36 



tbe more pleased with it, as gi-eat doubts were entertaine«! by me for a long 

 time of the possibility of such a defence in a mauner suitable for public use, 

 as may be seen in perusing the second part of this work, page 95, so am 

 I gratefully thankful to be able, ahuost unexpectedly, to conclude my labours 

 in so satisfactory a way. For the discovery of the cause of the evil was 

 made matter of reproach to me, since there appeared no remedy ; and it is 

 indeed singular, considering how much reftection had been turned upon 

 this subject, that no one should have suggested it before, as it is novv nine 

 years since the first part was published. The manner of my being led to it, 

 I shall here simply relate. 



When the injurious effect of the common shoe first became understood by 

 me, the immediate Suggestion that oecurred for relief was a jointed shoe; 

 but as the Joint would necessarily fall in the front of the shoe and come 

 within the Avearing line, so it would be soon worn through; or if only 

 half through, or the head of the rivet was gone, the two pieces would 

 come asunder, or no longer support each other; for it is clear a shoe of two 

 pieces, meeting in the middle of the toe without any Joint or connection, 

 would be liable to be torn off in rough roads, and the side of the hoof torn 

 away with them; I therefore laid aside this sort of shoe as impracticable, 

 and began to attenipt the difficulty by removeable shoes, tili wearied with 

 unsatisfactory efforts, at least for general purposes, I feil aferwards upon 

 the more simple principle of the Paratrite, hoping to secure by this means 

 one class of horses, from these mischiefs, whose utmost labour was not 

 required. I was about to conclude this work, in fairly stating the difficulties 

 of the subject, when the remedy was unexpectedly supplied, in the following 

 way: my esteemed, and ingenious young friend, Thomas Hodgkin, then living 

 at Tottenham, brought me a shoe of his contrivance formed of two halves, 

 which hooked by dovetail into each other in front ; I shewed him the 

 objection they were subject to, of being quickly worn through, and soon 

 becoming unserviceable. This object, however, lay before me for some days, 

 and it was in viewing it that it oecurred, that this difficulty of the hinge 

 mightmosteasily beremoved, and thisby the simple application of a steelpin 

 for the iron one to rivet them together with ; and farther, that if the head of 

 the rivet was made large and hardened, it would serve at the same time to 

 defend the Joint and steel the shoe. So that by this unexpected incident my 

 views were recalledto this first object. 1 shortly after had one made, and the 

 experiment answered my utmost expectations : in respect to flatness and 

 smoothness, they can be made, if required, as smooth as the common shoe; 



