41)5 
and nekve operation. 
the foot of this horse, as I wished very much to ascertain what 
really had taken place there; for I infer, that the foot, unquestion¬ 
ably, was the seat of lameness, from the circumstance ot the hoi se s 
going sound immediately alter the operation. 
CASE II, 
Is a brown gelding that was bought for the regiment at Ballina- 
sloe fair, in Ireland, ^then four years old (in October 1822). 
After this horse had been in the regiment about two years, he was 
observed to stand frequently pointing, or resting his lore leet, in 
the stable, more particularly the off one. His hoofs, though ot 
rather a brittle kind, appeared not to have any tendency to con¬ 
traction. 
We shod him carefully, amongst other things, with the leather 
sole, and he never went absolutely lame till the hot summer ot 
1826; when, being one of the party stationed at Kensington, he was 
sent in, after a severe ride on dispatch duty, very lame ot the oft 
fore leg, and admitted under treatment on the 14th ol June. 
Bleeding from the foot—repeated blistering over the coronet fre¬ 
quent purging —were some ol the means employed, and with con¬ 
siderable relief to the lameness; but exercise always seemed to 
make it worse again. Toward the latter end ot August it might 
be called a chronic case of foot lameness ; and the conviction on 
my mind was, that it w r as navicular lameness. 1 his was a very 
fine horse : a half-yearly inspection was fast approaching, and I 
knew he must be cast if I could do nothing more for him. I 
therefore determined, as a dernier resource, to try the effect ol the 
nerve operation. On the 1st ot September this measure was put 
in execution, the horse having been lame then nearly three months; 
and, like the last, he got up from the operation and went sound. 
Instead of being cast, he was mounted and in the ranks at the 
half-yearly inspection; and, what is more, he has remained sound 
from that day to this. He was one of the effective chosen for the 
expedition to Portugal. He carried his rider so well all the time 
we were in that country, that he was thought too good to be leit 
behind; and he is now present with the regiment, as effective as 
any horse we have. He still points his feet a little in the stable; 
but the foot on which the operation was performed has, 1 think, 
now the stronger and firmer crust of the tv\o. 
I shall make no further comments on these two cases; I 
merely give them as facts, and I hope others will favour us with 
more. 
I have sent these cases to you rather than to Sewell, because 
every thing relative to this subject ought to be as interesting to you 
as to him; and because, as 1 believe, my friend Mr. 8. does not at 
