FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS. 55 



Was this done here ? No : the pony had been pulled 

 along for miles in the severest distress. It is stated 

 that Mr. Burke valued the pony highly, and was 

 much annoyed at his death. I am quite willing to 

 believe he was so : so he would have been had he lost 

 a 50/. note. That he valued the pony highly was 

 doubtless the case : he valued him, because from his 

 extraordinary powers he had been and still was a 

 source of profit to him : how far beyond this he 

 valued him has been clearly shown he drove him to 

 death ! Then Mr. Somebody-a-Vet talked about con- 

 gestion of the lungs, of overloaded atmosphere, and 

 God knoAvs Avhat : the greatest truism he set forth Avas 

 the very scientific supposition, that had the pony 

 remained in the stable he would not have died. Let 

 me ask, Avhether among the horses that worked the 

 Bedford coach up and doAvn on the same day, any 

 particular mortality took place. I have not heard of 

 any, and rather believe all these horses did their fair 

 day's work, notAvithstanding the state of the atmo- 

 sphere on that clay ; nor do I believe one case of con- 

 gestion of the lungs occurred among the (say) forty 

 horses Avorking the coach up and down. It is worse 

 than nonsense bringing forward such attempted ex- 

 cuses for what will admit of no excuse. Mr. Spring's 

 opinion was then given as to hoAV far he considered 

 the pony as being in a state of distress. Now, by 

 his own showing, it appears he has been present at 

 many matches against time. People are seldom 

 found voluntarily present at exhibitions from Avhich 

 they derive no pleasure : we may therefore fairly con- 

 clude that Mr. Spring does derive pleasure from such 

 Matches, consequently becomes one of the clique. If 

 so, his testimony relative to the humanity of the 



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