142 



Smithjield, London. 



Vol. X. 



The practice at Brighton, Massachusetts, 

 is to sell the animal at a certain rate per 

 pound, or per hundred pounds. The animal 

 is then slaughtered, and the return of his 

 weight made to the owner or drover. The 

 owner or drover does not see his animal 

 killed or weighed. The market takes place 

 on Monday, but he is commonly detained 

 until Thursday, before the weight of the 

 animal is ascertained, and he receives his 

 pay. This, besides its expense, is on every 

 account a serious evil. It cannot be denied, 

 likewise, that the temptations to a fraudu- 

 lent return of the weight are very strong, and 

 that much dissatisfaction, very often without 

 question, groundless, frequently arises. It 

 is surprising how near to exactness the 

 judgment of an intelligent and experienced 

 man approaches; but as this method is liable 

 to the objection of a man's being judge in 

 his own case, it would seem very desirable 

 that some less exceptionable method should 

 be adopted. I can think of no one more 

 eligible than that of ascertaining the live 

 weight on a platform balance, and then adopt- 

 ing some general rule as to the allowance to 

 be made for the diflerence between the live 

 and the dead weight. A rate of discount or 

 allowance, founded upon repeated and exact 

 experiments, would be equally fair for both 

 parties. The adoption of such a rule would 

 be of the greatest service in enabling the 

 drover or owner to close his business in one 

 day, and would, in general, be much more 

 satisfactory to the farmer, who sends liis 

 cattle to market, and is not always without 

 his suspicions of an imperfect return. I 

 offer these suggestions with great diffidence, 

 especially when I read, in a letter addressed 

 to me by a practical man, " that there is no 

 mathematical rule upon which he places any 

 reliance; that he has otlen been invited to 

 test the correctness of measuring beasts, and 

 also to determine their dead, from ascertain- 

 ing their live weight, but has found that no 

 confidence can be placed upon such rules." 

 He adds, "that afler handling beasts to as- 

 certain their fatness, the mind, by practice 

 is intuitively impressed with about the weight 

 of the four quarters^ exclusive of any oflal ; 

 and that experienced men can tell the weight 

 of beasts, on an average, within three stone 

 of eight pounds, and of sheep within two 

 pounds." I believe all this; and it present;- 

 a beautiful example of what the mind is ca- 

 pable of, and of what it may be brought to 

 under careful training and long practice. 

 We certainly know that the mind is a very 

 good clock, and measures the time with 

 wonderful exactness, both sleeping and wak- 

 ing. I have been often struck with the ex- 

 traordinary precision with which the poor 



blind horses, which move the ferry-boat be- 

 tween Troy and the Albany side of the river, 

 measure the distance which they have come, 

 and after making a pause just before they 

 touch the opposite shore, seem to know ex- 

 actly how many more strokes or turns to 

 give to the paddles, in order to reach it. I 

 hope I shall not offend the pride of any of 

 my readers, by this comparison of the brute 

 with the human mind. Man is very apt to 

 think himself the only knowing animal upon 

 the earth; and I have no doubt that some of 

 the lower animals have the same self con- 

 ceit. It is interesting to see reason and 

 moral sentiment, the noblest gift of Heaven, 

 any where difiused, and even in the most 

 humble forms. Such indications strengthen 

 the claims which all sentient beings have 

 upon our kindness and respect ; and several 

 of the lower animals — if any being is to be 

 considered inferior who accomplishes the 

 true purposes of his creation — read many 

 striking moral lessons to mankind. 



The character of a salesman in Smithfield 

 market, for judgment and integrity, is of im- 

 mense importance to him. He is forbidden 

 by law to purchase on his own account; and 

 it is clearly most important that his private 

 interest should not conflict with that of his 

 employer. But it is easy to see the futility 

 of all laws to make men honest, where eva- 

 sions in a variety of forms are so practica- 

 ble. Personal character, and a healthful 

 state of public opinion, form, in such cases, 

 the ereat security. 



Amount of business. — The amount of bu- 

 siness transacted in Smithfield is enormous. 

 It is estimated at not less than j£100,GOO, or 

 half a million of dollars, every week. The 

 Smithfield market is certainly one of the 

 great sights of London. The returns of the 

 market on the Christmas week of 1844, 

 when I was present, gave 50(^0 beasts and 

 47,000 sheep. This was considered the 

 largest market ever remembered ; and the 

 extraordinary quantity of stock was doubt- 

 less, in some measure, to be attributed to 

 the severe drought of the preceding sum- 

 mer, and the consequent scarcity of fodder, 

 which compelled the farmers to lessen their 

 stock. The largest return of stock ascer- 

 tained for any year, between the years 1821 

 and 1842, was in the year 1838, and was, 

 Of cattle, 183,362 



Of sheep, 1,403,400 



In the year 1880, there were &old in 

 Smithfield, 



Beasts, 159,907 



Sheep, 1,287,071 



Piers, 254,672 



Calves. 22,500 



