Title: The Sporting Dictionary, and Rural Repository, Volume 1 (of 2) - General information upon every subject appertaining to the - sports of the field
Author: Taplin, William
Language: English
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Transcriber's Note:

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

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 Small capitals have been
replaced by full capitals.



[Illustration: HIS MAJESTY'S HARRIERS.]



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

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

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

 IN TWO VOLUMES.
 VOL. I.

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

 1803.



 TO
 THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
 THE
 EARL OF SANDWICH,
 _MASTER OF HIS MAJESTY's STAG HOUNDS_.


MY LORD,

It is now twenty Years since your Lordship's Appointment to the Head of
his Majesty's Hunting Establishment, during which it has acquired a
Degree of Perfection and Celebrity, hitherto unprecedented in the Annals
of Sporting History. From the impressive Influence of your Lordship's
philanthropic Representations, every Subordinate within the utmost
Limits of your Lordship's Department, has derived an annual Addition, by
which the domestic Comforts of his Family have been most happily
encreased. The Hospitalities of Swinley Lodge[1] are universally known,
and at all Times gratefully recollected, by that Infinity of Sportsmen
who have so repeatedly experienced their salutary Effects.

To have had the inexpressible Happiness of partaking with your Lordship
the Pleasures of the Chase during the Whole of that Period; to have
witnessed your Lordship's humane, polite, and condescending Attention to
various Individuals, upon the most distressing Emergencies; to have been
repeatedly honoured by your Lordship's public Patronage and private
Favor; are Gratifications of so much Magnitude to the Ambition of a
Sportsman, that it is impossible to resist the Temptation of dedicating
to your Lordship, a Work solely appertaining to the SPORTS of the FIELD;
and of publicly soliciting Permission to continue,

 With the most unsullied
 Respect and Gratitude,
 MY LORD,
 Your Lordship's obliged
 And most obedient Servant,
 WILLIAM TAPLIN.

 _Sloane-Square,
 May 1st, 1803._

[Footnote 1: The official Hunting Residence of the Master of the Stag
Hounds in Windsor Forest.]



PREFACE.


The variety of Publications annually announced under SPORTING TITLES,
with which the contents, upon examination, are found so ill to accord,
first suggested to the Writer, the idea of forming an aggregate of
information, from whence both entertainment and instruction (to the
young and inexperienced) might be derived. From a review of the works
now extant, under titles nearly similar, it was found they were the
productions of more than a century past. These having been repeatedly
re-copied, and repeatedly transmitted from one generation to another,
are replete with matter nearly _obsolete_, and sports long since _buried
in oblivion_. From these facts may be inferred, the very trifling
utility such books are of in the improved sports and refined polish of
the present time; more particularly when one just and emphatic remark
from the pen of a most popular writer is adverted to, that there is no
subject upon which so little has been judiciously written, as upon the
SPORTS of the FIELD; and what has issued from the press under titles of
attracting similitude, have been much more the efforts of theoretic
lucubration, than the result of practical knowledge, or personal
experience.

To compensate for such deficiency, is the professed purport of the
present Work; calculated to recommend itself to public attention upon no
other ground than its originality, and the great variety of useful
information it will be found to comprehend. Numerous and diversified as
the subjects are, they will be found largely treated on, and
satisfactorily explained: not as has been too much the case in former
publications, by the effusions of _literary fertility_, but clearly
demonstrated upon the practical knowledge, and individual experience, of
the AUTHOR; who, disdaining the subservient _trammels_ of _imitation_,
has not presumed to enter into a diffuse disquisition upon any SPORT or
SUBJECT in which he has not been personally and principally engaged. If
the mind of man can be candidly admitted to derive some gratification
from its universality of rational attainment, so it is the greatest and
most consolatory ambition of his life, to have engaged in every sport,
and to have embarked in every pleasure, upon which these Volumes will be
found to treat; without a deviation from the line of consistency, a
debasement of dignity, or a degradation of character.

It is a long standing and universally acknowledged axiom, that the art
of life consists as much in knowing what to avoid, as what to pursue;
and this cannot apply with more force or propriety, than to those who
throw themselves unthinkingly upon the fascinating prospects, and
_uncertain chances_, of the SPORTING WORLD; the necessitous and
determined dependents upon which are replete with numerous barbed and
unerring instruments of depredation. To juvenile adventurers, who feel
themselves inadequate to the talk of self-denial, and who cannot resist
the predominant temptation of engaging in scenes of such _duplicity_ and
_danger_, is earnestly recommended an occasional reference to those
heads in the following Work, which are fully fraught with precautions
they may probably stand much in need of; amongst these, BETTING,
COCKING, GAMING, HAZARD, and the TURF, will not be found the least
conspicuous; the delineations of which are taken with so much accuracy,
that the most _tenacious_ professor of _the arts_ cannot feel himself
materially affected by the correctness of the description.

Professed SPORTSMEN of every other description will find no unfair
restraint laid upon their distinct or separate inquiries, or
investigations. The HORSE will be found very fully expatiated upon in
all its _states_ and _stages_, as well in SICKNESS as in HEALTH. The
CHASE, of every particular kind, will be found to have undergone the
most minute description; and its numerous appendages proportionally
explained. The existing GAME LAWS are simplified, and reduced to one
comprehensive _single_ point of view. LOVERS of the TURF will find
themselves gratified with a recital of its past and present state; as
well as with a correct account of the recent racing performances of some
of the most celebrated horses of the present time. That there will be
discovered some traits not perfectly pleasing to every individual must
be presumed; but as they are not written by the pen of prostitution, no
apology can be necessary for the unavoidable introduction of TRUTH,
particularly under the scholastic retrospection of

  "Vain his attempt who strives to please ye all."



 THE
 SPORTING DICTIONARY.



A.


AUTHORS,—who have dedicated much time and labour to the infinity of
subjects which these Volumes will contain, have been both numerous and
respectable; and to those who are accustomed to see things through a
single medium, it will seem matter of surprise, that any thing NEW,
INSTRUCTIVE, or ENTERTAINING, should be still left worthy of public
attention; but when the unceasing influence, and decisive dictates of
fashion; the abolition of old sports, and introduction of new; the
various regulations in, and increase of, the penal laws for the
preservation of GAME, and the privileges of _killing_; in addition to
the great and unprecedented national exertion in the reformation of
FARRIERY, since the publication of the present Author's STABLE
DIRECTORY, are taken into the aggregate; it will be found, by the
judicious and enlightened part of the SPORTING WORLD, that a more
modern, comprehensive, and explanatory work, has not been _too soon_
obtruded upon PUBLIC PATRONAGE. To enumerate individually here, those
Authors, of the greatest celebrity, whose endeavours or productions have
stood the highest in general estimation, would prove not only
unnecessary, but superfluous, as they will of course be occasionally
adverted to, and remarked upon, under different heads in the progress of
the Work.


ARTISTS—are gentlemen, the aid of whose pencils, in the decorative
department of sporting publications, is considered so immediately
necessary (particularly with the younger branches) in all matters of
minutiæ requiring accurate representation, that the success is
frequently considered doubtful and uncertain without the attractive
influence of their professional exertions. It has been observed, and
must be freely admitted, that, till within the last third of the last
century, HORSES, DOGS, and GAME, have appeared less upon canvas (in
proportion to the progress of the art) than any subjects whatever:
whether they were thought less worthy the study and pencil of the
master, or productive of less emolument, it may not be possible, nor is
it much to the purpose, to ascertain. Certain it is, they have never, at
any former period, so nearly approached the summit of perfection as at
the present moment; never were artists known more emulous; never were
finer pictures produced by the foreign pencils of fertility, than are
now exhibited by the natives of our own island; nor ever were artists of
this description so largely patronized, or so well rewarded.

ELMER, whose paintings of GAME excited the astonishment and admiration
of every beholder for forty years past, has lately paid his last debt,
with one of the best and most unsullied characters that ever accompanied
man to the grave: but what is equally to be regretted, is the total
destruction and loss of his very valuable collection (soon after his
death) by an accidental fire near the Haymarket, where they had been but
lately deposited and arranged for exhibition; constituting an
irreparable misfortune to those whose property they were become by his
decease, and no small disappointment to CONNOISSEURS, amongst whom they
would most probably have been divided at some future period by public
sale.

The PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS, or, as they are now more familiarly termed,
_animal painters_, who derive present advantage from public protection
and personal popularity, are not numerous, but truly respectable; each
enjoying the happy effect of his own peculiar excellence, in the
gradations of favour, a discriminating and indulgent public is always so
truly ready to bestow. Of these, the names of STUBBS, GILPIN, MARSHALL,
GARRARD, and SARTORIUS, appear the most prominent. Others there are, but
of much inferior note, who do not at present promise (by the specimens
they have displayed) to soar above the planetary influence of
mediocrity. Various productions of the rest of those just mentioned,
have for years in succession graced the exhibition of the ROYAL ACADEMY
at SOMERSET HOUSE, where they have been as repeatedly honoured with
ROYAL as with general approbation: but whether it is owing to a
superiority of good fortune, or to a superiority of his genius, MARSHALL
is the only instance of an artist's having so early in life, and with so
much rapidity, reached the summit of princely patronage, as well as the
very zenith of professional celebrity, without having once submitted a
single production of his pencil to the caprice of public opinion at the
shrine of fashion, hitherto considered the only possible and direct road
to FAME and FORTUNE.


ABSCESS.—An abscess (in either man or beast) is an inflammatory tumour,
constituting a progressive formation of matter from some serious injury
_previously_ received by blow, bruise, or accident. It may also proceed
from plethora, or gross humours originating in a too viscid (or
acrimonious) state of the blood; as well as a morbid disposition of the
fluids; and many degrees of latent ill usage, to which HORSES are
incessantly subject, from the too well-known and irremediable inhumanity
of the lower classes, to whose superintendence and management they are
unavoidably, and must inevitably, continue to be entrusted. From
whatever cause an abscess may proceed, judicious discrimination should
be expected and enjoined from the practitioners employed; many of whom
(particularly of the old school) possess, and indulge in, the unhappy
fatality of endeavouring to counteract Nature, and to set all her
powerful efforts at defiance. Under this mistaken notion of _scientific
practice_, in such and similar cases, great difficulties frequently
arise; not more in respect to the very evident ill effect of erroneous
treatment, but in the disappointment occasioned by a procrastination of
cure.

The very basis and foundation of an abscess being a cavity continually
enlarging internally by the propulsive force of matter collecting
within, will sufficiently demonstrate the inconsiderate folly, and
extreme obstinacy, of endeavouring to repel, by the interposing and
improper power of spirituous repellents, or saturnine astringents, what
Nature is making her most strenuous efforts to discharge. In all slight
and superficial appearances of tumefaction, where there are no immediate
or strong signs of suppuration, the use of moderate repellents may be
adopted with judgment, and in most cases with success; but when the
predominant, and almost invariable, symptoms of increased swelling,
great heat, with pricking and darting sensations, (in the human frame,)
or visible increase of the enlargement, and palpable pain upon pressure,
in the HORSE, denote the formation of matter to be going on, all
attempts at repulsion must be instantly laid aside; not only as
nugatory, but as tending to mischief in the extreme. Such treatment
persevered in, would evidently not only retard, but positively
_destroy_, every chance of ultimately effecting a purpose, for which
alone the experiment could have been made. The consequence would soon
prove decisive, by a termination in either an indurated tumour, a fixed
schirrus, a partial and imperfect suppuration, a fistulous wound, or an
inveterate and ill-conditioned ulcer. As, however, it is not intended to
extend the Work to a complete system of ANATOMY, SURGERY, PHYSIC, or
FARRIERY, but to render its utility more general and diffusive,
reference must be occasionally and necessarily made to the professors of
either, or to the books particularly appropriated to the subject of each.


ACADEMY,—which for time immemorial has been in use to signify a seminary
for youth only, has at length acquired, by the refinement of _fashion_,
the honour of giving more dignity to what has hitherto passed under the
denomination of A RIDING SCHOOL; now transformed, by the sublimity of
the superior classes, into an "EQUESTRIAN ACADEMY;" of which more will
be found under the proper and distinct heads of MANEGE and RIDING SCHOOL.


ACCLOYED—is almost obsolete, and will be buried in oblivion with the
last FARRIER of the _old school_. It has been formerly used to signify
an injury sustained in the foot by shoeing; as when a nail had swerved
from its proper direction, and punctured (or pressed too close upon) the
membranous mass so as to occasion lameness, the horse was then said to
be "accloyed:" but no well-founded derivation is to be discovered for a
term of so much ambiguity.


ACHE;—pain arising from different causes, originating in blows, wounds,
inflammations, and colds; as for instance, the CHRONIC RHEUMATISM, which
may be termed a CONTINUAL ACHE.


ACRIMONY—is a state of the blood disposed to only _certain_ degrees of
disease, by the quantity of serum becoming too great for the proportion
of crassamentum, with which, in its state of _active fluidity_, it is
combined for the purpose of regular circulation, so invariably necessary
to the standard of health. BLOOD thus divested of its adhesive property,
soon displays in HORSES a tendency to what are termed _acrimonious_
diseases, originating in, and dependent upon, the impoverished state to
which it is reduced. Hence arises a train of trouble and disquietude
more vexatious than alarming, more troublesome than expensive; as
_cracked heels_; _cutaneous eruptions_ of the _dry_ and _scurfy_ kind; a
dingy, variegated, _unhealthy_ hue of the _coat_; and frequently a
seemingly _half starved_ contraction of the CREST. These palpable
effects of acrimony in the blood, are produced much more by the penury
and indifference of the master, (or the _neglect_ of his servant,) than
any disposition to disease in the horse. Experience has sufficiently
proved, that a sufficient quantity of proper and healthy food is so
indispensably requisite for the support of the frame, and every office
of the animal œconomy, that a want of such due supply must be productive
of acrimony in a greater or a less degree; to obtund which, and
counteract its effects, recourse must be had to alimentary invigorants
and antimonial alteratives, as will be found more medically explained in
"_The Gentleman's Stable Directory_;" or, "_Taplin's Compendium of
Farriery_."


ACTION—is a word in constant use with the SPORTING world, and
horse-dealing fraternity, to express the peculiar property of a horse by
his _good_ or _bad_ action: speaking of him as a subject possessing
superior powers, he is called "a horse of exceeding fine action;"
meaning it to be understood, he is not to be found fault with; that he
is calculated to make a very valuable roadster, "as he trots within
himself (that is, with ease to himself) _fourteen_ or _fifteen_ miles an
_hour_;" implying an unequivocal proof of his speed in that pace: that
he goes in _high_ style, "well above his ground;" meaning, that he lifts
his legs light, quick, and freely, without dwelling or _tripping_, so as
to be entitled to the degrading appellation of "a daisy cutter," by
going too near, and of course always liable to fall.


ADDER STUNG,—a term indiscriminately applied to the bites or stings of
venomous animals and insects without distinction; and this probably
arose from the frequent discovery of such accidents, without being able
to ascertain the cause, or from what enemy the injury was sustained.
HORSES, as well as DOGS, are sometimes bit by the VIPER, (called _an
adder_,) slow-worm, or eft; but much more frequently stung by hornets,
wasps; a large gold-coloured, long-bodied, glittering fly, called, "a
horse-stinger;" or other poisonous insects, with which, in the summer
months, the sunny banks of pastures so infinitely abound. In all
injuries of this kind, bleeding (pretty freely in respect to quantity)
should precede every other consideration; as instantly unloading the
vessels must greatly contribute to the intent of reducing present and
preventing farther inflammation. For some generations, unctuous and oily
applications have been in general use, without any well-founded reason,
or established proof, of their being either infallible or efficacious;
but in the present and enlightened state of much-improved practice,
frequent fomentations of warm vinegar, an aqueous solution of sal.
armoniac, or the vegeto mineral water of a pretty strong consistence,
may be safely and advantageously preferred; assisting the general effort
with small doses of _nitre_ and _gum arabic_, to allay inflammation, and
attenuate the blood.


ADULTERATION—is the too prevalent custom of lowering the strength of
spirits by the profitable addition of water, thereby reducing the
quality by increasing the quantity; or, in words of less paradoxical
import, by a most deceptive prostitution of integrity on one side, and
an equally shameful imposition upon friendly confidence on the other.
This species of lawless tergiversation, bad as it is, cannot be
considered so truly unprincipled, so strictly iniquitous, or so cruelly
destructive, as the adulteration of medicine: this has been for a long
time past the _purest privilege_ of the profession, and may be candidly
concluded the most predominant and best-founded reason that can be
assigned for the unprecedented increase of CHEMISTS and DRUGGISTS in
every part of the kingdom. The superior art of adulteration consists
(with the adept) in so securely incorporating the cheap and inferior
substitute with the genuine and higher priced article of the Materia
Medica, as to insure the additional profit, and (secundum artem) escape
detection. To this _purity_ of principle, this species of professional
privilege, it is, that individuals of opulence and liberality stand
indebted for the disappointments they have experienced in the expected
efficacy of "prescriptions _faithfully_ prepared."


AGE.—The age is generally a leading question respecting any horse
offered for sale; and this is at all times to be ascertained with more
certainty by the state of the TEETH than any other means whatever;
unless he has undergone the _secret_ operation of a DEALER, known by the
appellation of "_bishoping_," which will be found described under that
head.

When a horse is more than six years old, he is then termed an _aged_
horse; from which time till _seven_, the cavities in his teeth fill up;
and from _seven_ to _eight_ years old, (varying a little in different
subjects,) the mark is entirely obliterated, by which his age can no
longer be perfectly known. Deprived of this criterion, general
observations must be resorted to, upon which only a tolerable (though
sometimes an uncertain) opinion may be formed. If the teeth are very
long and discoloured, ragged at the edges, with either the upper or
lower projecting beyond the other; the fleshy ridges (called bars) of
the upper jaw become smooth and contracted; the tongue lean and wrinkled
at the sides; the eyes receding from their former prominence, and a
hollow and ghastly indentation above the orb; the knees projecting
beyond the shank-bone, and overhanging the fetlock, as well as a
knuckling or bending forward of the lower joints behind; little time
need be lost in looking for farther proofs; old age is approaching very
fast. For age by the teeth, see COLT.


AGUE,—a fever of the intermittent kind, which was for many years a
matter of doubt and controversy, whether fevers of this description
existed in the horse, or merely in the _brain_ of the FARRIER; when,
after long investigation, strict attention, and steady observation, by
practitioners of the first eminence, the point is at length acceded to;
and it is admitted that HORSES are subject to, and attacked with,
INTERMITTENTS, bearing an affinity to the _quotidians_, _tertians_, and
_quartans_, of the human species.


ÆGYPTIACUM—is a well known and long established external application in
veterinary practice, and is thus prepared.

Take of verdigrease, finely powdered, five ounces; honey, fourteen
ounces; the best white wine vinegar, seven ounces; mix and boil them
over a gentle fire to the consistence of treacle or honey.

This article, which has so long passed under the denomination of an
ointment, and was so called in the London Dispensatory of the College of
Physicians, produces, without any additional process, (but merely by
standing, and depositing its sediment,) _another_ name for a _part_ of
the _same_ preparation in this way: the grosser parts subsiding,
constitute a more substantial consistence at the _bottom_, which is the
article termed ÆGYPTIACUM: the fluid or thinner part, floating upon the
surface, is the mildest in its effect, and called, by medicinal
practitioners, MEL ÆGYPTIACUM. The property of both (one being a degree
stronger than the other, and may be used separately, or shaken together,
according to the effect required) is to assist in cleansing inveterate
and long-standing ulcers; to keep down fungous flesh; and to promote the
sloughing off of such foul and unhealthy parts of the surface, as
prevent new granulations from arising to constitute the incarnation
necessary to a sound and permanent restoration of parts. They are
articles of acknowledged utility in the hands of judicious and
experienced practitioners; but the furor of folly has sometimes rendered
them _medicines of mischief_ with those who have never heard, or do not
condescend to recollect, the trite but expressive adage, that "the
shoemaker should never go beyond his last." This is the case when the
lower classes of _farriers_, _smiths_, _coachmen_, and _grooms_, attempt
to cure the grease, cracked heels, &c. with the articles described,
constituting to a certainty, "the _remedy_ worse than the _disease_."


AIR—is the element in which we breathe; a floating (or fluctuating)
fluid, with which we are imperceptibly surrounded, and by whose elastic
property we are enabled to exist. A philosophic enquiry into, or
definition of, the very air itself, is not to the purpose here; nor,
indeed, without a demonstrative and practical apparatus, can its
wonderful properties be perfectly understood.

Its various effects upon both the body and the mind of man, as well in
sickness as in health, cannot be lost even upon the least sensible and
least ruminative observer; who is in the constant enjoyment of those
great blessings, _air_, _health_, and _exercise_; for he finds himself
affected (and frequently like POPE'S rustic hero, who "whistled as he
went for want of thought") in different ways, and by every breeze,
without knowing _why_: he _meltingly_ submits one day to the SUN; he
_shrinks_ another from the cold: he is depressed, even to melancholy,
with the heavy gloom and dense atmosphere _to day_; and elated, almost
beyond the power of expression, by the exhilarating, temperate, clear
and lucid sky of _to-morrow_. If then the spirits are thus not only
fairly considered, but fully proved, the thermometer of mental
sensations, upon which the air (or rather its change) is found to
operate with so much palpable effect; who shall presume to doubt its
physical influence upon the human frame, so far as is applicable to the
introduction of disease, or the re-establishment of health?

Thus much it has been unavoidably necessary to introduce by way of
proof, that the human frame being so affected by the extremes of _heat_
and _cold_, _damps_ or _dryness_, such proportional effects (though not
probably in directly the same way) may be produced by the same means
upon the ANIMAL world, who possessing no power of communication, we
cannot derive information but by means of observation upon the
_original_ cause and _relative_ effect. As for instance; if the air is
too much impregnated with cold, moist, damp particles between the
chilling showers of hazy weather, the body (particularly of invalids and
valetudinarians) is much more disposed to, and susceptible of,
morbidity, than in a more temperate and settled state of the atmosphere.
This, proceeding from a collapsion of the porous system, occasions
slight indisposition with thousands, who are sensibly affected by
lassitude and disquietude, not reaching disease; whilst in others more
irritable, it is soon productive of coughs, sore throats, fevers,
inflammations of the lungs, and various other disorders. North winds are
considered bracing, healthy, and invigorating, to good, sound
constitutions; though they are always complained of by those of delicate
and tender habits; and there can be no difference of opinion upon the
fact, that dry seasons are more conducive to health and spirits than
those of a contrary description.


AIR,—a technical term in the MANEGE, which can be but little explained
in theory; a perfect knowledge of these terms can only be acquired in
the practice of the schools.


AIRING;—the taking of horses from the stable to the enjoyment of AIR and
EXERCISE.


ALE,—the good old healthy English beverage, brewed from malt, hops and
water, _alone_, with no intoxicating or deleterious articles of
adulteration. It is an excellent extemporaneous substitute for _gruel_,
in cases of emergency with horses, where it is required as a vehicle in
which to dissolve and administer medicine to prevent delay, as in
_cholic_, _strangury_, &c.


ALOES—is a resinous gum, extracted from the tree whose name it bears,
and is brought to us chiefly from the island of Barbadoes. The shops
produce two sorts, called SUCCOTRINE and BARBADOES; the former of which
is the _mildest_; but the latter most in use, to insure the certainty of
operation. It is the principal ingredient in purging balls for horses.


ALTERATIVES.—Medicines are so called which constitute an effect upon the
system, or an alteration in the _property_ of the _blood_, without any
sensible internal or visible external operation. Upon their introduction
to the stomach, they become incorporated with its contents; and their
medical properties being taken up by the chyle, is conveyed through the
lymphatics to the blood-vessels, where it becomes a part of the blood
itself, which being fully impregnated with the neutralizing property of
the article administered as an alterative, possesses the power of
obtunding acrimony, and restraining tendency to disease.

Of all the classes of medicines, none can be more proper or applicable
than alteratives, to those who cannot make it convenient to let their
horses undergo a regular routine of purgation at the accustomed seasons;
as during the administration of alteratives (mercurials excepted) a
horse may go through the same occasional work, and diurnal discipline,
as if he was under no course of medicine whatever. The alteratives most
deservedly esteemed, are antimony, sulphur, nitre, (in small
quantities,) cream of tartar, Æthiops mineral, and the antimonial
alterative powders of the Author, to be found in the list of his
medicines at the conclusion of the Work.


ALUM—is an article too well known in the shops, to require farther
description, than its medical utility, when, upon any emergency, it may
be advantageously brought into use. Reduced to fine powder, and applied
as a _styptic_ to the mouths of divided vessels, to stop the effusion of
blood, it will be found very efficacious. Dissolved in water, the
proportion of _one ounce_ to a _pint_, it is an infallible cure for the
foul white specks, or little watery pustules, so frequently seen in the
mouths of horses, (and supposed to arise from internal heat,) the parts
being twice or thrice touched with a piece of fine sponge, properly
moistened with the solution. Burnt alum, finely powdered, and sprinkled,
very lightly, upon the fungous flesh of old or foul wounds, will
speedily reduce it, and promote the cure.


ALIMENT—has, in general acceptation, been received as a word strictly
synonimous with food; and, like that term, been intended to imply
support of any kind, in either a _solid_ or a _liquid_ form. One of the
publications with which the press so frequently teems, from the fertile
pens of juvenile veterinarians, says, "By ALIMENT, some understand only
the _nutricious part_ of the food; but this is a nice and useless
distinction. MR. TAPLIN uses the word _aliment_ in both senses."

To set this upon better ground, for the comprehension of all matters
relative to bodily sustenance, the animal œconomy, its natural
secretions and evacuations, it is necessary a criterion should be fixed,
by which its intentional meaning should be generally understood. It has
been hitherto used in the previous Works of the present Author, not as
synonimous with either FOOD or NUTRIMENT, but in a sense directly
_between both_, and for this reason. Food may feed a frame, and prolong
existence; though, from its weak, improper, or impoverished quality, it
may not possess the essential property requisite to generate blood,
create flesh, or promote strength.

The word ALIMENT seems intended to convey an idea somewhat _superior_ to
the meaning expressed in the term _food_, and yet not extend so far as
the mind may lead us, in the comprehensive view of the word NUTRIMENT;
for, although mouldy hay, or musty straw, may be taken by an animal, in
a state of hunger and necessity, to support life, it does not follow
that from _such food_ a proper portion of nutriment can be conveyed to
the frame. ALIMENT, therefore, upon every occasion, in which it will be
found necessary to introduce it during the course of this Work, must be
considered as a term intended to convey an idea of support (in any way
whatever) adequate to health, and a state of useful service; in the
direct line of mediocrity between the _starving existence_ of a "winter
straw yard," near the metropolis, and the nutritious and invigorating
system necessary for the invalid recovering from a state of emaciation,
or the severity of disease.


AMBLE,—the pace in a horse, almost peculiar to country people, with
poneys and galloways bred upon commons: its ease renders it convenient
to women, and pleasing to children; but it is in very little use with
any other part of the world.


AMBURY, or _Anbury_,—is a complicated excrescence, bearing the
appearance of a _warty_ wen. Various have been the modes of cure; to
prevent an unnecessary enumeration of which, will be to observe, that
they may be safely extirpated, and completely cured, by carefully
moistening the surface, once in every three or four days, with the
_butter_ of _antimony_, till they are obliterated; and this will
certainly be effected, whatever may be their size or magnitude.


AMPHIBIOUS—animals, are those capable of living both upon land and in
the water, as the otter, the water rat, the eft, &c.


AMPHITHEATRE—is an elegant and commodious structure, either circular or
oblong, for the display of feats of horsemanship, poney races, fox
hunts, and the exhibition of pantomimes. MR. ASTLEY's, near Westminster
Bridge, has for many years been a favourite resort with the public; but
he now finds a powerful rival in the CIRCUS. Mr. Astley's skill in the
military art of _attack_ and _defence_, as well as his superior style of
teaching in the MANEGE, have jointly increased his reputation, and
encouraged him to transmit to posterity, "A System of Equestrian
Education."


ANATOMY,—the study and knowledge of the structure of the human frame in
all its component parts; an accurate knowledge of which can only lead
the practitioner in surgery to the most distant hope of eminence in his
profession, or celebrity in his practice. A proficiency in the
anatomical formation of the horse, is every way as necessary to the
success of the veterinarian, as the utmost efforts of skill to the
surgeon.


ANGLING—is the art of catching fish by rods and lines, of different
construction, with baits, _natural_ and _artificial_, according to the
season of the year, and the fish intended to be caught. As this _sport_
(if it may with consistency be termed one) is not very eagerly sought,
and enjoyed but by _few_, it will not be much enlarged on here; more
particularly as those who enter into the minutiæ of enquiry, and
_spirit_ of the _practice_, will find whole volumes appropriate to this
particular purpose. A writer of no small celebrity, in alluding to this
subject, says, "FISHING is but a _dull_ diversion, and, in my opinion,
calculated only to teach _patience_ to a PHILOSOPHER;" and this most
likely is the echoed opinion of every _fox-hunter_ in the kingdom; for
it should seem that the simple sameness of _angling_, and the more
noble, healthy and exhilarating sports of HUNTING and SHOOTING, were, in
a certain degree, _heterogeneous_, as it has been but very rarely or
ever known, that the enthusiastic admirers of _one_ were ever warm or
anxious followers of the _other_.

The kinds of fish which mostly attract the attention of anglers in the
principal fresh water rivers and trout streams of the kingdom, (whether
for the sport of killing, or the supply of the table,) are _salmon_,
_trout_, _pike_, _barbel_, _chub_, _perch_, _roach_, _dace_, and
_gudgeon_: CARP and TENCH may also be taken into the aggregate, upon the
score of _attraction_; but instances are few where any great quantity
has been taken in this way, as they are, in general, particularly in
ponds, motes, and still waters, too shy and cautious to become the hasty
victims of human invention.

Upon the subject of ANGLING, it may not be inapplicable to term it a
most _unfortunate_ attachment with those classes of society who have no
property but their _trades_, and to whom _time_ alone must be considered
a kind of freehold estate: such time lost by a river side, in the
frivolous and uncertain pursuit of a paltry plate of fish, instead of
being employed in business, has reduced more men _to want_, and their
families to _a workhouse_, than any species of sport whatever. Racing,
hunting, shooting, coursing, and cocking, (destructive as the latter has
been,) have never produced so long a list of _beggars_ as the sublime
_art of angling_; in confirmation of which fact, the eye of observation
need only turn to any of those small country towns near which there
happens to run a _fishing stream_, when the profitable part of the
pleasure may be instantly perceived by the poverty of the inhabitants.


ANISEEDS—are the produce of a plant cultivated much more in France,
Spain, and Germany, than in any part of England. Those from Spain are
preferred; they have a fragrant smell, a warm pleasant taste, with some
degree of sweetness. When reduced to powder, they form a principal and
efficacious ingredient in the preparation of the pectoral cordial balls
for horses, where their virtues are fully admitted. They yield, by
expression, an aromatic essential oil, containing all the medical
property of the seeds, and is mostly imported to us from other parts
ready prepared. Being an article of some expence, it is very much
adulterated with sperma-cæti, and other articles, for the profitable
purposes of retail, by the _secundum artem_ abilities of the parties
concerned. Those who expect any efficacious effects from the aniseed
powder, should grind (or see ground) the seeds themselves; for the
article sold in the shops under that name, is neither more or less, than
the _aniseed cakes_ reduced to powder in the common stock mill of the
druggist, from whence the essential oil has been previously extracted.


ANTIMONY—is, in its original state, a mineral, extracted and separated
from different ores by a peculiar process of eliquation; the various
medical preparations from which, in the present state of hourly
increasing improvement, absolutely excite both surprise and admiration.
This article, now known and proved of such general utility, was
alternately received into, and rejected from, a respectable rank in
medicine, by both the ancients and moderns, till the more judicious and
persevering speculatists established its estimation upon a basis too
firm ever to be again shaken by the attack of whatever new opinions may
be introduced for its degradation.

The crude antimony, when reduced to a fine and impalpable powder, is in
many disorders full as efficacious as its more subtle and elaborate
preparations; this observation appertaining to its effects upon the
human frame, to which it is administered in all forms, by the most
learned and eminent physicians in every part of the enlightened world.
In respect to its corresponding effect upon one of our most useful
animals, the HORSE, experience has proved it to be a safe and certain
medicine to obtund acrimony, promote the secretions, open the pores,
refine the coat, and finally ensure condition; hence it stands the
principal ingredient in the well known advertised "ALTERATIVE POWDERS"
of the Author.


ANTLERS,—used under different significations to explain the various
branches of what is called the head (but divested of technical terms,
the _horns_) of a deer. Except with the huntsmen of stag hounds, the
keepers of parks, and out keepers of forests and chaces, the infinity of
old terms and distinctions are become nearly obsolete; and ANTLERS
amongst sportsmen, as well as sporting rhymesters, are now conceived to
imply the whole head (alias the horns) of the deer.


APERIENTS—are medicines which mildly soften the contents of the
intestines, and gently promote moderate evacuation, without producing
the strong and repeated effects of physic, given with an intent to purge.


APERTURE;—a term in farriery, applied to the orifice or opening of a
tumour or abscess, whether made by Nature, or by perforation with the
instrument of the operator: in either case the principal consideration
must be, to have it sufficiently large for the transpiration of the
offending matter for which the effort was made; if in that respect it is
deficient, relief must be obtained from the hand of the VETERINARIAN.


APOPLEXY,—in horses, a paralytic affection of the brain, from too great
or sudden flux of blood to the part, too powerful exertions of strength
in drawing substances over heavy, or some pre-disposing tendency to
inflammation.


APPUI—is a term used in equestrian education; a perfect knowledge of
which, Mr. Astley is of opinion, "can only be acquired in the MANEGE, by
great practice, under judicious, experienced and able professors."


APPETITE,—if good, in either man or beast, ought to be, and in most
cases is, a clear criterion and proof of health. However, instances are
not wanting, where a rule so seemingly just is sometimes subject to
exceptions. The quantity of good and healthy food taken into the frame,
is by no means an infallible proof of strength, or of what work the
subject is, or ought to be, equal to: some horses are the greatest
_slugs_ in nature, though _always feeding_; while others, who undergo
thrice their labour, do not consume even a moderate share of what is
placed before them. This is probably one of the latent operations of
NATURE, upon which it should seem human penetration is not permitted to
define, at least to a degree of certainty, in respect to both origin and
effect. Scientific aid, and industrious investigation, may do much; but
when done, the enquiry will rest upon no better grounds than undefined
hypothesis, and unconfirmed conjecture.

Here, then, appears most forcibly, the inutility of going into an
enquiry where no _certainty_ of information can be obtained: the
labyrinth of perplexity is better _unentered_, than to explore its most
difficult passages in the _dark_, without even a _chance_ of
extrication. We have, indeed, been informed by a publication of late
years, that "_Appetite is a painful sensation of the stomach, always
accompanied with a desire to eat_." It might, perhaps, have been less
"caviar to the multitude," and much nearer the truth, if appetite had
been defined, a _pleasing_ sensation, and _hunger_ a _painful_ one;
particularly if (for the sake of a paradox or an iricism) "accompanied
with _nothing_ to eat." Waiving, therefore, for the foregoing reasons of
uncertainty, any intent of going into a farther disquisition of _why_
the appetite is _good_ or _bad_, it becomes necessary to proceed to the
facts which are known, and to point out the proper remedies to insure
relief.

When the appetite of a horse is seemingly never satisfied; when he
displays an immoderate and impatient desire for food at all times; when,
in failure of repeated supplies of _hay_ and _corn_, he is constantly
consuming his litter, (although it is none of the cleanest;) such a
horse is generally, and with strict justice, denominated a _coarse_ and
_foul_ feeder; the result of which frequently is, that he soon becomes
as foul in his _blood_, his _coat_, and _condition_, as he has
previously proved himself in his inclination. The ready road to relief
in a case of this kind, is to unload the frame of its accumulated
rubbish by a course of physic; the _rack rein_ and the _muzzle_ are then
such easy alternatives, that those who do not chuse, or are too
indolent, to adopt them, must sit down easy under the defect.

Some there are who attribute the voracious dispositions, and strong
digestive powers, of such horses to their being affected with _worms_.
Such reasoning may, with more propriety, be attributed to the fertile
imagination of those advocates, than to any effect (of the kind
mentioned) in the worms themselves. That (worms being there) disquieting
or painful sensations, from some remote or internal cause, may occasion
a horse to pull out and disperse his hay, to _pick_, _scrape_, and
_disorder_ his _litter_, in proof of disorder or discontent, may readily
be conceived; but that absolute pain from the corroding misery of living
insects, _preying_ upon the very _vitals_ of an animal, shall give him
an _increased appetite_ to _eat_, is a doctrine that cannot be so
readily believed.

Horses of a contrary description, who labour occasionally under a _loss
of appetite_, is no such matter of ambiguity as what has been just
described; but may with certainty be ascribed to its proper cause, by
minutely attending to such signs, and predominant symptoms, as present
themselves to the eye, and to the touch of the diligent enquirer. A loss
of appetite in horses whose constitutions are generally good, and who
have not been remarked for refusing their corn, or being _off their
feed_, sufficiently indicate some tendency to either slight and
temporary indisposition, or impending disease; as _cold_, _cough_,
_febrile heat_ from the fatigue of a long journey on the road, or
exertion in the field; intestinal disquietude, from flatulent affection,
or pain in the _kidnies_; as well as a stricture upon the _neck of the
bladder_, proceeding from a preternatural retention of _urine_, in
having travelled too far "_without drawing bit_." This is the exulting
practice of too many _unthinking_ masters, and _indiscreet_ servants;
it, however, holds forth no proof of the goodness of the _head_ or the
_heart_ in either one or the other. This defect, proceeding from
whatever cause, cannot be too soon properly attended to: early and
attentive investigation should be made as the first and most necessary
step to the acquisition of relief. Admitting it to have originated in
any of those causes already described, there is very little doubt to be
entertained, but a moderate _bleeding_, a _cordial ball_, a mash of
_ground malt_ and _bran_, equal parts, with warm soft water, and a
little nursing, if expeditiously proceeded upon, will soon set all to
rights again.

Not so with those whose defect is constitutional, proceeding from an
inexplicable degree of irritability, so generally and palpably evident
in both _attitude_ and _action_; in the stable, or out, they never
appear perfectly at ease; the eye, the ear, seeming alarmed with every
sound, as if in perpetual search of new causes to keep up the unceasing
spirit of discontent and eternal disquietude. Upon the road in company,
or in the field with hounds, they invariably and impatiently court
competition, making the most violent exertions to prove their great,
passionate, and ill-tempered desire for superiority; so that horses of
this description, after a journey of some length, or a chase of severe
duration, are not only off their appetites for _two_ or _three_ days,
but hardly fit to be seen again for _a week_. They are mostly light, and
what is termed _fluey in the carcase_; carry no flesh, with or without
work; and for that reason, do no credit _in appearance_ to their master.
Yet, strange as it may appear to those unacquainted with the fact,
horses or mares of this restless, unsettled disposition, are almost so
invariably good and persevering in nature, that they will continue to
exert themselves, till, becoming totally exhausted, they must sink under
fatigue, rather than permit themselves to be restrained; a palpable
contrast _in spirit_ to those voracious, gummy-legged gluttons, who,
after an insatiate series of gormandizing and rest, absolutely tire (or
"_knock up_") in the second stage, or _first twenty miles_, of a journey.

This defect, (or more properly deficiency in appetite and disinclination
of food,) whether proceeding from the fiery volatility of temper
impatient of restraint, or a peculiar laxity of the parts necessary to
strong digestion, is so clearly inherent, so truly constitutional, that
a well-founded expectation of permanent relief, or total eradication, is
not to be formed upon any change that can be made in food, or
improvement in attention. Such horses, however, if their paces are good,
and they are desirable in other respects, should not be too _hastily_
disposed of; instances having been very frequent, where horses of such
irritable habit, and fretful disposition, when young, have, when
accustomed to the same stable, gentle usage, and to one rider only,
become as settled feeders, good goers, round carcased and firm fleshed
horses as any in the kingdom. Some inducement to feed after the fatigues
(or _frettings_) just recited, may be attempted by the means before
described; few occasions will occur where the malt mashes will be
refused; the novel fragrancy attracts attention, and when once taken,
its invigorating property soon appears. In cases where the stomach
continues weak, the carcase thin, and appetite not restored, an
occasional use of the _pectoral cordial balls_, once or even twice a
day, is the proper substitute for aliment, and will seldom or ever fail
to produce the desired effect.


AQUATIC,—appertaining to water. Fish are an aquatic production. Aquatic
herbs take root in the soil beneath, and vegetate as well _below_ as
upon the _surface_ of the water. An _aquatic excursion_ is a party of
pleasure upon the water.


ARABIC GUM,—is a most useful article to dissolve with water or gruel in
the sickness of horses. _Nitre_ should never be given without half its
quantity of Gum Arabic.


ARSENIC,—is a most certain and destructive poison, mentioned here only
to demonstrate its utility in clearing premises of _rats_, which it will
infallibly do, if made use of in the following manner. Take (in the
season when they are to be obtained) a dozen large apples; let them be
pared, and the cores extracted; then chop them exceedingly fine, till
they are almost a paste; to which add half an ounce of arsenic, reduced
to powder, and two ounces of coarse sugar; mix well, and let this be
distributed in their _usual haunts_, remembering to let earthen pans be
set with _plenty of water_ within their reach; and the sudden thirst
they are seized with, after eating the smallest quantity of the
composition, is so violent, that they drink till unable to move from the
spot; and if the preparation is made over night, and the rats are
plenty, they will be found in the morning swelled to the utmost extent,
and lying dead in different parts, as if they had fallen victims to a
fashionable dropsy.


ARM—of a horse, is so called (though it is properly the fore-thigh) from
the elbow immediately under the chest, downwards to the junction at the
knee: this should be uniformly strong and muscular, being wide at top,
and narrowing proportionally to the bottom: if it is not so, but mostly
of a size, it is an evident proof of weakness.


ART VETERINARY—is the present improved state of FARRIERY, as taught at a
newly established institution, called the VETERINARY COLLEGE at Camden
Town, in the parish of Saint Pancras; where the pupils attend LECTURES
upon _anatomy_, _physiology_, and _medicine_, under a PROFESSOR of the
first eminence, as well as the practical part of the business at the
_forge_ and in _farriery_, till, being properly qualified, they pass the
necessary examination before a committee of surgeons, when they receive
their diploma, and embark for themselves as VETERINARY SURGEONS in the
service of the public; or possess the privilege of an immediate
appointment in his Majesty's service, under the patronage of his Royal
Highness the Commander in Chief, at a stipend which does honor to the
institution, as will be found more fully explained under its proper
head, VETERINARY COLLEGE.


ASCARIDES—are a species of worms, to which horses are frequently
subject, from two to three inches long: they are not larger in
circumference than a common knitting needle, have a flat head, and in
some degree not unlike the millepedes, at least in respect to their
number of legs. They are in general voided with the dung, where they may
be seen twirling and twisting about with wonderful rapidity, not unlike
a grig, or small eel, when thrown out of his own element upon the grass.
Horses persecuted with these painful and troublesome companions, are
generally relaxed in the intestines, and throw off their dung in a
_loose state_, affording, by that circumstance alone, sufficient proof
how much they irritate internally, as well as why horses affected with
_worms_, are not only low in flesh, but rough in coat, and almost every
way out of condition.


ASTHMATIC.—Horses are considered _asthmatic_, or thick-winded, who have
acquired a difficulty of respiration, and a short husky cough, from
blood originally dense and sizey having been permitted to become
proportionally _viscid_, from a want of _evacuants_ and _attenuants_ in
time to have prevented the obstructions which lay the foundation of this
troublesome defect. The viscidity of the blood constituting obstructions
in the finer vessels, produce tubercles in the lungs, which, rendering
their action partial and imperfect, occasions the difficulty of
breathing, and repetition of cough, so constantly observed during the
increased circulation of the blood, when the horse is brought into use.
Frequent _bleedings_, and a course of the Author's PECTORAL DETERGENT
BALLS, are the best means of alleviation and cure.


ASTRINGENTS—is rather a medical than either a general or sporting term,
and implies any article in food or medicine, possessing the property of
restraining a too great flux of excrement after physic, or a too lax
state of body, (denominated looseness,) proceeding from a previous
fulness, or from intestinal acrimony, where the discharges have been a
mere effort of Nature to relieve herself from the load, and not in
consequence of any purgative whatever. In such flaccidity of the
intestines, proceeding from whatever cause, a cordial ball occasionally,
small quantities of liquid laudanum in gruel, and an ounce of gum arabic
dissolved, and given night and morning in the water, will soon restore
them to their proper state.


ATTACHMENTS—Court of, a ceremony or court peculiar to the laws of a
forest, and necessary to be known only by those who reside therein. The
officers of this court do no more than receive the _attachments_ of the
_foresters_, and enrol them in the VERDERERS' rolls, that they may be
ready for the court of _swainmote_ when held. This court of attachments
having no power to determine upon cases of offence or trespass beyond
the value of _fourpence_, all above that sum must appear in the
verderers' rolls, and be sent by them to the court of swainmote, there
to be tried according to the forest laws, which are replete with
peculiar privileges, immunities, and what are termed royalties,
appertaining to the Crown itself.


ATTAINT—has been used, by members of the old school in farriery, for
blows, bruises, cuts, and wounds, sustained in any one leg by injuries
from the other. As it is, however, nearly obsolete, and may probably
never be heard again, farther exposition becomes unnecessary.


ATTRACTION—is positively, in some respects, the best property (if it can
be so termed) a horse can possibly possess, at least so far as it is
admitted to exceed every other qualification in its effect upon the mind
of the owner during the time he is in possession; as well as no
inconsiderable gratification of pecuniary expectation when the horse
comes to be sold. The great advantage arising from _attraction_ in a
horse is, that, however vexatious his defects in respect to temper and
action may be, he will never hang upon hand, or the owner be long in
want of a customer, if external figure and good colour do but afford
_attraction_ in any tolerable degree. There are always those in pursuit
of horses for purchase, who more know what constitutes _figure_ at
_first sight_, than what constitutes _good points_ after a week's
examination. Two good ends (as the dealers term them) _well set on_, and
_both up_, go a great way in the fashionable work of attraction; without
one or both of which, a horse can never become a commanding figure,
either before or behind; and, strange as it may be thought by the young
or inexperienced, there are numerous instances of horses bearing, in
their general appearance, a kind of _attracting uniformity_, that, upon
critical investigation, are found not to have any distinguishing point
of excellence about them. Those, however, who have the prudence to bear
in memory the effect of _attraction_, and to secure it when they _buy_,
will never be at much loss when they _sell_: it will be also by no means
inapplicable to have it equally "in the mind's eye," that many horses
without attraction are _too dear at nothing_.


ATTIRE—of a deer. See ANTLERS.


AVIARY—a receptacle for singing birds of different denominations, more
adapted to the pleasures of the ladies, than any systematic pursuit or
enquiry of the sportsman.



B.


BABBLER—is a hound upon whose tongue no firm reliance is to be made,
either in _drag_, upon _trail_, or the recovery of a fault during the
_chase_; so strictly true is the well known adage, that "a liar is not
to be believed although he speaks the truth."


BABRAHAM—was one of the best racers of his time; he was bred by LORD
GODOLPHIN; foaled in 1740; was got by the Goldophin Arabian out of the
large Hartley mare, got by Mr. Hartley's blind horse; her dam Flying
Wig, by Williams's Woodstock Arabian; grand-dam by the St. Victor Barb,
out of a daughter of Whynot, son of the Fenwick Barb. He became a
STALLION of much celebrity, having been the sire of Sir Isaac Lowther's
Babraham, Mr. Leedes's Young Babraham, Babraham Blank, Jack of Newbury,
Traplin, Aimwell, Louisa, Molly Long Legs, Harry Long Legs, Fop, Lovely,
Americus, and many other excellent runners.


BACK—of a horse, the very part upon which the centrical point of beauty
principally depends. If he is long in the back, narrow across the loins,
flat in the ribs, and light in the carcase, (however well he may be
otherways furnished with _good_ _points_,) he will never be considered
either a handsome or strong horse. Horses of this description are in
general good goers as to _speed_, but very little to be relied on in
_hard_ service, or _long_ journies.


BACKING—is the term used for the first time of mounting a colt (or
taking seat upon the saddle) after he has been previously _handled_,
_quieted_, _stabled_, and accustomed to the mouthing-bit, the cavezon,
martingal, lunging-rein, saddle, and the whole of the apparatus with
which he has been led his different paces in _the ring_: all this he
should be brought to submit to most quietly, as well as to the being
_saddled_, and every part of liable discipline, before any attempt is
made to _back_ him; if not, it cannot be termed a systematic completion
of the business. As _backing_ a _colt_ (after every precaution) requires
a certain degree of cool and steady fortitude appertaining principally
to the _breaker_, whose province it is, (and is but little attempted by
others,) a minute description of the means and ceremony could prove but
of little utility here, and is of course for that reason dispensed with.

Opinion and practice have very much varied in respect to the age most
proper for backing a colt, or even taking him in hand. Not more than
half a century past, colts were never touched (upon the score of
_handling_) till rising _four_, backed and brought into very gentle use
when rising _five_, and never seen in constant work till nearly or _full
six years old_. But so wonderfully has fashionable refinement operated
upon the human mind, and so constantly is it agitated by the fascinating
effusions of novelty and innovation, that we now find colts handled at
_two_, broke (and racing) at _three_, and in constant work at _four_, in
every part of the kingdom; in consequence of which impatient and
premature _improvement_ upon the judgment and practice of our
forefathers, we now daily observe horses at five, six, and seven years
old, more impaired in their powers, than they formerly were at double
that age, to the evident production of strained sinews, swelled legs,
splents, sprains, wind-galls, and the long list of ills so admirably
calculated for the support of the new generation of veterinarians, who
are daily emerging from obscurity, and for whom employment must
necessarily be obtained.


BACK SINEWS,—so called in a horse, are the tendons extending from the
junction of the knee, at the back of the shank-bone to the fetlock
joint, where they are inserted. These parts are so much acted upon, and
partake so palpably of the labour in which the animal is constantly
engaged, that they are eternally liable to injury from over work,
rolling stones, deep ground, or projecting prominences in the pavement
of large towns. When injuries of this kind are severe, and threaten, by
_swelling_ and _inflammation_, some duration, a repetition of work
should be by all means avoided. A speedy and permanent cure principally
depends upon the first steps taken for relief, to which mild treatment,
attention, unremitting care, and rest, will conjunctively contribute. In
most cases _too much_ is done in _too short_ a time, to gratify either
the impatience of the owner, or the pecuniary sensations of his medical
monitor; burning applications (increasing the original inflammation) of
what they term _hot oils_, followed up by _blisters_ of extra strength,
and lastly, the humane (and frequently ineffectual) operation of the
_firing irons_, constitute the routine of professional practice, to the
utter rejection of milder means, and the indications of nature, who,
with the assistance of rest, would frequently effect her own purpose,
and complete a cure.


BACK RAKING—is an operation of which confident grooms, and indolent
farriers, are too frequently fond. It is introducing the hand at the
sphincter ani, to extract the indurated fæces, or hardened dung, from
the rectum, in which the horse must experience considerable pain, that
would be better avoided by the more humane and considerate
administration of _a clyster_. By this a repetition of the more slovenly
and less efficacious operation would be rendered unnecessary, as well as
the original intent more expeditiously promoted. There can be but little
doubt, under the present improved practice, that means of relief so
singular and unnatural, will soon give place to, and be totally
superseded by, methods of greater neatness and humanity in their
operation, and greater certainty in the effect.


BADGER.—Though this animal cannot be said to afford sport to the
superior classes, he is entitled to notice here, in conformity with the
original intent and title of the Work. Former writers have, with a
greater attention to the fertility of invention, than any respect to
truth, held forth a seemingly plausible description of BADGERS of two
_distinct_ and _separate_ kinds, under the different appellation of a
dog-badger and hog-badger; the former having feet resembling _a dog_;
the feet of the latter _cloven_, exactly similar to those of _the hog_.
To strengthen this assertion, they tell you they subsist on different
food; that the one eats with eagerness any kind of flesh and carrion as
a dog; the other, roots, fruits, and vegetables, as a hog. This,
however, may be justly considered the effect of fiction, or of a too
_enlarged imagination_, as the existence of only one kind of badger is
admitted amongst us, with such trifling difference in size or colour, as
may happen from age, the peculiar soil of any particular county, or
other such collateral circumstance as may add something to the size in
one part of the kingdom, or vary a shade or two in the colours of
another.

HUNTING the badger is no more than an occasional sport with rustics of
the lower order, and can only be enjoyed by moonlight; the badger, from
his natural habits, being never to be found above ground by day. In this
sport they are obliged to oppose _art_ to _cunning_, and obtain by
stratagem what they cannot effect by strength. At a late hour in the
evening, when the badger is naturally concluded to have left his
_kennel_ or his _castle_, in search of prey, some of the party (as
previously adjusted) proceed to place a sack _at length_ within the
burrow, so constructed that the mouth of the sack directly corresponds
with the mouth of the earth, and is secured in that position by means of
a willow hoop, which, from its pliability, readily submits to the form
required. This part of the business being completed, the parties
withdrawn, and the _signal whistle_ given, their distant companions lay
on the dogs, (either hounds, terriers, lurchers, or spaniels,)
encouraging them through the neighbouring woods, coppices, and hedge
rows, which the badgers abroad no sooner find, than being alarmed, and
well knowing their inability to continue a state of warfare so much out
of their own element, they instantly make to the earth for shelter,
where, for want of an alternative, and oppressed with fear, they rush
into certain destruction, by entering the sack, where being entangled,
(by the rapidity with which they enter,) they are soon secured by those
who are fixed near the spot for that purpose.

If he escapes by the ill construction or accidental falling of the sack,
(which is sometimes the case,) and enters the earth with safety,
_digging him out_ is not only a certain laborious attempt, but with a
very _precarious_ termination; for the badger possessing instinctively
much art, ingenuity, and perseverance, has generally formed his retreat
with no small strength resulting from natural fortification; to render
which the more probably tenable against the premeditated attacks of
constant and implacable enemies, it is most frequently formed amongst
the roots of some old pollard, in the banks of moors, or unfrequented
ground, or underneath a hollow tree, from amidst the large and spreading
roots of which the burrows run in such remote and ramified directions,
that his assailants are compelled, by loss of time and labour, (after
digging fifteen or twenty feet,) to relinquish the pursuit, and abandon
the contest: corroborating the opinion of countrymen in general, that,
in a light or sandy soil, badgers can make way as fast from their
pursuers, as the latter erroneously _conceive_ they are gaining ground
upon them, and to this perhaps it is owing that there are so many _drawn
battles_ between the pursuers and the pursued.

BADGER BAITING is a different sport, and exceedingly prevalent in both
town and country, particularly with the butchers, and lower orders in
the environs of the metropolis, for whom a constant supply of badgers,
from the woods of Essex, Kent, and Surry, were sure to be obtained. To
so great a pitch of celebrity had this _sublime amusement_ attained in
the neighbourhood of Tottenham Court and Islington, that the magistrates
most laudably exerted themselves to put an end to a _pleasurable
business_, which brought together an infinity of the most abandoned
miscreants, with their _bull dogs_ and _terriers_, from every extremity
of the town. To the dreadful and inhuman scene of baiting _bears_ and
_badgers_ (with the most ferocious dogs) till nature was quite
exhausted, succeeded _dog fights_, _boxing matches_, and every species
of the most incredible infamy under sanction of the _knights_ of the
_cleaver_; till, by the persevering efforts of the more humane
inhabitants, and the spirited determination of magistracy, the practice
seems totally abolished, and likely to be buried in a much-wished-for
oblivion.


BALLS,—medicines so called when prepared in that form, as they now
mostly are, for the mitigation and cure of almost every disease to which
the horse is incident. There are purging balls of various kinds,
prepared of proportional strengths, and compounded of different
ingredients, with or without the impregnation of mercury, according to
the _state_, _disease_, or _condition_ of the subject. Mild and strong
diuretic balls, for cracked heels, swelled legs, fluctuating humours,
and grease. Pectoral cordial balls, for colds, as well as to be given
after severe chases, or long journeys: they are also useful when a horse
is off his appetite, as well as an excellent preventative to cold when a
horse has been long out of the stable, in sharp winds or chilling rains.
Pectoral detergent balls, for obstinate coughs, and thick-winded horses.
Likewise balls for flatulent and inflammatory cholic, as well as for
strangury and other disorders. Articles of this description are usually
prepared from the prescriptions of those authors who have written upon
farriery and veterinary medicine; but, for the accommodation of the
public at large, and to prevent the _abuses_ sometimes attendant upon
the casual preparation in shops, by the inattention of servants, or the
privilege and _practice_ of substituting _one_ article for _another_,
the Author, immediately after the publication and success of his
"_Stable Directory_" prepared his own advertised medicines, which have
now been fourteen years honoured with public patronage, a list of which,
with the prices, will be found annexed to this Work.


BALSAMICS,—in medicine, is a kind of indefinite term, upon which the
most eminent writers have hardly agreed: but however they may have
differed in respect to derivation, there can be no doubt but the true
sense of the word must appertain to such nutritive emollients, and
gelatinous restoratives, as heal without, and invigorate within. The
term is more generally applied to medicines administered in disorders of
the _chest_ and _lungs_.


BARBS—are horses brought from the coast of Barbary, and mostly consigned
as presents to His Majesty, or some other branch of the royal family.
Those arriving under such distinction, are to be considered the true
MOUNTAIN BARB, the _pedigree_ of whose _blood_ has been recorded with as
much tenacity and care as the genealogy of our most ancient nobility.
BARBS (as they are called) are to be found in the possession of many
people of fashion and fortune in England, but they are in general of
inferior degree, and thought to be only the _common_ horses of the
country from whence they came: such there are at all times to be
obtained through the intervening medium of _Provence_ and _Languedoc_ in
France; but in this kingdom they are held in very slender estimation;
not more for their deficiency in _growth_ and _strength_, than the
aukwardness of their _action_.

BARBS were formerly in great request here; and neither trouble or
expence was spared to obtain them, for the sole purpose of improving the
speed of our own _breed_ for the TURF, where, upon the various events in
RACING at NEWMARKET, and in the _north_, immense sums are frequently
depending; and from the various _crosses_ in _blood_, the breeding _in
and in_, with the different fancied _interlineations_ by different
individuals, it is affirmed, by some of those best versed in racing
pedigree, that there are at this time a very few (if any) thorough bred
ENGLISH HORSES, but what have a cross of _foreign blood_ in their
composition. To elucidate or justify this opinion, reference may be made
to the well authenticated list of BARBS and ARABIANS, who have
contributed, as _stallions_, more or less, to the increase of the most
select and valuable studs in every part of the kingdom.

The HELMSLEY TURK (one of the first we can go back to) was the property
of an old Duke of Buckingham, and afterwards of Mr. Place, (studmaster
to Oliver Cromwell when Protector,) in whose possession he got
_Bustler_, &c. Mr. Place had also a stallion, called PLACE'S WHITE TURK,
who was the sire of _Wormwood_, _Commoner_, and other good horses.

The STRADLING or LISTER TURK was brought into England by the Duke of
Berwick, from the siege of Buda, in the reign of James the Second. He
got _Snake_, _Brisk_, _Piping Peg_, _Coneyskins_, &c.

The BYERLEY TURK was Captain Byerley's charger in Ireland in King
William's wars, 1689, and was afterwards the sire of many good runners.

GREYHOUND was got in Barbary by a white Barb, out of Slugey, a natural
Barb mare. After the _leap_, both sire and dam were purchased and
brought to England by Mr. Marshall, where the sire became one of King
William's stud, and was called the "White Barb Chillaby." Greyhound was
the sire of _Othello_, _Whitefoot_, _Osmyn_, _Rake_, _Sampson_,
_Goliah_, _Favorite_, _Desdemona_, and others.

D'ARCY WHITE TURK got old _Hautboy_, _Grey Royal_, _Cannon_, &c.

D'ARCY YELLOW TURK was the sire of _Spanker_, _Brimmer_, and the great
great grand-dam of _Cartouch_.

CURWEN'S BAY BARB was a present from Muly Ishmael, Emperor of Morocco,
to Lewis the Fourteenth, and was brought to England by Mr. Curwen, who
procured from Count Byram and Count Thoulouse (natural sons of the
French King) the two horses afterwards called the _Curwen Bay Barb_ and
_Thoulouse Barb_, both which proved excellent stallions, getting a great
number of winners, and transmitting their blood through the sisters of
_Mixbury_ to _Partner_, _Little Scar_, _Soreheels_, and the dam of
_Crab_; as well as to _Bagpiper_, _Blacklegs_, Panton's _Molly_, and the
dam of _Cinnamon_.

DARLEY'S ARABIAN was brought over by a brother of Mr. Darley in
Yorkshire, who being a commercial agent abroad, exerted his interest to
procure the horse. He was sire of the famous horse _Childers_, (who was
said to have ran a _mile_ in a _minute_,) _Dædalus_, _Dart_, _Skipjack_,
_Aleppo_, and other good horses.

SIR J. WILLIAMS'S TURK got Mr. Honeywood's _two True Blues_, out of the
only thorough-bred mare he was ever known to cover; though he got some
middling racers out of common mares, whose pedigrees were not known.

The BELGRADE TURK was taken at the siege of Belgrade, and, after passing
through the hands of General Merci, the Prince de Craon, and the Prince
of Lorrain, became the property of Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, in whose
possession he died about 1740.

CROFT'S BAY BARB was got by _Chillaby_ out of the Moonah Barb Mare.

The GODOLPHIN ARABIAN was the property of Lord Godolphin, and thought so
little of as a stallion, and so little likely to get racers, that he was
for some years _teazer_ to _Hobgoblin_; but, upon his refusing to cover
_Roxana_, the Arabian had the _leap_, which produced _Lath_, the first
horse he ever got. To Lath succeeded _Cade_, _Regulus_, _Blank_,
_Babraham_, _Bajazet_, &c. &c. and there can be no doubt, from the
success of the progeny of each, but that he contributed more to the
value and speed of horses for the turf, than any other foreign stallion
ever brought into this kingdom.

The CULLEN ARABIAN was sire of _Camillus_, _Sour Face_, the _dam_ of
_Regulator_, &c. &c.

The COOMBE ARABIAN, called also the _Pigot Arabian_, was sire of
_Methodist_, the _dam_ of _Cross_, &c.

The COMPTON BARB, or _Sedley Arabian_, was sire of _Coquette_,
_Greyling_, &c.

The ARCOT ARABIAN has been covering a few years in the neighbourhood of
the metropolis, but has not produced any thing of note. This may
probably happen from a want of interest in procuring _thorough-bred
mares_, without which a stallion for racing blood can acquire no
celebrity.

KING CHARLES the Second sent over his master of the horse to procure a
number of foreign horses and mares for breeding; and the mares brought
over by him, as well as many of their produce, have since been called
_Royal Mares_. DODSWORTH, though foaled in England, was a natural Barb;
his dam was imported _in foal_ during the time of Charles the Second,
and was sold for forty guineas at twenty years old, (after the King's
death,) then in foal (by the Helmsley Turk) of _Vixen_, afterwards dam
of the old Child Mare.

However largely this description of horses may have contributed to the
improvement of blood in this country, and however grand and majestic
they may appear in competition with our more settled, steady, and
well-broke studs; yet, when the _uniformity_ of _parts_ which constitute
_the whole_ come to be judiciously examined, and every _point_ of
_perfection_ precisely ascertained, no doubt can or need be entertained,
but the best bred horses in Britain, as _Highflyer_, _Escape_,
_Rockingham_, _Hambletonian_, _Diamond_, and many others, must stand
firmly entitled to the palm of priority. The most accurate must have
observed, that the major part of the horses brought to this country as
Barbs and Arabians, being submitted to public inspection, are very much
inferior in height to our own, few reaching, and _none exceeding_,
fifteen hands: they have mostly a curvilinear hollowness of the back, a
narrowness of the chest, (indicative of _speed_, but the reverse of
_strength_,) and a palpable deficiency in the arm or _fore thigh_,
seemingly disproportioned to their own weight. Their apparent powers are
entirely appropriate to the purposes of _speed_, and not to the common
services of the people of this country; being, in general, bad, uneven
walkers; and once exerted to _a trot_, their legs are thrown about in
the clambering manner of the German cavalry, much more adapted to the
gratification of pompous parade, than the neatness or utility of
expeditious action.


BARS—are the fleshy ridges at the upper part of a horse's mouth. These
ridges are always more prominent in _young_ horses than in _old_. When
they are luxuriant towards the front teeth, and, with a kind of elastic
puffiness, project and prevent mastication, they are called LAMPAS,
(which see.) In all cases of emergency where bleeding is necessary, and
the apparatus not at hand, particularly _in the night_, an incision or
two across the bars with the fleam, instantly answers the purpose, and
prevents farther ceremony.


BAT FOWLING—is a favorite sport with farmer's servants on a winter's
evening, and can only be enjoyed with a degree of success proportioned
by the darkness of the night. The party should not consist of less than
four; two of whom are provided with long flimsey hazel sticks or hurdle
rods; the third carries and manages the flap, (or folding net;) and the
fourth a candle and lanthorn, suspended to the end of _a pole_ seven or
eight feet long. Upon the net being spread, by separating the side rods
to their utmost extent, before the _corn-rick_, _out-houses_, _eaves_ of
_stable thatch_, _yew hedge_, or whatever spot it is intended to try,
the candle and lanthorn is then to be held up as nearly the centre of
the net as possible, but at about three or four feet distance, just
before the assistants begin to beat the _rick_, _thatch_, or _hedge_,
with their poles; when the birds being thus suddenly alarmed from their
resting-place, make instantly for the light, when the net being directly
closed (if by a skilful practitioner) the success is beyond description;
it being no uncommon thing, in large remote farms, and in severe
winters, to take twenty or thirty dozen of sparrows, and other small
birds, in one evening's diversion.


BATTLE ROYAL—was formerly (much more than at present) a favorite mode of
fighting amongst COCKERS of the _lower order_, who, upon the old maxim
of "the more danger the more honor," became practical advocates for
general destruction in the following way. A battle royal may consist of
any number of cocks, but is hardly ever known to exceed _eight_. The
owner of each having made good his _stake_, or previously contributed
his share of the _prize_ or _purse_ for which they fight, and all
parties being ready, the cocks are most _inhumanly_ pitted at the same
moment, when a long and distressing scene ensues, to which there is no
termination so long as a _second_ cock is left alive, and the victory
can only be obtained by the last survivor. This species of sport is but
little practised now, and that in the most distant and remote corners of
the kingdom.


BAY—the colour of a horse so called, and is the most esteemed of any
other in constituting the beauty of the horse. They have invariably
black manes and tails, are many shades lighter than a brown horse, and
were originally called _bay_ from their affinity to the leaf of the bay
tree. There are, however, some degrees of difference and variations in
those so termed: for instance, there is the light or yellow bay, the
brown bay, and the mottled bay. Bay horses with black legs have the
preference of all other colours, and now almost wholly constitute the
racing breed of this country.


BAY—is a sporting term, and used in the following sense. When a stag has
been so long pursued that, finding his speed or strength nearly
exhausted, he turns round, (having some protection of building or paling
in his rear,) and facing the hounds, resolutely defends himself with his
_antlers_, keeping the hounds at _bay_, till the sportsmen come up, who
immediately assist in drawing off the hounds, and saving the life of the
deer. When the deer takes _soil_, (that is, takes to the water,) he will
defend himself, and keep the hounds a long time at _bay_, provided he
fathoms the lake or river so well as to keep the hounds _swimming_, and
not go out of his _own_ depth; if he loses which, and is obliged to
_swim_ at the time _he is up_, (in other words, quite tired,) and
surrounded by the hounds, he is inevitably drowned by his numerous and
determined foes, in opposition to every exertion that can be made to
save him.

In fox-hunting, when the fox is supposed to have gone to earth, the fact
can only be ascertained in many cases by the excellence of the terrier
attending the pack, who has in general strength and speed sufficient to
keep him from being far behind. Upon entering the earth, discovery is
soon made of the certainty of his retreat, by the terrier's "_laying
well at him_," provided the fox has not _turned_ in the earth: if he has
so done, and they are face to face, they are both _baying_, or keeping
each other _at bay_, till the controversy ends in _digging out_ the fox,
and letting in the hounds for their _share_ of the entertainment, with
the additional acquisition of _blood_ for the advantage of the pack.


BAY BOLTON—was bred by MR. VERNON; foaled in 1777: he was got by
Matchem, dam by Regulus, out of an own sister to the Ancaster Starling.
He has long been in the possession of his Majesty, and was for many
years the favorite stallion at Hampton Court, from whom most of his
Majesty's present stud were produced.


BAY MALTON—was esteemed the first horse of his year in the kingdom, and
won more prizes of consequence and value than any horse of his time. He
was bred by the then MARQUIS OF ROCKINGHAM; was foaled in 1760; got by
Sampson, dam by Cade, and grand-dam by Old Traveller. It is believed he
never covered as a STALLION: if so, he produced no horses of note.


BAY TREE—The leaves of which are so useful in fomentations, and the
berries in clysters, for horses upon every emergency, particularly
remote from towns, that sporting gentlemen in the country should never
be without a tree of this description upon their premises.


BEAGLES,—in early stages of the sporting world, was an appellation of
much more definite meaning than in the _polish_ of the _present times_,
and was then used to signify a brace or two of the tanned or pied hounds
of small dimensions, with which the country squire or opulent farmer
_picked_ and _chopped_ the trail of a hare to her form for a course with
his greyhounds. As they were, however, so constantly useful in
recovering the hare after the _first_ course, and bringing her to view
for _a second_, it became in a great degree stigmatized by sportsmen in
general, and is now considered neither more or less than _one mode_ of
_poaching_ under the sanction of legal authority. Many packs of these
small beagles (for beagle then implied the _smallest_ kind of hound
known) were formerly kept by country gentlemen at a very trifling
expence, and with no small share of amusement to their rustic
neighbours; for, although those who joined in the chase might be
numerous, yet _two_ or _three horsemen only_ were seen in the field, so
easy was it to keep up with the hounds (alias beagles) on foot. They
were in general so well matched, that they did not exceed eleven inches
in height; and ran so well together, they (to speak technically,) "might
be covered with a sheet." Though they were _slow_, they were _sure_; for
if the scent lay well, a hare could seldom escape them; and this, to the
object of pursuit, mostly proved a lingering as well as a certain death:
for though, in the early parts of the chase, they could never get near
enough to _press_ her, they were frequently _two_ or _three_ hours in
killing.

In proportion to the increasing spirit of the times, _slow hunting_
declined, and beagles of this kind got in disrepute. The numerous
crosses in the breed of both beagles and hounds, according to the wishes
and inclinations of those who keep them, have so diversified the
variety, that a volume might be produced, in a description of the
different sorts and sizes adapted to the soil and surface where they
hunt; from the old _heavy, deep tongued, dew-lapped southern hound_ of
MANCHESTER, (where the huntsman with his long pole goes on foot,) to the
highest crossed harriers of the present day, who kill the stoutest hares
in _thirty_ and _forty_ minutes with a speed not much inferior to
coursing. BEAGLES, when the term is now used, implies hounds who _hunt
hares only_, in contra-distinction to those who hunt either STAG or FOX.
Harriers have been produced from the crosses between the beagle and the
fox hound, for the advantage of speed; but _harriers_ are not, in
sporting acceptation, to be considered synonymous with _beagles_, to
whom they are very superior in size. MR. DANIEL, in a recent
publication, called "_Rural Sports_," has given an account of "a cry of
beagles, ten or eleven couple, which were always carried to and from the
field in a large pair of panniers, slung across a horse: small as they
were, they would keep a hare at all her shifts to escape them, and often
worry her to death. The catastrophe (says he) attending this pack of
hounds is laughable, and perhaps is a larceny _unique_ in its attempt. A
small barn was their allotted kennel, the door of which was one night
broke open, and every hound with the panniers stolen; nor could the most
diligent search discover the least trace of the robbers or their booty."


BEAK,—the bill of a bird, more expressively understood in the "setting
too" of a cock; which, according to the articles and fixed rules of
cocking, must be "beak to beak."


BEAM,—in the head of a deer, is the basis, or part bearing the antlers,
royals and tops.


BEAT FOR A HARE,—is a term in hunting, much less known, and much less
used, formerly, than of late years. When the huntsman was mounted at
_day break_, and the hounds were thrown off at the place of meeting, as
soon as the horsemen could _see to ride_, the hounds took trail, and
went to their game in a style much better conceived than described. No
assistance was then required to _beat for hares_, when the hounds were
thus early enabled to find for themselves. A chase (or two) was enjoyed
at that time, and the hounds at home in the kennel, before the hour at
which it is _now_ the custom to reach the field. Hence the custom of
engaging help to _beat for a hare_, the worst method that can be
adopted, and the most destructive of all discipline with the hounds; for
once accustomed to the practice, heads are all up; and they are much
more employed in staring about, and listening for _a view holloa_, than
in putting their noses to the ground.


BEDDING—appertains here only to the bedding of the horse, upon which
there are such a variety of opinions, that there cannot be the least
expectation of all ever centering in one point. While some are profuse
of straw at all seasons, even to a degree of _waste_ and extravagance,
others, from a parsimonious principle, do not (at least readily) admit
the necessity of _any at all_. In extremes, perhaps, the line of
mediocrity may be the most satisfactory, and least liable to
reprehension.


BETTING—is one great gratification of happiness with the people of this
country, who never can be said to be _truly happy_, unless it is blended
with a _chance_ of becoming completely _miserable_. It is that kind of
national _furor_, that no laws, however _penal_, no restrictions,
however _severe_, can have sufficient force to stem the torrent of
popular propensity; particularly when nurtured and encouraged by the
prevalent example, and personal practice, of the first and most exalted
characters in the kingdom. Experience has for ages proved it a privilege
implanted in the very hearts of its devotees, which can only terminate
when sporting propagation ceases, and will of course continue to the
_end of time_. Legislative dictation, and magisterial authority, may
give a temporary check to games of chance at tables of public notoriety,
where the most villainous depredations are in constant practice; but so
long as that excitement to the true spirit of speculation, _a lottery_,
the exhilarating power of _a race_, the infectious clamour of _a
cockpit_, or the greater hobby-horse of John Bull, a _boxing match_, is
open to all minds, and in all directions, so long will _betting_ excite
the attention, and continue to constitute the pleasing, _painful_
anxiety of pecuniary speculation with the people of this country, (and
probably of every other,) from the highest to the lowest classes of
society.

BETTING is the act of laying a wager, or making a deposit of money, by
two persons of contrary opinions, for one to become the _winner_, upon
the decision of some public or popular event; and that so fashionable a
mode of terminating disputes may meet with but little difficulty or
obstruction, _bets are made_ with as much deliberation, and discharged
by the SPORTING WORLD with as much integrity, as the most important
transactions of the commercial part of society in the first city of the
universe. Betting has of late years been reduced to _a system_, by which
there are now many _professors_ in existence, who were originally of the
_very lowest order_; but, by an indefatigable and persevering _industry_
at Newmarket, the cockpit, and the gaming table, have acquired princely
possessions, by the unexpected honour of being admitted to princely
association. Where two opponents deposit _each_ an _equal_ sum (whether
five pounds or five hundred) upon any event whatever, it is then termed
_an even bet_. An offer of _six_ to _four_, implies the odds in direct
ratio of six pounds to four, twelve to eight, sixty to forty; or in that
proportion to any amount. Betting _two_ to _one_, is laying ten pounds
to five, twenty to ten, and so forth; one depositing exactly _double_
the amount of his adversary's _stake_; three, four and five to one being
regulated in the same way. The latter are all termed _laying the odds_,
which vary according to the predominant opinions of the best judges upon
the _probable_ termination of the event; one rule being invariable, the
person betting _the odds_ (or, in other words, the _larger_ sum against
the _smaller_) has always the privilege of taking _his choice_ in
preference to his adversary, against which no appeal can ever be made
with a decision in its favor.

Any person proposing _a bet_ to another during the running of a horse,
the fighting of a cock, or any other transaction, the party applied to,
saying "done," and the proposer _replying_ "done" also, it then becomes
a confirmed _bet_, and cannot in sporting etiquette and honour _be off_,
or revoked, but by mutual consent. No bet above _ten pounds_ can be sued
for and recovered in our courts of law; the payment of all losings above
that sum must depend entirely upon the _sporting integrity_ of the
parties concerned.


BISHOPING—is an operation performed upon the teeth of a horse, and
supposed to have derived its _modern_ appellation from an _eminent_ and
_distinguished_ dealer of the name of BISHOP; whether from any peculiar
neatness in, or reputed celebrity for, a personal performance of the
deception, it is most probably not possible (or necessary) to ascertain.
The purport of the operation is to furnish horses of _ten_ or _twelve_
years old with a _regeneration_ of _teeth_, bearing the appearance of
_five_ or _six_, and is thus performed. The horse being powerfully
twitched by both the nose and the ears, a cushioned roller (large enough
to keep the jaws extended) is then placed in the mouth; which done, the
teeth of the under jaw are somewhat reduced in their length (according
to their growth) by the friction of a whitesmith's cutting file: an
engraver's tool is then employed in taking away as much from the centre
of the surface of each tooth as will leave a conspicuous cavity in the
middle; this cavity (or rather every individual cavity) is then burned
black with an iron instrument red hot, and adapted to the purpose; a
composition of cement is then insinuated, so well prepared in both
colour and consistence, that it is frequently not discoverable (at least
to slight observers) for many months after its introduction.


BITCH—is the feminine of the canine species, in contra-distinction to
dog. It is sometimes used in a similar sense with respect to foxes,
where the female is termed _a bitch fox_; though a _vixen_ is the more
sportsman-like appellation. Bitches are sometimes _spayed_, to prevent
their farther propagation: it requires judgment and expertness in the
operation, the best time for which is about a week after the heat is
gone off.


BITS—are of different kinds, formed of iron, and constitute the
mouth-part of bridles of every denomination, whether in carriage
harness, or for use on the turf, in the chase, or upon the road. The
single large-mouthed bit, first used with colts in breaking, is known by
the name of _mouthing-bit_: the same shaped bit, but of a much smaller
size, with a small cheek of about three inches long, is called a _piped
cheek snaffle_. A single bit, having _a curb_, and a cheek of five or
six inches long, with one rein only, and that inserted to the bottom of
the cheek, is termed _a hard and sharp_, and with justice; it is one of
the worst inventions ever adopted, never seen in use with a sportsman,
and only calculated for vicious _run-away_ horses, not to be stopped by
any common means. A bit of the same form, having eyes for two reins, one
on each side the mouth-piece, and others at the lower extremity of the
cheek, are called _pelhams_, as a favourite bit of the old Duke of
Newcastle. A _bridoon_ is a small snaffle, or mouth-piece, having no
other cheek than a circular eye to receive the rein into the same
headstall, with which is stitched a roller-mouthed _polished port bit_,
having a cheek of four, five or six inches in length, according to
fancy, or the mouth of the horse: the rein to this bit is affixed to the
lower extremity of the cheek, and, in conjunction with the bridoon,
constitutes the double reined bridle, called _a Weymouth_, mostly in use.


BITES—frequently happen to sporting dogs as well as to horses, but much
more frequently to the _former_, by poisonous insects that are, as well
as many not known. Means of relief must of course be regulated by
immediate appearances: in great inflammation, _bleeding_, and external
emollients, are of good effect: in bites of the _viper_, its own fat
liquified, and to be had at the medical shops as the "oil of vipers," is
acknowledged a certain antidote.


BITTERN—is a bird of similar formation to the _heron_, but of much
smaller size, and more beautifully variegated in its plumage. They are
principally found in sedgey moors, where they breed, particularly within
a few miles of the sea-coast, not being very common in the centrical
parts of the kingdom. If brought down by the gun with only _a broken
wing_, they display great courage in opposing their destroyer;
possessing such determined power, and quick exertion of both _talons_
and _beak_, they cannot be with safety secured till deprived of life.
From their scarcity, they are esteemed a rarity at the tables of the
great, where _one_ is received as a handsome present; a brace being
seldom seen together, either dead or alive.


BLACK ACT—is so called, because it was enacted in consequence of the
most unprecedented depredations committed in Essex by persons in
disguise, with their faces blacked and disfigured, and is literally thus.

"By this statute it is enacted, that persons, hunting armed and
disguised, and killing or stealing deer, or robbing warrens, or stealing
fish out of any river, &c. or any person unlawfully hunting in His
Majesty's forests; or breaking down the head of any fish-pond; or
killing of cattle; or cutting down trees; or setting fire to house,
barn, or wood; or shooting at any person; or sending letters, either
anonymous, or signed with a fictitious name, demanding money, &c. or
rescuing such offenders, are guilty of felony without benefit of
clergy." This is commonly called the Waltham Black Act, and was made
perpetual by 31 George II. c. 42.


BLACK-LEGS—is the expressive appellation long since given by the
superior classes of the sporting world (consisting of noblemen and
gentlemen of fortune) to the very _honorable_ and very _distinguished_
fraternity who are known to constitute "a _family_," and are, perhaps,
without exception, the most unprincipled and abandoned set of _thieves_
and _harpies_ that ever disgraced civilized society. They are a body,
existing by, and subsisting upon, the most villainous modes of deceptive
depredation: their various modes of attacking, and preying upon, the
credulity of the inexperienced and unsuspecting part of the public, are
beyond conception: their number is incredible, and their stratagems
exceed description. Destitute not only of character, but of every sense
of honor, their minds are destined solely to the purposes of determined
devastation upon the property of those unthinkingly seduced or betrayed
into their company; upon whose credulity and indiscretion they are
supported in a continued scene of the most luxurious and fashionable
dissipation.

As members have no great power in exerting themselves with much success
individually, _the firm_ (if a phalanx of the most infamous combination
can be termed so) are adequate to almost every desperate undertaking,
from _pricking in the belt_, _hustling in the hat_, or _slipping a
card_, to the _casually_ meeting a _friend_ upon Hounslow Heath. They
are sole proprietors of the different gaming tables, public and private,
as well in the metropolis, as the _hazard_ and E O tables at all the
races of eminence in the kingdom. They are invariably present at every
fashionable receptacle _for sport_: the tennis-court, the billiard-room,
the cockpit, have all to boast a majority in _quest of prey_; and even
the commonest coffee-house is a spot where _modest merit_, in the form
of a lounging emissary, frequently obtrudes, in the anxious hope of
picking up some opulent juvenile, that he may afterwards enjoy the
pleasure of introducing him in the most friendly and liberal way to
another member of the fraternity, as a very proper object, or _pidgeon_,
well worth plucking for the benefit of the family.


BLADDER—is a part of the horse liable to disease; but seldom known to
occur, unless by the indiscretion of the owner. A long retention of
urine, by continuing a journey to too great an extent without stopping,
may produce _strangury_; and that not being soon relieved, inflammation
may ensue. Instances are recorded of stones, calcareous substances, and
different concretions, having been found in the bladders of horses after
death. _Discretion_ is a proper and cheap preventative.


BLANK—was a horse in high form, beating almost every horse of his time,
and his blood was held in the utmost estimation: he was bred by LORD
GODOLPHIN; foaled 1740; got by the Godolphin Arabian, dam by Bartlett's
Childers, out of the dam of the Large Hartley Mare. The various
performances of BLANK will not admit of being brought within the compass
of so concise a description; therefore, suffice it to say, that, after
his performances upon the turf, he became a stallion of the first
celebrity, and was sire of _Ghost_, _Tripod_, _Chatsworth_, _Hengist_,
_Croney_, _Yeoman_, _Porsenna_, _Lottery_, _Young Blank_, _Lustre_,
_Lumber_, _Whipster_, _Amazon_, _Britannicus_, _Charlotte_, _Prussia_,
_Helen_, _Lycurgus_, and a very long list of excellent runners, too
numerous for insertion under this head.


BLEEDING—of horses is a simple and easy operation, hitherto performed
with an instrument called a _fleam_, which being steadily supported over
the neck vein (about five inches below the superior process of the
jaw-bone) is forcibly struck with what is professionally termed _a
bloodstick_, turned out of the wood called _lignum vitæ_, as being
sufficiently heavy to insure weight and certainty to the blow: the blade
of the _fleam_ is supported by a shoulder, to prevent the incision's
being made beyond the depth of safety: the use of _the line_ round the
lower part of the neck, previous to the operation, is now greatly out of
use; although it is certainly a means of keeping the vein firm from
_fluctuation_, and of course a very proper guide, particularly for young
practitioners. Of late years this mode of operating has greatly
declined, particularly with veterinarians of the _new school_, the most
expert of whom adopt the use of the _lancet_, and are introducing it to
general practice; and, although the neatness of the operation must be
candidly admitted, yet, with high spirited, _shy_, _unruly_ horses,
(where there is a chance of the point of the lancet's being broken in
the orifice,) a doubt naturally arises, whether, _in such cases_, the
former method is not both the least troublesome and least dangerous of
the two.

The _consistency_ and _propriety_ of BLEEDING upon slight or moderate
occasions, has always been matter of cavil and capricious controversy
with those whose cynical rigidity, and restless spirit, ever prompts
them to take even the _wrong side_ of any argument, (however absurd and
ridiculous,) rather than want a cause _to carp_ at; but with those
possessing the power of scientific disquisition, and practical
professional knowledge, such fallacious and ill-founded reasoning must
fall to the ground. Its utility, upon the attack of _almost every
disease_ to which the animal is subject, is now so generally admitted,
that it stands in need of no additional corroboration from the more
refined rays of constantly increasing improvement.

The quantity proper to be taken away at one time, in any case, may be
from _three_ to _five_ pints; the latter only in such disorders as
require plentiful _depletion_: in all cases of inflammation
(particularly the lungs) frequent repetitions are to be justified,
provided they follow not too fast upon each other; the lives of many
horses have been preserved (particularly in those _influenzas_ of late
years called "the distemper") by _four_ or _five_ plentiful bleedings in
so many days; and, _vice versa_, as great a number lost by a want of the
same means. As blood is generated, and the unloaded vessels replenished,
by the constant supply of _aliment_ in _health_, or _nutriment_ in
disease, so little, or, in fact, no permanent injury can be sustained by
leaning to the _safe side_, and taking away even too much, provided it
be at different times, particularly when it is remembered, that the life
of a valuable horse is very frequently lost by a too great pusillanimity
and forbearance in the operation.


BLEMISHES—are so called which constitute disfiguration and eyesore,
without impediment to _sight_ or _action_; it is therefore readily
conceived, a horse may be very materially _blemished_ without being
unsound. Blemishes are various, and many of them not to be immediately
perceived, in a superficial survey of the subject: _broken knees_ are a
very material and conspicuous blemish: _splents_, if large, are
unpleasing to the eye of the good judge and nice investigator: _warts_
are easily observed, and as _easily cured_: _thrushes_, and a carious
state of the _frogs_, not to be known but by an examination of the feet:
_sandcracks_, previously cured, sometimes remain unseen, but are always
liable to a renewal of the original defect: the marks of former
_blistering_ is, in general, to be plainly perceived by a variation in
colour, or an unnatural roughness in the hair of those parts: the marks
of _firing-irons_ may be easily traced (however neatly performed) upon
the _hocks_ for _spavins_ and _curbs_, or upon the back of the
shank-bones for _strains_ in the _back sinews_. A horse may be blemished
by a speck in the eye, arising from a blow with the lash of a whip or
switch; this is frequently no more than a partial thickening of a small
part of the outer humour of the eye, not obstructing those rays of light
which constitute vision.

If a horse is warranted "_perfectly sound_, without _blemish_, free from
_vice_, steady to _ride_, and quiet in _harness_," it is a full and
general warranty speaking for itself; leaving very little for the
intentional purchaser to do (in respect to _inspection_) if he has
previously _tried_ and approved the _paces_ of the horse. But where a
warranty _seemingly guarded_, or _cautiously partial_, is offered, a
proper degree of circumspection will be necessary to prevent a chance of
early repentance; a prevention of litigation will prove less expensive
than the _cure_ of a _lawsuit_.


BLINDNESS—in a horse (whether in one or both eyes) may originate in a
variety of well-known causes, many of which are occasioned by means of
violence, and may at all times be prevented by proper care and humane
attention. If a horse, having naturally good eyes, is observed to
undergo a _sudden_ change in the external appearance, from enlargement
of the lids, or a discharge of hot watery serum, with a visible _heat_
and _pain_ of the part, (the horse constantly shaking his head and
ears,) it may reasonably be attributed to some cause originating in
external injury: if not by such means, it must be from some morbid
affection in the system, acting more immediately and powerfully upon the
most irritable parts.

The eyes of some horses are periodically affected, even for months and
years, before they terminate in _total blindness_: to this species of
ocular defect, the illiterate and less enlightened of former times gave
the appellation of "_moon-blind_," under the weak and ridiculous idea,
that such changes were produced by the gradational stages of the moon;
an opinion too trifling to render animadversion necessary, it being one
of the very few remaining traits of superstition which will speedily be
totally done away. Many horses lose their eyes from extreme exertion, as
by _over racing_; in proof of which, a very long list of instances might
be adduced: the same effect has been produced upon STALLIONS in being
permitted to _cover_ mares not only in an unlimited degree in respect to
number, but stimulated so to do by the use of powerful and prejudicial
provocatives: in both these cases the loss of sight is occasioned by a
total subversion of the nervous system, reducing it to a fixed or
partial debility of those particular parts, from which they never
recover.

Horses are frequently found to inherit constitutional defects from SIRE
or DAM; and none are, perhaps, to be considered more justly hereditary
than _defects_ of the _eyes_; and to render such fact the more
extraordinary, it generally happens to have lain dormant for the first
three or four years, and never to display itself to any visible
inconvenience till a colt is broke, and brought into work. The eyes of a
horse inheriting this taint by hereditary transmission, are much less
prominent than a natural, well-formed and good eye; they have a kind of
indented furrow in the lid above the orb, and a wrinkled contraction in
the part immediately over that, constituting a kind of "vinegar aspect,"
better conceived than described: this kind of eye should be carefully
avoided in purchase; for however they may vary by changes in work, and a
diversity of seasons, they, _nine_ times out of _ten_, terminate in
blindness; a circumstance fairly to be presumed, no professional man
living can prevent.


BLISTERING—is an operation performed upon a horse by unguents prepared
of different degrees of strength, according to the circumstances of the
case. They are in general use for blood and bone spavins, curbs and
strains of the back sinews: where they do not complete the purpose for
which they were intended, they are repeated at a proper period; or
_firing the part_ is adopted, and the horse is turned out. Blistering is
in general too soon resorted to as a remedy, and in many cases before
the inflammation arising from the original injury has sufficiently
subsided for the operation to take place; from which injudicious mode of
practice, a permanent enlargement of the part is occasioned, that is
never got rid of during the life of the horse.


BLOOD—is the well known fluid issuing from wounds, or separated vessels,
in an accidental destruction of parts: it is not only the very _basis_,
but the _support_, of life _itself_; and drawn from the frame of any
animal beyond a certain proportion (professionally ascertained,) causes
_instant_ death. In the regular routine of the animal œconomy, blood is
generated by the frequent supplies of nutritive aliment, and retaining
within itself sufficient strength and power for its _own peculiar_
purposes, throws off, by the different emunctories, the superflux with
which it may be encumbered: but as medical or anatomical disquisition is
not intended in a work of this general kind, it must suffice to observe,
that, from the blood in its original and first formed state, proceeds
all the progressive and superior functions of Nature. From the blood
issues every gradational proportion of insensible, sensible and profuse
perspiration; from the blood, the _urine_ is secreted (or separated) by
the _kidnies_; and from the blood is extracted, by the _genitals_, that
very masculine semen, by which (we are told from high and indisputable
authority) our posterity is to be continued to the end of time.


BLOOD HOUNDS.—Those so called, have always had a kind of fabulous
property ascribed to them, of pursuing, and infallibly taking or
seizing, _robbers_, _murderers_, or _depredators_, whenever they could
be laid upon the footsteps (or scent) of the particular object they were
intended to pursue; and of their possessing _this_ property there can be
no doubt, when the experience of ages, transmitted to us by our
predecessors, (as well as our own observations,) have afforded the most
indisputable proofs, that hounds may be taught or broke in to _carry on
any particular scent_, when _feelingly_ convinced they are to hunt _no
other_. There requires no "ghost from the grave" to confirm a fact of so
much notoriety: a mere _sporting embryo_ would tell us, that "a pack who
for some years hunted _fallow deer_ in the possession of their last
owner, are hunting _hare_ in high style with the present; that the
principal body of the celebrated pack who for some years past hunted
_fox_ with LORD DARLINGTON in the _north_, are now probably destined to
the pursuit of the _red deer_ with LORD DERBY in the _south_: and the
whole art of changing hounds from one chase to another is the temporary
trouble of breaking them afresh, and making them _steady_ to the _scent_
they are to pursue."

In respect to the received opinion of what were formerly called
_bloodhounds_, the fact is simply this: the original stock partook, in
nearly an equal degree, of the large, heavy, strong, boney old English
stag-hound, and the deep-mouthed _southern_ hound, of which mention is
made under the head "BEAGLE." The hounds destined to one particular kind
of business or pursuit, as _bloodhounds_, were never brought into the
chase for a constancy with the pack for the promotion of sport, but were
preserved and supported (as a constable or Bow-Street runner of the
present day) for the purposes of pursuit and detection, whenever they
could, with certainty, be laid on _in good time_ upon the scent of
footsteps of the object it was thought expedient to pursue. _Deer
stealing_, for instance, was so very common a century since to what it
is at present, that the GAME and PARK keepers in most parts of the
kingdom were in a kind of eternal watching and _nocturnal warfare_: the
hounds we are now describing were then constantly trained to the
practice, and so closely adhered to the scent they were once laid on
upon, that (even after a very long and tedious pursuit) detection was
_certain_ and _inevitable_: from this persevering instinct and
infallibility, they acquired the appellation they have so long retained;
and an offending criminal not a century since, was absolutely conceived
to be _positively_ taken, and _half convicted_, the very moment a
blood-hound could be obtained.


BLOOD SPAVIN—is a preternatural and puffy enlargement on the _inside_ of
a horse's hock, proceeding from a distension of the vein crossing the
internal junction of the inferior part of the thigh bone with the
superior part of the shank; and whenever such injury is observed, it may
rather be supposed to have originated in _a blow_, _a kick_, or more
probably from a ligamentary twist or distortion, (by a short and sudden
turn in the _small stall_ of an ill constructed stable,) than by any
continued exertion of speed, either on a journey or in the chase.


BLOWS—inconsiderately given, in _passion_, to harmless, inoffending
animals, are nineteen times out of twenty productive of repentance, when
probably repentance comes too late. A horse sometimes, and most commonly
from the inattention of the rider, steps almost unavoidably upon a flint
or rolling-stone; and in the very exertion of recovering himself from
_nearly falling_, he at that critical moment receives a severe and
unexpected blow _behind the ear_ from the stick of his _philosophic,
patient, humane_ rider, which brings him instantly to the ground, giving
and receiving ample proof, that "the remedy was worse than the disease."
No conjectures need be formed upon the _loss of eyes_ annually sustained
by blows from petulant masters, as well as the most rascally servants;
injuries of this kind may be daily seen by observers with their _eyes
open_ in every part of the kingdom.

BLOWS will most assuredly sometimes happen from _accident_, though most
of this description arise from folly, ignorance, or indiscretion; as for
instance, the very common circumstances of carelessly giving a horse's
_head_ or _eye_ a blow against the stall in turning, or the _hip-bone_
very frequently against the post of the stable door, and this by the
stupidity of those who _seem to think_ a horse can turn within as small
a space as themselves; or rather, perhaps, by those who seem
unfortunately destined by Nature _never to think at all_. In general,
the good or bad usage of servants to horses, or other animals under
their care, may be conceived a very fair and unerring criterion of the
depravity or integrity of their _own hearts_; and such should be
emphatically told, that not only _broken bones_, but instantaneous _loss
of life_, has frequently followed passionate blows, and cruel usage, by
the law of retaliation, in the resentment of an animal capable of
distinguishing between a fault committed, a reproof given, or any unjust
injury sustained.


BONE SPAVIN—is an ossified enlargement on the _outside_ of, and rather
below, the centre of the hock, originating in a cartilaginous protrusion
from the seat of articulation becoming progressively callous, and lastly
a substance equally firm with the bone itself. They do not invariably
constitute lameness upon their _first_ appearance, but it soon follows a
course of hard or regular work. Blistering _first_, and _firing_
afterwards, was the practice of farriers of the old school, which it is
not known has undergone any change with veterinarians of the new.


BOLTING.—When a fox, laying at earth, has been dug to, and, upon the
approach of the spade, the terrier, or the person attempting to take
him, makes a sudden spring, and _goes off_, he is then said _to have
bolted_; when, of course, the chase is continued with the hounds. The
term is also applicable to a rabbit from its burrow, or the badger from
his earth.


BORING;—one of the former _humane_ operations in farriery for what is
now called a lameness, then termed _a wrench_ in the shoulder: it
consisted in making a small orifice, or superficial incision, through
the integument near the part affected: into this is insinuated a small
tube or pipe; by the operator's breath through which the part is
inflated, directly in the way a butcher swells his veal: a flat piece of
iron, of small dimensions, is then introduced between the ribs and the
shoulder in different directions, to produce some effect hitherto
unexplained, and never understood. The seeming cruelty, and evident
uncertainty, of the operation, has long since buried it in oblivion, at
least with scientific practitioners; and it is very little seen or heard
of, except amongst the rustic Vulcans in remote corners of the kingdom.


BOTTS—are differently described by different writers; a certain proof
many of them wrote more from _theory_, _copy_, and _hearsay_, than from
attentive practice, or personal observation. Some have observed, they
were of one shape; a second, of another; a third has said their seat was
invariably upon one _particular part_; but the present Author has told
you, in his former Works, and now repeats the fact, that they are
equally inhabitants of the _stomach before_, as they are of _the rectum_
behind; and are as constantly found in the former after the death of the
subject, as they are seen adhering to the sphincter of the rectum during
his life; and that horses, who have fallen victims to the ravages of
these destructive diminutives, had both the stomach and rectum loaded
with numbers in a degree to be fairly concluded _incredible_, unless the
proof had been personally confirmed by sight and individual conviction.
The mode by which they are conveyed into the body (or how they are
engendered there) may possibly long continue a matter of conjecture and
ambiguity: Not so with _the effect_; when there, they soon continue to
increase, and to occasion constant disquietude; sometimes violent pain.
A horse labouring under their persecuting pinchings, is frequently
eating, and without appetite, in a hope of relieving himself from the
_gnawing sensations_ within: he is generally rough in the coat, low in
flesh, depressed in the stable, and not elated when out. Various
remedies are in use; but mercurial physic is the only certain mode of
extirpation.


BOWEL-GALLED—is a laceration occasioned by the tightness and heat, or
friction, of the girths, just behind the elbows of the fore legs, and is
soon hardened and obliterated by two or three applications of a soft
sponge, impregnated with common vinegar.


BOWLS—is a game played upon a fine smooth grassy surface, either square,
circular, or oblong, used solely for the purpose, and called a
BOWLING-GREEN. The party may consist of two, four, six, or eight, and is
generally chosen alternately, after tossing up a coin to decide who
shall have the first choice. The sides being selected, each player has
two bowls, which bowls have numerical figures, thereby ascertaining to
whom they belong. The leader sends off a smaller bowl, called _the
jack_, to what distance he pleases, it being (by the toss) his privilege
so to do: this he follows with his first bowl, getting as near the jack
as possible: he is then followed by one of the adverse party, the
partner of the first following, and so in rotation till all the bowls
are played; when as many of the bowls, on either side, as are nearer to
_the jack_ than the _nearest_ on the opposite side, so many do the
successful party score that time toward the game, and so on in
succession, till one side or the other have won the match. Sometimes
great disappointment happens in the play, when a ball laying very near
_the jack_, is removed to a distance by the hit of an adversary's bowl,
which remains nearer the jack than the bowl it has driven away; this is
called a rub, and gave rise to the long-standing adage, "he that plays
at _bowls_, must expect _rubs_."


BRAN—would not have been entitled to notice in a work of this kind, had
it not been in a certain degree of conditional use with horses of
different descriptions, in sickness as well as in health. BRAN is an
article almost generally known to be the coarser part of the skin or
covering of the grain called _wheat_, from the body of which _flour_ is
manufactured, and _bread_ made. With some people (particularly in the
country parts of the kingdom, who are desirous of keeping their horses
at little expence) bran constitutes a principal part of their food; in
consequence of which, it becomes necessary to advert concisely to its
known effects. From its nutritive property having been taken away, it
contains little more than the means of distending the frame, without the
generative quality of enriching the blood, or contributing to the
formation of flesh. Not calculated to become a primary object of
support, it may in some ways be brought into use as a collateral of
utility. Horses belonging to _bakers_ and _mealmen_, who have been
principally subsisted upon this article, with the addition of a few
split beans, (or peas,) have become pursive and thick-winded; then
asthmatic; lastly, dull, heavy, and inactive; dying at nine or ten years
old; when a large ball, or _mealy concretion_, (of different sizes in
different subjects,) has been found in the stomach or intestinal canal,
of a most impenetrable hardness, to the weight of ten or twelve pounds.
Though not proper for food in its dry state, it is a most useful article
in mashes with _malt_, to disunite and prevent the satiating richness of
that article alone; or to assist in common mashes with oats, (when a
horse is in physic,) as well as to incorporate with a proper
impregnation of honey in the mashes for colds during the severity of the
winter season.

"On the 15th of November, 1799, died, after having been disordered some
days, a horse belonging to Mr. Ransom, of Hitchin. The cause of his
death was owing to a substance found in his stomach, of a brown colour,
exactly resembling a large pebble stone, very smooth and hard on the
surface, and weighed 11 lbs. 14 oz. avoirdupoise. It is nearly
spherical, and measures just two feet in circumference, being about the
size of a man's head. It is supposed to have been occasioned by his
eating of _bran_, that having been his constant food."—SPORTING MAGAZINE.


BREAKING THE HERD—is the ceremony of _singling_ out a deer (either stag
or hind) from the herd for the chase, which is thus performed with His
Majesty's establishment in WINDSOR FOREST. A survey being made of the
herd, and the particular deer fixed on for _separation_, the huntsmen,
assisted by one of the yeomen prickers, ride at a hunting rate, gallop
directly into the herd, continuing so to do (as the herd divide) at the
_particular part_ to which the deer intended to be singled out continues
to adhere. This ceremony is sometimes a very tedious business to the
men, as well as to the horses, as it is no uncommon thing, when they
have detached, or reduced a _divided_ part of the herd to a leash or two
brace, (amongst which is the particular deer wanted,) for that number to
make a circle of ten, fifteen, or even twenty miles, before the riders,
with all their energy, can disunite them more than to a single _brace_,
and not at all to a _single deer_. When this is effected, the hounds,
who are in waiting at some distance, under the six remaining YEOMEN
PRICKERS, are _capped forward_, and laid upon the scent; when the brace
finding themselves pursued, soon _divide_, under the impression of
individual safety; and the selected deer being thus completely _singled
out_, the chase goes on, and continues till the deer is taken; unless,
after a pursuit of proper length, for the sport of the day, he should
regain the herd, where he is then permitted to remain, and the hounds
are drawn off: but if it is either an _old hind_, or _a calf_ destined
to _death_, for the purpose of _blooding the hounds_, a repetition of
the original ceremony of separation takes place, when which is effected,
the chase is immediately renewed till the object of _blood_ is attained.


BREAKING THE DEER—is the act of cutting open the deer after the chase,
that the _purchased_ perquisites of _blood_ and _garbage_ may go to the
hounds. It is also the term for cutting up and dressing the _fallow
deer_ called BUCKS and DOES.


BREAST-PLATE,—an article in horse furniture of great utility with light
carcased horses, who very frequently, in both hunting and racing, _run
through their girths_. It is made of either spring web or soft leather,
as most agreeable to taste or fancy, and is fastened by buckles to small
loops screwed to the tree of the saddle, just under the upper
saddle-flap behind the withers of the horse; from whence the two parts
divide transversely, and one passes down each shoulder to the point of
the breast, where they are united to a strong strap, having holes, a
buckle and loop, through which loop one of the girths is passed when the
saddle is put on, and being thus fixed, it is considered almost an
impossibility that any alteration can take place in its situation, but
by the manual assistance of master or groom.


BREEDING—is the production of COLTS in a stud principally or solely kept
for that purpose. The methods of bringing up colts vary according to the
purpose for which they are intended, whether for the turf, field, draft,
or road. The breeders of opulent magnitude in the northern counties,
most celebrated for the breed of horses in Britain, are too well skilled
in the practical part to require the least aid from theoretic
instruction. They are well convinced, by the unerring principle of
well-founded experience, that sound _sires_, well shaped dams, good
summer care, and _winter keep_, are the means (and the only means) to
insure well-grown, strong and valuable stock for any of the before
mentioned purposes to which they are afterwards to become appropriate.


BRIDLE,—the well-known article by which we are enabled to ride, guide
and regulate the speed and action of the most noble, spirited, powerful
and valuable animal in the creation. They are of different kinds, as
most applicable to the mouth and temper of the horse; consisting of
_snaffles_, _Pelhams_, _Hard-and-sharps_, _Weymouths_, &c. There are
also others of different constructions; but as they appertain
principally to the MILITARY MANEGE and the RIDING-HOUSE, a minute
description would afford neither use or entertainment to the sporting
world, for whom this Work is more immediately intended.


BRIDLE-HAND.—The left is so called, in contra-distinction to the right,
which, in racing, is termed _the whip_; and in military evolutions with
cavalry, called the _sword hand_. Those who are deemed good sportsmen,
or complete horsemen, manage the reins with equal dexterity, and one
hand is generally as much in use as the other.


BROKEN WIND—remains in its long-standing state of professional
ambiguity; for, notwithstanding frequent dissections must have afforded
every assistance to earnest investigation, yet no authenticated,
well-established opinion has transpired, sufficiently attracting or
corroborative to fix a criterion upon which scientific or public faith
seem inclined to rely. Since the appearance of "The Gentleman's Stable
Directory," (about fourteen years since,) a great variety of veterinary
_writers_, and veterinary _practitioners_, have emerged from obscurity
in the metropolis, as well as in different parts of the kingdom. One has
defined _broken wind_ to be "an inflammation, which continuing a length
of time, throws a quantity of extravasated blood into the _windpipe_,
where it occasions a kind of _roaring_": this was the opinion of an
eminent veterinarian, delivered upon a _horse cause_ tried before Lord
Kenyon in the court of King's Bench. In this sublime description there
certainly appears no _brilliant_ or satisfactory elucidation. A recent
writer says, "Broken wind is a disorder that a horse is subject to when
he is suffered to stand too long in the stable without exercise; by
which means he contracts gross and thick humours in such abundance,
that, adhering to the hollow parts of his lungs, they stop his
windpipe." So much for the "sublime and beautiful." A third attributes
it to "a relaxation or rupture of the phrenic nerves, which cause the
motions of the diaphragm." A fourth _supposes_ "the disease to proceed
from a _morbid_ or obstructed state of the glands, and membranes of the
head and throat, the enlargement of which prevents a free passage to the
wind." Doctor Darwin, speaking of humoural asthma, attributes it to "a
congestion of lymph in the air cells of the lungs, from defective
absorption."

Others, _harping_ upon the _same string_, constitute an echo of _nearly_
the _same sound_: "In my ideas, a redundance of lymph being thrown upon
the lungs, the quantity becomes too great for the capacity of the
absorbent vessels; hence it stagnates, and choaks up the air conduits;
and the theatre of its action being more confined, of course respiration
must be more difficult and laborious." All which divested of the
transposition of words, is the opinion of the present writer,
promulgated in his Stable Directory, "that the disease originated in a
sizey state of the blood, which at length becoming viscid and stagnant,
occasioned obstructions in the first instance, lastly _tubercles_, by
which respiration became imperfect, and one or both lobes of the lungs
inadequate to the execution of their office." However _literary
speculators_ may differ in either opinion or description, no great
diversity of opinion can happen upon the subject of relief; _palliation_
may be obtained; perfect _cure_ must _not be expected_.


BROOD,—a word almost indiscriminately used for the young of _any fowl_.
There is, however, a much nicer and more sporting-like distinction. To
speak properly, we say, a _brood_ of ducks, a _clutch_ of chickens, a
_setting_ of gulls, a _covey_ of partridges, and a _nide_ of pheasants.


BROOD MARE—is a mare kept solely for the purpose of breeding colts, and
put to no other use whatever.


BROW ANTLER—the first _branch_ from the _beam_ in the head of a stag.


BUCK—the male of the fallow deer. In his first year he is called _a
fawn_; he is then _a pricket_; and lastly A BUCK. In colour they are
mottled, sandy, or a deep dingy brown, approaching to black. The males
have horns; the does none. Buck venison is very superior to doe; and
when well fatted, sells from _three_ to _four_ guineas _each haunch_.
The season for it in the highest perfection is from June to September.

BUCK HUNTING—has been of late years but little practised, very few of
them affording chase enough to render it a matter of much sporting
attraction; particularly if bred in a park, whence, from its being so
much accustomed to the sight of the human frame, it becomes in some
degree like a kind of domestic animal. They were much hunted by the
_late_ and great (_Culloden_) DUKE OF CUMBERLAND; but with his hounds
(called buck hounds) he drew for and roused his outlying deer in
_Cranbourne Chace_, near WINDSOR GREAT PARK. When found in this way,
they frequently went away well across the country, and sometimes
afforded tolerable sport. The bucks shed their _horns_ (called heads)
annually in April or May, which, with the skins of both _bucks_ and
_does_ killed within the year, (if a park is large,) make no
inconsiderable perquisite to the keeper.


BULL DOG.—A bull dog, though inoffensive and harmless when properly
domesticated, forms, to the eye of timidity, a most terrific appearance:
the doubtful and designing leer of the eye, the tiger-like shortness of
the head, the under-hung jaw, the wideness of the forehead, the width of
the skull, the distension of the nostrils, and the almost constant sight
of the teeth, hold forth a very emphatic specimen of the power they
possess, when that power is _angrily_ brought into action. The breed is
by no means so numerous as formerly, in consequence of the gradual
decline of bull-baiting, and the great number taken abroad, for many of
which very great prices were obtained. The natural ferocity, strength,
and thirst for blood, in this animal, rendered them a formidable
nuisance in their unrestrained state, and they are now seldom seen at
their full liberty, either in town or country; the owners, from a proper
fear of the law, finding it more prudent to keep them properly confined.


BULL-BAITING—was formerly not merely a pleasing pursuit, but an _extatic
diversion_, of the most unfeeling, and least humane, part of the very
lowest, and most abandoned, orders of the people. To such a pitch of
prevalence had it arrived in some particular parts, and was so much
considered to give additional callosity to the minds of its cruel and
inconsiderate abettors, that the more polished and humane classes of
society made strong and repeated efforts for its _total abolition_, by
endeavouring to obtain an act of the Legislature for that purpose;
which, however, unluckily failed of the intentional effect; for the bill
being rejected by a very trifling majority in the House of Commons, it
left the sport at the full liberty of every _subject to enjoy_, who is
not restrained by any more humane, sublime and manly sensations of his
own, prompting him to believe it "more honoured in the _breach_ than the
observance." The towns of _Stamford_, in _Lincolnshire_, and
_Wokingham_, in _Berkshire_, are now, perhaps, the only places of any
note where the sport (as it is called) is obstinately persevered in, or
_enthusiastically_ and _annually repeated_ by the clamours of those
unfeeling advocates for _custom_, who, in the language of Shylock, claim
"it as a right, and will not be deprived of it."

The first bull-bait in this country is supposed to have been at
Stamford, in the year 1209, in the reign of King John, and at Tutbury,
Staffordshire, in 1374. The introduction of it at Stamford was as
follows.

"William, Earl Warren, Lord of this town, standing upon the walls of the
castle, saw two bulls fighting for a cow in the castle meadow, till all
the butchers' dogs pursued one of the bulls (madded with noise and
multitude) clean through the town. This sight so pleased the Earl, that
he gave the castle meadow, where the bull's duel began, for _a common_
to the butchers of the town, after the first grass was mowed, on
condition that they should find a _mad bull_, the day six weeks before
Christmas-day, for the continuance of that sport _for ever_."

"George Staverton, by will, dated May 15, 1661, gave the whole rent of
his dwelling-house at Staines, after two lives, to buy a bull annually
for ever; which bull he gave to the poor of the town of Wokingham, to be
there _baited_, then killed, and properly divided; the offal, hide, and
gift money, to be laid out in shoes and stockings to be distributed
among the children of the poor. The alderman and one Staverton (if one
of the name should be living in the town) to see the work done
_honestly_, that one of the poor's piece did not exceed another in
bigness."

These seem to have been the principal donations upon which the practice
was originally founded, and afterwards continued upon the plea of
_charity_ for its justification. To give it a degree of singularity in
the town of Wokingham, St. Thomas (21st. Dec.) is the _day_ dedicated to
the _sport_, and the market-place the _spot_ destined to the _sacrifice_.

Let the reflecting mind indulge one moment in awful rumination upon the
dreadful scene and "note of preparation." On a day when every well
informed mind, and duly disposed heart, must feel inclined to follow the
dictates of religious inculcation; when a certain impressive silence
pervades the whole; when the devout, the aged, and the infirm, await the
signal by which they are summoned to receive every comfort and
consolation from clerical benediction; it must be to all good hearts a
mortifying circumstance, that the very bell which tolls to bring the
moral and religious part of the inhabitants to their duty in the church,
is also the signal for bringing a poor, harmless, unoffending animal
(_with his chain_) _to the stake_. Incredible it must seem to those who
have never witnessed the cruelty of the scene, that this very stake is
fixed (and called the bull-ring) in the center of the market-place of a
market town no more than _twelve_ miles from the seat of Majesty, and
_thirty_ only from the metropolis of this great and enlightened kingdom.

Without enlarging much upon the "hellish practice" of the _sport
itself_, it cannot be inapplicable to advert one moment to the effect a
scene of so much insatiate cruelty must inevitably produce upon the
growing offspring of the lower classes, in towns where a custom so
generally execrated is so shamefully carried on. Previous to the
commencement, "every heart beats high with the coming joy;" not a window
but is crowded with women and children; not a street, or an avenue, but
is crowded with _brutes_; the very scum and refuse of society from every
part of the surrounding country; and then begins a scene of the most
cruel and infernal practice that ever entered the heart of man, under
the appellation of _sporting mirth_ to the multitude. In the church of
this town, on Sunday, the 20th day of December, (being the day previous
to the baiting of the bull,) 1801, a sermon was preached by the Rev.
Doctor Barry, which sermon is since published, and where the following
passages may be found.

"Gracious God! benevolent Parent of the universe, what a prodigy must he
be in a Christian land, who could thus disgrace his nature by such
gigantic infamy, at which the blood of a heathen, of a very Hottentot,
might curdle! Two useful animals, the bull, who propagates our food, and
the faithful dog, who protects our property, to be thus tormented! and
for what purpose? Does it tend, as some have said,[2] to keep alive the
spirit of the English character? In answer to this we must remark, that
the barbarous sport (if sport it can be called) was unknown to the
ancient bravery of our ancestors; was introduced into this country in
the reign of a _bad_ king; and earnestly do I pray to Almighty God, that
in the reign of a most pious and benevolent Prince, it may be _for ever
set aside_! Cowards, of all men the least unmoved, can both inflict and
witness cruelties."

"The heroes of a bull-bait, the patrons of mercenary pugilists, and the
champions of a cock-fight, can produce, I should think, but few, if any,
disciples brought up under their tuition, who have done service to their
country either as warriors or as citizens; but _abundant_ are the
testimonies which have been registered at the _gallows_ of her devoted
victims, trained up to these _pursuits_ of BULL BAITING!!!"

Thus much upon its morality: now to a description of its practice. The
bull being chained to the stake, which chain extends to about fifteen
yards in length, and terminates in a very strong leather collar passing
round the neck of the bull; and his horns having been previously muffled
at the points (by the professional amateurs) with a composition of
_tow_, _tallow_, and _melted pitch_, the ceremony thus commences. Those
_gentlemen_ best calculated to appear in the character of _desperados_
begin the attack by the most dreadful noises of different kinds,
_bellowings_, _hootings_, and _hissings_, consisting of a complication
horrid beyond description. Whilst the abandoned crew of _raggamuffins_
are in this way, with their _hats_ and _huzzaings_, endeavouring to
irritate him _before_, if the poor animal, partially submissive to his
fate, remains unmoved, seeming (in the "mind's eye" of rumination) to
say "I stand here an object more _sinned_ against than sinning," it
rouses the infernal malice of the multitude to a certain degree of
indignation, which is instantly displayed by the confederates _behind_,
who being mostly provided with sharp-pointed sticks, proceed to those
_pleasing punctures_, and provoking _twists_ of the _tail_, which rouse
him from his state of humiliation to a temporary madness; when, in the
midst of this horror and confusion, the _first_ dog is suddenly _let
loose_: and this, to the _treble refined_ and inexplicable sensations of
a bull-baiter, is the _most extatic_ moment of his life; his very
existence is absorbed in the magnitude of the concern; his whole soul is
engaged; the mind or memory is no longer itself, and the tormentor is as
completely _mad_ as the unfortunate object of his persecution.

The scene now advances to a state of confusion exceeding all _humane_
conception; the howling of the dogs, still in hand, anxious and eager to
be let loose; the roaring and dreadful bellowings of the bull,
(particularly if pinned by the nose to the ground;) the dangerous
pressings, and incessant hollowing and huzzaings of the _mob_; the
galloping _tramplings_ of the enraged animal; all constitute a scene
from which the thinking mind retreats with horror, and claims a chasm to
renew the description. The first dog, perhaps, inadequate to the wishes
of his adherents, and not being able to succeed farther than to increase
the rage of the bull, is assisted by a _second_, which instantly rousing
the victim at the stake to an encreased exertion of rage and self
defence, as evidently increases the _horrid happiness_ of the multitude
to a degree beyond all power of imagination, and to which the
descriptive pen must bow obedience, and acknowledge its _inability_.

Should the poor persecuted animal, by every strenuous effort in its own
defence, collect sufficient strength to keep its two inveterate foes _at
bay_, and preserve its nostrils from the blood-thirsty fangs of its
opponents, delay does but increase the determination of those previously
determined; in which case resentment is seldom long without a remedy.
Stimulated to a greater degree of cruelty by tedious disappointment, a
_third dog_ (should it be necessary) is let loose, _as it were by
accident_, to assist the other _two_; when, under so severe a weight of
accumulated oppression, exhausted nature sinks; the poor pitiable object
is _pinned_ to the ground by the most irritable and tender part about
him, bleeding and bellowing amidst the shameless shouts of a shameful
victory, where five hundred greater brutes have brought a lesser to the
ground.

Not to prolong so shocking a description beyond the length unavoidably
necessary to its perfect comprehension, it must suffice to say, the
cruelty is extended by every means that can possibly _assist the cause_.
Prizes are annually advertised for the best dogs, thereby inducing the
owners to bring them any distance, not only to increase and lengthen the
sport, but that the _object_ of _misery_ may not die too _easy_ a
_death_! In the midst of his sufferings, if the minds of his hellish
tormentors have not been sufficiently satiated with repetitions of what
has past, collateral aids are called in to rouse his powers (already by
an unwearied scene of persecution lulled to an apathy) of defence and
resentment once more into action. Instances are common where fires have
been made under the very body of the bull, when too much worn down, and
exhausted by the jerks of the chain, longer to exert himself; patiently
he stands, with the blood streaming from his nostrils, totally
insensible to the twistings of his tail even to dislocation, the
continued goring with sticks pointed with nails, and a long list of
experiments equally to be abhorred, only tend to strengthen, most
incontrovertibly, the dreadful effect such scenes (exultingly enjoyed)
must have upon the rising generation, whose minds must, by a familiarity
with the frequency of the scene, be rendered totally callous to every
sensation of tenderness and humanity, even in the very hour of infantine
infatuation.

[Footnote 2: Mr. Windham in the House of Commons.]


BULL RUNNING—is a pursuit of the bull in a way no less cruel and
disgraceful to the humanity of this enlightened country than what has
been before described. By custom in the manor of Tutbury, in
Staffordshire, as mentioned at almost the head of the last article, a
bull was given by the prior to the minstrels. After undergoing the
torture of having his horns cut off, his ears and tail cropped and
docked to the very stump, his nostrils filled with pepper, and his body
besmeared with soap, he was turned out in such a pitiable state to be
hunted, (this was called _bull running_;) and when taken, or held long
enough to pull off some of _his hair_, he was then fastened to the
stake, and _baited_. To the great honour, however, of the Duke of
Devonshire, (Steward of Tutbury,) and not less so of the people who
petitioned against it, the BULL RUNNING at _Tutbury_ was entirely
abolished in the year 1778.


BURROWS,—are the holes or cavities in the earth of a rabbit warren,
where they bring and breed up their young, as well as where they
instantly retire to for safety, upon the approach of danger.



C.


CADE—was a horse of the best _blood_, _speed_, and _bottom_, ever bred
in the kingdom. He was foaled in 1734; got by the GODOLPHIN ARABIAN; dam
(Roxana) by the Bald Galloway. He beat most horses of his time, and was
afterwards, as a STALLION, the sire of CHANGELING, MATCHEM, YOUNG CADE,
MERCURY, MERRYMAN, CADORMUS, BOLD, BYWELL TOM, VICTIM, TURPIN, and a
long list of _et ceteras_; through the channels of whose different
progenies his blood is to be found in almost every stud of celebrity
from one extremity of the kingdom to the other.


CADENCE,—divested of its mere technical idea in the manege, is, in
horsemanship, what _time_ is in _music_, uniformity in manners, or
consistency in conduct: a horse complete in his _cadence_, is to be
considered perfect in his action.


CALKING, or _Corking_,—is the projecting part erroneously formed at the
_heels_ of horse-shoes in general, particularly in frosty weather; at
which time their utility may be admitted, and, in fact, cannot be _done
without_, where horses are in frequent use. These calkings, however,
cannot be justified upon any scientific principle whatever, without
chance of accident to the rider, and of lameness to the horse; for upon
level ground the horse cannot move but in a distorted motion; and if the
prominence in the shoe comes into immediate contact with a
rolling-stone, or a projecting part in the pavement, ligamentary
lameness probably ensues. If it is found necessary to bring them into
use at all, _even in frosty weather_, both heels should be equally
raised, as there will be much less danger in a double than a single
calking.


CALOMEL—is a medical article, well known by this name as the mildest
preparation of mercury: it is in general use in private practice, and a
certain specific for the obliteration of _worms_ in HORSES, when added
in proper proportions to the ingredients for purging-balls.


CAMPHIRE—is a vegetable concrete, unctuous to the touch, with a fragrant
smell, somewhat like that of rosemary, and a bitter pungent taste,
accompanied with a sense of coolness on the tongue. It is volatile, like
essential oils, but without their acrimony: it burns in water; it
receives no empyreumatic impressions; nor does it suffer any resolution
from any degree of fire, to which it can be exposed in close vessels,
though readily combustible in the open air. Camphire is known to be
good, if, when it is put upon hot bread, it becomes moist; if dry, it is
bad. It should be kept in a glass stopper bottle, or close tied in a
bladder, not more to prevent it from losing its property, than to
prevent the loss of the whole by exhalation. Used as a medicine,
internally or externally, it has a narcotic effect, and greatly
diminishes the irritability of the system; as an external, it is
singularly useful, particularly in weakness, rheumatic pains, or
spasmodic affections.


CAMPHORATED SPIRITS—is a prescription standing in the Dispensatory of
the London College of Physicians, and is thus prepared. "Take of camphor
two ounces; rectified spirit of wine, one quart; shake frequently till
the camphor is dissolved." It is a very useful embrocation in slight
strains, as well as to prevent the breaking of chilblains in the winter
season.


CAMOMILE.—The flowers are so useful in fomentations, that no good
sportsman in the country should ever be without them in the house.


CANKER,—a diseased state of the foot of a horse, originating in a
neglected thrush, which having acquired a corrosive property by its
retention, continues to rot and destroy the surrounding parts, till, by
a judicious separation of the fungus from the sound parts, fresh
granulations may be promoted, and the cure confirmed.


CANKER—in the ear of a dog, is mostly occasioned by injury from bushes
in beating or hunting covert, and might be easily cured at first with a
little Friar's balsam, or tincture of myrrh: this being omitted, a rigid
eschar forms upon the surface, when which is separated by accident (as
it repeatedly is) it leaves the wound larger than before. A very slight
touch with the _butter of antimony_, is the surest and best mode of
destroying the foundation of inveteracy, and healing the wound.


CANKER—in the mouth of a horse, invariably proceeds from an injury
sustained from severe and improper jerks of the bridle by the passion
and petulance of the rider: in the seat of the wound or laceration, is
formed a sort of insensible slough, which either a little burnt alum, or
borax powdered fine, and sprinkled upon the surface, will soon separate,
and bring away: the part will afterwards promote its own cure.


CANTHARIDES.—Spanish flies, the principal ingredient in every
composition prepared for the purpose of blistering; some of which are in
the form of ointments; others, less powerful, are applied as liquids,
and called liquid blisters.


CAPARISON—is mostly used as a military term, appertaining to cavalry
regiments, and applicable to the apparatus of every individual; the
saddle, bridle, housings, holsters, and trappings, of every distinction.


CALF—is the male produce of the _stag_ and _hind_: they are the largest
of the species in England, and known in the aggregate by the general
appellation of RED DEER; these are mostly the natives of forests and
chaces, (as Windsor and the New Forests, Sherwood, Enfield Chace, &c.)
in contra-distinction to _fallow deer_, bred in parks, and called BUCK
and DOE; their produce a _fawn_.


CALLS—are instruments for imitating the call of partridges and quails;
some of which are so admirably executed, that, with those who are adepts
in the execution of the plan, and the management of the nets, it becomes
a pleasing, if not a profitable, amusement.


CAPON;—a young cock divested of his testes (by incision and separation)
so soon as he is large enough for the operation: the best time is at
about three or four months old. The only useful intent is to acquire
additional size and growth, as capons are frequently killed of seven,
eight, and even _nine_ pounds weight.


CARP—are esteemed one of the richest fresh water fish we have in the
kingdom: they are the principal stock of park canals and manor ponds, to
the owners of which they afford considerable profit; particularly near
populous cities, where they can be disposed of to advantage at the
season when such ponds are drawn, and new stocked with stores. Much
success depends upon the nature of the soil where the pond is situate:
if in a soft marley kind of earth, or warm clay, impregnated with hazel
earth, and a muddy bottom, they thrive beyond expectation; but upon a
dead, black, moory gravel, or a flinty, chalky bottom, they are sterile
beyond description, in both growth and propagation. They are a fish so
exceedingly shy, (or so exceedingly cunning,) that they afford very
little success to the angler, who ought to be one of the most patient
adventurers that ever embarked in sporting speculation. They are but
little found in running streams or rivers, notwithstanding very large
quantities of small stores are constantly thrown in from the reservoirs
and breeding ponds of gentlemen living in the vicinity of such rivers,
not more to get rid of their own superflux, than to promote a friendly
supply for the accommodation of their neighbours. In large ponds, well
stocked, the _poachers_ are never deficient in means of procuring
themselves _a share_: this they effect by forming a paste of crumbled
bread, flour, and treacle, to which they add some of the coculus indicus
(an Indian berry) in powder: this being well incorporated, and thrown
into the pond in various parts, about the size of common baits, in the
latter part of the evening, the fish will be found at daylight in the
morning floating upon the surface in a state of stupefaction, when they
are taken out with the hand close to the bank without the least
difficulty. This is a business carried on to a wonderful extent for
thirty and forty miles round London, in which circle the _system_ of
_supply_ is as regularly conducted as the first commercial concern in
the metropolis; as will be seen when we come to a more minute
description of the _art_ under the head POACHING.


CARMINATIVES—are all such warm aromatic seeds or medicines as expel
wind, amongst which may be justly ranked most of the spices; likewise
aniseed, carraways, cardamoms, ginger, grains of paradise, &c. They are
excellent aids in the flatulent disorders of horses; but should not, if
possible, have been too long _in the shop_, as some of them lose their
property by long keeping.


CARROTS—are, after the fair experiments of late years, become an article
of very considerable consumption, as a collateral kind of food for the
support of horses employed in agriculture. The most candid attention,
and minute observation, at length admits, that horses having a
proportion of carrots, washed, cleaned, dried, and cut either alone, or
mixed with the barn chaff, do their work as well, look as firm in their
flesh, and fine in their coat, as those who are kept upon corn, chaff,
and hay. Although their utility in this way cannot be denied, yet it
must be remembered, they are not sufficiently nutritious for horses in
_hard_ or _expeditious_ work upon the public and posting roads; they
require a more firm, substantial support: for horses in easy, slow, and
moderate work, they answer well, incorporated with other articles; or
even alone, in small quantities; but if given _too largely_, they
attenuate the blood, and impoverish the frame.


CART HORSES.—The horses so called are principally the horses employed in
drawing farmers' waggons, carts, and the plough; as well as the infinity
employed with waggons upon the turnpike road, in the conveyance of
articles in trade from one part of the kingdom to another. The
incredible number supported in the metropolis, and its environs, by the
merchants, breweries, coal merchants, carmen, and the proprietors of
wharfs, exceed the utmost conception of those not accustomed to such
prospects, or to such calculations. Of cart horses this kingdom has to
boast different kinds, and those kinds are most judiciously appropriated
to the different work, and different countries, for which they seem to
be more particularly or individually adapted. Great pains have been
taken, and no expence spared, to improve this peculiar and most useful
breed of horses to the utmost possible pitch of perfection. The sorts
mostly in use, are the large heavy blacks, for which Leicestershire,
Lincolnshire, and the midland counties, are the most remarkable; the
little stout, uniform _punches_ from Suffolk; and some of the strong,
hardy _sturdies_ from Clydesdale, in North Britain. The former of the
three sorts, when well shaped, and uniform, constitute as perfect
beauties to the contemplative eye of the patriotic agriculturist, as the
best bred blood horses can possibly do to the most enthusiastic admirer
of the turf. From these midland blacks of the largest size, strength,
and uniformity, are selected all the capital stock of the most opulent
firms and manufactories in and round the metropolis. Those one degree
inferior in height, strength, uniformity, and price, constitute the
_bell teams_ of the farmers in BERKSHIRE, HANTS, and WILTS; at the
principal market towns of which, as _Reading_, _Wallingford_,
_Abingdon_, _Basingstoke_, _Alton_, _Alresford_, _Winchester_, &c. may
be seen some of the strongest, handsomest and finest teams of draft
horses in the kingdom without exception.

The Suffolk punches are a considerably coarser kind of horse, less
uniform in shape, and less constant in colour; they run greatly into a
mealy chesnut, or roan sorrel, having mostly a blaze in the face, with a
white mane and tail; they are very staunch to their work, and the
hardiest, perhaps, of any horse brought into use. These qualifications
destine them to the possession of small farmers, having the least money,
and, in general, to countries having the least keep. By the account of a
previous writer, they are entitled to a more pre-eminent situation. He
says, "they are nimble walkers and trotters: they have ever proved
themselves the truest and best drawers in the world, as well as the
hardiest and most useful cart and plough horses. Their nimbleness, it
should seem, is owing to their moderate size; and their immense powers
in lifting weight, to the same cause, combined with the low position of
the shoulder, which occasions weight to be acted upon in a just and
horizontal direction. Their superiority over all other horses, at
drawing dead pulls, is, no doubt, in some measure owing to early
training, as in no county is such pride taken in teaching horses to
draw; and it is well known, that a team of Suffolk horses, the signal
being given, will all down upon their knees, and leave nothing behind
them, that is within the power of flesh and blood to draw away."

Of the Clydesdale or Scotch horses it is said, "they are probably as
good and useful a draft horse as any we are possessed of; larger than
the Suffolk punches, being from fifteen to sixteen hands and a half
high; strong, hardy, and remarkable true pullers; a restive horse being
rarely found amongst them. In shape, plain made about the head, sides,
and hind legs; mostly grey or brown; said to have been produced from the
common Scotch mare and Flanders horses, a hundred years ago." The same
writer also recommends "the mixing a little racing blood with the cart
flock; enlarging also upon the wonderful exertions in carting business
upon the road by the Cleveland bays, a sort of coach horses. Although
bred horses are, of all others, the most sluggish; yet it is well known,
that a _cross of their blood_ gives spirit and activity to the heavier
kind of horses."


CASTING NET.—In a half extended form, (when in part suspended from the
ground, and resting on the leads fixed to its bottom,) it resembles a
bell in its shape; but when _cast_ in the _water_, or spread on the
ground, it constitutes a complete circle. They are made of different
dimensions; and so constructed, as to be completely grasped by the right
and left hand, having the centre of the net spread over the left
shoulder; when, by a sudden exertion, (in which there must be great
expertness,) the net is so cast as to fall upon the water in its _utmost
circular extent_; where sinking with all possible expedition, by the
weight of the lead affixed to its edges, which now becoming the bottom,
incloses within it all the fish in the space so covered, and from whence
no one can escape. To the centre of the net is fixed a line of ten or
twelve feet long, which line, in throwing (or casting) the net, is of
course extended, the extremity being previously fastened to the wrist:
when the leads have reached the bottom of the water, and rest on the
ground, the fish rise into the bell part of the net; then the person
having the line in hand begins to draw the net gently to land; in doing
which, the edges approach each other at bottom, where there are tucks to
receive the fish; and those, particularly _roach_, _perch_, and
_gudgeons_, are sometimes caught in great abundance. The person casting
the net should use a round frock, or a jacket without buttons; for want
of using which precaution, many a sportsman of this description has
received a complete and dangerous ducking, to which he did not seem to
think himself fully entitled.


CASTING THE HAIR;—an almost obsolete (or provincial) term for a horse's
shedding his coat.


CASTRATION—is the loss of the testicles by extirpation, which requires a
very nice eye, and steady hand, in the operator: for, although it has,
in general, been performed by Vulcanians of the inferior order, who are
strangers to the delicate structure and formation of the parts, yet it
is now to be anxiously hoped, we are fast emerging from former
ignorance, and that we shall become as expert and dexterous in this art
(if not so famous) as the _Italians_. There are two modes of operation;
one of those not of long standing: the original manner of operating was
by first casting the horse upon a bed of straw, properly prepared for
the purpose; then securing the testes by bandage, and making an incision
longitudinally through the scrotum; laying bare the testicle, and, after
making firm a waxed thread around the spermatic cord, the testicle was
then extracted by the knife, and the farther effusion of blood prevented
by the hot iron, or actual cautery. This is the method still in use in
most parts of the kingdom, and most probably where the greater number of
colts are bred; but in the present increase of veterinarians, some
verification of the old adage, "New lords, new laws," must be expected;
and they proceed in a different way.

Presuming upon the possibility of the cauterized eschar coming away by
chance or accident, and the profuse hæmorrhage that might probably
follow, before the apparatus could be again collected, and the horse
reduced to a proper position for securing the arteries from a farther
effusion of blood, the following mode is now adopted. The horse being
cast, and the incision made through the scrotum, as before described,
the spermatic cord is then secured by passing across it a slit stick up
close to the body, which is secured at each end with the waxed thread
used by shoemakers: this acting as a tourniquet upon the artery, the
separation and dissection is then made with the knife; after which a few
pledgets, of warm digestives, are introduced; no cautery at all applied;
a trifling inflammation, with consequent discharge, ensues; the
superfluous parts slough off, and ten days or a fortnight terminates the
whole.

In respect to the _age_ and _season_ most applicable, and best adapted,
to the operation, custom and experience seem to have left no room for
improvement: twelve or thirteen months old is the best time to perform
the operation, and in the months of _April_, _May_, or _June_, that
either extreme of heat or cold may be equally avoided. In the last seven
years, several practitioners of the new school (to shew the superiority
of _art_ over NATURE) held forth the theory of castrating horses of _any
age_, without the least confinement or rest, the subject being permitted
to go directly about his business as usual. This proposition was too
surprising, and too alluring, not to obtain converts; numbers
acquiesced; theory was in a variety of instances reduced to practice;
and the practice soon proved (to the mortification of the owners) the
truth of the adage, "Dead men tell no tales."


CATARACT,—the technical term for a defect of the eye, to which no
particular _cause_ of _origin_ has been yet decisively ascertained. The
faculty define it, "an opacity of the crystalline humour of the eye,
which prevents the rays of light passing to the retina, and of course
preventing vision." DOCTOR HUNTER says, "it is when an inflammation in
the coat of the crystalline humour hath rendered it opaque." But MR. ST.
YVES seems to be of opinion that the crystalline humour swells. He also
divides the cataract into the _true_, the _doubtful_, and _false_: the
true he subdivides again into _three_; the doubtful into _four_; and the
false into the glaucoma, and the shaking cataract. All this division and
sub-division seems little regarded even by the most curious and
indefatigable in anatomical researches; particularly as it is much to be
regretted, that, with every professional and energetic endeavour, no
medicines, external or internal, have ever been discovered, that are
known certainly capable of removing this disorder. In the human frame,
methods of operating on the crystalline humour were successfully
practised by SHARP, DAVIEL, and others: little, however, is to be
expected with the horse. In such case, perhaps, it may be "better to
bear those ills we have, than venture upon those we know not of."


CATHARTICS—are synonimous with purgatives, and include all medicines of
that description.


CAUSTICS—are medicines which externally constitute a destruction of the
texture (or superficies) of the parts to which they are applied.
Caustics are of different kinds, and of various powers, according to the
reduction, or extirpation, for which they are intended. The actual
cautery, or red-hot iron, is used in firing, as well as for the farther
prevention of sand-cracks already broke out. The antimonial caustic, or
butter of antimony, (in judicious hands), is a complete and perfect cure
for _poll evil_, _fistula_, _quittor_, and _canker in the foot_. Lunar
caustic is an admirable counteraction to warts, and fast-shooting
fungus. Red precipitate is an excellent substitute, when so much
strength is not required; few wounds in horses can be brought to a
favourable state of cicatrization without it.


CAVESON—is an article used in the breaking of colts, as well as in the
manege: it consists of a semi-circle, of iron or blocked tin, passing
round the nose, about five inches above the nostrils, having three
hinges or joints, concave on the inside, and covered with leather, list,
or woollen cloth. This has three swivel rings, one in the center of the
noseband, and one on each side; to all or either of which the reins are
affixed, that he may be accustomed, in the ring, to pace either to the
_right_ or _left_. The caveson is mounted with a headstall, somewhat
similar to the headstall of a bridle: and to the rings on each side the
caveson, are straps long enough to be buckled to the sides of the
saddle, that his head may be kept in a proper position (when bearing
upon the _colt's bit_) to render him pliable, and to insure a good mouth.


CHACE.—A chace is, in general acceptation, considered a receptacle for
game, interspersed with _fern_, _thickets_, _underwood_, and probably
with _small coverts_, for its preservation. It is understood to be
superior to a park, but inferior to a forest, having none of those laws
for its protection. It is not unfrequently the property of a subject,
and is then protected by its own manorial rights and privileges. CHACES
there are, also, the property of the CROWN; and those are generally
regulated by the FOREST LAWS, as is the case with _Cranbourne Chace_,
situate in WINDSOR FOREST.


CHASE.—The chase, as well as other pleasures of equal attraction, has
had its most inveterate opponents, as well as its equally determined
devotees. Various and vehement have been the declamations against it;
equally numerous, and equally energetic, have been the expostulations in
its defence. That it was practised, and enthusiastically enjoyed, by the
ancients, as perseveringly pursued by the moderns, and will be continued
to the end of time, (in opposition to every species of puritanical
rigidity,) will not admit of the least contrariety in opinion. The
CHASE, taken in a general point of view, includes the chase of every
description, and implies a pursuit of GAME (or vermin) found in a state
of natural liberty, with a body (called a _pack_) of hounds, who follow
the object, whatever it may be, by the _scent_ left on the ground, (from
which an effluvia exhales,) so soon as the game thus found may have
_broke from their view_. Upon the subject of _scent_, its origin, its
duration, and its evaporation, innumerable conjectures have been sported
by literary theorists; in opposition to the animadversion upon which,
much more might be introduced; but as it must unavoidably terminate,
like all other matters of _hypothesis_, to which no criterion of
certainty can be produced, very little entertainment, and no _positive_
information, can be derived from the investigation.

The CHASE, in this its most comprehensive meaning, implies _hunting_ of
_every kind_, whether STAG, FOX or HARE, (with either or all of which,
_the otter_ is not of sport or magnitude sufficient to be put in
competition.) These three different kinds of chase afford equal sport,
but in a more distinct and different way from each other; most admirably
adapted to the different inclinations, dispositions, and personal
sensations, of the various admirers who enter into its spirit, according
to the different stages of life and gradations of age. FOX HUNTING, it
must be admitted, is most applicable and exhilarating to the fire and
impetuosity of unrestrained juvenility, or manhood more matured; where,
perhaps, the pleasure is enhanced only in proportion to the difficulties
of the day, upon the military principle of "the more danger, the more
honor."

STAG HUNTING may probably be more adapted to the taste or prudence (or
more appropriate to the wishes) of the SPORTSMAN, who having past the
meridian of life, has long since discovered the _value_ of _time_, and
knows how to appreciate its loss: he wishes to insure a chase of _two_
or _three_ hours to a _certainty_, without employing perhaps _double
that time_ before the game is _found_; with the additional chance of
exploring a dull and dreary journey of fifteen or twenty miles home, in
a dirty country, with no other consolation, than a great deal of riding,
but _a blank day_.

HARE HUNTING is, in the estimation of the sporting world, held in a
certain degree _inferior_ to the other two, (so far as hard riding and
personal courage is concerned;) because the exercise is not so violent,
nor is the chase of equal duration. Indeed, strong advocates for STAG
and FOX hunting hold this sport exceedingly cheap, and satirically say,
"it is better calculated for the initiation of _juveniles_, the
entertainment of _women_, and the amusement of those gentlemen in the
more advanced stages of life, who, like the old woman in the farce, is
highly pleased with the _sound_ of the _fiddle_, though no longer _able
to dance_." Hare hunting, however, though not so attracting to those who
wish to recount the difficulties, the toils and vicissitudes of the day,
after a long chase, yet to the contemplative mind of reflection, much
more of the _minutiæ_ of _hunting_, and the instinct of animals, is to
be enjoyed than in either of the other two: of this most probably ample
proof will be adduced, when they come to be separately enlarged upon
under their different heads.


CHALLENGE—is a term used for the first _tongue_ of a hound after
throwing into covert, to draw either for _fox_, or an _out-lying deer_.
Upon the _challenge_ of a single hound, if he is staunch, and to be
relied on, a general silence ensues; ears are all open for a repetition,
and every eye for _a view_; the huntsman (who well knows how far to
depend upon the truth of the declaration) instantly encourages the pack
to the promised point, by "_hark_ to _Gamboy_!" "_hark_ to _Galloper_!"
or whatever may be the name of the favourite hound so to be relied on.
The hounds by this means are immediately rallied to the precise spot,
and ready to go off in a body with their game, as a _lucky find_
frequently follows an unexpected challenge; more particularly in the
present fashion of going to covert, at a time of day when our
predecessors of only one generation past used to return.


CHAFFING,—so called, is a loss of hair, and laceration of the skin, by
the pad of the saddle having got too hard in the stuffing from constant
use, and for want of timely circumspection. It is also frequently
occasioned by the extreme heat and friction, in continuing to travel
_very long stages_ in the hotter months, without more frequent relief or
rest to the horse. This is a very common fault, or act of indiscretion,
with the mechanical part of the community; who possessing rather too
much of the _spirit of trade_, anxiously endeavour (in the extent of
their sagacity) to do much more, in less time, than nature ever
intended, by _humanely_ travelling a horse _two stages_ instead of
_one_, thereby saving most arithmetically one half the expence, upon the
city principle of Old Philpot, that "a penny _saved_, is a penny _got_."

There cannot be a more prudent precaution in either sportsman or
traveller, than an occasional inspection of the _stuffing_ of the
_saddle_, which invariably gets hard with constant use: it should
sometimes be beat and softened with a stick, afterwards lightly raised
in every part with the point of a packing needle, and made smooth and
free from lumps upon the surface, by which means every chance of injury
will be avoided. Nothing can be productive of more anxiety than a sore
back of the horse, either to the traveller on his journey, or a
sportsman in the field; or any thing more mortifying, than to recollect
such injury originated in the _neglect_ of the _master_, and not in a
fault of the horse. The backs of some well-bred and thin-skinned horses,
particularly young ones, are subject to _chaffing_ and _warbles_ upon
very slight occasions; to counteract which, nothing can be better, more
simple, or more easily obtained, than two or three table-spoonsful of
the best white wine vinegar, bathed cold upon the part, and that so soon
as the saddle is taken off, and while the pores are open.


CHARGE—was a favourite part of former practice in farriery, and
consisted of compositions in the form of an adhesive mass, which being
_plastered_ upon the part afflicted, was there left _to act_ as a
_corroborant_, an _emollient_, a _discutient_, a _repellent_, or, in
fact, to effect any purpose intended, or that the case might require.
These preparations were applied in different states, and were
denominated _hot_ or _cold charges_, according to the mode in which they
were laid on. As, however, no great proofs of their efficacy were ever
established, or any authenticated records of their utility known, they
seem to have glided out of modern practice, and been totally superseded
by the more rational introduction of penetrative stimulants, in
fomentations, embrocations, &c. which come into more immediate contact
with the affected parts, where injury has been sustained.


CHEST—is the part of a horse comprehended in the side view, from his
wither to the bottom of his ribs near the elbow, at the upper part of
the fore arm; and is perfectly understood, when we say, "that horse is
well let down, and deep in the chest." If, in addition to this, he is
"round in the barrel," he may then be said to have a _good carcase_. To
judge well of the chest, it is necessary to come before, and take a
front view, if which is broad, and the horse stands wide and firm, it is
a proof of strength; but if narrow in the breast, (alias the chest,) he
will not only be very likely to cut before, but to become
chest-foundered, if put to any extraordinary exertions.


CHEST-FOUNDERING,—a debility in the shoulders, chest and fore-quarters
of a horse, seemingly less understood, and certainly less explained
hitherto, than any one disorder or defect to which the horse is
incident. Those who have written upon this subject, evidently _echo each
other_; as they literally and individually say, "it proceeds from hard
labour, whereby the horse becomes surfeited; so that, upon the whole, it
is no more than a severe cold, and is to be managed accordingly." These
are, in fact, the very words of BRACKEN, who precedes it with this
remark: "Most authors agree it is so;" giving no opinion of his _own_,
beyond its originating in a "severe cold," and is to be "_managed
accordingly_." He says, "the signs are a staring coat, and heaving of
the flanks more than common." That a chest-foundered horse may _happen_
to have a _staring coat_, or a heaving of the flanks, from some
different or _remote_ cause, cannot be denied; but that _either_ of them
are diagnostic symptoms of chest-founder, no scientific practitioner
will ever admit.

A horse said to be chest-foundered, is almost invariably contracted in
the breast between the points of the shoulders; becoming narrower there,
as if there was a _wasting_ of those particular parts. If you put him
into a _trot_, he moves his legs one before the other with great
difficulty, as if they were internally connected, and prevented farther
extension by two latent links of a chain. When pressed to a gallop, the
case becomes _instantly_ decisive; he labours to get his legs from
_under him_ without success; a general constriction pervades the whole
of his fore parts; and his action may, with much more propriety, be
termed _jumping_ than galloping.

Although no one author has given a proof he ever bestowed an explanatory
thought, or condescended to transmit a single line, upon the _absolute
cause_ of this very common defect, yet it by no means seems sufficiently
involved in ambiguity, to render fair conjecture, or professional
opinion, a matter of the least difficulty. As the disorder is invariably
fixed upon those subjects who have done the _most expeditious_ and
_constant_ work, without having been ever known to affect those who have
done little or none; so it is natural to conclude, the intercostal and
subclavian muscles must have sustained injury, from the incessant
vibrative concussions occasioned by the almost eternal contraction and
expansion of those parts, in such labour as horses are put to who become
subject to the misfortune, which partakes much more of oppressed nature
than of disease. It should seem, by the great number of horses
(decidedly chest-foundered) who experience evident relief, and go with
much less pain and difficulty, when they have got warm, that the
muscular parts acquire rigidity when in a state of inaction, but expand,
and gradually throw off the stricture, so soon as the circulation is
encreased by action, and perspiration produced; both which subsiding,
the previous stiffness returns. Let, however, what will be the cause,
(and upon which the best opinions may vary,) instances are very rarely
or ever known of perfect cure, or complete eradication. Long rest, by
either a summer or winter's run, will always be found productive of
relief, and sometimes hold forth a descriptive promise of permanence,
which very mild and gentle work may continue; but hard riding, long
journies, or severe labour, will always produce a relapse.


CHILDERS—was distinguished from _four_ others in succession of the same
name, by the appellation of the DEVONSHIRE, or FLYING CHILDERS, having
been the _fleetest_ horse ever bred or trained in this kingdom, and said
to have ran _a mile in a minute_. The fact, however, was not so; he went
the _fourth_ of a mile at the rate of a mile in a minute, and beat every
horse of his time with ease. He was bred by MR. CHILDERS; was foaled in
1715; and got by DARLEY'S ARABIAN, dam (Betty Leedes) by CARELESS. He
covered as a stallion, and was sire of _Firetail_, _Blacklegs_,
_Second_, _Plaistow_, _Snip_, and _Commoner_; all good runners,
particularly the first three; also _Blaze_, _Winall_, and _Spanking
Roger_; horses of some note; as well as LORD W. MANNERS'S _Poppet_, (an
extraordinary runner at five years old,) _Steady_, _Fleece'em_, &c. He
covered but very few mares, except the Duke of Devonshire's.

BARTLET'S CHILDERS was likewise bred by MR. CHILDERS, and was _own
brother_ to Flying Childers.

HAMPTON COURT CHILDERS was got by the Devonshire Childers, dam (Duchess)
by the Newcastle Turk; and was likewise bred by Mr. Childers.

SMALE'S CHILDERS was bred by Mr. Smale, and foaled in 1726. He was got
by Bartlet's Childers; dam by the Byerley Turk.

CHILDERS, commonly called _Grey Childers_, was bred by LORD CHEDWORTH,
and got by the Devonshire Childers; dam by Sir W. Wharton's Commoner.


CHOLIC.—The disorder so called in horses, is properly divided into two
kinds, and should be carefully attended to in the attack, before
medicines are administered in _one_, which might have been more
applicable in the _other_. One species of cholic (which is the most
common) originates in a retention of confined air, from having been
supplied with too much _flatulent_ provender, or too much _water_, at an
improper time. This disorder, in general, soon submits to warm, cordial,
anodyne medicines, accompanied by friction and flank rubbing; seldom
terminating in death, though always accompanied with symptoms of danger.
The other is produced by hardened fæces plugging up the intestinal
canal, and frequently proves fatal: the least delay is dangerous, and
too much expedition cannot be used to obtain relief. In the "Gentleman's
Stable Directory," they will be found distinctly described, and the mode
of cure explained.


CLICKET—is the sporting term for the act of COPULATION with both HARES
and FOXES. During the first _warm_ weeks in FEBRUARY, when the _males_
and _females_ seek each other, they are then said to be CLICKETTING; or
that at this particular season they go to CLICKET. After _conception_,
they are said to be _knit_; when the DOE HARE or VIXEN FOX will make the
most powerful and persevering efforts before the hounds to save their
lives. JACK HARES and DOG FOXES at this season generally _fly their
country_, and lead long chases.


CLYSTERS—are, in a variety of cases, and upon many emergencies, so truly
and so expeditiously useful, (without the least danger of being
injurious,) that their salutary effects cannot be too well known, or too
generally understood. They are differently prepared, from a decoction of
the aromatic garden herbs, as _marshmallows_, _camomile_ _flowers_, and
_wormwood_, _gruel_, a handful of _salt_, and half a pint of _oil_; or,
indeed, from any of the prescriptions with which books upon physic and
farriery are generally loaded. When prepared, and of a proper warmth,
they are gently conveyed into the body through a wooden pipe, to which
is fixed a large bullock's bladder, containing the clyster to be
injected. The pipe having been previously moistened upon the surface,
with either sweet oil or lard, is then insinuated within the sphincter
of the anus; when which is effected, the string hanging from the bladder
(and to the other end of which the cork is annexed, that plugs up the
internal mouth of the pipe confined in the bladder) is steadily pulled
with the right hand, while the left is employed in keeping the pipe in
its proper situation, and supporting the bladder with its contents: upon
the cork's being withdrawn, and a free passage made for the clyster, the
hands are pressed moderately, and _in motion_ upon the bladder, so as to
force the whole into the body; when which is done, the pipe is gently
taken away, and the effect of course is waited for, or repeated, if
necessary. The mild and advantageous mode of obtaining relief by
_clysters_, is greatly preferable to the rough old method of extracting
the dung from the rectum by introducing the hand, which is not only
producing unnecessary pain to the patient, but very frequently of
exciting inflammation. Every sportsman of experience must know, that,
upon all emergencies, in _fever_, _cholic_, _strangury_, _inflammation_
of the _lungs_ or _kidnies_, a clyster may be so soon prepared, and so
soon administered, (particularly in remote situations in the country,)
that no gentleman, anxious for the safety and preservation of his _stud_
or _stock_, should be without such articles as would enable him to adopt
some extemporaneous means of relief, till assistance (which is sometimes
at a great distance) could be obtained.


COAT.—The coat of a horse (which the hair is called) is not only an
object of sporting exultation when the horse is in fine condition, but,
to the judicious and penetrating eye, is in a great degree indicative of
the state of health. Nothing will so soon demonstrate the _ability_, the
_care_ and _attention_ of the GROOM, as the coat of his horse. If the
coat is observed to become suddenly rough, standing different ways, with
a dusty hue underneath, and the hair to look harsh and bristly upon the
surface, the blood is then sizey, and tending to an unhealthy state; the
porous system has been collapsed by some chilling exposure to _wet_ or
_cold_; the integument acquires a tightness and rigidity, which, if not
relieved, soon displays itself in some slight degree of disease: this
may, in general, be prevented, by taking away blood, and proceeding upon
a short course of antimonial alteratives.


COCKING—was formerly a sport so exceedingly prevalent (from the great
and perpetual variety it afforded in _betting_) that matches were
constantly fighting between different counties, as well as opulent
individuals, and at most of the horse-races in every part of the
kingdom, for very considerable sums of money. This practice, however,
like every other _species_ of _sporting_, in the course of time, opened
so great a field for villainy amongst the subordinates, who become
unavoidably instrumental, (as _feeders_, _setters-to_, and
_assistants_,) that, in addition to the incredible expence of
_breeding_, _walking_, _feeding_, _matching_, removing and carrying
cocks from one walk to another, collecting them when brought up to
fight, injuries sustained upon their walks, consequent disappointments
when taken up, with a long train of collateral considerations, have very
much reduced both the _sport_ and the _breed_ in every part of England.

When all the leading expences are brought into one point of view
previous to a MAIN of COCKS being placed in the _pens_, and the
aggregate of expenditure annexed to the _match money_, (then to be
deposited,) it plainly appears, that any man so fighting, is doing it at
a disadvantage of _two_ to _one_ against himself. If he wins, he wins
but the match money; this, probably, may, or may not, even pay his
expence: if he loses, he has then lost both the _deposit_, and his
previous expenditure in _breeding_, _feeding_, &c. constituting _loss
upon loss_; and if he wins, he is no gainer, because the winning has
been absorbed in the predatory payments already described. In fact,
COCKING then (divested of every moral consideration in respect to its
alledged cruelty) is the most ungentleman-like, the least entertaining,
and the most doubtful in probable profit, that any sportsman of honour
and integrity can possibly engage in: but as fashions continually vary,
and it may hereafter undergo a renewal, farther particulars respecting
the sport will be found under the proper heads of GAME COCK, and COCKPIT
ROYAL.


COCKNEY—is the distinguished appellation by which those gentlemen are
honoured, who, being _natives_ of the Metropolis, are supposed never to
have very far exceeded the vibrative limits of _St. Paul's clock_, or
_Bow bell_. The term, however, well known as it is, would not have been
entitled to a place in this collection, had it not been thought
necessary to communicate to the sporting world, a _derivation_ so very
little known. A citizen of the above description making an excursion
with his son to the neighbourhood of Highgate, the lad (who had never
before _taken a journey_ of such magnitude and extent) happening to hear
a horse neigh, (which was quite _new_ to _him_,) hastily exclaimed, "How
that horse _barks_!"—"Barks! you booby," replied the father; "_Neighs!_
you mean. A _dog_ barks; a _horse_ neighs!" They had not proceeded far,
when the youth, finding his ears assailed by the sudden _crowing_ of a
_cock_, was so fascinated with the shrill and unexpected sound, that he
instantly attracted his companion's attention with, "Hark, father, how
that _cock neighs_!" To which happy effusion of fancy, citizens will
probably stand indebted for the name of cockney to the end of time.


COCK-FEEDER—signifies a person whose occupation it is to _collect_,
_handle_ and _feed_ a pen of cocks, to fight such main or match as may
be made or agreed on, by those who deposit the battle money, and are
called the MASTERS of the MATCH. These find or procure the cocks, of
which the feeder takes charge; and to his judgment is submitted the
entire management of _selecting_, _rejecting_, _feeding_, _physicing_,
_sweating_, _sparring_, _weighing_, _cutting out_, (alias trimming,) and
bringing his bag and cock to the pit; where, upon delivering it to the
_setter-to_, his function ceases in respect to that particular cock,
till death has sealed his disgrace, or success proclaimed his victory.


COCK-MATCH;—an agreement and article entered into by opposite parties,
to shew any number of cocks (as "twenty-one, thirty-one, or forty-one)
on each side in the _main_ and ten in the byes, to fight for ten guineas
a battle, and fifty the odd." The cocks so agreed to be matched, are
under the management of their different feeders till the day specified
in the article for their being _shewn_ and _weighed_; which day is, upon
most occasions, _the day but one_ preceding the day on which the main
begins to be fought. This ceremony is attended to with the most
scrupulous nicety on each side; every cock is weighed precisely to a
_quarter_ of an _ounce_; his colour described almost to a _feather_; his
marks in the eye, the _right_ and _left norrel_, the _in right_ and _out
left_ in the feet, are all taken down in writing with the same accuracy
as the weight; the whole being entered in the match-bills to be
produced, read, and compared, with the cocks as they are brought to pit
at the commencement of every battle.

The number of cocks having been shewn and weighed on each side, the
match-bills containing their weights are compared; and all those who are
either dead weights, or within an ounce of each other, are said to _fall
in_, and are called _main battles_; in contra-distinction to those who
do not come within the ounce of each other, and are _thrown into_ the
_byes_; which are generally fought for a trifling sum, and have no
affinity whatever to the MAIN. Should the cocks thus falling in
constitute either a very small or an _even_ number, it is usual then to
separate cocks of _dead weights_, or the nearest so, to match against
others, (giving or taking an ounce in weight,) that the main may be
extended in respect to the number of battles, and that number to be
_odd_; thereby preventing, if possible, the MAINS being _undecided_;
which, indeed, sometimes happens unavoidably by the chance of _a drawn
battle_.

That the match may be the better understood, let it be supposed that A
stands engaged with B "to shew twenty-one cocks on each side, _ten_
guineas a battle, and _fifty_ the MAIN or _odd_ battle." Of these
fifteen fall into the _main_; and the remaining six are thrown into
_byes_, and fight for two guineas a battle. It is in such case a custom
to fight a part of the byes, both _before_ and _after_ such part of the
main as is fought on _each day_, whether it is finished in one day, or
is a long main of many days duration. The match being concluded, we find
A has won _nine main_ battles and _two byes_; B _six main_ battles and
_four byes_; when the winning and losing will stand precisely thus: A
having three battles ahead in the main, is a winner of fifteen guineas
upon the _single_ battles; and winning the main also, he wins the
twenty-five guineas upon that event; making himself the creditor for
forty guineas: but in the _byes_, B having the advantage of _four_
battles to _two_ won by A, affords him a drawback of two guineas; and B
is the loser of thirty-eight guineas battle-money upon the whole match;
it being remembered, the byes were fought for only two guineas a battle;
or, in other terms, a guinea _each cock_. And this it will be necessary
for young adventurers to remember, that a match made for "ten guineas a
battle," is tantamount to five guineas _each_ cock; and "fifty guineas
the odd of the main," is always _bona fide_ understood a deposit (if
required) before fighting of five-and-twenty guineas a-side.

Cocks of middling size, and adequate powers, are always considered the
sharpest and best fighters; in confirmation of which opinion, custom has
established the match weights from three pounds six ounces to four
pounds eight; none to be shewn and weighed in the main under the former,
or above the latter, unless an extension to either a _lower_ or a
_higher_ weight should be agreed on by the parties. Sometimes (but very
seldom) a short match, of a different kind, takes place, and is termed a
"_shag-bag_" match, (or battle;) which is no more (the battle money
having been previously agreed on) than "turning the cock out at the
bag's mouth" in the pit, to meet his opponent, without ever having been
brought to the scale, or the weight of his adversary ascertained.

In weighing the cocks, and making the match-bill, it is an invariable
rule to begin with the _lightest_ pair, who are to fight _first_, and so
continue according to their weight _upwards_; such successive pair being
heavier than the former, so that the heaviest pair of cocks is fought
the last. Various sums being betted upon a match (or main) soon after it
is made, it may not be inapplicable to observe, that those who lay _the
odds_ in any proportion, as _five_ to _four_, _six_ to _four_, _two_ to
_one_, (or whatever odds may be laid,) either upon the main or a
_single_ battle, is always entitled to the privilege of _choosing his
side_, although it may not be mentioned; and this right he is possessed
of in consequence of _laying the odds_.


COCKPIT,—a place appropriated entirely to the purpose of COCK-FIGHTING,
for which it is erected; it is usually of an oblong or circular form,
surrounded with seats, to which the spectators pay for admission; and in
great mains, or subscription matches, the FEEDERS generally agree with
the masters of the match to receive the whole of this _door money_,
(equally divided between them,) as their compensation for the fortnight
or three weeks they are engaged in feeding the cocks.


COCKPIT ROYAL.—The cockpit royal is considered sanction sufficient for
the diversion of COCK-FIGHTING in every part of the kingdom. It is
situate on the south side of St. James's Park, from which it has its
entrance, and was erected in the reign of King Charles the Second, who,
having been himself fond of the sport, is said to have frequently
honoured it with his presence, when matches were made and fought amongst
his nobles. It is the only place where _long mains_, and great
SUBSCRIPTION MATCHES, are fought in the Metropolis; some of which are
for considerable sums between opulent individuals, who procure their
cocks from different parts of the country; and others (particularly the
subscription matches) by many members on each side, who breed their
cocks in distant counties, but fight them only in town; of which
description many matches are annually fought during all the spring
months, when both STAGS and COCKS are in the finest feather and highest
perfection.

The cockpit is circular, and completely surrounded with seats six tier
deep; exclusive of a rail, with standing room all round the summit of
the uppermost seat; forming, in the whole, a perfect amphitheatre. The
centrical circle upon which the _cocks fight_ is a raised mound of
earth, (surrounded with boarding,) about twenty feet in diameter, and
should, according to the technical term of the _sport_, be covered with
a fine green turf, denominated _sod_; in conformity with the general
acceptation of the word in the sporting world, where by "_the sod_" is
implied COCKING. By "the _turf_," RACING is equally understood. In all
mains or matches fought in the country parts of the kingdom, cocks
invariably fight upon the sod; but as it is an article difficult to
obtain in the Metropolis, and would be inconvenient and inapplicable
during _hard frosty_ weather, when many matches are fought, _matting_
upon the surface is substituted in its stead.

On each side the circular mound, at its extremity, and exactly opposite
to each other, are two small seats for the _setters-to_; who retire to
those seats during long fighting, or when ordered by the betters and
spectators so to do. Directly over the centre is suspended from the
dome, by a chain, a very large circular branch, containing a great
number of candles, affording a profusion of light; for nearly all the
matches fought here are very _unnaturally_ decided by _night_, the
company going to pit at six o'clock in the evening.

At the hour previously agreed on, _the bags_ containing the cocks are
brought into the pit by the FEEDERS, or who ever they may appoint: they
are there received by persons called the _setters-to_, whose
qualifications depend upon a _quick eye_, a _light hand_, and _agile
heel_; without the whole of which, celebrity can never be acquired in
their way. The cocks being taken from the bags, are most scrupulously
compared in _feather_ and _marks_ with the original description entered
in the match-bill on the day of weighing; if there should prove the most
trifling deviation from which, a mistake _wilful_ or accidental is
supposed to have taken place, and no progress whatever is made _in
fighting_, till it is completely rectified, and the cause done away.
This scrutiny is seriously critical, and made by the FEEDERS, who attend
minutely to the _match-bill_ and _marks_ of each other's cocks; which
ceremony gone through, and admitted to be right, the feeders retire from
the centre of the pit, becoming spectators; and the _setters-to_ are
then the sole possessors with the cocks in hand. In this state they are
shewn to each other "_beak to beak_;" and if they "show fight," they are
(for form's sake in the first battle only) given into the hands of the
makers (called masters) of the match, who are situate in the lowest
circular seat opposite to each other, and they giving the cocks a
_set-to_ toss upon the mat, the battle begins amidst clamours
indescribable, and offers of bets innumerable, according to the
pecuniary sensations, opinions and predictions of the different parties
interested in the event, constituting a scene very far beyond the power
of description, and which must be seen to be perfectly understood.

_Bettings_ now take place of every kind, as well upon the battle then
fighting, as upon the main (meaning the _odd_ battle) of the first
_three_, the first _five_, &c. Bets made upon the "LONG MAIN," imply the
winner of the match at its termination, in contra-distinction to betting
upon the main of _three_, of _five_, or of _seven_ battles, which are
very frequently made. Sometimes the cocks on one side are rather greater
favourites than on the other, from an idea of their being better blood,
better fed, or in finer condition; in this case, there are offers of, "a
shilling,"—"eighteen-pence,"—and not unfrequently even "half a crown for
a guinea;" the meaning of which is, the person so offering, is willing
to give you either of the sums mentioned, to bet him a guinea upon the
battle, he taking his choice for _buying the bet_. The person receiving
the half-crown to bet a guinea, stands precisely thus; if his cock is
successful, he is the winner of one pound, three shillings and sixpence;
on the contrary, he can be a loser of only eighteen shillings and
sixpence, having previously received half a crown from his adversary
toward the guinea he has got to pay: a recollection of this advantage is
equally necessary in proportional betting of greater magnitude, as
sometimes half a guinea is offered for five pounds, or a guinea for ten.

Persons taking these bets, whether for large or small sums, should, if
the odds in fighting come to _two_ or _three_ to _one_ in favor of the
cock they have backed, immediately take such odds, which is called
"hedging," (alluding to _a fence_ for the bet,) and the party then
stands the chance of _winning_ a certain number of pounds to the losing
of _nothing_! This is the only mode by which money can be made in a
cockpit, and what the _professional amateurs_ are always prompted by
prudence to do; as it is a very common thing, during a battle, for the
odds to vary, till _three_, _four_, or _five_ to _one_ are betted upon
each cock: a person taking the five to one _each_ way, will consequently
derive an advantage of _four_ guineas from _either_ cock, let which ever
will win. There are never wanting persons in a pit who are attached to
the cocks on one side or the other; these are always ready to offer bets
of _ten_, _eleven_, and _twelve_ to _four_, that the opposite party
"does not win two battles running:" If the cocks on that side are
healthy, properly fed, and in equal condition, with those in the other
pens, these are not bad bets to take. As for instance; A bets B twelve
half guineas to four, that Charles Walter (the _feeder_) does not win
_two battles running_; it happens he wins the _first_, (which is no more
or less than _even_ betting he does;) then B prudently backs the
opposite party for two guineas the _second_ battle of the two, and of
course stands the winning of _four guineas_ to the losing of _nothing_.

In a cockpit, the faculties of every man, who sports his money, must be
feelingly alive, to escape the most villainous depredations. _The
family_, who exist only by the most abandoned and unprincipled scenes of
infamy, are always prepared to _deny_ their bets _when they lose_,
particularly with noviciates; and with this advantage, they are always
supported by _gentlemen_ of their own party on each side of them, _ready
to swear_, "he had _no bet_ with you;" but if he _wins_, he demands his
money of you, and receives it; consequently, in the difference of
receiving and _not paying_, he has _ten_ to _one_ the advantage of a
YOUNG ADVENTURER, particularly as you cannot call for "cover," in the
ten thousand clamours, and _Babel-like_ building, of a cockpit. At the
termination of every battle, the betters leave their seats to adjust,
pay and receive the winnings and losings dependent upon the battle just
decided; it being a regular point, that the _winner_ makes application
to the better who has _lost_; and no disgrace is annexed to the
character of the latter by his omitting to follow the former, it being
sufficient to pay the _bet_ when _demanded_.

There are certain rules and laws of custom to be observed in fighting;
the most material of which it is necessary to explain. When once the
cocks are pitted, neither of the SETTERS-TO have the privilege to touch
or handle his cock, so long as they continue to fight, unless their
weapons hang in the mat, they are entangled with each other, are got too
close to the edge of the pit, or have left off fighting while the umpire
or law-teller can count _forty_; when, in either of those cases, each
setter-to instantly handles his cock, bringing them _beak to beak_ in
the middle of the pit: if _one cock_ has refused to fight while the
telling forty took place, his adversary, who made the last fight, with
either _heel_ or _beak_, is said to have the first law in his favour.
When brought beak to beak, and set on their legs, if the cock who did
not fight while the _forty was telling_, continues to decline fighting,
the setter-to of his adversary (or umpire, if there is one) proceeds to
tell _ten_; which being done, they are again handed, and brought _beak_
to _beak_; if the same cock continues still unwilling or unable to
fight, the ceremony of telling ten, and bringing _beak_ to _beak_, at
the conclusion of every ten, takes place, till it has been repeated _ten
different times_, when the cock so refusing to fight has lost his
battle. But should he fight during any part of the law, (even in telling
the last ten,) what has been told is of no effect, and the first ten
must be begun again, whenever a fight is renewed. Instances sometimes
happen, when the cock who has the _long law_ in his favour, retreats
from the cock seemingly beaten, and in his turn has the law going on
against him; so that the cock who fights last has the law in his favour,
till one side or other is counted out.

If, during a battle, (either by long fighting or a cut down blow,) any
person offers to bet _ten pounds_ to a _crown_, or throws his _hat_,
_glove_, or _handkerchief_, into the pit, which is the same thing, and
so understood, though not a word is spoken, the teller immediately
begins to tell _forty_ in a deliberate manner, which being done, he
proclaims, "ten pounds to a crown is betted; will any body take it? will
any body take it?" No reply being made, the battle is won by the cock
upon whom the odds were offered. On the contrary, should the bet be
accepted in words, or a handkerchief, _hat_, or _glove_, be thrown into
the pit, during the time of so telling _the forty_, it is an acceptance
of the _ten pounds_ to a _crown_ offered, and the cocks are instantly
handed beak to beak in consequence. If a cock, having the law in his
favour, _dies_ before the _long law_ is _told out_, his adversary wins
the battle, although he did not fight within the law; for there cannot
be a greater criterion of victory, than having killed his opponent.

When the cocks are first shewn in the hands of the setters-to, and
either refuses _to face_, that is, to fight, it is deemed _no battle_,
upon the equitable principle, that no man _can_ lose where he has _no
chance_ to win. There are frequently disputes between the setters-to
respecting which cock is in for the law in his favour, during the
changes which sometimes happen by the various changes in setting-to
during the _long law_; as well as disputes amongst the spectators
concerning bets made, and misunderstandings during the _heat of battle_;
to prevent litigation, and long-standing animosity, it is an invariable
rule, that all disputes are to be decided by a majority of the pit; but
in all pecuniary altercations, both parties deposit their money before
the _question is asked_, in proof of their readiness to acquiesce in the
decision when made. Persons making bets in a pit, which they were
afterwards unable or unwilling to pay, were formerly drawn up in a
basket by pullies, and suspended during _the play_; that ceremony,
however, is now nearly dispensed with, the aggressor being instantly
turned out of the pit, with a variety of _cuffs_ and _kicks_ plentifully
bestowed upon him in the gauntlet of his escape.


COCK'S WALK—is the place to which a _game chick_ is removed, from the
place where he was bred, (and where he walked _under his sire_,) to the
spot where he is to remain till taken up to fight; this is called _his
walk_, of which he is the master, not walking _under_ any other cock.
They are commonly sent out to walk at six or seven months old, previous
to which they have their combs and gills taken off, and are marked in
the _eyes_, _norrils_, and _feet_. At this age they are called
_chickens_; when turned of a year old, they are termed _stags_; and at
two years old, COCKS.


COFFIN-BONE.—This bone is situate at the lower extremity of the foot,
deposited in the membranous mass with which the box (or _coffin_) of the
hoof is lined, and is in nearly the shape of the hoof itself: in the
centre of the coffin-bone is a concavity, into which is inserted the
_inferior_ part of the _coronary bone_, supported by the _nut bone_
behind: upon the superior part of the coronary bone (that is just above
the line said to be "_between hair and hoof_") is lodged the lower part
of the fetlock bone, its upper part articulating with the fetlock joint.
Injuries are very frequently sustained by holes in the road, or cavities
in the pavement, into which a part, or the whole, of the foot getting,
ligamentary twists or distortions happen to the lower joints. Too much
pains cannot be taken in accurately ascertaining the exact seat of
lameness, particularly in these parts, as a great number of horses are
annually _blistered_ and _fired_ by much too hastily, and upon parts
where no lameness has ever been.


COFFIN-JOINT,—the joint situate below the fetlock, and just above the
union of hair and hoof; this is the part universally known by the term
_coffin-joint_; but, in fact, it is not in _reality_ so; for this being
formed by the upper part of the coronet with the lower part of the
fetlock-bone, leaves the whole coronary bone between the spot described
and the coffin-bone. The coffin-joint is buried in the body of the hoof,
and is formed by the convex junction of the coronary bone with the
concave part of the coffin-bone, as explained in the article preceding.


COLD.—A COLD is evidently occasioned by some sudden transition from heat
to cold, a long exposure to chilling rains, or a confined current of
external air, through some partial or particular channel: it may be
defined a _species_ of _disease_ derived from some one peculiar cause,
to which there may be many probable points of termination, according to
the constitution, or pre-disposition of the subject at the time of
attack.

COLD is much more likely to be acquired in a horse by neglect or
indiscretion, than by the effect of chance: it is certainly prevented
with more ease than it can be cured; and those who ride or drive their
_own_ horses, have this in constant recollection; those who ride or
drive the horses of _others_, have seldom any such recollection at all.
HORSES are hardly ever known to get _colds_ under the eye of the MASTER,
but unluckily he cannot be employed in the eternal superintendance of _a
servant_, nor can he carry the horse in his pocket. Colds unattended to
upon the first attack, not unfrequently degenerate to something worse,
displaying its progressive virulence upon the eyes, the lungs, or in
glandular tumefactions. Colds (in general thought very little of) cannot
have their probable tendencies too soon counteracted, particularly when
it is remembered, that if the blood is previously in a state of sizey
viscidity, an inflammation of the lungs may very speedily follow, and
carry off the patient in _two_ or _three_ days, in opposition to every
medical endeavour that can be made to prevent it.

A COUGH is generally one of the first and most distinguished symptoms of
_cold_; for the collapsion of the porous system having thrown the
perspirative matter upon the blood, its circulation through the finer
vessels of the lungs becomes proportionally retarded, and constitutes
the obstruction and consequent irritation (or _tickling_) which almost
incessantly excites the cough; to relieve which, all writers agree, that
bleeding is the first step to be taken: this to be followed by cordial
balls, malt mashes, thin gruel, &c. &c. the particulars of which may be
found fully explained in the "Gentleman's Stable Directory," or
"Compendium of Farriery," by the present Author.


COLOUR.—Strange notions have formerly prevailed, and much hypothetical
writing and reasoning have been equally produced, to collect sufficient
criterions to decide upon, for _a proof_ that the strength and
constitutional stamen of the horse depended as much or more upon his
_colour_ than his formation. Sound judgment, and rational reflection,
would, however, induce a well-founded reason to believe, there is more
of fancy or _fallacy_ in such suggestion; and that the old maxim still
stands upon firm ground, "a GOOD horse can't be of a _bad_ colour."

The bright and the dark _bay_, the jet _black_, the _chesnuts_, the
_browns_, and the _dappled greys_, are each proportionally beautiful
when in fine condition; and are held preferable in pecuniary estimation
to the _sorrel_, the _dun_, the _roan_, the _flea-bitten_, the
_strawberry_, and the _nutmeg_ or _iron-grey_. There is a prevalent idea
amongst people of a certain class, that many of the latter description
are very much inferior in spirited exertion, less calculated for hard
work, not such good feeders under fatigue, that they feel the effect of
age sooner, that their powers do not continue so long unimpaired, that
they are more susceptible of disease, and, lastly, that they are shorter
lived, than those called the _hardy_ colours, first mentioned. That
there will always be a variety of opinions in mere matter of conjecture
cannot be denied, any more than that the framers and supporters of those
opinions will magnify _mole hills_ to _mountains_ in defence of their
own sagacity; notwithstanding which, it must be admitted, that variety
of inferences might be drawn to justify a conclusion, that many of those
observations may have the basis of truth for their foundation, if this
was the place proper for such elucidation.

Whatever may be the colour of the horse, it is a practice with old
sportsmen, and good judges, to reject _white heels_, and _white hoofs_,
if they can be avoided: experience has proved, beyond all fear of
contradiction, that white heels are more _tender_, and white hoofs more
subject to _defects_, and susceptible of injury, in _thrushes_, _corns_,
and _sand-cracks_, than any other; and none more so, than light chesnuts
with blazes and white heels: the hoofs are frequently shelly, brittle,
narrow at the heel, diseased in the frog, and contracted in the feet.
Prudence should prompt every man (in a new purchase) to pay some respect
to the _lower_ as well as the _upper_ story; it being evidently more
advantageous to _reflect in time_, than to repent at leisure.


COLLEGE VETERINARY,—an equestrian establishment for the improvement of
farriery: it is situate about a mile north-east of Tottenham-Court Road,
at Camden Town, in the parish of St. Pancras, and will be explained more
at large under the head, VETERINARY COLLEGE.


COLT,—in the general sense, and immediate acceptation of the term,
implies a produce from HORSE and MARE, without adverting for the moment
to either the _masculine_ or the _feminine_ gender; but in a more
contracted point of view, (as well as in just and sporting-like
phraseology,) it is meant to convey an unequivocal idea, that the
produce being A COLT, is really so, (that is a _horse colt_,) in
contra-distinction to the opposite gender, invariably called _a filly_.
The bone and growth of a colt depends greatly upon two circumstances:
the first, his being foaled late or early; that is, _early_ in _April_,
or _late_ in _June_; as well as the difference of his being weaned in
November or March. Although it is admitted that colts (in the first year
termed foals) running with the dam during the winter, will afford
greater probability of size, bone, and strength, yet it is not at all
times it can be complied with, unless in studs, where _brood_ mares are
kept for that purpose only, and are left fallow (_uncovered_) for the
season. When a mare has been covered with a foal at her foot, and is
evidently in foal again, it should be an invariable rule to wean the
foal in October or November, upon the palpable impossibility of giving
suck to the one, without an impoverishment of the other. Whether the
colt is, or is not, weaned in either of those months, he should be well
kept, and have daily supplies of corn and hay, as well as proper
_stable_, _shed_, or _shelter_ from the inclemency of the winter season.
Upon the liberal keep of the two first winters, his size, growth,
strength, and bone, entirely depend, and must be particularly attended
to, lest repentance come too late; for it must be held in remembrance,
that if a colt is _small_ at two years old, from having been _stinted in
keep_, there is not one in a hundred ever attains to good size, by any
additional exertions or expence, after the natural efforts for expansion
have been so long retarded.

As COLTS of any description (except for THE TURF) are seldom taken in
hand, at least offered for sale, or brought into work, till they are
_three years old_, it is totally unnecessary to go into a minute
description of their AGE by the TEETH previous to that period. Suffice
it, therefore, to observe, the _twelve teeth_ in the front of the mouth
are, from their original appearance, called COLT'S TEETH, and so
continue to be, till dispossessed, and followed by _others_ which we
proceed to describe: and that a matter of such necessary information may
(with very little attention) be perfectly understood, an accurately
engraved PLATE is annexed, with such explanatory matter, as will bring
the subject home to the plainest comprehension.

 [Illustration: _To face Page 153, Vol. 1ˢᵗ_
 _Fig. 1._ _Rising Three._
 _Fig. 2._ _Four Years old._
 _Fig. 3._ _Rising Six._
 _Fig. 4._ _Aged._
 AGE by the TEETH.]

COLTS' TEETH are, in whiteness and appearance, not inferior to polished
ivory; are individually smooth upon the surface, or seat of mastication,
and so continue till some time between _two_ and a _half_ and _three
years old_; when, a few weeks sooner or later, (depending entirely upon
their having been _late_ or _early_ foals,) but within the space of time
specified, he sheds the two middle teeth of the SIX in the under jaw:
these are pushed forward, and succeeded by two of a stronger formation,
deeper in color, fluted, as it were, or having small grooves from top to
bottom, with a natural black cavity in the centre, as represented in
_figure the first_ of the PLATE, when the colt will be found rising
THREE YEARS OLD.

Some time in the _last half_ of the _fourth year_, the same process
takes place with the teeth on _each_ side the two in the centre,
(already described to have undergone the change;) so that at four years
old we find a repetition of (or addition to) the _first two_, at which
particular period he becomes possessed of FOUR horse teeth in the
middle, and _one_ colt's tooth only on each side, as will be observed in
the _second figure_ of the PLATE, where is represented the mouth of a
colt when FOUR YEARS OLD off, which he should be properly called till
the fall of the leaf; after that time it is the custom to say, he is
RISING FIVE.

At this time, that is, some time in the autumn, as _September_,
_October_, or _November_, (depending a little upon his having been a
late or early foal,) he sheds the two remaining outside or corner teeth,
the successors to which continuing to push out till the May or June
following, when he is full in the mouth, FIVE YEARS OLD, and then called
a horse.

During the course of this year, the single teeth, called TUSKS, seated
beyond the corner teeth upon the bars, appear; and proper attention to
the infantine or advanced state of this projection, will evidently
demonstrate the _fifth_ year of age; notwithstanding any trifling
variation, or singular exception, to the law of Nature already laid
down; as may be accurately collected from an attentive inspection of the
_third figure_ in the PLATE, where the subject is to be considered FIVE
YEARS OLD, off, and through the whole of the year is termed "rising
six;" the year not terminating till the FIRST OF MAY, from which every
horse takes his age; and it is customary to say he is coming six, or
will be _six years old_ next grass.

In the space of the last six months of the _sixth_ year, the cavity of
the two _middle_ teeth of the SIX (already described to have succeeded
the two in the _first_ change at three years old) gradually fill up, and
when turned of SIX YEARS OLD, retain a faint remains of the original
_black mark_, but is nearly or quite smooth upon the surface.

In the _last half_ of the SEVENTH YEAR, when the horse is termed "_six
off_," (or rising seven,) the teeth on each side the two centrical, last
described, become _gradationally_ possessed of the same appearance; and
when SEVEN YEARS are fully attained, the two outside or corner teeth
_only_ bear _any mark_ of the original cavity. At this period the HORSE
is said to be _aged_; and from this time to the completion of his
_eighth year_, the faint mark in the corner teeth continues gradually to
disappear (varying a little in different subjects) till quite
obliterated, when the AGE by the TEETH is no longer a matter to be
relied on, but becomes totally dependent upon the _immaculate_
declaration of the DEALER, or the _ipse dixit_ of the BREEDER, if that
can be _bona fide_ obtained. This description will be found accurately
delineated in the _fourth figure_ of the PLATE.

As the curious, but very common, _operation_ of BISHOPING has been
properly explained under _that head_, so another _deception_, in full
practice by the fraternity of _horse-dealers_, must not be forgotten;
they consider it a LAW of PRIVILEGE, and never omit an opportunity of
gratifying their professional sensations. By referring to _figure the
second_ of the PLATE, (where the teeth represent the state of the mouth
at _four years old off_,) may be seen the four centrical teeth with the
_black cavities_, and the two COLT'S TEETH at the corners, without any
mark at all. In this state they are frequently purchased of the simple
harmless BREEDER in the _country_; but they are very seldom a few hours
in the possession of a DEALER, before the _fertility_ of his imagination
is at work to _rectify_ the _deficiencies_, and to anticipate the very
intent and effort of NATURE.

The two corner COLT'S TEETH just described, are immediately _wrenched_
from their sockets, with even a common _door key_, or the first iron
instrument that can be found applicable for the purpose; and this is
done as a substitute for the impending exfoliation, by way of giving
earlier opportunity for the appearance and growth of their successors,
that the HORSE may be shown out as, and affirmed to be, a FIVE YEARS
OLD, when, in fact, he is positively no more than four. This is an
imposition very little better than a ROBBERY, and principally practised
upon the young and inexperienced, (the DEALER'S best _friends_,) but
seldom attempted to be _played off_ with the OLD SPORTSMAN, whose very
_mode_ of making his examination, speedily displays a proof of his
qualifications, and generally shields him from any very palpable species
of depredation.

When a HORSE is considerably advanced in _years_, but still _full_ in
the _frame_, and _fresh_ upon his _legs_, it is a general rule, even
with the best and most experienced judges, to form an opinion tolerably
accurate by the _length_ of his TEETH; but this can by no means be
considered infallible; as some horses carry a mouth _so much better_
than others of a less age, that it can constitute no certain criterion
of decision.


CONDITION—is a word in frequent use with the sporting world, to express
the state of a horse in respect to his health and external appearance.
If low in flesh, rough in his coat, hollow above the eye, and depressed
in his spirits, he is then said to be "very much out of _condition_."
But, on the contrary, if full of good sound flesh, his skin loose and
pliable, with his coat soft and sleek, he is then said to be in "perfect
condition to start," if for the TURF; fine condition to _take the
field_, if a HUNTER; or, if a roadster, to be in good condition to
undertake his journey. Horses too full of flesh or of blood, are said
not to be in _condition_, because they are not fit for strong exertions
without the danger of disease: brought into constant work in such state,
they soon, as it is termed, "_fall all to pieces_;" that is, if they
escape inflammation upon some of the various parts, morbidity soon
displays itself, either in a swelling of the legs, cracked heels, bad
eyes, defective wind, cutaneous eruptions, tumours, or in one of the
many ills to which horses in this state will always be subject.

Experience has so fully confirmed this fact, and custom has so firmly
established the great prudence of prevention, that much disgrace and
mortification is incurred by both MASTER and _groom_, who are so
unfortunate as to have horses _out of condition_; and this is so
perfectly understood in the present state of equestrian emulation, that
the necessity for occasionally cleansing the frame by BLEEDING, PURGING,
DIURETICS, or a course of ALTERATIVES, is not only almost universally
acknowledged, but generally practised by every judicious and well
informed SPORTSMAN in the kingdom.


CONSTIPATION—implies that state of the bowels, when, for want of the
necessary secretion of mucus, their excrementitious contents acquire a
degree of solidity bordering upon induration; the dung becomes too hard
and adhesive, fœtid in effluvia, and dark or nearly black in appearance.
A horse in such state should not be long neglected; inflammatory cholic
and consequent danger may ensue; or an indurated mass may be formed in
the intestinal canal, which no medicine may have the power to move in
time to prevent mortification. Too nice attention cannot be paid to a
horse's regular evacuations: if the body is evidently foul, he should be
proportionally physicked. Circumstances not rendering that perfectly
convenient, opening mashes might be adopted, and continued nightly (or
oftner) till the constipation is removed.


CONSUMPTION.—A consumption is a disorder to which horses are very much
subject, particularly the carriage horses of the great and opulent:
these fall victims to the unmerciful ambition of _nocturnal_ grandeur,
in the four, five and six hours street-waiting in the most dreary nights
of the most dreary winter. Consumptions originate in _colds_, which
being ill managed or neglected, constitute an increasing viscidity of
the blood; this preternatural consistence renders it more languid in its
circulation; and it is, of course, proportionally impeded in its
progress through the finer vessels of the lungs. Here then
_obstructions_ are first formed; as these increase, the passages become
impervious; the _tubercles_ continue to enlarge, till the vessels are
partially distended to their utmost extent, when inflammation takes
place, and maturation follows. This stage completed, the tumours
rupture; some probably heal by the efforts of nature, and others become
_corroding ulcers_, laying the foundation of inevitable danger, and
distant death. To a penetrative eye, and distinguishing hand, the
predominant symptoms will be immediately found to exceed the traits and
appearances of a common cold: the unequal and difficult respiration; the
kind of half-suppressed, sore, hollow cough, (denoting an internal
sensation of pain,) terminating in a sort of resigned moan; a constant
desire to masticate hay, without any seeming enjoyment of it; a general
heavy dulness, the palpable effect of conscious decay or debility; and a
frequent looking to and after the person accustomed to superintend him,
exciting reason to believe he may expect or hope for relief from the
very hand from whence it has been usual to derive support.

When brought into motion, the flanks heave, and the cough comes on in
proportion to the increase of action and circulation: the pain thus
produced soon excites profuse perspiration: by the efforts of snorting,
sneezing, and blowing, to relieve himself from the load under which he
labours, the discharge from the nostrils is increased, and gets deeper
in colour, according to the duration and inveteracy of disease.
Different subjects are very differently affected by the gradations of
this disorder, (to which but a faint expectation of relief can be at all
formed;) as one horse will continue to appear constantly declining, and
to waste away perceptibly, every symptom becoming more predominant and
distressing, till the scene is _finally closed_; while another shall
alter but very little in flesh, coat, or external appearance, till
within a few days of his _falling dead_ in his stall.


CONVULSIONS—are a spasmodic affection of the muscular parts of the body,
occasioned by extreme pain acting upon the irritability of the nervous
system; and generally proceed from cholic, inflammation of the kidnies,
strangury, worms preying upon the internal coat of the stomach, a
fullness of the vessels, and too great a flux of blood to the brain; as
well as a variety of causes, many of which are, perhaps, very far beyond
the utmost extent of human investigation. Whenever they come on, the
scene becomes truly distressing; they may be considered almost
invariably certain indications of approaching dissolution, instances
being exceedingly rare of a horse's recovery.


COMPRESSION—is a term meant to convey the idea of an injury sustained in
the foot of a horse from a contraction of the hoof, more particularly at
the heel, by indiscreet management in the mode of _shoeing_: first, in
forming the shoes too narrow, and giving them an improper internal curve
at each heel; the injudiciously cutting away the bars of the foot,
(formed by nature for its proper expansion;) the rasping away each side
of the heel, to make the _foot fit the shoe_, already put on too small;
all which is still more aggravated, by the equally _infernal_ and
equally _invincible_ practice of _fitting_ the shoe _red-hot_ to the
foot, in opposition to every argument and entreaty, thereby drying up
and consuming the natural moisture of the internal or fleshy sole, at
the moment of cauterizing and contracting the surface.

A hoof in the state described, holds forth, in its appearance, ample
proof of _compression_ upon the parts constituting the internal
structure of the foot; the membranous mass, the nut and coffin-bone,
thus pressed upon by the surrounding stricture, occasions a torpidity,
and consequent defect in action, by no means dissimilar to the hobbling
gait of an infant in pain from the tightness and rigidity of new leather
shoes. Horses whose feet are thus destructively reduced, are generally
those to whom neither MASTER or MAN ever condescends to look: if proper
injunctions were laid upon the shoeing smith, at each time of performing
the operation, such a scene of devastation could never ensue. When the
feet, by such mismanagement, have got into this state, every possible
application should be made to promote growth and expansion. If the horse
stands constantly in the stable, fresh stopping of moist cow-dung every
night, with a plentiful impregnation of spermacæti oil, all round the
hoof, every night and morning, are the most expeditious remedies for the
defect; but if it can be adopted with convenience, _turning out_ two or
three months upon a moist marshy piece of land will prove superior to
every other consideration.


COOLERS—are such medicines as, by their attenuating property, tend to
divest the blood of its viscidity, and to counteract threatened
inflammation. They are always useful in plethoric appearances: when a
horse is evidently overloaded, and above himself in flesh, when the legs
are full, round, and all the vessels are palpably distended, cooling
medicines, and gentle exercise, are the direct means of obtaining
relief. BLEEDING should take the lead, followed by a course of
diuretics, _mild_ or _strong_, according to the size and strength of the
subject. Nitre, incorporated with half its weight of gum Arabic in
powder, and dissolved in the water, is an excellent article of this
description.


CORNS,—as they are called, would be much more properly denominated
_bruises_, and are of infinite trouble to those who implicitly submit to
the Quixotic schemes and manual dexterity of the SMITH; who, with a
_secundum artem_ expedition, instantly renders the remedy worse than the
disease. As his principal province is the art of _cutting_, he has no
sooner the _drawing-knife_ in his hand, than he is at "_the bottom_:"
his great object is the destruction of parts; and he piques himself upon
doing more mischief in two minutes, than NATURE can restore in three
months. Impressed with no idea but instrumental extirpation, he proceeds
to excavate the sole of the foot, till, having reached the membrane, a
protrusion ensues, and leaves him a happy opening for the bar-shoe,
hot-stopping, a daily dressing, and the collateral considerations which
constitute a _sum total_ by no means necessary.

CORNS mostly originate in the shoe having swerved a little from its
proper seat upon the wall or crust of the hoof, and becoming, as it
were, indented upon the outer sole, occasions _a bruise_, appearing to
have ramifications of extravasated fluid in very fine and oblique
directions: the shoe being permitted to press upon this part, (become
irritable by the injury it has sustained,) produces pain and impediment
to action. Upon the discovery that such has taken place, the remedy is
as simple as the cause by which it was occasioned. The shoe being
carefully removed, take from the surface of what is _miscalled a corn_,
just enough to leave the part free from pressure by the shoe; moisten
once externally with a few drops of oil of vitriol, or simple aqua
fortis; and the operative smith, farrier, or veterinary surgeon, will
not find a plea for the devastation he is generally so ready to promote.


CORDIALS,—medically considered, are the very reverse, in their property,
of what has been said under the subject of "_coolers_:" they are warm
aromatic articles, which stimulate to action the internal coat of the
stomach, enliven the circulation, invigorate the frame, expel wind,
strengthen the digestive powers; and are, perhaps, without exception,
the best and most useful discovery yet made for the prevention and cure
of colds in horses, as well as of some other disorders arising from an
impoverished state of the blood. Horses subject to incessant fatigue in
all weathers, particularly in the wet and dirty months of winter, should
never be without the occasional interposition of a warm malt mash, or a
CORDIAL BALL, after long journies or severe chases, whenever
circumstances may render either or both necessary; the first being given
at night, the latter in the morning. After a previous bleeding, these
means may be considered infallible in a cold and cough, and never known
to fail, if properly persevered in and attended to. The cordial balls
are also exceedingly useful, where a horse is off his appetite, either
from being overworked, or from the very common and very injudicious
custom with weak servants, or penurious masters, of administering large
quantities of _nitre_, (as a _cheap_ and _efficacious_ medicine,) till
the blood is attenuated and impoverished below the standard of health,
the solids reduced to a state of flaccidity, the stomach nauseated, and
the digestive powers proportionally impaired.


CORIANDER,—the name of A HORSE who acquired much celebrity by his
performances upon the TURF for six years in succession. He was bred by
MR DAWSON, and was got by Pot8oo's out of _Lavender_, who was got by
_Herod_; her dam by _Snap_, out of _Sweet William's_ dam by _Cade_. He
was foaled in 1786. In 1789, when three years old, he beat _Jericho_,
from the ditch-in, for 200 guineas, and SIR W. ASTON'S _Marcia_, two
year old course, 100 guineas. First Spring meeting, 1790, he beat
_Buzzard_, seven stone each, 100 guineas. Second spring meeting he beat
him again for the same sum. He beat _Egbert_ and _Isabel_, a sweepstakes
of 100 guineas each; and _Shovel_, _Glaucus_, _Alexander_, and _Sir
Thomas_, a sweepstakes of 50 guineas each; _Baronet_, _Nimble_,
_Egbert_, and _Sir Pepper_, paying forfeit. He walked over for the
King's hundred at Ipswich; and beat LORD BARRYMORE'S _Pellegrine_ the
two middle miles of the Beacon for 200 guineas.

In 1791 he won a subscription purse, beating _Spear_, _Isabel_,
_Ruffian_, _Black Deuce_, and _Mouse_. He also won the plate at
SWAFFHAM, beating _Isabel_ and the _Sister to Imperator_; and the next
day won the other plate, beating _Clayhall_. At Newmarket, in October,
he beat _Highlander_, _Serpent_, _Halkin_, and _Espersykes_; after
which, from the ditch-in, he beat _Escape_, _Skylark_, and _Pipator_.

When rising six years old, he received forfeit from SIR C. TURNER'S
_Weathercock_, and won the King's plate at GUILDFORD, beating
_Enchanter_ and _Braggadocio_; also the King's plate at NOTTINGHAM,
beating _Young Cicero_.

In 1793 he won the aged plate at NEWMARKET, beating _Dragon_, _Halbert_,
and _Halkin_. He won the King's plate also, beating the DUKE OF
BEDFORD'S _Skyscraper_. Second spring meeting, he won the Jocky Club
plate, beating _Skyscraper_, _Bustler_, _Cardock_, and _Pipator_; and on
the same day won the weight for the aged plate, beating _Huby_,
_Volanté_, and _Eager_. In the same meeting he beat _Buzzard_ the Beacon
Course for 200 guineas.

In 1794, when aged, he won THE WHIP and 200 guineas, beating _Creeper_,
ten stone each, over the Beacon. He won 50_l._ at CHELMSFORD, beating
_Sweeper_, and _Portland_; likewise 50l. at NORTHAMPTON, beating
_Triumvirate_, and a son of _Faggergill_. At NEWMARKET, in October, he
won the aged plate, beating _Quetlavaca_, _Exciseman_, and _Halkin_; and
in the same week he beat LORD EGREMONT'S _Gohanna_ (giving him 24lb.)
and LORD STRATHMORE'S _Hermes_. In the second October meeting, being the
last time of his running, he won a subscription purse, (paying 50
guineas entrance,) beating LORD GROSVENOR'S _Exciseman_, and LORD
SACKVILLE'S _Silver_. This extraordinary horse was one of the very few
who stood so many years training, and so much severe running, without an
accident. He covered afterwards in the north, at seven guineas, and has
produced some good runners.


CORNER TEETH—are the four teeth at the extremities of each row in both
the upper and the lower jaw, situate between the middle teeth and the
tushes: the corner teeth in the lower jaw, are those which the horse
sheds when four years old off, and rising five: these not spontaneously
exfoliating in time to accommodate the pecuniary propensity of _the
dealer_, he possesses the means and the practice of selling a _four_
year old colt for a FIVE year old horse; and this is so constant, that
there is _with that class_ nothing _dishonest_ considered in the custom.


CORONET—is the part surrounding the foot of the horse just above the
junction of hair and hoof: the bone from which the name is derived,
bears great affinity in form to a ducal coronet, and is situate between
the lower part of the fetlock-bone and the coffin, into which it is
inserted, jointly supported by the nut-bone behind. Ligamentary twists,
or distortions, sustained at the superior junction of the coronary bone,
frequently occasion a prominence upon the _coronet_, which becoming
first callous, and then ossified, is termed A RINGBONE.


COVEY OF PARTRIDGES—consists of the cock, hen, and their produce of that
year before they are broken, and so continue to be termed till killed
down too thin to bear the appellation: they are then distinguished by
the small numbers they are found in; as, a leash, (three;) two brace,
(four;) &c.


COURSE OF MEDICINE,—so called where the case is chronic, requiring a
rectification in the animal œconomy, or an alteration in the property of
the blood. Chronic cases are disorders of some continuance, (producing
symptoms of disquietude more than of danger,) and are thus called to
distinguish them from those which, proceeding rapidly, terminate sooner,
and with more alarm. CHOLIC, STRANGURY, FEVER, &c. in horses, are
_acute_ diseases: on the contrary, _grease_, _surfeit_, and some others,
may with propriety be termed CHRONIC, and can only be completely
eradicated by such _course_ of _medicine_ as shall be considered
applicable to the state of the frame, and the origin of the disease.


COURSING—is a species of sport that a celebrated writer has traced to
great antiquity; "it having been treated on by ARRIAN, who flourished A.
D. 150." The same author, the REV. MR. DANIEL, in his elegant and truly
entertaining publication upon "_Rural Sports_," says,

"In our country, during the reign of KING JOHN, greyhounds were
frequently received by him as payment in lieu of money, for the renewal
of _grants_, _fines_, and _forfeitures_, belonging to the Crown. The
following extracts prove this Monarch to have been exceedingly partial
to this kind of dogs. A fine paid A. D. 1203, mentions five hundred
marks, ten horses, and ten leashes of _greyhounds_. Another, in 1210,
one swift running horse, and six _greyhounds_."

"In the days of ELIZABETH, when she was not disposed herself to hunt,
she was so stationed as to see the coursing of _deer_ with greyhounds.
At Cowdrey, in Sussex, the seat of Lord Montecute, (now Lady
Montague's,) A. D. 1591, one day after dinner, the Queen saw from a
turret sixteen bucks, all having fair law, pulled down with greyhounds
in a lawn before the house."

Coursing was formerly extended to the DEER, the FOX, and the HARE; and
much ceremony was observed in _park_ and _paddock_ coursing with the
_former_, even in the Royal presence. It is, however, now principally
confined to the hare, (except in the season for _fawn_ killing;) is not
only universal in most counties, but particularly patronized and
promoted in others. CLUBS are composed of the most opulent and
respectable members for the enjoyment of the sport, who have mostly two
(some three) meetings in each season; the first established and
principal of which is the "Swaffham Coursing Society," instituted in
Norfolk by the late EARL of ORFORD in the year 1776, which is supported
with true personal spirit and sporting energy; the Bradwell and
Tillingham meetings, in Essex; the Flixton Wolds, in Yorkshire; and the
Ashdown Park meeting, at Lambourn, in Berkshire.

The meetings at Swaffham are held on the second Monday in November, and
the first Monday in February, unless prevented by frost or snow, in
which case they are then held the first open Monday in or after
November, and the first open Monday in February; and not later. The
Ashdown Park meeting to be held at the Red Lion at Lambourn, annually,
the second Monday in November.

The LAWS of COURSING were arranged in the reign of QUEEN ELIZABETH by
the Duke of Norfolk, and were sanctioned by the acquiescence of the
nobility, gentry, and sporting world, who then followed the diversion;
and have since been considered the fixed criterion for the decision of
all bets, by which they are regulated and determined to the present day.
The person appointed to let loose the greyhounds, was to receive into
his slips (or thongs) those matched to run against each other so soon as
he came into the field; and then to follow next the hare-finder, or him
who was to start the hare, until he came to _the form_; and no horse or
foot men were to go before, or on either side, but directly behind, for
the space of about forty yards.

RULES.—A hare never to be coursed by more than A BRACE of _greyhounds_.

The hare-finder to give the hare three _soho's!_ before he put her from
_her form_; to give notice to the dogs, that they may attend to
_starting_.

The hare to have _twelve score yards law_ before the dogs were loosed,
unless the small distance from cover would not admit it without danger
of immediately losing her.

The dog who gave the _first turn_, if there was neither _cote_, _slip_,
nor _wrench_, during the course, WON.

A _cote_ is when a greyhound goes endways by his fellow, and gives the
hare _a turn_.

_A cote_ serves for _two turns_, and two _trippings_ or _jerkins_ for _a
cote_: if the hare did not turn quite about, she only _wrenched_, and
two _wrenches_ stand for a _turn_.

If there were no cotes given between a brace of greyhounds, but that one
of them served the other at _turning_, then he that gave the hare _most
turns_, _won_; and if one gave as many turns as the other, _then_ he
that _bore_ the hare, won.

If one dog gave the _first turn_, and the other bore the hare, he that
bore the hare, won.

A _go-by_, or _bearing_ the hare, was equivalent to _two turns_.

If neither dog _turned_ the hare, he that led last to the covert, won.

If one dog turned the hare, served himself, and turned her again, it was
as much as a _cote_; for a cote was esteemed _two turns_.

If all the course was equal, the dog that bore the hare, won; if the
hare was not borne, the course was adjudged dead.

If a dog fell in a course, and yet performed his part, he might
challenge the advantage of a _turn_ more than he gave.

If a dog turned the hare, served himself, and gave divers cotes, and yet
in the end stood still in the field, the other dog, if he _ran home to
the cover_, although he gave no turn, was adjudged the winner.

If by accident a dog was rode over in his course, the course was void;
and he that did the mischief was to make reparation for the damage.

If a dog gave the first and last _turn_, and there was no other
advantage between them, he that gave the _odd_ turn, won.

He that came in first at the death, took up the hare, saved her from
being torn, cherished the dogs, and cleansed their mouths from the
fleak, was adjudged to have the hare for his trouble.

Those who were appointed judges of the course, were to give their
decision before they departed from the field.

Exclusive of the county clubs and local societies established for the
annual enjoyment of the diversion upon a larger scale, COURSING has its
devotees, who are as energetic in its defence, as its most enraptured
advocate can possibly be, for what he calls the inexpressible pleasures
of the chase: taken, however, in a more extensive point of view, it is
held in nearly an equal estimation with _angling_, when put in
competition with the more attracting sports of the field; and seems much
better calculated for the amusement of a _cynical solitary_
disciplinarian, than a mind open to all the more noble and exhilarating
sensations of the CHASE.


COSTIVENESS—will be sound satisfactorily explained under the head
CONSTIPATION; to prevent which, regular exercise, great friction, flank
rubbing, and frequent changes of food, will greatly contribute.


CRACKS—in the heels of horses, during the winter season, are found only
in stables where the master seldom or ever condescends to appear. These
trifles are too frequently attributed to a defect in the _constitution_
of the _horse_, when, with more propriety, they might be fixed upon a
_want_ of _constitutional_ punctuality in the _groom_. Horses left with
_wet legs_ and _heels_ after chase or journey, particularly in sharp
easterly winds, or in frost and snow, constitute the evil to a
certainty. So severe a rigidity is occasioned in the texture of the
integument, that it becomes partially ruptured, (or broken in various
places,) upon being brought into action the following day: this, with
the irritation and friction occasioned by the sharp particles of gravel
and extraneous matter in the dirty roads, soon produce enlarged
lacerations of the most painful description. The prudent part of the
world will always consider, as well in this, as in every other case,
that _prevention_ is better than _cure_: servants should be allowed in
the stables, linen cloths for rubbers to the heels, that they may never
be left in the least wet, particularly in the winter season, when once
getting _tender_, the stubbed ends of the new and stiff straw frequently
occasion or increase such lacerations.


CRAMP—is a most extraordinary spasmodic muscular contraction of some
particular limb, where the stiffness and rigidity of the part exceeds
belief. To those who have never been accustomed to such cases, they are
serious and alarming; for the strength of two men is inadequate to the
task of rendering the affected limb pliable and active. The cause is
sometimes not to be ascertained; but it has frequently arisen from a
horse, in a high state of perspiration, having been placed in a current
of _cold_ air, or a _damp_ stable, and in a few minutes found not able
to move. Standing still two or three days in succession without
exercise, after long and constant travelling, is likewise known to
produce it. But whatever cause it may have originated in, the direct
road to relief is still the same. Instantaneous BLEEDING, hot
fomentation with a decoction of aromatic herbs, immediately followed up
by strong friction with an old stable horse-brush, and this by an
embrocation of camphorated spirits, half a pint, incorporated with one
ounce of oil of origanum, and a part of it patiently rubbed in upon the
particular part affected, never fails to relieve in a _short time_.
Should it, however, not take effect so soon as expected, dissolve a
_cordial-ball_ in a pint of gruel, to which add an ounce of _liquid
laudanum_, and let either or all the operations be repeated in a few
hours, should the case (or a relapse) require it.


CREST-FALLEN.—A horse is said to be crest-fallen, when the part running
from the withers to the ears, and upon which the mane grows, is
impoverished, and wasted, from the natural prominence of its beautiful
curve, to a state of reverse hollowness or indentation. This is
generally accompanied by a total emaciation, brought on by very _bad
support_, or neglect under different degrees of disease. The firmness
and corresponding curve of the crest is almost invariably a tolerable
criterion of the _health_ and _condition_ of the horse; and a judicious
inspector seldom omits this part of the examination. If the flesh upon
the crest is _firm_, _solid_, and not flabbily soft, or fluctuating, it
is a good sign of constitutional strength; but a horse having a low,
bare, indented crest, will always have a poor, weak, and impoverished
appearance, doing his owner no credit. This defect, however, proceeds
more from penurious keep, and temporary starvation, than any cause or
defect in Nature, and may always be expeditiously remedied by liberal
support, and nutritious invigoration.


CRIB-BITING—is a habit acquired by some horses, of incessantly biting
the manger, and gulping the wind; which appears, from observation, to be
more prejudicial to character, than to bodily exertion. It is said,
"young horses are most subject to it; and that it is often occasioned by
uneasiness in breeding of teeth, and from being ill fed when they are
hungry. The bad consequences are wearing away their teeth, spilling
their corn, and sucking the air in such quantities, as will often give
them the cholic or gripes."

It is certain a _crib-biter_ never appears high in flesh, or so full in
condition as horses that are not so; and so prejudicial is it considered
by many, that they will not admit a horse to be _perfectly sound_ if
sold with this infirmity. Opinions vary upon the _difference_ it makes
respecting the labor and fatigue a horse of this description can
undergo; some asserting that "the defect keeps him _weak_, _languid_,
and unable to endure much work:" while others as strenuously insist upon
its being in no way whatever prejudicial.

  "Who shall decide when doctors disagree?"


CROPPING—is the operation of taking off the ears, which was till very
lately performed with a knife and wooden mould, rendering it both
tedious and painful: it is, however, now very much improved by the
invention of an instrument admirably adapted to the purpose, by which
the separation of the ear is almost instantaneous. It is only adopted
where horses are _lop-eared_, and bear the appearance of mules about the
head. As the operation is at best but a cruel mutilation, every humane
and tender mind will think it "more honored in the breach than the
observance."


CROWN-SCAB—is a partial appearance about the coronet of a horse, varying
in different subjects, according to the state of the object diseased. It
partakes a little of the disorder called _grease_, to which, if
unattended to, it would soon degenerate; being a species of that defect,
but in an inferior degree. In some it appears as a scurfy eruption,
raising the hair, and turning it different ways, from whence soon oozes
a kind of oily ichor, fœtid in smell, and greasy in appearance: in
others, the discharge is _thinner_, and more _watery_, according to the
greater or less degree of morbidity in the frame, or acrimony in the
blood. It has been a practice with the old school to counteract its
effects by vitriolic lotions, slight styptics, and strong repellents:
scientific disquisition will not, however, justify such treatment, but
recommend daily mollification with warm oatmeal gruel and a soft sponge;
when which is wiped gently dry with a soft linen cloth, it may be very
mildly impregnated with camphorated spermacæti ointment, and the cure
assisted by mercurial physic, diuretic balls, or a course of antimonial
alterative powders.


CUB.—A young fox is so called during the _first_ year.


CURB—is a callous enlargement, approaching ossification, and is situate
at the lower junction of the bones, at the hind part of the hock,
originally attended with stiffness, and lastly with lameness and pain.
Curbs are evidently produced by _kicks_, _blows_, sudden _turns_ or
_twists_, riding too hard (or drawing too much weight) up hill: they
should be attended to on their first appearance, when they soon submit
to the usual modes adopted for extirpation. Mild blistering frequently
succeeds, particularly where the operation is _twice_ performed; but
when the case is of long standing, a few slight feather strokes with the
firing-iron may be necessary to confirm the cure.


CURB.—The chain is so called, which is the part of the bridle-bit fixed
to one cheek, and passing under the lower-jaw (and above the beard or
chin) to the other. By the rein being fixed to rings or loops, at the
lower extremity of the bit, this chain, called curb, constitutes a
fulcrum; and the harder such rein is pulled, the harder will be the
pressure of the curb upon the under jaw, and of course the greater power
given to the rider. The curb consists merely of a neat wrought chain,
small rings and links, by which it is fixed to the cheek-eyes of the
bit, and easily taken off and on for the purpose of cleaning.


CURRY-COMB,—a well known stable utensil, in constant use for the
cleaning of horses. They are much more applicable to _post_ and _draft_
horses, than to horses of superior description, the fineness of whose
coats, and the tenderness of whose skins, occasion much uneasiness to
them during the _prickly persecution_, and to whom good, sweet, clean
straw-bands are greatly preferable; it being matter of fair doubt,
whether more horses are not lamed in the stable under the _dancing_
ceremony of the curry-comb, than by accidents upon the road, or strong
exertions in the field.


CRUPPER,—a leathern convenience, or long strap, annexed to the hinder
part of the saddle, having at the other extremity a loop to pass under
the tail; by which the saddle is prevented from getting forward, and
bringing the rider upon the neck of the horse. Such aid is by no means
required with horses well made, and uniformly proportioned: they are
rarely brought into use, but where a horse is _lower before_ than
_behind_; and are in so much disrepute with amateurs and connoisseurs,
that a real sportsman would sooner part from his horse than to _be seen
ride_ with _a crupper_.


CUTTING.—Explained under CASTRATION.


CUTTING IN ACTION,—in the manege called _interfering_, is lacerating the
round inside projecting part of the fetlock-joint, with the edge of the
shoe, upon the foot of the opposite leg. This arises much more
frequently from the indifference or neglect in the owner, than from any
imperfection or defect of the horse; more horses _cut_ from being broke
and put into work too young, rode too long journies in a day, or
over-worked when weary, than from any cause whatever. Some horses, it is
true, _cut_ from their formation, particularly those narrow in the
chest. Carriage horses, too, very frequently cut _behind_; but this must
in a great measure be occasioned by the projecting parts and cavities in
the pavement, for all which the surest footed horse existing cannot be
prepared.



D.


DACE,—a small fish, common in most rivers, where it is seen swimming
near the surface, mostly in shallows, and near bridges, held in no
estimation but with the common people.


DAISY-CUTTER,—a sporting term for horses that go so near the ground,
they frequently touch it with the tip of one toe or the other, and are
constantly in danger of falling. A horse with _broken knees_ may be
considered of this description.


DAPPLE.—Horses are so called who have partial variegated hues in the
coat of different sizes, constituting small circles, both _lighter_ and
_darker_ than the general colour of the horse. Such are said to be
_dappled_; hence we have dapple bays, dapple greys, and sometimes dapple
blacks.


DEALERS.—See HORSE DEALERS.


DECOCTION.—A decoction for the purpose of fomenting swellings, tumours,
or enlargements, (either as an emollient or discutient,) is made by
boiling a double handful of Roman wormwood, camomile flowers, bay
leaves, and elder flowers, in two gallons of water, for a quarter of an
hour, and applying it to the part with _sponge_ or _flannel_ as hot as
it can be used without injury to the hair. This will be found more fully
explained under the proper head, FOMENTATION.


DECOY,—a canal, river, pond, or sheet of water, appropriated to the
profitable purpose of taking _wild ducks_ and _teal_: it is a business
peculiar to those only who profess it, and conducted upon a principle of
the strictest stillness and regularity. The person having the management
of a decoy, must possess taciturnity and patience in a very great
degree, both being brought into constant practice; without which,
success can neither be expected or deserved. The fowl are brought within
the tunnel of the net by _stratagem_, where, at a critical moment, they
are enclosed and taken. All this, however, depends upon the industry,
sagacity, deception, and exertion, of the DECOY-DUCK, by whose _wiles_
and _allurements_ the whole flight are brought within the space allotted
to their destruction. The decoy-ducks are trained to their business
almost from the shell, and amply demonstrate what services may be
obtained, what fidelity insured, or what attachment excited, by the
exertion of tenderness and humanity, even to the more inferior parts of
the creation.

It, however, often happens, that the wild fowl are in such a state of
sleepiness and dozing, that they will not follow the decoy-ducks. Use is
then generally made of a dog trained to the business, who passing
backwards and forwards between the reed screens, attracts the eye of the
wild fowl, who not choosing to be interrupted, advance towards the
_small_ and _contemptible_ animal, that they may drive him away. The dog
all the time, by the direction of the DECOY-MAN, plays among the screens
of reeds, _nearer_ and _nearer_ to the purse-net; till at last the
decoy-man appears behind the screen, and the wild-fowl not daring to
pass by him in _return_, nor being able to escape upwards on account of
the net-covering, rush on into the _purse-net_.

The general season for catching fowl in decoys is from the latter end of
October till February: the taking of them _earlier_ is prohibited by an
act 10th of George II. which forbids it from June 1st to October 1st
under the penalty of five shillings for _each_ bird destroyed within
that space. An action will lie against the disturber of a decoy, by
_firing a gun_, or any other act of _wilful_ injury to the owner.

DECOYS cannot be formed, nor need they be attempted, but where nature
has been a little diffuse in her favors for the formation: marshy low
lands, plenty of water, and sequestered situations, are indispensably
necessary to a successful embarkation. They are to be found in different
parts of the kingdom, but more plentiful in the northern and eastern
counties than in any other. Essex, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and
some part of Warwickshire, are remarkable for many of considerable
extent, and from the principal of which the markets of the Metropolis
are so plentifully and so reasonably supplied.


DEER,—a word indiscriminately used, implies (in its most extensive
sense) the animals inhabiting parks and forests, whose flesh is equally
denominated VENISON, though very different in size, flavour, and
estimation. DEER are of two kinds; the one principally bred and
preserved for the chase, the other for the table. A perfect description
of the first will be found under the proper heads of RED DEER, STAG, and
HIND; of the latter, under FALLOW DEER, BUCK, and DOE.


DEER-STEALERS—are those nocturnal desperadoes who, setting at defiance
all laws, all possession of property, and the protectors of it, disguise
themselves, and, under cover of the night, attack, seize, kill, and
carry away, from the best fenced parks, _bucks_ or _does_, (according to
the season,) with the greatest impunity. Their mainspring of action is a
dog of the cur kind, called "a coney-cut lurcher:" this is a breed
peculiar to itself, and those who use it; being a light sort of brindled
wiry-haired mongrel, with a natural stump tail, having the appearance of
a _bastard_ greyhound. They are exceedingly fleet and lasting, run
_mute_, (by either _nose_ or _sight_;) and are so well trained for the
purpose to which they are solely appropriated, that they are equally
expert in _picking up_ a HARE, or _pulling down_ a BUCK. After having
executed their office, though in the darkest night, they will soon
recover their master by _scent_, and lead him to the _game_ so pulled
down, which is repeated till a sufficiency is obtained for _that
journey_; the business having been so systematically conducted, by the
various neighbouring emissaries and associates concerned, that horses
and carts were employed, and a regular routine of robbery carried on, by
periodical and alternate depredations upon most of the parks within
_fifty and sixty_ miles of the Metropolis. Many living in a line of
respectability in other respects, were publicly known to be employed in
the nefarious practice without fear of detection; for no _informer_
could come forward, without a very great probability of destruction to
his PERSON or _property_, from some of the many confederates concerned.

These offences, so long thought but little of, became at length
enormities of such magnitude, that the Legislature discovered a
necessity for the introduction of new and more severe pains and
penalties. A variety of statutes were enacted in the reigns of former
sovereigns for the punishment of such offenders, which are now fully
concentrated in the Acts of Parliament passed in the present reign of
George III.

By these statutes, if any persons shall hunt, or take in a snare, kill
or wound, any red or fallow deer, in any forest, chase, &c. whether
inclosed or not, or in any inclosed park, paddock, &c. or be aiding in
such offence; they shall forfeit _twenty pounds_ for the first offence;
and also _thirty pounds_ for each DEER wounded, killed, or taken. A
GAME-KEEPER, guilty of either, to forfeit _double_. For a second
offence, the offenders may be transported for seven years.

JUSTICES may grant _warrants_ to search for heads, skins, &c. of stolen
deer, and for toils, snares, &c. and persons having such in their
possession, to forfeit from _ten_ to _thirty_ pounds, at the discretion
of the justices. Persons unlawfully setting nets or snares, to forfeit,
for the first offence, from _five_ to _ten_ pounds; and for every other
offence, from _ten_ to _twenty_ pounds. Persons pulling down pales or
fences of any forest, chase, park, paddock, wood, &c. subject to the
penalties annexed to the first offence for killing deer. _Dogs_, _guns_,
and _engines_, may be seized by the PARK-KEEPERS; and persons
_resisting_, shall be transported for seven years. PENALTIES may be
levied by _distress_; in default of which, offenders to be committed for
_twelve months_.

Persons _disguised_, and _in arms_, appearing in any forest, park,
paddock, &c. and killing red or _fallow deer_, deemed felons without
benefit of clergy. Prosecutions limited to twelve months from the time
of the offence committed. Destroying goss, furze, and fern, in forests
and chases, being the covert for deer, is liable to a penalty from
_forty_ shillings to _five_ pounds; to be levied by distress; and if no
distress, the offender to be committed to the county gaol, for a time
not greater than _three_ months, nor less than _one_.


DEFAULT;—a term in hunting, which custom has reduced to an abbreviation,
and is in general called FAULT. The hounds, during a chase of any kind,
when losing the scent, throwing up their noses, seeming at a loss, and
dashing different ways, in anxious and earnest hope of recovery, are
then said to be at "_a fault_." This is the very moment when the
judgment of the huntsman is most required, and the soonest to be
observed. Different opinions have been formed, and decisions made,
respecting the proper mode of proceeding at so critical a juncture,
whether to _try forward_, or to _try back_: here a great deal depends
upon the GAME you are _hunting of_, and the country you are _hunting
in_, which circumstances at the time can only determine. However
opinions may vary upon some particular points, all seem to coincide upon
others; that the ground should invariably be made good _forward_,
previous to trying _back_; that a general silence should prevail, and
not an unnecessary aspiration be heard, that can tend to attract the
attention of a single hound from the earnest endeavours he is so busily
engaged in; by which means _nineteen_ faults are hit off out of
_twenty_, without greater delay, suspense, or disappointment.

If HOUNDS, in pursuit of deer or fox, _throw up_ on a fallow or highway,
they cannot be got forward _too soon_; certain it is they have neither
of them stopt there: not so with the hare, who is likely to have thrown
herself out by the _side_ of _one_, or squatted in a land (or furrow) of
the _other_. Faults with the two former, are much more easily and
expeditiously _hit off_ than with the latter, with whom they are
sometimes tediously incessant, particularly with a young or a
hard-hunted hare: it should therefore, be a fixed rule, never to abandon
a fault, if possible, without _recovery_; it being as likely, at least,
to bring the lost hare to _a view_, as to find a fresh one.


DEFECTS—in horses differ very materially from what are termed BLEMISHES,
(which see:) the latter are always considered conspicuous, and easily
observed by the eye of experience and judicious inspection. A horse may
have _defects_ not so readily to be perceived, and consequently remain a
longer or shorter period before they are discovered: he may prove
incorrigibly restive, and not happen to display it in a _new situation_
for days or weeks; he may be a _seasoned_ and invincible _crib-biter_;
he may be vicious to dress; a kicker in the night; doubtful in the
_eyes_; aukward in action; troublesome to _saddle_, and when saddled,
more troublesome to _ride_. Though these are defects, yet the DEALER
(proceeding upon the _purest_ principles of _integrity_) conceives them
professional privileges of _secrecy_, which he is not bound _in honor_
to disclose; affecting to believe, they are totally abstracted from
every idea conveyed in the declaration and warranty of being "perfectly
sound."

That this matter, however, may be the better and more universally
understood, it cannot be inapplicable to introduce the opinion which the
late LORD MANSFIELD held publicly in the Court of King's Bench; "that a
_restive_ horse was tantamount to an _unsound_ one; and upon this
principle, that if the subject so purchased was evidently restive, and
_would not_, or _could not_, by _fair means_, be prevailed upon to go
where he was required, he was equally _useless_ with an invalid whose
_lameness_ or infirmity prevented him from executing the purposes for
which he was purchased." From such authority (founded upon the basis of
equity) there can be but little, if any, doubt, an action brought for
the recovery of money paid for a _restive_ horse, such horse having been
"WARRANTED SOUND," would obtain a verdict. As, however, the proverbial
_uncertainty_ of the LAW, the confusion of witnesses, and the caprice of
a _sleepy_ jury, are very slender reliances for the man of prudence and
honor, who wishes "to do unto others as he would be done unto," the
safest method for every purchaser is to take (from the GENTLEMAN as well
as a _dealer_) a proper receipt, upon payment of the money, that such
horse or mare is warranted sound and free from vice; by which litigation
and law-suits may be prevented.


DELPINI,—originally called "_Hackwood_," was bred by the late DUKE OF
BOLTON; foaled in 1781; and got by _Highflyer_ out of _Countess_, who
was got by _Blank_. _Delpini_ proved himself a very capital racer,
beating most of the best horses of his year at all ages. He has also
acquired some celebrity as a STALLION, being the sire of _Kilton_,
_Prior_, _Skelton_, _Miss Ann_, _Tiptoe_, _Abram Wood_, _Cardinal_,
_Clymene_, _Dido_, _Golden Locks_, _Dapple_, _Flutter_, _Little Scot_,
_Miss Beverly_, _Nixon_, _Opposition_, _Timothy_, _Agnes_, _Blue Beard_,
_Camperdown_, _Duchess_, _Hopwell_, _L'Abbé_, _Laborie_, _Patch_,
_Stourton_, _Symmetry_, _Baron Nile_, _Maid of the Mill_, _Slap-bang_,
_Sabella_, and many others, all winners.


DIABETES,—divested of medical dignity, and technical ambiguity, is
neither more or less than a profuse, frequent, and involuntary discharge
of urine, from a weakness of some of the parts necessary to the
secretion and evacuation of that particular excrement. Whatever may have
been the cause, whether an injury in the loins, near the region of the
kidnies, violent and excessive purging from improper physic, or a
relaxed state of the sphincter of the bladder, the road to relief and
cure is still the same; invigorants of every kind. Oatmeal gruel for
drink, instead of water, in which gum arabic is dissolved, so that four
or six ounces may be taken every day; not submitting to which, half an
ounce, or six drachms of liquid laudanum, may likewise be given in a
little gruel, with a horn, every night and morning.


DIAMOND—was esteemed for some years the speediest and best bottomed
horse in the kingdom. He was foaled in 1792; bred by Mr. Dawson; got by
_Highflyer_ out of the dam of _Sparkler_, and was own brother to
_Screveton_. At three years old he repeatedly ran in handsome with some
of the first horses, and was within a length of winning the _Derby_ at
EPSOM when twelve started, but did no more than receive 50 guineas
forfeit from _Lark_ at the second NEWMARKET Meeting of the year 1795.
First Spring Meeting, 1796, he won the Jockey Stakes of 100 guineas
each, six subscribers. In the July Meeting of the same year he WALKED
OVER for a sweepstakes of 200 guineas each, seven subscribers. In 1797,
when MR. COOKSON'S, he won the KING'S HUNDRED at NEWCASTLE, and a 50l.
plate the next day at the same place; 50l. at York; the 50 guineas for
_all ages_ at NEWMARKET, beating _Yeoman_, _Play or Pay_, _Aimator_, and
others. The next day he won the KING'S HUNDRED GUINEAS, beating the
famous _Hermione_ and _Vixen_. In 1798 he beat _Moorcock_, over the
Beacon Course, for 200 guineas, Monday in the Craven Meeting. First
Spring Meeting he won a sweepstakes of 100 guineas each, twelve
subscribers. Second Meeting, received a compromise from LORD CLERMONT'S
_Spoliator_. At OXFORD he won the GOLD CUP of 100 guineas value, with 50
guineas in specie, beating _Stickler_, _Johnny_, _Oatlands_, and _Whip_;
all excellent runners. The KING'S HUNDRED at NOTTINGHAM; the KING'S
HUNDRED at YORK; and beat SIR H. T. VANE'S _Shuttle_ four miles over
DONCASTER for 1000 guineas: the odds eleven to eight upon _Shuttle_. In
1799 he was beat _half a length_ the great match by _Hambletonian_, over
the Beacon Course at NEWMARKET, for 3000 guineas; the odds five to four
upon Hambletonian. More money was sported upon this match, and more
company went from the Metropolis to see it decided, than ever was known
upon any other race in the kingdom. The next day he won the first class
of the OATLANDS STAKES 50 guineas each (ten subscribers) beating eight
of the best horses of the year. First Spring Meeting he won the KING'S
HUNDRED, beating _Grey Pilot_, _Lounger_, and _St. George_. Second
Meeting won the Jockey Club plate, and 50 guineas, beating _Stamford_
and _Lounger_. In 1800, First Spring Meeting, he won a subscription
50_l._ beating _Stamford_, the _famous Coriander_, and _Wrangler_. First
October Meeting he received 250 guineas _forfeit_ from _Warter_. Second
October Meeting he beat _Hippona_ over the Beacon Course, 200 guineas.
Here ended his career of GLORY by the _death_ of MR. COOKSON; after
which he was sold, and taken to IRELAND; where being engaged by his
owner in a match of much magnitude, he was LAMED by _over training_ in
another country, after running _five successive_ years in this, without
being lame, or having paid FORFEIT from indisposition, or being once
_amiss_.


DIET.—The diet of horses in this country is now so universally known,
that very little is required upon the subject of explanation under this
head. The articles called _oats_, _beans_, _hay_, _bran_, _chaff_,
_carrots_, and _grains_, are individually brought into use, as may best
coincide with the pecuniary propensities, or liberal sensations, of the
owners. Whatever may be written upon the subject of _quantity_ and
_quality_, will very little influence the enquirers upon those heads;
the GENTLEMAN and the SPORTSMAN will never alter their invariable plan
of _plenty_, and of the _best quality_; but the long list of
coachmasters, postmasters, job and hackney-men, carmen, carriers, and
inferior tradesmen, who merely _exist_, under the unavoidable
accumulation of taxes, cannot _feed_ their horses as _they would_, but
are compelled to feed them _as they can_. No particular instructions,
therefore, become materially necessary; but some general rules may be
laid down for occasional recollection.

The management of horses of every description, whether for the turf, the
field, or the road, is now so systematically understood by the different
classes of society, that nothing new, instructive, or entertaining, can
be introduced under that head. Each horse is supported in a way (at
least in respect to _quantity_ and _quality_ of food) individually, and
regulated by the opinion of the owner, or the work he has to perform.
One conceives, from his own sensations of liberality, even _four_ feeds
of corn a day _too little_; another considers _two_ rather _too much_.
In such contrariety and diversity, who can expect to see opinions
concentrate in one particular point? Such hope, if adopted, will be
eternally disappointed. It may not be inapplicable to have it always in
memory, that it is not the _number_ of feeds, or the _quantity_ of hay,
that should constitute the criterion, but the _quality_ of both upon
which the nutritious support entirely depends. _Three_ measures of good
corn will contribute more nutriment to the frame, and invigoration to
the system, than _five_ of _bad_: and twenty-eight pounds of substantial
fragrant hay will at all times be more prudent, and more profitable,
than even double the quantity of a very _inferior_ quality.

This _data_ judiciously and occasionally adverted to, will sufficiently
widen the ground of information to every comprehension; it being only
necessary to hold in memory the additional circumstance, that horses fed
too high, without proportional work, exercise, and evacuations, must
become _full_, _plethoric_, and ultimately disordered; while, on the
contrary, those whose blood is permitted to become impoverished from a
want of the necessary supply of FOOD, will soon display it in a wasting
of the flesh, a contracted state of the crest, and, if long continued,
probably produce some of those diseases originating in a serious and
acrimonious state of the blood.


DIOMED—was in great repute as a racer, and afterwards as A STALLION at
ten guineas a mare. He was bred by Sir C. BUNBURY; got by _Florizel_;
dam by _Spectator_, and grand-dam by _Blank_; was foaled in 1777, and
proved himself an equal runner with the best horse of his time. As a
stallion, he has propagated some of the finest stock in the kingdom.
DIOMED is the sire of _Anthony_, _Charlotte_, _Grey Diomed_, _Laïs_,
_Mademoiselle_, _Playfellow_, _Quetlavaca_, _Sir Cecil_, _Whiskers_,
_Montezuma_, _Glaucus_, _Speculator_, _Champion_, _Little Pickle_,
_Michael_, _Monkey_, _Young Grey Diomed_, _Snip_, _Tom_, _Robin Grey_,
_Dalham_, _Guatimozin_, _Habakkuk_, _Adela_, _Cædar_, _Switch_,
_Greyhound_, _Laurentina_, _Poplar_, _Wrangler_, and _Egham_; all
considered WINNERS; exclusive of many others who won MATCHES and
SWEEPSTAKES, (as _colts_ and _fillies_,) but were never named.


DISEASE—is not only a state of the body directly opposite to the
standard of health, but may be defined of two kinds; as those with which
we are afflicted by the influence of a superior Power, whose wisdom we
are not permitted to explore; and by others that, in acts of _neglect_
and _indiscretion_, we bring upon ourselves. Diseases are differently
conceived: some writers describe them by their _cause_, some by their
_effect_: leaving the investigation in a kind of medical mystery,
bearing no ill affinity to theological ambiguity. In fact, the word is
only introduced here to remind every reader, that, in respect to both
MAN and HORSE, prevention is preferable to CURE.


DISTANCE;—a sporting term appertaining solely to the TURF. It is a
length of _two hundred and forty_ yards (actual measurement) from the
WINNING-POST of every RACE-COURSE in the kingdom; precisely at which
spot is fixed a post corresponding with others, but having a gallery
annexed capable of holding three or four persons, which is called the
DISTANCE-POST. In this gallery, as well as in the gallery of the
winning-post, before the horses start each heat, is stationed a person
holding a crimson flag; during the time the horses are running, each
flag is suspended from the front of the gallery to which it has been
appropriated; but immediately upon the first horse passing the holder of
the flag in the gallery of the WINNING-POST, he strikes THE FLAG; at the
_very moment_ of his doing which, the holder of the flag in the gallery
of the distance-post strikes his _also_, in confirmation that the heat
is decided; and such HORSE or HORSES (running for the plate) as may not
have passed the DISTANCE-POST before the _flag is struck_, is then
deemed a _distanced_ horse, and disqualified from _starting again_ for
the same PLATE or PRIZE. A horse running on the _wrong side_ of a POST,
the RIDER not bringing his proper and full weight _to scale_ after the
heat, or dismounting without first riding HIS HORSE up to the side of
the _scale_, and _weighing_, are also deemed _distanced_ horses, and not
permitted to start again.


DIURETICS.—The class of medicines so called, are those which, by their
peculiar stimulus, act solely upon the parts appropriated to the
secretion of urine and its evacuation; thereby relieving the frame from
such impurities, or slight disorders as pass under the denomination of
HUMOURS, and are said to originate in the state of the blood. The
advertised diuretic balls of the Author are recommended and established
for their well-known efficacy in "cracks, scratches, inflammation of the
eyes, perceptible foulness, swelled legs, and grease." DIURETICS are the
more useful and convenient, because a horse can be _moderately_ used at
any time during their operation.


DOE—is the female of the FALLOW DEER, bred in PARKS, and are the species
from which the table is supplied with venison: the male is called A
BUCK; the female, A DOE: the young (of which they produce but one
annually) is called A FAWN. Doe venison is not considered equal in
epicurean estimation with the buck, either in _fat_ or _flavour_; nor is
it in season till the latter has declined: this happens at the beginning
of autumn, when the season for copulation (called _rutting time_) comes
on. FAWNS are killed for the table at three months old, consequently in
use during the latter end of August, and first weeks of September.


DOGS,—that well-known species of animal whose fidelity, attachment,
gratitude, and general utility, very far exceed every eulogium within
the power of the profuse pen of admiration to bestow. Their virtues and
useful qualifications are beyond the most prolific description: they are
the protectors of our property at home, the promoters of our pleasures
abroad, and the pleasing partners of our domestic comforts by the
fire-side. The REV. MR. DANIEL, in his elegant production called "Rural
Sports," has given a very full and satisfactory historical account of
their origin, the different kinds and crosses, with instances, and well
authenticated proofs, of their mutual affection, fidelity, sagacity, and
docility. He has also introduced "a laughable philosophical account of
dogs, under the supposition of a transmigration of souls;" with a great
variety of matter, truly entertaining to the SPORTSMAN of curious
investigation.

In the reign of Queen Elizabeth was published a systematical arrangement
of the different kind of dogs peculiar to Britain; but many of the names
by which they were known, having since become obsolete, they have been
most judiciously classed by Mr. Daniel under the following genealogical
heads. 1. _Shepherds' Dog_; _Wolf Dog_; _Iceland Dog_; _Lapland Dog_;
_Siberian Dog_.—2. _Hound_; _Harrier_; _Terrier_.—3. _Large Spaniel_;
_Small Spaniel_; _Water Dog_; _Small Water Dog_.—4. _Bull Dog._—5.
_Large Danish Dog_; _Irish Greyhound_; _Great Hound Mongrel_; _Large
Greyhound_; _English Greyhound_; and lastly, the _Mastiff Dog_. When,
after an investigation so seemingly clear, and a description so truly
systematic, every sportsman must be equally surprised, that there is no
collateral branch of the "Genealogical Table," by which the POINTER has
been produced; so that, with both these Authors, his _ab origine_, or
_unde derivatur_, is left in equal obscurity.

As the qualification of each particular sporting dog will be more
minutely adverted to under the distinct heads of HOUND, GREYHOUND,
POINTER, TERRIER, &c. it becomes only applicable here, to introduce such
useful remarks as appertain to the species in general, under the
separate fatalities of MADNESS and DISEASES.

The signs of madness in a dog are as follow: He becomes dull, solitary,
and endeavours to hide himself: he seldom barks, but makes a kind of
murmuring noise, and refuses all kinds of meat and drink: he is enraged
at, and flies upon, strangers; but in this stage he remembers and
respects his master: his ears and head hang down; he walks nodding, as
if overpowered with sleep: this is the first stage; and _a bite_ now,
though dangerous, is not so bad as afterwards. After these symptoms, the
dog begins to pant; he breathes quick and heavy; hangs out his tongue,
to emit a great deal of froth from his mouth, which he keeps perpetually
open: sometimes he walks slowly, and as if half asleep, and then
suddenly runs, but not always directly forward, as pretended: at length
he forgets his master; his eyes look dispirited, dull, full of tears,
and red; his tongue is of a lead colour, he grows faint and weak; oft
reels, staggers, and falls; then rises suddenly, and attempts to fly at
every thing, becoming now mad and furious: this second stage seldom
continues thirty hours, death putting by that time an end to the
disease: and a bite received during the last stage is justly considered
incurable. To these distinguishing traits of the dreadful malady, may be
added the following, which are believed certain and invariable. All
other dogs are alarmed at the approach of a dog _really mad_, and, upon
smelling him, not only _instantly_ avoid him, but run away with horror.
The tone of the dog's voice when he barks, seems hoarse and hollow. In
the dumb madness, if the dog is confined, he barks incessantly for a day
or two.

Those who wish to go into a most ingenious and explanatory investigation
of madness, and its _different kinds_ in dogs, will feel themselves
highly gratified in a perusal of that part of MR. DANIEL'S "Rural
Sports," who has systematically introduced the best and most judicious
opinions and authorities upon the subject.

The disease occasioned by the bite of a mad dog is called HYDROPHOBIA;
and the smallest quantity of his saliva, either _fresh_ or _dry_, will
produce it. The infection frequently lies dormant for many months, and
then displays itself with the greatest violence; but, in general, it
appears from a month to six weeks, at the expiration of which, if no
symptoms of disorder are perceptible, the patient is considered to be
safe, and not to have received the infection. It has been thought by the
best medical authority, that the nearer the place bitten is to the
salivary glands, the sooner the symptoms appear; and this, by
observation and experience, is now fully confirmed.

In order to communicate the infection, a wound is no more necessary than
it is in the small-pox; to the HUMAN SPECIES it can be communicated by
the _saliva_ only; but _dogs_ have received it by being in the KENNEL
where _mad dogs_ have been before. This disorder, it seems, is only
inherent and natural to the canine species, (as the dog, fox, and wolf;)
but other animals having received the infection, by the puncture of the
tooth from either of those, may then communicate it to any other
species, and by the same means.

When the human species become unhappily the subjects of this disorder,
though in particular instances some variation may be observed, the
symptoms are in general a slight pain in the wound, sometimes attended
with _itching_, but always resembling a rheumatic pain; it extends also
into the neighbouring parts, and at length from the extremities it
passes into the viscera; the cicatrix (if there has been a wound) begins
to swell, inflames, and then to discharge an ichor; and this _alone_ may
be considered the primary and invariable symptom of a certain
hydrophobia. There are other more general pains, resembling rheumatic
ones, and are of a quick, flying, convulsive kind: they affect the
patient in the neck, joints, and other parts; a dull pain often seizes
the head, neck, breast, belly, and even runs along the back-bone. The
patient is gloomy, murmurs much, is forgetful, and drowsy; at times the
mind seems disordered; by turns he is watchful; his slumbers become
disturbed, and awaking from them, convulsive agitations immediately
follow.

A deafness is sometimes complained of; the eyes are watery, the aspect
sorrowful; the face becomes pale and contracted; sweat also breaks out
about the temples: an unusual flow of saliva at length comes on, with a
dryness of the fauces, a foulness of the tongue, and a disagreeable, or
rather fœtid, effluvia from the breath. As the above symptoms increase,
the second stage advances: a fever comes on, which at first is mild, but
attended with momentary horrors, and violent periodical agitations;
wakefulness becomes continual; the mind is more and more disturbed; a
delirium approaches; and an aversion to _fluids_ and _polished_ bodies
is at this time plainly perceptible. At first, a constriction of the
gullet is perceived, and a difficulty of swallowing; but as yet liquids
are freely taken, although soon refused: this symptom augments so
visibly, that, when any _liquid_ comes before their sight, an horror
immediately seizes them; and if they make an effort to drink, spasms are
produced, on which horrid gesticulations, and loss of senses, follow.
The patient now murmurs, groans, and mourns most distressingly, loses by
degrees all knowledge of his most intimate acquaintance, and then
becomes _desirous_ of _biting_: reason returns at intervals, and he
laments his own calamity; the thirst excites a desire to drink, but in
vain they strive, and soon sink into the most affecting despondency.
Conscious of the approaching inclination to _bite_, he warns his friends
of their danger, and, by words or motions, advises them to keep at a
distance. Toward the conclusion, the fever and thirst increase, the
tongue hangs out, the mouth foams, strength fails, cold sweats come on,
the tightness in the breast increases, as well as all the predominant
symptoms, till the patient expires in strong convulsions.

The subject of MADNESS in DOGS, and the HYDROPHOBIA in the human
species, afford ample scope for reflection and scientific disquisition:
this, however, not being the proper place for a literary enlargement
upon either, it becomes necessary to introduce a few remarks upon that
well known destructive disorder called "THE DISTEMPER," which Mr. Daniel
properly observes, "is the most fatal (the plague only excepted) that
any animal is subject to. It is astonishing what numbers have been
destroyed by it within the period of its being known in this country,
which is about forty years: whether the attention paid, and the
medicines of different kinds now usually administered in its first
stages, have occasioned the alteration, certain it is, the disease is
milder, and less frequent, than it was twelve or fifteen years since."

After all the dissections and minute investigations that can possibly be
made, _the distemper_, in respect to its original or remote cause, sets
every enquiry at defiance; and it remains in the same state of
uncertainty in which it has continued for thirty years past. Great and
indefatigable exertions, however, on the part of MR. BLAINE, (a
professional gentleman of anatomical and medical celebrity,) have done
much in the investigation; and as his researches are constant and
unwearied, the SPORTING WORLD have yet much to expect from his
perseverance. Mr. B. most candidly observes, that, "amidst all his
investigations, although unable to discover the original cause of the
disease, and after many experiments made upon probable ground to provide
a cure for it, what enquiry, conducted on principles of reason and
science, could not do, was effected by _chance_; and a remedy was found
as certain in its effects, as it is possible for a remedy to be. Under a
fair trial it has never been known to fail; even in the worst stages,
when the convulsions were very frequent, it has removed the complaint;
yet, where the disease is so malignant, the certainty must be
diminished."

MR. BECKFORD, whose series of "Letters upon Hunting" are amongst the
happiest efforts of truth and accurate observation, communicates a
remedy for the distemper, transmitted to him by a friend whose hounds
had derived great benefit from the experiment, of taking "an ounce of
Peruvian bark in a glass of port wine twice every day;" whether as a
_ball_ or _bolus_ does not appear; but, perhaps, upon trial, it will be
found, that _an ounce_ of bark in powder will absorb (or take up) _four_
glasses of wine, before it can be rendered sufficiently _fluid_ for
administering in that form.

MR. DANIEL has so largely and judiciously treated upon the subjects of
the _distemper_ and _canine madness_ in his RURAL SPORTS, that it is
impossible to add a single thought or line upon either, without the most
palpable appearance of plagiarism: his own observations, blended with a
collection of well-authenticated facts, are so numerous, so just, and
the inferences drawn so truly scientific, that nothing new or
additionally advantageous can be introduced.

DOGS of every description are held in such general estimation, that the
Legislature has thought proper to render the _privilege_ of _keeping
them_ a matter of pecuniary contribution to the support of government,
and the exigencies of the state; under which increased and accumulated
act, they are become very efficient objects of taxation, as will be
readily conceived by the annexed abstract.

"Persons keeping _one_ DOG, not passing under the denomination of
GREYHOUND, HOUND, POINTER, SETTING DOG, SPANIEL, LURCHER, or TERRIER, to
pay the annual sum of six shillings."

"Any person keeping _one_ or _more_ dogs, of either of the above
description, is to pay ten shillings for _every_ DOG up to any number of
DOGS so kept."

"Persons may compound for their HOUNDS at THIRTY POUNDS per _annum_."

DOGS, from their general utility, and the estimation they are invariably
held in by their owners, have been thought worthy an ACT of PARLIAMENT
formed solely for their protection; rendering them of proportional value
with any other kind of property, and equally entitled to legal
preservation. By this statute it is enacted, "If any person shall steal
any _dog_, or _dogs_, of any kind or sort whatsoever, from the owner
thereof, or from any person entrusted by the owner thereof with such dog
or dogs; or shall sell, buy, receive, harbour, detain, or keep any dogs
of any kind or sort whatsoever, knowing the same to have been _stolen_
as aforesaid; every such person being convicted thereof upon the oath of
one credible witness, before two JUSTICES OF THE PEACE, shall for the
first offence forfeit and pay any sum not exceeding 30l. nor less than
20l. and the charges of conviction."

And "in case such penalty shall not be forthwith paid, the offender to
be committed to gaol for any time not exceeding _twelve_ months, nor
less than _six_, or until the penalty and charges are paid. Any person
guilty of a subsequent offence, to forfeit and pay any sum not exceeding
50l. nor less than 30l. together with the charges; which penalties to be
paid, one moiety thereof to the informer, and the other to the poor of
the parish. On non-payment, the offender to be imprisoned for any time
not exceeding eighteen months, nor less than twelve, or until the
penalty and charges shall be paid, and be publicly whipped. Justices may
grant warrants to search for dogs stolen; and in case any such dog or
dogs, or their skins, shall, upon such search, be found, to take and
restore every such dog or skin to the owner; and the persons in whose
custody any such dog or skin shall be found, are liable to the like
penalties and punishments. Persons aggrieved may appeal to the
quarter-sessions, and the determination there to be final."


DOCKING.—The amputation of the tail is so called, from that part of the
tail left to the body being called the DOCK. It is a very short and
simple operation, attended with no danger, and may with yearlings be
performed even with a common knife. A very slight cauterization with a
hot-iron, and a little powdered rosin, immediately stops the bleeding,
and a cure takes place in a few days. It was formerly a custom to dock
horses _close_ to the quarters, under the erroneous and ridiculous
impression of making the horse strong in the spine: such idea and
practice are, however, in the present more enlightened age, entirely
relinquished.


DOUBLE—a term in HARE HUNTING. The hare is said to double, when, being
considerably ahead of the hounds, she throws herself to the right or
left, and returns in a parallel line to the track she went before;
getting into which, she is said to _run the foil_. If during the chase
the lays down, she is then said _to quat_.


DRAG—is a sporting term in HUNTING, and used exactly in the same sense
with THE FOX, as _trail_ is with THE HARE. Upon throwing THE HOUNDS into
_covert_, to _draw_ for a FOX, any single hound _giving tongue_, is said
to CHALLENGE, and to have hit upon _drag_; that is, to have come upon
the _foot_ or _scent_ of the fox, where he had been in the night or
early part of the morning, before he retired to secrete himself for the
day. When it was the custom to be at the covert side so soon as there
was day-light sufficient to RIDE up to the HOUNDS, drag was _speedily_
obtained; and in many instances a GOOD DRAG proved better than a _bad
chase_; but in the present fashion of going to covert, and throwing off
at _mid-day_, drag is but very little known, and but of trifling use if
found; for the SCENT must, from the great length of time, have so
generally _died away_, and so partially remained, that no expectation
can be entertained of THE HOUNDS carrying it up to THE GAME.


DRAG-NET—is the particular NET in use with those nocturnal depredators
who exert their utmost endeavours to devastate every water in the
neighbourhood where they reside. It is of sufficient length to extend
from one side of any moderate _pond_, _moat_, or _river_, to the other;
and having the bottom plentifully loaded with leads at equal distances,
with the addition of assistants at each end to bring the two together,
encloses of course all the fish within its draught.


DRAUGHT OR DRAFT HORSES—are of two kinds; the one adapted to the light
carriages and splendid trappings of the great; the other to the purposes
of agriculture, and the commercial transactions of the Metropolis, where
their numbers, their strength, and powerful execution, exceed every idea
of the most fertile imagination. See CART HORSES.


DRAWING—is a term used in FOX and STAG HUNTING, when _drawing a covert_
to find either of the former, or an outlying deer; it being customary to
say, "we _draw_ for A FOX;" "we _try_ for A HARE."


DRAW-NET—is used for taking birds of different kinds, but more
particularly applied to the net made use of with the SETTING DOG for
taking PARTRIDGES, by which mode the whole COVEY are frequently secured.
The old birds are liberated, and the young destined to the table. This
is, however, considered so _destructive_ and _unfair_ a practice, that
it is continued but by very few, and those principally consist of RUSTIC
TYRANTS, or _rigid Cynics_, who wish to monopolize not only the SPORT
and the GAME, but all the good things of this life.


DRAY.—A squirrel's deposit for its young is so called; it is built in
the triangular branches of a tree, and resembles the nest of a magpye.


DRENCH, OR DRINK,—any medical composition prepared in a liquid form, and
given to horses or cattle for the cure of disease. A distinction is made
between the two in general; it being the custom to say, DRINK for a
HORSE, _drench_ for a _cow_. They are given with a horn, sold by
saddlers and collar-makers for that purpose.


DRIFT—is the act of driving A COMMON. This ceremony takes place _once_,
_twice_, or _thrice_, a year, (according to the custom of the place,) to
insure and continue the privilege of the LORD OF THE MANOR, as well as
to preserve the rights of the parishioners. The cattle upon the COMMONS
and WASTES being all driven to some particular spot, are there examined,
and their owners ascertained: those belonging to parishioners (or such
as have _right of common_) are immediately liberated, and return to
their old _lair_: others, the property of ALIENS, are impounded, and the
owner is _fined_ such reasonable sum as may be thought equitable by the
BAILIFF of the MANOR. No owner being found, the object (whatever it be)
is called an _estray_, which being cried three times in the nearest
market-towns, and not claimed within twelve months and a day, it then
becomes the property of the LORD of the MANOR.


DRIVER,—a name given to many famous horses, but of very different blood.
The first was foaled in 1727, bred by the DUKE OF ANCASTER, and got by
the Wynn Arabian, of no great note. MR. BEAVER'S _Driver_ was foaled
1732, and got by _Snake_ out of THWAITES'S dun mare. MR. LAMEGO'S
_Driver_ (commonly called _Little Driver_) was got by BEAVER'S _Driver_;
dam by _Childers_; grand-dam by the _Walpole_ Barb; was foaled in 1743;
and for some years proved one of the best plate horses in the kingdom,
having won upwards of _thirty fifties_; but as a stallion never produced
any winners. LORD EGREMONT'S _Driver_, foaled in 1783, was got by
_Trentham_, dam (_Coquette_) by the Compton Barb, and proved a tolerable
runner.


DROPSY OF THE CHEST—is a disorder to which horses are subject; and many
instances have occurred in the practice of the Author, where seven,
eight, and in one case near ten gallons of water were found in the
CAVITY of the CHEST, upon opening the body after death. This
accumulation of fluid being completely extravasated, no hope of cure can
be entertained, as the preternatural collection can neither be taken up
by absorption, or carried off by evacuation. There seems to be only one
predominant trait, or distinguishing symptom, by which this disorder can
be even tolerably ascertained, and that is solely by the ACTION of the
_horse_. In either walk, trot, or gallop, (and the more as his pace is
increased in each,) the fore legs seemingly spread from each other, as
if they were internally distended by painful pressure, similar to
division by forcible expansion, not at all unlike the means used by
butchers in the stick pointed at each end to extend the limbs of
carcases when displayed for sale. The legs in a trot constitute a
_painful hobble_; and in a GALLOP the subject cannot get his legs before
him, but appears at every motion likely to pitch upon his head. All this
gives every reason to believe the defect, when first discovered, is
frequently thought a lameness in the shoulder, and the patient presently
deemed a chest-foundered horse. If a horse having a DROPSY in the CHEST,
and the collection of water (from the duration of disease) is large,
much information may be derived respecting the certainty, by the
following experiment. Lead, or let him be rode up a gentle _ascent_, and
he will be observed to move with but very little pain or impediment: the
moment he is turned round, and _descends_, the weight of the water in
the chest coming forward, and being pressed upon by the contents of the
abdomen, in the action of going _down hill_, instantly produces so much
pain, and such difficulty of proceeding, that with judicious
practitioners, or nice observers, no great hesitation can arise in
pronouncing the probable CERTAINTY of this _disease_.


DRUGS.—The parts of the MATERIA MEDICA are so called in their individual
state, previous to their incorporation with each other, when they then
become CHEMICALS or GALENICALS, according to the different processes
they have undergone; and the most eminent commercial houses in that way,
announce themselves dealers in "Chemicals, Galenicals, and Drugs." There
is nothing requires more the scrutinizing eye of the SPORTSMAN, or the
judicious exertion of the VETERINARIAN, than the _selection_ of
MEDICINES; upon the pure and unadulterated properties of which, he has
alone to depend for the foundation of all his hopes, the gratification
of all his wishes, and the support of all his professional reputation.

It is a matter too universally known to require much information, that
DRUGS of different kinds (or qualities) are sold under the _same_
denomination at _various_ prices; by which the prudent and the
experienced may easily judge of the gradational shades of ADULTERATION
by which those _prices_ are reduced. The lower class of FARRIERS,
particularly in the country, are remarkable for purchasing the
_cheapest_ articles they can obtain, and have of course the regular
channels through which they are supplied. The paltry articles sold for
LIQUORICE POWDER, DIAPENTE, FŒNUGREC, ANISEED POWDER, and TURMERIC, are
mostly a compound of _flour_, _bean meal_, _oatmeal_, and various kinds
of _rubbish_, slightly impregnated with a small proportion of the
genuine drug or medicine it is intended to represent. See ADULTERATION.

The DRUGS and MEDICINES indispensibly necessary for the professional
embarkation of the VETERINARIAN, are as follow; and without the entire
possession of which, it will be impossible to do justice to the good
opinion of his employers, or to the reputation he may be anxious to
obtain.

Aloes Succotrine and Barbadoes. Assafœtida. Diaphoretic Antimony. Crude
Antimony Levigated. Butter of Antimony. Barbadoes Tar. Alum, Plain and
Burnt. Aniseeds, Whole and in Powder. Balsam of Sulphur. Bay Berries.
Bole Armeniac. Burgundy Pitch. Cream of Tartar. Calomel. Cammomile
Flowers. Camphor. Camphorated Spirits of Wine. Carraway Seeds. Corrosive
Mercury. Elecampane. Emetic Tartar. Euphorbium. Ægyptiacum. Fœnugrec
Seeds. Frankinsence. Friars Balsam. Ginger. Gum Arabic. Guaiacum. Gum
Ammoniacum. Honey. Jalap in Powder. Juniper Berries. Long Pepper.
Liquorice Powder and Juice. Linseed and Linseed Powder. Mustard Seeds.
Myrrh Gum and Tincture. Nitre and Spirits of Nitre. Oil of Aniseed. Oil
of Castor. Oil of Turpentine. Oil of Vitriol. Oil of Amber. Opium.
Peruvian Bark. Red Precipitate. Quicksilver. Saffron. Sulphur.
Saltpetre. Sal Armoniac. Sugar of Lead. Salt of Tartar. Spermacæti.
Syrup of Buckthorn. Snake Root. Tutty and Turmeric. Philonium. Venice
Treacle. Turpentine. Roman Vitriol. White Vitriol. Verdigrease.

To which may be added ointments detergent, digestive, and healing; lint,
tow, syringes, pipes, bladders, &c. to meet all emergencies. Nothing so
much betrays a want of medical knowledge and consistency, as the
habitual indolence of being without the necessary apparatus, when
suddenly called upon in cases of ALARM and DANGER. Judicious
practitioners never fall into the slovenly mode of substituting _one_
medicine for _another_, unless difficulties or distance prevent the
possibility of their being obtained.

Many of the foregoing articles will also be found useful in the
possession of gentlemen resident in remote parts of the country, or at a
distance from towns; particularly as the practice of the VILLAGE SMITH
or FARRIER may be too confined and unprofitable to admit of his keeping
up a stock adapted to a more extensive concern. SPORTSMEN who are
anxious for the uniform consistency of stable discipline, and the
preservation of their studs in good condition, stand not in need of
advice upon a subject become so universal; as very few sporting
establishments are now to be seen, but what have their collection of
medicines ready prepared for any unexpected emergency.


DUBBING.—Taking off the COMB and GILLS from a game chick, before he is
turned to a master-walk, is so called. The operation is performed with a
penknife for the _comb_, and scissars for the _gills_; after which wash
the parts with vinegar, or weak salt and water, which terminates the
whole.


DULNESS—in a horse of any tolerable spirit, may be considered an
_infallible_ sign of present disquietude, or approaching DISEASE. In all
cases, accurate investigation, and early relief, are much to be
commended: even a _slight cold_ attended to at its _commencement_, may
be prevented from speedily producing an INFLAMMATION of the LUNGS,
FEVER, or many other disorders of equal anxiety, trouble, and expence.


DUNG.—The excrement of the horse is so called, and should be
occasionally attended to, as its appearance will sometimes tend to the
prevention of disease. If the dung is bright in colour, the globules
uniform in shape and consistence, and not _fœtid_ in _effluvia_, the
body may be considered in good state: on the contrary, if the dung, when
voided, is hard, black, and offensive, or the parts adhere to each other
by a viscid ropy slime, they are equal prognostics of internal heat,
foulness, and impending disquietude. Horses in this state should be put
under a course of physic without delay; for till they are thoroughly
cleansed, they cannot with propriety be brought into any strong
exertions whatever. Another advantage is frequently derived from an
accurate inspection of the dung, where WORMS are sometimes seen in great
plenty, although, from the general appearance of the horse, no such
circumstance may have been expected.


DUNGANNON,—the name of a horse of much celebrity, his winnings being
equal to any racer of his day. He was bred by COL. O'KELLY, and foaled
in 1780. He was got by _Eclipse_; dam (_Aspasia_) by _Herod_; her dam
(_Doris_) by _Blank_; grand-dam (_Helen_) by _Spectator_, &c. &c. After
beating every horse of eminence, particularly the famous horse
_Rockingham_ over NEWMARKET, he was taken out of training, and as a
stallion produced annually some of the speediest and best bottomed
horses in the kingdom. He covered first at twenty guineas, then at
fifteen, and lastly at twelve. He was sire of _Sybil_, _Cinderella_,
_Equity_, _Lurcher_, _Harriet_, _Northland_, _Bandalore_, _Clementina_,
_Fancy_, _Griffin_, _Hambleton_, _Hop-picker_, _Minimus_, _Parrot_,
_Bedford_, _Pastor_, _Billy_, _Edgar_, _George_, _Little Devil_,
_Totterella_, _Totteridge_, _Cannons_, _Dispute_, _Inferior_, _Outcast_,
_Pensioner_, _Bragger_, _Oatlands_, _Boaster_, _Omen_, _Ploro_, and
_Miss Totteridge_; all WINNERS; exclusive of many others, both _colts_
and _fillies_, who ran and won without a name.



E.


EARS.—As the ears constitute much of the beauty of a horse, according as
they are _well_ or _ill_ shaped, so from their situation, they are sure
to become early objects of observation. If they are small, soft, and
fine, curving inward in a small degree at the point, perfectly erect,
and spirited in action, they give the animal a very noble, majestic, and
commanding aspect: on the contrary, when a horse points his ears
forwards, he bears the appearance of looking eternally for _mischief_,
and always preparing to _start_ at every object he meets, which is no
very pleasant sensation to the rider. Horses of this description are
seldom remarkable for the _safety_ of their _eyes_; a purchaser cannot
be too circumspect in his examination before he makes him an
acquisition. Horses having coarse, long, foul ears, set on too low, and
hanging down on the sides, are called _mule_ or _lop eared_ horses; and
if of good form in other respects, and of some value, they are in
general cropped to improve their appearance. The greater part of the
racing stock of old _Herod_, one of the best stallions ever bred in
England, were _foul_, _long_, and _wide_ in their ears, which is to be
seen in almost the whole of their progeny.

PAIN in the ear of a horse is discoverable immediately by its
flaccidity, and painful deprivation of erection. The ear lays nearly
flat either one way or another; the horse is almost every minute giving
violent shakes of his head, which he as constantly leaves hanging down
on the side affected; from which circumstances alone the seat of pain
may with certainty be ascertained. Pains in the ear may arise from
various causes, as colds, blows, the insinuation of, or sting from,
_forest flies_, _bees_, _wasps_, or _hornets_. If the first is known to
be the cause, the stimulus excited by mildly rubbing the inside with the
half of a newly divided onion, will soon relieve the pain. If from a
blow, rubbing the ear inside and out with two table-spoons full of
camphorated spirits, mixed with two tea-spoons full of extract of
saturn, will relieve. If from a sting, a plentiful impregnation of fine
olive oil, to give the skin the power of expansion, will be right in the
moment of increasing inflammation; after which, the swelling may be
allayed with common white wine vinegar, verjuice, or strong vegeto
mineral water.

TRIMMING the EARS on the inside is a very common practice, and adds
considerably to the neatness and cleanliness of the head and appearance;
but care should be taken never to let it be done during rainy weather,
sharp and severe winds, or in the winter season; dreadful colds, as well
as dangerous diseases, have often been produced by these means, without
knowing from what cause the ill effect has been derived. The operation
of trimming should be performed in warm, open, mild weather, and with
SCISSARS in preference to the _flame_ of a _candle_; which, with the
additional use of the _twitch_, only serves to put the poor animal to a
double degree of unnecessary misery. After the ears are trimmed, they
may be rubbed over the inside with a small quantity of fresh butter, or
a piece of fine linen impregnated with olive oil, both of which are
excellent preventives to cold after the operation.


ECLIPSE,—the name of the most famous horse (since _Flying Childers_)
ever produced or trained in this or any other country. He was bred in
Windsor Great Park by the _Culloden_ (or Great) _Duke of_ _Cumberland_,
being foaled during the celebrated eclipse in the year 1764, from which
his name was taken. He was got by _Old Marske_, dam (_Spilletta_) by
_Regulus_; her dam (_Mother Western_) by _Smith's_ son of _Snake_;
grand-dam by LORD D'ARCY's _Old Montague_, &c. &c. Upon the decease of
his Royal Highness, the stud were sold by auction at the Park Lodge;
where _Eclipse_ (then a yearling) was purchased by MR. WILDMAN for 46
guineas, and afterwards sold to COLONEL O'KELLY (his last and only
possessor) for 1700 guineas. In 1769, when five years old, he won two
50's at Epsom; 50 at ASCOT HEATH; the King's 100 guineas, and 50, at
WINCHESTER; the 100 guineas, the bowl, and 30 guineas, at SALISBURY; and
the King's 100 guineas at CANTERBURY, LEWES, and LITCHFIELD.

In 1770 he received forfeit 600 guineas, and won the King's 100 guineas
at NEWMARKET; the King's 100 guineas at GUILDFORD; the same at
NOTTINGHAM; the same and 319 at YORK; the King's 100 guineas at LINCOLN;
150 guineas, and the King's 100 guineas _again_ at NEWMARKET, where
orders having been privately given by his owner, "to go off at _score_,
and run the whole four miles for _speed_," he double distanced his
opponents, and was then taken out of training for want of a competitor.
From this time he continued as a stallion at Epsom, in Surry, and
afterwards at Cannons, the seat of Colonel O'Kelly, in Middlesex, where
he died on the 27th of February, 1789, in the 26th year of his age;
leaving a progeny of winners and stallions who are transmitting his
blood to posterity in directions too numerous to be obliterated to the
end of time.

He was sire of _Firetail_, _Soldier_, _Corporal_, _Serjeant_, _Don
Quixote_, _King Fergus_, _Nina_, _Charlemont_, _Competitor_,
_Gunpowder_, _Hidalgo_, _King Hermon_, _Meteor_, _Pegasus_, _Scota_,
_Serpent_, _Squeak_, _Stripling_, _Devi Sing_, _Eliza_, _Poor Soldier_,
_Big Ben_, _Spitfire_, _Fair Barbara_, _Adonis_, _Mercury_, _Lily of the
Valley_, _Volunteer_, _Bonnyface_, _Jupiter_, _Venus_, _Antiochus_,
_Dungannon_, _Maria_, _Henley_, _Soujah ul Dowlah_, _Grimalkin_, _Dian_,
_Thunderbolt_, _Lightning_, _Spinner_, _Horizon_, _Miss Hervey_,
_Plutus_, _Pluto_, and _Comet_; exclusive of a great number of winners,
for the list and particulars of which, reference may be made to
WEATHERBY's "_Stud Book_," _and_ "_Racing Calendar_."


EARTH.—A fox beating his pursuers when hunted, and taking refuge _under
ground_, is then said to have _earthed_, or gone to earth. Some of these
earths are situate in old chalk pits, forming such different channels
and ramifications amidst the roots of trees in woods and coppices, that
it is impossible to dig them out; but where there is the least
probability of success, it is never relinquished; upon the established
and well-founded principle, that the hounds are always _entitled to
blood_ after a GOOD CHASE. A wanton and unnecessary destruction is,
however, at no time to be justified, particularly in a country _thin_ of
_foxes_; such unthinking devastation is frequently productive of a
_blank_ day at the end of a season.


EARTH-STOPPER—is an indispensible part of a FOX-HUNTING establishment,
whose business is principally performed by night. His department is to
visit and stop the strongest earths in the district intended to be
hunted on the following day. This is usually effected between the hours
of ten at night and four in the morning, by means of _bushes_,
_brambles_, _earth_, &c. to furnish which, he is provided with a
hand-bill, spade, candle and lanthorn, a hardy rough poney, terriers,
and of course _a pocket pistol_, to recruit the spirits amidst the
dreary scenes it is become his occupation to explore. It is also his
business to _re-open_ the EARTHS after the sport of the day, that the
FOXES may not fall victims to other modes of destruction.


ELDER—is a tree common in most hedges in the country, bearing a fruit
called ELDER-BERRIES, from which people make a very good wine. It is,
however, only mentioned here to remind the reader, that the _flowers_
are a very excellent ingredient in fomentations, and sporting gentlemen
should never be without them: they should be gathered in the heighth of
the bloom, properly dried, and preserved for use.


ELECAMPANE,—a root formerly in much estimation for its efficacy in
coughs and disorders of the breast and lungs; hence the reputation it
has attained in pectoral compositions for the use of horses. The great
difficulty, however, of procuring any thing like the _genuine root_ in
_powder_ from the medical retail shops, must ever prevent any great
gratification of expectation, to those who rely too much upon the
properties it is said to retain.


EMBROCATION;—a name given to SPIRITUOUS, VOLATILE, or SATURNINE
applications in a liquid form; either as _corroborants_, _stimulants_,
_repellents_, &c. and in most cases they are doubly efficacious, if
their use is preceded by sponges dipt in a hot decoction, prepared from
those garden aromatics called "FOMENTATION HERBS."


EMOLLIENTS—are such external applications as mollify the surface, and
alleviate any stricture upon the surrounding parts: they supple the
solids, as well as sheath and soften any asperity of the fluids.
FOMENTATIONS are of this class, and prove of the greatest utility in all
tumefactions, enlargements, and many lamenesses of HORSES, with those
practitioners who have judgment and patience to bring them perseveringly
into use. From the relaxing property of emollient topics, and their
sheathing of acrimony, it is that they are good sedative applications,
when pain from tension or irritation is excited: from nervous sympathy,
their efficacy is conveyed to distant and deep-seated parts, and thus it
is that the warm bath proves in most cases so powerful a sedative.
EMOLLIENTS, whether in the use of _fomentations_, or the application of
_poultices_, by relaxing the fibres, and increasing the congestion of
fluids, greatly promote suppuration, to effect which in all inflammatory
tumours, they should be immediately brought into use.


ENTRANCE OF HORSES—is the ceremony of entering horses (at the particular
places appointed) on a certain day previous to the races at any city,
borough, or town, where the plates to be run for are given and
advertised. Horses intended to run, are "to be SHEWN and ENTERED,"
paying _two_ or _three_ guineas "_entrance money_," (according to the
custom of the place,) and in general _five shillings_ to the CLERK of
THE COURSE. For all plates given by HIS MAJESTY, or his R. H. the P. of
WALES, no other entrance money is permitted, or paid, but the
before-mentioned fee to the clerk of the course.


ENTRANCE of HOUNDS—is the introduction of _young hounds_ to the PACK;
with whom, at a proper age, they are incorporated, for their initiation
in the kind of chase to which they are then to become appropriate. This
is a matter so truly professional, and so entirely dependent upon the
judgment of the HUNTSMAN and his _attendants_, that neither instruction
or entertainment can be derived from literary description.


EPILEPSY,—a disorder in horses, bearing some similitude to APOPLEXY and
STAGGERS; for which the same medical means are applied for relief.


EQUERRY—is an appointment of much honour in the home department of HIS
MAJESTY, under the sole direction of the MASTER of the HORSE. There are
FIVE EQUERRIES in this official situation, one of whom is called the
_first_: of the other four, two are always in waiting to attend upon HIS
MAJESTY in every equestrian excursion, whether on the _road_, to the
_field_, or in the _chase_, with whom His Majesty most graciously
condescends to converse familiarly. His Royal Highness the PRINCE of
WALES, the DUKES of YORK, GLOUCESTER, and other branches of the ROYAL
FAMILY, have likewise attendants of this description.


EQUERRIES—apply equally to those in a more subordinate situation, who
personally officiate in the STABLES of the CROWN, and to whom is
entrusted the _breaking_, _managing_, and _preparing_ saddle-horses of
every description for the KING'S use. Some of the out-riders who attend
upon the family, pass also under the same denomination.


ESCAPE,—the name of a horse of great beauty, excellent symmetry, and
much celebrity. He was bred by MR. FRANCO, and got by _Highflyer_ out of
a _Squirrel_ mare; he was foaled in 1785; and in the First Spring
Meeting at NEWMARKET, 1789, he beat the PRINCE OF WALES'S _Cantoo
Baboo_, from the ditch-in, for 200 guineas. He was then purchased by his
Royal Highness, and in the Second Spring Meeting he received forfeit
from _Alexander_, and _Clown_, 100 guineas each. In the First October
Meeting of the same year, he beat _Nimble_ across the flat 200 guineas.
The Craven Meeting, 1790, he beat _Grey Diomed_ over the Beacon 500
guineas; and won the great subscription purse at YORK, beating _Actæon_,
and _Gustavus_. The Craven Meeting, 1791, he beat _Skylark_,
_Highlander_, _Glaucus_, _Halkin_, _Meteor_, and _Buffer_, a
subscription of 50 guineas each: two to one on _Skylark_. First October
Meeting the same year, he beat _Grey Diomed_ over the Beacon Course 8st.
7lb. each for 1000 guineas. Two days after, he beat him again for the
renewed 140 guineas. In the second October Meeting he won a subscription
purse (twelve subscribers) over the Beacon, beating _Chanticleer_,
_Skylark_, _Grey Diomed_, _Harpator_, and _Alderman_, with the odds four
and five to one against him. When taken out of training, he covered at
Highflyer Hall at ten guineas a mare, and half a guineas the groom.


ESCHAR—is the prominence remaining upon the cicatrix of an _ill-cured_
wound, or the scab frequently seen to form a projecting apex upon a
broken knee; or where some injury has been left to cure itself by an
effort of nature, without the least interposition of art. If it is a
scab only, and not of long standing, it may in general be brought away
spontaneously, by occasional softenings with small quantities of
camphorated spermacæti liniment; if, on the contrary, they are rigidly
seated, and have acquired a degree of callosity in the nature of a
_sitfast_, there is no other mode of cure, but by extirpation with the
knife and forceps.


ESTRAY, OR STRAY,—appertain equally to _horse_, _mare_, _bull_, _ox_,
_cow_, _sheep_, or, in fact, any head of cattle, who having strayed from
its own home, common, waste, or lair, into a strange MANOR, or LORDSHIP,
and there found without an owner, is then called an ESTRAY, or _stray_:
in which case it is an established custom, sanctioned by LAW, and
founded in EQUITY, that such _stray_ is proclaimed, and his or her marks
described, by the common crier, in the three next nearest towns on the
market-day; and if the stray is not claimed within a year and a day of
the time on which it was publicly cried, and fully described, it then
becomes the property of the LORD of the MANOR where it was found. If the
owner makes the claim within the time limited, he is liable to pay
_reasonable charges_ for finding, keeping, proclaiming, &c. An estray
must be kept without labour, uninjured, and properly fed, till
reclaimed, or the time above mentioned is expired.


EUPHORBIUM,—an article whose acrid and stimulative property renders it
only applicable to one medical purpose, and that externally; it
constitutes a principal ingredient in the preparation of BLISTERING
OINTMENT for HORSES, where its proportion, if managed properly, should
be exactly equal with its corresponding article CANTHARIDES, commonly
called _Spanish flies_.


EVACUANTS—are such medicines as gently stimulate the intestines, and
urinary passages, to a more speedy secretion and expulsion of their
excrementitious contents. The term is applicable to both PURGATIVES and
DIURETICS; the effect of which is to remove plethora in horses, and to
prevent the consequent viscidity of blood; which, when a horse is
overloaded in his frame, and the solids too grossly distended, soon
displays itself in _swelled legs_, _cracked heels_, cutaneous _scurfy
eruptions_, _grease_, _farcy_, or some _one_ of the many ills frequently
produced by an accumulation of HUMOURS originating in a corrupt or
vitiated state of the fluids, inconsiderately neglected, or probably
never attended to. Those who will condescend to dedicate a little time
occasionally to the palpable utility of EVACUANTS, either as
preventives, or the means of cure, (in a variety of cases,) will never
stand in need of a monitor to promote their use.


EVACUATION—is that part of the ANIMAL ŒCONOMY, without a regular
preservation of which, the frame of man or beast cannot long continue
free from PAIN or DISEASE. Next to the _aliment_ necessarily received
for the support of life, EVACUATION is the very effort of NATURE upon
which HEALTH must principally depend. Little penetration is requisite to
comprehend most perfectly a system so plain as to require but very
concise explanation. Consistency should be observed, and attention
should be paid, to what the frame receives by FOOD, and what it
discharges by the different _evacuations_; for if the body (within any
given time) accumulates much more by unreasonable and unnecessary
supplies, than the EFFORTS of NATURE can carry off by her different
emunctories in the _evacuation_ of _excrements_, the foundation of
disease follows of course. The fluids become thick and stagnant, the
circulation languid, the solids preternaturally distended, and their
elasticity partially destroyed; hence arises that infinite number of
distorted VALETUDINARIANS with which the streets of the METROPOLIS so
plentifully abound, and by whom the constantly increasing MEDICAL SHOPS
and MEDICINE WHAREHOUSES are principally supported.

By adverting to these considerations, it will immediately appear, that
even a temporary suppression of the natural evacuations must, in the
first instance, inevitably prove the basis of _pain_ or _disquietude_,
and lastly of DISEASE. In the human body, great attention should be paid
to _diurnal_ evacuation, if a wish to preserve health is at all
entertained. Infinite are the miseries originally brought on, and for
years continued, (_to a lingering death,_) by an inconsiderate neglect
or indolence in respect to the due proportion to be observed between
_repletion_ and _evacuation_.

This attention is not more necessary in the human frame, than it is with
the HORSES of those who indulge the least desire to have their studs in
high health and perfect condition. When a horse is observed to get above
himself, or, in other words, to become loaded with flesh, too full in
the carcase, round in the legs, thick in the wind, dull in the stable,
and heavy in action, EVACUATION cannot be too soon promoted as a
preventive to impending disease.


EXCRESCENCE.—Any preternatural enlargement is so called; but it is
principally, and most properly, applied to those of a spongy nature, as
WARTS and WENS, as well as a polypus upon any particular part. In all
_wounds_ of HORSES, if they are of considerable magnitude, fungous flesh
increases very rapidly, and frequently disconcerts the young or
injudicious VETERINARIAN; who, erroneously adopting _caustics_ and
_escharotics_, too often renders the remedy more destructive than the
disease. FUNGOUS formation of this kind passes also under the technical
denomination of EXCRESCENCE, and is best reduced by superficial
scarification in lines transverse and longitudinal; the dressings then
consisting of strong red precipitate digestive ointment with lint, &c.
Excrescences of the _warty_ kind will always submit to repeated and
persevering applications of BUTTER OF ANTIMONY, OIL OF VITRIOL, or any
other escharotic, but they are not to be laid on with too liberal a
hand. Wenny deep-seated substances (erroneously called excrescences)
require very warm stimulants, and powerful spirituous applications, for
a great length of time, before any expectation of repulsion or
obliteration can be entertained.


EXERCISE.—The great advantages resulting from EXERCISE, to both man and
beast, are now so universally understood, both in theory and practice,
that animadversion here must be considered matter of superfluity: those,
however, who wish for a more enlarged or scientific disquisition, will
find _fifty pages_ in the second volume of the GENTLEMAN'S STABLE
DIRECTORY appropriated to this particular head.


EXPEDIATE—is a term transmitted from one book to another by former
writers, but is at present little used in either THEORY or PRACTICE. It
implies the cutting out the centrical ball of the foot of a dog, or such
claws as shall totally prevent his pursuit of game. In earlier times,
when the FOREST LAWS were more rigidly enforced, the owner of any dog
not expediated, living within the district, was liable to a fine for
non-obedience.


EXTRAVASATION—applies only to such fluids as may, from any accidental
cause, or injury sustained, escape from the tubes or vessels in which
they were confined; when they from such extravasation become stagnant,
laying the foundation of an obstruction terminating in an enlargement,
probably disagreeable to the eye, and some impediment to action.
Extravasated lymph, oozing from ruptured fibres, lay most invariably the
foundation of almost every tumefaction to which we can advert; and
evidently demonstrates the necessity for reflection before we proceed
_to blows_, when it is recollected what serious and lasting injuries by
blows may be sustained.


EYES.—The state of the EYES in every horse constitutes so much of the
value and excellence in respect to their _good_ or _bad_ formation, that
proper, nay extreme, circumspection ought to be used in the examination
previous to purchase. The best and most experienced judges of horses are
sometimes seriously disappointed, and not unfrequently deceived, in a
superficial survey, and too hasty decision: in fact, there is no _point_
of the ANIMAL upon the merits of which (in a variety of instances) it is
so difficult to form an accurate, at least an _infallible_, opinion as
upon the parts before us. If at first sight you are attracted by their
bright, bold, prominent appearance, and observe they are sufficiently
clear and transparent to reflect your own figure in the eye as you stand
before it, and the horse neither _winks_, _blinks_, or rolls the orbs of
the eyes about, as if _feeling for the light_ when brought out of the
stable, there is then every well-founded reason to believe they are not
only _safe_, but PERFECTLY GOOD. On the contrary, when the EYE appears
_flat_, as if sunk in its orbit, with a palpable vacuum round the orb,
between it and the eye-lid, it is a very unfavourable indication;
particularly if there should be no defluxion (or inflammatory discharge)
from the eye, to justify the idea of a temporary injury having been
sustained by a BLOW, BITE, or some such _accident_, neither to be
foreseen or guarded against. If there is a palpable indentation above
the orbs, and a wrinkled contraction of the eye-lids towards the
forehead, they are invariable symptoms, or certain signs, of impending
danger, and the subject cannot be ventured upon without a very great
probability of certain loss when he is again offered for sale.

A small _pig-eye_ should be likewise carefully avoided, as they are
seldom to be depended upon; the subject is frequently addicted to
_starting_, and the future state of the eye in general _doubtful_. A
cloudy muddiness within the outer humour of the eye, (giving it an
opaque appearance,) or a milky thickening of the surface, denote present
_defect_, and great probability of approaching _blindness_. It becomes,
therefore, in all cases of doubt, a matter of self-preservation, to have
in memory this admonition, that it will be more advantageous (evidently
more prudent) to reject an object of impurity and partial attraction,
than to purchase in haste, and "repent at leisure."



F.


FALLOW DEER—are the species of _Deer_ bred in parks for the production
of venison, as well for the private use of the great and opulent, as for
sale. The male is called A BUCK; the female, a DOE; the offspring of
both, A FAWN; and they vary some degrees in colour, but consist
principally of a dark dingy brown, inclining to black, or a mottled
sandy dun. The BUCK is furnished with horns, which he sheds yearly: the
DOE has no such weapons for self-defence.

The BUCK sheds his horns from the middle of _April_ through the first
weeks of _May_, which are in part regenerated by the month of
_September_. The DOE generally produces her young in the last week of
_May_, or during the two first of _June_. The season for BUCK VENISON
commences in _July_, and goes out about Michaelmas; when DOE VENISON
comes in, and continues till _January_. The time in which the act of
procreation is carried on (called _rutting time_) commences at the
latter end of _August_, and continues during the greater part of
_September_.

The skins of both buck and doe are manufactured into the article of
leather for breeches, so superior to every other kind for the purpose of
riding, the produce of the whole kingdom is not equal to the demand,
many thousand skins being annually imported from different parts of the
world. For the LAWS relating to DEER, see DEER STEALERS.

BUCK HUNTING was formerly a much more frequent sport than at present;
and a dwarf kind of stag-hound (called _buck-hounds_) were kept for the
purpose. The uncertainty and short duration of the chase, has, however,
at length, nearly obliterated the practice, as there is hardly such a
thing in the kingdom as _a pack_ kept _solely_ for the purpose of
hunting FALLOW DEER.


FALLOW LAND—is land so called when under no immediate cultivation, but
ploughed up, and laid at rest, to acquire, from its exposure to the
elements, additional strength for the production of future crops. Of
these there are both _summer_ and _winter_ fallows; upon the last of
which, if dry, HARES may generally be found in the months of _January_,
_February_, and _March_, if there are any to be seen in the country.


FALCONER.—A FALCONER, whose province it was to _tame_, _manage_, and
look after FALCONS, and other _hawks_, was formerly as great and
conspicuous a character as the most celebrated HUNTSMAN of the present
day. The influence of fashion, and the changes wrought by time, have,
however, so obscured both SPORT and SPORTSMAN in this way, that neither
_hawk_, _falcon_, or _falconer_, are to be seen or heard of, unless in
the northern parts of the kingdom, where it is also nearly buried in
oblivion.


FALSE QUARTER—is a defect in the hoof of a horse, originally sustained
by some injury, producing a destruction of parts; as _quittor_,
_canker_, _wounds_, _treads_, _bruises_, or such _formation of matter_,
by which a part of the hoof has been unavoidably destroyed, or
necessarily taken away. In the regeneration of parts, the incarnation
(from the rigid and horny nature of the hoof) is irregular and
imperfect, forming a sort of _cleft_ (or artificial union) with the
sound part upon the surface, productive of a sensible weakness
underneath. This imperfect and defective junction renders such
_quarter_, as is it called, inadequate to the weight it is destined to
bear; in which case, much judgment is required, and may be exerted, in
the palliation, as _perfect cure_ is not to be expected. Care must be
taken in forming the shoe to relieve the tender part from pressure, by
_hollowing_ it at that particular spot, and letting the bearing be fixed
entirely upon the sound parts. By constant attention in reducing the
prominent edges of the irregular projection with the fine side of the
RASP, and a few occasional impregnations with _fine spermacæti oil_, the
hoof may be sometimes restored to its original formation.


FAMILY.—See BLACK LEGS and BETTING.


FARCY,—except the GLANDERS, is the most unfortunate and destructive
disease to which the horse is subject. It is _infectious_, and may be
communicated from one horse to another, or to the whole stable, where
many stand together. As it frequently attacks different subjects in a
different way, (according to the _state_ and _condition_ of the horse at
the time of attack,) so it has afforded opportunity to the _fertile_ and
_ingenious_ to extend and define it to _various kinds_ of FARCY, though
they are but different shades and gradations of the same disease.

The very first traits of this disorder are too distinguishing to be
mistaken; although the attack may be made either _one_ way or the
_other_. The subject is, in general, _dull_, _heavy_, _sluggish_, and
seemingly oppressed with _lassitude_ and _debility_, for some days
previous to any external symptoms of disease; in a short time after
which, small _purulent pustules_ appear, with a sort of seeming _eschar_
upon the _apex_ of each, running along the veins in a kind of
continuity, bearing no ill affinity or resemblance to a bunch of grapes
a little diversified in size. Upon any of these _eschars_, or _scabs_,
being removed, they are followed by a thin bloody ichor in some; but in
others, by a fœtid, viscid, corrupted matter, not unlike a mixture of
honey and oil, when brought into all possible incorporation.

As the disorder advances to a more inveterate malignity, these pustules
burst, the scab or eschar exfoliates, and each becomes a virulent,
ill-conditioned _ulcer_. In many instances the progress is extended with
incredible rapidity; and the larger vessels, with their inferior
ramifications, are soon universally affected; holding forth a very
unpromising prediction of early extrication. A tolerable opinion may be
formed of the mildness or threatened severity of the disease by the
nature of the attack: if appearances are partial, (that is, attached to
any particular spot,) without a speedy extension to different parts of
the body, or its extremities, the case may be considered in its then
_infantine state_ favourable; and the proper means should not be delayed
to counteract its farther contamination of the blood and juices: on the
contrary, should a daily increase of the eruption be observed, spreading
itself in various directions along the plate-vein, and down the inside
of the fore-arm, under the belly, proceeding on both sides the sheath,
and down the inside of each thigh, a cure may be considered very
_distant_ and _uncertain_; involving a doubt for prudent deliberation,
whether the alternative of DEATH may not be preferable to the _chance_
of _cure_, at an expence (if effected) very, very far exceeding the
value of THE HORSE.

Experience, and attentive observation, tend to justify an opinion, that
when the FARCY makes its first appearance, in the way described, it is
then of the species received by _infection_, and that it has lain
dormant some time in the circulation. When it makes its attack upon one
particular part, in a previous _tumefaction_, and subsequent
_suppuration_, (extending no farther than the quarter in which it
originates,) it may then be considered a degree of the same disorder,
retaining within itself much _less virulence_ than the former, and to
have been produced by the morbid state of the blood, and predominant
tendency to disease; holding forth a well-founded prospect of CURE, if
the case happens to fall into the hands of a judicious and scientific
practitioner, who well knows the peculiar _property_ of _medicine_, upon
which alone the success depends.

Those writers who have industriously _divided_ and _sub-divided_ the
FARCY into so many _different diseases_, have not noticed a disorder (or
rather a complication) partaking of the joint symptoms of both GLANDERS
and FARCY; from which circumstance it has, by the best and most
experienced practitioners, been denominated, FARCY GLANDERS, and is, in
its attack, progress, and termination, precisely as follows. One or more
swellings appear upon some part or parts of the body, where, after
attaining a certain size, they become _indurated_, making no farther
progress toward _maturation_. Here NATURE seems counteracted in her own
efforts, and, by some inexplicable _revulsion_, the head is almost
immediately and severely affected; TUMEFACTIONS appear under the _jaws_;
the SWELLINGS increase in various parts and degrees about the _eyes_ and
_mouth_; a most incredible discharge comes on from the nostrils,
_discoloured_ and _offensive_ beyond description; in which state,
bidding defiance to every interposition of ART, or administration of
MEDICINE, the animal lingers a few days, and, if not previously
dispatched, (as in fact it ought to be,) DIES a _mass_ of complete
_putrefaction_.


FARRIER—is the appellation by which a person is known, whose occupation
it has hitherto been considered to execute the joint office of
furnishing _shoes_ for the PROTECTION of the FEET, and the BODY with
MEDICINE for the _cure of disease_. It has been, from its original
formation as a business, the most _dangerous_, _laborious_, and _least
compensated_, trade (or profession) of any in the kingdom; consequently
none but the most indigent or illiterate (from the _eaves_ of a
_cottage_, or the _walls_ of a _workhouse_) could be prevailed upon to
undertake it. In proof of which, it is a well known fact, that, for a
century past, not more than _one_ in TWENTY of its practitioners, in
either _town_ or _country_, has ever been enabled to leave a _clear
twenty pounds_ to his family at the time of their decease. Recent
circumstances have, however, occurred, to give the PRACTICE of FARRIERY
a new complexion; but, unluckily, in the _extreme_; for the appearance
of "THE GENTLEMAN'S STABLE DIRECTORY" a few years since, and the success
of its author in his indefatigable endeavours, and energetic exertions,
to promote a reformation in the shamefully neglected, _erroneous_, and
_cruel_ system of FARRIERY, constituted such a blaze of national
emulation, that the institution, erection, and establishment, of a
PUBLIC SCHOOL, has rendered practitioners in FARRIERY (newly ycleped
"_Veterinary Surgeons_") as numerous as the necessitous medical
adventurers in almost every town and village of the kingdom. See
VETERINARY COLLEGE.


FARRIERY.—The ART of FARRIERY consists in the peculiar mode of
discovering one disorder from another, by a discrimination of
predominant symptoms, and the administration of medicine particularly
applicable to that peculiar species of disease. It also comprehends and
includes the operations of BLEEDING, CROPPING, DOCKING, NICKING,
BLISTERING, FIRING, &c. as well as the cure of wounds, and the long
train of _ills_ and _accidents_ to which the horse is incident. This ART
(or more properly _science_) now struggling to become respectable, has
hitherto continued in a state of the most _wretched sterility_ for the
reasons so clearly explained under the last head; to which may be added,
the very impressive consideration, that its PROFESSORS have not been
permitted to retain the least personal weight in the scale of society;
on the contrary, have been generally held in the most trifling
estimation, and consequently destined to associate only with the
_lowest_ and least polished classes of every description.

The degrading, dirty, and inferior offices to which the _manual_ or
operative FARRIER must incessantly become liable in the course of his
PRACTICE, renders it readily to be believed, that those whose EDUCATION
have been sufficiently liberal to qualify them for a scientific
initiation in the STUDY of PHYSIC and ANATOMY, as well as a perfect
knowledge of the PROPERTY of MEDICINE, cannot be expected to descend to
the _rough_ and _laborious_ business of the FORGE, making, _fitting_ and
_setting_ the SHOES, as well as many other equally difficult and
hazardous operations to which the subordinate must perpetually become
subject in the course of his practice. Hence it is fair to infer, that
the liberal education, and acquired polish, of the VETERINARY SURGEON,
will so ill accord with the sensations of the SHOEING or _black smith_,
that they will be found incompatible with _each other_; and, until a
more extended idea, and generous compensation, is adopted by the public,
to render the MEDICAL MONITOR, (or veterinary surgeon,) and common
_shoeing-smith_ and _operative farrier_, two distinct and separate
branches, the practice of FARRIERY and VETERINARY MEDICINE will never
attain the improvement of which it is so clearly capable.


FAWN—is the young of the BUCK and DOE, called a fawn during the first
year. A fawn is secreted by the dam in the _fern_, or _long grass_, with
great care, during the first weeks, and seldom accompanies the mother
but by night. In royal PARKS and CHACES, a certain number are annually
killed when _fawns_ of about three months old, to prevent the district
from being _overstocked_; this is generally done by COURSING _with_
GREYHOUNDS, which is most excellent sport, the greyhounds being
frequently _beat_.


FEATHER.—The centrical division, and different directions, of the
surrounding hair in a horse's forehead is so called: they are also
frequently seen upon the neck on one or both sides the mane, and
sometimes upon the hind quarters, and are considered natural ornaments:
their similitude to a feather of the first plumage has given them this
appellation.


FEATHER WEIGHT,—in the SPORTING WORLD, signifies the lightest weight
that can be put upon the back of a HORSE, in whatever MATCH he may be
engaged, and totally depends upon the will of the owner; who is not
under the necessity of bringing his RIDER to the _scale_ either _before_
or _after_ the race, in an engagement where "feather weight" is
particularly expressed. On the contrary, when a horse runs for any
PLATE, MATCH, SWEEPSTAKES, or SUBSCRIPTION, at a _fixed weight_,
according to his AGE, HEIGHTH, or QUALIFICATION, his RIDER must be
publicly weighed upon the course _previous_ to _starting_; and at the
termination of _every heat_, if the rider _dismounts_ before his horse
is led up to the SCALES, (generally affixed to the starting-post,) or
when there, not weighing his proper weight, the HORSE is deemed
_distanced_, and can start no more for the prize in question.


FEEDER—is one essential part of a HUNTING ESTABLISHMENT, bearing no ill
affinity to the _bellows-blower_ of an ORGANIST; for if the hounds are
not _well_ and _properly_ fed, they can never be adequate to the
fatigues and difficulties they have to go through. To the FEEDER is
submitted the management of the HOUNDS in kennel; but he is always
subject to the occasional directions of the HUNTSMAN, whose immediate
subordinate he is, and whose dictation he must implicitly obey. He
should not only be _young_, _indefatigable_, and _alert_, but fond of
his employment; as well as _humane_ and _good tempered_, for the comfort
of the poor animals entrusted to his care, who have not the power to
expostulate when _ill used_, or to remonstrate if their _grievances_
stand in need of _redress_.

The department of the FEEDER is of more magnitude than may at first
sight be believed. It is his particular business to keep THE KENNEL
_sweet_ and _clean_, and to execute this part of his trust at stated and
invariable periods. To _boil_, _prepare_, and _mix_ the different kinds
of provision for the HOUNDS, according to the regulations of the
establishment to which he belongs. When disengaged from the concerns of
the kennel, he is expected to assist in _the stables_; as well as to
_exercise_ and _dress_ the spare horses of the HUNTSMAN and WHIPPER-IN,
on hunting days when they are absent. In extensive concerns, and large
packs, two are required to FEED, in which case the HUNTSMAN (as is most
proper) always renders assistance.


FEET.—The FEET of HORSES being the very basis of support upon which the
safety and expedition of the frame entirely depend, they are entitled to
every possible degree of CARE and ATTENTION; more particularly in the
WINTER SEASON, when, from _neglect_, so many ills and inconveniencies
are known to arise. The injuries, accidents, and diseases, to which the
FEET are constantly liable, consist of CRACKS in the _heels_, SCRATCHES
or _lacerations_, STUBS and _bruises_ of the _outer sole_, or upon the
_verge_ of the _coronet_, between _hair_ and _hoof_, CORNS, SANDCRACKS,
THRUSHES, CANKER, QUITTOR, RINGBONE, and FOOT-FOUNDER; exclusive of the
frequent injuries sustained in SHOEING, by the _ignorance_, _indolence_,
or _obstinacy_ of those SMITHS who, having no professional reputation to
support, are too innately confident in their _own ability_ to bear
instruction.

As the DEFECTS thus enumerated will be found individually enlarged upon
under distinct and separate heads, it becomes only necessary here to lay
down such general rules for the regular management of the FEET, as may
(properly attended to) prove the means of prudent prevention; not more
in respect to the _trouble_ and _expence_ of DISEASE, than of the most
mortifying and repentant anxiety. These defects and disquietudes are
seldom found but in the stables where the MASTER rarely or ever
condescends to _obtrude_ his PERSON and commands upon the _tenacious
dignity_ of a self-important groom; the persevering industry of whose
careful endeavours, and the pliability and elasticity of whose joints,
if properly exerted, would prove the truest and most _infallible
preventives_ to SWELLED LEGS and CRACKED HEELS, in preference to all the
_nostrums_ ever yet brought into private practice or public use. And
those who unfortunately encounter _these ills_, may generally, and with
justice, attribute them much more to the _constitutional_ tardiness of
the _professed groom_ (or occasional strapper) than any defect in the
constitution of the horse.

The FEET of different HORSES vary exceedingly in what may be termed the
_texture_ or _property_ of the hoof; and this is, in general, regulated
by the colour of the LEGS and FEET. There are few horses with _white
heels_, but what have _white hoofs_ also, and these are always more
liable to, and susceptible of, DEFECTS and WEAKNESS, than those of an
opposite description. The sound, firm, dark-coloured hoof, of the BAY,
BROWN, or BLACK horse, is seldom found _defective_; but those of other
coloured horses are the most subject to weak, thin soles, displaying a
prominence on each side the frog, occasioned by a too feeble and
inadequate resistance to the force of the membranous mass within; feet
of which description are also frequently found to have the corresponding
concomitant of a _brittle hoof_, the edges of which are incessantly
_splitting_, and throwing out a constant threatening of SANDCRACKS, with
the additional mortification of being subject to inveterate THRUSHES, or
an almost constantly diseased or putrefied state of the frog.

FEET, so exceedingly different in the nature of their construction, must
certainly require as different a mode of treatment, according to such
circumstances as happen to exist. To preserve feet perfectly sound, and
free from the ills to which they are subject, cleanliness is the leading
step. After exercise or use, so soon as the body is drest, the _dirt_ or
_gravel_ should be carefully taken from under the shoes with a PICKER,
the feet well washed, the legs and heels rubbed dry, the bottom stopped
with _cow dung_, and the hoofs oiled with a brush impregnated with
SPERMA CÆTI OIL. Horses left with _wet legs_ and _heels_, after a severe
chace, or long journey, particularly in sharp easterly winds, or during
FROST and SNOW, constitute _cracks_ or _scratches_ to a certainty. So
severe a rigidity is occasioned in the very texture of the integument,
that it becomes partially ruptured or broken in various places, upon
being brought into expeditious action; which, with the _friction_ and
_irritation_ then occasioned by the sharp particles of gravel in dirty
roads, soon produce lacerations of the most painful description.

The state of the SHOES should be constantly attended to. Permitted to
continue _too long_ upon the FEET, the growth of the _hoof_ brings the
shoe forward, rendering it too short at the _heel_, when it begins to
indent, and _sinking_ upon the _foot_, soon presses upon the _outer
sole_, constituting pain or disquietude in some horses, and laying the
foundation of CORNS in others. Horses, in moderate work, require NEW
SHOES once a month upon an average, never varying more than two or three
days from that time: indeed, it is not right they should go longer. The
penurious plan of _removing_ shoes _half worn_ is truly ridiculous; they
never render service adequate to the expence, and the practice only
tends to a more frequent destruction of the hoof. THRUSHES should be
counteracted upon their first appearance, without being permitted to
acquire a corroding virulence. SWELLED LEGS are hardly ever seen in
stables where a proper course of discipline, and regular routine of
business, is observed; they proceed from a visced, sizey state of the
blood, a languor in the circulation, a want of exercise out of the
stable, or a sufficiency of friction, leg-rubbing, care, and attention
within. See GREASE.


FERN—is a plant abounding plentifully in CHACES, BEECHEN WOODS, and
COMMONS, and is a seeming diminutive resemblance of our native bulwark
the hardy oak, not more in the similitude of its growth, than its
appropriation to various purposes of utility. It not only constitutes
excellent bedding for cattle in the winter, but has been considered so
instrumental to the PRESERVATION of GAME, that laws have been _framed_
to prevent its being wantonly destroyed, or unseasonably perverted, to
the interested purposes of private individuals.

"Any person who shall unlawfully _set fire to_, _burn_, or _destroy_, or
assist in so doing, any _goss_, _furze_, or _fern_, upon any FOREST or
CHASE within England, he shall, on the oath of _one_ witness before a
JUSTICE of the peace, forfeit a sum not exceeding 5l. nor less than 40s.
one moiety to the informer, the other to the poor of the parish. The
same to be levied by distress; in want of which, the offender to be
committed to the house of correction, or county gaol, for a time not
longer than three months, nor less than one." In addition to which act,
there are other MANORIAL rights and _local customs_, respecting FERN
upon _wastes_ and _commons_, restraining those who have right of common
(or other privileges) from cutting fern before HOLYROOD DAY in every
year.


FERRET—is a useful little animal, well known to WARRENERS and
RAT-CATCHERS, by whom they are principally bred, as necessary to their
own occupations. The _ferret_ is of great spirit, strength, and courage,
for its size; is an inveterate enemy to _rabbits_, _rats_, and
_poultry_; in the pursuit of which, it will encounter any difficulty or
danger, when once put upon _the scent_. The body is longer in proportion
to its height, than almost any other animal, the _weazel_ and _stoat_
excepted. The colour frequently varies, even in the young of the same
dam and the same litter; some being black, with white under the belly;
some are of a faint straw-colour yellow, and others of a light sandy
red. The head is, in its formation, not unlike _the mouse_; the eyes are
small, fiery, having the appearance of red-hot iron, and can
consequently distinguish objects in the dark. It has a natural and
instinctive propensity to _burrowing_, and where-ever _the head can
enter_, the rest of the body can easily follow. Whenever the FERRET has
secured the prey he is in pursuit of, he extracts the _blood_ with
extreme pleasure by _suction_, but is totally indifferent to the
_flesh_; with the exception of the head of either RABBIT or RAT, the
skull of which he directly destroys with his teeth, the better to enjoy
an instantaneous and luxurious _feast_ upon the _brains_.

The FERRET usually produces five or six young at each litter, after a
gestation of _forty days_: the offspring continue blind for _thirty
days_, and copulate in six weeks after they can see. They are not
ravenous, (except in pursuit of their prey, after having been long
fasted;) are easily supported upon bread, milk, and similar trifles,
enabled by nature to exist a long time without food, which is in some
degree compensated for by their great enjoyment of sleep. When used in
WARRENS, they are hunted with _muzzles_, that they may alarm the
RABBITS, and drive them from their _burrows_ to the _nets_, without
having the power to injure them; for if they were enabled to seize them
_under ground_, they could never be prevailed upon to leave the earths.


FETLOCK.—The part so called is the next joint below the knee, and is
formed by the union of the shank-bone, at its _bottom_, with the upper
part of the small bone passing from this junction to the coronary bone
at its _top_. The TENDONS (commonly called the _back sinews_) have their
lower seat of insertion at this joint, which is constantly liable to,
and frequently susceptible of, the most serious LAMENESS. As injuries of
this joint are sometimes incurable, particularly when occasioned by a
twist or ligamentary distortion, one precaution may be prudently
retained in memory; that more horses are lamed by _short_, _sudden_, and
_unnatural_ turns in the _narrow stalls_ of an ill-constructed STABLE,
(particularly in the Metropolis,) than by any straitforward means
whatever. TENDINOUS LAMENESS has a much greater chance of early relief,
and permanent cure, than an injury sustained at the _junction of the
bones_; for the relaxed tendons being restored to their original
elasticity by CORROBORATIVE STIMULANTS, BLISTERING, or FIRING,
frequently continue _sound_ during the existence of the horse: on the
contrary, a LIGAMENTARY LAMENESS, however it may be relieved, or
_apparently_ restored, is always more subject to a relapse or repetition.


FEVER,—HORSES are subject to, and frequently attacked with, originating
in various causes, and acting upon different constitutions in a
different way. Judicious discrimination should be made between what is
(_ab origne_) a FEVER within itself, and _symptomatic_ fever, dependent
upon, and arising from, _another_ cause. Extreme pain may produce FEVER,
as in large _formations_ of _matter_, where tumours approach gradually
to suppuration. FEVER may become attendant upon _inflammatory cholic_,
or upon a severe fit of the _strangury_, or spasmodic affection of the
kidnies. In all INFLAMMATIONS of the LUNGS, the fever exceeds
description; but these fevers are called SYMPTOMATIC, as being a
concomitant, or distinguishing trait, of the DISEASE upon which it is
_founded_, rather than a disease within itself.

The predominant symptoms of FEVER are, an agitated lassitude and
debility of the whole frame, with evident disquietude in every position;
quick and strong pulsation; mouth parched and dry, with a burning heat
to the fingers, when placed under the tongue; breath of a fleshy
offensive smell; the eyes red, inflamed and prominent, as if propelled
by internal inflammation; heaving _more_ or _less_ in the flanks,
according to the mildness or severity of the case. Frequent attempts are
made to STALE; the urine is very _red_ in colour, and comes away in
small quantities: the dung is generally hard, voided in single or double
globules, to each of which adheres a _viscid slime_, indicative of much
internal foulness amidst the interstices of the intestinal canal. Loss
of appetite, difficulty of respiration, a refusal of food, and impatient
thirst for water, are amongst the most invariable _diagnostics_ of
_fever_; and as these symptoms are _more_ or _less_ violent, may be
estimated the severity and DANGER of DISEASE.


FIDGET,—the name of a horse of much celebrity, who won as many capital
stakes as most horses of his time. He was bred by MR. VERNON; was got by
_Florizel_; dam by _Matchem_, out of an own sister to _Sweetbriar_. In
the possession of the DUKE of BEDFORD, he became a stallion at Wooburn,
and was the sire of _Augusta_, _Cub_, _Victor_, _Frisky_, _Hamadryad_,
_Nestler_, _Fantail_, _Zemise_, _Granadilla_, _Lady Sarah_, _St. Vitus_;
all winners; as well as a great number of colts and fillies, who won
large stakes at three and four years old, but ran without a name.


FIGGING—is the _sublime art_ of insinuating a profusion of false spirit,
and _artificial fire_, into a horse, when offering him for sale. This is
done by privately introducing a _piece_ of _ginger_ (previously bitten)
within the _sphincter_ of the _anus_, where, by its painful stimulus, it
so irritates the animal, that he seems, by the _cocking_ of his tail,
the instantaneous erection of his ears, and the _deceptive spirit_ he
displays in action, to be a horse of very superior appearance and value
to what he turns out when the _stimulus_ of this _deception_ has
subsided.


FILLETS—are, in more intelligible language, the LOINS of a HORSE, and
seated above the flank, beyond the last rib, and in a transverse line
with the hip-bone. A horse long in the back, narrow across the loins,
and tucked up (greyhound like) in the carcase, is said to be badly made
in the FILLETS, or, in other words, _weak_ in the _loins_.


FILLY,—the female produce of a HORSE and MARE: she is called a FILLY
FOAL the _first_ year; a YEARLING the _second_; and a FILLY till _four_
years old.


FILM—appertains to a certain DEFECT, and properly used, applies only to
a thickening of the _outer_ coat or humour of THE EYE; in which case
relief from external applications may very frequently be obtained: but
where any of the internal coverings are become opaque, (and sometimes
erroneously called films,) success from topical experiments must not be
expected.


FIRETAIL—was a name given to three famous running horses in succession;
the first got by _Childers_, the second by _Squirrel_, and the third by
_Eclipse_.


FIRING—is an operation performed upon different parts of A HORSE for the
promotion of any particular purpose, (according to the degree of injury
sustained,) and in the following way. The horse being safely secured by
_twitches_ and _cords_, according to the methods in general use, the
OPERATOR having his _irons_ in the fire properly heated, and his
_attendant_ ready to supply him with another, as often as the _fire_ of
the previous _iron_ is exhausted, he proceeds with the edge of the
_red-hot iron_ to make longitudinal and transverse strokes in
succession, over the whole part where injury has been sustained, and to
such extent as circumstances may have rendered necessary; the depth and
magnitude of the _operation_ depending upon the severity of the injury,
and the length of time since it was sustained. FIRING is frequently
adopted in _strains_ of the _back sinews_, where the subject is said to
have _broken down_; likewise for BONE and BLOOD SPAVINS, CURBS, SPLENTS,
and partially to prevent a renewal or repetition of SAND-CRACKS, as well
as for RINGBONES, and LAMENESS in the _round-bone_; in the two last,
however, it has hardly ever been known of the least utility.


FIRING-IRON,—the instrument with which the OPERATION of FIRING is
performed. It is a piece of iron about fifteen inches long, with a stem
terminating in a wooden handle at _one_ end, having a blade of three
inches long, and two wide, at the _other_. This blade is forged flat,
and is at the back half an inch in thickness, becoming gradually
_thinner_ towards the _edge_, which is not more than _one third_ what it
is at the back. They are formed of different dimensions for different
occasions, and _three_ or _four_ are kept in the fire, and used to
expedite the operation, where it is carefully and expertly performed.


FISH.—Reasons are adduced under the head "ANGLING," why it has been
thought unnecessary to enter upon so copious a subject in a work of this
kind; but as FISH, FISH PONDS, and FISHERIES, have been found repeatedly
worthy the attention of the legislature, for the preservation of
PROPERTY and PERSONAL RIGHTS, a concise abstract of the LAWS, as they
now stand, respecting those rights, will constitute the whole that can
be required, or thought necessary, upon this subject.

By the 5th Eliz. c. xxi. s. 2, it is provided, That if any person shall
unlawfully BREAK or DESTROY any _head_ or _dam_ of a FISH POND, or shall
wrongfully fish therein, with intent to _take_ or _kill fish_, he shall,
on conviction at the ASSIZES or sessions, at the suit of the King, or
the party injured, be imprisoned _three months_, and pay treble damages;
and after the expiration of the said three months, shall find sureties
for good behaviour for SEVEN YEARS to come.

By 31st Henry Eighth, c. ii. s. 2, If any _evil-disposed persons_ shall
fish in the day-time, from six in the morning till six in the evening,
in any PONDS, STEWS, or MOATS, with _nets_, _hooks_, or _bait_, against
the will of the owners, they shall, on conviction thereof, at the suit
of the King, or the party aggrieved, suffer imprisonment for the space
of three months, and find security for their good behaviour.

By 22d and 23d Charles Second, c. xxv. s. 7, it is enacted, That if _any
person_ shall, at _any time_, use any _casting-net_, _drag-net_,
_shove-net_, or _other net whatever_; or any _angle_, _hair_, _noose_,
_troll_, or _spear_; or shall lay any _wears_, _pots_, _nets_,
_fish-hooks_, or _other engines_; or shall _take_ any fish by _any means
whatsoever_, in any RIVER, STEW, MOAT, POND, or other water, _or shall
be aiding_ thereunto, without the consent of the OWNER of the WATER, and
be convicted thereof before a JUSTICE, by confession, or the OATH of
_one_ witness, within _one month_ after the offence committed, such
offender shall give to the party injured such satisfaction as the
JUSTICE shall appoint, not exceeding _treble damages_; and shall, over
and above, pay down presently unto the OVERSEERS of the POOR, such sum,
not exceeding 10_s._ as the JUSTICE shall think fit: and in _default_ of
_payment_, the said penalties to be LEVIED by DISTRESS; and for want
thereof, the offender to be committed to the _house of correction_, for
a term not exceeding _one month_, unless the party offending enter into
bond, with surety, to the party injured, in a sum not exceeding 10_l._
never to offend in like manner.

JUSTICES are also authorized to _take_, _cut_ in _pieces_, and
_destroy_, all such articles as before recited and adapted to the taking
of fish, as may be found in the possession of OFFENDERS when taken.
Persons aggrieved may _appeal_ to the QUARTER SESSIONS, whose judgment
shall be _final_. Although this power is vested in a MAGISTRATE, yet the
owner of the _water_, or _fishery_, cannot justify such a measure, but
can only take them _damage feasant_, as is particularly expressed in
various clauses of different acts of Parliament upon this subject. And
by the 4th and 5th William and Mary, it is enacted, That no person
(except makers and sellers of nets, owners of a river or fishery,
authorized fishermen, and their apprentices) shall _keep_ any net,
angle, leap, pike, or other engine for taking of FISH.

The proprietor of any river or fishery, or persons by them authorized,
may seize, and keep to his own use, any _engine_ which shall be found in
the custody of any person fishing in any _river_ or _fishery_, without
the CONSENT of the OWNER or OCCUPIER. And such owner, occupier, or
person, authorized by _either_, sanctioned by the consent of any
JUSTICE, in the day-time, may search the houses, or other places, of any
person prohibited to keep the same, who shall be suspected to have such
nets, or other engines, in his possession, and the same to seize, and
keep to their own use, or _cut in pieces_ and _destroy_.

By the 5th George Third, c. xiv. s. 1, it is enacted, That if any person
shall enter into any PARK or PADDOCK inclosed, or enter into any
_garden_, _orchard_, or _yard_, belonging to, or adjoining to, any
dwelling-house, wherein shall be any _river_, _pond_, _moat_, or other
_water_, and, by any means whatsoever, (without the consent of the
owner,) _steal_, _kill_, or _destroy_, any FISH, bred, kept, or
preserved therein, or shall be assisting therein, or shall _receive_ or
_buy_ any such fish, knowing them to be such, shall, upon conviction, be
_transported_ for _seven years_. Persons making _confession_ of such
offence, and giving evidence against an accomplice, who, in pursuance
thereof, shall be convicted, will be entitled to a free pardon.

And by the same Act, s. 3, it is enacted, That if any person shall take,
kill, or destroy, or ATTEMPT to take, kill, or destroy, any fish in any
_river_ or _stream_, _pool_, _pond_, or _other water_, (not being in any
park or paddock enclosed, or in any garden, orchard, or yard, belonging
or adjoining to a dwelling-house, but in any other enclosed ground,
_being private property_,) such person, being thereof convicted by
confession, or the oath of _one witness_ before a JUSTICE, shall forfeit
_five pounds_ to the owner of the fishery of such river or other water;
and in default thereof, shall be committed to the house of correction
for a time not exceeding _six months_.

STEALING FISH in _disguise_ is made FELONY by the 9th George the First,
c. xxii. If any person _armed_ and _disguised_, shall unlawfully
_steal_, or _take away,_ any FISH, out of any river, or pond, or
(whether armed or not) shall unlawfully and _maliciously_ break down the
head or mound of any FISH-POND, whereby the fish shall be _lost_ and
_destroyed_, or shall rescue any person in custody for any such offence,
or procure any other to join him therein, he shall be guilty of FELONY,
without _benefit_ of _clergy_.


FISTULA.—Any ulcer having a SINUS or pipe of uncertain termination, the
inside of which has acquired _callosity_, and from whence a matter or
bloody sanies flows, or may be pressed out, is called a FISTULA. In its
more immediate application, it appertains principally to the injury
sustained upon the WITHERS of HORSES; _pinched_ by the _saddle_, or
_bruised_ by the _harness_; in long and severe chases or journies with
_one_, or long continued weight and friction with the _other_. A
repetition of the _first cause_ generally lays the foundation of great
trouble; some expence, and no small share of anxiety: attended to upon
the _first injury_, the inflammation frequently submits (and _sometimes
speedily_) to the mildest class of REPELLENTS: a fomentation of hot
vinegar _twice_ or _thrice_, for ten minutes each time, or a few
applications of strong VEGETO MINERAL, incorporated with a proportion of
camphorated spirits, will generally prevent any farther cause of
disquietude.

There is no one _disease_, or _injury_, to which THE HORSE is incident,
more perplexing to the VULCANIANS of the _old school_ or VETERINARIANS
of the _new_, than a FISTULA; the formation and process of which is
precisely thus. A repetition of the bruise and friction, or painful
pressure upon the wither, having excited inflammation, NATURE makes an
_effort_ in her _own_ favour; tumefaction or swelling ensues, and
suppuration follows of course. From the bony structure of this
particular part, a copious secretion of matter is in the first instance
never obtained, or, indeed, to be expected. From the great difficulty of
securing poultices so as to retain their situation, the PROGRESS of
MATURATION is always tardy, and ultimately both _partial_ and imperfect:
the aperture, if _self-made_, is always exceedingly small, from which
may be immediately traced with the probe, _one_ or _more_ pipes or
SINUSSES in different directions, becoming more and more _callous
internally_, according to the length of their standing, or the
injudicious mode in which they may have been treated.

Various modes of treatment, and different directions for a certainty of
cure, have been laid down by successive writers upon FARRIERY, and
frequently with _little_ success. THEORY, it must be admitted, is _one_
thing; the execution in PRACTICE is _another_. The VOLUME of EXPERIENCE
opens to the mind of rumination, and professional emulation, a _new
page_ every day; that page now demonstrates the _fact_, that the most
inveterate and long-standing FISTULA is to be firmly and infallibly
cured, and the parts perfectly restored, by a mode easy in execution,
and invariable in effect. Let a silver probe be passed in every possible
direction, that the SINUSSES may be precisely ascertained; this done,
let the probe be properly _armed_ with _lint_, then plentifully
impregnated with BUTTER of ANTIMONY, and carefully introduced in such
state into _each distinct sinus_, (whichever way they divide or ramify;)
when there, give the probe a turn, that every part may be equally
affected; artificial inflammation will succeed, the internal CALLOSITY
will be _destroyed_, and slough off in a few days from the sound parts.
The _vacuum_ may then be cleansed with equal parts of FRIAR'S BALSAM,
and TINCTURE of MYRRH, by a long-necked syringe, once in three or four
days; and the WOUND being daily dressed with the _precipitate digestive
ointment_, insinuated with _lint_ rolled round the _probe_, and when
properly inserted, slipt off with the force of the finger and thumb into
the wound, and covered with a sticking plaister to keep it firm,
incarnation will be gradually promoted, and COMPLETE CURE certainly
follow.


FLANK OF A HORSE—is the part lying between the last RIB and the HIND
QUARTER, reaching from the part of the LOINS nearest the _hip-bone_, to
the bottom of the belly nearest the STIFLE. If a horse is well ribbed
up, his flank not _hollow_, but circularly prominent, and his BACK
SHORT, he is then called a "good barrelled horse," and is very seldom
deficient in other respects which constitute attraction.


FLEAM, the well-known instrument used for BLEEDING HORSES. Lancets are
preferred by some with _thin-skinned_ and blood-horses. Different kinds
of SPRING-FLEAMS have been invented also; but no one has been produced
of sufficient merit or utility to entirely supersede the established
custom.


FLESHY-FOOTED.—A horse is said to be FLESHY FOOTED, when that part of
the _bottom of the foot_ on each side the FROG (called the OUTER SOLE)
is preternaturally prominent, constituting a convexity above the _wall_
or _crust_ of the HOOF, where the shoe should have its proper bearing
upon the FOOT of the HORSE. In feet of this description, the outer sole,
from repeated bruising and battering in constant work upon hard roads,
or from an injudicious and destructive _paring away_ with the butteris,
are so exceeding thin as to indent with the slightest impression, and
being too weak to resist the membranous expansion within, compulsively
submit to the internal propulsion, and are thrown into the projecting
form already described. Great care is required in shoeing horses with
this defect: the inner part of the web of the shoe should be so
completely hollowed as not to admit the least chance of bearing upon the
prominent part; if it does, tenderness and disquietude (if not lameness)
must inevitably ensue. In cases of this kind, neither the _butteris_ or
_drawing-knife_, should be permitted in hand; they only render the
REMEDY worse than the DISEASE.


FLORIZEL—was a horse of much _celebrity_ upon the TURF, beating most
horses of his time; and was afterwards a stallion in great repute for
many years. He was got by _Herod_, dam by _Cygnet_; bred by Mr. C.
BLAKE, and foaled in 1768. He was the sire of _Berwick_, _Crookshanks_,
_Diomed_, _King William_, _Experiment_, _Fox_, _Ulysses_, _Bustler_,
_Dash_, _Fidget_, _Fortunio_, _Hope_, _Lee Boo_, _May Fly_, _Mouse_,
_Mulberry_, _Nimble_, _Pig_, _Prizefighter_, _Tongs_, _Hope_,
_Spendthrift_, _Tick_, _Tickle_, _Wonder_, _Brother to Fidget_, (who won
2000 guineas in 1791,) _Eager_, _Hopeful_, _Lilliput_, _Nameless_,
_Quick_, _Terror_, _Tartar_, _Hermia_, and _William_; all winners;
exclusive of others too numerous to recite.


FOAL—is the produce of HORSE and MARE in a general sense, including both
male and female; but when a more particular description is required, it
is customary to say either a COLT, or a FILLY foal.


FOAM.—See FROTH.


FODDER.—The winter provender for HORSES and CATTLE is so called, and
consists of _barley_ and _oat straw_, _peas haum_, the short _rakings_
of the _barn floor_ after threshing the corn, and _previous_ to cleaning
it; all which, with good shelter in the most severe and dreary part of
the season, constitute no _ill_ accommodation; particularly those
FARMYARDS in the country that are well managed, from whence HORSES,
after a _winter's run_, frequently come up FIRM in FLESH, and not very
_foul_ in _condition_. On the contrary, those who are advocates for the
STRAW-YARDS within _ten_ or _fifteen_ miles of the METROPOLIS, had
better _cut the throats_ of their HORSES than make the experiment:
they barely exist in a state of wretched starvation, are brought up in
the months of April and May objects of dreadful emaciation, and commonly
occasion more expence to generate flesh, and render them fit for use,
than they are afterwards worth. An insufficiency of sweet, good, and
healthy FODDER, or even a profusion of _stinking oats_, or _musty hay_,
will inevitably impoverish the blood, and lay the foundation of SURFEIT,
MANGE, FARCY, and other disorders.


FOIL,—a term used in HARE HUNTING. When, during the chase, a hare, after
a _head_ or _double_, runs over the ground she has _ran before_, she is
then said to be _running the foil_, and with strict truth, for nothing
can so much _foil_ the HOUNDS as a chase of this description. OLD HARES,
who have speed enough to break away, and get considerably a-head, almost
invariably throw themselves out to the _right_ or _left_, _double_, and
QUAT; particularly if a _hedge-row_, _hedge_, _fern_, _furze_, or any
_kind of covert_ presents itself favourably for the purpose. The HOUNDS
continuing to run the scent to the spot where she made her head,
_over-run the hare_, and having no continuance of scent, are of course
_at fault_; during which delay of _trying forward_, _trying back_,
making a cast to _the right_, then a cast to _the left_, the HARE slips
into her _foil_; by repeatedly running of which with the same
instinctive sagacity, she as repeatedly saves her life; without which,
and many similar _innate shifts_ to avoid their numerous enemies, there
would not long be a HARE left in the country.


FOLDING-NET.—See BAT FOWLING.


FOMENTATION—is, perhaps, the most generally useful of all external
applications in a great variety of cases, and cannot of course be too
well known, or too much encouraged. It is a process but little
_prescribed_ or _practised_ by FARRIERS or VETERINARIANS; either because
its efficacious property is very little known; or the persevering
patience required in the act, is too great for _constitutional
indolence_. In all inflammatory _tumours_ and _enlargements_ arising
from STRAINS, BLOWS, BRUISES, and various other injuries, the efficacy
of hot and persevering FOMENTATION can only be known to those who have
repeatedly experienced its salutary effects. In fact, its properties are
_twofold_, in as much as it assists NATURE in whichever is her most
predominant effort, either for _absorption_ or _suppuration_.

FOMENTATIONS are prepared by boiling three or four double handsful of
the different kinds of _aromatic_ garden herbs in _six quarts_ or _two
gallons_ of water, occasionally stirring them for a quarter of an hour;
then let the part affected be patiently FOMENTED with _sponges_ or
_flannels_, alternately dipped in the DECOCTION, as hot as it can be
consistently used without _injury_ to the _hair_. If the TUMOUR, or
enlargement, does not threaten _suppuration_, the absorption may be
assisted by a gentle persevering friction in _hand-rubbing_, previous to
the application of such REPELLENT as may be thought applicable to the
case: on the contrary, should a formation of matter have evidently taken
place, the intention of nature cannot be too expeditiously promoted; an
EMOLLIENT POULTICE should _instantly_ follow the FOMENTATION, and both
be repeated _once_ or _twice_ a-day, according to the magnitude of the
emergency.

The herbs chiefly in use for FOMENTATIONS (and from which any three or
four may be selected) are ROMAN and COMMON WORMWOOD, MALLOWS and
MARSHMALLOWS, LAVENDER leaves and flowers, ROSEMARY leaves, CAMMOMILE
flowers, ELDER flowers, and BAY leaves. These are articles not always to
be readily obtained; and as they are in all HUNTING establishments
likely to be wanted upon the most sudden emergencies, GENTLEMEN in the
country will find the convenience of giving orders for an _annual_
supply to be provided, and properly dried, in the summer, that no
disappointment may be experienced in the winter, when their use is more
likely to be required. They are kept ready mixed at the BOTANICAL SHOPS
in the _different markets_ of the Metropolis, and may always be had in
any quantity under the denomination of FOMENTATION HERBS.


FOOT.—The foot of a horse extends from the FETLOCK-JOINT to the OUTER
SOLE at the bottom of the _hoof_: it includes the CORONARY-BONE, the
NUT-BONE, the COFFIN-BONE, and the inner sole, (or membranous mass,) in
which it is deposited; as well as the _frog_ and the _wall_ or _hoof_
surrounding and supporting the whole.—See FEET.


FOOT-FOUNDERED.—A horse is said to be FOOT-FOUNDERED when there is an
evident defect in action, and a palpable tenderness, which prevents him
from putting his feet _freely_ and _boldly_ to the ground. This malady
seems never to have been clearly comprehended, or perfectly explained,
by any of those who have written upon the subjects included in the
general practice of FARRIERY. It is to be observed, that HORSES
labouring under this _infirmity_, have become gradually _contracted_ in
the _hoof_, and proportionally _narrowed_ at the _heels_, putting their
feet before each other with as much fear and caution, as if they were
moving upon a _sheet of red-hot iron_; the RIDER of any such horse,
being constantly in the _happy_ expectation of the horse's _pitching_
upon his _head_, and probably breaking the rider's own neck.

The very few reasons hitherto assigned for the origin of this defect,
"as being watered when _too hot_, then setting the horse upon _cold_
planks without _litter_;" "heats and colds, which disorder the body, and
excite malignant humours, that inflame the blood, melt the grease, and
make it descend downward to the feet, where it settles, and causes a
numbness in the hoofs;" are so truly nugatory, that they are not for a
single moment entitled to SCIENTIFIC disquisition. The only two RATIONAL
CAUSES which can be assigned for this disorder (if it can with propriety
be so termed) seem never to have attracted professional observation or
reflection. That it has its foundation in _long_ and _hard_ riding (or
drawing) upon the _hard_ and _hot_ roads in the summer months, will not
admit of a single doubt; which foundation once laid, is not only
increased by every _repetition_ of the original cause, but a formidable
addition made to it by the _shameful_ and _destructive_ practice of
fitting _red-hot shoes_, from THE FORGE, to the _foot_ of _the horse_;
an unrelenting act of cruelty, constantly and obstinately persevered in
at almost every _shoeing-shop_ in the kingdom, by which infernal act
alone, _hundreds_ of horses are annually FOOT-FOUNDERED; to crush which
evil, THE LEGISLATURE would not find itself _degraded_, by enacting a
prohibitory LAW, any more than by _condescending_ to protect the persons
of the outside passengers upon a STAGE COACH.

To justify what is advanced upon the subject of FOOT-FOUNDER, let it be
recollected, that persevering _friction_ will produce _fire_; of which
we have repeated proofs in the number of carriages known to have taken
fire upon the roads, and to have been totally consumed. We are convinced
a piece of _cold iron_, struck with a hammer five or six times in
succession upon an anvil, will quickly afford a communication of _fire_
to a _match_; this being reduced to an incontrovertible certainty, what
must be the excess of _heat_ produced by the EFFECT of ATTRITION between
the _shoe_ of _a horse_ and the _hardness_ of the _road_ in the summer
months, the animal going a FIFTEEN or TWENTY miles stage, at the rate of
_twelve_ or _fourteen_ miles an hour?

Why, the effect is precisely this; that, by the time the horse has
travelled a _few miles_, the RIDER dismounting, will find, upon
_instantaneous_ examination, the shoe has acquired (by the attrition
already described) a _degree_ of _heat_ beyond his power to bear with
his hand, without being seriously burned. The effect of heat _without_,
being the same _within_, acts so powerfully (in proportion to the
continuation of the journey, and the state of the road) upon the foot of
the horse, particularly those of the weakest texture, and the most
susceptible, that the INNER SOLE (or membranous mass in which the
_coffin-bone_ is lodged) becomes _in time_, and by _repetition_,
partially divested of its moisture, the very source of sensation; upon
which contraction of the _internal_ parts, the HOOF losing its means and
support of _expansion_, contracts in a corresponding degree,
constituting the _impoverished appearance_, _brittle-hoof_, and _narrow
heel_, previously described.

Those who have been so exceedingly sparing, or so accidentally
_sterile_, in respect to the _causes_ of this DEFECT, have,
nevertheless, been sufficiently liberal in directing A CURE. "First,
pare all the horse's soles so thin that you may see the quick; then
bleed him well at every toe; after which stop the vein with tallow and
resin melted together; and having tacked some hollow shoes slightly on
his feet, stop them with bran, tar, and tallow, melted together, and
poured into the feet as hot as can well be born; repeat this every other
day for a week or nine days, after which give him proper exercise daily;
or, what is still better, turn him out for six weeks, if it is a proper
season for so doing."

Whether this mode, so strenuously recommended, and copied by _one_
writer from _another_, is likely to effect a cure, every reader will
enjoy the privilege of judging for himself: it is, however, most likely
that those who rely upon any professional exertions for total
obliteration, will be disappointed, and that occasional palliation is
all that can be reasonably expected. There is, however, no doubt, but
frequent and plentiful impregnations of the _whole hoof_, and _bottom_
of the _foot_, with SPERMA CÆTI OIL, made warm over the fire, will
contribute as much to the expansion of the hoof, and the regeneration of
membranous moisture in its contents, as any other means whatever.


FOREHAND—implies that part of A HORSE extending from the _ears_ to the
_withers_; which, to be handsome, should be long, and rise gradually
from the upper point of the shoulder-blade to the very extremity of the
ear. A FOREHAND of this description adds greatly to the majestic
appearance and value of the horse. But a horse _low before_, with a
_short forehand_, and _indented crest_, can never become an object of
attraction.


FOREHEAD.—The forehead is the front of the horse's head; to observe the
_form_ and _effect_ of which, it will be necessary to get before him. It
is the space extending from the _roots_ of the _ears_, and between the
eyes, which being BROAD and FLAT, having a _feather_ or _star_ in the
center, constitutes a degree of beauty, and may be supposed to have a
cross of THE ARABIAN in the blood. If a horse, having a wide flat
forehead, has the advantage of a full prominent spirited eye, they at
the first approach afford no small indication of excellence; and, upon
nearer inspection, a corresponding symmetry is expected to follow.


FORE-LEGS.—The fore-legs of a horse begin at the lower extremity of the
SHOULDER-BLADE before, and the ELBOW behind: they consist of what are
termed the ARMS, (or fore thighs,) which extend to each KNEE; the
_shank-bone_ from the knee to the FETLOCK JOINT; the fetlock-bone is
continued from thence to the CORONARY-BONE, into which it is _inserted_;
the coronary-bone in part fills the cavity, or box of the hoof, being
lodged in the COFFIN-BONE, supported by the _nut-bone_ behind; these
last are deposited in the membranous mass denominated the INNER SOLE;
the whole being terminated by the bottom of the _hoof_, the _frog_, and
the _outer sole_. The FORE-LEGS, to be uniform, (in a front view,)
should be _wide_ at the upper part next the _breast_, strong and broad
in the ARM, bony below the KNEE, free from SPLENTS, a broad sound HOOF,
firm SOLE, and a FROG without _thrushes_.


FOREST.—A FOREST is a large tract of land in pasture, many miles in
extent and circumference, the property of THE CROWN, mostly well stocked
with timber, (from whence the navy is supplied,) as well as with a
variety of _underwood_, _furze_, _fern_, &c. for the breeding and
preservation of both VENISON and GAME. Forests are of great antiquity,
and their immunities are protected by laws peculiarly and solely adapted
to their preservation; the execution of which are lodged in principal
officers, and their subordinates, as follows; JUSTICES in EYRE, CHIEF
WARDENS, VERDERERS, REGARDERS, FORESTERS, WOODWARDS, AGISTORS, RANGERS,
BEADLES, and KEEPERS.

A FOREST has its foundation under a commission bearing the great seal of
England, and when proclaimed through the county in which the land so
appropriated lies, "that it is A FOREST, and to be governed by the LAWS
OF A FOREST," it then becomes a forest upon _record_, and the OFFICERS
before mentioned are appointed. A forest has its "BOUNDARIES," its
"PURLIEUS," its "PROPERTIES," its "COURTS," with a variety of
regulations equally uninteresting and unentertaining, except to those
who are resident within its precincts; to whom a variety of enlarged
particulars will be useful, and may be found in "DANIELS' RURAL SPORTS,"
a recent publication of merit and celebrity.

There are said to have been SIXTY-NINE FORESTS in England, of which the
NEW FOREST, WINDSOR FOREST, SHERWOOD FOREST, and the FOREST OF DEAN,
have always been considered the principal. His Majesty's STAG HOUNDS are
kept at the kennel upon _Ascot Heath_, in WINDSOR FOREST, where he has
for some years enjoyed the pleasures of the chase.

The beasts of forest, in all ancient records, were denominated "BEASTS
OF VENERY," and consisted of the _Hart_, _Hind_, _Hare_, _Boar_, and
_Wolf_: the complete extinction of the two latter has, however, long
since rendered the term unnecessary, if not entirely _obsolete_, and the
whole is generally comprehended under the appellation of GAME, and the
LAWS enacted to prevent its destruction.


FOREST LAWS—are the laws framed for the protection of VERT and VENISON
within the precincts of a forest. It is the business, and the duty, of
all _subordinate_ officers, to apprehend offenders of whatever
description, and present them to the FOREST COURTS, in order to their
being punished according to the magnitude of the offence they may have
committed.


FOREST COURTS—are the courts occasionally held for executing the FOREST
LAWS. The principal of which is, the Court of the CHIEF JUSTICE in EYRE;
this is a court of _record_, and is held only once in _three years_. The
Court of SWAINMOTE consists of the verderers, who, in some degree, are
the JUDGES; as they receive presentments, and hear evidence, as well as
enquire of _offences_ to _convict_, but cannot pass judgment, that power
being reserved to the Court of the CHIEF JUSTICE (called "JUSTICE SEAT")
alone. The Court of Swainmote can only be held _three times a year_. The
COURT OF ATTACHMENT is likewise a meeting of the VERDERERS, and held
once in _six weeks_, being called the "FORTY DAYS COURT."

During the time of the great camp upon _Bagshot Heath_, the DUKE of
RICHMOND having taken up his temporary residence at the _Rose Inn_,
_Wokingham_, in WINDSOR FOREST, where the courts were occasionally held,
and seeing the regulations respecting the COURT of ATTACHMENT fixed in
the room, his Grace wished to obtain some information upon the subject;
but finding none to be derived from the waiter, he desired "a person
might be sent up who knew _something of the matter_." In a few minutes
appeared the son of the landlady, who most _sagaciously_ informed the
DUKE, that the "_Forty Days Court_ was an ANNUAL MEETING, held every
_six weeks_;" with which very clear and explanatory account, his Grace
condescendingly expressed himself "perfectly satisfied."


FORM—is the spot in which the HARE takes her _seat_ at the dawn of day,
to secrete herself, after making her various work in the night (or
rather in the early part of the morning) to avoid discovery. When found
_sitting_, she is said to be in her FORM. If _shot_ as she sits, without
being previously disturbed, she is then said to have been _shot in her
form_. HARES vary their sitting according to the _season_, the _sun_,
and the _wind_. Soon after harvest they are found in wheat, barley, and
oat stubbles, as well as in rushy grassy moors; after these get bare,
they retire to _coverts_, _banks_, _hedges_, and _hedge-rows_. After
Christmas, and in the spring months, _dry fallows_, particularly those
laying towards the sun with an ascent, are seldom without hares, if
there are any in the neighbourhood.


FOUL-FEEDERS—See APPETITE.


FOWL.—FOWL, properly arranged, may be classed under three distinct
heads; as DOMESTIC FOWL, consisting of cocks, hens, geese, and ducks.
WILD FOWL, comprehending, in the general sporting acceptation, only
birds of flight and passage, as sea-gulls and geese, wild ducks,
widgeon, teal, curlews, plover, woodcocks, and snipes. GAME FOWL, in the
earliest Acts of Parliament, for its preservation, were extended to a
very long list, including even the "Heron," the "Mallard," the "Duck,"
and the "Teal:" these, however, seem to be buried in a legal oblivion,
and the whole at present to centre in the PHEASANT, the PARTRIDGE, the
GROUSE, or red game, and the HEATH FOWL, or black game; the laws
respecting which individually, will be found under their distinct and
separate heads.


FOWLING—is a term in some degree PROVINCIAL, being used in a different
sense in _one_ county to what it is in _another_. In fenny countries,
FOWLING applies generally to the pursuit of _water fowl_, and the act of
obtaining or taking them with either NET or GUN. In other parts, FOWLING
appertains only to the sport of taking partridges with a NET and SETTING
DOG. With FARMERS, and the middling class of rustics, particularly in
remote parts, _fowling_ and _shooting_ are synonimous terms.


FOWLING-BAG, OR NET.—A bag or net is so called, which hangs by the side
of a SPORTSMAN, suspended from a leathern belt passing round the neck
over his shoulder, for the purpose of receiving such GAME as he may be
able "_to bag_," or "bring to _net_."


FOWLING-PIECE—has been generally used to imply a GUN of _any_
description, so far as it was applicable to the purpose of killing GAME,
or, in fact, WILD FOWL of _any_ kind. It is, however, now more properly
applied to those of _five_ or _six_ feet in the _barrel_, principally
made use of for killing SEA and WATER FOWL, as _Wild_ or _Solan Geese_,
_Wild Ducks_, _Widgeon_, _Teal_, &c.


FOX.—The FOX is that well-known native animal of this country whose
instinctive _cunning_ has rendered it proverbial: they are common in
most parts of the kingdom, (as well as in Scotland,) but vary so much in
_size_, that a late writer has extended his description to three
different and _distinct_ kinds. He says, "There are three varieties of
fox with us, differing in form, but not in colour, except the _cur_ FOX,
whose tip of the tail is black: they are distinguished by the names of
the GREYHOUND FOX, which is the tallest and boldest, and is chiefly
found in the mountainous parts of England and Scotland, and will attack
a well-grown sheep. The MASTIFF FOX is less, but his limbs more strongly
formed. The CUR FOX is the least, the most common, and is the most
pernicious to GAME, approaches nearer to the habitations of mankind,
lurks about the out-houses of the FARMER, and destroys all the POULTRY
it can get at."

Without descending to a minute examination of this "VARIETY," which
probably may arise from the force of a too fertile imagination, or the
different _growth_ of FOXES in _different counties_, where the
_deficiency_ of food, or the _difficulty_ of _obtaining_ it, may
occasion as great and proportional a variation in the _size_ of the
ANIMAL, as may be observed with the HORSES of SCOTLAND and WALES, when
brought into competition with those produced in a more fertile part of
the kingdom; it must suffice to explain his natural history as of _one
species_ only.

The FOX, when _tamed_, and subject to nice inspection, is one of the
most beautifully formed animals in the creation; and when that _form_ is
critically surveyed, the _possibility_ of his persevering _speed_ before
such immense bodies of _fleet_ pursuers, for so great a length of time,
becomes matter of the greatest admiration. Foxes are in colour of a
yellowish red, or rather yellow brown, having on the forehead, the
shoulders, as far as the root of the tail, and the outside of the hind
legs, a tinge of dirty white or ash colour: the edges of the lips, the
cheeks, and the throat, are white; and a stripe of the same runs along
the under side of the legs: the breast and belly are a lightish grey:
the tips of the ears and feet (sportingly termed PADS) are black: the
tail (called BRUSH) reddish yellow, with a blackish hue upon the
surface; the tip itself pure white.

The fox in formation has great resemblance to the DOG, but with some
variations; his head is larger in proportion to his body; his ears are
shorter; his tail thicker, and the hair longer: he has a broad flat
forehead, narrowing to a picked nose; ears erect, and sharp at the
point; eyes small, and fiery in aspect, by which are easily observed
whether he is influenced by AFFECTION, ANGER, or FEAR. His sense of
smelling is so instinctively exquisite, that he can _wind_ either his
_prey_ or his enemy at a very considerable distance.

The sagacity of this animal, in the pursuit of his prey, as well as his
various modes of obtaining it, are almost beyond description: his
favourite objects are GAME of every kind, RABBITS, POULTRY without
exception, BIRDS, and the smaller quadrupeds. In extreme hunger he will
eat _mice_, _frogs_, _snails_, and _insects_: some kinds of fruits and
berries also are not refused. HONEY he is remarkably fond of; and, it is
said, will even attack the HIVES, and hazard the event of _a battle_,
rather than relinquish the chance of so luxurious and delicious a
repast. The same sagacity regulates all his proceedings in respect to
bodily safety: when laying above ground, it is generally in the most
sequestered and unfrequented places, and the most difficult of access;
when _at earth_, it is generally in the strong hold of hard ground,
exceedingly deep, of which some BADGER has been dispossessed, (by the
FOX'S cunning of depositing his excrement there,) or under the roots of
trees, by the diverse ramifications of which he is shielded from every
chance of extermination.

In his nocturnal depredations, he is in some degree _systematic_,
frequently selecting for his concealment those small grassy-bottomed
COVERTS near the small _hovels_ and _thatched cottages_ of the labouring
poor, where his lurking-place is the least suspected. Here, in his
recluse KENNEL, he enjoys the various cackling of the different kinds of
poultry, and exultingly anticipates the intentional devastation. When
unrestrained, and in a state of liberty, he seizes POULTRY with a
rapturous eagerness, and ravenous rapacity, absolutely incredible; his
joy in possession is demonstrated by the most inexpressible _twistings_
and _flirtings_ of the TAIL, with other wanton _gesticulations_,
indicative of the highest possible gratification. The first and most
pressing sensations of present _hunger_ being satisfied, he prudently
provides for the _uncertainty_ of the _future_: after the annihilation
(or safe deposit) of a _first_, he returns for the _second_; that safely
secured, either in a hole dug for its reception, and covered with earth,
or secreted in his _kennel_, he comes for _a third_, which is concealed
in a similar manner, but not in the same place, well knowing the
impolicy of placing _all_ his _treasure_ in ONE BANK, wisely
recollecting, that should BANKRUPTCY happen in _one place_, it can prove
no _bad maxim_ to have EFFECTS in another.

FORTUNE not always favoring him at the _same points_, he has his
ALTERNATIVES: as it is the _misfortune_ annexed to his very NATURE to
afford _sport_ to _others_, so, with all the retaliation in his power,
he frequently finds _sport_ for _himself_. To the helpless, inoffensive
LEVERETS, during the early part of the season, he frequently gives
chase, particularly on moon-light nights, with too much success. In this
pursuit he vents a sensation of pleasure, partaking more of a _yelping
whimper_ than a distinct _bark_: he seizes old HARES in their _forms_;
perseveringly digs _rabbits_ out of their _burrows_; is indefatigable in
the search after, and discovery of, PHEASANTS and PARTRIDGES upon their
_nests_, which he instantly destroys. The fatigue he undergoes by night
in quest of prey, occasions him to sleep _much_, and sometimes
exceedingly _sound_, by DAY: instances have been frequent of HOUNDS
drawing up to, and killing them _in kennel_, without _a drag_; as well
as of their being found sleeping in the sunny banks of hedge-rows, and
shot by FARMERS, (basking as they lay,) without being previously
disturbed.

The naturally rank and offensive smell of the FOX renders it a rich
_scent_ to HOUNDS, which they evidently evince when it _lays well_, and
they are running BREAST HIGH; at which time the _crows_, _magpies_, and
_jays_, (who consider him an invincible and cruel enemy,) give clamorous
proofs of his presence, by hovering over him with their screams of
exultation at his impending fate, so long as they can keep him _in
view_. They copulate (or go to _clicket_, as it is called) in the
winter, and produce cubs during the month of April, and the first week
in May: they have but one litter a year; an OLD VIXEN frequently
bringing from _six_ to _nine_ cubs; a VIXEN of the _first_ or _second_
year not so many. They are known to grow for eighteen months, and to
live, even in a _tame state_, for fourteen or fifteen years.

Doubts have arisen, and opposite opinions have been strenuously
supported, upon the question whether the FOX and DOG will generate an
OFFSPRING to which the _prolific_ powers shall continue in successive
perpetuity: this seems to be positively ascertained in the AFFIRMATIVE,
with one exception, which is, that the act of copulation will be
effected only by the DOG FOX with a _bitch_ of the CANINE SPECIES.

Instances of the extreme _cunning_, and innate _sagacity_, of FOXES,
when hunted, and in returning _twenty_ and _thirty_ miles to the coverts
where they have been first found, are upon record, and almost
innumerable. Their COURAGE, as well as the _strength_ of their _jaws_,
are beyond conception: they defend themselves to the last extremity; no
blows deter them from their hold: their bite is severe and dangerous, as
they make their teeth meet through a strong and thick hand. When caught
by the HOUNDS, they are silently resolute even in DEATH; for
revengefully _seizing_ upon the _first_ assailant, their hold is never
relinquished but with the last gasp.


FOX-HUNTING—has been for time immemorial a favourite sport with the
natives of this kingdom, particularly in the prime of life; the pleasing
exercise, and bodily exertion, contributing greatly to the PRESERVATION
of HEALTH; but the _fatigue_ and _danger_ render it but ill-adapted to
the AGED, the INFIRM, and the VALETUDINARIAN. The persevering speed and
fortitude of the GAME, the constantly improving high mettled excellence
of the HOUNDS, the invincible spirit of the HORSES, and the unrestrained
ardour of their RIDERS, have given it a decided superiority over every
other FIELD SPORT ever yet known to the people of this country. Its
salutary effect upon both the BODY and MIND, has established its
enjoyment upon a basis too broad ever to be shaken, even by time itself:
the superlative pleasure of every scene, the diversities of the
aggregate, and the extacy with which the whole is embraced by its
infinity of devotees, have reduced the sport to a system of perfection
never before known; and in this some of the most LEARNED, the most
EMINENT, and the most OPULENT characters are principally and personally
engaged in nearly _every county_, from one extremity of the kingdom to
the other.

FOX-HUNTING seems to be possessed of a _charm_, or magical inspiration,
within itself, that even the most serious, the most cynical, and the
most singular, cannot, with all the firmness of their resolves, summon
resolution to withstand. It is the very kind of rapturous gratification
to which every effort of the pen becomes inadequate in its attempts at
description; it must be _seen_ to be _understood_; it must be FELT to be
ENJOYED. A FOX-HUNTING ESTABLISHMENT consists, in general, of what it
has done for the last century past, at least with those PACKS most
celebrated for the EMINENCE and OPULENCE of their OWNERS. The principal
and second HUNTSMAN, the first and second WHIPPER-IN, three horses kept
for _each_ of the _first_, and two _each_ for _both_ the _last_; from
TWENTY-FIVE to THIRTY-FIVE couple of HOUNDS, _terriers_, _helpers_,
_earth-stoppers_, _dog-feeders_, and a long list of _et ceteras_, too
numerous for minute description. Those who wish to acquire a
_systematic_ knowledge of the SPORT, (so far as it can be obtained from
THEORY,) will do well to peruse attentively "MR. BECKFORD'S Thoughts
upon Hunting, in a Series of familiar LETTERS TO A FRIEND."—They are so
truly the effusions of sound judgment, and so replete with the useful
remarks of an experienced sportsman, that there is no room for any thing
NEW or ADDITIONAL to be introduced upon the subject.


FREE WARREN.—A FREE WARREN is a term totally distinct from FOREST,
CHACE, PARK, MANOR, or WARREN; it is a _franchise_ derived originally
from THE CROWN; and the person having a grant of free warren over
certain lands, possesses a SOLE RIGHT of _pursuing_, _taking_, and
_killing_ GAME of every kind within its limits; although there may be no
_one acre_ of land his _own property_ through the whole district where
he is possessed of this right. There are instances where a variety of
circumstances render manorial rights and privileges so complex, and
_seemingly_ indefinite, as to produce litigation without personal
enmity, but merely that the RIGHT shall be LEGALLY ascertained. It
appears that where MANOR LANDS are situate in, and surrounded by, a FREE
WARREN, the owner of such lands may _kill game_ within his _own_ manor,
but he cannot introduce even a qualified person to KILL GAME there
_also_, without the consent of the owner or possessor of the privilege
of FREE WARREN over the whole; if so, the person introduced _killing
game_, will be liable to an action for trespass, which action will lie.

A curious cause came on to be tried before a jury at the summer assizes
of the present year, 1802, held at ABINGDON, for the county of BERKS,
wherein JOHN WESTBROOK, Gent. of the parish of BRAY, (situate in Windsor
Forest,) was PLAINTIFF, and a Game-keeper of his Majesty's the
DEFENDANT. The action was brought to try the RIGHT of the DEFENDANT, as
one of his Majesty's keepers, to KILL GAME within the _enclosed grounds_
of the PLAINTIFF, situate in, and surrounded by, the _wastes_,
_commons_, and within the boundaries of the said FOREST. When, without
adverting to the LAWS relative to forests _only_, (with which the
question was totally unconnected,) the Court held it good, that THE
KING, possessing a FREE WARREN over the WHOLE, possessed likewise the
privilege of appointing a KEEPER to kill game upon _any_, and within
_every_, part of the said FREE WARREN, without the least exception as to
_enclosed lands_, the property of _others_; when the jury instantly
found for the DEFENDANT, by which the right is fully confirmed.

This being a question of _privilege_, tried on the part of an individual
against the prerogative of THE CROWN, it might be fairly considered
conclusive upon the subject of FREE WARREN; but as it cannot be too
clearly understood, for the prevention of ill neighbourhood, and
expensive litigation, another decision is subjoined, which took place
about the same time, though in a different county.

On the 12th of July, in the same year, a writ of inquiry was executed
before the Under Sheriff at Hertford, in an action wherein HENRY BROWNE,
of North Mimms, Esq. was PLAINTIFF, and THOMAS GREENWOOD, the Younger,
DEFENDANT. The action was brought for a trespass committed by the
DEFENDANT, in _shooting game_ within the FREE WARREN belonging to the
PLAINTIFF, who is LORD of the MANOR of North Mimms, and entitled to free
warren through the whole of the Manor. It appeared, that the land on
which the trespass was committed, and the _game killed_, by the
DEFENDANT, was _not, in point of fact_, the land of the PLAINTIFF, but,
on the contrary, belonged to JUSTINIAN CASAMAJOR, Esq. However, as it
was proved to be within the Manor of North Mimms, and the right of free
warren extending over the whole of the Manor, THE JURY, after
considering the circumstances of the case, and the defendant's conduct,
who persisted in shooting _after being warned to the contrary_, gave a
verdict of TEN POUNDS with costs.


FRET.—The disorder which (in the country) is called by this name, is the
FLATULENT CHOLIC, and occasioned from a retention of wind, and a
rarefaction of air in the intestinal canal. It is immediately
discoverable by the fulness and extreme tension of the carcase, the
agonizing pain of the horse, the rumbling of the confined air, the
partial and very trifling expulsions of wind, the laboured respiration,
frequent groaning, suddenly laying down, and as hastily rising, constant
looking back to the flank on one side or the other, as if soliciting
relief from those who surround him. The great and leading object is, to
promote a plentiful EXPULSION of WIND: this is in general followed by
excrementitious discharges, by which ease is obtained, and the disorder
near at an end. Warm, spicy, aromatic CARMINATIVES, blended with
ANODYNES, are the medicines best adapted to this species of CHOLIC, and
to which it speedily submits; more particularly if plenty of ASSISTANTS
are at hand to bestow the necessary portion of _flank rubbing_, (and
belly wisping,) to an unceasing perseverance in which, success is
_equally_ to be depended upon with the administration of MEDICINE; as in
most cases little is to be expected from one without collateral aid from
the other.


FROG,—in HORSES, is the centrical soft kind of horny substance at the
bottom of the foot, spreading wide from the heel, having a cleft in the
middle, and terminating in a point toward the toe. To the internal parts
the lower extremity of the TENDONS are attached, and the FROG is the
basis by which their _elasticity_ is supported, and from whence is
derived the _deceptive_ reasoning, that the FROG must indispensibly (in
action) _touch_ the _ground_. The frog is subject to a defect, called
the FRUSH, or THRUSH, and this, when become virulent, is termed _running
thrush_: it sometimes arises from internal heat, by standing too much
upon _foul hot litter_, (particularly in the livery stables of the
Metropolis,) as well as from a STAGNANT state of the FLUIDS in the
extremities, for want of _proper exercise_, leg rubbing, and keeping the
feet clean.


FROTH.—A HORSE displaying a profusion of FROTH when champing upon the
BIT, either in _action_ upon the _road_, or in the FIELD with HOUNDS,
may be considered a distinguishing, and almost invariable sign of both
good spirit and sound bottom; for a _dull jade_, or a HORSE of the
_sluggish cart breed_, is very rarely to be seen with this appearance.
It is also no inferior criterion of HEALTH, and may, in general, be
considered truly indicative of CONDITION: few, if any, horses of this
description _flag_ upon a journey, or _tire_ in the field.


FRUSH.—A disorder or defect in the centrical cleft of the FROG, at the
bottom of the foot, was formerly so called; but is now more generally
known under the denomination of THRUSH, which SEE.


FUMIGATION—is a most useful PROCESS in all cases where the DISEASES of
HORSES particularly affect the HEAD. In recent _colds_, obstinate
_coughs_, glandular _tumefactions_ under the _jaws_, STRANGLES,
INFLAMMATION of the LUNGS, low fevers, and even in dulness,
over-fatigue, or when a horse is off his appetite, and refuses food, it
is very frequently of perceptible utility. HORSES may be fumigated by
boiling ROSEMARY, LAVENDER, MARSHMALLOW LEAVES, and CAMMOMILE FLOWERS,
in a few quarts of water over the fire for a quarter of an hour, then
straining off the liquor, and strewing the _hot herbs_ from one end of
the manger to the other, fastening the horse's head up with the _rack
rein_, by which means he cannot evade the EFFLUVIA. In want of these, or
where they are difficult to obtain, a mash made of GROUND MALT, with
boiling water, is a very substantial and proper substitute, into which
stir two ounces of aniseed, and two ounces of carraway seeds, both
fresh, and previously beaten to powder in a mortar. This mash most
HORSES will afterwards EAT, when sufficiently _cold_ for the purpose;
which, with the effect of the _fumes_ upon the THROAT, the NOSTRILS, the
GLANDS, and the HEAD, in general will promote a discharge, and relieve
the subject.


FUNGUS—is the too-fast shooting granulations of new flesh during the
incarnation of WOUNDS, particularly in HORSES, with whom it is
invariably exuberant, and requires some degree of judgment in the
suppression: it is too frequently attempted by _Roman vitriol_,
_corrosive sublimate_, and other caustics; but they are only productive
of disappointment, in constituting _an eschar_ upon the surface, and
leaving the cure at a more remote and uncertain distance, than before
their application. Slight scarifications, both transverse and
longitudinal, with a LANCET or BISTORY, is a far preferable mode of
treatment, and that followed by a dressing of lint covered with proper
digestives.


FURNITURE HORSE.—In many parts of the United Kingdom, the SADDLE,
BRIDLE, CLOTHS, and every other part appertaining to the body of the
horse, passes under the denomination of _horse furniture_.



G.


GALLS, OR GALLING.—Lacerations occasioned by the too tight pressure and
friction of an uneasy and ill-fitted saddle, or heavy harness, are so
called. They are seldom seen with either the judicious or the
enlightened; experience having taught _both_ how to appreciate
PREVENTION. The prudent SPORTSMAN will never take his horse to the
field, nor the humane driver his carriage-horse to the road, till
personal examination has convinced him the necessary apparatus is not
only _firm_, but proportionally _easy_; and this should become the more
predominant in memory, because it is natural to conclude, no man
existing would, by neglect or inattention, give _pain_ to the very
animal from whose exertions he is to derive his own PLEASURE.

Injuries of this description, if unexpectedly sustained, should be
immediately attended to; a repetition, and _that soon_, upon the part so
injured, is frequently productive of trouble, expence, loss of time, and
disappointment. When the side of a horse is _galled_, as it sometimes
is, by the girth-buckle having been most improperly placed upon the
_edge_ of the _pad_, it is not unlikely, for want of early or proper
attention, to terminate in a SITFAST, and then can only be completely
cured by extirpation with _the knife_. The WITHERS being affected in the
same way, and the saddle or harness continued in use by which the injury
was originally occasioned, the foundation of FISTULA may be laid, and
will be likely to ensue. In all slight and superficial galls, two or
three moistenings of the part with cold vinegar will allay the
inflammation, and harden the surface; but where the long-continued
_heat_ and _friction_ has occasioned a destruction of parts, it must be
dressed and managed as a wound, which can only be completely cured by
incarnation.


GALLOP—is one pace of THE HORSE, well known by that general name; though
it will admit of gradational distinctions. A CANTER is the slowest
gallop, in which a horse bears most upon his haunches, but lightly on
the bit; it is a pace which spirited, good-tempered horses seem to
enjoy, and is peculiarly calculated for the accommodation of a lady. A
RATING-GALLOP is the increase of action to such pace, as the particular
horse may or can go with ease _at his rate_ in common stroke without
being exerted _to speed_; and this is the HUNTING GALLOP of thorough
BRED HORSES, who will always lay by the _side_ of HOUNDS at it, without
being in the least distrest. A BRUSHING GALLOP upon the TURF, implies an
increased degree of velocity, but not equal to utmost speed.


GALLOPADE—is a term in the MILITARY MANEGE.


GALLOWAY—is the appellation given to that useful kind of small horse
from THIRTEEN to FOURTEEN HANDS high; they are rarely to be seen of
exact SYMMETRY, uniform STRENGTH, and adequate ACTION; but, if
_well-bred_, their qualifications, and endurance of fatigue, exceeds
description.


GAMBLERS—consist of two sets; first, those whose thirst for GAMING,
(called PLAY) is insatiate, and who have PROPERTY to LOSE; these are
GENTLEMEN, who, possessing a refined sense of HONOR themselves, never
meanly descend to suspect the INTEGRITY of _others_. An accurate
description of their opponents will be found under the head "BLACK
LEGS," where the practices of "_the family_" are more fully explained.


GAME—for the preservation of which such a succession of LAWS have been
enacted, were, in many of the former preambles to the different ACTS of
PARLIAMENT, extended to "the _Heron_, _Pigeon_, _Mallard_, _Duck_,
_Teal_, _Widgeon_, or any _such Fowl_;" but in the present construction,
GAME is generally considered to imply no more than the HARE, PHEASANT,
PARTRIDGE, HEATH-FOWL, and MOOR GAME, which are the whole of what is
intentionally included in the GAME LAWS; and what persons possessed of
_certain qualifications_, as well as an ANNUAL CERTIFICATE, are
empowered to kill. DEER of every description are also denominated GAME;
but they are protected by LAWS appropriate to their peculiar
preservation. RABBITS were also included in many of the earliest acts
relating to GAME, but are now considered of no consequence, except in
WARRENS, where being private property, and productive of annual profit,
they have LAWS for the security of THE OWNER, with very heavy penalties
annexed to their destruction. PROPRIETORS of DOVE-HOUSE PIGEONS have
likewise legal means of redress, upon their pigeons being _wantonly_
shot at or destroyed. The _mallard_, _wild-duck_, _widgeon_, _teal_, &c.
are not without LAWS for their increase, and proportional preservation.
See DECOY.


GAME COCK.—The true-bred GAME COCK is a species of fowl almost peculiar
to this country; his natural and instinctive courage will never permit
him to yield to an opponent, however he may be superior in WEIGHT and
STRENGTH; but he will, even under those disadvantages, continue to fight
till literally _cut to pieces_. After the _loss of eyes_, with the body
wounded and perforated in every part, when even the _use_ of his _legs_
are _gone_, and he is no longer able to stand, but lays extended upon
_the sod_, with his victorious opponent exultingly CROWING over his
mangled frame, he will continue to _shew fight_ with his _beak_, to the
last remains of life.

Those NOBLEMEN and GENTLEMEN who have (from hereditary rule, and local
custom) continued the sport of COCKING, in the neighbourhoods where
their country mansions and landed estates lay, have been, and are,
exceedingly circumspect and cautious in the BREED, lest any chance of
contamination should _creep in_, by an injudicious, improper, or
unlucky, _cross in the blood_; for as some HUNDREDS of POUNDS are
frequently depending upon ONE MAIN, and that main upon the battle of _a
single cock_, no such money can be betted with a probable or equal
_chance_ of _winning_, unless the unsullied purity of the BREED is most
accurately ascertained. In confirmation of which remark, it is to be
observed, that whenever a COCK, in FIGHTING, declines the battle, no
longer faces his adversary, but repeatedly _turns tail_, and _runs
away_, his blood is no longer to be relied on; and such cock has not
only his neck broke in the Pit, but the whole of that breed are
destroyed, to prevent farther contamination, as well as future loss,
disgrace, and disappointment.

GAME COCKS are bred of various colours, according to the fancy or
opinion of different AMATEURS, many of whom have their favourite
plumage; their colours are technically described by the variations in
feather, and are as follow: The black or pheasant-breasted RED; the
black-breasted GINGER; the speckle-breasted GINGER DUN; the
black-breasted YELLOW DUCKWING; the turkey-breasted DITTO; the SMUTTY
DUN; the BRASS-WINGED BLACK; and the SMOCK, which is a _milk-white_,
having the appearance of a common _barn-door fowl_; and the odds are
proportionally against them whenever they are brought TO PIT, which is
now but seldom, the breed being nearly or quite destroyed.

Two opinions have always been, and still are, entertained respecting THE
COCKS most proper to breed from, admitting the standard of _bone_,
_strength_, _weight_, and _standing_, to be just the same. Some prefer
breeding from A COCK who has WON many _hard-fought_ battles, by which
his _own blood_ is so fairly proved; whilst others maintain the
consistency of breeding only from the _full brothers_ of such, (who are
called MAIDEN COCKS, as never having fought,) under an impression, that
the former must have sustained material injury by the _wounds_ received,
and the _blood lost_, in the battles he had formerly fought. However
those who BREED GAME FOWL may differ upon this particular point, it is
an opinion nearly unanimous, that if you breed entirely for the Pit,
that no cock should be bred from younger than TWO, or more than SIX,
years old. Although it is right to breed from a strong, bony,
close-made, majestic, high-standing cock, yet it is by no means prudent
so to do from cocks _much above_ match weight; that is to say, never to
exceed FOUR POUNDS, TWELVE OUNCES, at the utmost; for should the HENS
prove large also, the _progeny_ might run still more into _size_ and
_bone_, and never fall into any match whatever.

In breeding GAME CHICKEN, to breed with success, there are some general
rules, which should be strictly attended to, and invariably persevered
in. No BROOD-COCK should walk with more than _four hens_; three being,
in fact, fully sufficient. GAME HENS should never be permitted to bring
forth a clutch of chickens before the _last_ week in FEBRUARY, nor after
the _first_ week in MAY; those hatched in MARCH and APRIL are only
adapted to THE PIT, and are always preferable, in SIZE and GROWTH, to
those hatched at _any other_ season of the year. Hens after hatching
should be _cooped asunder_, where the chickens cannot intermix; as the
hens will not only _kill_ the _young_ of _each other_, but FIGHT
THEMSELVES with the same inveteracy as THE COCKS. If a game hen, with
chicken, retreats when attacked by another in the same state, her
produce has been suspected to prove, in future, _defective in courage_;
this opinion has, however, been founded upon false principles; because
it is a very common circumstance for the younger hen to give place to an
older, as it always is for THE STAG to submit to the OLD COCK, who must
and will continue master of his walk.

During the first year after being hatched, they are called individually
CHICKEN; from twelve months to two years old, they are termed STAGS, and
from that period called COCKS, being then thought in _their prime_; but
they are probably more so AT THREE, if properly walked. COCK CHICKENS
should never be permitted to run too long together, but be separated as
soon as they begin fighting _with each other_; and this ought to be the
more strictly attended to, because it frequently happens, that out of a
_whole clutch_, by neglect or inattention, what with _scalped heads_,
_loss of eyes_, _broken beaks_, or _deformed feet_, not one has ever
been brought to the scale.

COCK CHICKEN, when first removed, at _three_ or _four_ months old, are
placed where they continue to walk under an OLD COCK, and will continue
obedient and submissive till _nine_ and _ten_, or sometimes TWELVE
MONTHS old; the experiment is nevertheless too hazardous to be made;
they had much better be taken to a MASTER-WALK in proper time, to avoid
the probability of either _one_ or _both_ being SPOILED. The most
eminent BREEDERS, as well as the most enthusiastic BETTERS, have one
mode of endeavouring to fix a criterion, how far they can depend upon
_the heel_, _the fight_, and _the blood_, of any particular BREED or
CROSS they may have been induced to adopt. This experiment (dreadfully
_cruel_ as it is) is termed "CUTTING OUT," and consists in _pitting_
such CHICKEN of _seven_, _eight_, or _nine_ months old, _unarmed_,
against their own brothers, or others of superior _age_, _weight_, and
_strength_, having SILVER SPURS; if the chicken, so unarmed, and without
the least chance of success, continues the combat till completely
_deprived of life_, without displaying the least tendency to cowardice,
or consciousness of defeat, more of his brothers have the same severe
and "fiery ordeal" to undergo, when, if the result is just the same, the
_cross_ is admitted to be _good_, and the BREED is persevered in, till,
from circumstances, the blood is thought to degenerate, when new crosses
are adopted, and new experiments made. See COCKING, COCK-MATCH, and
COCKPIT.


GAMING—is that destructive vice which has annihilated some of the most
princely fortunes in this, and, perhaps, in every other kingdom: it is a
whirlwind of devastating infatuation, which destroys every thing before
it: like the effect of unrestrained fire, it continues its ravages so
long as there is a single combustible to feed the flame. The most
MAGNIFICENT MANSIONS, the most LORDLY POSSESSIONS, the most MAJESTIC
"towering woods," and the most extensive FERTILE VALES, have been in
_one night swept away_ by this infernal and definitive propensity.
Thousands, educated in AFFLUENCE, and left in a state of the most
flourishing INDEPENDENCE, have been reduced to the _greatest want_, and
died _miserable repentants_ within the dreary CONFINES of a PRISON, by
the certain effect of an attachment to this most dreadful of _all
vices_, which the united WISDOM of the LEGISLATURE has so strenuously
endeavoured to suppress. LAWS have been framed, and are rigidly
enforced, for its _prevention_; heavy STAMP DUTIES have been laid upon
CARDS and DICE, that those who use them may voluntarily contribute to
the support of the State, by which both person and property are
protected; and, as a farther proportional prohibition, no GAMING DEBT is
recoverable BY LAW where the sum _sued for_ shall exceed TEN POUNDS. See
BETTING.


GAMING-HOUSES—are those infamous NOCTURNAL RECEPTACLES of the most
abandoned _iniquity_, where such scenes of villainy are in perpetual
practice, that the most fertile pen must be inadequate to even a
tolerable representation. These houses in the Metropolis, are, by the
SPORTING WORLD, denominated "HELLS;" and so truly are they entitled to
that sublime distinction, that the whole FORCE of MAGISTRACY has been
most laudably and successfully exerted against them without exception.
Houses of this description are appropriated only to the _purposes_ of
_play_, and that of the most _unfair_ description. They are kept by
SYSTEMATIC DEPREDATORS, "who shun the light;" men who have no _credit_
to _support_, no _reputation_ to _lose_; and who are as completely lost
to every sense of shame, as they are completely banished from the
respectable classes of society. Here it is where the young, the
inexperienced, the injudicious, and the inconsiderate, sacrifice not
only their OWN, and often the property of OTHERS, but _prostitute_ also
that most invaluable GEM their INTEGRITY, and with it a PEACE of MIND
never to be restored.

From the _first moment_ of entering such an iniquitous sink of
POLLUTION, such a complication of VILLAINY, and such a combination of
the most desperate and abandoned THIEVES, every infatuated adventurer
may date the origin of _future misery_. Whether it be CARDS, DICE, E. O.
or whatever GAME or NAME the speculative sport may be, the _credulous,
unsuspecting dupe_ has no one CHANCE TO WIN, but inevitably every chance
_to lose_, under the _certainty_ of their systematic depredation. Thus
far in explanation of those HELLS, legally considered nuisances to
society, as being prejudicial to the morals, and destructive to the
property, of such individuals as unhappily fall within the vortex of so
fashionable an influence; but there are other GAMING HOUSES of a
superior order, and of the most magnificent description, supported in
all the style of EASTERN SPLENDOR, by _annual_ contribution from the
first characters in the kingdom, and called "SUBSCRIPTION HOUSES," to
which none but their own INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS are admitted under any plea
whatever; and these, as private houses, being ABOVE THE LAW, any member
possesses, of course, the privilege of _ruining himself_, and reducing
his _family_ to _beggary_, without transgressing the LAWS of HIS
COUNTRY, or incurring the _censure_ of his best and most fashionable
friends.


GAME-KEEPERS—are persons delegated by legal prescription, to provide
GAME for the purposes of those by whom they are appointed, to PRESERVE
and PROTECT it against a class of adventurers (denominated _poachers_)
by night, as well as an unfair or improper destruction of it by day.
Every LORD or LADY of a MANOR are authorized, by writing under their
hands and seals, to empower a GAME-KEEPER to kill _within the said
manor_, any HARE, PHEASANT, PARTRIDGE, or other game. If, however, such
game-keeper shall _sell_ or _dispose_ of the game he shall so kill,
without the _knowledge_ or _consent_ of the said LORD or LADY, and shall
be convicted, upon the oath of _one_ witness, before a Justice of Peace,
he shall be committed to the house of correction, and kept to hard
labour for three months.

One GAME-KEEPER only can be appointed to kill game within one manor; in
which he is authorized and empowered, by his DEPUTATION, to take and
seize all guns, bows, greyhounds, setting-dogs, lurchers, ferrets,
trammels, low-bells, hays, or other nets, hare-pipes, snares, or other
engines, for the taking and killing of HARES, PHEASANTS, PARTRIDGES, or
other game, within the precincts of such manor, in the possession of any
person not qualified to keep the same. It does not appear by this act
(23d Charles Second, c. xxv. s. 2) that a GAME-KEEPER is empowered to
seize THE GAME, although he is authorized to take all instruments in use
for the destruction of it.

By the 25th George Third, c. v. s. 2, every _deputation_ of a
GAME-KEEPER granted to any person, by any LORD or LADY of any MANOR in
England or Wales, shall be _registered_ with the CLERK of THE PEACE of
the county in which such manor lies; where he shall receive a
certificate of such registry, upon payment of ONE GUINEA, and one
shilling to the Clerk, for the same. A game-keeper omitting to register
his deputation, and to take out his certificate, for _twenty days_, to
forfeit TWENTY POUNDS. The certificate must be renewed _annually_; and
upon the appointment of a NEW GAME-KEEPER, a _new certificate_ must be
taken out; and the person formerly acting under the old certificate is
no longer _qualified_ to _kill game_, but liable to all the penalties of
this act.

In addition, a few general remarks may be useful. A GAME-KEEPER having
no other qualification than his _deputation_ and _certificate_, is not
entitled to KILL GAME out of the precincts of the manor for which he is
appointed. Nor is he empowered to demand THE NAME, or a SIGHT, of the
CERTIFICATE of any qualified person _out_ of his _own_ district; unless
he is qualified to kill game in his OWN RIGHT, (exclusive of his
deputation,) and is possessed of his THREE GUINEA certificate; in which
case he may do either or both. But let it be remembered, that, although
he is QUALIFIED to KILL GAME in his own right, and acts under a
_deputation_ for a certain specified MANOR, he is liable to the penalty
prescribed by the Act, if he is informed against for, and convicted of,
killing game out of that manor, without being previously possessed of
the three guinea certificate. Any GAME-KEEPER killing or taking a hare,
pheasant, partridge, or other game, under colour of being for the use of
the Lord of the Manor, and afterwards SELLING and DISPOSING thereof,
without the consent of the said LORD of the MANOR, upon conviction, on
the complaint of such Lord, and on the oath of one witness, before a
Justice, shall be committed to the house of correction for three months,
and there kept to hard labour.


GAME LAWS.—The laws framed for the PRESERVATION of THE GAME, are, by the
different ACTS of PARLIAMENT, during several successive reigns, become
so truly voluminous, and in many instances thought so truly complex,
that it is impracticable to reduce any moderate abridgement of the whole
within the intentional limits of this Work. But as many of the former
Acts (at least _many_ of the _clauses_ in those Acts) though unrepealed,
are in practice almost obsolete, it is proposed (divested of legal
tautology) to bring a review of the existing parts of the GAME LAWS as
they now stand, and as they are now acted upon, into as concise a point
of view as the subject will admit; and so perfectly free from ambiguity,
as to be rendered perfectly clear to the most moderate comprehension: at
least as much so, as can be expected upon LAWS, that, after all the
refinement of CENTURIES, after all the investigation and deliberation of
the different LEGISLATURES, and the advantages derived also from the
sage opinions of the most learned in THE LAW, are certainly less
respected, and less effectual, than any other part of the code to be
found in the statute books of this realm. Whether it is, that they are
less understood, less palatable to those interested in their effect, or
but feebly and partially executed, is a matter only to be ascertained by
time, and such future arrangements as may probably take place.

Persons held legally qualified to kill game, must be in the full and
undisputed possession of a FREEHOLD LANDED ESTATE, producing a clear
100_l._ _per annum_; or possessed of a lease, or leases, for ninety-nine
years, or any longer term, of the clear yearly value of 150_l._ other
than the heir apparent of an Esquire, or other person of higher degree.
ESQUIRES, as defined by LAW, are the younger sons of NOBLEMEN, and their
heirs male for ever: the four Esquires of the King's body: the eldest
sons of BARONETS, of KNIGHTS of the BATH, of Knights Bachelors, and
their heirs male in the right line. A JUSTICE of the PEACE is also an
Esquire for the time he is in the commission, but no longer.

Persons of higher degree than Esquires, are COLONELS, SERJEANTS AT LAW,
and DOCTORS in the three learned Professions; but neither Esquires, nor
any of these, are qualified to kill game, unless they have the requisite
estate mentioned; though their SONS are qualified without _any_ estate.
This, however unreasonable it may seem, has been fully decided to be the
true construction of the Act. In addition to every necessary
QUALIFICATION by ESTATE, according to the construction of all former
Acts, it is enacted, by 25th George Third, c. 1. s. 2, That every person
in Great Britain who shall use any dog, gun, net, or other engine, for
the taking or destruction of game, shall every year, previously to his
using the same, deliver in a paper, or account in writing, containing
his name and place of abode, to the CLERK of THE PEACE of the county
where he shall reside, (or his deputy,) and annually take out A
CERTIFICATE of having so done, for which he is to pay THREE GUINEAS, and
one shilling to the Clerk for his trouble in making out the same; which
certificate shall bear date on the day whereon it is issued, and remain
in force from thence until the first day of July then after, and no
longer. Such certificate may be demanded by the _unqualified_ as well as
QUALIFIED; and if the Clerk of the Peace shall refuse to grant such
certificate when demanded, he is liable to the penalty of TWENTY POUNDS.

Any person, qualified or unqualified, who shall be in pursuit of game,
without having obtained such certificate, shall be liable to the penalty
of TWENTY POUNDS. It is also provided in the said Act, That every person
having obtained a certificate, who shall find _any other_ person in
pursuit of game also, it shall be lawful for him (after having produced
his own certificate) to demand from such other person, the certificate
to him issued of having conformed to the said Act; and on such demand,
such person shall produce such certificate, and permit the same to be
inspected; and on refusing to produce the same, and also refusing to
give his CHRISTIAN and SURNAME, and place of residence, or giving _a
false name_ or place of residence, he shall forfeit the sum of FIFTY
POUNDS.

It is to be observed, that persons taking out A CERTIFICATE, who are
_not qualified_ by former Acts to KILL GAME, derive no privilege from
their certificate so to do; but, nevertheless, remain liable to all the
penalties of former acts, if informed against, and prosecuted to
conviction. It, however, appears, upon the experience of the last seven
years, that since the privilege of killing game has contributed so
largely to the exigencies of the State, less _litigation_ has prevailed
upon the score of PRESERVATION. Indeed, there is now so little fear of
an information, that almost every person having taken out a certificate,
erroneously considers himself _nominally_ entitled TO KILL; in full
confirmation of which, the list of those who have obtained certificates
in the different counties, may be inspected at the STAMP OFFICE, upon
the payment of _one shilling_, where will be found the names of hundreds
who do not individually possess an independent TWENTY POUNDS _per annum_
upon the face of THE GLOBE.

In all cases where the penalty does not exceed 20_l_. the JUSTICE of
PEACE shall, upon information or complaint, summon the party and
witnesses to appear, and proceed to hear and determine the matter in a
summary way; and, upon due proof, by confession, or the OATH of _one_
witness, give judgment for the forfeiture; and issue his warrant for
levying the same on offenders goods, and to sell them, if not redeemed
within six days; rendering to the party what overplus there may happen
to be; and if goods sufficient are not found to answer the PENALTY, the
offender shall stand committed TO PRISON for _six calendar months_,
unless the penalty be sooner paid. Any offender feeling himself
aggrieved by such judgment, may, upon giving security, amounting to the
value of the forfeiture, with the costs of affirmance, APPEAL to the
next GENERAL QUARTER SESSIONS, when it is to be heard and finally
determined; and in case the judgment be affirmed, Sessions may award
such costs incurred by appeal as to themselves shall seem meet. JUSTICES
may mitigate penalties; so that the reasonable charges of officers and
informers for discovery and prosecution, be always allowed over and
above mitigation, and so as the same does not reduce the penalty to less
than a moiety, over and above the costs and charges.

Restrictions for killing GAME are as follow: No PARTRIDGE to be killed
between the 12th of February and 1st of September, under a penalty of
FIVE POUNDS. No PHEASANT between the 1st of February and 1st of October,
under the like penalty. GROUSE, or RED GAME, only from August 12th to
December 10th. HEATH FOWL, or BLACK GAME, from August 20th to December
10th. BUSTARDS from December 1st to March 1st. No time is limited for
the killing of HARES, provided they are not illegally taken. No GAME
whatever is to be killed or _taken_ sooner than ONE HOUR before SUN
RISING, or later than ONE HOUR after SUN SET, under a penalty of 5_l_.
to the qualified or unqualified. Killing game on SUNDAY, or
CHRISTMAS-DAY, liable to the same penalty as killing game during the
night.

Any unqualified person exposing a HARE, PHEASANT, PARTRIDGE, or other
game, to sale, is liable to a penalty of 5_l_. For selling a HARE,
PHEASANT, PARTRIDGE, or other game, qualified or unqualified, 5_l_. If
either are found in the shop, house, or possession of any POULTERER,
SALESMAN, FISHMONGER, COOK or PASTRY-COOK, or of any person not
qualified in his _own right_ to KILL GAME, or entitled thereto under
some person so qualified, it shall be deemed an exposing thereof to sale.

Unqualified persons _using_ any _engine_ to kill or destroy HARES,
PHEASANTS, PARTRIDGES, or other game, liable to a penalty of 5_l_. as
well as _keeping_ and _using_ GREYHOUNDS, SETTING DOGS, or any engines
to kill or destroy HARES, PHEASANTS, PARTRIDGES, or other game, are
liable to a penalty of 5_l_. The _keeping_ or _using_ being individually
or jointly liable to the forfeiture of 5_l_. as well as for killing, so
it should appear, from the plain construction of the Acts, that if the
informations are _separately laid_, first for "_keeping_ and _using_,"
and secondly "for KILLING," conviction must inevitably follow for both,
if sufficient evidence is produced to confirm the offence. Informations
must be laid within SIX CALENDAR MONTHS, before a JUSTICE of PEACE, or
by action of debt, bill, plaint, or information. The whole penalty to be
given to the informer, with _double costs_, if brought on in WESTMINSTER
HALL. Summary conviction, half to the _informer_, and half to _the
poor_. These are the penalties annexed to former Acts, independent of
the Act respecting annual certificates to be taken out from the CLERK of
the PEACE, to KILL (or go in pursuit of) GAME; without which, incurs an
_additional_ penalty of 20_l_. to the unqualified, making the forfeiture
25_l_. and of 20_l_. to the QUALIFIED, who becomes only liable to that
single penalty, for killing, or attempting to kill, game without the
annual certificate so prescribed to be taken out.

A QUALIFIED PERSON cannot come upon another man's ground to KILL GAME,
without being liable to an ACTION for _trespass_; and an unqualified
person for trespassing, shall pay full costs: but if a person qualified
to kill game, sustains an ACTION for _trespass_, and the damage shall be
found under 40_s_. he shall in such case pay no more COSTS than DAMAGES;
this being a most equitable construction, to prevent paltry and personal
litigations. It has been decided by the highest legal authority, that
any unqualified person may go out to beat hedges, bushes, and mark
birds, in company with any qualified person, to see the game pursued and
taken, without being liable to any penalty, provided he has no DOG, GUN,
or ENGINE, of his own, individually, to assist in its destruction.

It would be unfair to conclude this subject, which has for centuries
occasioned such a diversity of opinions amongst the SUPERIOR CLASSES,
and diffused so much discontent amongst the _lower_, without submitting
to _both_, a very EMPHATIC and literal extract from JUDGE BLACKSTONE, in
his comment upon the Forest Laws, in which he has this particular
passage.

"From a simple principle, to which, though the FOREST LAWS are now
mitigated, and by degrees grown entirely obsolete, yet, from this root
has sprung a _bastard-slip_, known by the name of the GAME LAWS, now
arrived to, and wantoning in, its highest vigour; both founded upon the
same unreasonable notions of permanent property in wild creatures, and
productive of the same tyranny; but with this difference, that the
Forest Laws established only one MIGHTY HUNTER throughout the land; the
GAME LAWS have raised a little NIMROD in every manor."


GAMES OF ART—are those in which the skill, judgment, and penetration of
the player are immediately concerned, and upon which alone his success
must entirely depend. In this class are included BILLIARDS, CHESS,
DRAUGHTS, CRICKET, FIVES, TENNIS, BOWLS, and some others, as well as a
few upon the CARDS; but as the latter are always subject to DECEPTION,
and completely subservient to the _slipping_, _sliding_, and _cutting_
of the most FAMILIAR FRIENDS, (even in private families,) they are, with
propriety, much more entitled to the appellation of CHANCE than of ART,
particularly where the unsuspecting player has the _perpetual chance_ of
being ROBBED, without the mortification of knowing the main-spring of
depredation. However expert those may be, who indulge and excel in GAMES
of ART, two things should ever be predominant in memory; always to play
with an invariable philosophic PATIENCE and SERENITY, never to seem
affected by a temporary run of ill-luck or momentary advantage, any more
than agitated by the exulting irritation of a successful opponent. The
run on one side may as suddenly be reversed to the other; a chance that
petulance and ill-humour may probably destroy. PRUDENT PLAYERS never
engage in matches of any kind where _four_ or _more_ are concerned,
except amongst their most intimate acquaintance; particularly at the
public tables of the Metropolis, where it is the custom for _three_ to
poll _one_, and divide the spoils after the PIDGEON has been _plucked_;
a very fashionable mode of playing at both BILLIARDS and WHIST; by which
an infinity of necessitous and unprincipled adventurers procure a daily
subsistence.


GAMES OF CHANCE.—Those games are so called, which depend solely upon the
turning up of a CARD, or the uncertain "HAZARD of THE DIE." When fairly
played, without any latent deception on _one_ side or the _other_, they
are considered truly equitable between the players, who are then said
"to PLAY UPON THE SQUARE," without a point of advantage, the whole being
dependent upon, and decided by, the EFFECT of CHANCE. The celebrated
nocturnal game of HAZARD, at which such immense property is annually
LOST and WON, at the most fashionable and powerfully-supported GAMING
HOUSES, is known to be the first and fairest GAME of CHANCE, upon which
an adventurer (determined to encounter the probability of ruin) can
possibly venture to STAKE HIS MONEY: on the contrary, it must be
admitted, that the torrent of villainy, and unprincipled prostitution of
_affected_ integrity, have made such rapid and unprecedented strides to
perfection, that the most experienced SPORTSMEN must despair of being
enabled to _play upon the square_, after so many GAMBLERS of FASHION
have, within a few years, been detected with _loaded dice_ in their
possession.

The game of E O, so plausibly deluding to all classes, particularly to
rustics upon the different country COURSES and RACE GROUNDS, is the most
_deceptive_, and most _destructive_, of any ever yet displayed for the
purpose of public attraction; it may be very candidly placed in a
parallel line with those _low_ and _rascally_ inventions of HUSTLING in
the HAT, and PRICKING in the BELT, to both which an infinity of _cunning
countrymen_ become infatuated dupes, to the great emolument and
gratification of that horde of miscreants, who subsist only upon the
credulity and ignorance of the inexperienced, avaricious, and
unsuspecting.


GANGRENE—is a _technical_ term, which in FARRIERY, as in SURGERY,
implies the first stage of MORTIFICATION or PUTREFACTION.


GASCOIN, OR GASKIN,—of a horse, is that part of the hind quarter
extending from the stifle (or inferior point of the thigh approaching
the belly) to the bend of the hock behind; upon the shape, strength, and
uniformity of which, the property, action, and excellence of the horse
very much depends. If the GASKINS are wide, and divide below the tail in
a curvilinear arch on the inside, with a prominent swell of the muscle
on the outside, it is not only indicative of great strength, but adds
considerably to the symmetry and value of the horse, when viewed behind.
A horse well formed in the gaskins, is seldom badly shaped in the fore
quarters; nor are they, in general, horses of inferior action; exclusive
of which, they are insured from the very aukward DEFECT of _cutting_; no
small inconvenience to a TRAVELLER with a _weary_ horse upon a _long_
journey.


GATE-NET.—A GATE-NET is a principal part of the _stock in trade_ of an
expert and experienced POACHER; and, in respect to HARES, the most
destructive nocturnal instrument that can be brought into use. They, at
a certain hour in the dead of night, when hares are sure to be at feed,
are fixed to the third bar of the gates of such fields as have _green
wheat_, _young clover_, or any other where (by daily observation) they
are known to use; when being fattened to the ground under the lower bar
by means of wooden forked pegs, _a lurcher_ is turned over the gate, who
having been trained to the business, and _running mute_, scours the
field in a circuitous direction; when the _victims_, thus suddenly and
unexpectedly alarmed, make immediately for the gate, (by which they
entered,) when the dog being close at their heels, at least not far
behind them, they have no alternative, but to rush into the net, where
becoming entangled, they meet their destruction. In this way _three_ or
_four brace_ are taken in a plentiful country at one adventure. The only
likely mode of rendering such attempts _abortive_, is by painting the
lower bars of the gate _white_, which will occasion the hares to shun
the gateway, and have recourse to their meuses; if GAME-KEEPERS and
SPORTSMEN will but occasionally examine which, to take up the
_well-intended wires_, it will, at any rate, go a great way towards
preventing such incredible havoc and wholesale destruction.


GAZEHOUND;—the name by which the species of DOG we now term GREYHOUND
was formerly called. With what propriety an animal of almost _every
colour_ should be equally denominated _grey_, does not appear; any more
than at what particular period the change in appellation may have taken
place. As the pursuit of the GREYHOUND is entirely by _sight_, and not
by _scent_, it should seem that GAZEHOUND would be the most proper
distinction of the two, and that the present is no more than a
perversion from the original.


GELDING—implies a horse divested of his TESTICLES, by which he is
deprived of the act of COPULATION, and of farther PROPAGATION. For
particulars of the operation, see CASTRATION.


GIFT OF GOING—is a phrase from the sublime vocabulary of the
horse-dealing fraternity, and implies a horse's possessing a much
greater portion of _speed_ in _action_, particularly in TROTTING, than
could well be expected from his shape and external appearance. When a
horse is shewn for sale, having little to recommend him, rough in his
coat, low in condition, aukward in shape, and without a single _point_
of _attraction_, if he can scramble along at the rate of twelve or
thirteen miles an hour, he is then said to possess the "gift of going,"
which is to compensate for every other deficiency.


GIMCRACK,—the name of a horse who was of great celebrity upon the turf,
and for two or three years beat most of his time. He was foaled in 1760;
got by CRIPPLE, (a son of the Godolphin Arabian;) dam by GRISEWOOD'S
_Partner_, and his pedigree was of the best blood; but being too small
for a stallion of eminence, produced no winners of note. He was followed
by YOUNG GIMCRACK, a good horse for GIVE and TAKE PLATES, particularly
at four heats.


GINGER—is an aromatic spicy root, brought to us from the EAST and WEST
INDIES, in a preserved as well as in its natural state. In the former it
is used as a stomachic and sweetmeat by the superior orders: in the
latter it is common in all the shops, consisting of flat-knotted
branches, of which the whitest, and least stringy or fibrous, are the
best. It is a very useful ingredient in many compositions for the
internal diseases of horses, particularly in the FLATULENT CHOLIC,
commonly called FRET. Houses in the country, remote from towns, where
horses are used and fed upon peas haum, and other winter fodder,
frequently producing such disorders, should never be without a small
quantity of this article: two ounces bruised, and boiled in ALE or
GRUEL, then drained off, and the liquor given with a horn, would prove
an excellent substitute for medicine upon many emergencies.


GIGS;—a term almost obsolete for what are now called FLAPS, a kind of
flaccid fleshy enlargement on each side a horse's jaw, which, in his
mastication, frequently falling between the grinders, is productive of
pain, and prevents the horse from eating. If they are long and thin,
they may be completely taken off by a pair of scissars, and the wounds
washed with a strong solution of alum in water: if they are too fleshy
and substantial for this mode of extirpation, they may be slightly
scarified with a BISTORY, or ABSCESS LANCET, and after having been left
to bleed for a proper length of time, may be stopped, and the parts
constringed by the solution already described.


GIRTHS—are those well-known articles made from woollen web, and used for
keeping the saddle in a safe and proper position. These, to prevent
GALLING, should be made of ELASTIC, and not the _tight_ wove web, which
being more _rigid_ and _harsh_, is the more likely to LACERATE during
the _heat_ and _friction_ of a long chase. Observation should be made
that girths are never too short, so as to have the buckle below the pad
of the saddle, either on one side or the other; for want of which
judicious and sportsman-like attention, WARBLES, SITFASTS, and WOUNDS,
very frequently ensue.


GIVE AND TAKE PLATES—are those where the HORSES carry WEIGHT according
to their HEIGHT, by the regulated standard of _four inches_ to a HAND.
The fixed rules for a GIVE and TAKE are, that horses measuring FOURTEEN
HANDS, are each to carry nine stone; above or below which height, they
are to carry seven pounds, _more_ or _less_, for _every inch_ they are
HIGHER or LOWER than the FOURTEEN HANDS fixed as the criterion.—Example:
a horse measuring FOURTEEN HANDS, _one inch and a half_, will carry nine
stone, ten pounds, eight ounces; a horse measuring THIRTEEN HANDS, _two
inches and a half_, will carry only eight stone, three pounds, eight
ounces; the former being one inch and a half above the FOURTEEN HANDS,
the other one inch and a half below it. The weight is, therefore, added,
or diminished, by the eighths of every inch, higher or lower weight in
proportion; and these PLATES were so exceedingly popular some few years
since, that very few country courses were without one of this
description.


GLANDERS—is, perhaps, without exception, the most dreadful, and
certainly destructive, disease to which the horse is incident. No
exertions have been wanting on the part of the most eminent professional
men (particularly in France) to discover the means of successfully
counteracting the justly-dreaded virulence of this disorder; but
hitherto with so little the appearance of progress, that it is almost an
invariable custom to render the subject an immediate VICTIM to DEATH, so
soon as he is ascertained to have become the VICTIM of DISEASE. There
are never wanting SPECULATORS, or SPECULATIVE WRITERS, so long as "a
doubt remains to hang a loop upon;" and many of these both _speak_ and
_write_ as prompted by their _pecuniary_ sensations, and the sale of the
NOSTRUM it is their personal interest to promote. These, of course,
promulgate not the probability, but the _certainty_, of _cure_, and may,
in so doing, possibly prey upon the credulity of those who are equally
strangers to the origin of this disease, its progress, its effects, or
its termination.

After the great variety of opinions which have taken place; after all
the investigations made by every class of the most diligent inquirers in
anatomical dissections, as well as by various other means, three facts
are incontrovertibly established: first, that the disease is INFECTIOUS;
secondly, that it is CURABLE; and lastly, that the LUNGS of every HORSE
_dying_ under the _disorder_, or _killed_ during _its progress_, have
been either partially, or totally, destroyed. This demonstrated beyond
the power of contradiction, what does it prove? Why, very clearly, to
the judicious and scientific, who are inquisitive to experience, and
open to conviction, that this disorder is in direct affinity to the
PULMONARY CONSUMPTION of the HUMAN SPECIES; but that the horse having no
means of throwing off the morbid matter by _expectoration_, as is the
case with us, NATURE, in her strong and inexplicable efforts for relief,
propels the putrid discharge through the nostrils of the animal; whereas
with the HUMAN FRAME, the _wasting_ of the _lungs_ passes through, and
is discharged by, the mouth; and this, to the experienced practitioner,
and learned inquirer, will hold forth the most unequivocal and
satisfactory proof, that the GLANDERS is a virulent CONSUMPTION of THE
LUNGS, by the _corrosive_ property of which discharge (become
inveterate) the glandular passages are proportionally affected.

Much judicious observation, and professional knowledge, is requisite to
discriminate between this disease, and others bearing _a part_ of its
_appearances_: many horses are too hastily deemed GLANDERED, which are
_not so_; and others as ignorantly said to be labouring under A COLD,
and its _consequence_, till a whole stable has been affected, and every
horse lost. The distinguishing traits are a discharge from one or both
nostrils, of a viscid, slimy, and fœtid matter, having a kind of greasy
tinge upon the surface: it is glutinous in its property, hanging to, and
becoming dry and barky, upon the internal edges of the nostrils: it is
white at the beginning, and grows darker in proportion to the duration
and inveteracy of the disease; it becomes yellow, ash-colour, green, and
lastly, tinged with blood, at which time, as well as before, it is
dreadfully offensive: previous to this stage, indurated tumefactions
have taken place under the jaws, the frame is daily more and more
emaciated, the eyes sink gradually in their orbits, the appetite totally
ceases, the body becomes almost motionless, seeming a mere lifeless
trunk, till it falls to the ground a mass of perfect putrefaction.


GNAWPOST—was a country PLATE HORSE of some celebrity, winning several
for some years in succession. He was bred by MR. SHAFTOE; was foaled in
1767; and got by SNAP out of _Miss Cranbourne_, who was got by the
Godolphin Arabian, and bred by the then great Duke of Cumberland.


GOLDFINDER;—the name of one of the molt valuable and successful horses
ever bred or trained in this kingdom: he beat nearly every horse of his
time, and won almost every stakes he started for. He was bred by MR.
SHAFTOE; foaled in 1764; got by SNAP; dam by BLANK; grand-dam by
REGULUS, and the six preceding generations by ARABIANS, BARBS, and
TURKS, up to the natural Barb mare, constituting one of the richest
pedigrees in the annals of RACING BLOOD.


GODOLPHIN ARABIAN—was the property of LORD GODOLPHIN, and produced more
capital winners as A STALLION, than any horse that covered before his
time in this kingdom. His progeny became equally eminent as stallions,
to the whole of which are we principally indebted for the unprecedented
eminence and superiority of the various studs so plentifully established
in different parts of the country. He was the sire of _Cade_, _Regulus_,
_Blank_, _Babraham_, _Bajazet_, and a long list of _et ceteras_. See
BARBS.


"GONE AWAY!"—is the exhilarating communicative HOLLOA! from one
sportsman to another in STAG or FOX hunting, when the game breaks from
large coverts, and _goes away_; at which time, if it was not for this
friendly rule, invariably observed, those who happen to be _up the
wind_, would be inevitably _thrown out_, and the hounds have got miles,
before the most distant part of the field knew any thing of the matter.
To prevent the mortifying probability of which, those nearest the chace
and the hounds, instantly vociferate the enlivening signal of, "GONE
AWAY!". This being repeated by the _next_ in succession, it is re-echoed
by _a third_, and so on till it vibrates through the whole chain; and it
must be acknowledged, there is not a more gratifying moment in the
progress of a chase, than to see the distant effort of every individual,
to recover his lost ground, and get in with the hounds.


GORGED;—the common and vulgar term for swelled legs, when their enlarged
and distended state has been occasioned more by _severe_ and _hard_
work, than the effect of HUMOURS originating in a fizey or morbid state
of the blood. A horse having his back sinews flushed, and legs
thickened, so as to go short and stiff in action, but not _broken down_,
is said to be _gorged_. Having the same appearances from humours, or a
viscidity of the blood, he is then said to be _foul_, and must be
relieved by PURGATIVES or DIURETICS, assisted by a great deal of
hand-rubbing and regular friction. Gorged horses should be blistered,
and turned out in time, by which they frequently get _fresh again_:
continued at work too long, they _break down_, and become cripples.


GOULARD.—The article so well known by this name, and so constantly
brought into use upon many emergencies, is the EXTRACT of LEAD; which is
prepared by, and may be obtained of, almost every druggist in the
kingdom. Its excellent properties are universally admitted as a
CORROBORANT, a REPELLENT, a SOLVENT, and an almost infallible remedy in
well-proportioned topical applications to _inflammations_, _strains_,
_bruises_, or _recent tumefactions_: but some degree of professional
knowledge, and experimental practice, is necessary to insure a probable
certainty of effect. Upon the first discovery of this article, it was
brought into use in _very small_ quantities, and a teaspoonful or two
only were directed to be added to a quart of spring water, which was
then termed _Vegeto Mineral Water_, and in certain cases (particularly
of the eyes) looked up to as A SPECIFIC. Long experience, and attentive
observation, have, however, justified its utility in _much larger_
proportions, particularly with HORSES; where, in severe strains, or
long-standing lamenesses, less than _four ounces_ to a pint of
CAMPHORATED spirits cannot be brought into use with any expectation of
success.——As a mild repellent to SWELLINGS, BRUISES, WARBLES, &c. two
ounces of the extract, two ounces of camphorated spirits, and a pint of
water, will be a proper proportion. In defluxions and inflammation of
the eyes, one ounce of each, with a pint and half of water, will be
found a very useful composition.


GOURDINESS—is another rustic or provincial term for SWELLED LEGS, but of
a different description, implying the kind of _dropsical laxity_ of the
SOLIDS, submitting to pressure, and recovering from its indentation when
the pressure is removed. This kind of swelling is a gradual approach to
the disorder called GREASE, at which it will soon arrive, if not
counteracted speedily, by such EVACUANTS and ALTERATIVES as may be
thought most applicable to the case.


GRASS—is that well-known produce of the earth, which is the proper food
for horses in a state of NATURE, EASE, and INDOLENCE; but not of
sufficient nutritive property for horses engaged in either SEVERE,
LABORIOUS, or ACTIVE exertions. Horses taken up from grass, and put
suddenly to work, labour under an immediate and perceptible disquietude;
the contents of the intestines are soon evacuated in a STATE of LAXITY,
the frame displays a profusion of FOUL and FŒTID PERSPIRATION, the body
bespeaks its own DEBILITY, and the perseverance of a few days
demonstrates its EMACIATION. To horses having been whole months in
constant use and work, alternately accustomed to diurnal drudgery, and
the routine of the manger, GRASS, with its conjunctive LIBERTY, must
prove a sweet, a comfortable, a proper, and a healthy change: it not
only, by its own attenuating property, proportionally alters the
PROPERTY of the BLOOD, but affords, by the comforts of EASE and
EXPANSION, a renovation of elasticity and vigour to the relaxed sinews,
the exhausted spirits, and the battered frame.

To the penurious and the unfeeling (equally insensible) it is
sufficient, that a horse, worn to the bone with _constant work_, and
_want_ of _food_, is "TURNED TO GRASS" in the winter, when there is
_none to be eaten_; or during the months of JULY and AUGUST, when a
horse loses more FLESH by persecution from _flies_ (if not well
protected by shade, accommodated with plenty of water, and an equal
plenty of grass) than he can acquire by any advantage arising from
LIBERTY alone; which some people seem to conceive all that is required,
and that the poor animal, CAMELION like, "can live upon the air." It
should be recollected, that in the animal œconomy, substance only can
beget substance, (see ALIMENT;) and no horse will be likely to
accumulate flesh, or become FAT, whose means of living are _poor_.

Impoverished rushy moors, and lank half-rotten autumn grass,
(particularly after _wet_ summers,) will prove much more likely to
produce DISEASE, than produce CONDITION. Those who turn out horses to
grass with a cough upon them, particularly if from a WARM STABLE in a
_cold season_, may expect to take them up with a short, husky, laboured
asthmatic increase of the original complaint, or with tubercles formed
upon the lungs; and those who _turn out_ in the winter season, with a
hope of obtaining the cure of CRACKED HEELS, or SWELLED LEGS, may
probably _take up_ with a confirmed GREASE, particularly if the
constitution should lean a little to _blood_, and _pedigree_ of that
description.

The utility and advantages of physic were never better understood, or
more clearly ascertained, than at the present moment of general
improvement: experienced sportsmen, and rational observers, however
doubtful they may have been, are now convinced of its propriety, and
never deviate from its practice. They invariably _cleanse_ at the _end_
of the HUNTING SEASON, and repeat the ceremony _after_ taking their
horses up from grass, previous to getting them into condition. Let those
who doubt the consistency, try the experiment, and they will be soon
convinced, how little _one_ will be enabled to stand a WINTER'S WORK
with the _other_.


GRAVELLED.—A horse is said, by the lower classes, to be GRAVELLED, when
broken particles of _flints_, or small _pebbles_, are insinuated between
the outer SOLE of the FOOT and the WEB of the SHOE. This injury is
seldom sustained, but where the shoe is formed _too flat_ upon the
_inner surface_, (without its proper protecting concavity,) when
pressing too close, whatever extraneous substance gains admission, is
there confined, and, from the stricture, has no possible chance of
extrication. The degree of pain, or tenderness, depends entirely upon
the mildness or severity of the case, and the length of its duration.
The road to relief is the same; the shoe should be tenderly taken off,
by one nail at a time, in preference to tearing it off by main and
sudden force, (according to custom;) the sole should be well fomented
with good hot milk and water, then covered with an EMOLLIENT POULTICE of
linseed powder, milk, and two table spoonsful of olive oil, letting the
same be repeated daily, till the inflammation has subsided, and the
tenderness gone off; when the bottom of the hoof may be hardened by
_two_ or _three_ applications of a sponge dipt in vinegar _boiling hot_
before THE SHOE is replaced.


GREASE.—The GREASE is a disorder particularly affecting the CART or
DRAFT HORSES of this country, but is seldom or rarely observed amongst
horses of a superior description: its seat is cutaneous, and it first
discovers itself by a stagnation of the fluids, and as consequent
inflammatory enlargement above and about the fetlock, attended with pain
and stiffness, _more_ or _less_, according to the state of the subject,
or the severity of the attack. If proper means are not immediately
taken, and judiciously persevered in, a degree of virulence, much
trouble, and tedious attendance, unavoidably ensue. The skin, by its
preternatural distension, soon assumes a greasy kind of transparency,
having an irregular scaly appearance upon the surface, from whence
(particularly when put into action) exudes a thin oily ICHOR, which,
when become of long duration, is frequently tinged WITH BLOOD, but
always of a _filthy unctuous_ property, and _greasy_ to the _touch_.

As it advances in unrestrained progress, it increases the growth of the
hoof around THE CORONET, rendering it of a _soft_, _spongy_, and
_diseased_ appearance: by the corrosive and fœtid property of the
discharge, it soon affects and putrifies THE FROG, which it centrically
_corrodes_, and lays the foundation of CANKER in the FOOT. As it becomes
more inveterate, so it proportionally extends itself, and affects the
surrounding parts; the small apertures from whence the ferous ichor
originally oozed, now become malignant ULCERS, intersected by warty
excrescences, and watery bladders of a _poisonous_ appearance. Arrived
by length of time, want of care, and probably by the use of improper
medicines, or injudicious treatment, at this its second stage, it
assumes a more formidable appearance, and every symptom, as well as the
limb, continues to increase: what were before only CADAVEROUS ULCERS,
now become (in a partial degree) _barky eschars_, intermixed with
_growing tetters_, from amidst which trickles down, in smoaking heat,
the acrimonious sanies, or corrupted matter, which seems to excoriate as
it passes, and soon deprives the part of hair; the little that is left
serving only as so many conductors, from whence flows in streams the
morbid matter, now become so truly offensive, that a horse, in such
state, should be separated from others, lest fumes so incredibly noxious
should, from the miasma, lay the foundation of disease with horses
perfectly sound.

The GREASE may originate in either an INTERNAL or an EXTERNAL cause; as
well as be transmitted by hereditary taint (of SIRE or DAM) from one
generation to another. An impure and acrimonious state of the blood,
unattended to till it has acquired morbid malignity, must display itself
in some part; and with horses of the kind described, it generally
appears in the extremities, where the CIRCULATION is _languid_, and the
_least able_ to make RESISTANCE. Horses too long continued in MOORS of
long _lanky_ grass, intermixed with rushes, or in MARSHY MEADOWS of a
_swampy_ soil, where, in the dreary months of AUTUMN and WINTER, their
heels are _never dry_ for _weeks together_, is a very probable
foundation of permanent GREASE, or some other CHRONIC complaint, the
original cause of which is _seldom_ adverted to, perhaps _never_
recollected. Cutaneous disorders not properly eradicated by MERCURIALS
or ANTIMONIALS, but injudiciously thrown upon the circulation by
REPELLENTS; the sudden absorption of a plentiful flow of milk, when a
colt is taken from the dam; an extreme plethora, with a fizey viscidity
of the blood; or any of those causes which too much relax the texture of
THE SOLIDS, or impoverish and stagnate THE FLUIDS, may be more
immediately or remotely productive of this disease.

EXTERNAL CAUSES also frequently give rise to its appearance; a sudden
check to perspiration by change of weather, or change of situation, from
one stable to another; or from either to the external air, by turning
out to grass from a warm and comfortable stable, unfavourably followed
by a succession of cold nights, bleak winds, and rainy weather; washing
the heels in hard well water after profuse perspiration; standing too
constantly upon stale and filthy dung, for days and nights, impregnated
with urine, so evidently prejudicial to the feet and frogs. Horses fed
upon grains are remarked to be much subject to the disorder in a slight
degree, and this tendency is probably strengthened by a want of cleanly
attention, or a little assistance from medicinal counteraction.

Much mischief is frequently occasioned by the rash and injudicious
interposition of some illiterate practitioner, who, with a degree of
_self-cunning_, (peculiar to professional ignorance,) piques himself
upon the superiority of his art, and confidently proceeds to oppose the
predominant efforts which NATURE has been induced to make for her OWN
RELIEF. Influenced by the deceptive impression of _imaginary_ success,
he begins with mild _repellents_, drying _washes_, sharp _waters_,
strong _astringents_, then _styptics_, and lastly MERCURIAL or VITRIOLIC
_caustics_ and _escharotics_, where having reached the utmost extent of
his fertile faculties, he is _surprized_, but not MORTIFIED, at finding
what he erroneously thought a _remedy_ has proved TEN TIMES WORSE than
the original disease. The Grease, upon its first appearance, is, by a
proper course of medicine, and judicious management, very easily
subdued, and radically cured. In its second stage, great PATIENCE and
PERSEVERANCE is required; and no expence should be spared, or necessary
means omitted. In the third and last, DEATH is preferable to any attempt
at cure.


GREY.—The COLOUR of a HORSE is so called, where dark-coloured or BLACK
hairs are proportionally intermixed with WHITE: some of those are
beautifully mottled upon the rump, down the hind quarters, and across
the gaskins, and are then called DAPPLED GREYS. It is admitted by the
old proverb, and verified by all opinions, that "a GOOD horse can never
be of a BAD colour:" there is, however, an exception to the adage, in a
white or a light grey; for, by laying down with the hind quarter, on one
side or the other, in the dung newly fallen, it is no uncommon thing to
have a daily _washing_, and _drying_, before a horse of such colour can
be taken out of the stable either to WORK or to EXERCISE.


GREYHOUND.—The particular species of DOG passing under the denomination
of GREYHOUND, was formerly called GAZEHOUND, and is at the present day
more universally known by the appellation of LONG DOG in many parts of
the kingdom. The breed has been at all times carefully cultivated by the
lovers of coursing, but has never been brought to so great a degree of
enthusiastic perfection, as since the establishment of the different
COURSING CLUBS and SOCIETIES in Norfolk, Essex, Berkshire, and the
Flixton Wolds of Yorkshire. The members of each have, with an
unremitting perseverance, endeavoured to excel each other with an
unalloyed spice of SPORTING EMULATION: the late LORD ORFORD; the MARQUIS
of TOWNSEND; COLONEL THORNTON, of Thornville Royal; MAJOR TOPHAM, of the
Wolds, and the _Reverend_ H. BATE DUDLEY, of the Bradwell and Tillingham
Club, in Essex, are those who have excelled every competitor, and
improved the breed to the highest possible state of perfection.

_Czarina_ was bred by the late LORD ORFORD; _Jupiter_ and _Claret_, by
COLONEL THORNTON; _Snowball_, by MAJOR TOPHAM; _Miller_, by the Reverend
H. B. DUDLEY; and _Schoolboy_, by the celebrated MR. (Vauxhall) CLARKE.
Czarina, the grand-dam of Snowball, was purchased at the late Lord
Orford's sale by Colonel Thornton, with an intent to improve the breed,
in which he was not disappointed. She won FORTY-SEVEN matches in
Norfolk, Wiltshire, and Yorkshire, and _never_ was beat. She displayed
no signs of producing progeny till _thirteen years old_, when she
brought forth _eight whelps_, got by _Jupiter_, who all lived, and ran
in high form.

_Snowball_ was got by _Claret_, (one of the eight whelps of Czarina,)
and supposed to be, taken "for all in all," the surest dog to _kill_ and
_take up_ that ever ran. He won FOUR CUPS, COUPLES, and upwards of
thirty matches; one of which was so severe, that his opponent (a dog of
MR. PLUMER'S) died immediately after the course. _Claret_ was got by
young _Jupiter_, out of old _Czarina_; he challenged all Yorkshire,
which was twice accepted; one match he won; and received forfeit for the
other.

That truly celebrated dog, the _Miller_, was so large, awkward, and
clumsey, when a puppy, that he had been nearly thrown aside, and not
thought worthy of being brought into the field; but a friend of Mr.
Dudley's having borrowed him, took him to the Marshes at St. Osyth,
where, at only twelve months old, he won several matches in one day
against the best dogs in the field. Having thus accidentally _ran_
himself into _reputation_, he was, at his return, introduced to more
powerful, at least more _popular_, opponents, where, however, he for
SEVEN YEARS maintained his superiority, during SEVENTY-FOUR successive
MATCHES, without having been beaten. He is at present a stallion in
great estimation, as all the stock he has yet produced are excellent
runners.

_Schoolboy_ was of great celebrity; he was bred by SIR C. BUNBURY, and
got by Dr. Frampton's _Fop_, out of Sir Charles's _Miss_: he ran a great
number of MATCHES for very considerable sums, particularly over
NEWMARKET, and _never_ was _beat_. Several of his get have been sold for
twenty guineas each, as _Troy_, _Traveller_, and _Lilly_; all very good
runners.

MR. DANIEL, who, in his "RURAL SPORTS," has given most beautiful and
admirably executed portraits of _Czarina_, _Maria_, _Venus_, and
_Claret_, engraved by Scott, has also introduced the following, as a
criterion of comparative speed between the race-horse and the greyhound.
"A match was to have been run over Doncaster course, in the December of
1800, for one hundred guineas; but one of the horses having been drawn,
a mare started alone, to make good the bet, and, after having gone the
distance of about a mile, a greyhound bitch started from the side of the
course, and ran with her the other three miles, keeping nearly head to
head, which produced a singular race; and when they reached the distance
post, five to four was betted on the GREYHOUND; when they came to the
stand, it was _even betting_; but the mare won by about a head."

A variety of singular occurrences respecting the invincible ardour and
velocity, as well as persevering fortitude, of greyhounds, might be
introduced, but a few must suffice. In February, 1800, a BRACE of
GREYHOUNDS coursed a hare upwards of _four miles_ in a straight line
from where she was found, (exclusive of turns,) when she _ran herself
dead_ before she was touched by the dogs.

A famous dog of the Reverend Mr. Corsellis, who chanced to be wind-bound
at Dover, coursed a hare, who had beat a variety of pursuers in that
neighbourhood, when the dog proved so superior to her in speed, and
pressed her so close, that she ran immediately for the cliff, as her
only chance of escaping; but the greyhound threw at, and caught her at
the brink, going with her in his mouth to the _bottom_ of the
_precipice_, where they were literally _dashed_ to _pieces_. In 1797, a
brace of greyhounds coursed a hare over the edge of a chalk-pit, at
Offham, in Sussex, and both hare and dogs were found dead at the bottom.
In December, 1794, a company of gentlemen were coursing at
Finchingfield, in Essex, when a hare was started, and a brace of
greyhounds starting from two different points, ran against each other
with so much violence that they both _died on the spot_.

The greyhound is always mild and inoffensive, and his fidelity cannot be
better described than in the words of the unfortunate CHARLES I. who
said, amidst his courtiers, during his troubles, that "the GREYHOUND had
all the good-nature of the SPANIEL, without his _fawning_."


GRIPES.—The disorder this term is meant to imply, is more properly
distinguished by the appellation of INFLAMMATORY CHOLIC, and is much
more painful and dangerous than that species of intestinal complaint
known by the name of FLATULENT CHOLIC, or FRET. The inflammatory cholic,
or GRIPES, proceeds from a painful obstruction in the intestines,
occasioned by an accumulation of indurated excrement, which must be
_mollified_, and _removed_, before EASE can be obtained. In cases of
this kind, no time should be lost, the intestines being preternaturally
distended beyond the original intention of Nature, the pain is most
excruciating, the state of the animal dreadful; and, unless relief is
very speedily procured, INFLAMMATION of the BOWELS immediately comes on,
MORTIFICATION follows, and DEATH ensues.


GROGGY—is a knowing term, peculiar to the lower order of stabularian and
horse-dealing gentry, and implies a _tenderness_ and _defect_ in action,
either from a CHEST or FOOT FOUNDER, or an injury sustained in the _back
sinews_, as mentioned under the head GORGED. Horses of this description,
although they come apparently _crippled_ out of the stable, yet, when
the circulation is increased by action, and the stiffness gone off as
the perspiration comes on, their exertion is incredible, and their
endurance of fatigue beyond conception. These are the kind of horses by
which the _inferior_ kind of JOBBERS obtain a livelihood, in supplying
the POST-WORK upon the _roads_, and the HACKNEY COACH-MASTERS of the
_Metropolis_.


GROOM—is the appellation by which a person is known who is a complete
and perfect master of every part of stable discipline; if he is not so,
it is a prostitution of the word to admit the term; and in any other
point of view, he can rank in _no_ other degree than a _common
stable-boy_. The qualifications necessary to form A GROOM of superior
excellence, are almost as numerous and distinguishing as those admitted
to be requisite for the formation of a MINISTER of STATE: obedience,
fidelity, patience, mildness, diligence, humanity, and honesty, are
equally indispensible; without the whole of which, he may be _entitled_
to the denomination of _a strapper_ in a stable-yard; but will never
prove worthy to be thought A GROOM.

If a groom is judicious, honest, and industrious, intending DUTY to his
MASTER, and justice to himself, he will never be prevailed upon to
undertake more than he can perform: the MASTER who wishes it, will
always be instrumental to his own deception and disappointment. Those
who expect GROOMS to dress hair, as well as their horses; or to leave
the latter _wet_ and _dirty_, or half dressed, in the stable, while they
dance attendance at the back of the chair, during the _hour_ of
_dining_, must be content to see their horses in _equal condition_ with
those of the DANCING, MUSIC, and DRAWING MASTERS, so frequently seen,
_in all weathers_, standing the disconsolate hour, at different doors,
in almost every respectable street of the Metropolis.

The department in which A GROOM is placed, if the stud is valuable, must
always be considered an office of very considerable trust; where great
confidence is placed on ONE SIDE, and strict integrity should be
observed on THE OTHER. It is upon the sobriety, steadiness, and
invariable punctuality, of the groom, that the HEALTH, SAFETY, and
CONDITION, of every horse depends; and by his incessant attention only
can they be insured. GROOMS (at least those completely qualified to be
termed so) are men who, from the arduous talk they stand engaged in, the
variegated nature of their servitude, and the property entrusted to
their care, lay claim, and are entitled to, (their _sobriety_,
_steadiness_, _fidelity_, and _punctuality_, once established,) all the
equitable pecuniary compensation, and personal kindness, their employers
can possibly bestow.

GROOMS and coachmen, deprived of _free agency_ by their situation in
life, and doomed to eat the bread of DEPENDENCE, _exist_ to act solely
upon compulsion; they receive (sometimes the most supercilious)
injunctions only to _obey_, and are not permitted the privilege of
either remonstrance or expostulation. Tacitly submissive, they encounter
the severity of the elements at _all hours_, and in _all seasons_; and
what should more influence the reflecting mind in their favor, is, that
when the inclemency of the weather compels the RICH and OPULENT to take
shelter under the ROOF of HOSPITALITY, servants must bear the "_pelting_
of the _pitiless_ storm" unprotected; and when a satiety of pleasure
drives the reluctant frame of their superiors to the downy pillow of
nocturnal relief, their task as yet "is but half performed," and not
unfrequently, till the broad sun serves only to remind them of a speedy
renewal of their daily labour.

These observations are impartially introduced, to demonstrate their
utility in the great scale of OPULENT SOCIETY, as well as to bring home
to the reflection of the _illiberal_ and _penurious_, palpable
conviction how highly they stand entitled (upon many particular
occasions, and distressing emergencies) to _their_ salutary tenderness
and kind consideration. It should be always held in remembrance by
SUPERIORS, that the services are _reciprocal_; and that, in strict truth
and candour, the obligation is no greater on _one side_ than the
_other_. GRATITUDE and AFFECTION is much more likely (in a good soil) to
be excited by _kindness_ than _severity_; and instances are very rare of
a SERVANT'S fidelity having been _obtained_, or _preserved_, by the
unkind treatment, or unjust _rigidity_, of the MASTER.

GROOMS of a certain description are, in general, too much disposed to a
degree of self-consequence, and studiously endeavour to obtain an
ASCENDANCY in the stabularian department, to which, if the master
imprudently and _pusillanimously_ submits, he becomes in some degree a
non-entity, and bids adieu to every particle of power upon his own
premises. The groom once possessed of _this power_, and conscious of the
ground he stands upon, becomes so confident of his own _imaginary_
superiority, that the master is little more than an instrument of mere
passive convenience; barely permitted _to think_, hardly presuming TO
SPEAK, or, in fact, _daring_ to _obtrude_ an OPINION even where his own
horses, their health, and safety, are concerned. Grooms, so long as they
continue to execute the trust reposed in them with fidelity, that is,
with _care_, _kindness_, _punctuality_, and _attention_ to their HORSES,
and a dutiful attachment to their employers, will ever find themselves
respected; but when, from a false, ridiculous, and ill-founded
confidence, they exceed the bounds of consistency, and go beyond their
own sphere, in an _affected_ knowledge of the PROPERTY of MEDICINE,
QUACKING their masters' HORSES, and becoming _self-coined
Veterinarians_, they, in the eye of every judicious observer, abandon
their own merits, and render themselves objects of both pity and
contempt.

This _affectation_ of MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE is so very prevalent with
_stabularian gentlemen_, that they support it with a great degree of
irritable tenacity; and would sooner have even their HONESTY, than their
_medical ability_ called in question. To stem the torrent of this
dangerous practice, should be the first principle, and persevering
determination, of every GENTLEMAN, who expects to see his HORSES in good
CONDITION, and his _servants_ in a state of _uniformity_: and if he
wishes to shield himself from mental disquietude, and his horses from
perpetual persecution, he will lay a serious injunction, that no
_medicine_, or _nostrum_, whatever, shall be administered to any horse
or horses under the GROOM'S care, without the MASTER'S acquiescence
first had and obtained.

If GENTLEMEN will condescend to give the subject a trifling
consideration, they will instantly perceive, that the symptoms of
disease, the state of the body, the languor or velocity of the
circulation, and the property of the blood itself, must require a
greater degree of SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION, than people of this
description have the power of going into; from which palpable fact may
be inferred, the sole reason why they so often miscarry in their
experiments, and so frequently render that a matter of permanent
difficulty, which, _properly treated_, would have proved no more than a
mere temporary inconvenience.

GROOMS (as well as Coachmen) should have it strongly impressed on their
memory, and never lose sight of the reflection, that by a slight, or
almost momentary, deviation from the line of rectitude, in either
_error_, _inattention_, _inadvertence_, or _neglect_, injuries may be
sustained that neither _months_ or _money_ can repair. Their minds
should be always alive to the interest of their employers; they should,
in all seasons (but more particularly in the colder months) have it in
perpetual recollection, that COLDS are sooner _caught_ than _cured_;
that SWELLED LEGS, and CRACKED HEELS, are much easier _obtained_ than
_obliterated_; that LAMENESS (either by accident or indiscretion) is
easier _got_ than _gotten rid of_; and that _bad eyes_ are much more
frequently the effect of a _careless_ or a _malicious blow_, than of
"HUMOURS," to which they are upon all occasions so industriously
attributed.

COLDS and COUGHS are suddenly acquired, and by means at the time but
little thought of, till the event first _prompts_, and then _reproaches_
retrospection. A horse in fine condition, standing in a warm and
comfortable stable when _at home_, is always liable to inconvenience
_abroad_; accidentally exposed to a _long_, _wet_, and _dirty_ journey,
or a severe chase in sharp winds and unfavourable weather, with a cold
and comfortless stable after either, he insures it almost to a
certainty, without incessant care and unremitting circumspection. A
horse after one or the other, should never be left _one minute_ without
the precaution of substantial and unwearied wisping, so long as a _wet_
or _damp_ hair is to be found about him. He should never be permitted to
stand still _in rain_, even with HOUNDS, so great is the _danger_ of
throwing the perspirative matter _suddenly_ upon the CIRCULATION;
thereby constituting a _sizey viscidity_ of the BLOOD, and laying the
foundation of various diseases.

HORSES kept in good style, should never have their customary cloathing
reduced, but with the strictest care and attention: the internal air of
a stable should be regulated, and its temperature equally preserved
entirely by the _state_ of the _season_, (or, in other words, by the
SEASON of the YEAR;) and external air should never be additionally
admitted in _cold_ and _chilling_ winds, but with the greatest
circumspection; as it is to be remembered, it is not the admission of
such air _in itself alone_, by which the injury is sustained, but by the
contrast it constitutes, when opposed to the previous warmth of the
stable.


GROUSE;—the name of a HORSE who promised much celebrity on the TURF. He
was bred by the DUKE of GRAFTON, and was got by _Highflyer_ out of
_Georgina_, who was got by _Matchem_, and was own sister to _Conductor_.
He was foaled in 1790; and at three years old beat _Monkey_, _Silver_,
_Tick_, _Æacus_, _Agamemnon_, _Black Puss_, _Edwin_, _Rally_, and MR.
VERNON'S filly by _Florizel_ out of _Eve_, three miles over the Beacon;
but soon after falling lame, he became a STALLION in the Duke's
possession, and having already produced _Chuckle_ and _First Fruits_,
both good runners, he is in considerable estimation, and will no doubt
contribute to TURF STOCK with increasing reputation.


GROUSE, OR RED GAME,—that species of game for the protection of which
the Legislature has provided, is a native inhabitant of HILLS and
MOUNTAINS, difficult of access, and much more common to the remote than
the centrical parts of the kingdom. They are beautiful in the
variegations of their plumage, but inferior to the PHEASANT
(particularly the cock) in both feather and size. They are included with
PHEASANTS and PARTRIDGES in every act for the PRESERVATION of GAME; but
differ individually in respect to the time limited for the commencement
and termination of the shooting season.

It is enacted by the 13th George Third, c. lv. s. 2, That no person
shall _kill_, _destroy_, _carry_, _sell_, _buy_, or _have in his
possession_, any GROUSE, commonly called RED GAME, between the _tenth_
day of _December_ and the _twelfth_ day of _August_ in any year, upon
pain of forfeiting, for the _first offence_, a sum not exceeding 20_l_.
nor less than 10_l_. and for the _second, and every subsequent offence_,
a sum not exceeding 30_l_. nor less than 20_l_. one moiety thereof to go
to the informer, and the other moiety to the poor of the parish: and in
case the penalty be not paid, and there be no distress to be had, the
offender may be committed to prison, to be kept to hard labour for any
time not exceeding SIX, nor less than THREE MONTHS.

And for the further preservation of both BLACK GAME and GROUSE, or RED
GAME, it is enacted, That any person who shall, between the _second_ day
of _February_ and the _twenty-fourth day_ of June, in any year, burn any
_grig_, _ling_, _heath_, _furze_, _goss_, or _fern_, on any mountains,
hills, heaths, moors, forests, chases, or other wastes, shall be
committed to the house of correction for any time not exceeding _one
month_, nor less than _ten days_; there to be whipped, and kept to hard
labour.


GUN.—A GUN is that well-known instrument of pleasure used in the
destruction of GAME, for the privilege of carrying which, its devotees
voluntarily contribute so largely to the exigencies of State, and the
support of Government. FASHION, that great centre of fluctuation, has in
this, as in almost every thing else, wrought a very considerable change.
GUNS formerly in use for this purpose, were principally constructed from
three feet eight and ten inches, to five and even six feet in the length
of the barrel only; which, by the effect of constantly increasing
ingenuity and persevering invention, are now reduced to a standard
varying but little _below_ two feet nine, or _above_ three feet and an
inch; these having been improved to such a degree of perfection, as to
bring down a bird from FORTY to SIXTY yards _distance_; and at no
greater would any SPORTSMAN wish to put a gun to his shoulder. Guns with
longer barrels are generally appropriated to the killing of _water
fowl_, and are called FOWLING-PIECES.



H.


HACK.—Any horse appropriated to every kind of purpose, (and upon which
no great estimation or value is placed,) it has been the custom for time
immemorial to distinguish by the appellation of HACK. Custom, however,
has permitted a slight deviation from a practice of long standing, and A
HACK is now generally understood to imply the idea of a _hired horse_;
that is, a horse the property of a HACKNEY-MAN, JOB or POSTMASTER, who
lets out horses by the _day_, _week_, or _month_, and who is obliged to
take out an annual licence for permission so to do, paying FIVE
SHILLINGS for the same: doing which _without_ A LICENCE, renders him
liable to a penalty of TEN POUNDS.

HACK HORSES, whether for _riding_ or _drawing_, used in travelling post,
are individually liable to a duty of _one penny halfpenny_ per mile, for
as many miles as such horse shall be engaged to travel within a day, or
any less time; but where the distance cannot then be ascertained, _one
shilling and ninepence_ shall be paid for each horse so hired. This duty
is demanded by the person letting the horse or horses to hire, who, upon
receiving such payment, shall deliver to the person so hiring, one or
more STAMP-OFFICE TICKETS, under a penalty of TEN POUNDS.


HACKNEY,—in the general acceptation of the word with the SPORTING WORLD,
is a horse superior to all others upon the SCORE of UTILITY; being
rendered subservient to every office of exertion, speed, and
perseverance, or, in other words, to all the _drudgery_ and _labour_ of
his situation, from which his cotemporaries, the RACER, the HUNTER, and
the CHARGER, by the _imaginary_ superiority of their qualifications, and
pampered appearance, are always _exempt_. It is the peculiar province of
the HACKNEY to carry his master _twelve_ or _fifteen_ miles in an hour
to covert, (where the HUNTER is in _waiting_,) and sometimes to bring
back the GROOM with still greater expedition, whose _engagements_ may
probably have occasioned him to be much more in _haste_ than his MASTER.
It is in the department of the HACKNEY to encounter and overcome
emergencies and difficulties of every description: his constitution
should be excellent, and his spirit invincible; he must be enabled to go
_five-and-twenty_ or _thirty miles_ at a stage, without _drawing bit_,
and without the least respect to the _depth_ of the _roads_, or the
dreary state of the weather; and if he is not equal to _any weight_, in
these _trifling exertions_, he will be held in no estimation as a
HACKNEY of FASHION.


HACKNEY-MEN.—Those so called are the proprietors of COACHES, CHAISES,
and HORSES, for the accommodation of the public, and of whom may be
obtained vehicles of such description for any length of time required.
They are subject to a LICENCE ANNUALLY, and various duties upon the
different carriages, all which are clearly explained in concise
abstracts (called "TAX TABLES") from the Acts of Parliament upon this
particular subject.


HAIR,—with which the frame of the horse is so completely covered, and
more familiarly termed COAT, is, in general, indicative of the _good_ or
_ill_ state of the horse; not only in respect to health, but to his
CONDITION, for whatever work he may be designed. If the subject is sleek
in his coat, with a glossy shining surface, soft and pliable in the
skin; not tight upon the ribs, as if firmly adhering to the side; no
enlargements upon the lower joints of the legs, nor any _profuse_ and
_faint_ perspiration upon moderate work, the BLOOD may be pronounced in
a HEALTHY STATE, and the horse in fair and GOOD CONDITION.

If, on the contrary, the coat is rough, hollow, staring different ways,
of a variegated hue, with a tinge of dust or scaly scurf beneath the
surface, the perspirative matter has been thrown upon the circulation by
a collapsion of the porous system, the blood is become sizey, and
disposed to morbidity, in proportion to the preternatural weight by
which it is overloaded, and the obstructions it has to encounter in its
passage through the finer vessels, occasioned by the languor of the
circulation.

It is no uncommon thing for HORSES in tolerable GOOD CONDITION to go
_all to pieces_, particularly in the autumn months, without the least
cause to be assigned, the least reason to be suggested, by either MASTER
or GROOM. Certain it is, that to two successive acts of indiscretion,
(or error in judgment,) this very prevalent defeat may be attributed,
without the least fear of being at all _wrong_ in the conclusion. GROOMS
and COACHMEN, in general, totally unmindful of the _great heat_ of their
stables during the night, throw open the doors immediately upon coming
in the morning, (regardless of even _frost_ or _snow_,) and frequently
so continue during the whole ceremony of "mucking out" and carrying away
the dung, if not with the addition of _stripping_ and _dressing_ the
horses into the bargain.

That the measure of indiscretion may be complete, the ceremony not
unfrequently terminates in a three or four gallon pail of _hard cold_
water from the PUMP in the _yard_ or _mews_; immediately after which, a
judicious observer will perceive

  "Each particular hair to stand on end,
  "Like quills upon the fretful porcupine."

This prevailing practice has frequently laid the foundation of various
ills, not one of which were ever attributed to the right cause. Such an
accumulation of _chilling frigidity_ immediately succeeding the extreme
heat of the night, has often produced diseases _without end_, at least
those which _ended_ only with _life_. COLDS, COUGHS, FEVER, (original or
symptomatic,) INFLAMMATION of the LUNGS, BAD EYES, BROKEN WIND, SWELLED
LEGS, CRACKED HEELS, DROPSY in the _chest_, with a long list of _et
ceteras_, or even death itself, may be occasioned by circumstances which
in themselves appear so _trifling_, yet they sometimes prove of
considerable magnitude, and would attract the necessary attention of any
humane man looking after his _own_ horses; but in the present age of
_duplicity_ and _deception_, are very little likely to affect the
_sensibility_ or _integrity_ of those looking after the horses of
_others_.

Where a loss of hair has been sustained by some injury, as in broken
knees, wounds after being healed, blistering or firing, the growth may
be promoted (particularly in slight cases) by reducing three drachms of
CAMPHIRE to _fine powder_, then letting it be well incorporated with
_two ounces_ of SPERMA CÆTI OINTMENT upon a marble slab, and a small
portion of it well rubbed into the part affected at least _once_, but it
will be better if persevered in _twice_ a day.


HALTER—is that well-known convenience by which a horse is fastened to
the MANGER when confined in a STABLE. Halters are of two kinds; the one
prepared of _twisted hemp_, the other made of LEATHER, having
head-stall, throat-straps and buckles, nose-band, &c. and are called
double-reined hunting-collars. These are the safest in every respect,
and, although the most expensive at first, are proportionally durable,
and consequently cheapest in the course of time. HEMPEN halters are
sometimes injurious, in forming _swellings_, or _lacerations_, upon the
upper part of the head, behind the ears, by the friction of the
_hard-twisted hemp_ upon a part naturally tender and easily susceptible.
They are, however, now but very little used, except in the stables of
inferior inns, and of indigent rustics.


HALTER-CAST.—This is an accident to which horses are constantly liable,
and it very frequently happens; but, in general, from the inadvertency
of leaving the rein of the halter of _too great a length_ on either one
side or the other: for when the horse is lying down, and has occasion
(from itching, or some other cause) to rub his neck or head with the
hind foot, it is no uncommon thing to have it get entangled in the
halter-rein; which encircling the _cavity_ of the _heel_, renders it
impossible for the animal to extricate himself, unless the halter breaks
in his favor; and during these struggles, the heel is sometimes so
terribly excoriated, as to become not only a WOUND of much _trouble_,
_anxiety_, and _loss_ of _labour_, but often leaves a very vexatious
blemish, never to be removed. It is, therefore, a truly necessary part
of stable circumspection, to have an occasional eye to a circumstance in
itself so seemingly insignificant, when it is recollected, that its
omission may be productive of much mortification.


HALTING—may be considered _a limping_, or slight impediment to FREE and
EASY ACTION, implying some kind of perceptible _defect_ or
_disquietude_, not amounting to absolute LAMENESS. Whenever this
irregularity in motion is first observed, and that the legs do not move
in corresponding uniformity, or, in other words, as if they _were not
fellows_, an accurate examination should be immediately made to
ascertain the CAUSE, that it may be _speedily_ relieved; upon a very
fair presumption, that what might produce only a _limping_ or _halting_
in the first instance, might probably become a confirmed LAMENESS by a
perseverance in use, without adverting to the proper means of
alleviation upon the original discovery of something amiss.


HAM, HOUGH, OR HOCK,—is the joint in the center of the hind leg behind;
and although so wonderfully united for STRENGTH and ACTION, is
nevertheless the seat of serious injuries, as BLOOD and BONE SPAVINS,
CURBS, &c. the major part of which originate much more in improper
treatment, by short turns, sudden jerks, or twists, upon the road, or in
the stable, than by any accidents or fair mode of usage whatever.


HAMBLETONIAN;—the name of A HORSE whose performances have ranked him in
an equal degree of retrospective celebrity with _Eclipse_, _Highflyer_,
_Diomed_, and the most famous runners of the past or present day. He was
bred by MR. HUTCHINSON, of Skipton, near York, and foaled in 1792; was
got by _King Fergus_; dam by _Highflyer_; grand-dam by _Matchem_.—1795.
May 5, when three years old, he won a stakes of fifteen guineas each,
over Hambleton, (five subscribers,) beating _Sober Robin_, _Tarquin_,
and another. At York, May 20th, he won a sweepstakes of twenty guineas
each, four subscribers. He was then purchased, with all his engagements,
by SIR C. TURNER, Bart. in whose possession he won, on the 27th of
August, at York, a sweepstakes of 100 guineas each, (six subscribers,)
beating _Benjamin_, _Minus_, and _Maximus_. Two days after he won a
sweepstakes of fifty guineas each, four subscribers. At Doncaster, the
22d of September, he won the St. Leger stakes of twenty-five guineas
each, twelve subscribers. The next day he won the GOLD CUP of 100
guineas value, four miles, beating _Governor_, _Capsicum_, and
_Bradamant_.

1796. At the York August meeting he won a subscription purse of 227_l._
10_s._ beating _Spread Eagle_, _Sober Robin_, and another. The next day
he won the ladies' plate, beating Lord Darlington's _St. George_. At
this period of his uninterrupted success, he was purchased by SIR HENRY
TEMPEST VANE, Bart. and at Doncaster, September 28, won the GOLD CUP of
100 guineas value, beating _Sober Robin_, _Ambrosio_, and three others.
In the Newmarket Houghton meeting, November 2, he beat Mr. Tatton's
_Patriot_ (who was got by _Rockingham_) over the Beacon Course for 1000
guineas.

1797. Monday in the Newmarket Craven meeting, he won the Craven stakes
of ten guineas each, beating _Sober Robin_, _Bennington_, _Paynator_,
_Hermione_, _Parisot_, _Cymbeline_, and five others. The same day he
received 250 guineas forfeit from _Spread Eagle_. On Thursday, in the
same week, he beat Lord Clermont's _Aimator_, Beacon Course, 300
guineas. At York, August 23, he won one third of the great subscription
of 25 guineas each, (25 subscribers,) to which was added a 50_l._ plate
given by the city. The next day he won another third of the same
subscription, with an additional 50_l._ plate by the City, beating
_Beningbrough_, _Trimbush_, and _Brilliant_. At Doncaster, the 27th of
September, he won the stakes of ten guineas each, (ten subscribers,)
with twenty guineas added by the Corporation; and on the 29th received
100 guineas forfeit from Mr. Sitwell's _Moorcock_.

In 1798 he was slightly lame, and never started.

1799. Monday, in the Craven meeting at Newmarket, he beat Mr. Cookson's
famous horse _Diamond_, over the Beacon, for 3000 guineas, with the odds
of _five_ to _four_ in his favour, on account of his superiority in size
and strength; it being jocularly observed by the rider of _Diamond_ at
_starting_, that it seemed "a little like a race between a mare and her
colt." This match was the greatest in popularity ever known from one
extremity of the kingdom to the other, and was decided before one of the
fullest meetings ever seen at Newmarket. It was won by no more than
_three parts_ of a _length_, to effect which the winner had felt the
utmost force of the spur; and, it was generally believed, if they had
then one hundred yards farther to have ran, _Diamond_ would have been
_the winner_; in proof of the justice of which opinion, MR. COOKSON
challenged a repetition of the match, which was declined.

At Doncaster the same year, he won the renewed stakes of ten guineas
each, (fourteen subscribers, with twenty guineas added by the
Corporation,) beating _eight_ of the best horses in the north of
England. In 1800 he won the great subscription at York, with 50_l._
given by the City, which was the last time he started. He once ran out
of the Course, _soon after starting_, when running three miles over
York, 1797, for a sweepstakes of 100 guineas each against _Deserter_ and
_Spread Eagle_; and paid one forfeit to _Sterling_ (from being amiss in
1792) at Newmarket; but NEVER WAS BEAT. He is now a stallion in high
repute near Leeds, in Yorkshire, at TEN GUINEAS, and half a guinea the
groom.


HAND—is the term for a mode of measurement by which the height of A
HORSE is ascertained. A HAND (so called originally from its breadth) is
_four inches_; three hands is consequently one foot; and A HORSE OF
FIFTEEN HANDS is exactly _five feet high_; and so above or below in
proportion; as thirteen hands three inches; fourteen hands and a half;
or fifteen hands three inches and a quarter; as the measure may be.
This, at the entrance of horses for GIVE and TAKE PLATES, is regulated
to a most scrupulous nicety by means of a STANDARD, so curiously
constructed, as to ascertain the exact height to the _eighth_ of _an
inch_, where horses are MATCHED to carry WEIGHT for _inches_.

BRIDLE-HAND: the left hand is so termed, in contra-distinction to the
right, which is called the WHIP-HAND; and the most experienced jockies
in racing, always take the whip-hand, if possible; it being considered a
point in their favour; that is, because they have not only an advantage
in the turns of the course, but their adversaries circumscribe a _larger
circle_ of many lengths in a FOUR MILES race, exclusive of their having
an unrestrained use of THE WHIP, should it come to a _severe push_ at
the run in.

There are many _sporting phrases_ in which the word HAND becomes
particularly emphatic. To say a horse is LIGHT in HAND, implies his
being playful, lively, champing his bit, firm upon his haunches, and not
dwelling upon the ground with his fore feet. A horse is HEAVY in HAND,
when, bearing his weight upon the bit, and lifting his fore legs with
reluctance, he goes _boring on_, with no other sensation to the rider,
than an eternal fear of his pitching upon his head. A vicious horse,
breaking away with his rider, seems a dreadful sight to a spectator, but
can never be attended with misfortune, if the rider is a good HORSEMAN,
and has him "well in hand," which is, in fact, the power of "gathering
him together," or stopping his career at pleasure.

Although the _left_ is technically termed the BRIDLE-HAND, yet a good
horseman, or experienced sportsman, will use either _right_ or _left_
with the most perfect ease and dexterity; to effect which with the
greater freedom, young horsemen should constantly practise an exchange
of the reins from one hand to the other in their daily excursions. The
hand should be delicately alive to every motion of the horse; for it is
the judicious management of one, that is to constitute entirely the
_good_ or _bad_ mouth of the other. A horse is supposed to gallop
awkwardly (if not unnaturally) when he strikes into that pace with his
_left leg_ foremost; to prevent which, bear the rein to _the left_, with
the bridle-hand, and the horse invariably sets off with the _right_ leg.

HAND-GALLOP is that easy kind of pacing adapted to the aged and infirm,
who wish to obtain every possible degree of motion, most consonant to
bodily ease; it is the degree of equestrian action synonimous with, and
more universally known by, the denomination of CANTER; which is, in
fact, the slowest, or most contracted gallop, and can only be enjoyed by
those who possess horses of good temper, and well broke for the purpose.

A COLT said to be "taken in hand," implies his being brought from his
wild state of nature, to be _handled_, _quieted_, _led_ about, and
_stabled_, previous to his being _broke in_ for the SADDLE or HARNESS.

A horse's FORE-HAND includes the fore quarters, from the withers upwards
to the tip of the ears; the principal beauty and attraction of which
depend entirely upon the length and curvilinear form of the neck, which
increases or diminishes his _marketable value_, in proportion as it is
_well_ or _ill_ formed.


HANDICAP—is a sporting term, applicable to either MATCH, PLATE, or
SWEEPSTAKES, in the following way:

A, B, and C, put an equal sum into a hat. C, who is the handicapper,
makes a match for A and B, who, when they have perused it, put their
hands into their pockets, and draw them out closed; then they open them
together, and if both have money in their hands, the match is confirmed;
if _neither_ have money, it is no match: in either of these cases, the
handicapper C draws all the money out of the hat: but if one has money
in his hand, and the other _none_, it is then no MATCH; and he that has
the money in his hand, is entitled to the whole deposit in the hat.

A HANDICAP PLATE is the gift of an individual, or raised by
SUBSCRIPTION, for which horses are generally declared the day before
running, at a certain hour, by written information privately delivered
to the CLERK of the COURSE, whose province it is to make out the list,
and hand it to the STEWARD of the RACE; when the weight each horse must
carry is irrevocably fixed, (by whoever the steward may appoint), and
appears in the printed lists of the following morning. Horses thus
entered, and declining the weight appointed for them to carry, are of
course permitted to be withdrawn, without any forfeit or loss.


HANDING—is sometimes used to express the HANDING of a COCK during his
battle in the pit. It is, however, considered merely provincial, and
peculiar only to some particular parts of the country; the _hander_ of
the _cocks_ being now more generally known by the denomination of a
SETTER-TO.—See COCKPIT ROYAL.


HANDLING,—a term applied by COCKERS to the judicious handling of a COCK,
when brought up from his _walk_, to ascertain whether he is in proper
condition to be placed in the PENS, and prepared to fight in either the
MAIN BATTLES, or the _byes_. This is done by a particular mode of taking
the girt of the body by grasp, to discover the shape and substance, the
bone, the probable strength, as well as the firmness or flaccidity of
the flesh; upon the aggregate of which so much depends, that in
proportion to these qualifications, he is ACCEPTED or _rejected_
accordingly.


HARBOUR—is a sporting term, applicable solely to DEER, and used only in
STAG HUNTING; when going to covert, and drawing for an out-lying deer;
upon finding, it is customary to say, We UNHARBOUR a stag, (or hind.) As
with HARRIERS, We _find_ or _start_ a HARE; or with FOX HOUNDS, We
_unkennel_ a FOX.


HARE.—This small, harmless, inoffensive animal affords a greater
diversity of sport in the field, and a greater degree of luxurious
entertainment upon the table, than any species of GAME in this, or,
probably, in any other country. The form, shape, and make of the HARE is
too universally known to require description; but the most curious
naturalists describe, and _affect_ to believe, there are _four kinds_ of
_hares_ in different parts of the kingdom. The fact is not so; the
species is strictly the same; but they are known to differ in size,
speed, substance, and somewhat in colour, according to the soil,
climate, fertility, or sterility, of the country where they are bred.

HARES in hilly and mountainous countries are smaller, but more fleet
than any other; those who are the natives of low, wet, marshy ground, or
moors, are larger, but less firm and delicious in flesh, as well as less
nimble in action. Hares bred in open countries, diversified with woods,
parks, and arable lands, are in size between both, and afford the best
_coursing_ before GREYHOUNDS, as well as the longest _chases_ before
HOUNDS. Every part of the hare is admirably formed for the promotion of
speed; which, in conjunction with other natural advantages, greatly
enables her to evade the pursuits and stratagems of her numerous enemies.

The sense of SMELLING, as well as of HEARING, the hare possesses in a
more exquisite degree than any other animal; the latter of which may be
justly attributed to the great length, and singular formation, of the
ears, so well adapted to receive the slightest vibration of sound, which
even the earth is so well known to convey. Its sense of smelling is so
incredibly nice, that the hare can _wind_ an _enemy_ (either man or
beast) at a considerable distance, particularly in the stillness of the
night; this is evidently occasioned by the elastic formation of the
nostrils, and the depth of the division between both, from whence has
arisen the appellation of _a hare-lip_, with which defect some of the
human species are afflicted, in consequence of fright to the mother
during the early months of pregnancy. The ears seem to be the regulators
of almost every action; for during the chase _one_ is always _erect_,
the other _horizontal_; unless in suddenly coming upon an unexpected
object, when they are for a moment both erect; but, upon turning and
renewing her speed, they invariably resume their former position.

The EYES of the HARE, from the peculiar prominence of their formation,
enable her to distinguish objects in almost every direction, without
altering the position of either her head or her body; and it is
remarkable, that their sight in a straight forward line seems less
perfect than in any other. The natural timidity of the hare is
excessive; she exists in perpetual fear, and is tremblingly alive to
every breeze that can possibly produce alarm. Formed entirely for
RUNNING, she either possesses no power, or makes no attempt _to walk_,
but in her slowest motion proceeds by JUMPS. The food of the hare varies
with the season, and consists chiefly of young clover, green wheat,
short sweet grass in parks or upon lawns; and in the winter, parsley,
turnip greens, and other succulent plants. During severe frosts, or deep
snow, they make no small havock amongst young fruit-trees and fragrant
shrubs, by nibbling the bark, thereby retarding their growth, if not (as
is frequently the case) promoting their destruction. It is asserted by
MR. DANIEL, in his publication called "RURAL SPORTS," that the
plantations of a GENTLEMAN in the county of SUFFOLK, had suffered so
much in this way, that, in defence of his improvements, he felt himself
under the necessity of destroying his HARES, when no less than _five
hundred_ and _forty brace_ fell victims on the occasion.

The almost perpetual and incredible _destruction_ of HARES, by HUNTING,
COURSING, SHOOTING, and the nocturnal _net_ and _wire_ of the _poacher_,
(as well as the infinite increase to supply that destruction,) having
occasioned suggestions, that they possess the property of SUPERFŒTATION,
it becomes immediately applicable to introduce a remark or two under
that head. We are told by MR. DANIEL, that "Sir Thomas Brown, in his
Treatise on _Vulgar Errors_, asserts this circumstance from his own
observation: and BUFFON describes it as one of this animal's peculiar
properties, introducing an idea of hermaphrodite hares; as well as that
the males _sometimes_ bring forth young; that they are alternately MALES
and FEMALES, occasionally performing the functions of _either_ sex."
Nothing can be more contemptible and ridiculous than such conjectures;
they are the very essence of mental fertility; and it must suffice to
admit, that SIR THOMAS BROWN and BUFFON were not inquisitive sportsmen,
or not scientifically acquainted with the parts necessary to generation.

For want of information so very easily to be obtained, some one of these
speculative writers promulgated an erroneous assertion, every day liable
to the most palpable confutation; "that in the formation of the genital
parts of the MALE HARE, the testicles _do not_ appear on the _outside_
of the body, but are contained in the same cover with the intestines."
It should seem these authors write more to SURPRIZE than to INSTRUCT, or
that they knew little of the subject they wrote upon; as nineteen
sportsmen out of every twenty, who have handled hares in the field, or
taken them up before the hounds, can demonstrate the contrary; as the
testicles, when the hare is full grown, are not only prominently
perceptible _externally_, but of considerable size for so small an
animal.

The natural fecundity of HARES almost exceeds belief; they continue to
breed for nine months out of the twelve; and leverets (young hares) are
frequently found and chopped by the hounds in _January_, when the winter
has been _mild_. The doe hare goes a month after conception, and at her
_first_ produce seldom brings forth more than _two_, afterwards _three_,
and sometimes _four_. Whenever the number exceeds two, it is a received
(and generally believed just) opinion, that each of the young has a
white star in the forehead, which, however, is gradually obliterated as
they approach maturity. The dam is supposed to suckle them about
one-and-twenty days; but takes care to separate them before that time,
and deposits them individually in such _forms_ as she has previously
prepared for their reception, at a considerable distance from each
other; but so situate, that she can afford maternal protection to the
whole. Their prolific powers, and perpetual increase, will create no
surprise, when we are respectably informed, that a brace of hares, (the
doe pregnant when shut up) were inclosed in a large walled garden, and
proper aliment supplied for their sustenance; when at the expiration of
TWELVE MONTHS the garden was searched, and the produce was _fifty-seven_
hares, including the original brace turned down: this fact alone
demonstrating the certainty, that the females begin to breed when, or
before, they are six months old.

The length of a hare's natural life is limited to six or seven years,
and they reach their full growth in eight or nine months. The male is by
much the smallest, seldom exceeding in weight _five_ or _six_ pounds;
but the females, particularly in some very rich and fertile counties,
weigh from seven to eight: some few instances have been known of their
weighing _nine_ pounds, after being _paunched_. The hare is supposed to
be in gentle motion all night during the summer months, and a great part
of it in the dreary nights of winter; during the length of which _their
works_ are of such immense perplexity, (in _heads_, _doubles_, and
_circles_,) that little expectation is entertained of finding a hare by
_the trail_, unless the field is taken early in the morning, soon after
she is gone _to seat_; which is seldom, if ever, before the dawn of day;
and in the summer months, very frequently not till long after day-light.

The HARE till full grown is called A LEVERET, and at any age is very
difficult to be found _sitting_; so nearly does the downy fleak (when
close contracted) approach the colour of the ground. In this position
the old and experienced SPORTSMAN will declare the gender of the hare
_before_ it is started. The head of the male is short and round, the
whiskers longer, the slit in the nose wider, the shoulders more ruddy,
and the ears shorter and broader, than those of the female; the head of
which is long and narrow; the ears long, and sharp at the tip; the fur
of the back of a dingey hue, inclining to black, and of superior size to
the male. When a hare is observed in its FORM, it may be easily
ascertained, by the _ears_ only, whether it is a BUCK or DOE; and this
is a useful kind of knowledge, particularly at the latter part of the
season, when no man, but a hardened poacher, or _pot-hunting_ sportsman,
would turn out a _female_ hare before either HOUND or GREYHOUND, where
there is a chance of destroying _a leash_, or _two brace_, by the wanton
destruction of one.

If the hare found sitting is A BUCK, the ears will be seen drawn close
in a parallel line with each other, directly over the shoulders,
pointing straight down the back; but if A DOE, the ears are distended on
each side of the neck, having a space between them in the centre. In the
chase, a _Jack hare_, (as the male is sportingly termed,) after the
first ring or two, particularly in the spring months, flies his country,
goes straight forwards, and affords a good run, but generally falls a
victim to his own fortitude at its termination. The female hangs closer
to her native spot, depending more upon her instinctive efforts, in
_heading_, _doubling_, _soiling_, and _squatting_, than speed for her
preservation.

Hares bred upon the downs, or in hilly countries, are always the
stoutest, and best enabled to escape from GREYHOUNDS; of which they are
so conscious, that they always make for the nearest rising ground, so
soon as started. When so severely distrest that they plainly perceive
there is no other means of escape, they will take to a brick or wooden
drain for security, or even _run to earth_, if one should luckily
present itself in the emergency. They are thought to foresee a CHANGE in
the WEATHER, and to regulate their _sitting_ accordingly. After harvest
they are found in stubbles, banks of hedges, woods, and thickets; during
the fall of the leaf, they seat themselves more in open fields; and when
the severity of winter begins to decline, warm, dry, hilly fallows are
hardly ever without them. As one species of GAME, they are held in high
estimation; and, notwithstanding the utmost efforts, by every degree of
interdiction, with all the _pains_ and _penalties_ that successive
parliaments could devise, from RICHARD the Second to the present day,
for their preservation, and appropriation to the use of the superior
classes, yet no laws ever proved more fallacious or deceptive; for the
infinity of POACHERS, with which every rural district abounds, and the
alacrity with which STAGE COACHMEN and COUNTRY HIGLERS supply their
_friends_, will never let any inquirer be in want of A HARE, who has his
_five shillings_ in hand as a means of retribution. This INSUFFICIENCY
of the LAW to check nocturnal depredation, and progressive infamy, is
most sincerely to be regretted; but experience has long held forth ample
conviction, that regret cannot produce redress.


HARE-HUNTING—is a well-known sport, of very ancient and enthusiastic
enjoyment, reported, by the most celebrated ANTIQUARIES, to have been
established more than _two thousand_ years before the CHRISTIAN ÆRA.
Various opinions have been occasionally promulgated, and perseveringly
supported, (by cynical rigidity, and religious severity,) upon the
"cruelty of the chase;" which, however, is now _never_ likely to be
shaken in either _theory_ or _practice_, as to almost every PACK OF
HOUNDS in the kingdom there are clerical devotees, who are by no means
unworthy MEMBERS of the CHURCH.

HARE-HUNTING, though universal in every part of England, Ireland,
Scotland, and Wales, is in the highest estimation in those open and
champaign counties where, from want of covert, a STAG or FOX is never
seen. Here the hares are stouter, more accustomed to long nightly
exercise, more frequently disturbed, more inured to severe courses
before GREYHOUNDS, and hard runs before hounds; consequently, calculated
to afford much better sport than can be expected in either an inclosed
or woodland country. There are three distinct kinds of hounds, with
which this particular chase is pursued, according to the soil and
natural face of the district where it is enjoyed. The large slow
SOUTHERN HOUND is adapted to the low swampy, marshy lands, so
conspicuous in many parts of Lancashire; as well as those in Norfolk,
and various others bordering upon the sea. The small, busy,
indefatigable BEAGLE seems appropriated by nature to those steep, hilly
and mountainous parts, where it is impossible for the best horse and
boldest rider to keep constantly with the hounds. The hounds now called
HARRIERS, and originally produced by a cross between the SOUTHERN HOUND
and the DWARF FOX, are the only hounds to succeed in those open
countries, where, for want of covert, the hare goes five or six miles an
end _without a turn_; as is frequently the case in many parts of
Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Hampshire, and other counties;
constituting chases _very superior_ to many FOX HOUNDS, hunting beechen
coverts and woodland districts.

HARE-HUNTING, when put in competition with the pursuit of STAG or FOX,
is much more gratifying to the ruminative and reflecting mind, than
either of the other two; as it affords a more ample field for minute
observation upon the instinctive sagacity of the GAME, and the patient,
persevering fortitude of the HOUND, in the various _heads_, _turns_, and
_doubles_, of the chase. Hence it is that hare-hunting is principally
followed, and most enjoyed, by sportsmen in the decline of life; but
with the younger branches it is held in very slender estimation, as they
in general appreciate the _excellence_ of _sport_ more by the difficulty
in pursuing it, than by its duration. Hare-hunting, in a woody or
inclosed country, is such a perpetual routine of repetition within a
small sphere, affording no more than a continual succession of the _same
thing_, that with a zealous rider, and a high-mettled horse, it soon
palls upon the appetite of both. Young men, from emulative motives,
(naturally appertaining to their time of life,) feel a pressing
propensity to encounter obstacles, and surmount difficulties, where the
effect of vigour and manly courage can be displayed, and consequently
prefer the kind of chase where personal fortitude, and bodily exertion,
are brought more to the proof; and where, by covering a larger scope of
country, and with a much greater proportional rapidity, a more pleasing
and extensive variety is obtained.

Another cause of mortification constantly presents itself to young
sportsmen with HARRIERS, or BEAGLES, in the field: a valuable horse, or
a bold rider, are equally unnecessary in HARE-HUNTING, and this is
eternally brought to an incontrovertible proof; for after a burst of
five minutes, in which a perfect hunter has an opportunity of displaying
his speed, and, after _clearing_ some dangerous _leaps_, a sudden turn
or _double_ of the HARE, brings him by the side of a rustic upon a poney
of _five pounds value_, who is _nine_ times out of _ten_ as forward as
himself. The infinite time lost in _finding_, where hares are not in
great plenty; the frequency of _faults_; the persecuting tediousness of
_cold hunting_; and the injury done to HORSES in drizzling dreary days,
during hours of slow action, are great drawbacks to the pleasure this
species of hunting would otherwise afford.

MODERATE SPORTSMEN will never avail themselves of _immoderate_ means to
occasion a contraction of their own sport, by a wanton or unnecessary
destruction of hares; too great a body of hounds should never be brought
into the field, or any _unfair_ modes adopted during the chase:
_pricking a hare_ in the paths, or upon the highways, as well as placing
emissaries upon _the soil_, are paltry, mean, and disgraceful artifices,
that no genuine, well-bred, HONEST SPORTSMAN, will ever permit; but
candidly acknowledge, if the HOUNDS cannot _kill her_, she ought to
ESCAPE. In respect to numbers, _less_ than TWELVE, or _more_ than
EIGHTEEN couple ought never to be brought from the kennel to the chase;
nor, indeed, seldom are, unless with those who think much less of SPORT,
than of personal _pride_ and _ostentation_.

MR. BECKFORD, who is a perfect master of this subject, has so completely
investigated, and minutely explained, every particular appertaining to
the _chase_ of both HARE and FOX, that as it is absolutely impossible to
suggest an _idea_, or communicate a _thought_, but what must carry with
it the appearance of plagiarism; it will be more candid, (evidently more
honest) to introduce occasional passages in his own words, as language
more expressive, by which they will be infinitely better understood. He
says, "By inclination he was never a hare-hunter; but followed the
diversion more for air and exercise than amusement; and if he could have
persuaded himself to ride on the turnpike road to the three mile stone,
and back again, he never should have thought himself in need of a pack
of harriers."

He then apologizes to "his brother HARE-HUNTERS for holding the sport so
cheap, not wishing to offend; alluding more relatively to his own
particular situation in a country where hare-hunting is so bad, that it
is more extraordinary he should have persevered in it so long, than he
should have forsaken it then." Adding, "how much he respects hunting in
whatever shape it appears; that it is a manly and a wholesome exercise,
and seems by nature designed to be the amusement of a Briton." He is of
opinion that more than twenty couple of hounds should never be brought
into the field; supposing it difficult for a greater number to run well
together; and a pack of harriers can never be complete who do not. He
thinks the fewer hounds you have, the less you soil the ground, which
sometimes proves a hindrance to the chase.

Custom has greatly varied in the practice of HARE-HUNTING during the
last thirty years: at that time the hounds left the kennel at day-light,
_took trail_ upon being _thrown off_, and soon went up to their GAME;
which having the pleasure to find by their own instinctive sagacity,
they pursued with the more determined alacrity: a brace or leash of
hares were then killed, and the sport of the day concluded, by the hour
it is now _the fashion_ for the company to take the field. As the
_trail_ of a hare lays both partially and imperfectly when it gets late
in the day, so the difficulty of _finding_ is increased, in proportion
to the lateness of the hour at which the hounds are thrown off; hence it
is that HARE-FINDERS, so little known at that time, are now become so
truly instrumental to the sport of the day.

Although their services are welcome to the eager and expectant
sportsman, yet it is on all hands admitted, they are prejudicial to the
discipline of hounds; for having such assistance, they become habitually
_idle_, and individually _wild_: expecting the game to be readily found
for them, they become totally indifferent to the task of finding it
themselves. HOUNDS of this description know the hare-finder as well as
they know the HUNTSMAN, and will not only, upon sight, set off to meet
him, but have eternally their heads thrown up in the air, in expectation
of a view HOLLOA!

With all well-managed packs, they are quietly brought up to the place of
meeting; and when _thrown off_, a general silence should prevail, that
every hound may be permitted to do his own work. Hounds well bred, and
well broke to their business, seldom want assistance. Officious
intrusions frequently do more harm than good: nothing requires greater
judgment, or nicer observation in speaking to a hound, than to know the
critical time when a word is wanting. Young men, like young hounds, are
frequently accustomed to _babble_ when newly entered, and, by their
frivolous questions or conversation, attract the attention of the
hounds, and insure the silent _curse_ of the HUNTSMAN, as well as the
contemptuous indifference of every experienced sportsman in the field.

Whenever a hare is turned out of her form, or jumps up before the
hounds, a general shout of clamorous exultation too frequently prevails,
by which the hare's intentional course is perverted, and she is often
_headed_, or turned into the body of the HOUNDS to a _certain death_;
when, on the contrary, was she permitted to go off with less alarm, and
to break view, without being so closely pressed at starting, there is no
doubt but much better runs would be more generally obtained. Individual
emulation, or individual _obstinacy_, invariably occasions horsemen in
hare-hunting to be too near the hounds, who, being naturally urged by
the rattling of the horses, and the exulting zeal of the riders, often
very much over-run the scent, and have no alternative but to _turn_ and
_divide_ amidst the legs of the horses, so soon as they have lost it;
and to this circumstance may be justly attributed many of the long and
tedious _faults_ which so frequently occur, and render this kind of
chase the less attracting.

Gentlemen who keep HARRIERS vary much in their modes of hunting them;
but the true sportsman never deviates from the strict impartiality of
the chase. If a hare is found _sitting_, and the hounds too near at
hand, they are immediately drawn off, to prevent her being _chopped_ in
her _form_: the hare is then silently walked up by the individual who
previously found her, and she is permitted to go off at her _own pace_,
and her _own way_. The hounds are then drawn over the spot from whence
she started, where taking the scent, they go off in a style of
uniformity, constituting what may be fairly termed the consistency of
the chase. Others there are who never can, or _never will_, resist the
temptation of giving _the hounds a view_, and never fail to tell you,
both HARE and HOUNDS run the better for it. In addition to this _humane_
method of beginning the chase, every advantage is taken of the poor
affrighted animal's distress, amidst all its little instinctive efforts
for the preservation of life. The hounds, instead of being permitted to
run the soil, and kill the hare by dint of their own persevering labour,
are constantly _capped_ from _chase_ to _view_; and the object of the
sport most wantonly and uncharitably destroyed; for nothing less than a
miracle can effect its escape.

Those of nicer sensations enjoy the sport, but enjoy it much more
mercifully; and would rather see their own hounds occasionally _beaten_,
than, by any unfair or unsportsman-like introduction, kill their hare.
These never permit a profusion of vociferous assistance from the
huntsman, who is enjoined to an almost silent execution of his own duty,
that the hounds may not be prevented (by _his noise_) from a strict and
attentive performance of theirs. If they _throw up_, upon a dry or
greasy fallow, a footpath, a highway, or a turnpike-road, a thousand
busy bustling endeavours are to be self-made for a recovery of the
scent, before any one effort is permitted to assist in _lifting them
along_; and even then, not till every patient and persevering struggle
has failed of success. The sportsman of this description admits of no
device, stratagem, or _foul play_ whatever; the HOUNDS must _hunt_ the
hare; they must go over every inch of ground she has gone before them;
they must _hit off_ their own checks, recover their _faults_; and, by
cold hunting, _pick it along_, where, in passing through a flock of
sheep, the ground has been foiled, and the chase proportionally
retarded. Early and extensive _casts_ are unjust, unless upon some
unexpected or unavoidable emergency; as the repeated interventions of
sheep, or intersections of roads, or fallows in a dry season; when it
would be impossible to make the least progress in getting the hounds
along without assistance.

When hounds come to a check, not a horse should move, not a voice should
be heard: every hound is eagerly employed, exerting all his powers for a
recovery of the scent, in which, if not officiously obstructed, they
will most probably soon succeed. At such times there is generally, and
unluckily, some _popinjay_ in the field, who, unfortunately for himself,
never speaks but upon the most _improper_ occasion; rendering, at such
moment, the judicious observation of MR. BECKFORD truly neat and
applicable, that "when in the field, he never desires to hear any other
_tongue_ than a HOUND." Whenever assistance to hounds is become
unavoidably necessary, and the chase cannot be carried on without, sound
judgment, and long experience, are necessary to speedy success. Casts
cannot be made by any fixed, certain, or invariable rules, but must, at
different times, be differently dependent upon the _chase_, the _soil_,
the _weather_, and the _kind_ of _country_ you are hunting in. It may,
in one instance, be prudent to try _forward_ first; in another, to try
_back_; as it may be judicious, or necessary, to make a _small_ circular
cast at one time, and a much _larger_ at another; and although to one of
the field, circumstances may appear, in _either_ instance, to have been
nearly the same, yet they have not been so in the "mind's eye" of the
HUNTSMAN, (or the person hunting the hounds,) upon whose superior
knowledge, or circumspection, the _good_ or _ill_ effect of the
experiment must depend.

None, but weak or inexperienced sportsmen, ever presume to obtrude their
opinions when hounds are _at fault_; those who do it, soon find the
interference is _ill-timed_, and that it only excites a contemptuous
indifference. Strangers cannot be too cautious and circumspect in the
field, if they wish to avoid just reproofs, and not to encounter
rebuffs: some there are, whose hard fate it is to become conspicuously
ridiculous upon every occasion that can occur, and to such,
unfortunately for them, occasions are seldom wanting. During the chase,
they are riding _into_, _over_, or _before_, the HOUNDS; and at every
_check_, asking some vexatious, trifling question of the HUNTSMAN; or
entering into a frivolous conversation with what seems _to them_ the
most vulnerable subject of the company. Officious individuals of this
description, whose error too frequently originates in a certain degree
of personal pride, and unbounded confidence, should learn to know, that
"the post of honour is a private station;" as well as that an _old
pollard_ in a painting, might be admirably calculated to form a
respectable object in the back-ground, but never intended by the artist
to become a principal figure in the front of the picture.


HARE NETS—are of two sorts, one of which will be found described under
the head "GATE-NETS;" the other are called PURSE-NETS, and are exactly
in the form of cabbage-nets, but of larger and stronger construction.
These occasionally afford collateral aid to the former; for being fixed
at the different meuses (either in hedges, or to paling) where HARES are
expected to pass, and the ground being scoured by a _mute lurcher_, as
there described, the destruction is certain. These nets are the
nocturnal engines of old and experienced POACHERS, doing more mischief
where hares are plenty, in _one_ _night_, than the _wire_ manufacturers
can accomplish in a week.


"HARK FORWARD!"—is a sporting exclamation, well known in the practice of
the field, and affords to every distant hearer, authentic information,
that the hounds are _a-head_, and going on with the chase. It sometimes
happens, that, in very large and thick coverts, no man or horse existing
can be in with the hounds; at which times (particularly in stormy
weather) recourse must be had to every means for general accommodation.
The best sportsmen are often thrown out _for miles_, and not
unfrequently for _the day_, by various turns of the CHASE in COVERT, and
then breaking _up the wind_ on a contrary side, leaving every listening
expectant in an awkward predicament, if not relieved by the friendly
communication of "HOIC FORWARD!" from one to another, enabling the whole
to continue the sport.


HARE-PIPES—were instruments so curiously constructed, to imitate the
whining whimper of A HARE, that, being formerly found a very destructive
nocturnal engine in attracting the attention of hares, and bringing them
within the certain possession of the POACHER, their use was prohibited
(by particular specification) in every Act of Parliament for the
preservation of game, from the reign of Richard the Second, to the
present time; although it is natural to conclude, there is not _now_
such an article to be seen, or found in the kingdom.


HARRIERS—are the species of hound appropriated solely to the pursuit of
the HARE, and from thence derived their present appellation. The
breeding experiments so long made, and the various crosses so repeatedly
tried, by the best judges in the kingdom, seem at length to have
centered between the old southern and the dwarf fox hound. MR. BECKFORD,
whose "Thoughts" no sensible man, or judicious sportsman, will presume
to dispute, was entirely of this opinion, and proved it by his practice;
for he says, "his hounds were a cross of both these kinds, in which it
was his endeavour to get as much bone and strength, in as small a
compass as possible. It was a difficult undertaking. He bred many years,
and an infinity of hounds, before he could get what he wanted, and had
at last the pleasure to see them very handsome; small, yet very bony:
they ran remarkably well together; ran fast enough; had all the alacrity
that could be desired, and would hunt the coldest scent. When they were
thus perfect, he did as many others do—he parted with them."

Notwithstanding the criterion of excellence thus laid down, the same
sort of hound (as a harrier) is by no means applicable to every soil:
the southern hound will be always in possession of THE SWAMPS, as will
the beagles of the mountainous and hilly countries. Those who delight in
seeing hounds bred and drafted to a certain degree of uniformity, in
_size_, _bone_, _strength_, and _speed_, strictly corresponding with the
opinion of MR. BECKFORD, will not find it time lost, to take the field
with the _harriers_ of his MAJESTY, kept at Windsor: they are, as they
ought to be, the best pack, and the best hunted, this day in the
kingdom. See the Frontispiece; where every MAN, HORSE, and HOUND, is
individually a portrait.


HART—is the sporting term synonimous with STAG, (which SEE,) and was, in
all forest laws and records, constantly in use to signify the same. At
present, however, it is considered almost obsolete, and never so
expressed in sporting report, or conversation.


HART ROYAL.—A stag hunted by KING or QUEEN, obtaining his perfect
liberty by beating the hounds, was formerly called a hart royal; and
proclamation was immediately made, in the towns and villages of the
neighbourhood where he was lost, that he should not be molested, or his
life attempted by any farther pursuit; but that he should continue in a
state of unrestrained freedom, with power to return to the FOREST or
CHACE from whence he was taken at his OWN FREE WILL. This ceremony is,
however, discontinued, and bids fair to be buried in a perpetual
oblivion; as two instances have recently occurred worthy recital: one in
the neighbourhood of HIGH WYCOMBE, where the STAG was killed before the
hounds, by a rustic, during the heat of the chase, in which the KING at
the time was personally engaged. And another at MAPLEDURHAM, near
READING, where the deer was wantonly shot, as he lay in a willow bank
near the Thames, two days after he had beaten the hounds; yet it is
publicly known, that no steps were taken to prosecute the offenders,
which probably originated in his Majesty's clemency.


HAUNCH AND HIP—of a horse, have been hitherto (but not with strict
propriety) used in a similar sense: nice observers might say one begins
where the other ends, or that one immediately succeeds the other. The
haunch is that part of the hind quarter extending from the point of the
hip-bone, down the thigh to the hock; but as it is a part well known,
and but little subject to partial disease or accident, it lays claim to
no particular description. The term of "putting a horse upon his
haunches," implies the making him constantly fix the principal weight of
the frame upon his hind quarters, by which practice he bears less upon
the bit, and becomes habitually light in hand. Horses hard in mouth, and
heavy in hand, frequently undergo the ceremony of being put upon their
haunches in the trammels of a RIDING SCHOOL, where, by too severe and
inconsiderate exertions, sudden _twists_, _distortions_, and _strains_,
are sustained in the HOCKS, which terminate in CURBS and SPAVINS never
to be obliterated.


HAUNCH OF VENISON—implies the hind quarter of a FALLOW DEER, (either
buck or doe,) cut in a particular form for the table. The hind quarter
of a STAG, or HIND, also passes under the same denomination; but it is
more applicable to form a distinction, and call the former a haunch of
venison; the latter, a haunch of red deer.


HAW.—The haw is that cartilaginous part of a horse's eye, plainly
perceptible at the inner corner next the forehead, which internally
constitutes a circular groove for the easier acceleration of the eye in
its orbit. When confined within its natural and proper sphere, it is but
just in sight, when taking a front view of the horse; but when it has
acquired a preternatural degree of enlargement, it protrudes over part
of the orb, partially obstructs the sight, particularly in that
direction, and constitutes no small disfiguration of the horse.
Ingenuity heretofore suggested the possibility of extirpation with the
knife, which operation has been frequently performed, but with too
little success to justify a continuance of the practice. It having been
found, that when the haw was taken away by a regular process, and by the
hand of the most expert OPERATOR, yet the eye, for want of its former
support, was observed to become contracted in the socket, and a total
deprivation of sight to follow, evidently demonstrating "the REMEDY
worse than the DISEASE;" as well as to convince us, it is sometimes more
prudent

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


HAWKS,—as birds of prey, are divided into two sorts, called long and
short winged hawks: of the former there are ten, and of the latter
eight; but their names, and particular description, is so remote from
the language and manners of the present time, and their use so nearly
obsolete, that the least animadversion would prove entirely superfluous.


HAWKING—was some centuries since a sport of much fashion and celebrity;
the HAWKS being as regularly broke and trained to the pursuit and taking
of game, as are the best SETTERS and POINTERS of the present day. It is,
however, so completely grown into disuse, and buried in oblivion, that
there does not appear the least glimmering of its ever attaining a
chance of SPORTING resurrection.


HAY—is the well-known article of grass, cut in its most luxuriant and
nutritious state during the months of JUNE and JULY; when the succulent
parts, tending most to putrefaction, being extracted by the powerful
rays of the sun, it acquires (if the season should prove dry, and
favourable for the operation) a degree of fragrancy nearly equal to a
collection of aromatic herbs. HAY, in this state, is a most attracting
sort of ALIMENT to horses of every description, and is so truly grateful
to the appetite, that it is often accepted when corn is refused. Of hay
there are different kinds; as MEADOW hay, CLOVER hay, and SAINFOIN. The
first is called natural grass, as the spontaneous produce of what is
termed pasture land: the two latter are deemed artificial, as being
cultivated upon arable land, and affording crops of only BIENNIAL and
TRIENNIAL duration; when the fertility of which is so far exhausted, as
to render a crop of the ensuing year an _unprofitable_ prospect, the
land is ploughed up, to undergo its regular routine of cultivation, when
crops of this description are renewed, by sowing the seed previously
preserved for the purpose.

Fine, rich, short, fragrant meadow hay, has by much the preference with
the SPORTING world; as well as with all those who employ horses in light
work, and expeditious action: it varies much in its property; not more
in respect to the manner in which it is made, than to the soil it is
produced from. Those who are anxious for the HEALTH and CONDITION of
their horses, are always as judiciously circumspect in the choice of
their hay as their corn; experimentally knowing, as much depends upon
the excellence of one as the other. Hay produced from rushy land, or
mossy moors, is always of inferior quality, and impoverishes the blood
of the horses who eat it, in proportion to its own sterility. Those who
inconsiderately purchase _cheap hay_ upon the score of economy, will
have to repent their want of liberality. Whether it is _coarse_, and
barren of nutritious property, or _ill-made_, _musty_, and repugnant to
appetite, the effect sooner or later will be much the same; and those
who imprudently make the experiment, will soon find, that horses
ill-kept, and less fed than nature requires, for the support of the
frame, and the supply of the various secretions by the different
emunctories, will soon display, in their external appearance, a tendency
to disease.

CLOVER HAY is produced in most counties in the kingdom; it is generally
sown with BARLEY, sometimes with OATS, and least of all with WHEAT: it
constitutes, upon dry ground, a profitable and convenient pasture in the
autumn, and affords its general crop the following season. If luxuriant,
it is mown twice in the same summer; but the second crop is not
considered equal in value to the first. This hay is said, by those who
ought to be the best enabled to judge and decide, superior to every
other as to its nutritious property: this may be admitted in a certain
degree, so far as its increasing the crassamentum of the blood, and
proportionally promoting its viscidity; rendering horses who are
constantly fed upon it (for instance, farmers horses) fuller in flesh,
duller in action, and thicker in the wind, than those who are supported
upon food of a lighter description. Although well calculated for slow
and heavy draft horses, it is by no means adapted to those of
expeditious action; for the blood thus thickened, becoming more languid
or tardy in its circulation, would, when propelled through the vessels
with great and sudden velocity, in hunting, or journies of speed upon
the road, inevitably lay the foundation of different inflammatory
disorders.

SAINFOIN is rather an article of necessity than choice, and very little
known in some parts of England, where nature has been more liberal in
her diversity of vegetation: it is principally cultivated in the upland
counties, where neither a meadow, stream, or rivulet, is to be seen for
a great number of miles in succession. Many very extensive farms in the
lower counties west of the metropolis, feel the want of pasture land,
not having a single acre of meadow or natural grass in possession.
Necessity, the mother of invention, has, however, so amply furnished a
variety of substitutes, that their horses, and stock of every kind, seem
equal, upon the average, to what is produced in any other part of the
kingdom.


HAYS—are a particular kind of nets for taking RABBITS and HARES, the use
of which are proscribed in almost every Act to be found in the penal
statutes for the PRESERVATION of GAME. They are made from sixty to one
hundred and twenty feet long, and six feet deep; constituting the most
destructive engine of any ever yet invented to _strip a country_, by the
mode in which they are used. They are only in the possession of POACHERS
of the first magnitude, (in the neighbourhoods of PARKS, HARE WARRENS,
and PRESERVES,) by whose desperate and determined _nocturnal_ exertions
the WHOLESALE trade of the metropolis is invariably supplied.


HAYWARD—is a manorial parochial officer, appointed to preserve the
privileges, and protect the rights, immunities, and cattle, of those who
are entitled to commonage of certain lands, wastes, &c. He derives from
his appointment, authority to drive his district at stated periods, well
known in its vicinity; to impound strays, and to prevent nuisances of
diseased cattle; or any other impropriety of cattle breaking bounds, and
destroying fences, of which it comes within the intent of his office to
take cognizance. To all which there are certain local fees appertaining,
according to the custom of the country, for the support of an office
very wisely instituted to prevent trifling law-suits and paltry
litigations.


HAZARD—is, beyond a doubt, the most fashionable and fascinating GAME
ever yet invented for the expeditious and instantaneous transfer of
immense sums from one hand to another. It is a GAME of CHANCE; and, when
_fairly_ played, is the FAIREST upon which a stake can possibly be made,
from _one_ guinea to a THOUSAND, or to any amount whatever; the winning
or losing of which is decided with so much rapidity, that the adventurer
can never be more than a few moments in _suspense_, although he may be
many years in REPENTANCE. Hazard is the game of _nocturnal_ celebrity,
by which the best estates have been impoverished, and immense property
destroyed: it is played with a box and pair of dice, and is of
considerable antiquity, as noticed by SHAKESPEARE in Richard the Third,
whom he has made to say,

  "Slave, I have set my life upon a CAST,
  "And I will stand the HAZARD of the DIE."

The person holding the BOX is called the CASTER, who having been _set_
as much money by the surrounding company (or any individual) as he
proposes _to throw for_, and the STAKE or STAKES being deposited within
a centrical circle upon the table, he then throws the _dice_ from the
BOX, and whatever number appears upon the surface is termed "the MAIN;"
and so vociferated loudly by a person called the GROOM PORTER, who
stands above the rest, and whose business it is to call the _main_ and
_chance_, furnish fresh _dice_ when demanded, and to receive the money
for a _box-hand_ when due. So soon as the _main_ is declared, which, in
fact, is the number by which the Caster's opponents must abide for
themselves, the Caster throws a second time, and this number is called
the _chance_, being his _own_ chance against the _main_ previously
thrown; and so named, because it is the number of the MAIN of the
PLAYERS against the _chance_ of the _individual_ who is the CASTER, and
makes stakes against the whole, or any part of the rest.

The _main_ and _chance_ being proclaimed by the GROOM PORTER, odds are
generally laid between the throws (upon the termination of the event)
according to the numbers opposed to each other, and according to the
scale by which all _bets_ upon the game are regulated, and strictly
observed. The Caster may, or may not, engage in any of these bets, which
he very frequently does, as a hedge (or fence) to his own stakes, when
the odds are _six_ to _four_, or TWO to ONE, in his favour: at any rate,
he continues to throw the dice in succession, till either the _main_ or
_chance_ appears: if the main is _first_ thrown, those who "set the
Caster" draw their money; the Caster is then said to have "thrown out,"
and passes the box to his next neighbour: on the contrary, should he
have thrown his _own chance first_, he is then the winner, and of course
not only draws all the money he _staked_ and _betted_, but continues to
HOLD the BOX, and throw a "new main" for _any sum_ he wishes to be
_set_, in which a Caster is never known to be disappointed.

When a CASTER has _thrown in_ (that is, has won) three times in
succession, it is termed "a BOX HAND," and he then pays _half a guinea_
to the GROOM PORTER, for the privilege of playing, the use of box and
dice, negus, &c. provided for the accommodation of the company. The box
continues in the Caster's possession so long as he continues to _throw
in_, (paying an additional half guinea every _third_ time of winning;)
but the first time he loses, he resigns the box to the player sitting
next to him, unless he requests, and is permitted to renew his _own
play_, which is then called taking "a back hand." There are more minute
distinctions, as well as a fixed table of the odds during the play; but
they are too long for insertion; and could not be so clearly
comprehended by theory, as understood by practice.


HEAD.—The correct formation of a horse's head is so indispensibly
necessary to the striking symmetry and corresponding uniformity of the
whole, that its make should never be inadvertently overlooked in a hasty
purchase. The head, the crest, the curve of the neck, and the entire of
the forehand, are what may be termed the predominant features, or
distinguishing traits, which _alone seen_, hold forth, in general, a
tolerably just idea of what may be expected to follow. In the present
state of equestrian improvement, the beauty of a horse's head is too
well known to require a literary description: nor would the word itself
have been introduced, but to remind every class of sportsmen, that those
who purchase a horse too _thick in the jole_, or a head _too large_ for
the BODY, must never expect to be complimented upon the beauty of the
acquisition.

HEAD, PAIN IN.—Horses, it is supposed and admitted, may be subject to
pains in the head; and that such pains may proceed from causes it is
impossible to explore. As, therefore, every attempt at definition must
rest upon conjecture, it is evidently better not to advance opinions
founded upon uncertainty, by which _many_ may be _misled_, none either
INSTRUCTED or ENTERTAINED. For symptoms, see EARS.


HEAD OF A DEER. See ANTLERS.


HEAD-STALL—is the part of a caveson, bridle, or hunting-rein halter,
which passes round, and on each side the head of the horse, and to which
the reins of either are affixed, for use in the field or on the road,
and for safety in the stable.


HEATH-FOWL—are a species of GROUSE, (passing under the denomination of
BLACK GAME,) of which there are different sorts, individually expressed
in the various acts of successive Parliaments for the preservation of
the game; as "GROUSE, HEATH-COCK, MOOR-GAME, or any such fowl." To
prevent the general destruction that must evidently follow, if game of
this description was pursued and taken at all seasons of the year
without restraint, the Legislature has wisely provided a remedy by the
following prohibition, exclusive of the penalties annexed to other Acts
for killing without the necessary qualifications.

By the 13th George Third, c. lv. s. 2, No person shall _kill_,
_destroy_, _carry_, _sell_, _buy_, or have in his _possession_, any
HEATH-FOWL, commonly called _black game_, between the _tenth_ day of
_December_ and the _twentieth_ day of _August_; nor any GROUSE, commonly
called _red game_, between the _tenth_ day of _December_ and the
_twelfth_ day of _August_; nor any BUSTARD between the _first_ day of
_March_ and the _first_ day of _September_, in any year, upon pain of
forfeiting, for the FIRST OFFENCE, a sum not exceeding TWENTY, nor less
than _ten pounds_; and for the SECOND, and every _subsequent_ offence, a
sum not exceeding THIRTY, nor less than _twenty pounds_: One moiety
thereof to go to the INFORMER, the other to the poor of the parish.


HEAVIER.—A STAG deprived of his testicles by CASTRATION, is then called
a HEAVIER, which operation is occasionally performed, that a supply may
not be wanting for the CHASE during the time of _rutting_; in which the
STAG is perpetually ranging from one HIND to another, for three weeks or
longer; not allowing himself the comforts of FOOD, SLEEP, or REST.
Towards the termination he becomes lean, languid, and dejected; when,
having executed the task prescribed by NATURE, he withdraws himself from
society, to seek repose and food. At this period he is so ill-adapted
for SPORT with the HOUNDS, that the operation of castrating was adopted
as an alternative to the temporary suspension of the ROYAL CHASE.

It is worthy of remark, that if a stag undergoes the operation when his
horns are SHED, they _never_ grow again; on the contrary, if it is
performed while the horns are in perfection, they will never exfoliate;
and it is equally remarkable, that being deprived of only _one_
testicle, the horn will not regenerate on _that_ side, but will continue
to grow, and annually shed on the _other_, where the single testicle has
not been taken away. HEAVIERS are of great strength, and stand a long
time before hounds; for which reason the hunting establishment of his
MAJESTY in WINDSOR FOREST is never without a regular succession.


HEAVY IN HAND.—A horse is said to be heavy in hand, when, from want of
spirit, he goes sluggishly on, bearing his whole weight upon the BIT; as
if the hand of the rider alone prevented his pitching upon his head; and
this to a good horseman is one of the most unpleasing _defects_ a HORSE
can possess. Horses of this description should be rode in a Weymouth
bridle, (see BIT,) and constantly made to feel the CURB rein; when at
the same moment, that useful monitor the _spur_ should be brought into
brisk and sudden contact with the body; a perseverance in which practice
will be found the only mode to remedy the inconvenience. See HAND.


HEELS.—The heels of a horse, critically speaking, imply only that part
of the hoof which is the very reverse of the toe; seated behind, and
forming the back of the foot, across the widest end of the frog,
extending from one point of the heel to the other. Custom has, however,
so far extended both the idea and the expression, that in the present
general acceptation of the word, it is admitted to include the feet as
high as the fetlock-joint; so that the heels are subject to accidents,
inconveniencies, defects, and blemishes, as CRACKS, SCRATCHES,
OVERREACHES, GREASE, &c. The heels of a horse, to be good, should be
high, (that is, of a proper length from the hair above to the ground
below,) firm, and substantial, open on each side the frog, and never
should be cut down _too low_ by the destructive instrument of the
SHOEING-SMITH; an error in both judgment and practice, to which may be
justly attributed the frequent failure in the back sinews; for where the
heels are unnaturally reduced, and the tendons in part deprived of their
support, they have evidently to encounter a preternatural distension, by
which the elasticity is partially destroyed, and some of the fibrous
coats consequently ruptured.


HEELS NARROW—is a defect, or inconvenience, to which HORSES are
constantly subject; but they are produced much more by the officious
obtrusions of ART, than any deficiency in the original formation of
NATURE. Horses with narrow heels are generally those who have had very
little attention paid to the state of the feet, by either MASTER or
_man_, during the operation of SHOEING; and where the journeyman smith
too often, from absolute idleness, affixes a shoe _too narrow_ to the
FOOT, and then, to increase the injury, reduces the FOOT to the
dimensions of the _shoe_.

This grievance is much easier prevented than remedied; for when once a
_destruction_ of _parts_ has been inconsiderately occasioned, a
REGENERATION may not be easily obtained. The cruel and invincible
practice of applying the _hot shoe_ to the FOOT (by way of fitting it)
during the act of shoeing, contributes in no small degree to the
contraction of the heel; and when this injury is once sustained, great
care and constant attention become necessary to solicit a renovation.
Whether it has been occasioned by the fatal operation of the
_cutting-knife_, the fashionable back-stroke friction of the _rasp_, or
the fiery effect of the _hot shoe_ when conveyed from the FORGE to the
FOOT, the direct road to relief is precisely the same: nightly stopping
with any applicable composition calculated to mollify the bottom of the
hoof, and to promote its expansion, with a plentiful impregnation of
sperma-cæti oil daily, are the only sure and certain means by which the
heels can be restored to their original and proper formation.


HEELER—is the person who affixes the deadly weapon called A SPUR (made
of either steel or silver) to the heel of a GAME COCK, when taken from
the pen previous to his being carried to the COCK-PIT to fight his
battle. A hard-hitting cock, who is perpetually fighting with effect,
and gives his adversary no time to stand still, or look about him, is
likewise called A HEELER.


HELPS, OR AIDS,—are terms appertaining solely to the MANEGE and
RIDING-SCHOOL, little known elsewhere, and totally unconnected with the
sports of the field. PROFESSORS technically describe _seven_ helps
necessary to complete the lesson given to a horse; as the VOICE, WHIP,
BIT, CALVES of the LEGS, the STIRRUPS, the SPUR, and the GROUND.


HEROD,—commonly called _King Herod_, was the first horse of his time as
A RACER, and afterwards as A STALLION. He was bred by the then DUKE of
CUMBERLAND, and got by _Tartar_ out of _Cypron_, who was got by _Blaze_;
he was foaled in 1758, and, after beating every horse that could be
brought against him at four, five, and six years old, he became a
stallion of the first celebrity, and transmitted a greater progeny to
posterity, than any other horse in the whole annals of sporting, unless
_Eclipse_ and _Highflyer_ (his son) are admitted upon the score of
equality.


HIDEBOUND—is an impoverished state of the frame and system to which
horses are frequently reduced, and partakes much more of neglect in food
and stable discipline, than of constitutional defect, or acquired
disease. A horse said to be HIDEBOUND has the appearance of being
emaciated; the coat is of a dingy variegated hue, staring different
ways, with a scurfy dust underneath; the skin is of an unpliable
rigidity, seeming to adhere closely to the internal parts, denoting a
deficiency of the fluids, an obstruction of the porous system, and a
languor in the circulation.

The whole, or any part of these, may originate in various causes; as a
short allowance of GOOD and healthy food, or a profusion of _bad_.
Nothing will produce it sooner than _hard_ work with _bad_ keep, and a
constant exposure to all weathers, in the severity of the winter season.
Musty oats, mouldy hay, and winter straw-yards, are generally the
harbingers of this appearance, which in all cases is very easily
removed: good stable discipline, in wisping and dressing, regular daily
exercise, a few mashes nightly of ground malt and bran, equal parts,
followed by a cordial ball every morning, or an antimonial alterative
powder nightly in the mash, will soon be found to answer every
expectation, and restore the subject to good condition.


HIGHFLYER—was the name of a late celebrated HORSE, that, taken "for all
in all," (as a RACER and a STALLION,) far exceeded any other ever known
in this kingdom. He was foaled in 1774; was got by _Herod_ out of
_Rachel_, who was got by _Blank_; her dam by _Regulus_, &c. He was
purchased of the breeder, when a colt rising two years old, by the late
LORD BOLINGBROKE, and was then thought to be getting too large and
unpromising for any capital performances upon the turf. It was, however,
observed by the training groom, that he displayed astonishing powers in
some of his first trials; and it was upon _his_ suggestion _Highflyer_
was immediately named in the most capital sweepstakes and subscriptions
then open; winning all which with the greatest ease, he was at the very
zenith of his celebrity as A RACER, when LORD BOLINGBROKE, disgusted
with the villainous deceptions and variegated vicissitudes of THE TURF,
as well as declining daily in his health, _Highflyer_ was purchased of
his Lordship by MR. TATTERSAL, who fixed him as a stallion at a farm of
his own near Ely, in Cambridgeshire, where his success soon stamped the
spot with the name of HIGHFLYER HALL, which it will most probably ever
retain. Here he covered for some years at THIRTY GUINEAS; and from the
almost incredible number of mares he was permitted to cover, it was
concluded he produced to his owner no less than from fifteen hundred to
two thousand pounds a year, for many years in succession. His progeny of
winners only exceeded THREE HUNDRED in number, who received, in
subscriptions, plates and sweepstakes, above a THOUSAND PRIZES. Amongst
the most celebrated of his get were _Escape_, (who once sold for 1500
guineas,) _Euphrosyne_, _Bashful_, _Maid of all Work_, _Plutitia_, _Sir
Pepper_, _Sir Peter Teazle_, _Skylark_, _Skyrocket_, _Skyscraper_,
_Spadille_, _Rockingham_, _Toby_, _Thalia_, _Walnut_, _Old Tat_,
_Vermin_, _Skypeeper_, _Grouse_, _Oberon_, _Screveton_, _Diamond_,
_Sparkler,_ _Guildford_, _Moorcock_, and _Stickler_: of whom several are
now stallions in the highest reputation at ten and fifteen guineas each.


HIND—is the female of the species called RED DEER, the male of which is
termed A STAG: the offspring of both is, during its first year, called A
CALF; and these only are the deer hunted by the KING'S STAG-HOUNDS.


HIP-SHOT.—The DEFECT so termed is an injury frequently sustained in the
HIP JOINT, but not always with the same degree of severity. It is a
ligamentary twist, or distortion, by which the _junction_ of the _bones_
is materially affected, but not amounting to absolute DISLOCATION;
although it may proceed from a variety of causes, in sudden shocks from
the different prominences of, or cavities _in_, an uneven and irregular
pavement; BLOWS, STRAINS, or WRENCHES, (in drawing heavy loads,) as well
as by SLIDING, or FALLING; yet there is little doubt but it occurs much
oftner from _carelessness_, _inattention_, and _brutality_, either by a
violent blow from the post of the stable door, in being hastily led in
or out, than by any other means whatever. Let what will be the cause, a
cure is seldom completely effected; for as the injury is not only
deeply, but critically seated, so if the horse, after any medical means
have been used, is turned out to obtain strength, a repetition of work
generally produces a relapse of the injury originally sustained.


HOCK, or HOUGH.—The joint of the leg _behind_, corresponding with the
knee _before_, is so called. Its office, in sustaining the principal
weight, and various turns of the body, renders it liable to injuries,
which, when they happen, are not unfrequently both severe and permanent.
BONE SPAVINS, BLOOD SPAVINS, and CURBS, are of this description.


HOLD—is a term of trifling import, yet, as it appertains to the
important act of propagation between the HORSE and the MARE, its
emphatic signification cannot be omitted. When a mare has taken the
horse, that is, when copulation is completed, a doubt generally arises,
whether the MARE will _hold_; that is, whether she sufficiently retains
the male semen to constitute CONCEPTION. The mare being brought to the
horse on the _ninth_ day, from the first time of covering, if she again
receives the horse, that alone is held a sufficient proof she _did not
hold_ before: she is, nevertheless, brought again to the horse at the
end of another nine days, and when she has refused _twice_ to take the
horse, she is then said to be STINTED, and no doubt entertained of her
being in FOAL.


HOOF.—The hoof of a horse is that hard and horny substance at the lower
extremity of the legs, coming into contact with the ground, and upon
which are placed shoes, made of iron, for the preservation of the feet.
The hoof, to be perfect and uniform, should nearly circumscribe five
eighths of a circle, with a transverse line from one point of the heel
to the other, as if a segment of three eighths was taken away; in
addition to which form, it should be solid in substance, smooth to the
hand, and free from the contracted rings, or wrinkles, similar to those
upon the horns of cattle, by which the age is ascertained.

HOOFS are very different in both property and appearance, and a great
deal of this depends upon the manner in which they are treated. The
well-known and well-founded adage, that "DOCTORS DIFFER," was never more
verified than in the subject before us; previous to the necessary
remarks upon which, it will be proper to point out the distinct or
opposite texture and property of such hoofs, before we advert to the
most applicable mode of treatment for each. The hoofs of some horses are
so naturally dry, and so defective in animal moisture, that they
gradually contract, become apparently compressed, and narrow at the
heel, as well as acquire a degree of _brittleness_ hardly to be
believed; in which state _splinters_ are frequently scaling off from the
EDGES of the HOOF, at many places where the nails are unavoidably
inserted to secure the position of the SHOE, for the preservation of the
FOOT.

These are the species of hoof much more susceptible of injury than any
other, particularly of SANDCRACKS; defects which, when they happen, very
much reduce the value of the horse if offered for sale; not more in
respect to the BLEMISH, than the perpetual apprehension and expectation
of his becoming irrecoverably LAME. Hoofs of this description should be
plentifully impregnated with sperma-cæti oil every night all round the
foot; and the bottom should be stopped with a composition of stiff
cow-dung, and the skimming of the pot in which fat meat has been boiled,
previously preserved, and well incorporated for that purpose. It has
been asserted by those who speculate, and propagate the report of
_fancy_ for FACT, that "unctuous or greasy applications are prejudicial
to the feet," of which indefinite, vague and imperfect expression, the
_weak_ and _wavering_ happily avail themselves, and boldly declare,
under sanction of the equivocal mutation in meaning, that every thing
_greasy_ is injurious to the HOOFS.

It is a degree of justice that so egregious an absurdity should be
exposed. Without descending to a minute and scientific analyzation of
the hoof in its animated state, to ascertain how far it is, or is not, a
POROUS substance, it becomes only necessary to demonstrate its
possessing the property of ABSORPTION from _external_ application. That
this may be the more clearly comprehended, let it be remembered, if a
single drop of SPERMA-CÆTI OIL is left upon a quire of white paper, it
will, by its penetrative property, pass through each leaf of the quire,
till every particle of its moisture is exhausted, where it terminates in
a space little larger than the point of a needle: from whence it is fair
to infer, this article, in a state of perfect liquefaction, will
insinuate itself into, or go through, any possible substance where a
liquid can be supposed to pass: this admitted, upon clear and
indisputable proof, it becomes necessary to proceed to its effect upon
the _dry_, _hard_, _contracted_, _brittle_ hoof of the HORSE.

If the foot is held up from the litter with the hand, and with the
stable-brush well impregnated with _oil_, so as to be left tolerably wet
upon the surface, persevering patience (by holding the foot from the
ground a few minutes) will prove, that the oil with which the hoof was
so plentifully basted, has nearly DISAPPEARED, although _no drop_ has
fallen to the ground. What will the _rigid_ disputant, or _cynical_
Sceptic, oppose to this fact, when asked what is become of the OIL so
recently laid on? From the fertile resources of "EXHALATION,"
"EVAPORATION," or even "_running off_," he can derive no assistance to
support him in the erroneous opinion he has formed; and perhaps an
obstinacy, from time and custom become habitual, will not permit him
(till his judgment is more matured by experience) to admit, that it is
lost to the eye, and taken up by ABSORPTION. This, however, is the fact,
and to the incredulous, who are open to conviction, and willing to make
the experiment, it will appear, that this treatment of the hoof, and the
STOPPING previously mentioned, (if nightly persevered in,) will, in
_less_ than THREE SHOEINGS, completely restore and improve the most
brittle and battered hoofs in the kingdom. So much cannot be said of
_unctuous_ or _greasy_ substances; for, from their confidence, not
possessing the property of penetration, they can add _none_ to the
EXPANSION of the HOOF; from the dry and preternaturally contracted state
of which the defect generally arises; and by the additional growth and
distension of the hoof alone can be relieved.


HOOF-BOUND.—See COMPRESSION and HEELS NARROW.


HORSE—is the name of the most beautiful, the most useful, and the most
valuable, animal, this or any other nation has to boast: the majestic
extent of his formation, the graceful ease of every motion, the
immensity of his strength, the smooth and glossy surface of his skin,
the pliability of his temper, and, above every other consideration, his
rapidity of action, and general utility, render him highly worthy the
care, attention, and pecuniary estimation he is now held in from one
extremity of the earth to the other. He is the most spirited and most
powerful of all creatures; yet the most generous, docile, grateful and
obedient to the purposes of man as an individual, as well as to all the
AGRICULTURAL and COMMERCIAL advantages of society at large. He may be
justly termed the great main-spring of PLEASURE to one class, and of
PROFIT to the other; without whose aid, the eternal routine of _both_
must come to immediate termination, constituting a CHAOS very far beyond
the most fertile imagination to conceive or describe.

The natural history, the form, and general utility, of the horse, is
become so perfectly familiar to every eye, that the less will be
required upon those points in explanation. The various pleasurable
purposes, and useful talks, to which horses are appropriated in this
country, has long since demonstrated the consistency of cultivating, by
select and judicious propagation, each particular kind of stock, so as
to render it individually applicable to the use for which it is
intended. The numbers _annually_ produced, and _annually_ destroyed,
within the circle of our own isle (even in time of peace) exceed common
conception, and of which no computation can be tolerably formed. The
long list constantly bred for, and engaged upon, the TURF; the SPORTS of
the FIELD; the national establishment of MILITARY CAVALRY; the carriage
horses of the opulent, rattling through every street of every city and
large town in the kingdom; the _thousands_ employed in AGRICULTURE, as
well as all the DRAFT work of the METROPOLIS; in addition to the
_infinity_ annexed to MAIL and STAGE COACHES, as well as to the POST
WORK, and those useful drudges denominated ROADSTERS, in the possession
of every class of people, constitute an aggregate that in contemplation
excites the utmost admiration.

The constantly increasing OPULENCE, or the constantly increasing LUXURY,
has rendered the demand for horses so very superior to the example of
any previous period, that no comparative statement of former and present
value can hardly be ascertained. The fashionable rage for expeditious
travelling, and of being conveyed at the rate of EIGHT or NINE miles an
hour from one part of the kingdom to another, is the absolute furor of
the times, and supported at an immense expence by those whose peculiar
personal pride prompts them to display the advantages resulting from
opulence, and the privileges from ostentation; to the incessant misery
and premature destruction of thousands, whose services would be insured
_for years_ by a more moderate and HUMANE mode of treatment. The
incredible increase of light carriages of every description, has opened
such a field for the use of horses of airy form, and easy action, that
they are now in eternal request, at more than _double_, and in many
purchases TREBLE, what they were to be obtained for no more than twenty
years since.

The different kinds of horses bred for various purposes, pass under the
denomination of RUNNING HORSES, HUNTERS, CARRIAGE HORSES, CART HORSES,
ROADSTERS, and HACKS. The first are propagated in the racing studs of
the most opulent characters, and appropriated entirely to the decision
of sporting engagements upon the TURF; many of which, after having
displayed their powers in this way, then become HUNTERS of the _first
class_, and are frequently sold at three and four hundred guineas each.
CARRIAGE HORSES, with which the gay and fashionable are now whirled
through the western streets of the metropolis with the most incredible
velocity, were formerly considered the good, safe, substantial ENGLISH
HUNTER, and might _forty years_ since have been purchased for thirty or
five-and-thirty pounds, which was at that time about the current value:
they are not _now_, however, from the constantly accumulating demand,
and incessant destruction, to be procured in a state of youth and
purity, at less than nearly _three_ times that sum. CART HORSES of great
size, strength, and adequate powers, are principally furnished by the
midland and northern counties, for the coal and corn trade, as well as
the commercial purposes of the city and suburbs, where they command an
incredible price: small and inferior sorts are bred in, and dispersed
through, almost every other county in the kingdom. ROADSTERS and HACKS
may be supposed to include that great infinity of all sizes,
descriptions, and qualifications, with which every road, every common,
and every pasture, seem so plentifully to abound.

If superior judgment and circumspection were ever truly necessary in the
selection and purchase of a HORSE, they are become doubly so, when the
object of pursuit is proportionally difficult of attainment. To direct
the eye, to form the judgment, and to check the natural impetuosity of
the young and inexperienced purchaser, some few remarks are
indispensibly necessary to shield him from the rock of fascination, upon
which so many have repentantly foundered. The mind of man should never
be more itself, never more adequate to the task of cool deliberation and
patient observation, than in the simple examination of a horse for sale.
DECEPTION in _dealing_ is so truly _systematic_, and so truly honorable
in the present age, that the mind cannot be too closely fortified for
all events: whether the subject is to be sold by AUCTION, or by _private
contract_, the property of a GENTLEMAN, or the offer of a _dealer_, the
ground of self defence should be precisely the same.

It is the fixed and invariable rule with every DEALER, to affect, at
_first_, a perfect indifference respecting the horse he wishes most to
get rid of; and he always makes a point of never giving the
_unequivocal_ price of any horse till he has been seen out of the
stable; during which time of _shewing out_, he, as well as his
emissaries and attendants, are occasionally engaged in watching most
attentively every trait of the intentional purchaser's countenance,
anxious for a single sign of approbation, by which to regulate the
magnitude of his demand; asking _five_, _ten_, _fifteen_, or _twenty_
guineas more than he originally intended, in proportion as he finds the
enquirer fascinated with his object of perfection, and disposed to
purchase. Before the horse is brought out, it is in vain to entreat the
ceremony of "_figging_" may be dispensed with; it is declared a _custom_
of _honor_ amongst the fraternity, and must be complied with.

This prelude performed, and his _stern_ thrown upon his back like the
tail of a squirrel, he is literally _driven_ into action; the WHIP (with
which he is privately alarmed in his stall twenty times a day) cannot be
permitted to lay dormant even upon the present occasion, particularly
when its _flaggellating flourish_ can be displayed to so great an
advantage; the irritating severity of the lash, so retentively dreaded,
he _furiously_ flies from, and affords an attracting _specimen_ of
_speed_ you may look for in vain upon any future occasion. After this
curious _exhibition_ of his ACTION, the horse still trembling with a
dread of the _deadly instrument_ waving in his sight, it will be proper
to make a minute and careful examination of his shape, make, PROBABLE
PERFECTION, or possible _blemishes_ and _defects_, if the horse is
permitted by the DEALER to stand quiet, a favor which is not _always_ to
be obtained.

This done, place yourself directly opposite to the horse's head at two
yards distance, in which position, casting your eyes upon his ears, and
dropping them gradually from one point to another, you command, at a
single view, the effect of his countenance, the _good_ or _bad_ state of
his EYES, the breadth of his breast, the _fate_ of his KNEES, the
appearance of SPLENTS, as well as the growth and uniformity of the FEET.
Changing your place to a side view, at similar distance, you have there
the _curve_ of the CREST, the circumference of the BONE, the depth of
the CHEST, the length of the BACK, the strength of the LOINS, the
setting on of the TAIL, and the fashionable finish of the hind quarter;
without which, individually perfect, he cannot be in possession of the
symmetry that is known to constitute a handsome and well-bred horse.

Looking at him _behind_, it is instantly perceived, whether he stands
well upon his legs, and is formed wide, firm and muscular across the
GASKINS, or narrow and contracted, bearing what is termed a
"_bandy-hocked_" or "_cat-hammed_" appearance. The same moment affords
opportunity to observe, if BLOOD SPAVINS are perceptible within side,
BONE SPAVINS without, or CURBS on the back of the HOCK; as well as
SPLENTS upon any one of the legs, and whether he cuts either behind or
before. If blood or bone spavin is observed, it is necessary to
recollect (however attracting the object may be in other respects) they
sooner or later produce LAMENESS to a _certainty_; and although they are
not deemed absolutely _incurable_, they open a field to the disquietude
and anxiety of BLISTERING, FIRING, &c. with the additional and
consolatory ultimatum of a farrier's bill. SPLENTS are by no means so
critical, or dangerous, if seated forward upon the _shank-bone_, and not
likely to interfere with, or vibrate in the action of the tendon,
passing under the denomination of the "back sinews;" in which case, a
good and otherways valuable horse need not be declined for so slight a
cause, where no injury is like to be sustained.

Having proceeded thus far in the examination with strict attention, it
becomes equally necessary to descend minutely to the FEET, in search of
CRACKS, CORNS, THRUSHES, COMPRESSION of the HOOF, NARROW HEELS, or
fleshy protuberances of the _inner_, and consequent projection of the
_outer sole_. The state of the WIND is next the object of enquiry, which
is done by making the customary and critical experiment of pinching the
GULLET or _windpipe_ with considerable force, nearly close to, and just
behind the jaw-bone: should the horse, upon such pressure, force out a
sound substantial cough, (which is sometimes repeated,) the safety of
the wind is ascertained: on the contrary, should nothing be produced but
a faint hollow wheezing, with a palpable heaving of the flanks, the
state of the wind may be justly suspected. Should any doubt arise upon
the decision, (which sometimes happens with the best and most
experienced judges,) let the horse be put into brisk action, and
powerful exertion, when the roaring at a distance, the laboured
respiration, and the preternatural heaving of the flank, after a brisk
gallop of _two thirds_ of a MILE, will determine the state of the wind,
without the least chance of being mistaken.

The EYES, that were only superficially noticed as matter of course in
the front view, when the horse was first brought out of the stable, now
become the necessary objects of minute, patient, and judicious
investigation. If they are clear, full and prominent in the orb,
reflecting your own figure from the pupil, without any protrusion of the
haw from the inner corner, any inflammatory enlargement of the lids, or
any acrid weeping from either, there is then every well-founded reason
to believe they are not only _safe_, but GOOD. On the contrary, should
there appear a seeming sinking of the orbs, with a perceptible
indentation, and a wrinkled contraction above the eyelids, they are very
unfavorable symptoms, indicating impending ill, and should not be
encountered, but with an expectation of certain loss. A small _pig eye_
should be examined with great caution; they are better avoided, if
possible, as their future state is not only to be considered exceedingly
doubtful, but they are always objected to, and productive of vexatious
rebuffs, when a horse is again to be sold. A cloudy muddiness beneath
the outer covering of the eye, or a milky thickening upon the surface,
denotes present _defect_, and probability of future blindness; in all
which cases, prudence should prevent such subject from becoming an
object of attraction.

The AGE, if asked of a dealer, is declared "rising six" or "rising
seven;" for it must be held in remembrance, that their horses are never
acknowledged _younger_ than "FIVE," or _older_ than "SIX OFF"; and what
is still more extraordinary, in addition to this _convenience_, they
possess the sole PATENT for regeneration, having it always in their
power to make a _ten_ years old horse SIX, with the very desirable
advantage to a purchaser, that he shall never be more (_by the mouth_)
so long as he lives. This extra effort of ART, or renewal of _age_,
passes under the denomination of "BISHOPING," (which see,) where a
description of the operation will be found. The AGE of a HORSE by the
mouth is not dissimilar to abstract points in politics with coffee-house
politicians, _largely_ talked of, but _little_ understood; which
circumstance alone has laid open a perpetual field for this eternal and
remorseless imposition: to remedy which, as much as the nature of the
case will admit, and that a matter of so much utility may with very
little attention be perfectly understood, a PLATE is annexed, and
accompanied with such explanatory matter, as will render it easy to
every comprehension. See COLT.

Having gone through, with precision, all that can possibly present
itself upon the score of examination, in respect to age, shape, make,
figure, and action, we arrive at the very _ultimatum_ of enquiry,
respecting the WARRANTY of his being perfectly SOUND. What that warranty
is, and how far it is to _extend_, requires a more correct and limited
line of certainty than seems at present to be understood. BLEMISHES and
DEFECTS are supposed by some not to constitute _unsoundness_, provided
the ACTION of the horse is not impeded by their appearance; whilst, on
the contrary, it is as firmly urged by the impartial and disinterested,
that no horse ought to be _sold as_, or WARRANTED "perfectly sound," but
in a state of natural and unsullied perfection. This criterion is the
more necessary to be ascertained, and laid down by some principle of
law, because the numerous litigations in every successive TERM
demonstrate, that various opinions prevail, according to the INTEREST,
CAPRICE, or PECUNIARY convenience, of individuals concerned; to carry,
support and confirm which, even the prostitution of TRUTH and HONOR must
become subservient. And this "glorious uncertainty of the law" is so
clearly comprehended by the Gentlemen of the Long Robe, that when a
HORSE CAUSE is coming on in any of the Courts, an observation
immediately follows, that "whoever SWEARS the _hardest_ will obtain it."

To prevent suits of such description, (which sometimes happen between
gentlemen of equal honor, and strict integrity,) it is much to be
wished, some direct and unequivocal mode of distinction could be legally
ascertained, how far a general "warranty of soundness" is to extend, and
where the line of perfection or imperfection is to be drawn; as for
instance, to establish, by LAW or CUSTOM, some fixed and invariable
rules, by which the _soundness_ of a horse might so far be insured
between BUYER and SELLER, as to render unnecessary such LAW-SUITS as are
invariably supported by a subornation of perjury on _one_ side or the
_other_. Nothing, perhaps, could conduce more to a cause so desirable,
or tend more to constitute a criterion of equity between all parties, if
once established, and mutually understood; that no horse should be
deemed SOUND, and sold with such WARRANTY, but in a state of PERFECTION,
entirely free from _lameness_, _blemish_, and _defect_, not only at the
time of transfer, but never known to have been otherways: admitting
which mode of dealing to form the basis of equity between one man and
another, an additional observation naturally presents itself, as a
collateral consideration clearly implied, though not particularly
expressed; that a horse sold _bona fide_ sound, and admitted on both
sides to be so at the time of purchase, should have _no_ right to be
_returned_ under any plea whatever; for it is universally known, that
any horse so sold, must be as liable to _fall lame_, become _diseased_,
or even to _die_, in _one hour_ after DELIVERY, as in any other hour of
life. Then where can be the equitable consistency of returning a horse
positively SOUND when _sold_, upon the plea of lameness or disease, when
the time of attack has been merely a matter of chance between one and
the other?

No juvenile or inexperienced purchaser should be too eager and hasty in
his pursuits, or too easily _fascinated_ with a seeming object of
GENERAL ATTRACTION. It is exceedingly easy to purchase "in _haste_, and
repent at _leisure_:" none should be instantly allured by sudden show,
and short inspection; too much trial cannot be obtained, nor too much
patience persevered in during the examination. The sportsman of
prudence, and personal experience, never even _speaks_ upon the _price_,
without previously RIDING the subject in question; this he does in a
remote and quiet situation, then in a busy one. In the former, mount,
dismount, and mount again; survey and critically examine him in a state
of nature, when calm, and at a distance from those he knows to be his
_persecutors_ as well _in_ as _out_ of the stable: it is for want of
these precautions, that there are so many dupes to artifice, who
purchase the dullest jades, without adverting for a moment to the
furious effect of WHIP, SPUR, and _ginger_; the dealer's best friends.

As it is by no means a proof of judgment to purchase _hastily_, so,
having once purchased, it should be an invariable maxim never to part
too rashly. Innumerable are the instances where horses have been
disposed of in the moments of caprice, and precipitately sold for
_fifteen_, _twenty_, or _thirty_ pounds, that have afterwards produced
an hundred or an hundred and fifty guineas. When a horse of promising
appearance, and pleasing action, is rode upon trial, great allowance
should be made for the state of his mouth: he may not only have been
accustomed to a different _bit_ or BRIDLE, but may probably have been
some time ridden by a _previous_ OWNER of very different _temper_ and
_disposition_. One man rides with a _tight_, another with a _slack_
rein: one is a petulant, refractory, impatient rider, who not
unfrequently makes his horse so by his _own_ indiscretion; when, on the
contrary, a mild, serene, and philosophic rider (who ruminates upon the
imperfections of the animal he bestrides, as well as his own) often
enjoys the inexpressible satisfaction of making a convert to his own
good usage and sensibility; constituting, by such patient perseverance,
that very horse a desirable object of acquisition, even to those who
had, upon too slight a foundation, or too short a trial, discarded him
as unworthy any service at all.

Experience affords ample demonstration, that the _tempers_ of HORSES are
as much diversified as the tempers of those who RIDE or DRIVE them; and
it will not be inapplicable for the _young_ to be _told_, or the OLD to
_recollect_, that a great number of horses are made _restive_ and
_vicious_ by ill usage, and then unmercifully _whipped_, _spurred_, and
_beaten_ for being so; in corroboration of which fact, there are numbers
constantly disposed of "to the best bidder," as invincibly restive, at
the _hammer_ of a REPOSITORY, that would in a few weeks, by gentle and
humane treatment, have been reformed to the best tempers, and most
pliable dispositions. Those who have been most attentively accurate in
observation and experience, well know, that personal severity to horses
for _restiveness_ or _starting_, very frequently makes them _worse_, but
is seldom found to make them _better_: it is, therefore, certainly more
rational, more humane, and evidently more gratifying, to effect
subservience by tenderness and manly perseverance (divested of
pusillanimity and fear) than by means of unnatural severity, often
tending to render "the remedy worse than the disease."

HORSES, when at liberty, and in a state of freedom, although they are
exposed to the different degrees of _heat_ and _cold_, (encountering the
utmost _severity_ of the ELEMENTS in opposite seasons,) are well known
to be in more constant health, and less subject to morbidity, than when
destined to the scanty confines of a STABLE, and brought into USE; the
causes of which are too numerous, and too extensive, to come within the
limits of a work of this kind. It is, however, to be presumed, very many
of the SEVERE, DANGEROUS, and, finally, _destructive_ disorders to which
they are so constantly subject, and so perpetually liable, are produced
much more by a want of care and attention in those who OWN or
_superintend_ them, than to any pre-disposing tendency in the animal to
disease. In farther elucidation of which, see "GROOM."

The disorders to which horses are perpetually incident, may be reduced
to a few distinct heads, as the acute, chronic, dangerous, infectious,
and accidental; the major part of those partaking of a joint
description, and technical complication. For instance, staggers,
flatulent or inflammatory cholic, fevers, pleurisy, inflammation of the
lungs, and strangury, may be ranked amongst the acute and dangerous.
GLANDERS and FARCY are admitted to be _infectious_, and in advanced
stages, _incurable_. The GREASE, SURFEIT, MANGE, ASTHMA, &c. may be
termed _chronic_. Accidents and incidents include colds, coughs, swelled
legs, cracked heels, wind-galls, strains, warbles, sitfasts, and a long
train of trifles, by far the greater part of which originate in
carelessness, inhumanity, and indiscretion. A description of all will be
found under their distinct heads; and the means of alleviation and cure
must be derived from the most popular practitioners, or the works of
those who have written professedly upon the subject of VETERINARY
MEDICINE and DISEASE.

HORSES having for so many centuries continued to increase the ease,
comfort, pleasure, and happiness, of all descriptions of people, they
have at length, by the fertile invention of national financiers, been
found equally capable of becoming materially instrumental to the support
of Government, in a degree beyond what the utmost effusions of fancy
could have formed, as will be seen by the very judicious scale of
gradational taxation, accurately copied and annexed. And as there was no
other distinct head, where the DUTIES upon CARRIAGES could with
propriety be introduced, they are here included also, as no inapplicable
addition to requisite information, in which so many are individually
concerned.

_Duties on Horses._

 +---------------------------------------+
 |    Duties on Horses for riding, or    |
 |           drawing Carriages.          |
 +-----+---------------+-----------------+
 | No. | At per Horse. | Total per Year. |
 +-----+---------------+-----------------+
 |     |  £.  _s._ _d._|    £.  _s._ _d._|
 |  1  |   2   0    0  |     2   0    0  |
 |  2  |   3   6    0  |     6  12    0  |
 |  3  |   3  12    0  |    10  16    0  |
 |  4  |   3  15    0  |    15   0    0  |
 |  5  |   3  16    0  |    19   0    0  |
 |  6  |   4   0    0  |    24   0    0  |
 |  7  |   4   1    0  |    28   7    0  |
 |  8  |   4   1    0  |    32   8    0  |
 |  9  |   4   1    6  |    36  13    6  |
 | 10  |   4   2    0  |    41   0    0  |
 | 11  |   4   2    0  |    45   2    0  |
 | 12  |   4   2    0  |    49   4    0  |
 | 13  |   4   2    6  |    53  12    6  |
 | 14  |   4   2    6  |    57  15    0  |
 | 15  |   4   2    6  |    61  17    0  |
 | 16  |   4   2    6  |    66   0    0  |
 | 17  |   4   3    0  |    70  11    0  |
 | 18  |   4   3    6  |    75   3    0  |
 | 19  |   4   4    0  |    79  16    0  |
 | 20  |   4   5    0  |    85   0    0  |
 |                                       |
 |        And so on for any Number.      |
 +---------------------------------------+

_On Horses and Mules._

 +---------------------------------------+
 |    Duties on other Horses, and on     |
 |                Mules.                 |
 +-----+---------------+-----------------+
 | No. | At per Horse. | Total per Year. |
 +-----+---------------+-----------------+
 |     |   £. _s._ _d._|    £.  _s._ _d._|
 |  1  |    0  12   6  |     0   12   6  |
 |  2  |               |     1    5   0  |
 |  3  |               |     1   17   6  |
 |  4  |               |     2   10   0  |
 |  5  |               |     3    2   6  |
 |  6  |               |     3   15   0  |
 |  7  |               |     4    7   6  |
 |  8  |               |     5    0   0  |
 |  9  |               |     5   12   6  |
 | 10  |               |     6    5   0  |
 | 11  |               |     6   17   6  |
 | 12  |               |     7   10   0  |
 | 13  |               |     8    2   6  |
 | 14  |               |     8   15   0  |
 | 15  |               |     9    7   6  |
 | 16  |               |    10    0   0  |
 | 17  |               |    10   12   6  |
 | 18  |               |    11    5   0  |
 | 19  |               |    11   17   6  |
 | 20  |               |    12   10   0  |
 |                                       |
 |         And so on for any Number.     |
 +---------------------------------------+

_Duties on Carriages._

 +--------------------------------------+
 |    Duties on Carriages with four     |
 |       Wheels, for private Use.       |
 +---+-----------------+----------------+
 |No.|At per Carriage. | Total per Year.|
 +---+-----------------+----------------+
 |   |    £. _s._ _d._ |   £. _s._ _d._ |
 | 1 |    10   0    0  |   10   0    0  |
 | 2 |    11   0    0  |   22   0    0  |
 | 3 |    12   0    0  |   36   0    0  |
 | 4 |    12  10    0  |   50   0    0  |
 | 5 |    13   0    0  |   65   0    0  |
 | 6 |    13  10    0  |   81   0    0  |
 | 7 |    14   0    0  |   98   0    0  |
 | 8 |    14  10    0  |  116   0    0  |
 | 9 |    15   0    0  |  135   0    0  |
 |                                      |
 |     And so on for any Number.        |
 +--------------------------------------+

 +-------------------------------+
 |Duties upon Stage Coaches, and |
 |Post Chaises, with four Wheels,|
 |  at 8_l._ 8_s._ 0_d._ each.   |
 +------+---+-------------+------+
        |No.|             |
        +---+-------------+
        |   | £. _s._ _d._|
        | 1 |  8   8    0 |
        | 2 | 16  16    0 |
        | 3 | 25   4    0 |
        | 4 | 33  12    0 |
        | 5 | 42   0    0 |
        | 6 | 50   8    0 |
        | 7 | 58  16    0 |
        | 8 | 67   4    0 |
        | 9 | 75  12    0 |
        +---+-------------+

_Duties on Carriages with Two Wheels._

                       £. _s._ _d._
 Drawn by one Horse    5   5    0 each
 Do.   by Two or more  7   7    0
 Taxed Carts           1   4    0


HORSE-DEALERS—are persons who derive their subsistence, and obtain a
livelihood, by buying and selling of horses only; and these were become
so numerous in both town and country, that, either to restrain the
number, or to render the occupation proportionally serviceable to the
exigencies of the State, the following duties have been imposed. Every
Person exercising the trade or business of a HORSE-DEALER, must pay
ANNUALLY, if within London, Westminster, the Parishes of St.
Mary-le-Bone, and St. Pancras, in Middlesex, the weekly Bills of
Mortality, or the Borough of Southwark, 10_l._ In any other Part of
Great Britain, 5_l._

HORSE DEALERS shall cause the words "LICENCED TO DEAL IN HORSES," to be
painted or written in large and legible Characters, either on a Sign
hung out, or on some visible Place in the Front of their House, Gateway,
or Stables; and if he shall sell any Horse without fixing such Token, he
shall forfeit 10_l._ to be recovered by Action; Half to the King, and
Half to the Informer. 36th George Third, c. xvii.


HORSEMANSHIP—is the act of riding with ease, grace, and fortitude. It
may be taken in two points of view; as those who, self-taught, become
proficients equally with those who derive instruction from the SCHOOLS,
of which there are many of established celebrity. Doubts, however, have
arisen, and opposite opinions have been supported, whether the sportsman
who has acquired the art from nature, habit, and practice, is not, in
general, a more easy, graceful, expert, and courageous horseman, than
the major part of those who have been in the _trammels_ (and riding the
great horse) of the most able and eminent professors. As there are but
few of these schools, except in the metropolis, and excellent horsemen
to be seen in every part of the kingdom, that circumstance alone seems
to justify the presumption, that there is much more of NATURE than of
_art_ in the acquisition. However unnecessary the instructions of a
RIDING MASTER may be in forming the qualifications and graces of a
FOXHUNTER, they become indispensibly requisite to the completion of a
MILITARY EDUCATION, in which personal dignity, and adequate authority,
must be properly and systematically maintained.

Previous to every other consideration in the art of horsemanship, it is
necessary to be well acquainted with every minute circumstance, and
regular routine, of stable discipline; to know the name and use of every
utensil; to comprehend the application of every distinct part of the
apparatus with which a horse is caparisoned, and to understand perfectly
the property of each kind of bridle, and the effect they are
individually calculated to produce. These are conjunctively of such
material import to safety, and such palpable proofs of judicious
arrangement and solid judgment, that they may, in the aggregate, be
considered the very foundation upon which the reputation of a HORSEMAN
is to be formed. Preparatory to mounting, particularly for a journey, or
the chase, the experienced SPORTSMAN, feeling for the frailties and
inadvertencies of human nature, never trusts too much to the hands and
eyes of _others_, when not deprived of the use of his OWN; but prudently
condescends to examine, by the glance of an eye, how far the horse, and
appendages, are adequate to the purpose in which he is then going to
engage.

This being done, he comes gently up to his horse, opposite the shoulder,
on the _near_ (that is the left) side: when facing the wither, he takes
the reins of the bridle with a tuft of the mane firmly in his left hand,
and of about the same length they are held in when mounted. The horse
standing still, (which he should always be accustomed to do when
mounting,) and not _before_, the right-hand is employed in supporting
the stirrup on that side, for the reception of the left foot; when which
is safely inserted, the right-hand is removed from the stirrup to the
hinder part of the saddle, where it forms a support or lever to assist
in raising the right leg from the ground, and to pass it gradually and
steadily over the body of the horse, where it falls readily into contact
with the stirrup on that side. When first the reins are taken in hand,
due observance should be made of the medium they are to be held in; that
is, not _tight_ enough to make the horse uneasy, and to run back, or
_slack_ enough to afford him an opportunity to _set off_ before his
rider is firmly SEATED.

When mounted, the body should be easily and pliably erect, inclining
rather backwards than forwards; the weight entirely resting upon the
posteriors, proportionally relieved by the continuation of the thighs,
and an equal moderate pressure of both the legs upon the sides of the
horse. To preserve which position free from constraint and stiffness,
the proper _length_ of the STIRRUPS is a matter most material to be
attended to; for unless they are in _length_ adapted to the _stature_ of
the RIDER, it will be impracticable for him to keep a firm and graceful
seat, particularly with _violent_, _vicious_, or _restive_ horses, upon
many emergencies. The general error, particularly with inexperienced
horsemen, who have never been accustomed to ride in the early part of
life, is having their stirrups ridiculously _short_, by which they
injudiciously conceive they insure their own personal safety; though the
opposite is the fact, and with a spirited horse they are always in
greater danger; for the knees being lifted above the skirt of the
saddle, the thighs are rendered useless, the legs are deprived of their
necessary assistance, the rider is left without a seat or fulcrum to
sustain his position, and _rocking_ first on one side, then _swinging_
on the other, he is left entirely at the mercy of his horse. That this
may be the better reconciled to every comprehension, the stirrups, for
ease and safety, should be exactly in this state; that the rider sitting
upon his horse (either still or in action) should be able to disengage
his foot from the stirrup at a single motion, and by keeping his foot in
a direct horizontal position, would have the command and power of
recovering or catching the stirrup almost instantaneously, with the
slightest effort for that purpose.

These remarks, properly attended to, the body will be found easy, firm,
and commanding; divested of all those _rockings_, _jerkings_, and
_twistings_, sometimes over the horse's _head_, at others over his
_tail_, displaying the FEATS of an _involuntary_ attitudinarian, seldom
seen but in HYDE PARK, or the _environs_ of the METROPOLIS. The
left-hand is termed the _bridle-hand_, and the left elbow must come
nearly into gentle contact with the body, which it has always for its
support in any sudden _jump_, _start_, or _stumble_, of the horse; in
want of which regular bearing (if required) the hand could not be always
equally steady, and would of course frequently, but unintentionally,
prove a check to the horse. It is impossible to lay down fixed and
invariable rules for the precise distance of the left-hand from the
breast, or its heighth from the saddle; horses differ so much in their
MOUTHS, that the bridle-hand must be used _higher_ or _lower_, and the
reins _longer_ or _shorter_ in proportion. The right-hand (termed, in
racing, the whip-hand) should be held in a kind of corresponding
uniformity with the left, acting also occasionally in the use of the
reins, and the management of the mouth; and this is the more necessary,
as every complete HORSEMAN, or perfect SPORTSMAN, can manage the reins
(of even a _run-away_ horse) as well with _one_ hand as the _other_.

The hand should always be firm, but delicately pliable, feelingly alive
to every motion of the mouth; for, by _giving_ and taking properly, the
horse has better opportunity to display his spirit, and demonstrate the
pleasure he receives, in being encouraged to champ upon the bit. As the
necessary qualifications which constitute the excellence of horsemanship
can never be derived from _theory_, and are only to be acquired by
PRACTICE, it becomes concisely applicable to make such remarks, and
inculcate such general instructions, as may be usefully retained in the
memory of those, who, not feeling themselves too confident in their own
ability, are content to avail themselves of information resulting from
an experience of which they are not yet in possession. After all the
trouble and expence of breaking horses, by the best and most expert
professors in that way, yet there are numbers possess, by nature, and
retain by habit and temper, faults and vices, not only unpleasant and
inconvenient, but even unsafe and dangerous, to those who ride them. An
impetuous, ill-tempered rider, who is always expecting his horse to do
more than nature ever intended, will soon make the animal as petulant
and refractory as himself: few passionate riders become _good_ and
_humane_ horsemen; great patience, serenity, and some philosophy, is
required to meet the variegated and unexpected vicissitudes unavoidably
to be encountered in the field, as well as upon the road.

A hot, high-spirited horse, and a fiery, petulant rider, constitute a
paradoxical, heterogeneous connection; for as they support a perpetual
war between them, and neither feels disposed to submit, so they continue
to irritate and render each other worse than they were before. A horse,
from natural sagacity, soon discovers the mildness and placidity of his
rider, proportioning his own obedience and docility accordingly; of
which greater proof need not be adduced, than his absolutely following
the master or servant from whom he receives good usage, as well as his
being left at different doors totally _unconfined_, in the midst of
populous streets, and thronged with carriages, from whence he will not
attempt to stir, till removed by the voice or hand to which he belongs.
Horsemen of tenderness and reflection are ever attentive to the animal
who contributes so much to their own health, happiness, or emolument;
and omit no one opportunity, that presents itself, of promoting their
ease and comfort in return. If the horse, from natural shyness and
timidity, or probably from ill usage in the possession of a former
master, is alarmed at the sight or motion of _stick_ or _whip_, a rider
of this description quiets his fears, by letting it gradually decline
behind his own thigh near the flank of the horse: the _fool_, or the
_madman_, brandishes it before his eyes, in confirmation of his own
ignorance or insanity.

HORSES who are addicted to _starting_, do it from fear, and not from
opposition; the recollection of which should instantly excite a
consideration of pity and tenderness in the rider; but it is much to be
regretted, so great is the depravity of the human mind, that nine times
out of ten, this very fear (the palpable effect of constitutional
timidity) is productive of the most _severe_ and _unmerited_ punishment.
It is no uncommon thing to see a much greater brute than the animal he
bestrides, most unmercifully _beating_, _whipping_, and _spurring_, a
poor creature, for possessing a sensation in common with ourselves. If
every one of the human species were to be beat, bruised, and crippled,
for being justly alarmed at the appearance of danger, or the sight of
unnatural and unexpected objects of surprize, our hospitals could never
prove sufficiently capacious to receive _half_ the patients that would
be daily presented for admission. If caution, and the apprehension of
danger, is thus instinctively interwoven with the very frame of MAN, is
it not natural that the HORSE (who has likewise the power of seeing,
hearing, and feeling) may be equally alarmed at, and afraid of,
impending destruction? Will any, but the most incredulous STOIC, presume
to argue, or to doubt, that the horse has not the same susceptibility of
pain, and the same dread of dissolution, as ourselves? Has he not the
same degree of precaution and circumspection in avoiding calamity when
it depends upon himself? Has he not the same fear of being crushed to
atoms by the weight of any superior power suspended above himself? Has
he not the same fear of being drowned? Is he not equally alarmed if even
gently led to the brink of an awful precipice, and does he not instantly
retreat with horror? Is he not terrified, even to a deprivation of
motion, at the sight of fire? Why then can it create surprize, that he
should be afraid of, and alarmed at, a high-loaded broad-wheel waggon
upon a narrow road, whose ponderous summit seems to threaten his
probable and speedy annihilation?

If then it is thus clearly demonstrated, and must be candidly admitted,
that the true cause of a horse's STARTING is _fear_, what magical effect
is _violence_ on the part of the rider to produce? Nothing can more
forcibly evince the _passion_, _folly_, _ignorance_, and _inhumanity_,
of the lower classes, than the prevalence of this practice. That horses
may be made to pass objects of dislike and dread by such means is not to
be disputed; it is only presumed that lenity, patience, and mild
persuasion, are the most preferable, and by far the most gentleman-like
of the two. It is the business of the rider to conquer, and become
master of his horse; but violent passion, and coercive measures, need
not be resorted to, till the more lenient attempts have failed.
Notwithstanding the idea here inculcated, of not _violently_ and
_suddenly_ pressing a horse up to a carriage, waggon, or any other
object at which he has started, it is necessary he should be made to
know he _must pass it_, which he may be made to do by a modulated tone
of the voice, a moderate and judicious use of the rein, and a proper
pressure of one or both legs, as well, _or better_, than by any forcible
means whatever.

The use of the LEGS is a very important consideration, not only in the
due correction of a HORSE that starts, but in the AIRS taught in the
MANEGE; where the horse is supported and helped by the _hands_ and
_legs_ in every action required, from whence he is technically said to
perform his airs by AIDS from the rider. When a horse, in starting,
begins to fly on one side, for the purpose of turning from the object he
wishes to avoid, the instantaneous, strong and sudden pressure of the
leg on that side counteracts his spring, and, with the joint exertion of
the rein and wrist, immediately brings him straight; at which moment,
the same use being made of both legs, as was just before made with one,
he has no alternative, but to submit to the determined correction, and
soon passes the object of dread or dislike, and proceeds in the way he
is required. As the legs are of great utility in the PROPER management
of a horse, so they are the very reverse, if _improperly_ brought into
action. Nothing sooner denotes the inability of a rider, than to see the
legs swinging like a pendulum, and alternately beating against the sides
of the horse: if he is a spirited horse, and well broke, he conceives
himself intentionally excited to brisker action; if, on the contrary, he
is a dull and sluggish goer, it only adds to his habitual callosity.

HUMANITY having been already mentioned as one of the leading
qualifications necessary to constitute the character of a perfect
HORSEMAN, or true SPORTSMAN, (which are nearly synonimous), it
invariably prompts each to insure, upon all occasions, the necessary
comforts for his HORSE, before he bestows a single thought upon his
_own_. It has been wisely observed, that the man who rides _fast_
without a _motive_, never affords himself time for reflection; and that
he who is always in a GALLOP, is either a _fool_ or a _madman_. These
remarks probably originated in an observation resulting from experience,
and tolerably correct in the application; that those who ride _hardest_,
are generally the most indifferent about the CARE of their HORSES. Those
who act prudently, and with a proper attention to their own interest,
will occasionally condescend to take a survey of the stable management
within, as well as the enjoyment of pleasure without; upon the old and
well-founded maxim, that "the master's eye makes the work light;" with
the additional advantage of most probably keeping disease at a distance.
The same degree of discretion which regulates the conduct of the young
and inexperienced SPORTSMAN in one respect, will regulate it in another:
having the health and safety of his horse at heart, he will never hurry
him for the first hour in the morning, till time and gentle action has
enabled him to unload his carcase; he will never make unreasonably long
stages upon the ROAD; ride races, or take _unnecessary leaps_ in the
FIELD: at the conclusion of the JOURNEY or CHASE, he will see, that
whatever he may think necessary to be done, is so, without implicitly
relying upon _imaginary_ punctuality, in ordering it to be done by
OTHERS. These suggestions, however, apply more to INNS upon the _road_,
and the LIVERY STABLES in the METROPOLIS, than to the private stables,
and regular establishments, of gentlemen having servants of reputation,
upon whose fidelity they can fix a firm reliance.


HORSE-SHOE—is a plate of iron mechanically constructed for the
preservation of the foot, and formed of different sizes and thickness,
according to the substance, weight, and work, of the horse for whom it
is made. See SHOEING and SMITH.


HORSE-RACING—has been a favorite sport with the superior classes for
many centuries, but never arrived at any degree of local celebrity till
the reign of CHARLES the SECOND; who, entering into the spirit of the
TURF, and becoming personally present with the full splendor of his
court, then laid the foundation of the meetings at NEWMARKET, which are
now become so justly eminent, and where RACING has long since attained
the full zenith of perfection. This sport during so many years, had
undergone a variety of changes and depressions, according to the temper
of the times, the dispositions of the people, and the fluctuation of
events; amidst all which, it seems to have been the peculiar province of
the great DUKE of CUMBERLAND (uncle of his present Majesty) to have
become the principal instrument of renovation; having, by incessant
exertion, and personal example, raised the spirit of the TURF to a
degree of eminence and emulation, the brilliant rays of which will most
probably never be totally obscured, till "time itself shall be no more."
This, however, was not effected without an immensity of expence, and an
incredible succession of LOSSES, to the _sharks_, _Greeks_, and
_black-legs_ of that time, by whom his Royal Highness was eternally
surrounded, and incessantly pillaged; but having, in the greatness of
his mind, the military maxim of "persevere and conquer," he was not to
be deterred from the object of pursuit, till, having just become
possessor of the best STOCK, best BLOOD, and most numerous STUD in the
kingdom, beating his opponents "at all points," he suddenly "passed that
bourne from whence no traveller returns;" an irreparable loss to the
TURF, and universally lamented by the kingdom at large.

This unexpected and severe stroke occasioned a temporary stagnation; and
the general gloom, with which all the interested were for some time
affected, seemed to threaten a serious suspension, if not a total
annihilation; but the STUD being announced for SALE at the GREAT LODGE
in WINDSOR PARK, it afforded scope for the most _fertile_ speculations,
and those who had lost (by the Duke's death) the most striking and
opulent object of their depredations, now found it prudent to form
themselves into a _family_ combination and compact, by whose
_indefatigable industry_ the sporting part of the public were most
shamefully robbed for five-and-twenty years, at all the races of note
for fifty miles round London; when finding, in their own phrase, that
"the GAME was _quite up_," their persons were known, and their practices
exploded, they disposed of the FAMILY STUD, withdrawing themselves as
PRINCIPALS, and acting only as _accessories_ upon _private_ information
from the subordinates, upon which the experience of years has proved a
handsome subsistence is to be obtained.

These discoveries in almost every direction, roused gentlemen of
FORTUNE, HONOR, and INTEGRITY, from the apathy to which they had been
inadvertently lulled; and seeing the absolute necessity of a separation
from a set of _marked_ unprincipled miscreants, proper means of
exclusion were adopted, the RULES of the JOCKEY CLUB (which see) were
revised and improved; every proper mode being taken to prevent the
introduction and election of those, whose characters and property were
not known to accord with the principles of the original institution.
Here followed another temporary gloom; the deaths of several of the most
zealous amateurs and supporters of the turf, in almost immediate
succession, caused such a general _sterility_, that NEWMARKET was
literally in _mourning_; training-grooms and stable-lads were daily
becoming gentlemen at large (or rather _wanderers_) for want of
employment. As casual circumstances frequently effect CONTRASTS, or
operate by EXTREMES, so, during the last twelve or fourteen years,
RACING has experienced another resurrection; but DEATH, that unrelenting
"leveller of all distinctions," has recently deprived us of some of its
most experienced devotees, whose STUDS of course are successively coming
to the hammer, and indicate at present no certain prospect of increasing
popularity. As this subject will be repeatedly treated on, under those
heads to which it particularly appertains, it becomes only necessary to
introduce the fixed RULES and REGULATIONS, as invariably observed at
NEWMARKET, (which is the standard for the kingdom in general,) by all
those who support a character for punctuality and integrity upon the
turf.

It is enacted by different ACTS of PARLIAMENT, That no person whatsoever
shall _enter_, _start_, or _run_ any HORSE, MARE, or GELDING, for any
PLATE, PRIZE, SUM of MONEY, or other thing, unless such horse, mare, or
gelding, shall be truly and _bona fide_ the property of, and belonging
to, such person so entering, starting, or running the same: nor shall
any person enter and start _more_ than one horse, mare, or gelding, for
one and the same plate, prize, or sum of money, under the forfeiture of
the horse, horses, or value thereof.

Any person that shall enter, start, or run a horse, mare, or gelding,
for less value than fifty pounds, forfeits the sum of TWO HUNDRED
POUNDS. Every person that shall print, publish, advertise or proclaim
any money, or other thing, to be run for, of less value than fifty
pounds, forfeits the sum of ONE HUNDRED POUNDS. Every race for any
plate, prize, or sum of money, to be begun and ended in one day. Horses
may run on Newmarket Heath, in the counties of CAMBRIDGE and SUFFOLK,
and Black Hambleton, in the county of YORK, for less value than fifty
pounds, without incurring any penalty.

All and every sum and sums of money paid for entering of any horse,
mare, or gelding, to start for any plate, prize, sum of money, or other
thing, shall go and be paid to the second best horse, mare, or gelding,
which shall start or run for such plate, prize, or sum of money, as
aforesaid. PROVIDED, that nothing therein contained shall extend, or be
construed to extend, to prevent the starting or running any horse, mare,
or gelding, for any plate, prize, sum of money, or other thing or things
issuing out of, or paid for, by the rents, issues, and profits, of any
lands, tenements, or hereditaments; or of or by the interest of any sum
or sums of money chargeable with the same, or appropriated to that
purpose.

Every horse, mare, or gelding, entered to start or run for any plate,
prize, sum of money, or other thing whatsoever, shall pay the sum of
_two pounds two shillings_. And be it further enacted, That the owner of
every horse, mare, or gelding, entered to start or run for any plate,
prize, sum of money, or other thing, shall, previous to the entering or
starting such horse, mare, or gelding, pay the sum of TWO POUNDS TWO
SHILLINGS, as the duty for one year, into the hands of the CLERK of the
COURSE, Book-keeper, or other person authorized to make the entry of
such horse, mare, or gelding; and if any owner shall, previous to the
starting, _neglect_ or _refuse_ to pay the said sum of two pounds two
shillings, for such entrance, to the Clerk of the Course, Book-keeper,
or other person authorized to make the entry as aforesaid, the owner or
owners of every such horse, mare, or gelding, shall forfeit and pay the
sum of TWENTY POUNDS.

RULES IN RACING.

 Horses take their ages from May Day.
 1760 yards are a mile.
 240 yards are a distance.
 Four inches are a hand.
 Fourteen pounds are a stone.

When HORSES are matched at CATCH WEIGHTS, each party may appoint any
person to ride, without weighing either before or after the race.

GIVE and TAKE PLATES are for horses of fourteen hands high, to carry a
stated weight, above or below which more or less is to be carried,
allowing seven pounds for every inch.

A WHIM PLATE is weight for age, and weight for inches.

A POST MATCH is made by inferring the _age_ of the horses in the
articles; and the parties possess the privilege of bringing _any_ horse
of _that age_ to the post, without making any previous declaration
whatever, of name, colour, or qualifications.

A HANDICAP MATCH. See HANDICAP.

RIDERS must ride their horses (after running) to the SCALES to weigh;
and he that dismounts without so doing, or wants weight when weighed, is
deemed a _distanced_ horse.

The HORSE, whose HEAD first reaches the ending POST wins the HEAT.

If a RIDER falls from his horse, and the horse is rode in by a person
who is sufficient weight, he will take place the same as if it had not
happened, provided he goes back to the place where the other fell.

HORSE'S PLATES (or shoes) not allowed in the weight.

Horses not entitled to start, without producing a proper certificate of
their age, if required, at the time specified in the articles, except
where AGED horses are included; and in that case, a _junior_ horse may
enter without a certificate, provided he carries the same weight as the
aged.

All BETS are for the best of the plate, where nothing is said to the
contrary.

For the BEST of the PLATE, where there are three heats run, the horse is
deemed SECOND best who wins ONE.

For the BEST of the HEATS, the horse is _second_ that beats the others
twice out of three times, though he does not win a heat.

In all BETS, either bettor may demand STAKES to be made; and on refusal,
declare the bet _void_. A confirmed BET cannot be _off_ but by mutual
consent.

If one of the PARTIES is _absent_ on the DAY of RUNNING, a public
declaration may be made of the BET upon the Course, accompanied with a
demand, whether any person present will make STAKES for the absent
party, which proportion not being acceded to, the bet may be declared
_void_.

BETS agreed to be paid or received in town, or at any other particular
place, cannot be declared _off_ on the Course.

If a MATCH is made for any particular day, in any meeting at NEWMARKET,
and the parties agree to change the day, all bets must STAND; but if run
in a different meeting, the bets made before the alteration are _void_.

The person who lays the ODDS, has a right to chuse his HORSE or the
_field_.

When a person has chosen his horse, the field is what starts against
him; but there is no field, if the horse so named has no opponent.

BETS made for POUNDS, are always paid in GUINEAS.

If ODDS are _laid_, without mentioning the horse before it is over, it
must be determined as the _bets were_ at the time of making it.

BETS made in running, are not determined till the PLATE is WON, if that
heat is not mentioned at the time of betting.

Where a PLATE is won by _two heats_, the preference of the horses is
determined by the places they are in at the termination of the second
heat.

HORSES running on the wrong side of a POST, and not turning back to
completely recover their ground, are _distanced_.

Horses _drawn_ between any of the heats, before the plate is WON, are
distanced.

Horses are deemed _distanced_, if their RIDERS cross and jostle, when
the ARTICLES do not permit it.

If a horse WINS the first heat, and all others _draw_, they are not
distanced, if he starts no more; but if he starts again by himself, the
drawn horses are distanced.

When BETS are made after a heat upon a subsequent event, if the horse so
betted upon does not start, the BETS so made are _void_.

When three horses have EACH won a HEAT, they only must start for a
fourth, and the preference between them will be determined by it, there
having before been no difference between them.

No horse can be distanced in a fourth heat.

When the words "_play or pay_" are included in a BET, it is thus
decided: the horse which does not appear, and be ready to start, at the
time appointed, is the _loser_; and the other is the WINNER, although he
goes over the Course by himself.

In running heats, if it cannot be decided which is _first_, the heat is
then called a DEAD HEAT, and they may all start again; unless it should
happen in the _last_ heat, and then it must be between the two horses
which, if _either_ had WON, the race would have been decided; but if
between two, that by either winning the race would not have been
determined, then it is no heat, and the others may all start again.

BETS made upon horses WINNING any number of PLATES within the year,
remain in force till the FIRST DAY of MAY.

MONEY given to have a bet _laid_, not returned, if not run.

To propose a BET, and say "done" _first_ to it, the person who replies
"done" to it, makes it a confirmed bet.

MATCHES and BETS are void on the _decease_ of either party before they
are determined.

 THE
 _EXACT DISTANCES_
 OF THE
 DIFFERENT COURSES at NEWMARKET
 ARE AS FOLLOW.

                                         Miles.  Furlongs.  Yards.
 The Beacon Course is                      4        1        138
 Last three miles of ditto                 3        0         45
 From the Ditch-in                         2        0         97
 The last mile and a distance of B. C.     1        1        156
 Ancaster Mile                             1        0         18
 Fox's Course                              1        6         55
 From the turn of the lands, in            0        5        184
 Clermont Course (from the Ditch)      }
   to the Duke's Stand                 }   1        5        217
 Across the Flat                           1        2         44
 Rowley Mile                               1        0          1
 Ditch Mile                                0        7        178
 Abingdon Mile                             0        7        211
 Two middle miles of B. C.                 1        7        125
 Two Years Old Course                      0        5        136
 Yearling Course                           0        2        147
 Round Course                              3        6         93
 Duke's Course                             4        0        184
 Bunbury's Mile                            0        7        208
 Dutton's Course                           3        0          0

The New Roundabout Course on the Flat is nearly a mile and three
quarters.

The great and leading qualification of a horse bred for the TURF, is the
purity of his blood, which can only be insured by the verity of his
PEDIGREE, and this, to be authentic, must be signed by the BREEDER, and
is in purchase and sale always transferred with the horse. The most
distinguishing trait of judgment in racing, is first to ascertain the
exact speed of the horse, and then to discover of what precise weight he
is master; that he may not be retarded in one, by being overloaded with
the other. Attentive experience with the PROFESSORS and AMATEURS for a
series of years, has long since fully demonstrated, upon practical
proof, (for the trials have been repeatedly made even to the _key_ of
the stable-_door_,) that the celerity is, in certain degrees, to be
increased or impeded by the weight the horse has to carry. It will,
therefore, be readily conceived, if two horses are tolerably equal in
speed, strength, blood, and bone, as well as of the same year, the horse
which carries the least weight by only _three pounds_, must, in the
course of FOUR MILES, display the advantage he has over his antagonist;
particularly as the longer the race, the more will the horse be affected
by the weight he carries; and those who are the best and most
experienced judges, hesitate not to affirm, that the addition of _seven
pounds_ weight carried by one, where both are thought of equal speed,
will, if the ground is run honestly over, make the difference of a
DISTANCE (two hundred and forty yards) in the four miles only.

The racing weights most in use for half a century past, have been
according to age and qualifications, from about seven stone seven, to
nine stone twelve, or ten stone; except in matches with two years old,
and yearlings at light or _feather_ weights, and the KING'S HUNDREDS,
for which (till some trifling alterations lately adopted) they carried
at six years old TWELVE STONE. There are, however, some NEW CLUBS,
lately instituted by NOBLEMEN and GENTLEMEN of the first distinction,
who hold their meetings at BIBURY and KINGSCOTE, in Gloucestershire,
where the weights are advanced beyond former example to twelve or
thirteen stone, upon a well-founded principle of exciting emulation in
BREEDERS to pay some attention to BONE as well as to BLOOD; a most
judicious and salutary improvement, considering the infinity of _weeds_
that are annually drafted and destined to the hammer of a repository, as
objects of neither value, utility, or attraction.

 CERTIFICATE OF AGE.

 Raby Castle, March 1, 1803.

I hereby certify that my Bay Colt, HAP HAZARD, got by SIR PETER TEAZLE,
Dam by ECLIPSE, was bred by me, and that he was no more than Four Years
old last Grass.

 D——

 ARTICLE OF A MATCH.
 October 12, 1798.

Sir H. T. Vane's B. Horse Hambletonian, got by King Fergus, Dam by
Highflyer, now Six Years, carrying 8st. 3lb. is matched against Mr.
Cookson's B. Horse Diamond, by Highflyer, (out of the Dam of Sparkler,)
now Five Years old, carrying 8st. over the Beacon Course at Newmarket,
on Monday in the next Craven Meeting, for 3000 Guineas, Half forfeit;
with a Power reserved to alter the Day and Hour, or either, by consent.

 H. T. V.
 J. C.

This match was run on Monday, March 25, 1799, and won by Hambletonian,
(five to four in his favour at starting.)—See DIAMOND or HAMBLETONIAN.

 PRODUCE MATCH
 FOR SPRING MEETING, 1803.

The Produce of Sir T. Gascoigne's Golden Locks, covered by King Fergus,
against the Produce of Mr. Fox's Dam of Calomel, covered by
Beningbrough, for 200 Guineas each, Half forfeit. Colts to carry 8st.
Fillies 7st. 11lb. Last Mile and a Half. No Produce no Forfeit.

Produce Matches, and Produce Sweepstakes, are generally made and entered
into during the time such Mares are in Foal.

 A POST PRODUCE MATCH
 OF 200 GUINEAS EACH.
 Colts to carry 8st. 7lb. Fillies 8st. 4lb.

 Mr. Clifton's Expectation       ⎫ covered by
 Mr. Clifton's Eustatia          ⎬ Abba Thulle.
 Mr. Clifton's Sister to Gabriel ⎭
 Mr. Dawson's Sincerity          ⎫
 Mr. Dawson's Highflyer Mare,    ⎪
   out of Sincerity              ⎬ Coriander.
 Mr. Dawson's Blind Highflyer    ⎪
   Mare                          ⎭

Each to bring the Produce of one to run over Knavesmire when Four Years
old.

 ARTICLE FOR A SWEEPSTAKES.
 Oxford, ——

We whose Names are hereunto subscribed, do agree to run for a
Sweepstakes of 50 Guineas each, over Port Meadow, on the last Day of
Oxford Races next ensuing; the Horses to carry the GOLD CUP Weights,
viz. Four Years old, 7st. 7lb. Five Years old, 8st. 7lb. Six Years old,
9st. and aged, 9st. 4lb. one Four Mile Heat. The Winner of the Gold Cup
to carry 7lb. extra. The Subscribers to name their Horses to the CLERK
of the COURSE on or before the first Day of March next; and the
Subscription to close on that Day. The Stakes to be paid into the Hands
of the Clerk of the Course before starting, or the Subscription to be
doubled. Five Subscribers, or no Race.

 HUNTERS SWEEPSTAKES.
 Rochester, ——

A Sweepstakes of 10 Guineas each, for Hunters (carrying 12st. one Four
Mile Heat, to be rode by Gentlemen) that have never started for PLATE,
MATCH, or SWEEPSTAKES, and to be bona fide the Property of Subscribers,
and which have been regularly hunted the preceding Season as HUNTERS,
and not merely to have obtained the Name; and that, have never had a
Sweat with an Intention to run before the first of May next ensuing.
Certificates of their having hunted regularly to be produced (if
required) from the Owner or Owners of the Hounds with which they have
hunted; and to be named to the Clerk of the Course on or before the
first of April next; and the Stakes to be deposited at the same Time, or
the Horse not permitted to start.—Six Subscribers, or no Race.

See JOCKEY CLUB, KING'S PLATE, TRAINING, and TURF.


HOUGH-BONY—was a term formerly used to signify an enlargement of the
cap of a horse's hock, whether it was only a thickening of the
integument, generally termed a callosity, or an ossification just below
it. The phrase, however, is now considered entirely obsolete; and the
distinction in those defects much better understood by the appellation
of BLOOD SPAVIN, BONE SPAVIN, or CURB, as the case may happen to be.


HOUNDS—are the well-known objects of SPORTING ATTRACTION from one
extremity of the kingdom to another; possessing within themselves a
fascinating power, or exhilarating property, to which all liberal minds,
of congenial sensibility, become imperceptibly and irresistibly subdued;
forming that kind of inexplicable temptation, that indescribable
vibration of pleasure upon human irritability, that none but those of
the most stoical apathy, the greatest mental fortitude, or personal
self-denial, can summon sufficient resolution to avoid.

The great variety of hounds with which the country formerly abounded,
seem now, by the judicious crosses of succeeding generations, to have
been principally reduced to a much more contracted point of view, and
center entirely in the denomination of STAG hounds, FOX hounds,
HARRIERS, and BEAGLES; each of the four being a degree less in size than
the other, with such variations in strength, speed, colour, and tongue,
as may have been adopted by the judgment or fancy of the BREEDER. We
have been taught, by a maxim of long standing, to believe, "there is no
rule without an exception." An author of much celebrity, however, in
respect to the breeding of hounds, pays due respect to rule, but does
not advert to exception. It is his opinion, "that there are necessary
points in the shape of a hound, which ought always to be attended to;
for if he be not of a perfect symmetry, he will neither run fast, nor
bear much work: he has much to undergo, and should have strength
proportioned to it. Let his legs be straight as arrows; his feet round,
and not too large; his shoulders back; his breast rather wide than
narrow; his chest deep; his back broad; his head small; his neck thin;
his tail thick and brushy; if he carry it well, so much the better."

Without animadverting upon the SIZE of any particular kind of hound, as
applicable to any particular sort of chase, or to any particular kind of
country, but with a view to the aggregate in a general sense, there are,
as in all other matters of FANCY, FASHION, or CAPRICE, a variety of
opinions. Some there are who profess themselves strenuous advocates for
what they term the "busy bustlers," or small hounds, upon a plea, that
they are always at work, lose no time, climb hills fast enough for any
horse, and get through coverts quicker than any other. Sportsmen of a
bolder description are equally strenuous, and perhaps with a greater
shew of reason, in the support of large hounds, justly affirming, they
will make their way in any country, get better through the dirt than a
small one; and that their pursuit can be but little obstructed by
whatever fence may present itself in the course of the chase.

MR. BECKFORD, whose opinion, and perfect practical knowledge of the
subject, has been implicitly bowed to, and acquiesced in, by the best
and most experienced judges in the kingdom, has given a decided
preference to "hounds of a MIDDLE SIZE;" saying, "he believes all
animals of that description are the strongest and best able to bear
fatigue;" in corroboration of which he quotes from SOMERVILLE, as would
have been also done in this place, in confirmation of the same opinion.

  ———— "But here a mean
  Observe, nor the large hound prefer, of size
  Gigantic; he in the thick-woven covert
  Painfully tugs, or in the thorny brake,
  Torn and embarrass'd, bleeds: but if too small,
  The pigmy brood in every furrow swims;
  Moil'd in clogging clay, panting they lag
  Behind inglorious; or else shivering creep,
  Benumb'd and faint, beneath the shelt'ring thorn.
  For hounds of middle size, active and strong,
  Will better answer all thy various ends,
  And crown thy pleasing labours with success."

Next to the consideration of SIZE and SYMMETRY (whatever that may be)
should follow a corresponding uniformity of the whole. A pack, to be
handsome, should vary little or none in height, and have a pleasing
affinity to each other in colour: to be good, they should run well
together; and the unison of their musical tongues should constitute a
perfect harmony, without a single note of discord. It is well known,
that it is not always the lot of the most complete and best selected
packs to kill in proportion to their seeming excellence; some are very
much superior in qualifications to what they may promise to a stranger
at _first_ view; for though of various sizes, and picked up in different
counties, (as well as from the hammer,) without the least appearance of
consanguinity, or one distinguishing trait of attraction, yet they
seldom miss their game. MR. BECKFORD mentions a pack of this description
who killed _twenty-nine_ foxes without intermission; that when they were
running, there was a _long string of them_, and every _fault_ was hit
off by an old SOUTHERN HOUND. When sufficient time has been employed in
forming a pack of hounds, they can never be considered in a state of
excellence or superiority, unless they go as if they were in harness;
that is, when they are running _breast high_, they should run nearly all
_a breast_; or, in other words, when clear of covert, and crossing a
country, the body might nearly be covered with a sheet.

Nothing is a greater disgrace to the MASTER, the HUNTSMAN, or the pack,
than to see a parcel of straggling _tail_ hounds, labouring _in vain_;
except a leading hound loaded with a _leaden necklace_, to restrain his
speed, and depress the instinctive impulse of his nature to a level with
those who are not his equals. This is a truly unsportsman-like stretch
of authority, bordering upon cruelty; and would be much more "honored in
the breach than the observance." Hounds of either description had better
be parted with, than to encounter constantly a mortification so easily
to be removed; and both will be the less likely to happen, the more
moderate the number taken to the field. The taking out too many hounds
is a frequent error in judgment, always productive of trouble, and
sometimes to a most vexatious diminution of sport, to the incessant
employment of the whipper-in, whose horse is the greatest sufferer upon
the occasion.

Hounds differ much in their properties, according to the crosses in
blood, and this is plainly perceptible to a nice observer, as well in
their endeavours to find, as in the pursuit of their game; for those
retaining most of the southern hound in their blood, are always the most
constitutionally tardy in action. The north country beagle, (now called
harrier,) with a cross of the DWARF FOX HOUND, has produced a direct
contrast to the former, and are generally in use in those open countries
where horses can lay by the side of them. The delight of the old
southern hound is to _dwell_ upon the _scent_; the extatic eagerness of
the latter is to _press it before him_. When the former come to a fault,
and can carry the scent no farther, they stick their noses to the ground
as close together as a swarm of bees, making few or no efforts of _their
own_, unless _lifted along_ by the helping hand and encouraging voice of
the HUNTSMAN. The exertions of the latter are instantaneous and
indefatigable; they make their cast in different directions, without a
moment's pause, and every individual pants with emulation to become the
happy instrument of recovery: once _hit off_, the general struggle for
pre-eminence constitutes a scene by far too luxurious for the inadequate
representation of literary description.

Opposite as these chases are, they are not without their distinct and
different votaries: the tempers of some men, and the age or infirmities
of others, render their minds as gloomy as the atmosphere of the
_winter's day_ in which they HUNT; to these the solemn knell of the
SOUTHERN HOUND is so _musically mechanical_, that it seems to vibrate in
unison with the somniferous melancholy of their own sensations. But with
those in the health and pride of manhood, who enjoy the obstacles, and
surmount the difficulties, of CROSSING a COUNTRY, in direct contrast to
the ruminative pleasure of _whipping_ a _thistle_, or riding a few rings
round a barn, fleet hounds will always have the preference. Hounds of
this description, it must be candidly confessed, are, however, drawn too
fine in their formation, and so critically refined to speed, that the
game, whatever it may be, can stand but a little time before them:
unless, from stormy weather, or some other accidental cause, much cold
hunting should intervene. And this, in the present rage for improvement,
is so much the case with HARRIERS in general, that, in the early part of
the season, half the hares found are run up to in the _first view_; and
even after Christmas, when they are supposed to get strong; average
chases do not exceed from twenty minutes to half an hour; and by the
unprecedented speed of hounds, as they are now bred, the fox chase is
contracted in proportion.

Although the breeding, entering, feeding, airing, and general management
of hounds, is an entire system, dependent upon personal practice, from a
strict and attentive attachment to which _alone_, excellence can be
derived; yet, such rules and salutary regulations as stand high in
sporting estimation, may be introduced for the information of those,
who, in the infancy of initiation, are anxious to improve their
judgment, by blending the theory of the closet with the practice of the
field. The spring months are the best in which puppies can be produced;
they have then the whole summer to expand and grow in. Some
circumspection is necessary in the business of propagation, to prevent
an unnecessary destruction; attention should be paid to shape, size,
colour, disposition, and qualification, of both the dog and bitch
intended to breed from; if the perfection of sire or dam are wished, or
expected, to be retained, and displayed, in the offspring. The sporting
world are enjoined by the best authority, "on no account to breed from
one that is not _stout_, that is not _tender nosed_, or that is either a
_babbler_ or a _skirter_: it is the judicious cross that makes the pack
complete. The faults and imperfections in one breed, may be rectified in
another; and if this be properly attended to, no reason can be
suggested, why the breeding of hounds may not improve, till improvement
can go no further."

Amidst general remarks, it may be remembered, that none but healthy and
strong hounds should be bred from: old dogs should never be put to old
bitches; and good whelps should never be put to bad walks: stinted in
their earliest growth, (by a want of proper nutriment,) the frame
becomes impoverished, the loins weak, and they are the less able to
encounter that terrible foe, the _distemper_, whenever it may make its
attack. This generally happens from the sixth to the ninth or tenth
month, and proves incredibly destructive, which probably may be chiefly
owing to the little that is done upon those occasions, by the way of
either prevention or cure. Various are the opinions respecting the
number of hounds it may be necessary to keep in kennel during the
hunting season; and these must be regulated by the kind of country they
have to hunt, as one may tire or lame hounds more than another:
slippery, marley clay will do the one; the rolling flints of SURREY,
OXFORDSHIRE, or HAMPSHIRE, never fail to do the other. Those who are
prudent, will never take more than from twenty to five-and-twenty couple
to the field; to exceed which, would not only be rather _unfair_, but
probably do more _harm_ than GOOD. The number necessary to be taken, is
not so material a matter of consideration, as their conjunctive
qualifications when there; thirty-five couple of settled, steady,
seasoned hounds, will, therefore, admit of hunting three (occasionally
four) days a week.

It is a well-founded opinion, that every kennel should have a proper
annual supply of young hounds; if this is neglected for _two_ or _three_
seasons, the pack will soon be overloaded with old hounds, and suddenly
fall into decay. Industrious, hard-working hounds, seldom continue in
full VIGOUR and speed longer than _five_ or _six_ seasons; though there
are not wanting instances of deserving favourites having continued the
_crack_ hounds of the pack for eight or nine years in succession. A
little of this difference may probably proceed from _two_ causes, a
variation in constitution, and a contrast in the discipline of the
KENNEL; from which MR. BECKFORD candidly confesses he never was long
absent, without perceiving a difference _in their looks_ at his return.
It is also his opinion, that from eight to twelve couple of young
hounds, bred annually, would sufficiently supply an establishment not
exceeding forty couple; but it is always best to have a reserve of a few
couple more than wanted, in case of accidents; since, from the time the
draft is made, to the time of hunting, is a long period, and their
existence at that age and season very precarious: besides, when they are
safe from the distemper, they are not always so from each other; and a
summer seldom passes without some losses of that kind. At the same time
he hints the absurdity of _entering_ more than are necessary to keep up
the pack, as a greater number would only create useless trouble, and
more vexation.

No one subject, perhaps, has so nearly exhausted the fertility of human
invention, as the infinity of names bestowed upon HOUNDS and HORSES;
which have been so numerous and diversified, that a single name can
hardly be adopted, which has not been before brought into use. In proof
of which, the writer just mentioned has given a list of more than _eight
hundred_ appellations, or terms by which hounds may be known: but as the
name of each hound should as nearly as possible correspond with the
sport, (as well as the most apparent qualification of the individual,)
such only are introduced here as are the most musical, and from which a
variety for even TWO or THREE PACKS may be selected.

DOGS.

 Agent
 Aimwell
 Amorous
 Antic
 Anxious
 Archer
 Ardent
 Ardor
 Artful
 Atlas
 Atom
 Awful

 Bachelor
 Bellman
 Bluecap
 Blueman
 Bluster
 Boaster
 Bouncer
 Bragger
 Brawler
 Brazen
 Brilliant
 Brusher
 Bustler

 Captain
 Captor
 Carver
 Caster
 Caviller
 Challenger
 Champion
 Charon
 Chaser
 Chaunter
 Chimer
 Comforter
 Comus
 Conqueror
 Constant
 Coroner
 Cottager
 Countryman
 Coxcomb
 Craftsman
 Critic
 Crowner
 Cruiser
 Cryer

 Damper
 Danger
 Dabster
 Darter
 Dasher
 Dashwood
 Daunter
 Dinger
 Dreadnought
 Driver
 Duster

 Eager
 Earnest
 Envious

 Factious
 Fearnought
 Ferryman
 Finder
 Flagrant
 Foamer
 Foiler
 Foreman
 Foremost
 Forester

 Gainer
 Gallant
 Galloper
 Gamboy
 Gazer
 Genius
 Gimcrack
 Giant
 Glancer
 Glider
 Goblin
 Growler
 Guardian
 Guider

 Hardy
 Harlequin
 Harrasser
 Headstrong
 Hearty
 Hector
 Heedful
 Hopeful
 Hotspur
 Hurtful

 Jerker
 Jingler
 Jostler
 Jovial
 Jumper

 Lasher
 Laster
 Leader
 Leveller
 Lifter
 Lightfoot
 Listener
 Lounger
 Lurker
 Lusty

 Manful
 Marksman
 Marplot
 Match'em
 Maxim
 Meanwell
 Medler
 Mender
 Mentor
 Mercury
 Merlin
 Merryman
 Mighty
 Minikin
 Monitor
 Mounter
 Mover
 Mungo
 Mutinous

 Nervous
 Nestor
 Newsman
 Nimrod
 Noble
 Nonsuch
 Noxious

 Pageant
 Paragon
 Partner
 Perfect
 Petulant
 Phœbus
 Pilgrim
 Pillager
 Pilot
 Pincher
 Playful
 Plunder
 Prattler
 Presto
 Prodigal
 Prowler
 Prophet
 Prosper
 Prosperous

 Racer
 Rambler
 Rampant
 Random
 Ranger
 Ranter
 Rattler
 Ravager
 Ravisher
 Rector
 Regent
 Render
 Restive
 Reveller
 Rifler
 Rigid
 Ringwood
 Rioter
 Rockwood
 Router
 Rover
 Rumour
 Rural
 Rustic

 Sampler
 Sampson
 Saucebox
 Saunter
 Scamper
 Schemer
 Scrambler
 Scuffler
 Searcher
 Sharper
 Shifter
 Signal
 Skirmish
 Social
 Songster
 Spanker
 Speedwell
 Splendor
 Spoiler
 Spokesman
 Sportsman
 Squabbler
 Statesman
 Steady
 Stickler
 Stormer
 Stranger
 Stripling
 Striver
 Stroker
 Strotter
 Struggler
 Sturdy
 Surly

 Talisman
 Tamer
 Tartar
 Tattler
 Taunter
 Teazer
 Thrasher
 Threatener
 Thunderer
 Tickler
 Tomboy
 Torment
 Torrent
 Touchstone
 Tragic
 Trampler
 Transit
 Traveller
 Trimbush
 Trimmer
 Triumph
 Trojan
 Truant
 Trueman
 Trusty
 Trial
 Turbulent
 Twinger
 Tyrant

 Vagabond
 Vagrant
 Valiant
 Valorous
 Vaulter
 Vaunter
 Venture
 Vermin
 Victor
 Vigilant
 Villager
 Viper
 Violent
 Voucher

 Wanderer
 Warrior
 Well-bred
 Whipster
 Whynot
 Wilful
 Wisdom
 Woodman
 Worthy
 Wrangler
 Wrestler

BITCHES.

 Active
 Actress
 Airy
 Audible

 Baneful
 Bashful
 Bauble
 Beauty
 Beldam
 Blameless
 Blithesome
 Blowzey
 Bluebell
 Bonny
 Bonnylass
 Boundless
 Brimstone
 Busy
 Bucksome

 Captious
 Careless
 Careful
 Cautious
 Charmer
 Chearful
 Comely
 Comfort
 Crafty
 Crazy
 Credulous
 Croney
 Cruel
 Curious

 Dainty
 Daphne
 Darling
 Dauntless
 Dianna
 Diligent
 Doubtful
 Doubtless
 Doxy

 Easy
 Echo
 Endless

 Fairmaid
 Fairplay
 Famous
 Fancy
 Favourite
 Fearless
 Festive
 Fickle
 Fidget
 Flighty
 Flourish
 Fretful
 Frisky
 Frolic
 Fury

 Gambol
 Gamesome
 Gamestress
 Gaylass
 Ghastly
 Giddy
 Gladsome
 Graceful
 Graceless
 Gracious
 Grateful
 Guilesome
 Guiltless
 Guilty

 Hasty
 Handsome
 Harlot
 Harmony
 Heedless
 Helen
 Heroine
 Hideous
 Hostile

 Jollity
 Joyful
 Joyous

 Laudable
 Lavish
 Lawless
 Lightning
 Lightsome
 Lively
 Lofty
 Lovely
 Luckylass

 Madcap
 Magic
 Matchless
 Merrylass
 Minion
 Mischief
 Music

 Needful
 Nimble
 Noisy
 Notable
 Novice

 Pastime
 Patience
 Phœnix
 Phrenzy
 Placid
 Playful
 Pleasant
 Pliant
 Positive
 Precious
 Prettylass
 Priestess
 Prudence

 Racket
 Rally
 Rantipole
 Rapid
 Rapine
 Rapture
 Rarity
 Rattle
 Ravish
 Reptile
 Restless
 Rhapsody
 Riot
 Rival
 Rummage
 Ruthless

 Sappho
 Skilful
 Specious
 Speedy
 Spiteful
 Spitfire
 Sportive
 Sprightly
 Strumpet
 Symphony

 Tattle
 Telltale
 Tempest
 Termagant
 Terrible
 Testy
 Thoughtful
 Toilsome
 Tragedy
 Trifle
 Trollop
 Tuneful

 Vengeance
 Venomous
 Venus
 Vicious
 Vigilance
 Vixen
 Vocal
 Volatile
 Voluble

 Wanton
 Wasteful
 Watchful
 Welcome
 Whimsey
 Wishful

HOUNDS are constantly liable to those distressing disorders the
DISTEMPER and CANINE MADNESS, as well as to that vexatious and
troublesome disease called the MANGE. As well with hounds as with
horses, _prevention_, in all cases, is preferable to CURE:
unfortunately, there is as yet no mode discovered by which either of the
former can be prevented. The _distemper_, if attended to upon its
_first_ appearance, may with as much certainty be counteracted, in the
severity of its symptoms, by medical interposition, as the variolus
matter is divested of its malignant miasma by the alleviating
preparatives previous to inoculation. The only specifics by which a
purpose so desirable can be effected, are the preparations of MERCURY
blended with small proportions of EMETIC TARTAR, as the judicious
practitioner may find applicable to the predominant appearances of the
case. It has been observed, and with great reason, that as the
universality of the _distemper_ has evidently increased during the last
twenty or thirty years, so the more destructive calamity of MADNESS
amongst the _species_ has evidently declined.

As it is certain the _distemper_ may be arrested, in the severity of its
progress, by timely intervention, so the first symptoms of its
appearance cannot be too perfectly explained. It is preceded by a husky
dryness in the throat; as if a small bone, or some similar obstruction,
was fixed there, from which the animal, by an incessant kind of
straining and half cough, seems constantly endeavouring to relieve
itself. This is soon followed by a slimy discharge from the nostrils;
and an adhesive gummy matter exudes from the eyes: food of every kind is
refused; the eyes become sunk and glassy: the carcase, behind the ribs,
is invariably contracted, and a stricture is to be observed upon the
abdominal muscles, as if bound with a cord. As the disorder becomes more
inveterate in its progress, other symptoms ensue; every day demonstrates
additional debility and emaciation; eternal strainings to vomit, and
those severe and violent, producing nothing more than a mere viscid
phlegm or slimy mucus from the glands: a frequent tenesmus, or straining
to evacuate by stool, without effect, is also attendant: to this
succeeds a distressing weakness of the loins, occasioning a twisting and
distortion of the hinder extremities, as if a disjunction of the
vertebræ had taken place. If the disorder is not counteracted at or
before its CRISIS, spasms and twitchings become perceptible about the
head and neck; the discharge from the nose and eyes assume a _dry_ and
_barky_ appearance, forming a kind of matted eschar upon the surface;
the eyes become more and more sunk, till nearly closed: a ropy slime
oozes from each side the jaws, which seem nearly fixed; a drooping
dizziness, and frequent disposition to turning round, is commonly seen
during this stage; and fits soon follow, which, more or less, continue
till, during some one of these paroxysms, DEATH closes the SCENE.

In the earlier stages of the distemper, the well-known powder of DOCTOR
JAMES has been brought into use with success. It may, however, be
necessary to premise, that no good effect is to be expected from small
and ineffectual doses; they must be large to be efficacious: no relief
can be obtained, but by taking off the general stricture, removing the
obstructions, promoting the various secretions, and constituting
revulsion. When it is so evidently ascertained, that all dogs labouring
under the distemper, have both the stomach and intestinal canal
disordered, and in a state of extreme irritation, it is natural to
advert a little to the _filth_, _dirt_, _gravel_, _sand_, _dry grass_,
_straw_, and various other extraneous particles, young DOGS and PUPPIES
ravenously swallow with the chance food they happen to pick up: and it
is equally worthy attention, that the prelude to visible amendment is
generally the discharge of an indurated MASS or PELLET from the ANUS,
which, when broken to pieces is found to consist of the before-mentioned
articles; and, beyond a doubt, by retarding some secretions, and
obstructing others, contributes in no small degree to increase the
inveteracy of disease. For explanatory remarks upon CANINE MADNESS and
HYDROPHOBIA, see DOGS.

The MANGE, when it has once found its way into a kennel, is a most
troublesome, loathsome, and infectious disorder: if it has not been
introduced by the latter, it must have originated in an _acrimonious_
and vitiated state of the BLOOD, arising from too long a perseverance in
some impoverished or _putrified_ kind of food; a want of proper AIR or
EXERCISE; or a culpable deficiency in _cleanliness_; without all which,
health and strength need not long be expected. The mange is a disorder
too well known not only in HOUNDS, but every other _kind_ of DOG, to
require description; and for the cure of which, AUTHORS, COMPILERS, and
EDITORS, of every class, have furnished means in abundance, sulphur
vivum, oil of turpentine, gunpowder, ginger, train oil, foot, and a
tedious COMBINATION of COMBUSTIBLES, (with various alternatives, in
cases of failure,) are recommended to extirpate what may be completely
eradicated without half the nastiness or trouble. All that _externals_
can do, may be expected from three plentiful bastings of a very cheap
and easily-procured composition, consisting of sulphur vivum, four
ounces; white hellebore powder, two ounces; black pepper, very finely
powdered, one ounce; sal armoniac, (finely powdered likewise,) half an
ounce; oil of tartar, one ounce; and common olive oil, one pint; with
which the diseased subject should have every affected part _fully_ and
_forcibly_ impregnated with the hand at three different times, three
days apart during which process, at the same equal distances of time,
three MERCURIAL PURGING BALLS of a proper strength (proportioned to the
_age_, _size_, and _strength_, of the dog) should be administered, if a
sure and speedy cure is to be expected.

The disorder called the RED MANGE does not appear to be nearly allied to
what is so well known by the common appellation of MANGE, but to be a
species of disease within itself, seated in the skin, and not always
infectious amongst dogs laying together, but almost invariably
communicated by a BITCH to her LITTER of WHELPS, particularly if she had
it upon her during the time she was in pup. This disorder is most
malignant in its effect; the incessant and severe itching, which, from
all observation, seems accompanied by a _burning heat_, and this too
increased by the perpetual biting and scratching of the tortured animal,
gives such parts of the frame as are severely affected, the appearance
of having been _scalded_ by some boiling liquor, with a consequent loss
of hair. It is this distinct kind of MANGE that so constantly baffles
DOG-DOCTORS and _dog-mongers_ of every description, and reduces them to
their _ne plus ultra_, where the fertility of invention can go no
further. It is, perhaps, the most deceptive disorder to which any part
of the animal world can become unluckily subject; for when it has
(seemingly and repeatedly) submitted to, and been subdued by, some of
the combination of combustibles before described, it has as suddenly, as
repeatedly, and as unexpectedly, made its reappearance with all its
former virulence. Great care, nice attention, and long experience, can
discover but one infallible mode of perfect eradication. Let half an
ounce of CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE be reduced in a glass mortar to an
impalpable powder; to this, by a very small quantity at a time, add two
ounces (half a gill) of spirits of wine; and, lastly, one pint of rain
or river water, and, with a sponge dipt in the solution, let every part
palpably affected be well washed, every third day, till thrice
performed; then leave three clear days, and repeat the former ceremony
of thrice as before; letting three MERCURIAL PURGING BALLS be given at
the equal distances stated in the common mange, and no doubt of cure
need be entertained, if the mode prescribed is properly and judiciously
attended to.

However opinions may vary upon the manner of FEEDING hounds, as well in
respect to time, as the occasional changes in, and _property_ of, the
FOOD best adapted to the purpose of nutritious SUPPORT, no opposition
whatever can arise to the general inculcation of CLEANLINESS, as
indispensibly conducive to the preservation of HEALTH, and consequent
exclusion of DISEASE. In the acceptation of the word _cleanliness_, may
be included the true intent and meaning of both internal and external
circumspection and attention, as well in PHYSIC, and in FOOD, as in the
neat and judicious arrangement of the KENNEL; where the conjunctive
force of which is wanting, what a train of _disease_, _misery_, and
wretchedness, frequently ensues! To avoid all which, at the times and
seasons found most proper for their introduction, ANTIMONIAL
ALTERATIVES, and MERCURIAL PURGATIVES, should be brought into use. Upon
this practice MR. BECKFORD has given his opinion in the following words.

"I am not fond of _bleeding_ hounds, unless they want it; though it has
long been a custom to _physic_ them twice a year; after they leave off
hunting, and before they begin. It is given in hot weather, and at an
idle time. It cools their bodies, and, without doubt, is of service to
them. If a hound be in want of physic, I prefer giving it in balls.[3]
It is more easy to give in this manner the quantity he may want, and you
are more certain that he takes it. In many kennels, they also bleed them
twice a year, and some people think that it prevents madness. The
anointing of hounds, or _dressing_ them, as huntsmen call it, makes them
fine in their coats: it may be done twice a year, or oftener, if found
necessary."

The necessity of introducing something medicinal for the preservation of
health, and prevention of disease, is thus admitted upon the best of all
foundations, practical experience; but as medical precision cannot be
expected from those who have not made the profession their study, so MR.
BECKFORD seems to have applied "_physic_" in a general sense to every
kind of MEDICINE, as well to ALTERATIVES as to PURGATIVES; though the
term, when used technically, is conceived to imply the latter only.
According to this construction, it is to be presumed, Mr. Beckford
administered the balls as "physic," when, in fact, they can only be
termed antimonial alteratives, calculated to obtund acrimony, and alter
the property of the blood. Mercurial purgatives perfectly cleanse the
intestinal canal, and correct morbidity at the same time. External
applications, called "_dressings_," are more particularly directed to
bodily eruptions, and cutaneous diseases of the skin: in all these,
SULPHUR is a principal ingredient, and looked upon as a specific: in
fact, its efficacy is too well known to admit of a doubt upon the
occasion.

HOUNDS, as well as HORSES, are rendered subservient instruments to the
support of Government, and exigencies of the State. Persons keeping them
pay a tax of THIRTY POUNDS per annum.

[Footnote 3: One pound of antimony, four ounces of sulphur, and syrup of
buckthorn a sufficient quantity to give it a proper consistence. Each
ball to weigh about seven drachms.]


HOUZING.—The houzing of a horse is a part of military paraphernalia
appertaining to officers of cavalry in general, and the privates of the
King's horse guards in particular; consisting of scarlet trappings
ornamented with gold lace, fringe, and some part of the insignia of the
crown. They are fastened to the hinder part of the saddle, and suspended
from the loins, so as to cover the flanks, and a part of the
hind-quarters on each side. GENERAL and FIELD OFFICERS have their
houzings principally manufactured of lions, tigers, or leopard's skins,
giving additional magnificence to the stately grandeur of the MILITARY
CHARGER.


HUMOURS.—All chronic disorders in the horse, arising from an impure
state of the blood, are with the inferior classes in general denominated
"HUMOURS;" as a concise mode of avoiding scientific investigation, or
medical ambiguity, and bringing the case immediately home, as they
think, to _every_ comprehension. With people of the description alluded
to (whether SMITHS, FARRIERS, COACHMEN, or GROOMS) the word _humours_ is
conceived so wonderfully comprehensive, that it is _by them_ supposed to
convey an infinite idea of _every thing_, at the very moment it is
known, by their superiors and employers, to imply no definite or certain
meaning at all. If a horse has swelled legs, they are the effect of
"_humours_." If an inflammation of and defluxion from the eyes, they are
equally produced by "_humours_." Should cracked heels appear (the
evident effect of idleness, and want of attention) they too are brought
on by "_humours_." Even thrushes, occasioned in general by equal neglect
and want of cleanliness, are also frequently attributed to "_humours_;"
and to sum up the intrinsic value of this professional GEM, even
lameness, in a variety of cases, whether behind or before, above or
below, is most _sapiently_, if not SCIENTIFICALLY, attributed to that
_ne plus ultra_ of definition, denominated _humours_.

Thus far upon what HUMOURS are _supposed_ to be; now to what they are.
It may readily be conceived by those not professionally informed on the
subject, that the BLOOD (which is the very mainspring of existence) must
have preserved such kind of equality, consistency, or uniformity, in its
component parts, as to constitute a precise standard, necessary to the
enjoyment and preservation of HEALTH. This incontrovertible position
being admitted beyond all possible ground of controversy, what does it
evidently demonstrate? Why, that as much as the BLOOD is enriched
_above_, or impoverished _below_, that STANDARD, in its _property_, so
in proportion must it approach the kind of disease appertaining to the
one extreme or the other. To those whose intellectual rays are open to
conviction, not a single line more would be required in explanation; but
that the most _incredulous_, the most _obstinate_, and the most
_illiterate_, may have equal opportunity of information, let the two
different states of the blood, (as just explained,) with their effects,
be adverted to. When it has, by a superabundance of food and ease, a
neglect of exercise, and a want of the necessary evacuations, acquired a
degree of consistence (or thickness) above the criterion already
described, it then becomes too _heavy_ and _sluggish_ for its purpose of
regular CIRCULATION, and is proportionally inadequate to the task of
propelling the perspirative matter to the surface, which being thus
compulsively returned upon the blood, adds to its siziness, and promotes
its viscidity, jointly tending to such partial stagnation, as soon
displays itself in some one of the many disorders to which horses are
incident, in the hands of those where prevention is not attended to.

Having taken a survey of the state of the BLOOD, by which swelled legs,
grease, foulness, inflammatory tumours, formations of matter in various
parts, and one species of farcy, may be produced, it will be necessary
to take a short view of it in its contrasted state, when, by a continued
series of _hard_ work, with _bad_ keep, a constant supply of unhealthy
provender, in _musty_ oats, _mouldy_ hay, or any other article
distending the body, without adequate nutriment to the frame, as well as
the want of a proper supply, in proportion to the necessary SECRETIONS
and EVACUATIONS, will either, or all, tend to _diminish_ the
CRASSAMENTUM, or adhesive property of the blood, and in a greater or
less degree (according to the cause) reduce it to a serous or weak and
watery state, below the standard of mediocrity so clearly explained;
when acquiring acrimony in proportion as it has been reduced, the effect
seldom rests upon emaciation only, but soon displays itself in some
cutaneous eruption, so constantly dependent upon, and appertaining to,
an impoverished state of the blood.

This distinction has been introduced, not more to throw some
satisfactory light upon the ambiguity of the expression, which it seems
so few understand, than to prove the necessity for paying such attention
to the general state of a HORSE'S HEALTH and appearance, as may at least
be the means of preventing disease, anxiety, trouble, expence, and
probably the eventual loss of a useful, or even a valuable, animal,
which too often happens for want of a little humane circumspection; when
it is then experimentally found REPENTANCE comes too late. As the
_fertile_ idea of HUMOURS frequently originates in error, so the error
is continued in the medical mode of counteraction; for let the
derangement in the animal economy have happened from whichever of the
causes described, the system adopted is much the same in all cases, and
with all classes, rendering sometimes the remedy worse than the disease.
Those, however, who wish to blend instruction with entertainment,
deriving advantage from both, will do well to recollect, that whatever
DISORDERS (alias _humours_) originate in plethora, fulness of the frame,
and viscidity of the blood, must be subdued by repeated BLEEDINGS,
moderate PURGING, regular exercise, a great deal of stable discipline,
(wisping, leg-rubbing, &c.) and, if necessary, a concluding course of
MILD DIURETICS. Disorders arising from a weak and impoverished state of
the blood last described, must be counteracted by an extra addition of
nutritive aliment, as mashes of ground malt and bran nightly, as well as
the usual supplies of corn by day: an invigorating cordial ball daily
should assist the intent; and a course of ANTIMONIAL ALTERATIVES be
lastly introduced, to give a new complexion to the property of the blood.


HUMBLES.—The articles so called are some of the internal _trimmings_
obtained in breaking up a DEER, which are always a perquisite of the
keeper.


HUNTER.—A hunter, in its strictest implied signification with the
SPORTING WORLD, is a horse or mare of superior description and
qualifications, appropriated to no other purpose whatever than the
enjoyment of the chase. As it is the highest ambition of every SPORTSMAN
to be in possession of a HUNTER, numbers are so called, who are by no
means entitled to that distinction. Various opinions are entertained
respecting the more minute properties of a horse destined to the
particular purposes of the field, and this diversity can only be
justified by an allusion to the kind of hounds with whom he is intended
to hunt. Horses of an inferior description, cross bred, and without a
point of perfection, or the property of speed, may be called HUNTERS
with _harriers_; but prove mere roadsters, when brought into the field
with either STAG or FOX. One third of a century since, moderate horses
were called hunters; and those about HALF BRED went tolerably well up to
_most_ hounds; but during the last twenty years, so great has been the
rage for improving their speed, that in the present day, any horse may
_follow_ the hounds; but BLOOD HORSES only can go by the side of them.

The horses now denominated HUNTERS, are mostly three parts and full
bred; for the great number of blood horses not turning out WINNERS, as
well as those not trained for the turf, come of course to the hunting
stables, and keep up a constant supply. Under the head HORSE, three
distinct kinds are mentioned generally, and the purposes to which they
are assigned; but no particular description is made of a HUNTER, whose
qualifications are properly reserved for this place. A hunter for
constant use with fleet hounds, should be well bred on both sides; not
less in age than five years old off; from fifteen hands and an inch, to
fifteen three and sixteen hands, but not to exceed it: large and heavy
horses, in _deep_ or _hilly_ countries, frequently tire themselves. To
be handsome, he should be strong in the frame and formation, short in
the joints, firm in his fetlocks, quick in the eye, and agile in action.
He should have a light airy head, wide nostrils, prominent lively eye,
slight curve in the crest, long in the neck, wide in the breast, deep in
the chest, high in the withers, straight in the spine, short in the
back, round in the barrel, full in the flank, (the last rib coming well
up to the point of the hip-bone,) his loins wide, and rather circular
than flat; the summit of the hind-quarters, between the fillets and the
tail, should nearly form one section of an oval; the tail should be
high, and well set on, in nearly a direct line from the back, and not in
a drooping degree below the rump: there should be perceptible strength,
uniformity and substance in the thighs, and a prominent muscular swell
in the exterior of the gaskins; a great length from the hip-bone to the
hock, short from thence to the fetlock, which should be nearly round,
and well united; the pasterns rather short than long; fore-legs
straight, and upright; hoofs, black, and of a strong firm texture; great
courage, good temper, and pliability of disposition.

These are the rules by which thousands will admit a HUNTER should be
chosen; and they will also as readily admit, the very great difficulty
with which horses of such description are to be obtained. However, as
such an accumulation of perfections is so rarely to be found in the same
object, the most emulous and judicious will be the more anxious to come
as near to such criterion as circumstances will permit; but as it is not
to be expected the young, any more than the inexperienced, can retain
the minutiæ of a description to which they have been so little
accustomed, as well as recollecting the force EXAMPLE is said to have
beyond _precept_, the PORTRAIT of a HUNTER is introduced, who, for all
the qualifications already described, was repeatedly in the field (with
his MAJESTY'S STAG HOUNDS) honoured with the royal approbation. He was
got by _Eclipse_, dam by _Blank_, and possessed every requisite in the
field to render himself an object of universal attraction: after HUNTING
two seasons, and COVERING one, he was purchased, and taken to America as
A STALLION.

Having explicitly laid down the rules by which a horse should be
selected for the purpose particularly expressed, some farther hints
become necessary for his general management, if a wish is entertained to
preserve him in a state of purity; for it is well known, there cannot be
a greater stigma annexed to the character of a professed sportsman, than
his having a GOOD horse in _bad_ condition. The next great qualification
to SPEED and TEMPER in a hunter, is the property of leaping, both
_standing_ and _flying_; without those (in an enclosed country) his
leading perfections are very much reduced in the estimation of the
field: on the contrary, if he is in the full and unrestrained possession
of these additional, and, indeed, indispensible requisites to complete
and confirm his character, a purchaser may always be commanded at any
price. One great error is generally prevalent in teaching horses to
LEAP, by the young, petulant, and hasty, when _first_ they are brought
to the BAR, particularly in and round the Metropolis, where an assistant
is frequently seen with a _whip_ to expedite what cannot be proceeded
upon with too much kindness and circumspection. Young horses driven to a
bar with a whip, and once _alarmed_, are sometimes prevented from
becoming good standing leapers during their existence. Instances are
very rare of well-bred horses being bad FLYING LEAPERS, particularly
with hounds; few, _if any_, have ever been seen willing to stay _behind_
when the pack were before them; they of course require no other
instructions, than what the experience of the field affords them. When
horses are intended for the field, they should be brought and accustomed
to the bar, previous to their being put upon their mettle, and flurried
with hounds; when there, the bar should never be less than three feet
from the ground; if lower, it only induces the horse to attempt it with
one foot, as if to walk or scramble over it; and this is a bad habit to
acquire: he should never be permitted to make an effort, till taught to
rest entirely upon his haunches, and to raise slowly and gradually both
his feet before at the same moment.

Nothing can be more contemptibly ridiculous, than the absurd practice of
clothing the BAR with _bushes of furze_; and this is generally
introduced, under the plausible pretence of making the horse _clear his
leap_; although it is a fact, that almost every horse is terrified in
approaching it; and when compelled to take it, or is rather _driven
over_, it is in a JUMP of _fear_ and _agitation_; not in a cool,
temperate, and steady leap of safety, fit to qualify a HUNTER for the
FIELD. A horse can only be made a good standing leaper, by affording him
ample time to measure his leap before he attempts it; that is, to
observe its height, and take the space necessary for the bend of his
knees, the contraction of his legs, and his own altitude to cover the
leap with certainty; and this a well-taught horse, of tolerable temper,
will generally do, if permitted to adopt his own plan, and use his own
exertions: but if unnaturally hurried by the petulance, impatience, or
inhumanity, of those about him, _failure_, _injury_, and _disgrace_,
frequently ensue. The proper covering for a leaping-bar should either be
fern, or clean wheat straw, well secured by a strong packthread, bound
transversely and longitudinally in a kind of net-work, (bracing equally
every way,) which is not only exceedingly durable, but being composed of
articles to which the horse is so accustomed, he naturally approaches
it, if gently used, and patiently encouraged, without the least fear or
agitation.

The proper stable discipline, and general management, of hunters, are so
perfectly understood in the present state of equestrian emulation, and
universal improvement, that a few experimental maxims only are required,
as mementos to shield the young, inconsiderate, and unwary, from
unthinkingly encountering various foundations of vexation, trouble,
expence, and disappointment. Those of immense fortunes, and adequate
establishments, are not so liable to this aggregate of ills, as those
whose more humble and confined possessions restrain them within a much
smaller sphere of gratification. To the latter, therefore, it is, such
hints of utility are more particularly addressed and submitted, who not
having the good fortune to be surrounded with a profusion of
subordinates, by whom such offices are generally executed, feel the
necessity, and enjoy the happy opportunity, of sometimes personally
superintending their own concerns. The great exertions in respect to
speed, labour, and durability, of which the well-bred hunter is so
evidently capable, are almost beyond belief; and eminently entitle him
to every adequate tenderness, care, and attention, that can be possibly
bestowed in return. When it is within the compass of the reflecting
mind, that an animal of this description is frequently most laboriously
engaged for the whole of a dreary winter's day, encountering and
surmounting difficulties in succession almost beyond description, (till
in many instances nature is nearly exhausted,) no doubt can arise, but
the frame must sometimes stand in need of extra assistance upon such
occasions.

Of this greater proof need not be adduced, than the deaths of horses
which have recently happened, (particularly with the King's stag
hounds,) some in the field, and many within a few days after different
chases of singular severity; one instance of which is so truly
remarkable, that it lays claim to record in the annals of sporting, to
prevent its being buried in oblivion. The DEER was turned out at ASCOT
HEATH, and, after making BAGSHOT PARK, crossed the whole of the heath
country, to Sandhurst, through Finchamstead Woods, Barkham, Arborfield,
Swallowfield, and the intervening country, to Tilehurst, below Reading
in Berkshire, where he was taken unhurt after a chase of FOUR HOURS and
TWENTY MINUTES; horsemen being _thrown out_ in every part of the country
through which they passed: one horse dropt _dead_ in the FIELD; another,
after the chase, before he could reach a stable; and _seven_ more within
the WEEK: of such speed, and almost unprecedented severity, was this
run, that _tired_ horses in great danger were unavoidably left at the
different inns in the neighbourhood. A tolerable idea of the powers of
an English hunter may, from this description, be formed by those who are
not sportsmen, and have consequently a very imperfect conception of the
task he has to perform; of which incredulity MONS. SAINBEL, professor of
the VETERINARY COLLEGE, gave sufficient proof, treating the subject with
the utmost indifference, very little short of contempt; declaring, "it
was all _chimerical_, and that no horse could be found to continue a
chase of that kind _four hours_ in succession."

That such exertions may be continued till nature itself is totally
exhausted, must be admitted beyond a doubt; but that they in general
happen to horses by much _too slow_ for the CHASE, and to those in
_improper condition_, is as clearly ascertained. The result of which
facts clearly demonstrate the truth of observations previously made, and
forcibly inculcate the indispensible necessity of selecting horses
properly formed for the purpose; and as forcibly urge the propriety
(indeed the safety) of getting them into condition for the field. When
taken up from his summer's run at grass (which every perfect hunter is
entitled to) he should go through his regular course of physic; the
strength and number of doses to be regulated by the accumulated flesh,
and general appearance of the horse: if in a fair, good, clean state,
not loaded in substance, and perfectly clean in the skin, more than TWO
doses may be superfluous; if labouring under a weight of flesh, flabby,
and fluctuating under pressure, less than THREE will prove insufficient;
which should be preceded by BLEEDING in _either_, according to the state
of the horse. During the operation of physic, the subject should undergo
moderate exercise, and great friction in the stable; both which tend to
remove and circulate the stagnant fluids, that they may be carried off
by the evacuations. Great, regular and patient leg-rubbing is not only
absolutely necessary at all times, but more particularly during physic;
it braces the solids, and preserves them in a proper state of
elasticity; for want of which, they frequently acquire a degree of
flaccidity; the legs swell, and, if brought into work _too soon_,
continue in that state, _more_ or _less_, during the season.

After the chase (during the dressing in the stable) observation should
be made whether injury of any kind has been sustained during the day;
either by the heat and friction or pressure of the saddle, the loss of a
shoe, stubs, treads, over-reaches, bruises, or lameness of any kind; for
any of these once discovered, the necessary remedy should be immediately
applied; as it not unfrequently happens, that what in the first instance
would only prove a slight or trivial grievance, continues to increase in
proportion to the delay in discovery. Horses evidently distrest and
fatigued with the labour of the day, displaying lassitude, bodily
debility, and loss of appetite, should be nicely attended to; a cordial
ball becomes more applicable and useful at this time than any other;
frequent supplies of water, with the chill off, in moderate quantities,
should never be neglected; every horse is invariably thirsty after a
_hard day_; and many will take repeated supplies of water, and plenty of
hay, when they will eat no corn; in which case, a good warm mash, of
GROUND MALT and BRAN, is an excellent invigorating substitute, and in
many of the best managed establishments is _never_ omitted (particularly
with tender, delicate, or violent tempered horses) after a _long_ or
_rainy_ day, as a preventive to COLD, as well as to DISEASE.

HUNTERS, after long and severe chases, should not be brought _too soon_
into similar exertions; numbers are crippled, broke down, and
irrecoverably ruined, for want of a little precautionary patience:
brought into the field too early, with a stiff rigidity in the limbs,
and without the wonted pliability in the joints, the spirits, as well as
the frame, become affected by a consciousness of the deficiency; and the
RIDER, upon making the discovery, moves in little less _misery_ than the
HORSE, who, feeling his temporary imperfection, seems in fear of falling
at every stroke. A horse is best recovered from the visible effect of
over fatigue, by a great deal of patient walking, exercise upon the
turf, and equally patient friction in the stable: no horse perceptibly
affected in FRAME or SPIRITS, by long days or severe chases, should be
brought into exercise GALLOPS, till every degree of _stiffness_ is
previously worn away, and obliterated in gentle motion, of which they
are the first to make discovery, by a renovation of strength and action.
It is in many hunting stables an invariable practice, upon the
appearance of LAMENESS, to bleed and follow up that with a dose of
physic, exclusive of whatever local applications it may be thought
necessary to make to the part affected; and this, it must be
acknowledged, is very frequently attended with the most salutary
effects: naturally, however, leading the mind of scientific
investigation to believe, much of the advantage may be derived from the
rest obtained during the course, as from the operation of the medicine.


HUNTING,—in its general sense, implies the pleasure of the SPORT at
LARGE, without specifying any _particular kind_ of CHASE; of which there
are three, and equally well known under the different distinctions of
STAG-HUNTING, FOX-HUNTING, and HARE-HUNTING. A minor kind of sport,
called OTTER HUNTING, might formerly have been said to constitute a
_fourth_; but it is at present so little known, (and much less
practised,) that, like HAWKING, it seems nearly buried in oblivion, and
promises very little prospect of sporting resurrection.

HUNTING is the pursuit of any species of GAME (or vermin) with a
collected body of HOUNDS, sportingly termed a PACK; who, bred for, and
broke to, the chase, FIND and HUNT the particular sort to which they are
appropriated by _scent_, _drag_, or _trail_, till it escapes by the
ARTS, WILES, and SAGACITY, with which it is gifted by NATURE; or, being
exhausted, falls _a victim_ to the persevering patience, indefatigable
exertions, and instinctive impulse, of the HOUNDS. This sport, in its
different degrees, is of very great antiquity, and has been enjoyed,
through successive centuries, with gradational improvements; but at no
former period has it ever approached its present zenith of unparalleled
perfection. Some few reigns past, the enjoyment was considered so truly
extatic, that it was engrossed entirely by the NOBLES and superior
orders, to the entire exclusion of the people at large, who were then so
much in a state of vassalage, as to be held unworthy the participation
of so rich a gratification, under the most rigid proscription that
legislative and feudal LAWS could frame, or unqualified TYRANNY adopt.
Not so in the happy melioration of the present age, when every blessing,
every privilege, and every comfort of life, is equally enjoyed from the
HIGHEST to the _lowest_, according to the possessions of every
individual; under such necessary and indispensible restrictions, as it
may have been found, by the Legislature, prudent to adopt, for the
preservation of ORDER, and promotion of PUBLIC GOOD.

Nothing can more clearly demonstrate the attracting power, and
exhilarating effects, of the CHASE, than the enthusiastic rapture with
which it is enjoyed, and the constantly increasing number of its
implicit devotees. Cynical opponents will always continue to be
generated, inveterately averse to every pleasure, however sublime or
select, that is not immediately congenial to their own sensations; and
will with avidity declare perpetual war against any gratification, or
enjoyment, in which they are not eventually interested, or personally
concerned. The bewildered POLITICIAN, who erroneously suspends the
_balance_ of _power_ in his own disordered imagination; the PEDANTIC
book-worm, who derives _self-consequence_ from his closet; the MISER,
who wraps himself up in the _solitary_ consolation of his _canvas
comforts_; and those PRIGS of _puppyism_ (by SHAKESPEARE better
denominated "_poppinjays_") who exist only in their own personal
ambition, and the reflection from the silvered glass, naturally decry
pleasures, in which, from the innate sterility, and instinctive apathy,
of their own souls, they feel no disposition to engage. LOVERS of the
CHASE, who, for time immemorial, have been better known and
distinguished by the appellation of SPORTSMEN, are almost proverbial for
their mutual offices of civility and friendship; no class of men enter
more into the openness and glowing warmth of unsuspecting society, the
genial inspiration of PHILANTHROPY, and the infinite inexpressible
extent of unsullied HOSPITALITY.

HUNTING, in respect to the enjoyment, as well as the description of each
_particular_ kind of CHASE, will be found under their distinct heads of
"HARE-HUNTING," "FOX-HUNTING," and "STAG-HUNTING;" leaving nothing for
introduction here, but such general remarks, and salutary inculcations,
as appertain solely to the systematic concerns of the field. The prudent
sportsman is invariably the guardian of his own safety; for, however he
may rely upon the attachment and punctuality of an old or faithful
servant, he never declines the service of his own faculties, so long as
he can derive advantage from their evident utility. He therefore never
mounts his horse, however great his haste, however late his hour,
without taking a slight (but sufficient) survey of his apparatus: he
feels it a duty to himself to observe, and be convinced, that his SADDLE
is not fixed in an improper place, but literally in the centre, equally
free from the _withers_ as from the _hip-bones_; that his GIRTHS are not
only judiciously _tightened_, but that the buckles extend on each side
_above_ the PAD, as well as that the STIRRUP-LEATHERS are in too good a
state to hazard a chance of their _breaking_; whenever which happens, in
the very _heat_ of the CHASE, great danger (if not an accident)
certainly ensues.

Thus safely seated, in the full confidence of his own prudent
precaution, he never suffers himself, by the persuasions of the weak or
inconsiderate, to be diverted from his invariable purpose of proceeding
SLOWLY to the place of meeting, or throwing off the HOUNDS; he well
knows, not only the manly propriety, but the sporting necessity, of
letting a horse unload the carcase before he is brought into brisk
action or strong exertion. Upon joining company in the field, he enters
into little or no conversation beyond the friendly salutations of the
morning; experimentally knowing, the _frivolities_ sported upon such
occasions, by the young, the confident, and the inexperienced, are only
calculated to excite the _silent curses_ of the HUNTSMAN, and the
contempt of the company, by attracting the attention of the HOUNDS. The
judicious sportsman, whether the hounds are _drawing_ or RUNNING, is
never seen in a place to incur disgrace, by _heading_ the GAME, or
_obstructing_ the HOUNDS; it is a business in which he is a proficient,
and he is never at a loss in the execution. From an instinctive
attachment to the sport, and an implicit observance of custom, he is
totally insensible to the _less_ attentive part of the company, but
"tremblingly alive" to every _tongue_ of a HOUND. Not a _whimper_, a
_challenge_, or _hit_, but vibrates upon his anxious ear; and his whole
soul seems absorbed in the eager hope of transmitting the enlivening
signal of A VIEW to his distant friends, in equal expectation.

The CHASE thus commenced, he lays as well in with the hounds as the
speed of his horse, and the contingencies of the country, will permit;
he stands upon no paltry ceremony with, or servile subservience to,
local superiors; this alone is the happy spot where all are equal, where
personal pride can assume no consequence, dignity can claim no
precedence, and an immensity of property is of no avail. Ever attentive
to the sport, he ruminates upon no other object than the object of
pursuit: his mind is eternally intent upon the GAME, or the _leading
hound_; the latter of which he makes it a point never to _lose sight
of_, unless by COVERT obscured from his view; when, with the advantage
of the WIND, (which he is sure to avail himself of,) and that unerring
directory the EAR, he is _seldom_ far from the hounds, or _ever_ thrown
out. In every chase there are plenty of _slow goers_ behind, who,
prompted by ENVY, are never wanting in the vociferous exclamation of,
"Hold hard!" without knowing why; and from no other motive, than not
being themselves at the _head_ of _the hounds_. To these clamours he
pays not the least attention, if having viewed either the GAME, or the
_leading_ hound, and observed the chase going on without interruption;
experimentally convinced, those who are the most _forward_, must best
know the state of the SCENT by the _check_, or breast-high running of
the hounds.

As there is so frequently a jealous clamour about being too _forward_,
the zealous sportsman will never condescend to be too far _behind_. He
knows his place, and he keeps it. He is never seen in the _body_ and
_bustle_ of the _crowd_, riding in a direct line with, and pressing
upon, the HEELS of the HOUNDS, but parallel with the last _two_ or
_three_ couple of the PACK; where his horse is not only enabled to keep
his ground with ease, but the rider enjoys the advantage of observing
most minutely every winding of the chase, as well as the various
struggles, and enchanting emulative efforts, of the LEADING HOUNDS. In
this situation he is sure of seeing where they _throw up_, and knows to
a certainty how far they have carried the SCENT; consequently those only
who are FORWARD, and know the state of the chase, are properly QUALIFIED
to give the signal of "_Hold hard!_" to those _behind_; and not, as is
too commonly the case, for those behind to transmit the petulant
exclamation to those before. The moment hounds are at fault, he
invariably keeps a proper distance, that they may not be obstructed in
making _their casts_, or get interspersed amongst the _legs_ of the
HORSES. Upon a _hit_ being made, he attends to the hound who made it,
and, upon a recovery of the SCENT, goes instantaneously on with the
chase; for a loss of ground at so critical a moment, he well knows it is
sometimes difficult to regain.

Notwithstanding his enthusiastic attachment to the sport, the SAFETY of
his HORSE preponderates over every other consideration; and this
inflexible determination is supported by a few invariable rules, which
are never broken in upon under any plea, persuasion, or perversion,
whatever. No temptation can induce him to deviate from a plan so
prudently adopted, and persevered in with such laudable resolution. He
is never seen to enter into the _spirit_ of _racing_ during the CHASE,
thereby distressing his horse, and wasting the strength that may be
found necessary before the conclusion of a _long day_: he scorns the
idea of taking _high_ or _large_ leaps when they are truly unnecessary,
merely to attract attention, or display his own VALOUR, well knowing,
"the better part of valour is discretion." He regulates the speed of his
horse by the nature of the country he is engaged to go over, and is
never known to ride _hardest_ in the _deepest_ ground. Experience, and
attentive observation, having long before convinced him, that whatever
distance may have been unavoidably lost under temporary obstacles, may
with less difficulty be recovered when the horse's WIND (as well as his
strength) is preserved, till he can go more at his ease. Whatever may
have been the fate of the day, and whatever the _length_ of the CHASE,
it is no sooner concluded, than the same steady and cool deliberation
with which he started in the morning accompanies him home: no rash or
juvenile example induces him to reduce the estimation of his HUNTER to
the standard of a _post-horse_; superior to the instability, and
impatient impetuosity, of the majority, he neither TROTS with _one_, or
GALLOPS with the _other_; but, regardless of the distance, humanely
walks his horse to the place of his destination, where he _sees_, or
_knows_, he undergoes the attentive comforts so fully described under
the last head.


HUNTING-CAP—is a cap made of leather, and covered with black velvet,
fitting close to the head behind, and having a semicircular peak before,
for the protection of the face in case of falls, as well as in passing
through strong coverts during the chase. In the sporting world it is
termed A DASHER, and is supposed to confirm a generally received
opinion, that the wearer never swerves from any difficulty that may
occur, or refuses any LEAP in the field, but takes them all _in stroke_.


HUNTING-WHIP.—The whip so called, is of different lengths in the handle
or stock; having at one end a long thong and lash, to assist
occasionally in managing the hounds; and at the other, a HOOK, HAMMER,
or CLAW, for the purpose of holding or opening gates.


HUNTSMAN.—The huntsman is a person whose entire business it is to
superintend every department of a hunting establishment, as well as to
hunt the hounds. As it is an office of considerable trust and
responsibility, so it requires no inconsiderable share of those
qualifications which constitute some part of the approach to human
perfection. It is indispensibly necessary he should be possessed of a
comprehensive mind, a clear head, and humane heart; of affable and easy
manners; not prone to peevish petulance, or rude brutality. He should be
of consistent sobriety, ready observation, quick conception, great
personal fortitude, patience, and activity; have a good constitution, an
excellent ear, and a sonorous voice. As, however, it may not be
inapplicable to have the necessary qualifications more forcibly depicted
from the very words of the best experimental authority extant, the
opinion of MR. BECKFORD is literally introduced, who says,

"I will endeavour to describe what a good huntsman should be. He should
be young, strong, active, bold, and enterprising; fond of the diversion,
and indefatigable in the pursuit of it: he should be sensible and
good-tempered: he ought also to be sober, exact, civil, and cleanly: he
should be a good groom, and an excellent horseman: his voice should be
strong and clear; and he should have an eye so quick, as to perceive
which of his hounds carries the scent when all are running; and should
have so excellent an ear, as always to distinguish the foremost hounds
when he does not see them. He should be quiet, patient, and without
conceit. Such are the excellencies which constitute a good huntsman. He
should not, however, be too fond of displaying them, till necessity
calls them forth. He should let his hounds alone, whilst they _can
hunt_; and he should have genius to assist them, _when they cannot_."

Although the qualifications of a HUNTSMAN, upon the great scale of
universality, should be precisely the same, yet there is an infinite
contrast in the various points of execution. No distinct difference of
_light_ and _shade_ upon the CANVAS, no effect of the ELEMENTS upon the
_human frame_, can be productive of more opposite sensations, than the
requisites necessary to form a proper distinction between the modes of
hunting HARE or FOX; for the very means calculated for the successful
promotion of the one, would in a few minutes prove the evident
destruction of the other: from which it is natural to infer, that a
huntsman eminently qualified to hunt _either_, would never be likely to
acquire CELEBRITY for hunting _both_; for as the accustomed spirit,
speed, and dashing impetuosity, of the FOX-HUNTER would soon lose a
HARE, so the philosophic patience, and constitutional tardiness, of the
HARE-HUNTER would never kill a FOX.

Of this, corroborative proof may be adduced in a subsequent passage from
the before-mentioned AUTHOR, where he observes, "It may be necessary to
unsay, now that I am turned hare-hunter again, many things I have been
saying as a fox-hunter; as I hardly know any two things of the same
genus (if I may be allowed the expression) that differ so entirely. What
I said, in a former letter, about the huntsman and whipper-in, is in the
number. As to the huntsman, he should not be young; I should most
certainly prefer one, as the French call it, _d'une certain age_, as he
is to be quiet and patient: for patience he should be a very grizzle;
and the more quiet he is, the better. He should have infinite
perseverance; for a hare should never be given up whilst it is possible
to hunt her: she is sure to stop, and therefore may always be recovered.
Were it usual to attend to the breed of our huntsmen, as well as to that
of our hounds, I know no family that would furnish a better cross than
that of the _silent gentleman_ mentioned by the Spectator: a female of
his line, crossed with a knowing huntsman, would probably produce a
perfect hare-hunter."

The _scent_ of the STAG, the FOX, and the HARE, is so exceedingly
different in the duration of _each_, that it requires a method as
proportionally different in the pursuit of _either_; all which is
practically known to huntsmen, who have no alternative, but to render
their endeavours applicable to the kind of chase they are destined to
pursue. The scent of the FOX is well known to be the most powerful, as
well as the most _volatile_, of any; the scent of the STAG is equally
_grateful_ to hounds, but is known to evaporate sooner than the scent of
the HARE. In the two first, clamorous exultation _upon view_, is more
customary, and more to be justified, than in the latter. STAG or FOX
breaks away with the most undaunted fortitude, seeking safety in a
rapidity of flight to even a distant and unknown country; in both which
the hounds cannot be too fleet; nor can they be laid on _too close_ to
the GAME; both deer and fox run the better for it. Not so with the
latter; where a general silence should prevail, and the industrious
endeavours of the pack should never be obstructed by the busy tongues of
officious obtruders; and upon this well-founded position, if they
receive no assistance, they encounter no interruption. HARRIERS (as well
as their huntsman) should never be permitted to hunt FOX: the strong
scent which he leaves, the difference of his running, the indescribable
eagerness and noise of the pursuit, all contribute to spoil a harrier,
and render no service to the huntsman when they return to HARE again. It
is a very prevalent error of the present time, to have bred and crossed
harriers to too much speed: the hare is but a mere inoffensive, timid
animal, and fully entitled to all the little artifices she can avail
herself of to shield her from destruction.

When found, she cannot be permitted to go off too silently before the
hounds; her own extreme timidity frequently occasions her _heading_, and
the pack are as repeatedly liable to _over-run_ the _scent_. The
huntsman, by not pressing _too close_ upon the hounds _himself_, will
keep the company at a proper distance also; and when they are thus left
to a proper and free use of their own faculties, they are but little
likely to over-run it much. The author whose judgment and celebrity has
been so frequently mentioned, has something so applicable, and so truly
just, in every page upon this subject, that it is impossible to resist
the temptation of quoting a few occasional passages, where the
intentional meaning is so emphatically and sportingly exprest. He not
only accords with every systematic principle of the chase, but so
constantly strengthens his opinion with the embellishment of applicable
anecdote, that it is impossible to peruse his "Thoughts" without both
amusement and instruction. He holds it a rule, "that hounds, through the
whole chase, should be left almost entirely to themselves, and not be
much hallooed: when the hare doubles, they should hunt through those
doubles; nor is a hare hunted fairly when hunted otherwise. They should
follow her every step she takes, as well over greasy fallows, as through
flocks of sheep; nor should they ever be cast, but when nothing can be
done without it."

Making every possible allowance for the diversities of the different
chases already alluded to, there are leading rules characteristically
annexed to the OFFICIAL DEPARTMENT of the HUNTSMAN, from which hardly
any possible circumstance can justify a deviation. In addition to the
invariable and indispensible _duties_ of the KENNEL, a strict and
regular discipline in the stables (so far as his own and the horses of
the whippers-in are concerned) should fall under the eye of his
inspection; by well knowing the state of which, he best can tell of what
work they are capable. And this is the more necessary, because it is
impossible for him to relax from his _duty_ in the _field_: he is the
GENERAL OFFICER, having the supreme command, and whom _all_ must obey.
Persevere and conquer, should be his motto in the chase. VENI, VIDI,
VICI, at his return. This, however, becomes more applicable to the
spirit of the huntsman whose good fortune it is to preside over a
fox-hunting establishment, where every energetic nerve of emulative
sensibility is so constantly roused into action. How different from the
languid enjoyment, and frigid apathy, of what is so admirably adapted to
the opposite extremes of youth and age! upon which no _two_ opinions can
arise: the best authorities admit the _good find_ of a FOX to be
preferable to a _bad run_ with the HARE.

From the moment of throwing off, as well as during every progress of the
chase, it is the peculiar province of the HUNTSMAN to be at the HEAD of
the HOUNDS; once convinced of the abilities of his subordinates, he has
nothing to do with what is going on _behind_. The place he should
endeavour to keep, when circumstances and unavoidable obstacles do not
occur to prevent it, is parallel with the leading BODY of the HOUNDS; in
which commanding situation he has unobstructed opportunity to observe
what hounds carry the scent; and if it fails, to know to a certainty how
far they brought it: as well as ample scope for the exertion of his
proper authority, to prevent the horsemen pressing too _eagerly_ upon
the HOUNDS (at a moment so truly critical) by the emphatic injunction of
"_Hold hard_!" a signal that never can come with so much propriety from
any other voice as his own, nor will it be so implicitly obeyed. A
huntsman is naturally anxious to obtain _blood_, not only to support the
reputation but the excellence of his hounds: he should, however, avoid
killing his game _unfairly_, by lifting his hounds too much, or taking
them from CHASE to _view_, which is a most cruel, unfeeling, and
unsportsman-like practice. If the hounds cannot kill by fair and
equitable efforts, the object of pursuit is justly entitled to its
escape.

As in hare-hunting it is impossible to press on the hounds too little,
so in fox-hunting it is impossible to press them on too much, at least
while the scent is good; that failing, much must be left to their own
industrious endeavours; those not soon succeeding, the proper casts
should be made with judgment, and that without delay. Five minutes lost
in hesitation, frequently loses every promised pleasure of the day. It
is proverbially asserted, that in a multitude of counsellors there is
safety; this is the very moment that proves an _exception_ to the
_rule_; for, amidst the variety of obtruded opinions, a huntsman should
_think_ before he ACTS; and once determined, abide by his _own_
stability, regardless of the frivolities with which he is so frequently
surrounded. If courage is thought a necessary qualification in a
huntsman, philosophic patience, upon many occasions, is much more so;
for, whilst he sees a number of experienced sportsmen in the field ready
to assist his own judicious exertions, he has the mortification to
observe double the number moving in a retrograde direction, doing every
thing but the thing they should do; riding directly where they should
not; probably _heading_ the _game_ into COVERT, at the very moment they
ought to be standing still "as silent as the grave." A proper degree of
modesty, blended with a little good sense and reflection, would soon
prevent those confident inconsiderates from such glaring and absurd acts
of indiscretion. It is a maxim resulting from observation in the chase,
that those who do not seem anxious, and take pains, to do _good_, are,
as it were, habitually unfortunate in doing the very reverse, and
becoming (perhaps undesignedly) the almost perpetual instruments of
_mischief_; and to this tribe of _misnamed_ sportsmen, a huntsman has in
general the most unqualified aversion; convinced that those who mean to
render him service, and prolong the sport, know in what particular place
they _ought to be_ upon every emergency; and if they are repeatedly
elsewhere, to where they should be, he soon knows how to estimate their
judgment in the field, and ability in the chase.

The instant a huntsman observes his hounds come to a check, is the
moment when his assistance is most wanting; then is the time to enjoin
an equal check and silence of the company; every _eye_ and every _ear_
may be anxiously and inquisitively employed, but not the sound of a
tongue is necessary upon the occasion. Those who are inclined to
_babble_ in a moment of so much doubtful expectation, lay claim to, and
generally obtain, a most _contemptuous sneer_ from the HUNTSMAN, and not
unfrequently what is called a _blessing_ into the _bargain_. He should
at no time be too ready to avail himself of a HALLOO when hounds are at
_fault_; they are very often deceptive, and occasion disappointment;
exclusive of which, after they have been taken from the spot to which
they know they brought the scent, they become less strenuous in their
endeavours, when they do not recover it elsewhere, even where they were
encouraged to expect it. Boys keeping birds, as well as rustics, from
sympathetic enjoyment, frequently lead the huntsman from his point. Mr.
Beckford is therefore of opinion, that when a doubt arises, it is better
for a whipper-in, or one of the company, to ride forward, and inquire;
it is only the loss of a little time; whereas if you gallop away to a
_halloo_, and are obliged to return, the hounds become very indifferent,
and it is a chance if they make another effort to recover the scent
afterwards.

Not the least attention should be paid by a HUNTSMAN to any halloo
unless the hounds are at _fault_; a huntsman taking his hounds from the
chase (when running with a good scent) to a halloo, without much more
than a _common_ cause, ought to be dismissed as a _fool_ or a madman.
Hounds are sometimes hallooed too much, and too frequently permitted to
obey it; the consequence is, they are no sooner at _fault_ than they
expect it: huntsmen hurt their hounds by availing themselves of such
advantage, it makes them indifferent; they are always upon the listen,
become more and more slack, particularly in COVERT. So long as hounds
can _carry on_ the scent, it must be admitted a very poor and
paradoxical practice to take _them off_; but when, with all their fair
and indefatigable exertions, it cannot be recovered, it then becomes a
duty to render them every assistance. Cases sometimes occur in
opposition to every effort (particularly in covert) where the leading
hounds, in running, get a head of the huntsman, and much before the
principal body of the pack; in such situation, he must strenuously
surmount intervening difficulties, with all possible resolution, and get
to them as fast as he can, with what he can collect of the PACK, and
leave the remainder to be _hallooed forward_, and brought along by the
whipper-in.

HUNTSMEN who have too much _dash_ themselves, dash with so much rapidity
in drawing from one covert to another, that they frequently leave hounds
behind; and the whipper-in (where there is but _one_, and there ought
always to be _two_) being no less eager than the huntsman to be forward,
renders what was an _error_ in the _first_ instance, a confirmed fault
in the next. It would be more sportsman-like to get the hounds
collected, and bring them away all together; it might sometimes prevent
the return of a whipper-in for even a _single skirter_, more
particularly at the conclusion of the day, when hounds are hallooed off
for home. Left behind, they become liable to loss as well as accident:
when once addicted to _skirting_, it becomes a growing vice, and is
seldom discontinued; they acquire confidence in hunting by themselves,
which they never relinquish, and would rather dwell upon their _own_
tongue, than give proper credit to another: in which persevering
obstinacy they continue, till the pack, drawn off, and evening coming
on, they are left to make their weary way through a dreary country; or,
exposed to the inclemency of a winter's night, take up their lodging
upon the ground, with the additional chance of being attacked and
worried by every dog they see in exploring their way the following
morning.


HURLE (OR WHIRL) BONE—is situate in the centrical part of the
hind-quarter, midway between the hip-bone and the gaskin, and is more
known now by the appellation of ROUND-BONE, than the former, which is
almost obsolete, unless in particular country districts. Notwithstanding
the singular strength of its formation, and peculiar junction with the
lower extremity of the hip-bone, it is liable to injury from sudden
turns or twists in too confined a space, and should be the more
particularly guarded against; as being deep seated, no relief can be
obtained, but by long and patient daily FOMENTATION, followed by
stimulative strengthening EMBROCATION.


END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.



 TAPLIN,
 VETERINARY SURGEON,

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

 REMOVED FROM EDGEWARE ROAD, TO
 _SLOANE SQUARE_,


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


_List of Medicines, with their Prices._

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

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





*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Sporting Dictionary, and Rural Repository, Volume 1 (of 2) - General information upon every subject appertaining to the - sports of the field" ***

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