342 MANUAL OF MODERN FARRIERY 



was more justly claimed by James Sullivan than by 

 Csesar, or even Buonaparte himself. How his art 

 was acquired, or in what it consisted, is likely to remain 

 for ever unknown, as he has lately left the world with- 

 out divulging it. His son, who follows the same 

 occupation, possesses but a small portion of the art, 

 having either never learned the true secret, or being 

 incapable of putting it in practice. The wonder of 

 his skill consisted in the short time requisite to accom- 

 plish his design, which was performed in private, and 

 without any apparent means of coercion. Every 

 description of horse, or even mule, whether previously 

 broke or unhandled, whatever their peculiar vices or 

 ill habits might have been, submitted without show of 

 resistance to the magical influence of his art, and, in 

 the short space of half-an-hour, became gentle and 

 tractable. The effect, although instantaneously pro- 

 duced, was generally durable. Though more submissive 

 to him than to others, yet they seem to have acquired 

 a docility unknown before. When sent for to tame a 

 vicious horse, he directed the stable in which he and 

 the object of his experiment were placed, to be shut, 

 with orders not to open the door until a signal was 

 given. After a tete-a-tHe between him and the horse 

 for about half-an-hour, during which little or no bustle 

 was heard, the signal was made ; and after opening 

 the door, the horse was seen lying down, and the man 

 by his side, playing familiarly with him like a child 

 with a puppy-dog. From that time he was found 

 perfectly willing to submit to discipline, however 

 repugnant to his nature before. Some saw his skill 

 tried on a horse which could never before be brought 

 to stand for a smith to shoe him. The day after 

 Sullivan's half-hour lecture, I went, not without some 

 incredulity, to the smith's shop, with many other 



