AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 133 



one of the masts of the ship and fractured a portion of 

 one of the vertebrae of his neck, so, at least, it is 

 supposed, for whenever he turned his head in a parti- 

 cular direction he suffered the most excruciating pain 

 in his neck. It was supposed by the eminent surgeons 

 who were consulted in the case that a twig of one of the 

 cervical nerves became entangled in the crack of the 

 bone, and so caused the agony he felt in moving his 

 head. He was consequently almost always standing 

 with his hands at the back of his head, and the multi- 

 tude supposed that, like a parrot, he liked his poll 

 scratched; but the real fact was he was digging the 

 ends of his fingers into his neck so as to press the nerve 

 and benumb the pain he was suffering. How much of 

 the irascibility of his temper may have been due to the 

 pain he suffered whenever he turned his head to look at 

 the person addressing him ! All sorts of remedies were 

 tried, but without affording relief. Indeed, one surgeon 

 went so far as to perform an operation on his neck for 

 the purpose of dividing the nerve, but, of course, how- 

 ever well intended, that was a jump in the dark very 

 likely to be attended by beneficial results, if the nerve 

 could have been found and divided. 



" His temper was of the most irascible description, 

 and his manners the reverse of courteous, but of 

 a large-hearted, generous disposition, Lord Glasgow 

 bought but very few horses, and we believe never 

 sold one. He bred for himself, and when they 

 did not answer his expectations he shot them. 

 He occasionally gave pretty good ones away, and not 

 imfrequently lent his stallions for a season or two to 

 . owners of studs with whom he was scarcely acquainted. 

 He bred none but horses of gigantic size and coarse in 

 their nature, gluttonous horses, who laid on flesh rapidly 



