REVIEW. — MOORCROFT’S TRAVELS. 
275 
Mr. William Moorcroft, who is to be regarded as the originator 
of the journey, and the principal of the enterprise, was a native of 
Lancashire, and was educated at Liverpool for the profession of a 
surgeon. Upon the completion of the usual course of study, how- 
ever, his attention was diverted to a different pursuit, and he finally 
settled in London as a practiser of veterinary surgery. His reasons 
for the change are thus detailed in a letter written from Kashmir 
to a friend in London. 
“ Whilst a pupil of Dr. Lyon, the colleague of Dr. Currie at the 
Liverpool Infirmary, the attention of the physicians and surgeons 
of that institution was suddenly and strongly called to a formidable 
epidemic disease amongst the horned cattle of a particular district, 
and was thought to be extending. It was agreed to depute a pupil 
to examine the disease upon the spot. The choice fell upon me ; 
and in company with a Mr. Wilson, the ablest farmer of the day, 
I performed my commission. As arising out of this occurrence, it 
is only necessary to remark, that two gentlemen, of whose judg- 
ment and patriotism I had the highest respect, took the trouble of 
endeavouring to shew, that if I were to devote myself to the im- 
provement of a degraded profession, closely connected with the in- 
terests of agriculture, I might render myself much more useful to 
the country than by continuing in one already cultivated by men 
of the most splendid talents. Convinced by their arguments, but 
opposed by other friends, and especially by my master, the matter 
was compromised by a reference to the celebrated John Hunter. 
After a long conversation with me, Mr. Hunter declared, that if he 
were not advanced in years, he himself would on the following day 
begin to study the profession in question. This declaration was 
decisive, and I followed the course of study which Mr. Hunter was 
pleased to indicate.” 
As there was no veterinary college in London at the time, Mr. 
Moorcroft went over to the continent, and resided for some period 
in France. On his return he settled in London, where, in conjunc- 
tion with Mr. Field, he carried on for some years a very prosperous 
and lucrative business. The nature of the profession, however, 
involved many occurrences unpleasant to a man of cultivated taste 
and warm temper, and, amidst intercourse with persons of station 
and respectability, collision with individuals not always possessed 
of either. Mr. Moorcroft, therefore, became disgusted with his oc- 
cupation, although he speedily realised a handsome property by it. 
A great portion of this, however, he lost in some injudicious project 
for manufacturing cast-iron horse shoes, and he readily, therefore, 
accepted an offer from the Court of Directors of the East India 
Company to go out to Bengal as superintendent of their military 
stud. He left England in May 1808, in the same fleet, though in 
