REVIEW — RODWAY’S PATENT HORSESHOE. 
657 
We perfectly agree with Mr. Rodway, that “ the great objection 
to the common shoe is its violation of the intentions and princi- 
ples of nature ;” but he has neither hit upon what that “ great 
objection” is, nor has he, in imitation of the way in which nature 
has accomplished it, given to the foot that “ proper hold or grasp 
upon the earth” which he erroneously supposes to be the great 
objection to the common shoe.” The ground-surface of the 
horse’s foot, taking the frog away, represents a hollow hemisphere, 
or semi-oval, or, to use a familiar comparison, a sort of inverted 
oyster-shell : the wall or crust of the hoof slantingly projects on 
every side around the sole, so as to, as it were, clutch the earth, 
or rather embrace — or, to use Mr. Rodway’s phrase, “ hold or 
grasp” — the irregularities, the convexities everywhere met with 
upon the earth’s surface. Is Mr. Rodway’s shoe an imitation 
of the hemispherical concavity of the sole of the foot, or is it of 
the same form as the crust projecting beyond it? Is there any 
groove or ‘‘concavity” like that which Mr. Rodway has made in 
his shoe to be found upon the ground-surface of the horse’s foot? 
If the answer to these queries be, No! why, then, it is evident 
enough that Mr. Rod way has not obtained his “ proper hold or 
grasp upon the earth,” by taking Nature as his guide. If he 
argues that his shoe is better than any shoe in regard to this pro- 
perty, then it becomes manifest he must have improved upon 
Nature ; because there are shoes which resemble as near as shoes 
can do, Nature’s tread itself. 
Mr. Rodway has made a part of his “ great objection to the 
common shoe,” its “ raising the frog from the ground .” This 
“ bangs Banagher !” as they say in the sister island. Pray, how 
can a groove in the shoe have the effect of giving the frog pressure 
upon our hard roads? or upon stone or wood pavements? We 
are quite aware that the rimmed web of his shoe will sink into 
an impressible surface deeper than the plain web of a common 
shoe, and thus give the frog proportionably more pressure ; but 
upon soft ground and turf the frog receives quite pressure enough 
with a common shoe ; and oftener than not, I believe, more pres- 
sure than does it good ; and therefore all the fine things Mr. Rod- 
way has said concerning the advantages of frog pressure, such as 
“ giving steadiness,” “double work,” “ disease to the animal,” 
and “death to the rider,” can only, viewed through the plain 
glass of observation and practice, be regarded as so much 
‘‘Wandering from the good we aim at.° 
In the next paragraph of his prospectus Mr. Rodway informs 
us — “ It is estimated that this formation increases the hold or 
purchase of the horse upon the ground, at least ten fold! more than 
VOL. xv. 4 T 
