Falling reduced to a Science. 71 



once serve as a reward to time-expired soldiers, 

 and so keep tlie pension-list within moderate 

 bounds, and also as eonyalescent depots for 

 invalids. Lord Palmerston replied, that the 

 suggestion was good in itself, but he thought 

 that, from increase of population in Great 

 Britain, all the tea that could be raised in 

 India would be consumed without causing 

 such a falling off in the demand as might 

 alarm or offend the Chinese. 



The Hambledon country is an easy one to 

 cross, except the dirty Durley part of it ; yet 

 if a man will ride over gates, whether fastened 

 or unfastened, he may get a fall. Mr. Smith 

 has had experience of this, and has broken 

 more bones than most men who still keep in 

 the saddle; indeed, as he says, he considers 

 '^ he has reduced falling to a science," he has 

 had so much of it ; but still he thinks the best 

 use that he can put his experience to is to 

 give a few hints that, if attended to, may make 

 falls rather less serious than they are. His first 



