38 THE HORSE. 



general power of the animal must be rapidly exhausted, ana, at no great 

 distance of time, exhaustion and death release him from his merciless 

 persecutors. 



It is said that between Glasgow and Edinburgh, a carrier in a single 

 horse cart, weigliing about seven hundred weight, will take a load of a ton, 

 and at the rate of twenty-two miles in a day. The Normandy carriers 

 travel with a team of four horses, and from fourteen to twenty-two miles 

 in a day, with a load of ninety hundred weight. 



An unparalleled instance of the power of a horse when assisted by 

 art was sliown near Croydon. The Surrey iron railway being completed, 

 wager was laid by two gentlemen, that a common horse could draw thirty- 

 six tons for six miles along the road, and that he should draw his weight 

 from a dead pull, as well as turn it round the occasional windings of the 

 road. A numerous party of gentlemen assembled near Merstham to see 

 this extraordinary triumph of art. Twelve waggons, loaded with stone, each 

 waggon weighing above three tons, were chained together, and a horse, 

 taken promiscuously from the timber cart of Mr. Harwood, was yoked to 

 the train. He started from the Fox public-house near Merstham, and 

 drew the immense chain of waggons, with apparent ease, almost to the 

 turnpike at Croydon, a distance of six miles, in one hour, and forty-one 

 minutes, which is nearly at the rate of four miles an hour. In the course 

 of the journey he stopped four times, to show that it was not by any ad- 

 vantage of descent that this power was acquired ; and after each stoppage 

 he again drew off the chain of waggons with great ease. Mr. Banks, 

 who had wagered on the power of the horse, then desired that four more 

 loaded waggons sl)ould be added to the cavalcade, with which the same 

 horse set off again with undiminished pace. Still further to show the 

 effect of the railway in facilitating motion, he directed the attending work- 

 men, to the number of fifty, to mount on the waggons, and the horse pro- 

 ceeded without the least distress ; and, in truth, there appeared to be 

 scarcely any limitation to the power of his draught. After this trial the 

 waggons were taken to the weighing machine, and it appeared that the 

 whole weight was as follows : 



12 Waggons first linked together 

 4 Ditto, afterwards attaclied 

 Supposed weight of fifty labourers - 



HEAVY DRAUGHT HORSES. 



The Cleveland horses have been known to carry more than seven hun- 

 dred pounds sixty miles in twenty-four hours, and to perform this journey 

 four times in a week ; and mill-horses have carried nine hundred and ten 

 pounds two or three miles. 



Horses for slower draught, and sometimes even for the carriage, are 

 produced from the Suffolk Punch, so called from his round punchy 

 make, and descended from the Norman stallion and the Suffolk cart mare. 

 The true Suffolk, like the Cleveland is now nearly extinct. It stood from 

 fifteen to sixteen hands high, of a sorrel colour ; was large headed ; low 

 shouldered, and thick on the top ; deep and round chested ; long backed ; 

 high in the croup ; large and strong in the quarters ; full in the flanks, 

 round in the legs, and short in the pasterns. It was the very horse to throw 



