured, yet not totally ruined,
the foot, it will he discovered by the peculiar
way the foot is placed on the ground, when the
horse is in motion. Instead of coming down
almost flat from the toe to the heel, it will be
observed, that the heel comes first in contact
with the ground: and if the horse has raised
heels on his shoes, this peculiar tread will be
rendered more conspicuous. It is best seen
when the horse is trotting in a straight line
towards the examiner. Besides setting the heel
of the foot down before the toe, the foundered
horse projects his foot forward in a loose, jerk-
ing manner, which, of itself, is a characteristic
symptom of this disease. The state of the hoof
is another : mentioned at p. 92.

This disease, for disease it is, though only
the remnant of a more violent one, is without
doubt an unsoundness : it can never be entirely
cured, and will, after the horse has had a hard
day's work, so much increase, as to make him
actually lame : and if he be, as he generally is.

STRING HALT. 103

a heavy horse, and has to do quick work about
a town, he will sooner or later become next to
useless by the sole becoming" convex : and from
first to last, he requires particular care in shoe-
ing.

StringJmlt, or Click spavin^ as it is sometimes
termed in Scotland, consists in lifting one or
both of the hind legs to an unnatural height, and
in a convulsive manner. It is supposed to be a
disease of the nerves, but its nature and cause
are not precisely known ; for dissection throws
no light upon either. We might expect, that
the awkward way in which the horse uses his
legs, would very soon fatigue him ; but it does
not appear so, and therefore it is not reckoned
an unsoundness. It, however, gives the horse
a very ungraceful appearance.

Disease of the Loins, is indicated by the un-
steady motion of the hind legs ; and when the
horse is backed, or turned smartly round, he
threatens to fall. In every case, it constitutes
unsoundness : and the cases of recovery are so
few, and the horse is so useless, that he had
better be altogether rejected.

104 THE LUNGS.

The Lungs.

Anotlier important point in the examination or
every horse, is that of the air passages. They a:;^
very subject to disease, and as mueh oi" the
horse's utility depends upon his " wind," it
should in every case be put to the test.

Broken wind. The most infallible symptom
of this disease, is the peculiar heaving of the
Hank. In health it alternately heaves, and falls,
and takes as much time to do the latter as the
former. But in a broken- winded horse, the
flank rises about half-way, pauses there a moment,
then goes on, and drops in an instant, as
if suddenly, and forcibly thrust down. In this
way the flank falls in less than half the time it
occupies in rising ; and this is the chief symptom
of broken wind. But there is another, when
the horse is made to cough, by compressing the
head of the windpipe, he utters a short, low,
grunting sound, not unlike the cough of an old
asthmatic. It is not the clear sonorous cough
of a horse in health. Dealers give, or aim as if
they were going to give, the horse a blow on tlie
bide, whca they want to try his wind ; aud if

THE LUNGS. 105

this elicits a grunt from the horse, they say he
has diseased lungs; and so in general he has;
hut not always, neither does he always make
this noise when he has. It is therefore a bad
test.

I need hardly say that a broken-winded horse
is an unsound one. Every body knows it. The
disease does not however render the horse use-
less ; on the contrary, we frequently, meet witli
a broken-winded horse, following the hounds as
well, or almost as well as the best in the field.
But to do so he must be well taken care of, and
then in spite of all care, he will sometimes be
good for nothing. The least change of diet, or
weather, seems to have a singular effect upon
him.

I have heard of drugs being given to conceal
the symptoms of broken wind, and tliey certain-
ly do so to a certain extent, and for a short time ;
but I know of no method by which the imposition
may be discovered, except his peculiar cough,
which cannot be altered by any means.

Roaring^ whistling, wheezing, piping, puffing^
and thick wind, are names given by stablemen to
diflFerent stages, or modifications of one or two
diseases of the air passages, which, by partially

108 THE LUNGS.

obstructing them, produces a noise, varying in
character according to the seat, and degree of
the disease.

The obstruction is rarely so great as to produce
any noise in the breathing while the animal is
at perfect rest. He should therefore be mount-
ed, and get a giillop, either up hill, or in deep
ground, or sufficiently far on any ground, to in-
crease the breathing ; and if the examiner does
not ride, himself, he should stand close to the horse
as he comes in, that the unnatural noise, if there
be any, may be the more readily heard. When
the dealer wants to conceal the noise of roaring,
&c., he takes the horse out a considerable dis-
tance before putting him to the gallop ; and in
returning he slackens the pace, so that the
breathing may become tranquil before the horse
reaches the examiner. This is called the " long
trot."

Roaring of all kinds constitutes unsoundness.

Immediately after the horse has been gallop-
ped, notice should be taken whether the acceler-
ation in the breathing be greater than it usually
is by the same exertion in a healthy horse:
for, if the lungs are diseased, the breathing will
be more or less laborious. Some allowance,

THE LUNGS. 107

however, must be made for tlie condition the
horse is in. If he is in the hands of a dealer it
is probable that for weeks before he has had no
work beyond an hour's daily walking exercise ;
and then, he has been fattened like a cow for the
bjitcher. So that, between indolence, and
abundance of food, the horse has been brought
to such a state, as to be much distressed, by
what at another time would not in the least
incommode him. The dealer has again and
again suffered, and suffered most unjustly, for
selling a horse in this state ; and I heartily wish
some abler hand than mine would take up the
cudgels in his behalf. It is his interest to
make his goods look as well as they will ; and
in order to do so he allows the horse plenty of
soft food, and gives him little or no work : then
there is accummulation of f?it — a sleek glossy
coat ; and the animal appears in high condition,
and sufficiently vigorous for any work ; but
he is, notwithstanding, a thing of mere show ;
he has plenty of fire but no vigour. The pur-
chaser, however, is not aware of this ; and, proud
of his splendid new horse, he thinks nothing of
knocking him about at the rate of twelve

166 THE LUNGS.

or fourteen miles an hour, or perhaps he at
once goes " a-hunting." Now what is too
frequently the result of this absurd treatment ?
Why, what can be expected, but that the horse
should sometimes drop under his thoughtless
rider? or what needs he wonder, if on getting
home he finds his horse ill — bad with inflamed
lungs — and in a day or two, dead ? Then comes
the injustice of the thing. The purchaser takes
it into his head, or perhaps his groom or black-
smith puts it in for him, that the horse must have
been unsound when sold. A lawsuit accord-
ingly commences — some pretending old fool of
a farrier, who could not for his life tell whether
a certain part were sound or diseased, swears
that he opened the horse and found him " rotten
— rotten as a pear, and long unsound." It is not
inquired whether or not this witness is com-
petent to give evidence in such a case ; but the
court, taking that for granted, gives a verdict
in favour of the buyer. And thus the seller
suffers in pocket and in reputation, because one
man did not know how to take care of a horse,
and another did not know that a disease may
be set up and end in death, in six and thirty

THE LUNGS. 109

hours. It IS very clear that justice can never
be administered while quacks are allowed to
give evidence, (at least if their evidence is allowed
to have any weight,) on a thing they know no
more about than the thing does about them.

And another thing, the dealer always goes
into court like a dog with a bad name. It is
supposed that he must have known of the un-
soundness, and consequently when the cause is
tried before a jury, their minds, in spite of
themselves, are biassed in favour of the simple
buyer ; and that, coupled with their ignorance
of horse affairs, and the perplexity introduced
by the contradictory statements of ignorant and
incompetent witnesses, make a lawsuit in this
particular case, at best a mere lottery : a lottery
too where the parties have very unequal chances.
These remarks are not out of place. They are
intended as advice to the purchaser. Let him
recollect that his new horse is not fit for any
thing like hard work, until he has been prepared
for it by daily and gradually increasing exertion.
And where a horse does die shortly after sale,
get a Veterinary Surgeon to examine the body ;
he is the only competent person to decide

K

110 THE LUNGS.

whether the cause of death existed prior to,
or was produced after, sale. And if he is doubt-
ful, get another, " two heads are better than
one :" and in such a case, if an amicable arrange-
ment can be made with the seller, it is better
than rushing into a court of justice, where no
one can tell who is to lose or who to win.
Those who want an illustration of this, will find
one in this month's (August, 1833) "Veteri-
narian," where it is stated that a horse was
bought, and soon after died, nobody knew what
he died of, and yet the purchaser pursued the
seller, and recovered the full price of the horse,
with costs. So much for law.

I N D E X.

PAG B

Action, peculiarity of the, in horses that have had an

attack of founder, 101

Action, peculiarity of the, in groggy horses, . . 101
Age of the horse, how ascertained by the teeth, . 67
Age of the horse, how ascertained by his general appear-
ance, 73

Back, the, weak when too long, . . . . 10
Back tendons, the, should not be tied in under the knee, 18

Back tendons, disease of the, how discovered, . . 81

Bishopping, a fraud upon the purchaser, . . 79

Blindness from palsy of the optic nerve, ... 50

Blood spavin, what, 99

Bog spavin, nature of, not an unsoundness, . . 99

Bone spavin, definition of, 97

Bones, use of the, 3

Broken knees do not make the horse liable to fall, . 79

Broken wind, symptoms of, 104

Buck eyes, what, 48

Capped hock, two kinds of 96

Caswell, V. Coare, case of, • .... 34

Cartilages of the foot sometimes converted into bono, 85

Cataract, how discovered, 48

Chronic cough generally considered an unsoundness, 54

112

INDEX,

PAGE

Crib-biting, trial concerning, . . . ; . 56
Croup, drooping of the, characteristic of the Irish horse, 10

Cold, common, symptoms of, 63

Conti'action of the foot, not a disease of itself, . . 87
Corns, an unsoundness when such as to require more

than ordinary care in shoeing, .... 91
Cough, chronic, generally regarded as an unsoundness, 64

Cow hocks, what, , 15

Curtis, V. Hannay, case of, 86

Cutting, not a disease, arises from defective action, 83, 92

Delivery, laws relating to, 23

Earnest money must be given to bind the bargain, . 24
Elbow, the point of the, occasionally the seat of a tumour, 79

Eye, examination of the, 48

Fieldei", v. Stai'kin, case of, 85

Fetlock joint, liable to enlargement, ... 82

Flat soles, not always a consequence of disease, . 92

Fraud, laws relating to, *>^

Foot, examination of the, for diseases, ... 85

Foot, natural shape of the, 78

Fore legs, diseases of the, 7!i

Fore legs, position of the, 1 ^

Founder, often leaves the foot in a diseased condition, 101

Glanders, symptoms of, 61

Glands between the bones of lower jaw enlarged in

glanders, 6fi

Grogginess, symptoms of, . . • •10)

Hind leg, diseases of, .... 9^

Hip down, fracture of the haunch, . . .94

Hips, ragged, a defect in the form of the loins, 11

INDEX. 113

PAGE

Hock, examination of the, for disease, ... 95

Knees, broken, not an unsoundness, ... 79

Knees, defects in conformation of the, ... 13

Knees, sometimes partially stiiFened, • . . 30

Lameness, in every case constituting unsoundness, . 101

I^oius, disease of, how discovered, .... 103

Lungs, how examined, . ; . . . . 104

Mange, an unsoundness, 20

Mark of the teeth, use of, in ascertaining the horse's age, 67

Moon blindness, 48

Muscles, the, the active organs of motion, . . 2

Narrow chest, a, disadvantageous, .... 9

Neck, the, should be light in all saddle horses, . 7

Nerves, division of the, at fetlock joint, ... 83

Nostrils, discharge from, 61

Nostrils, a plug sometimes purposely placed in them, 52

Nostrils, should be large in all horses, . . , 7

Nostrils, tumours occasionally found in them, . . 52

Pasterns, length of, varying in different breeds, . 13

Puffing the glims, a trick of the dealer, ... 74

Quarters, the, should be well furnished with muscle, 11

Ragged hips, a defect in the loins, . . . . 11

Ringbone, an unsoundness, ..... 85

Roach backed, what, . . . . . . 10

Roaring, method of discovering, .... 105

Rupture, occasionally met with in horses, . . 95

Saddle back, disadvantages of, . . . . 10

Sale, laws regarding, 22

Shillitce, v. Claridge, case of, . . . . . 33

Shoulder, form of, 12

] 14 INDEX.

I *...•?

Shoulder, tumours on, ..••.. 78

Side bones, what, . . . .... 85

Soundness, definition of, ...... 17

Spavin, blood, not a disease, 99

Spavin, bog, not an unsoundness, .... 99

Spavin, bone, hovr discovered, 97

Speedy cut, what 87

Spine, sunk in saddle-backed horses, ... 10

Spine, sunk in old horses, 73

Splint, not an unsoundness, 81

Strain of back tendons, remains of, an unsoundness, 81
Stringhalt, not an unsoundness, . . . .103

Teeth, the, as indicating the horse's age, ... 67

Teeth, state of the, in crib-biters, . . . . 65

Tendons, back, how they should be examined, . . 81

Thick wind, symptoms of, ..... 105

Thorough pin, not an unsoundness, .... 97

Thrush, not to be disregarded, .... 88

Unsoundness, definition of, 17

Vice, definition of, 42

Warranty, doctrine of, 26

Warranty, express, ..... .27

Warranty, form of, ....... 41

Warranty, implied, 27

Warranty, qualified, 42

Windgalls, nature cf, ...... 83

W^ithers, high, important for safety, . . . b
THE END.

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The Pocket Medical Guide ;

BeiDg a Popular Treatise on Diet and Regimen, Cold and
its effects, and the Use and Doses of Medicine ; the whole
selected from the latest and best authorities, and carefully
adapted for the use of families and non-professional
readers.

CONTEKTS.
Part I.—ON DIET AND REGIMEN.

Introduction — Chap. I. General Anatomy of the Diges-
tive Apparatus. 1. Of the Alimentary Canal. 2. Of the
Glands subservient to digestion. 3. Of the connexion
between the digestive and other functions. — Chap. II. Of
Hunger and Thirst.— Chap. III. What is the natural Food
of man? — Chap. IV. Of Alimentary Substances. 1. Ali-
ments derived from the Vegetable kingdom. 2. Aliments
derived from the Animal kingdom. 3. Of Condiments.
4. Of Drinks. — Chap. V. Rules for taking food. — Chap.
VI. Of Indigestion.

Part II.— ON EXPOSURE TO COLD AND ITS EFFECTS.

Chap. I. Of Cold in general. — Chap. II. Of the diseases
caused by exposure to cold. 1. 1 he direct consequences of
exposure to cold. 2. The indirect consequences of exposure
to cold; Fever, Catarrh, Intiuenza, Cough, Asthma, Con-
sumption, Inflammation of the Larynx, Croup, Inflamma-
tion of the Lungs, Sore Throat, Rheumatism, Diarrhoea,
Chilblains, Ophthalmia. — Chap. III. Of the means where-
by the bad effects of exposure to cold may be avoided.
Part III.-ON THE USE AND DOSES OF MEDICINE.

Art of proscribing medicines — Laxative medicines, Eme-
tics, Anodynes, Astringents, Tonics.

" A book that no family in town or country ought to be
-wiXhont."— -Kilmarnock Journal.

" This, though a small, is a very useful manual. The
editor evinces aptitude in the art of condensation, and the
publisher, Mr. M'Phun, a laudable proneness to exemplify-
in book-making one of the very best maxims promulgated
by the disciples of Bentham — the maximum of utility in the
minimum of space."— Dumfries Courier.

III.

Price Is. 6<i.

The Shorthand Writer^s Pocket
Guide ;

Conveying a full knowledge of this useful Art, on a new
and highly improved System, by which may be written
J 50 words per minute. Illustrated by an entire copy of
the Scripture Paraphrases used by the Church of Scotland;
and the Thirty- Nine Articles of the Church of England.
By J. GARDNER, Teacher, Antigua Place, Glasgow.

IV.

Price Is. 6d.

Uniform with the Mother's Pocket Medical Guide, but

containing a great deal more matter.

The Pocket G-uide to Bomestic
Cookery ;

Being the most Complete and Concise Sj'stem extant of
Practical Domestic Cookery. By a Lady. To which
are added, instructions for Trussing and Carving ; with
plates.

^^ Not a single Recipe will be given in this volume
that has not been practised by the Authoress.

V.
Price Is. 6d.

The Mother's Pocket Medical
Guide ;

Or a Treatise on the Physical Education and Diseases of
Children. Compiled for popular use from the writings

. of Drs. Eberle, Dewees, Burns, Ryan, Kennedy, and
others. By a Physician.

VI.

The FIFTH EDITION, in Foolscap 8vo. Price 68.
Boards, of

The Anatomy of Drunkenness;

By Robert Macnish, Author of " The Philosophy of
Sleep," and Member of the Faculty of Physicians and
Surgeons of Glasgow.

Contents. — Chap.l. Preliminary Observations. 2. Causes
of Drunkenness. 3. Phenomena of Drunkenness. 4.
Drunkenness modified by Temperament. 5. Drunkenness
modified by the inebriating Agent. 6. Enumeration of the
less common Intoxicating Agents. 7. Differences in the
Action of Opium and Alcohol. 8. Physiology of Drunken-
ness. 9. Method of curing the Fit of Drunkenness. 10.
Pathology of Drunkenness. 11. Sleep of Drunkards. 12.
Spontaneous Combustion of Drunkards. 13. Drunkenness
Judicially considered. 14. Method of curing the Habit of
Drunkenness. 15. Temperance Societies. 16. Advice t©
inveterate Drunkards. 17. Effects of Intoxicating Agents
on Nurses and Children. 18. Liquors not always hurtful.

" This little book is evidently the production of a man of
genius. The style is singularly neat, terse, concise, and
vigorous, far beyond the reach of any ordinary mind; the
strain of sentiment is such as does infinite honour to the
Author's heart; and the observation of human life, by
which every page is characterized, speaks a bold, active, and
philosophical intellect. As a medical treatise it is excellent ;
and to those whu stand in need of advice and warning, it is
worth a hundred sermons." — Blackwood's Magazine.

" If every man addicted to this dreadful vice could be
induced, in some lucid interval, to read this volume with
attention, it would go far to put him out of conceit with the
practice. If his own observation and experience had not
taught him what a complicated evil drunkenness is, this
volume would at least bring to his remembrance many things
which it is of the greatest^mportance he should know before
he is for ever ruined." — Entertaining Press,

VII.

SECOND EDITION,

In One Volume Foolscap 8vo., Price 7s.

The Philosophy of Sleep ;

By Robert Macnish, Member of the Faculty of Physicians-
and Surgeons of Glasgow.

Contents. — Chapter 1. Introduction. 2. Sleep in Gene-
ral. 3. Dreaming. 4. Prophetic Power of Dreams. 5.
Night- Mare. 6. Day- Mare. 7. Sleep- Wallsing. 8. Sleep-
Talki«g. 9. Sleeplessness. 10. Drowsiness. 11. Protracted
Sleep. 12. Sleep from Cold. 13. Trance. 14. Waking
Dreams. 16. Spectral Illusions. 16. Reverie. 17. Ab-
straction. 18. Sleep of Plants. 19. General Management
of Sleep.

** The Second Edition has been enriched with many im-
portant additions ; in particular a long chapter on Spectral
Illusions — one of the most interesting portions of the work.
We have seldom met with a work more worthy of a place in
every well-furnished library. It will interest equally the
reader for amusement and the philosophical thinker."—
Edinburgh Phrenological Journal.

" This is one of the* most interesting and delightful
Tolumes we have for a long time met with. It is full of
amusement and instruction. Over its details is thrown that
luminousness which alone flows from original genius."—
Edinburgh Evening Post.

" We have been captivated by the eloquence — we haa
almost said the poetry of its descriptions ; and, on the whole,
we must say that we consider it to be one of the most valua-
ble and amusing books of philosophy we have met with for
this long time past." — London Medical Gazette.

" A work which will be perused with interest and delight.
It may be considered the most valuable contribution which
philosophy, poetry, and physical science in agreeable com-
bination, have lately made to the illustration of the study of
man's nature, viewed in close alliance with his * being's end
and aim.' " — Edinburgh Weekly Journal,

6

VIII.
Just Published in Foolscap 8vo., Price 5s.

The Book of Aphorisms.

BY A MODERN PYTHAGOREAN.

" We should have noticed this spirited and delightful
volume long ere now — and would have made a point of
doing so, had its tendency and nature been in the least
degree ephemeral ; but to the reader of the Anatomy of
Drunkenness and the Philosophy of Sleep, it will require
no rhetorical effort of ours to show that no serious and
deliberate publication of Dr. Macnish's can be so. These
two acknowledged works have been before the world for
years — th-ey rose instantly into popularity, and continue
popular ; and we have no doubt that this last brochure, ' to
make a third will join the former two,' in the good graces
of the reading public. These Aphorisms exhibit keen
observations of life, manners, and authorship — are gilded
with the play of a delightful fancy ; and without the cynical
moroseness of Rochefoucault, the pert paradox of Hazlitt,
or the sententious indelicacy of Sterne ; convey wholesome
advices, and pleasant remarks, in a way that cannot fail to
amuse while they instruct. Some are on light subjects, and
some on weighty ; and number three never predicts what
number four is to tell us ; but the variety is of itself charm-
ing, and we sit down as it were to a breakfast a la fuurchette^
where one helps himself to tea, and another to coffee, a third
commencing with a sliced tongue, and a fourth with devilled
turkey, while a fifth prefers broiled salmon steak, and
wonders at a sixth, his neighbour who is gobbling up Ger-
man sausage,

" To review such a book as the present, which, so far a9
matter goes, has neither beginning, middle, nor end, and
which, like the Hebrew, we may, if we choose, begin t«
read backward, were a preposterous undertaking. The
only way is to give a dozen consecutive Aphorisms, by way
of extract, opening the book at random.

" He who could write these six hundred and seventy-live
Aphorisms, could readily add a thousand more to them.
Let him do so, and that speedily, in the shape of a second
series. When both are bound together, they will make a
delightful travelling companion.

" The getting up is exquisite in every respect. Well done,
Glasgow !" — Edinburgh Evening Post.

IX.

Now Ready, Vols. I. II. and III., 8s. each.

The Scottish Pulpit,

Containing a Body of Original matter, nowhere to be met
with in quality so superior, and at a price so very reason-
able. The Sermons are by the most eminent living
Divines of the Church of Scotland ; and, for the most
part, have either been furnished by the authors themselves,
or corrected by them before appearing in print.

Scottish Pulpit, Vol; III. — " We hail the appearance of
this volume with much pleasure. The extensive sale which
the work enjoys, and deservedly enjoys, is a favourable
symptom, or rather a gratifying proof, that feelings of
christian piety still exist to an encouraging extent in our
land. It would very greatly benefit society were such writ-
ings to become much more prevalent, and take the place of
those, which under the name of politics or political economy,
and under the pretence of teaching the art of Government,
are souring men's minds, and rendering them turbulent,
discontented, and unhappy. It signifies very little for a
man to have his head stuffed with crude undigested know-
ledge, which he probably will never have an opportunity to
apply ; but not so with the knowledge here communicated,
because it is such as deeply interests every man, not only in
his passage through this transitory scene of life, but in
future and endless ages. The present volume contains
upwards of 70 sermons, some of them by the most eminent
ministers of which Scottish Ecclesiastical Literature can
boast, while others are. from pens, whose owners, though
not yet perhaps much known to fame, are in the fair way of
obtaining it, if the sermons, under notice, be fair criteria
of their merits. The volume, in addition to its other pro-
perties, is very handsomely printed. It is, moreover, em-
bellished with a portrait of the late Rev. John Geddes, of
whom a memoir is given. We recommend the volume, not
as one worthy of a single perusal, and then to be laid aside
and forgotten, but as one that may be perused and re- per-
used with increasing pleasure and increasing profit."—
Paisley Advertiser.

" I'he third volume of this excellent body of practical
theology is completed ; and its merits, we think, are even
greater than those of the volumes by which it was preceded.
There is a marked improvement in the style of the sermons,

8

bod to account for the superiority is not difficult. The
utility. of the work is now established, and clergymen, appre-
ciating its merits, and knowing its extensive circulation,
select with care .the sermons they wish to appear in its pages.
The Scottish Pulpit is a publication in which Christians of
every denomination are interested. With party it has
nothing to' do. The diffusion of Christianity is its object,
in a mode cheap, convenient, and elegant. In this age of
cheap publications the idea of furnishing two sermons foi
twopence seemed to be merely the speculation of an ardent
mind. The attempt, however, pleased the religious public
—the variety of the work continued to excite attention — its
substantial matter ensured approbation, till, from ranking
as a weekly production, it has assumed the loftier station of
a standard publication of practical divinitj\ Nor is thia
strange. The sermons generally are, what such productions
should be, calculated to improve the understanding and aifect
the heart, and from the peculiar circumstances under which
they are furnished, they have an uhction which iew printed
sermons possess. This publication, therefore, has just claims
for general diffusion. Is the Christian fond to possess a
sermon of his beloved minister? In the stillness of the
Sabbath evening does he wish a work suitable for that day,
and in unison with his feelings? Does the father, in the
domestic circle on that evening, require a publication to
instruct the minds of his household, and improve their
hearts ? Is the Christian, in the seclusion of a sick cham-
ber, desirous of spiritual comfort ? — to ail these classes, how
diversified soever their circumstances, the Scottish Pulpit is
peculiarly adapted. The religious sailor, will find this work
most suitable for a spare hour on Sunday. It will remind
him of home, of his duty to himself, to his neighbour, and to
his God. The pious shipmaster, who assembles his crew
for religious purposes on Sabbath, would consult his own
interest, and the spiritual welfare of those for whom be is
deeply responsible, by adding to his religious exercises a
selection from the pages of this work. We heartily recom-
mend this publication to the patronage of the religious pub-
lic; known, its merits will be acknowledged; and we are
proud to hijye this work associated with the literature of
Scotland. It is worthy of her press and of her pastors ; and
the publishers merit the warmest thanks for the manner ,in
which the Scottish Pulpit has been conducted, and we sin-
cerely trust their past and continued exertions will be fairly
appreciated."— Greenock Advertiser.

NEW Edition, Corrected, First Series complete, Five
Volumes 8vo. Price £2.

The Glasgow IVEechanics' Maga-
zine«

Great pains have been bestowed upon the present Edition
of this work in its progress through the press. Articles
of temporary interest have been excluded, and in their
place has been substituted such matter as will always
prove useful to the man of science, thus rendering the
work one of permanent utility on every subject connected
with Science and the Arts.

♦• However much we have been led from time to time to
speak in admiration of the work of a similar kind to this
liovv Publishing in London, we cannot help expressing our
opinion as still higher of the Glasgow Mechanics' Magazine.
It appears to be conducted by a set of practical men, who
understand well what they are about, and who are well
calculated to execute the task they have undertaken. The
plates are all engraved on copper, and in a manner not
inferior to the most expensive Scientific Journals now
publishing. All the London cheap Periodicals have only-
got wood engravings, which do not and cannot show the
minute lines of Machinery half so well as a copperplate
•ngraving." — Leeds Mercury.

XL

TWENTY-SEVENTH EDITION.

The Scottish Martyrs.

In Two Large Volumes 8vo.,

Biographia Scoticana:

Or a Brief Historical Account of the Most Eminent
SCOTS WORTHIES, Noblemen, Gentlemen, Min-
isters, and othei's, who Testified or Suffered for the

10

Cause of the Reformation in Scotland, from the begin-
ning of the Sixteenth Century to the Year 1688 ; orig-
inally collected by John Howie of Lochgoin ; now Re-
vised, Corrected and Enlarged, by a Clergyman of the
Church of Scotland, and Enriched with a Preface and
Notes, by Wm. M' Gavin, Esq., Author of " The Pro-
testant," &c.
Volume I. contains Memoirs of the Lives of the Worthies.
Volume II. contains the " Last Words and Dying Tes-
timonies," " Cloud of Witnesses," " Naphtali," &c. &c.
— To those who are already in possession of the first
volume of this work, the second will be found an indis-
pensable requisite, as without it the book is incomplete,
and is deficient in by far the most important and inter-
esting portion of the Biography of the Scottish Reform-
ers.

" This is by far the best edition of this most remarkable
W'ork that has ever seen the light. He is not worthy the
name of a Scot, who can be indifferent to the story of these
immortal champions." — Evangelical Magazine.

" We hail with pleasure this new and greatly improved
Edition. The external appearance is very creditable to the
Publisher, and we have no doubt his well-meant zeal in
publishing an improved edition of a work that must ever be
dear to pious minds, will meet with the encouragement
which it unquestionably deserves." — JEdinburgh Christian
Instructor,

XIL

SECOND EDITION OF THE NEW GAELIC DICTIONARY.

Now ready, in one handsome Octavo Volume, dedicated to
his Grace the Duke of Gordon, Price 21s.

IL Dictionary of the Gaelic Zian-
guage,

Containing many more Words than the Quarto Diction-
aries; with their significations and various meanings in
English; illustrated occasionally by suitable Examples
and Phrases, and Etymological Remarks. The first
Part contains Gaelic- English, the Second English- Gaelic,
which are given much fuller than in any of the Quarto

11

Dictionaries. By the Rev. Dr. M'Leod, Campsie,

the Rev. Principal Dewar, Aberdeen.

" The Rev. Drs. M'Leod and Dewar are already advan-
tageously known to the public as eminent Gaelic Scholars,
and we think their Dictionary promises fair to extend
their reputation as benefactors to the Highlands. * * *
The present publication will have all the advantages of an
abridgment from the Society's large work, with some
peculiar to itself, as being to a considerable extent original.
Many new words are added, and new phrases are given,
especially with regard to the changes eifected upon the
word by prepositions^ prefixes, and affixes, which are very
common in Gaelic. To the Highland Student and the
Highland Minister it is unnecessary to recommend it, since
we know that by them such a work has been long wished
for ; and a slight glance at the present will be sufficient to
convince them of its value." — Edinburgh Literary Journal,
Dec. 1829.

" We have now the complete work before us, and we are
much pleased to find that, instead of cause to retract, w«5
have rather to add to the praise we formerly felt it our duty
to bestow on the labours of Drs. M'Leod and Dewar."—
Ibid. Jan. 1831.

XIII.

The Craelic Messenger.

Conducted by tne Rev. Dr. IM'Leod of Campsie, assisted
by a numerous circle of Celtic Scholars. Complete in
2 Vols, in Boards, price 6s. 6d. each, or with the Sermons
8s. each Vol.

" This is truly a literary curiosity. A periodical in the
language of Ossian. We congratulate our Highland
countrymen in particular, and the friends of knowledge and
civilization in general, upon the appearance of this excellent
Miscellany." — Edinburgh Library Gazette.

XIV.

The Notation of Music Fimplified 5

Being the Development of a System, in Avhich the Charac-
ters employed in the Notation of Language are applied to
the Notation of Music. By Alexander Macdonald.

12

XV.

Seventh Edition, neatly done up in pocket size, Price Is.

A Catechism of Phrenology,

Illustrative of the Principles of that Science. By a Mem-
ber of the Phrenological Society of Edinburgh.

1^^ This Work contains all that is requisite for the infor-
mation of the General Reader on Phrenology. AU the
leading Facts and Principles of the Science are fully
detailed, and the whole is illustrated with Engravings.

" The utility of this manual is unquestionable, for what-
ever progress the science it is intended to illustrate may be
making, it is evident that its study should not be entirely
omitted even in the most general education. The arrange-
ment of the work is admirable. The utmost perspicuity
prevails in every page. The public may be assured of its
high claims to tiieir attention, from the facility with which
the principles of the science are unfolded before them ; from
the philosophic tone in which the subject is treated, and
from the unassuming, modest manner in which its appeals
are made." — Alexander's East India Magazine.

" This is a brief Manual of Phrenology, in the form of a
Catechism, intended for the use of individuals who cannot
bestow much time or money on the study of it. It com-
bines accuracy, cleai'ness and brevity, and is scrupulously
correct in doctrine.

" After describing the different organs, the work contains
'general questions,' in which the effects of education, tem-
perament, size, combinations, &c., are discussed. It con-
tains a neatly engraved copy of the Edinburgh Phrenologi-
cal bust ; and, on the whole, is a commendable and useful
publication. It is neatly printed, and sold very cheap." — Edin-
burgh Phrenological Journal

XVI.

A Brief History of the Protestant
Reformation.

New Edition, with Corrections and Additions, in One Vol,

Price 4s. Boards.
In a Series of Letters addressed to WILLIAM COB-
BETT, in consequence of the Misi-epresentations and

13

Aspersions contained in his " History of the Protestant
Refoi'mation in Britain and Ireland." By Wm. M'Gaviw,
Esq. Author of " The Protestant."

*' Those who wish to see Mr. Cobbett more than matched,
should possess themselves of this valuable publication. It
is not saying too much of Mr. M' Gavin to assert that he is
one of the most enlightened Protestants in Christendom.
The whole controversy stands before his mind in the order
of perfect arrangement, and Mr. Cobbett appears like a
child in the hands of a giant. Posterity will gratefully
acknovi ledge its obligations to this incomparable advocate."
— Evangelical Magazine.

XVII.
Neat pocket size, Price Is. 6d. in Boards.

Treatise on Baptism.

A Practical Treatise on the Spiritual Import of Baptism,
and the duties connected with the Observance of the Or-
dinance. By the Rev. John Thomson, Minister of Shet-
tleston.

" This is a work which will, and ought, to make its way,
where many more ponderous and learned treatises on the
subject will be refused admittance. The truths regarding
the nature and practical bearing of the ordinance of baptism
are correctly and clearly stated ; and the duties binding both
upon parents and children, in connexion with the solemn
ordinance, are enforced in some instances with a natural
eloquence which cannot fail to reach the heart, because every
reader will feel that the sentiments come from the heart. It
is of importance that Christian parents should be reminded
of the duties which it is incumbent on them to discharge
towards their baptized children, especially in this age, when
too many obviously regard the ordinance by which they are
admitted into the visible church in no other light than a
customary form with which it is disrespectful not to com-
ply ; and it is of importance, also, that such should be pro-
vided with a woi'k so moderate in compass as this, to serve
both as a manual for direction, and a stimulus to urge them
on to duty. The author has not served the cause of Chris-
tianity by throwing any new light upon the subject ; but
we are mistaken if he has not rendered a very important
service to the cause of practical godliness, by bringing v.ith-

t /

u

Id the reach of all, a clear and forcible exhibition of vital
truth, and if parents are not led by it, in many instances, to
the fiiltilment of their solemn engagements, and induced to
a more rigid adherence to their vows. We heartily join in
the author's prayer, and trust he will enjoy tlie ' unspeaka-
ble satisfaction' of making many ' a salutary and saving im-
pression,' by the little volume now before us." — Presbyterian
Jieview,

XVIII.

Church Establishments Defended,

Being a Review of the Speeches delivered in Dr. Beattie's
Chapel, by the leading men of the Voluntary Church
Association. Bi/ a Churchman.

" The Churchman's" Second Defence of Church Establish-
ments, being a Second Review of the Speeches in which
the argument against Establishments, drawn from the
state of religion in the United States of America, is fully
considered, and ample information of the subject adduced.

The Christian Instructor in reviewing the various works
on this subject, of the second of these, says — " This is a
powerful pamphlet. To those who wish to have only one
pamphlet upon the subject, this is the one that we recom-
mend." This is no mean praise, considering that the pens of
the ablest and most eloquent writers of the present day have
been employed on the subject.

" For a more particular refutation," says Dr. Patrick
M'Farlane, in a note to his speech, "of the argument of
the Voluntaries from America, let the reader peruse that
unanswerable \>KmY>\i\et entitled 'a Second Defence.'"

" See ample details on this subject in the ' the Church-
man's'' able and triumphant ' Second Defence.' " — Presbyterian
Magazine.

1^" These two pamphlets may now be had neatly bound
in Cloth.

XIX.

A Careful and Strict Inquiry

Into the Pretensions and Designs of Dr. Heugh ; or, his
" Considerations on. Civil Establishments of Christianity"
plainly discovered to be full of specimens of ignorance,
most absui'd and contradictory arguments, and altogether
to have been published very inconsiderately. — With some

15

XX.

The Church of Scotland IVCagazlne.

Contents. — 1. To Readers and Correspondents : — Union
of Orthodox Seceders with the Church of Scotland — Pro-
testantism— Atheism — The Union of Infidels with Volun-
taries— To the Editor of the Record — Missionary Biography
— Psalmody— Revenues of the Church of England. — 2.
Scripture Evidence in Favour of Establishments. By J. E.
Gordon, Esq., late M.P. for Dundalk— No. 2. The Patri-
archal Dispensation. — 3. Extension of the Church — St.
Andrew's Church, Ramsbottom, Lancashire. — 4. Extracts
from Distinguished Writers. — 5. Church Property not
Originally the Exclusive Property of Roman Catholics.—
6. Dissenting Endowments. — 7. Voluntary Church Princi-
ples both of a Revolutionary and Infidel Nature. — 8. Present
Condition of the Established Church. — 9. Notices of Books :
— The Expediency of a Secure Provision for the Ministers
of the Gospel — Speeches delivered at a Meeting held at
Arbroath — Wisdom of the Secession Magazine-^Memoir of
the Rev. Elias Cornelius — 10. The Church of Scotland, the
Friend of Freedom.— II. Voluntary Denouncement an«i
Reverence for Scripture.

** We are pleased with the whole series of this new peri-
odical, so admirably adapted to the times in which we live,
and long wanted by the Church in Scotland. It js con-
ducted with great talent ; and in addition to its other merits,
has unanswerable claims upon public patronage from its
cheapness. It is sold at Sixpence ! No clergyman of the
Church of Scotland, therefore, and no lay member of that
Church who has any regard for the venerable Establishment,
has any excuse if this periodical do not appear on the break-
fast table as regularly as the months come."— Xtuerpoo/
Standard.

XXI.

America at One View.

On a very Large Sheet, beautifully printed at the Glasgow
University Press, Price Is. 6d., or varui&hed on canvass
and roller, Price 6s. Gd.

Bell's S*tatistical Sheet Atlas of the United
States of North America.

16

XXII.

NEW Edition, with a beautiful Engraving of the King

William Steam Carriage, in Octavo, ^ce Is.

A DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF

The Ziiverpool and Manchester
Hallway,

From its First Projection to the Present Time : Contain-
ing all the Facts and Information that have yet appeared
on the subject ; with numerous Interesting and Curious
Original Details, Estimates of Expenses, &c., &c. By
Joseph Kirwan, Civil Engineer.

*• Those who are at this time embarking their capital iu
the erection of Railways throughout the country, would
do well to peruse with care a small work recently published
by Joseph Kirwan, civil engineer. It contains, in a narra-
tion of the rise, progress and completion of the Liverpool
and Manchester Railway, a host of information on the
subject; and, what must be of infinite importance to those
engaged in similar enterprises, it is all of a practicai,
nature. The details are ample, the facts numerous, and
the calculations are made with the utmost accuracy and
precision. " — Edinburgh Advertiser.

XXIII.

In Two neat Pocket Volumes, Price 9s.

The Spirit of British Song.

With illustrative and Biographical Notes, by the late

JOHK GOLDIE.

" Among the innumerable collections of Songs which are
continually issuing from the press, we have not met with
one deserving more universal patronage, than the one now
before us. Judging from the first four Numbers, which
have been handed to us, we can safely say it is the best we
have yet seen. It is really what it professes to be — 'The
SPIRIT OF BRITISH SONG ;' and gives only what it promises
— the Popular Melodies of the day. A publication of this
kind, we conceive was much wanted. No selection was
obtainable at a reasonable price, divested of all the obsolete
rubbish misnamed songs, which are here judiciously dis-
carded, and at the same time free from what most Song
Books are crampied with, viz., oi'igins^l trash."— 2%e TeU"
tcope.

17

XXIV.

In one Volume 12mo. with an Engraving of the Anns ot

the Incorporation of Bakers, Price 5s.

The Practical Baker and Confec-
tioner's Assistant,

Being a Comprehensive View of every thing relative to the
Baking of Loaf and Fancy Bread, on both the Ancient
and Modern Systems ; with a great variety of Practical
Receipts in Pastry, Confectionary, Candies and Pre-
serves, Cordials, Wines, &c. ; and the various methods
. of making Artificial Yeast. By John Turcan, baker.

" Moreover, this book is a perfect repository of every
thing relating to the subject, which he has undertaken to
discuss. The whole mystery of baking and confectionary
is fully laid open ; and by the simple and judicious direc-
tions laid down, any one may practise for himself the
operations of these universally interesting arts. We doubt
not that the work will be found highly useful to the trade ;
and we dismiss it with every wish for that success which it
BO T 'ell deserves." — Edinburgh Evening Post.
XXV.
In Monthly Numbers, Price 2d.

The Child's Magazine;

Or, Tales for the Nursery.
iJy Mrs. M'Gregor, Author of "Maternal Duty," Ssc, &c.

XXVI.

Neatly Printed in Pocket size, Pi'ice 6d.

The Casquet;

A Collection of the best Songs in theGAELIC LAN-
GUAGE. Selected by James Munroe.

" It contains as much closely and neatly printed matter
in Gaelic, for Sixpence, as we have ever seen offered for the
same money in English." — Scots Times.

XXVII.

IVE'Fhun's Edition of the Scotch
Kef or m Act.

Price Threepence.
This is the most accurate and most comprehensive of all
the Abridgments of the Act yet published.

18

XXVIII.

THIRD EDITION, Price 29. 6d.

^ith the Scotch Law regarding the Sale and Warranty of
Horses.

Advice to Purchasers of Horses ;

Being a Short and Familiar Treatise on the Exterior Con-
formation of the Horse, the Nature of Soundness and
Unsoundness, the Laws relating to Sale and Warranty,
with C(jpious Directions for Discovering Unsoundness
prior to purchase.

By J. Stewart, Veterinary Surgeon, and Professor of Ve-
terinary Surgery in the Andersonian University.

" The buyer hath need of a hundred eyes.
But the seller of only one."

** Persons who have occasion to buy or sell horses would
derive much instruction from this little manual, which
treats of the exterior conformation of the horse, the nature
of soundness and unsoundness, and the laws relating to sale
and warranty, with copious directions for discovering un-
soundness prior to purchasing. The author is a scientific
man, and his work is popularly written, and likely to be
useful." — Leeds Mercury.

*' This iManual, though of small size, is far from being of
small value, and cannot fail to be useful not only to farmers,
innkeepers, and others engaged in posting, but also to every
one who may have occasion to purchase a useful and ser-
viceable horse. If a person make himself master of the
maxims it contains he will be fully prepared to select a
sound animal, as well as to detect and prevent the imposi-
tion of ordinary horse-dealers. It also contAins an expose
of the laws relating to sale and warranty of horses, which
cannot be too well known, because to borrow the motto of
the work, ' the buyer hath need of a hundred eyes, but the
seller of only one.'" — Stirling Journal.

*' This is a well-composed and useful little volume." —
Agricultural Journal.

" We would recommend no person to purchase a horse
without having previously purchased and perused Air.
Stewart's book of advice."— GZas^ow Chronicle..

" This is an exceedingly useful little volume, which every
Tyro in the art of horse dealing should lose no time in
becoming possessed oV— Dumfries Courier.

^7