4:14 REMINISCEKCES OF A HUNTSMAN. 



or^-an on wheels, sitting over the restless machine, and having 

 a small share in the day's profits. The gut of a fiddle would 

 have broken in such a grinding situation, no wonder then 

 that after enduring the constant grinding of the machine be- 

 neath him, this poor cripple became insane and died. I fear- 

 lessly assert, that dozens of rich men, or men capable of 

 keeping skittish horses, but not their seats in the saddle, had 

 better tumble off, as by their own account they invariably do 

 when their horse shies, than ten thousand of the pooi'est fami- 

 lies should be thrown out of their bread, or twenty thousand 

 useful sagacious and affectionate animals murdered. I say to 

 all those who wish to take dogs out of harness, that the worst 

 fault men calling themselves Christians can have, is to he 

 icicked on behalf of righteousness, and cruel out of piety. Let 

 us not have a code of laws for the government of man which 

 begets selfishness and partiality only to the rich or to its own 

 followers, while it inspires hatred, outrage, and condemnation 

 to the poorest of the poor. 



In the I'ecent alterations made in the tax on dogs a great 

 oversight has been committed in not taking steps while a 

 change was under consideration, to remedy the injustice of 

 rendering greyhound puppies liable to duty at six months old. 

 A greyhound does not come into sporting use till twelve 

 months old, when, as the most dangerous period of his exist- 

 ence is that which lies between six and twelve months, the 

 owner of litters of greyhounds are often made to pay tax for 

 a creature whom they never use. In ninety-nine cases out 

 of a hundred at the above-mentioned age, a greyhound whelp 

 and puppy, has to combat for existence with the distemper as 

 well as the yellows, and the chances are two to one in favour 

 of death, or some constitutional debility entailed by the disease, 

 which will render the animal useless for any sporting purpose. 

 It would, therefore, be infinitely more just to fix the age for the 

 payment of the tax at twelve instead of at six months, and in 

 the end more conducive to the interests of the revenue, for a 

 greater number of greyhounds would be bred than at present ; 

 and if the brood bitch sworn to as never used in the field, 

 was also exempted from charge, that too would increase the 



