OF FRENCH AND ENGLISH HORSES. 639 
But, allowing that he had been in possession of the seat of the 
disease, I believe that his want of skill in paring the foot, and the 
horrid tools made use of for the purpose, would prevent the possi- 
bility of his giving relief. The smith in question is decidedly the 
best workman I have seen among the French. 
With regard to the French system of shoeing generally, I do 
not disapprove of it for heavy horses. But how long would it 
answer for horses that go the pace of our English mail coach and 
others, where the feet are rendered brittle and bad from the con- 
cussion of the hard roads'? For my own part, I do not believe that 
they would keep the shoes on a week. It is with horses that go 
the pace, which pace is the cause of diseased horn, that the art 
of shoeing is tested. I admit lamenesses arising from their nail- 
ing are not frequent. Seldom, also, are they found in cart and 
other horses shod far in the country in England. The reason is 
obvious, — it is from the immense quantity of horn with which the 
feet of all naturally slow horses are covered, thereby rendering the 
liability to injury from nails much less. I will not, Mr. Editor, 
trespass further upon your valuable columns, but I think that you 
will give admission to these few remarks. 
[We do most readily and thankfully give admission to these re- 
marks, and we entreat Mr. Dawson to enter into and follow up 
this subject, " The Comparative Lamenesses and Diseases of 
French and English Horses.” His situation, his experience, 
and his talent, well qualify him for the task. Truth is our 
common object, and there are few subjects on which it would 
be more interesting and important to arrive at the truth. — Y.] 
THE PRESENT EPIDEMIC AMONG CATTLE. 
The Editor is indebted to the kindness of Mr. Hill, Y.S., of 
Islington Green, for the following sketch of an epidemic which is 
now exceedingly prevalent in the dairies in the neighbourhood of 
the metropolis. It is a hasty sketch, for this portion of our Journal 
ought to have been at the printers when Mr. Hill, at our request, 
favoured us with a call. He has the superintendence of a dairy 
of nearly 700 cows. 
A fortnight ago a large field was mowed for the use of the cows. 
Six of them were attacked with a singular disease, the symptoms 
of which were precisely the same. The membrane of the whole 
of the mouth was in a state of inflammation and vesication. The 
tongue was involved, but the most extensive and annoying vesica- 
