602 
THE KNACKERS AT MONTFAUCON. 
1st.—The hair of tlie mane and tail is cut off. As, how¬ 
ever, the long hair used for weaving of cloth is commonly want¬ 
ing, the produce is but small, and will barely exceed a quarter 
of a pound of horse-hair, a pound of which is sold for about five 
pence English. The produce of one horse, in this particular, is 
therefore about one penny. 
2d.—The skin is now taken off, laid together, and sold, while 
fresh, to the tanners in the neighbourhood. It weighs in general 
about sixty pounds, and sells for from nine to twelve shillings 
English. 
3d.—The blood is allow'ed to run to waste, and to flow' on the 
ground, a circumstance which greatly increases the horrible filth 
at Montfau^on. If it w'ere collected in gutters, it might be used 
either as food for cattle or as manure ; and a cruor prepared from 
it for sugar-refiners, who pay for blood, so prepared, about two 
shillings and five pence the cwt. 
4tb.—The shoes are taken off and sold as horse-shoes, if still 
good enough, or, if not, as old iron. The nails, likewise, are 
collected and sold, more particularly in the provincial towns. 
The profit from this source is about tw'o pence per horse. 
5th.—The feet are cut off, dried, and then beaten on a hard 
surface, in order to detach the hoofs; or, in w'inter, they are 
left in heaps to putrefy, until the hoofs become loose. The 
hoofs are sold to turners, comb-makers, and manufacturers of 
sal-ammoniac and prussian-blue, who pay for them, if they are 
rasped, about one shilling and five pence. 
6th.—The fat is very carefully collected. First, that upon and 
between the muscles is separated; then the muscles are laid 
single on the table, and every little bit of fat picked out; and, 
finally, that of the entrails is detached. The collected is fat cut 
into small pieces, and melted. Horse-fat is used for burning in 
a flame by enamellers and glass-toy makers ; it is also used to 
grease harnesses, shoe-leather, See. Soap is manufactured from 
it; and it produces gas for lighting. The pound is sold for five 
pence three farthings. A horse yields, on an average, eight 
pounds, worth about four shillings : w^ell-fed horses will yield, 
however, as much almost as sixty pounds, bringing therefore 
nearly thirty shillings. 
7th.—The flesh is used for food by the workmen, w'ho choose 
the best pieces for themselves, and leave the rest to dogs, cats, 
hogs, and poultry. The feeding of the w'orkmen, however, with 
the flesh of such as have been killed, is a part of the system of 
economy that could not be practised in this countiy. Many 
circumstances shew that a large number of the people of France 
resort to expedients for food which w'ould be revolting to an 
