68 On Pithing Catth'. 



are not very imcnmmon in forcing them into a proper posi-- 

 tion to receive the stroke when thcv are to be knocked 

 down. A butcher at Wisbech practised this mode several- 

 vcars ago, tVom the rejirosentations made to Ivnn by captain 

 Clarkson, of the navy, who had seen them so slaughtered 

 for the use of onr fleet when at Jamaica. After this person'5 

 death, Mr. Smith, a bivtciicr ot" the same place, adopted tlie 

 same method,, and in the year 179G f |)rocnred, by favour 

 of Mr. Clarkson (whose iKime accords so well with any 

 question of hunianilv), the following account, whicli he had 

 from iMr. Smith. — *' Mr. Smith- informed n)e, tlitat he kills 

 all his bullocks by striking them' in the spinal marrow. It' 

 a line were draw n from ear-root \^^ car-root (at about au 

 inch and half di.-vtance from the hornn), and the centre of this 

 line were found, tiiis centre vvould be the place where the 

 knife should enRr. ThiC knife is not in the form of a 

 dagger, nor is it tiuust in with anv force. It is rather larger 

 than a coinmon penknife, but the bJade is permanently li.Ncd 

 to the handle. The handle is taken into the hand, and the 

 forefinger sioes down it towards ihe point, merely to direct 

 it. 'I'hc person nsincr the knife takes hold of one ear of 

 the be.lst with his left hand, csnd witlv the right he strikes it 

 with the knife. In ilie same instant tlie bullock drops, and 

 is out of sensation of anv p:iin. lie informs me, that it is 

 not once in a thousand times that any person misses the- 

 ri;rht place; perhaps an ajinivntice may at the beginning, 

 bat tlie rule is so certain that it m-av \yc said hardlv ever 

 to fail, and if it should fall, the knife is at any rate so near 

 the proper }>Jace^., that b\' the least alteration, of the position 

 (« ithout even taking it oul) it iin-ds its way. In this case 

 there would haidK- be the pain of .two seconds. I was, 

 ()bli»»;cd to leave W'ishceli hefoie the kilnng-dav, or f woukl 

 have seen this melhod jiraclisod. f talked to Smith's ap- 

 prentice, who assured me that he had no dilHculty in find- 

 ing the proper spot, and that the beast d;ops instantlv. 

 Thouirh Sunth kill,-- in this manner, no other butcher of 

 Wisbv-'ch follows the example. He savs, however, that 

 tlie practice f)ht»ins preltv universally on the Lincolnshire 

 btuik of the Ihunber, as at Barton and several other places. 

 Calves, sheop, ]iigs, &c. are killed bv Smith in the same 

 maimer. I saw three siicep-ihat! Ivad been skinned, and 

 were hanuing u]) in his shop, which had been killed by his- 

 apprentice in this v\av. II" showed me the small hole on 

 the back of the head, or neck, which the knife had made." 

 IMausihle. however, as these experiments arc, I believe 

 i\ow that they proceeded upon a uaistakcn principle j or 



rather. 



