612 
mr. Houston's reply 
ii. The said Act, as extended by this Act, shall continue 
and be in force until the first day of September, one thousand 
eight hundred and fifty-six, or if Parliament be then sitting, 
until the end of the then Session of Parliament. 
MR. HOUSTON’S REPLY TO MR. HORSBURGH. 
To the Editor of The Veterinarian . 
Sir, — Had Mr. Horsburgh, Veterinary Surgeon of Dal- 
keith, been as well known to you as he is in this neighbour- 
hood, I am certain that his letter had never appeared in 
the pages of The Veterinarian . His statements are a com- 
pound of gross personality, with unjust as well as untrue 
reflections on my professional character; and, in order to 
show your readers the real value of his contributions, as well 
as to vindicate myself, I trust you will insert this reply in 
your next number. 
I can afford to pass by Mr. Horsburgh’s personalities with 
very little notice. There is a true saying become now pro- 
verbial here — ■“ His tongue cannot slander." I feel no dis- 
grace in having worked manually as a smith ; many better 
men than I have done the same. Mr. Horsburgh himself, 
even, has done this, and with that failure incident to his other 
undertakings : surely, then, he is not the man to taunt me for 
pursuing a calling which was once his own. My endeavours 
to attain a higher position may have been successful ; his 
have failed, though aided by friends, and evading College 
fees. I have increased and gained, while he has become 
ce small by degrees and beautifully less;" until at last, in 
making a compulsory flight to a distant land, he attempts 
in vain to give me a cowardly stab, and cover the steps of his 
own disgraceful retreat. 
Now for facts — Mr. Horsburgh says that Mr. Ritchie’s 
case occurred “ about two years ago." Allow me to give 
precise dates. I was called to the horse in July, 1848, up- 
wards of five years ago ; he had been fired six months, pre- 
viously, by Mr. Smeaton, Veterinary Surgeon, and fired, too, 
without any good result, for he was still very lame. I never 
endeavoured to make Mr. Ritchie believe that I could 
“ punch off" the spavin, nor did I ever state that the horse 
might work while under my treatment. I operated on him 
by what is called “ punching," (more of which anon ;) and, 
(will your readers believe it?) for the last four years and 
