? skill, he differs with you,, in toto, as to your 

 " boasted practice of shoeing;" to which he 

 adds, " that the lives and limbs of " many 

 " valuable horses have fallen victims to its 

 <c absurdity. Here is no shuffling — and the rea- 

 son appears plain why you have not replied— 

 why the task was shifted to your gentlemanly 

 advocate. It is because you could not — it is be- 

 cause you know, that with regard to the living 

 animal yon have reasoned and acted upon talse 

 principles — principles which on every account, 

 particularly with respect to the noble and costly 

 creature who has so long suffered by them, 

 ought to be retracted. As to Captain Blagrave, 

 he pretends not to professional, that is, anatomi- 

 cal skill — but nobody will doubt his perfect know- 

 ledge of the living animal, which has been the 

 result of the practice of his whole life, and from 

 repeated and successful trials upon all kinds of sub- 

 jects. Is not knowledge so gained, founded upon 

 a basis far more firm than mere theory ? Not that 

 I would decry professional attainments, except 

 when they lead to a promulgation of delusive the- 

 ory, which few will doubt is the case* with you. 



* I reccollect the story of two gentlemen, one of whom 

 had studied at the university, and from thence had emerged, 

 fraught with the greatest part of his original ignorance ; and 

 the other, who, with little oppc/rtunity of acquiring know- 

 ledge, except from self-application, had become no contemp- 



