HORSES-ANCIENT AND MODEM.' 



WE have made our readers acquainted with M. Isidore 

 Geoffrey Saint-Hilaire's 'Letters on Alimentary Sub- 

 stances, and especially on the Flesh of the Horse,' and 

 with our conversion to the faith of the Hippophagi. Our 

 longing after the gastronomic treat of a u horse-dinner," 

 naturally made us curious to ascertain, statistically, 

 how much of this irrationally neglected species of food 

 might be made to find its way into the too often empty 

 flesh-pots of the people of this country. After due re- 

 search we ascertained that in Scotland there were nearly 

 180,000 horses; and M'Queen's statistics informed us 

 that in the United Kingdom there are 2,250,000 horses 

 valued at 57,000,000. " The wish " being " father to 

 the thought/' we had, of course, no hesitation in arriving 

 at the conclusion that a large proportion of these should 

 be eaten by human beings. 



The number of horses within these realms is a very 

 important matter indeed, in these times when the 

 value of horses is so greatly increased both at home 

 and abroad. Fortunately for our present purpose, an 

 article in the * Mark Lane Express ' furnishes informa- 

 tion of a later date than that of our former article. 

 With this we shall make our readers acquainted, in 



* 'The Horse and his Rider.' By Sir Francis B. Head, Bart. 

 London : John Murray. 1860. 



