in one-third the space necessary for his wellbeing. What 

 must be the condition of many of these stables towards the 

 morning, not to speak of the overcrowding, defective drain- 

 age, insufficient and foul bedding, imperfect ventilation, and 

 so forth ? No wonder there is such a consumption of horse- 

 flesh, and the knacker prospers and can form himself Into a 

 company. The condition of the night cab-horse is a pitiable 

 one. Any one might see this if he watched the mews in the 

 vicinity of some square, say in the W. C. district, or some other 

 locality at one time gay and fashionable. The poor wretch 

 made the most of, with his hoofs blackened and his coat as 

 bright as the wealth of the poor brute and his driver's pocket 

 could afford to pay for, looks fairly well to the ordinary eye ; 

 but on closer inspection, in many cases, his condition is not 

 all satisfactory. Every artifice is used to deceive the authori- 

 ties, who, unfortunately for the cause I am advocating, are 

 much too easy and lenient in these matters. 



Many a one rolling home at the small hours, or reaching 

 a London terminus from the sister countries in the early 

 morning, feels the advantage of a cab to reach his home. 

 He seldom or never questions the condition of the animal 

 attached to his conveyance so long as he gets to his abode ; 

 yet in many cases the horse is only fit for night-work, and 

 sometimes only for the knacker. I regret to say the majority 

 of these animals have been well bred, and have known what 

 it is to experience proper attention and kind treatment. 

 Any one with some knowledge of the regimen observed in a 

 racing-stable will know what a poor broken-down thoroughbred 

 must suffer on night-work, dragging along a dilapidated four- 

 wheeler ; yet every advantage is taken of their willingness 

 for mercenary purposes, often driven until they drop dead. 



