THE JOCKEY CLUB. 
618 
But it may happen that the horse possesses no marks ; or it is 
possible two horses may have marks precisely alike ; or the re- 
gistry of them may prove insufficient to distinguish the cases in 
which they are nearly alike. Then comes to be regarded the 
character of the horse — his countenance, his form, his height, his 
action, &c., and so far as personal identification goes, a great deal — 
any and every information — is to be learned from traits of cha- 
racter. But can these be made points of registry] — can any 
written description of a horse’s countenance or action, or even of 
his form, be such as anybody, as well as the describer, can under- 
stand the practical application of] Height being the result of 
measurement can, to a certain extent, be made matter of physical 
calculation; but height, it must be remembered, progresses with 
growth, and, when we come to mathematical precision will be 
found to vary somewhat according to the mode in which the horse 
is measured. 
Uncertain and insufficient, however, for the desired end as any 
one of these characteristics may prove, taken by itself, yet, when 
we come to apply them in combination, shall we pretty generally 
find them satisfactory in testing the identity ; and to them, if we 
would but add the age, we should say, altogether, the identifi- 
cation could hardly fail to turn out completely satisfactory. 
What, therefore, we should recommend to the Jockey Club to 
establish is a Registration of Race-horses, such as has of late 
years been kept of human kind. Let those gentlemen but refuse, 
after a certain period of date, to recognize or admit to run any but 
a duly registered horse, and let them order that every horse enter- 
ing for stakes must prove his qualification and identity by a 
reference to the General Register — kept at the office of Mr. 
Weatherly, or at some central and equally convenient place — and the 
machinery of identification is complete. No more, then, shall we 
hear about factitious Running-Reins, and Leanders, and Blood- 
stones ; no more of four-year- olds running as three-year-olds, or 
of the latter as two-year-olds : every tub will then be forced to 
stand upon its own bottom, every horse that runs to appear in 
his own proper character. 
P. 
