PREFERENCE TO DEALERS. 233 



he has the advantage of a horse not only purchased 

 with a warranty (for be it known that respectable dea- 

 lers do not buy above ten per cent, of their horses 

 without a written warranty), but also considered free 

 from unsoundness by an experienced judge. 



The chief but very shallow objection usually raised 

 is the enormous price asked by dealers of this descrip- 

 tion for their horses. But this exists merely in fancy, 

 and not at all in reality ; for sure I am that for the 

 same class of animal the farmer or gentleman would 

 ask an equal sum ; and in the latter case you would 

 not have the advantage of the dealer's judgment on 

 any of the points. Some may take exception to my 

 statement, that the farmer or gentleman will ask the 

 same sum ; but in stating this, I am merely stating the 

 result of my experience ; and the reason is easily ac- 

 counted for. The farmer or gentleman who has some 

 dozen horses to dispose of, naturally prefers to give the 

 refusal of them to the man who will take as many off 

 his hands in one transaction as happen to suit him ; and 

 this man, being in nine cases out of ten a dealer, be- 

 comes possessed of animals not within the reach of 

 private individuals, and on much easier terms ; for it 

 requires no philosopher to understand that a man can 

 afford to make a more considerable abatement in the 

 price of each horse if he sells twelve, than if he were 

 only to sell one, merely in a monetary point of view ; 

 to say nothing of the saving of time, trouble, and 

 vexation. 



In addition to which, some gentlemen consider it 



