APPENDIX. 
ON SOUNDNESS; AND ON THE PURCHASE AND SALE OF 
HORSES. 
THE ELASTIC CONSCIENCE OF A HORSEDEALER has become a by-word ; 
but I confess that my experience does not lead me to conclude that the 
class is more open to charges of unfair dealing than many others whose 
proceedings have lately been exposed in the Bankruptcy and Nisi Prius 
law courts. Few intending purchasers of a horse will be content with 
anything less than what they believe to be absolute perfection in him; 
and if the seller tells the truth about the animal he has to dispose of, his 
chance of a sale would be a poor one. ‘The dealer is, therefore, placed in 
the dilemma of being compelled either to give his horse a character which 
he does not deserve, or to forego all chance of a sale; and hence it is not 
surprising that he draws rather extensively upon his imagination. Accord- 
ing to my experience, however, amateurs are not exempt from this failing ; 
and if I were compelled to purchase a horse from character alone, I should 
far prefer relying upon that given by a respectable dealer. The latter 
class are, no doubt, more skilled in hiding defects and disease, and there- 
fore it requires a more practical knowledge of the horse to detect their 
artifices where they are sufficiently shortsighted to adopt them. On the 
whole, however, it may generally be concluded that unless a gentleman 
has had an extensive experience in purchasing horses, he will do well to 
place himself in the hands of a dealer, telling him exactly what he wants, 
and not pretending a knowledge which he does not possess. 
In all large towns there are men of some character and standing, who 
may be selected for this purpose ; and in London, Dublin, Edinburgh, 
Birmingham, Liverpool, Cheltenham, and Leamington, there are reposi- 
tories, where horses are sold by auction on stated days. These auction- 
marts save the vendor from all responsibility, whether pecuniary or moral, 
unless a warranty is given, either of soundness or freedom from vice, and 
then the stipulation only lasts for forty-eight hours. If the horse is re- 
turned within that time, accompanied by a certificate of unsoundness or 
vice, the auctioneer must take him back, and return the purchase-money, 
unless he is prepared to dispute the evidence which is forwarded to him. 
Under ordinary warranties there is no limitation of the time to which 
they shall extend, and a horse warranted sound may be returned at any 
subsequent time if the purchaser can prove that he was unsound at the 
time of sale. But the lapse of several weeks or months without doing so 
is generally considered to be a strong argument that the purchaser did not 
