THE BltUTAL TREATMENT OF HORSES. 557 
case he should call before them a highly respectable gentleman re- 
siding near Bangor, who, on the day named in the information, 
travelled by the mail and witnessed the cruel treatment of the 
wretched animals harnessed to it at Abergele. This gentleman 
had, at considerable expense and trouble, attended here to-day to 
substantiate the complaint, and he would state the circumstances 
as they occurred on the road. Mr. Thomas begged also to state 
that, whatever penalty might be imposed, no portion of it would be 
received by the Society, as he was instructed to request the magis- 
trates to hand the complainant’s moiety to some one of the local 
charities. 
Mr. Thomas called 
John Davenport, Esq., of Yaynol, Carnarvonshire, who stated 
that, on the 27th ultimo, he was a passenger by the Carnarvon 
mail to Chester. On arriving at Abergele four horses were put 
to, all of them very dreadfully galled, and quite unfit for work. 
The defendant was the driver, and he was obliged to flog the poor 
creatures most cruelly to get them to touch the collars. He suc- 
ceeded in starting them, and continued to flog the wheel horse most 
brutally, using two whips; and it was with great difficulty that 
they succeeded in reaching St. Asaph. When witness spoke to 
the defendant, he admitted that it was too bad, but urged that he 
was obliged to keep his time, and that he could not do so without 
violently flogging his horses. It was a shame to give him such 
to drive ; they were not fit for work. The horses, he under- 
stood, belonged to a person residing in St. Asaph, who, it appeared, 
did not half feed them, and so long as they did the work was quite 
regardless of their sufferings. Some of the wounds were as large 
as the palm of a man’s hand, and very deep. The collars were not 
eased ; and, what with the wounds and the dreadful flogging, the 
torture endured by the wretched animals must have been great in 
the extreme. Witness considered it to be his duty to interfere, 
and he reported the circumstances to the Society, who readily took 
the matter up, a very strong case for their interference having been 
made out. 
The defendant admitted the truth of Mr. Davenport’s statement, 
and urged in mitigation, that it was entirely the fault of the con- 
tractor, who did not provide proper horses. As much as twenty 
minutes had been lost over that ground on a journey, the horses not 
being able to perform their work, although flogged most cruelly. 
The magistrates said they would defer their decision until after 
the other cases had been heard. 
Mr. Thomas then proceeded with his complaint against Thomas 
Charlton , also a driver of the Carnarvon day mail. The information 
