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ON HUMANITY TO THE HORSE. 
of his aid in their regal processions, — glad of his mighty power 
in the field of battle ! How would commerce miss his assistance ! 
How ready are we, then, so long as it suits our own selfish pur- 
poses, to caress him, and admire and extol his worth ! but when the 
violent and rapid exertion which we call on him to perform during 
his best days has completed its work of mischief on his lungs and 
feet — when their structure has become destroyed, and his breath- 
ing is performed, even in a state of non-exertion, with distress — 
crippled with constant and acute pain in his feet — in this state 
of misery and suffering the owner is permitted to offer him for 
sale, and obtains from three to five pounds. He is sold to a pro- 
prietor of night-cabs and hackney-coaches, to drag through his 
wretched existence so long as his animal machinery will hold to- 
gether, and he is cruelly kept in harness the whole of the night, 
from ten to twelve hours, without intermission. 
The better style of horse in our day-cabs, hackney-coaches, 
and omnibusses is very apparent ; but even among these there 
are many whose sufferings should and ought , by legal authority , 
to be relieved by death. 
Let the feeling and thinking public reflect but for a moment, 
while they are lolling at their ease in one of these public convey- 
ances, that their luxury and comfort is purchased at the expense 
of torture to the silent , suffering , though still willing horse . 
Let this feeling of commiseration prompt the public to adopt 
a simple but most effectual method I beg to recommend for the 
entire removal of this abuse. The remedy is simply this : every 
person in want of a cab or hackney coach should be at the trou- 
ble to walk down the stand and select that conveyance, the horse 
or horses of which indicate by their general appearance to be in a 
condition to endure fatigue, by standing firmly and evenly on 
his legs, and leave at rest the suffering cripple , who may be known 
by standing with bent and relaxed limbs; constantly shifting his 
position from pain, or pointing alternately one or other of his 
fore-legs forward, in order to place it from out the centre of gra 
vity, thus escaping, in a great degree, the superincumbent weight 
and consequent pain : by this means mercy is shewn to the poor 
animal by not calling on him for exertion, while punishment is 
inflicted on the proprietor by not hiring his conveyance. 
If the public would thus steadily act, they would in a short 
time, to a certainty, have the pleasing satisfaction of entirely 
suppressing this cruelty; they would enjoy the happiness of 
knowing they had lessened animal suffering; they would reward 
the humane horse-master, punish the offender, and most cer- 
tainly be carried with greater safety and speed on their way. 
I am, &c. 
