lubrication, &c. &c." Attend, ye physiologists! a new light is broken in upon you; for E. P. tells you the muscles slip glibly over each other, and any pressure must "impede muscular action;" whilst you in your ignorance say, they are bound down by fascia, to prevent their slipping about, and that their power may be increased! Muscles act by an innate contractile power, and have neither slipping nor sliding motion, and are lubricated with fluid to keep them in a fit state for action, that they may not become rigid. Does E. P. know, from facts, that the internal economy of muscles is altered by firing? Mere assertions go for nothing. But where did he meet with any one so ignorant as to fire a horse over a muscular part? It is no remedy for muscular diseases, nor did I ever hear of its being applied as a mean of cure in such cases. It surely cannot be necessary to tell him, that, with the exception of a few minute fibres, the use of which is not known, there are no muscles below the knee or hock.

And now for the very bone of contention. He says, "I fearlessly throw down the gauntlet to the abettors of this cruel and destructive treatment, to shew me on what anatomical or physiological principles they can defend the delusion:" from which I presume he wishes to have explained the curative action of firing. Whether it be possible to convince him of the way in which firing acts as a medical agent, I am not able to determine; yet I take it, the modus operandi of his own remedy, mercurial plasters and bandages, is dependent upon the same principles as the one he has so positively condemned. It is a law of the animal

economy, that parts possessing but little vascularity-as ligaments, tendons, &c.-are not so prone to become diseased, as those that have a more liberal circulation of blood: but when diseased action is set up in such parts, it is tedious in its course; and after inflammation has gone down, a strong stimulus is frequently required to_excite healthy action in them. It also generally happens, that when a horse receives a considerable injury to a tendinous or ligamentary part, effusion of lymph takes place, which, interfering with the functions of the part, requires stimulation of the absorbents for its removal. Firing occasions inflammation upon the skin-thus acting as a counter-irritant-stimulates the absorbents, and excites in the ligaments or tendons that action which is essential to their restoration to a healthy state. So far then its action is similar in principle, but stronger in degree, to that of blisters, mercurial plasters, with bandages, &c. &c. If, therefore, they are of use, firing cannot be prejudicial; and although I do not advocate the use of the iron as a mere stimulant-as I believe it can be done without-yet I wish to shew that there is nothing unphysiological in its application. It, however, sometimes happens that when ligaments or tendons are exerted beyond their power, either from sudden or continued causes, they remain in a state of debility, and cannot perform their accustomed functions without being supported from without. This is well shewn in ourselves in sprains of the wrist or ancle. How many are there that, after such an accident, cannot for months, years, nay even their whole lives, make strong exertion of the part, with

out first applying a bandage round it! For these cases in the horse we have no substitute for firing; no other bandage can be so accurately applied; no other bandage can be usefully applied at the time it is most wanted, when the animal is in action.

E. P.'s observations about' producing inflammation of the nerves, blood vessels, &c. and their being more or less unable to right themselves again, is nothing but assertion. There is no evidence of the functions of any of these parts being injured by the operation; and I only wonder this acute pathologist had not said, that the heat produced by the application

hot iron to the skin coagulated the blood within the vessels supplying the limb, and so the circulation became destroyed.

Being a dear lover of peace, I will thus far agree with E. P., that it is right to try gentle means first; he shall turn out, " with all appliances and means to boot," a twentieth part of laudanum and all; and if at the end of two months the horse comes up sound, I will say as positively as he does, that such horse ought not to have been fired. But suppose he does not become sound by the run, &c. -and that this now and then is the case, I think E. P. will not deny-what is to be done? Why, if there is ostensible disease of the ligaments or tendons-but not without-fire, and you will often effect a cure.

I have before observed, that it is from its too indiscriminate use, from its being applied unnecessarily, and in cases in which it can do no good, that firing has been brought into disrepute; but that it is an important and valuable

SIR-"I hope I don't intrude," as Paul Pry says; but seeing in your Number for August a letter signed EQUESTRIS PRIMUS, the object of which being evidently calculated to excite unjust prejudice against the operation of firing horses, induced me, even at this distance from the metropolis, to trouble you with my ideas on the subject. Whether they will be acceptable either to you and those who read your highly-interesting Numbers or not, is yet to be decided on. EQUESTRIS PRIMUS says, "I insist upon it that firing in every case must do a most serious injury, and increase the ailment it was meant to remedy;" and recommends, as a substitute, rest and lotions, as equal to the removal of most causes of lameness during the inflammatory stage; and that a mercurial plaster over the diseased parts will effectually promote absorption after the inflamed state of the limb has been subdued. Now, with respect to his treatment during the existence of inflammation, I with pleasure confess it to be very judicious; but I want to know, and shall be happy of the information, how a mercurial plaster is to supply effectually the long-established

following blister:

(The above medicines are to be well incorporated, and rubbed on the diseased parts immediately after the operation has been neatly performed.) And I feel no hesitation in declaring it as my decided opinion, that if chronic lamenesses, produced either by ligamentous, tendinous, cartilaginous, or osseous causes, do not yield to its influence, to mercurial plasters it never can! It would be an object of the highest importance in point of humanity, if the lenient treatment proposed by EQUESTRIS PRIMUS should be found to render firing and blistering unnecessary; and rely upon it I would not be the last to adopt it. But from a conviction that it never will, nay cannot, be the case, I should be doing an injustice to my feelings on the subject if I did not declare it. satisfied, that firing and blistering are both oftentimes employed unnecessarily; but that it must always do an injury, is what I shall not quickly believe. I willingly appeal to any practical veterinarian (and I wish some one would give us his opinion), whether or not he has ever seen firing and blistering succeed, even after other proposed remedies had failed? And I boldly assert, that man's practice must be limited indeed, and his observa tion on disease still more so, who does not pronounce the operation of firing, judiciously employed, an highly beneficial one.

I am, Sir, &c.

North of Devon, Sept. 5, 1826.

I am

MUNGO.

I

OUT HORSES TO GRASS.

SIR,

Had begun to flatter myself that the argument of whether the hunter should or should not be summered in the stable, had ceased, and that Mr. JOHN LAWRENCE, if he still entertained his deep-rooted aversion to the system laid down by NIMROD, would have at least allowed those who were convinced of its utility to have continued their plan without any further opposition or observations on his part. I find, however, that I have been greatly mistaken; and in your last Number we are again favoured with a few more remarks on this topic. No new light has been thrown on the subject-his letter being merely a melange of his former prosaical lucubrations, accompanied with the usual quantity of invective against NIMROD, THE OLD FORESTER, and others, who unfortunately differ from him in opinion. His assertion, that

nine-tenths of the hunters of the

present day are summered in the

field, I conceive to be far from being the literal case. For my own part, I never yet met with any one, who, having once kept his hunters in the stable during the summer, was ever again induced to resort to the old grass system.

Mr. LAWRENCE remarks, that the additional expense is considerable. I beg leave to refer him where he will find that this enorto your Number for January, modern fox-hunters from summermous expense, which is to deter ing their horses in the stable, is -for six horses, in nine weeks, 131. 18s., or 21. 6s. 4d. horse. per Besides, I maintain, for a person who is rather short in his number

of horses, this system of economy to be decidedly injurious, as, from practical observation, I have been able to ascertain, that, among horses of ordinary and equal capacity, four of them that have been summered in the stable are capable of doing, with ease, as much work as six that have been " deriving the manifold benefits of ranging at liberty, and at ease, and stretching themselves upon cool and refreshing mother earth." I can only assure Mr. LAWRENCE that hunters, treated in the latter manner, are very apt, towards the end of a severe run in the early part of the season, to repose themselves at liberty on the mother earth, in a way highly distasteful to the rider, whatever may be the feelings of the horse.

Since he avows himself so fond of facts, I can afford to give him one. Having purchased an Irish mare, whose legs evinced very improper treatment, I was strongly recommended to give her a summer's run, by way of refreshing and fining them down. I was determined, nevertheless, upon trying a very different experiment, and kept her in a loose box during the whole summer. Her legs were first blistered; wet bandages were afterwards constantly applied, and alteratives occasionally given. The result has been most fortunate; and her late owner happening to see her a few days ago, declared that, while in his possession, she never had been in such blooming condition, and that her legs were completely restored.

Two other instances, very nearly similar, have come under my observation in this neighbourhood. Many and serious are the internal injuries sustained by horses, (and which their owners often are at a

loss to account for,) that are brought on entirely from severe work when not in real condition; and however early a horse may be taken up from grass, no liberties can be taken with him, or in other terms he will not be quite up to the mark until the season is pretty far advanced-an inconvenience of by no means a slight nature. The grass system, however, is strongly recommended on the plea of economy; but I sincerely trust, and am moreover perfectly confident, that sportsmen of the present day act in a more liberal manner, and that they do not allow their better judgment to be blinded by a false and ridiculous appeal to their humanity, founded on principles equally fallacious both in theory and practice.

Mr. LAWRENCE affirms, that he has already proved that_the hunters and hounds of days long past achieved as great things in the field as our highest-famed of the present day! If, as I conclude he does, he means to refer to the comparative speed of fox-hounds, might I be allowed to ask him whence the frequent complaint among old sportsmen, that foxhunting in the present age partakes a little too much of racing? It has been positively asserted that Mr. LAWRENCE never was a foxhunter, and that at any rate he has not been seen at a covert side for

thirty years. Such being the case, NIMROD is perfectly justified in saying that he is totally unquali fied to give an opinion on the subject.

One word to the Fox-hunter Rough and Ready. Let him not suppose, that because a man has been accustomed to hunt in the land of milk and honey, as he is pleased to term it, he is incapable

"PRAY, Mr.," said a lady

who was sitting next me at a dinner party last week, "do you not occasionally contribute to the Sporting Magazine?" On my nodding assent, she continued, "if you have any thing for the next month I shall make Mr. P. take the Magazine in for the future." As I never refuse the request of a beautiful woman, and NIMROD having, with his usual kindness and liberality to a brother contributor, offered me part of his box on the reviewing road, I take up my pen to answer certain of your correspondents for this month's Magazine. Allow me, first, to pay my humble tribute of applause to the masterly letter of the BREEDER OF COCKTAILS, which I read over three times running, and have nearly got by heart. What a valuable addition would such descriptions be, joined on to the letter press of the "Winners of the Great St. Leger at Doncaster!" Where a man's heart is really in the work, he cannot help writing a

good letter. Such is the case of a BREEDER OF COCKTAILS: whenever he touches on horse racing, he does it con amore, and of course a capital letter follows.

PHILO-EQUUS hopes I shall not feel hurt at some remarks of his on a late letter of mine, where I mentioned the great capability of enduring fatigue of the Breton bidets. I will not say all would do so; but I make no doubt there are very many of that race capable of continuing for a month at a certain number (say fifty to sixty) of miles per day without failing; but then they must go their own pace, which is a kind of amble, which gets you on at the rate of five miles an hour, and out of which pace very few Frenchmen ever get. Those among the French who are in the habit of making long journeys on horseback, start very early in the morning, often at daybreak, continuing the journey with but little delay, except from taking a dram here or there, till noon; they rest during the heat of the day, and resume their journey in the cool of the evening. The nags are thus always kept going within themselves, always having a pull left in them, which is the great art of riding or driving horses on the road. They can go much faster if wanted, as I found on my return to Dinan from St. Brieux, having gone the last stage, between seventeen and eighteen miles, with ease in an hour and thirty-five minutes, with the thermometer at 80 odd in the shade-though, taking the weight of a French saddle at twenty-eight pounds, I must have rode nearly thirteen stone. To save myself from the charge of cruelty (which there is one of your correspondents quite ready to do with me), I should add, that my finger