CONSULTATIONS. 
169 
was well laid up for the uiglit at the house at which I stopped, with 
plenty of hay before her. The provender she had at night she 
finished before four o’clock in the morning, when she got a fresh 
supply, and an hour in which to eat it. She was afterwards ridden 
a distance of about eleven miles, by a young man from that place, 
who took from an hour-and-a-half to two hours to accomplish the 
journey. Soon after her arrival at this last place she was taken 
ill, and w'as immediately turned into a field close by. This was 
about seven or eight o’clock in the morning, and she remained there, 
wandering about and occasionally throwing herself violently on the 
ground and rolling. About eleven o’clock A.M„ she was bled to 
the extent of three quarts, and some castor oil given her. 
I may observe, that the distance she was ridden on Wednesday 
was 32 miles; on Thursday 23 miles; that on Friday, A.M., 11 
miles; during which time she w'as well attended to as to feeding; 
never ridden by me at a rate exceeding six miles an hour; and, 
so far as I can learn, she was not over-ridden by the bearer of this 
letter on the iMonday morning, as the lad’s father, who left home 
at the same time with a horse and a cart, declares that he kept 
sight of his son all the way. On the Sabbath evening, and on 
Monday morning, the mare had to pass through a river on her 
journey, the w'ater of which reached to her knees. At these times, 
however, she was perfectly cool. 
I shall be expecting, at your earliest convenience, to receive your 
remarks on the. above statements. You will also please to say 
whether you think you could have been of service to the animal, 
if you had been called to see her in due time. 
Although it does not become me to offer an opinion of the causes 
of disease in the lower animals, still I may remark, that in this 
case I should be inclined to think that the green grass, acting with 
the dry food, excited spasmodic colic, which being improperly, or 
rather scarcely treated at all, brought on the inflammatory action 
of w'hich the animal died. 
I am. Sir, your obedient servant. 
P.S. As I have not seen a case like this, and also am not ac¬ 
quainted with w'hat the law says on it, you will, perhaps, be kind 
enough to say w’hether it is your opinion that I contributed at all 
to the production of the disease, and should make Thomson a re¬ 
muneration in full, or in part, for the loss of his mare, or whether 
he is bound to sustain the whole loss. 
To-V.S. 
'S'ou now. Sir, have the whole case before you. What opinion 
and advice should I give ! 
