THE DOG. 147 



Labours performed by dogs in Holland. 



driven by young men or boys, at full gallop, the 

 whole mile and a half, which is the distance from 

 gate to gate; nor, on their return, are they suf- 

 fered to come empty, being filled not only with 

 the aforesaid men or boys, (for almost every 

 Dutchman hates walking when he can ride, 

 though half a mile,) but with such commodities 

 as cannot be had at the village. I have seen 

 these poor brutes, in the middle of summer, 

 urged beyond their force, till they have dropped 

 on the road to gather strength. This, however, 

 is seldom the case, except they have the misfor- 

 tune to fall under the management of boys; for 

 the Dutch are far from being cruel to their do- 

 mestic animals." 



This humane friend to the canine race further 

 observes: " In my first visit (a winter one) to 

 the Hague, I entered into the interests of these 

 poor day-labouring dogs so truly, that I won- 

 dered they did not go mad, or that I did not 

 hear of the canine distraction more in this coun- 

 try than in ours; and on being told there were 

 certain times (the dog-days) when a heavy fine 

 was to be paid upon any dog being seen in the 

 street, I supposed this was the case, till the sum- 

 mer following, being at this delightful sea-side 

 village of Scheveling, I observed, several times 

 in the day, these draft dogs brought down to the 

 beach, and bathed; a practise, which no doubt 

 equally prevented them from this dreadful disor- 



