A CHARGE OF FALSEHOOD REFUTED. 
759 
eloquent Address, Mr. Field alluded to it in terms so highly flatter- 
ing, I trust that I shall not be considered as improperly occupying 
a page or two of this Journal in vindicating that Essay from a 
charge of gross falsehood. The contributors to that Testimonial, 
which, it may be readily supposed, I most dearly prize, are iden- 
tified with the “ literary” honesty or mendacity of their “ labourer 
in veterinary science and they will not only pardon this intrusion, 
but would despise me were I not successfully and fully to repel the 
accusation. 
I had been speaking of the too frequent miserable end of the 
poor horse when he was no longer useful to his master; and I say — 
“ There is one disgraceful violation of the dictates of humanity arising from 
the frequency with which the racer often changes his master; and the care- 
lessness of all but a few honest hearts how it fares with him when he has 
answered their purposes. Ambo, the fastest mile-horse of his day, and that 
won the Holywell Mostyn stakes three years in succession, was consigned to 
drag an opposition coach that ran through Shrewsbury*. When no longer 
capable of that, he was degraded to yet lower labour ; and was at length found 
dead in a ditch from absolute starvation. Hit or Miss, a good racer, was, 
during the last year of his life, seen drawing coal in a higgler’s cart in the 
same town. Mameluke is at this time drawing a cab in the streets of the 
metropolis; and Guildford, after having won for his different owners seven- 
teen races, was afflicted with incurable stringhalt, and was sold at a repository 
for less than £4. Thence the hero of the turf was doomed to an omnibus. 
There he was cruelly used; the spasmodic convulsion that characterizes string- 
halt sadly aggravating his torture. The skin was rubbed from his shoulders, his 
hips and haunches were bruised in every part, and his stifles were continually 
and painfully coming in contact with the pole. In this situation he was seen 
by the veterinary surgeon to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to 
Animals, and bought in order to be slaughtered.” 
The Editor of the Times (August 21, 1839) quotes this passage, 
and adds, “Our attention has been called to this quotation in an 
Evening Paper. Why does not some person connected with the 
turf expose the gross falsehoods of which a correspondent assures 
us that it is made up 1 Mr. Tattersall, he says, can tell the public 
all about the horses named in the quotation.” 
In the course of the morning, Mr. Thomas, the Secretary to the 
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, favoured me 
with a call. He shewed me the accusation which was thus brought 
against my work, and kindly offered to take the matter up with 
regard to “ Guildford,” of whose miserable state, and the cruelty 
that was inflicted on him, he had personal knowledge. 
On the 22d of August the following letter appeared from him in 
the columns of the Times : 
“ Sir, — In your paper of this day there is an observation by the Editor, 
grounded upon information received from a Correspondent, calculated to create 
“ Oswestry” it should have been. 
