116 BREAKING. 



eternally passing each other m crowds, witli- 

 out those dreadful accidents so natural to ex- 

 pect, and fortunately so little heard of. 



It is really a matter of concern, that a 

 custom so inconsiderate and absurd should 

 ever have gained ground, as the practice 

 of instantly beating and goading a horse 

 upon his only method of expressing a mo- 

 mentary and natural impulse of fear, at 

 any strange or uncommon object that may 

 come suddenly upon him, or to which he 

 may not have been accustomed : in this, 

 as the former case, a similar degree of se- 

 verity and cruel display of power are ex- 

 erted by the major part of the humane and 

 enlightened class beforementioned ; for upon 

 the horse's first starting, w^hether from 

 fear or dislike, he instantly receives a blow 

 on the head with whip or stick, accompa- 

 nied with the very emphatical impression 

 of both spurs, without allowing the poor 

 animal a moment to recover from the first 

 surprize ; this repeated, constitutes a cere- 

 mony we have before explained, and totally 

 destroys the basis of mutual confidence, that 

 should be carefully preserved to insure the. 



