126 HORSES AND ROADS. 



that the idea of fully examining the other side of the 

 question never seems to occur to them; although, 

 when it is brought to their notice, some are found 

 willing to listen to argument and profit by it. 



A weekly, having the date of March 7, has the 

 following paragraph : — ' Whilst on the subject of 

 animals, I should like once more to draw attention 

 to the terrible suffering which greasy wood pave- 

 ments entail upon the poor horses. The scene 

 on Ludgate Hill is often heartrending. The poor 

 beasts, struggling madly to gain a foothold on the 

 slippery surface, strain and tremble and sweat, and 

 often seriously injure themselves. It is no uncom- 

 mon thing for the whole traffic to be stopped by a 

 heavily-laden waggon, which the horse, with the 

 ground slipping from under him, vainly endeavours 

 to drag up the hill. Oaths, kicks, and brutal beat- 

 ings the poor beast gets ; but it never seems to 

 strike any one that a little sand or fine gravel thrown 

 in the morning over these wood pavements would 

 conquer the difficulty. Asphalte and wood require 

 keeping clean where there is much traffic. The 

 present object of the authorities seems to be to keep 

 them filthy. One would imagine they were big share- 

 holders in a joint stock horse-slaughtering company.' 



For some days preceding the appearance of this 

 paragraph the weather had been finer than usual, 

 and the watering carts had been at work. If, then, 

 under the best of circumstances things were thus, 

 what must they be on some of the days for which 

 London is so famous ? 



