A.

AUTHORS,—who have dedicated much time and labour to the infinity of

subjects which these Volumes will contain, have been both numerous and

respectable; and to those who are accustomed to see things through a

single medium, it will seem matter of surprise, that any thing NEW,

INSTRUCTIVE, or ENTERTAINING, should be still left worthy of public

attention; but when the unceasing influence, and decisive dictates of

fashion; the abolition of old sports, and introduction of new; the

various regulations in, and increase of, the penal laws for the

preservation of GAME, and the privileges of _killing_; in addition to

the great and unprecedented national exertion in the reformation of

FARRIERY, since the publication of the present Author's STABLE

DIRECTORY, are taken into the aggregate; it will be found, by the

judicious and enlightened part of the SPORTING WORLD, that a more

modern, comprehensive, and explanatory work, has not been _too soon_

obtruded upon PUBLIC PATRONAGE. To enumerate individually here, those

Authors, of the greatest celebrity, whose endeavours or productions have

stood the highest in general estimation, would prove not only

unnecessary, but superfluous, as they will of course be occasionally

adverted to, and remarked upon, under different heads in the progress of

the Work.

ARTISTS—are gentlemen, the aid of whose pencils, in the decorative

department of sporting publications, is considered so immediately

necessary (particularly with the younger branches) in all matters of

minutiæ requiring accurate representation, that the success is

frequently considered doubtful and uncertain without the attractive

influence of their professional exertions. It has been observed, and

must be freely admitted, that, till within the last third of the last

century, HORSES, DOGS, and GAME, have appeared less upon canvas (in

proportion to the progress of the art) than any subjects whatever:

whether they were thought less worthy the study and pencil of the

master, or productive of less emolument, it may not be possible, nor is

it much to the purpose, to ascertain. Certain it is, they have never, at

any former period, so nearly approached the summit of perfection as at

the present moment; never were artists known more emulous; never were

finer pictures produced by the foreign pencils of fertility, than are

now exhibited by the natives of our own island; nor ever were artists of

this description so largely patronized, or so well rewarded.

ELMER, whose paintings of GAME excited the astonishment and admiration

of every beholder for forty years past, has lately paid his last debt,

with one of the best and most unsullied characters that ever accompanied

man to the grave: but what is equally to be regretted, is the total

destruction and loss of his very valuable collection (soon after his

death) by an accidental fire near the Haymarket, where they had been but

lately deposited and arranged for exhibition; constituting an

irreparable misfortune to those whose property they were become by his

decease, and no small disappointment to CONNOISSEURS, amongst whom they

would most probably have been divided at some future period by public

sale.

The PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS, or, as they are now more familiarly termed,

_animal painters_, who derive present advantage from public protection

and personal popularity, are not numerous, but truly respectable; each

enjoying the happy effect of his own peculiar excellence, in the

gradations of favour, a discriminating and indulgent public is always so

truly ready to bestow. Of these, the names of STUBBS, GILPIN, MARSHALL,

GARRARD, and SARTORIUS, appear the most prominent. Others there are, but

of much inferior note, who do not at present promise (by the specimens

they have displayed) to soar above the planetary influence of

mediocrity. Various productions of the rest of those just mentioned,

have for years in succession graced the exhibition of the ROYAL ACADEMY

at SOMERSET HOUSE, where they have been as repeatedly honoured with

ROYAL as with general approbation: but whether it is owing to a

superiority of good fortune, or to a superiority of his genius, MARSHALL

is the only instance of an artist's having so early in life, and with so

much rapidity, reached the summit of princely patronage, as well as the

very zenith of professional celebrity, without having once submitted a

single production of his pencil to the caprice of public opinion at the

shrine of fashion, hitherto considered the only possible and direct road

to FAME and FORTUNE.

ABSCESS.—An abscess (in either man or beast) is an inflammatory tumour,

constituting a progressive formation of matter from some serious injury

_previously_ received by blow, bruise, or accident. It may also proceed

from plethora, or gross humours originating in a too viscid (or

acrimonious) state of the blood; as well as a morbid disposition of the

fluids; and many degrees of latent ill usage, to which HORSES are

incessantly subject, from the too well-known and irremediable inhumanity

of the lower classes, to whose superintendence and management they are

unavoidably, and must inevitably, continue to be entrusted. From

whatever cause an abscess may proceed, judicious discrimination should

be expected and enjoined from the practitioners employed; many of whom

(particularly of the old school) possess, and indulge in, the unhappy

fatality of endeavouring to counteract Nature, and to set all her

powerful efforts at defiance. Under this mistaken notion of _scientific

practice_, in such and similar cases, great difficulties frequently

arise; not more in respect to the very evident ill effect of erroneous

treatment, but in the disappointment occasioned by a procrastination of

cure.

The very basis and foundation of an abscess being a cavity continually

enlarging internally by the propulsive force of matter collecting

within, will sufficiently demonstrate the inconsiderate folly, and

extreme obstinacy, of endeavouring to repel, by the interposing and

improper power of spirituous repellents, or saturnine astringents, what

Nature is making her most strenuous efforts to discharge. In all slight

and superficial appearances of tumefaction, where there are no immediate

or strong signs of suppuration, the use of moderate repellents may be

adopted with judgment, and in most cases with success; but when the

predominant, and almost invariable, symptoms of increased swelling,

great heat, with pricking and darting sensations, (in the human frame,)

or visible increase of the enlargement, and palpable pain upon pressure,

in the HORSE, denote the formation of matter to be going on, all

attempts at repulsion must be instantly laid aside; not only as

nugatory, but as tending to mischief in the extreme. Such treatment

persevered in, would evidently not only retard, but positively

_destroy_, every chance of ultimately effecting a purpose, for which

alone the experiment could have been made. The consequence would soon

prove decisive, by a termination in either an indurated tumour, a fixed

schirrus, a partial and imperfect suppuration, a fistulous wound, or an

inveterate and ill-conditioned ulcer. As, however, it is not intended to

extend the Work to a complete system of ANATOMY, SURGERY, PHYSIC, or

FARRIERY, but to render its utility more general and diffusive,

reference must be occasionally and necessarily made to the professors of

either, or to the books particularly appropriated to the subject of each.

ACADEMY,—which for time immemorial has been in use to signify a seminary

for youth only, has at length acquired, by the refinement of _fashion_,

the honour of giving more dignity to what has hitherto passed under the

denomination of A RIDING SCHOOL; now transformed, by the sublimity of

the superior classes, into an "EQUESTRIAN ACADEMY;" of which more will

be found under the proper and distinct heads of MANEGE and RIDING SCHOOL.

ACCLOYED—is almost obsolete, and will be buried in oblivion with the

last FARRIER of the _old school_. It has been formerly used to signify

an injury sustained in the foot by shoeing; as when a nail had swerved

from its proper direction, and punctured (or pressed too close upon) the

membranous mass so as to occasion lameness, the horse was then said to

be "accloyed:" but no well-founded derivation is to be discovered for a

term of so much ambiguity.

ACHE;—pain arising from different causes, originating in blows, wounds,

inflammations, and colds; as for instance, the CHRONIC RHEUMATISM, which

may be termed a CONTINUAL ACHE.

ACRIMONY—is a state of the blood disposed to only _certain_ degrees of

disease, by the quantity of serum becoming too great for the proportion

of crassamentum, with which, in its state of _active fluidity_, it is

combined for the purpose of regular circulation, so invariably necessary

to the standard of health. BLOOD thus divested of its adhesive property,

soon displays in HORSES a tendency to what are termed _acrimonious_

diseases, originating in, and dependent upon, the impoverished state to

which it is reduced. Hence arises a train of trouble and disquietude

more vexatious than alarming, more troublesome than expensive; as

_cracked heels_; _cutaneous eruptions_ of the _dry_ and _scurfy_ kind; a

dingy, variegated, _unhealthy_ hue of the _coat_; and frequently a

seemingly _half starved_ contraction of the CREST. These palpable

effects of acrimony in the blood, are produced much more by the penury

and indifference of the master, (or the _neglect_ of his servant,) than

any disposition to disease in the horse. Experience has sufficiently

proved, that a sufficient quantity of proper and healthy food is so

indispensably requisite for the support of the frame, and every office

of the animal œconomy, that a want of such due supply must be productive

of acrimony in a greater or a less degree; to obtund which, and

counteract its effects, recourse must be had to alimentary invigorants

and antimonial alteratives, as will be found more medically explained in

"_The Gentleman's Stable Directory_;" or, "_Taplin's Compendium of

Farriery_."

ACTION—is a word in constant use with the SPORTING world, and

horse-dealing fraternity, to express the peculiar property of a horse by

his _good_ or _bad_ action: speaking of him as a subject possessing

superior powers, he is called "a horse of exceeding fine action;"

meaning it to be understood, he is not to be found fault with; that he

is calculated to make a very valuable roadster, "as he trots within

himself (that is, with ease to himself) _fourteen_ or _fifteen_ miles an

_hour_;" implying an unequivocal proof of his speed in that pace: that

he goes in _high_ style, "well above his ground;" meaning, that he lifts

his legs light, quick, and freely, without dwelling or _tripping_, so as

to be entitled to the degrading appellation of "a daisy cutter," by

going too near, and of course always liable to fall.

ADDER STUNG,—a term indiscriminately applied to the bites or stings of

venomous animals and insects without distinction; and this probably

arose from the frequent discovery of such accidents, without being able

to ascertain the cause, or from what enemy the injury was sustained.

HORSES, as well as DOGS, are sometimes bit by the VIPER, (called _an

adder_,) slow-worm, or eft; but much more frequently stung by hornets,

wasps; a large gold-coloured, long-bodied, glittering fly, called, "a

horse-stinger;" or other poisonous insects, with which, in the summer

months, the sunny banks of pastures so infinitely abound. In all

injuries of this kind, bleeding (pretty freely in respect to quantity)

should precede every other consideration; as instantly unloading the

vessels must greatly contribute to the intent of reducing present and

preventing farther inflammation. For some generations, unctuous and oily

applications have been in general use, without any well-founded reason,

or established proof, of their being either infallible or efficacious;

but in the present and enlightened state of much-improved practice,

frequent fomentations of warm vinegar, an aqueous solution of sal.

armoniac, or the vegeto mineral water of a pretty strong consistence,

may be safely and advantageously preferred; assisting the general effort

with small doses of _nitre_ and _gum arabic_, to allay inflammation, and

attenuate the blood.

ADULTERATION—is the too prevalent custom of lowering the strength of

spirits by the profitable addition of water, thereby reducing the

quality by increasing the quantity; or, in words of less paradoxical

import, by a most deceptive prostitution of integrity on one side, and

an equally shameful imposition upon friendly confidence on the other.

This species of lawless tergiversation, bad as it is, cannot be

considered so truly unprincipled, so strictly iniquitous, or so cruelly

destructive, as the adulteration of medicine: this has been for a long

time past the _purest privilege_ of the profession, and may be candidly

concluded the most predominant and best-founded reason that can be

assigned for the unprecedented increase of CHEMISTS and DRUGGISTS in

every part of the kingdom. The superior art of adulteration consists

(with the adept) in so securely incorporating the cheap and inferior

substitute with the genuine and higher priced article of the Materia

Medica, as to insure the additional profit, and (secundum artem) escape

detection. To this _purity_ of principle, this species of professional

privilege, it is, that individuals of opulence and liberality stand

indebted for the disappointments they have experienced in the expected

efficacy of "prescriptions _faithfully_ prepared."

AGE.—The age is generally a leading question respecting any horse

offered for sale; and this is at all times to be ascertained with more

certainty by the state of the TEETH than any other means whatever;

unless he has undergone the _secret_ operation of a DEALER, known by the

appellation of "_bishoping_," which will be found described under that

head.

When a horse is more than six years old, he is then termed an _aged_

horse; from which time till _seven_, the cavities in his teeth fill up;

and from _seven_ to _eight_ years old, (varying a little in different

subjects,) the mark is entirely obliterated, by which his age can no

longer be perfectly known. Deprived of this criterion, general

observations must be resorted to, upon which only a tolerable (though

sometimes an uncertain) opinion may be formed. If the teeth are very

long and discoloured, ragged at the edges, with either the upper or

lower projecting beyond the other; the fleshy ridges (called bars) of

the upper jaw become smooth and contracted; the tongue lean and wrinkled

at the sides; the eyes receding from their former prominence, and a

hollow and ghastly indentation above the orb; the knees projecting

beyond the shank-bone, and overhanging the fetlock, as well as a

knuckling or bending forward of the lower joints behind; little time

need be lost in looking for farther proofs; old age is approaching very

fast. For age by the teeth, see COLT.

AGUE,—a fever of the intermittent kind, which was for many years a

matter of doubt and controversy, whether fevers of this description

existed in the horse, or merely in the _brain_ of the FARRIER; when,

after long investigation, strict attention, and steady observation, by

practitioners of the first eminence, the point is at length acceded to;

and it is admitted that HORSES are subject to, and attacked with,

INTERMITTENTS, bearing an affinity to the _quotidians_, _tertians_, and

_quartans_, of the human species.

ÆGYPTIACUM—is a well known and long established external application in

veterinary practice, and is thus prepared.

Take of verdigrease, finely powdered, five ounces; honey, fourteen

ounces; the best white wine vinegar, seven ounces; mix and boil them

over a gentle fire to the consistence of treacle or honey.

This article, which has so long passed under the denomination of an

ointment, and was so called in the London Dispensatory of the College of

Physicians, produces, without any additional process, (but merely by

standing, and depositing its sediment,) _another_ name for a _part_ of

the _same_ preparation in this way: the grosser parts subsiding,

constitute a more substantial consistence at the _bottom_, which is the

article termed ÆGYPTIACUM: the fluid or thinner part, floating upon the

surface, is the mildest in its effect, and called, by medicinal

practitioners, MEL ÆGYPTIACUM. The property of both (one being a degree

stronger than the other, and may be used separately, or shaken together,

according to the effect required) is to assist in cleansing inveterate

and long-standing ulcers; to keep down fungous flesh; and to promote the

sloughing off of such foul and unhealthy parts of the surface, as

prevent new granulations from arising to constitute the incarnation

necessary to a sound and permanent restoration of parts. They are

articles of acknowledged utility in the hands of judicious and

experienced practitioners; but the furor of folly has sometimes rendered

them _medicines of mischief_ with those who have never heard, or do not

condescend to recollect, the trite but expressive adage, that "the

shoemaker should never go beyond his last." This is the case when the

lower classes of _farriers_, _smiths_, _coachmen_, and _grooms_, attempt

to cure the grease, cracked heels, &c. with the articles described,

constituting to a certainty, "the _remedy_ worse than the _disease_."

AIR—is the element in which we breathe; a floating (or fluctuating)

fluid, with which we are imperceptibly surrounded, and by whose elastic

property we are enabled to exist. A philosophic enquiry into, or

definition of, the very air itself, is not to the purpose here; nor,

indeed, without a demonstrative and practical apparatus, can its

wonderful properties be perfectly understood.

Its various effects upon both the body and the mind of man, as well in

sickness as in health, cannot be lost even upon the least sensible and

least ruminative observer; who is in the constant enjoyment of those

great blessings, _air_, _health_, and _exercise_; for he finds himself

affected (and frequently like POPE'S rustic hero, who "whistled as he

went for want of thought") in different ways, and by every breeze,

without knowing _why_: he _meltingly_ submits one day to the SUN; he

_shrinks_ another from the cold: he is depressed, even to melancholy,

with the heavy gloom and dense atmosphere _to day_; and elated, almost

beyond the power of expression, by the exhilarating, temperate, clear

and lucid sky of _to-morrow_. If then the spirits are thus not only

fairly considered, but fully proved, the thermometer of mental

sensations, upon which the air (or rather its change) is found to

operate with so much palpable effect; who shall presume to doubt its

physical influence upon the human frame, so far as is applicable to the

introduction of disease, or the re-establishment of health?

Thus much it has been unavoidably necessary to introduce by way of

proof, that the human frame being so affected by the extremes of _heat_

and _cold_, _damps_ or _dryness_, such proportional effects (though not

probably in directly the same way) may be produced by the same means

upon the ANIMAL world, who possessing no power of communication, we

cannot derive information but by means of observation upon the

_original_ cause and _relative_ effect. As for instance; if the air is

too much impregnated with cold, moist, damp particles between the

chilling showers of hazy weather, the body (particularly of invalids and

valetudinarians) is much more disposed to, and susceptible of,

morbidity, than in a more temperate and settled state of the atmosphere.

This, proceeding from a collapsion of the porous system, occasions

slight indisposition with thousands, who are sensibly affected by

lassitude and disquietude, not reaching disease; whilst in others more

irritable, it is soon productive of coughs, sore throats, fevers,

inflammations of the lungs, and various other disorders. North winds are

considered bracing, healthy, and invigorating, to good, sound

constitutions; though they are always complained of by those of delicate

and tender habits; and there can be no difference of opinion upon the

fact, that dry seasons are more conducive to health and spirits than

those of a contrary description.

AIR,—a technical term in the MANEGE, which can be but little explained

in theory; a perfect knowledge of these terms can only be acquired in

the practice of the schools.

AIRING;—the taking of horses from the stable to the enjoyment of AIR and

EXERCISE.

ALE,—the good old healthy English beverage, brewed from malt, hops and

water, _alone_, with no intoxicating or deleterious articles of

adulteration. It is an excellent extemporaneous substitute for _gruel_,

in cases of emergency with horses, where it is required as a vehicle in

which to dissolve and administer medicine to prevent delay, as in

_cholic_, _strangury_, &c.

ALOES—is a resinous gum, extracted from the tree whose name it bears,

and is brought to us chiefly from the island of Barbadoes. The shops

produce two sorts, called SUCCOTRINE and BARBADOES; the former of which

is the _mildest_; but the latter most in use, to insure the certainty of

operation. It is the principal ingredient in purging balls for horses.

ALTERATIVES.—Medicines are so called which constitute an effect upon the

system, or an alteration in the _property_ of the _blood_, without any

sensible internal or visible external operation. Upon their introduction

to the stomach, they become incorporated with its contents; and their

medical properties being taken up by the chyle, is conveyed through the

lymphatics to the blood-vessels, where it becomes a part of the blood

itself, which being fully impregnated with the neutralizing property of

the article administered as an alterative, possesses the power of

obtunding acrimony, and restraining tendency to disease.

Of all the classes of medicines, none can be more proper or applicable

than alteratives, to those who cannot make it convenient to let their

horses undergo a regular routine of purgation at the accustomed seasons;

as during the administration of alteratives (mercurials excepted) a

horse may go through the same occasional work, and diurnal discipline,

as if he was under no course of medicine whatever. The alteratives most

deservedly esteemed, are antimony, sulphur, nitre, (in small

quantities,) cream of tartar, Æthiops mineral, and the antimonial

alterative powders of the Author, to be found in the list of his

medicines at the conclusion of the Work.

ALUM—is an article too well known in the shops, to require farther

description, than its medical utility, when, upon any emergency, it may

be advantageously brought into use. Reduced to fine powder, and applied

as a _styptic_ to the mouths of divided vessels, to stop the effusion of

blood, it will be found very efficacious. Dissolved in water, the

proportion of _one ounce_ to a _pint_, it is an infallible cure for the

foul white specks, or little watery pustules, so frequently seen in the

mouths of horses, (and supposed to arise from internal heat,) the parts

being twice or thrice touched with a piece of fine sponge, properly

moistened with the solution. Burnt alum, finely powdered, and sprinkled,

very lightly, upon the fungous flesh of old or foul wounds, will

speedily reduce it, and promote the cure.

ALIMENT—has, in general acceptation, been received as a word strictly

synonimous with food; and, like that term, been intended to imply

support of any kind, in either a _solid_ or a _liquid_ form. One of the

publications with which the press so frequently teems, from the fertile

pens of juvenile veterinarians, says, "By ALIMENT, some understand only

the _nutricious part_ of the food; but this is a nice and useless

distinction. MR. TAPLIN uses the word _aliment_ in both senses."

To set this upon better ground, for the comprehension of all matters

relative to bodily sustenance, the animal œconomy, its natural

secretions and evacuations, it is necessary a criterion should be fixed,

by which its intentional meaning should be generally understood. It has

been hitherto used in the previous Works of the present Author, not as

synonimous with either FOOD or NUTRIMENT, but in a sense directly

_between both_, and for this reason. Food may feed a frame, and prolong

existence; though, from its weak, improper, or impoverished quality, it

may not possess the essential property requisite to generate blood,

create flesh, or promote strength.

The word ALIMENT seems intended to convey an idea somewhat _superior_ to

the meaning expressed in the term _food_, and yet not extend so far as

the mind may lead us, in the comprehensive view of the word NUTRIMENT;

for, although mouldy hay, or musty straw, may be taken by an animal, in

a state of hunger and necessity, to support life, it does not follow

that from _such food_ a proper portion of nutriment can be conveyed to

the frame. ALIMENT, therefore, upon every occasion, in which it will be

found necessary to introduce it during the course of this Work, must be

considered as a term intended to convey an idea of support (in any way

whatever) adequate to health, and a state of useful service; in the

direct line of mediocrity between the _starving existence_ of a "winter

straw yard," near the metropolis, and the nutritious and invigorating

system necessary for the invalid recovering from a state of emaciation,

or the severity of disease.

AMBLE,—the pace in a horse, almost peculiar to country people, with

poneys and galloways bred upon commons: its ease renders it convenient

to women, and pleasing to children; but it is in very little use with

any other part of the world.

AMBURY, or _Anbury_,—is a complicated excrescence, bearing the

appearance of a _warty_ wen. Various have been the modes of cure; to

prevent an unnecessary enumeration of which, will be to observe, that

they may be safely extirpated, and completely cured, by carefully

moistening the surface, once in every three or four days, with the

_butter_ of _antimony_, till they are obliterated; and this will

certainly be effected, whatever may be their size or magnitude.

AMPHIBIOUS—animals, are those capable of living both upon land and in

the water, as the otter, the water rat, the eft, &c.

AMPHITHEATRE—is an elegant and commodious structure, either circular or

oblong, for the display of feats of horsemanship, poney races, fox

hunts, and the exhibition of pantomimes. MR. ASTLEY's, near Westminster

Bridge, has for many years been a favourite resort with the public; but

he now finds a powerful rival in the CIRCUS. Mr. Astley's skill in the

military art of _attack_ and _defence_, as well as his superior style of

teaching in the MANEGE, have jointly increased his reputation, and

encouraged him to transmit to posterity, "A System of Equestrian

Education."

ANATOMY,—the study and knowledge of the structure of the human frame in

all its component parts; an accurate knowledge of which can only lead

the practitioner in surgery to the most distant hope of eminence in his

profession, or celebrity in his practice. A proficiency in the

anatomical formation of the horse, is every way as necessary to the

success of the veterinarian, as the utmost efforts of skill to the

surgeon.

ANGLING—is the art of catching fish by rods and lines, of different

construction, with baits, _natural_ and _artificial_, according to the

season of the year, and the fish intended to be caught. As this _sport_

(if it may with consistency be termed one) is not very eagerly sought,

and enjoyed but by _few_, it will not be much enlarged on here; more

particularly as those who enter into the minutiæ of enquiry, and

_spirit_ of the _practice_, will find whole volumes appropriate to this

particular purpose. A writer of no small celebrity, in alluding to this

subject, says, "FISHING is but a _dull_ diversion, and, in my opinion,

calculated only to teach _patience_ to a PHILOSOPHER;" and this most

likely is the echoed opinion of every _fox-hunter_ in the kingdom; for

it should seem that the simple sameness of _angling_, and the more

noble, healthy and exhilarating sports of HUNTING and SHOOTING, were, in

a certain degree, _heterogeneous_, as it has been but very rarely or

ever known, that the enthusiastic admirers of _one_ were ever warm or

anxious followers of the _other_.

The kinds of fish which mostly attract the attention of anglers in the

principal fresh water rivers and trout streams of the kingdom, (whether

for the sport of killing, or the supply of the table,) are _salmon_,

_trout_, _pike_, _barbel_, _chub_, _perch_, _roach_, _dace_, and

_gudgeon_: CARP and TENCH may also be taken into the aggregate, upon the

score of _attraction_; but instances are few where any great quantity

has been taken in this way, as they are, in general, particularly in

ponds, motes, and still waters, too shy and cautious to become the hasty

victims of human invention.

Upon the subject of ANGLING, it may not be inapplicable to term it a

most _unfortunate_ attachment with those classes of society who have no

property but their _trades_, and to whom _time_ alone must be considered

a kind of freehold estate: such time lost by a river side, in the

frivolous and uncertain pursuit of a paltry plate of fish, instead of

being employed in business, has reduced more men _to want_, and their

families to _a workhouse_, than any species of sport whatever. Racing,

hunting, shooting, coursing, and cocking, (destructive as the latter has

been,) have never produced so long a list of _beggars_ as the sublime

_art of angling_; in confirmation of which fact, the eye of observation

need only turn to any of those small country towns near which there

happens to run a _fishing stream_, when the profitable part of the

pleasure may be instantly perceived by the poverty of the inhabitants.

ANISEEDS—are the produce of a plant cultivated much more in France,

Spain, and Germany, than in any part of England. Those from Spain are

preferred; they have a fragrant smell, a warm pleasant taste, with some

degree of sweetness. When reduced to powder, they form a principal and

efficacious ingredient in the preparation of the pectoral cordial balls

for horses, where their virtues are fully admitted. They yield, by

expression, an aromatic essential oil, containing all the medical

property of the seeds, and is mostly imported to us from other parts

ready prepared. Being an article of some expence, it is very much

adulterated with sperma-cæti, and other articles, for the profitable

purposes of retail, by the _secundum artem_ abilities of the parties

concerned. Those who expect any efficacious effects from the aniseed

powder, should grind (or see ground) the seeds themselves; for the

article sold in the shops under that name, is neither more or less, than

the _aniseed cakes_ reduced to powder in the common stock mill of the

druggist, from whence the essential oil has been previously extracted.

ANTIMONY—is, in its original state, a mineral, extracted and separated

from different ores by a peculiar process of eliquation; the various

medical preparations from which, in the present state of hourly

increasing improvement, absolutely excite both surprise and admiration.

This article, now known and proved of such general utility, was

alternately received into, and rejected from, a respectable rank in

medicine, by both the ancients and moderns, till the more judicious and

persevering speculatists established its estimation upon a basis too

firm ever to be again shaken by the attack of whatever new opinions may

be introduced for its degradation.

The crude antimony, when reduced to a fine and impalpable powder, is in

many disorders full as efficacious as its more subtle and elaborate

preparations; this observation appertaining to its effects upon the

human frame, to which it is administered in all forms, by the most

learned and eminent physicians in every part of the enlightened world.

In respect to its corresponding effect upon one of our most useful

animals, the HORSE, experience has proved it to be a safe and certain

medicine to obtund acrimony, promote the secretions, open the pores,

refine the coat, and finally ensure condition; hence it stands the

principal ingredient in the well known advertised "ALTERATIVE POWDERS"

of the Author.

ANTLERS,—used under different significations to explain the various

branches of what is called the head (but divested of technical terms,

the _horns_) of a deer. Except with the huntsmen of stag hounds, the

keepers of parks, and out keepers of forests and chaces, the infinity of

old terms and distinctions are become nearly obsolete; and ANTLERS

amongst sportsmen, as well as sporting rhymesters, are now conceived to

imply the whole head (alias the horns) of the deer.

APERIENTS—are medicines which mildly soften the contents of the

intestines, and gently promote moderate evacuation, without producing

the strong and repeated effects of physic, given with an intent to purge.

APERTURE;—a term in farriery, applied to the orifice or opening of a

tumour or abscess, whether made by Nature, or by perforation with the

instrument of the operator: in either case the principal consideration

must be, to have it sufficiently large for the transpiration of the

offending matter for which the effort was made; if in that respect it is

deficient, relief must be obtained from the hand of the VETERINARIAN.

APOPLEXY,—in horses, a paralytic affection of the brain, from too great

or sudden flux of blood to the part, too powerful exertions of strength

in drawing substances over heavy, or some pre-disposing tendency to

inflammation.

APPUI—is a term used in equestrian education; a perfect knowledge of

which, Mr. Astley is of opinion, "can only be acquired in the MANEGE, by

great practice, under judicious, experienced and able professors."

APPETITE,—if good, in either man or beast, ought to be, and in most

cases is, a clear criterion and proof of health. However, instances are

not wanting, where a rule so seemingly just is sometimes subject to

exceptions. The quantity of good and healthy food taken into the frame,

is by no means an infallible proof of strength, or of what work the

subject is, or ought to be, equal to: some horses are the greatest

_slugs_ in nature, though _always feeding_; while others, who undergo

thrice their labour, do not consume even a moderate share of what is

placed before them. This is probably one of the latent operations of

NATURE, upon which it should seem human penetration is not permitted to

define, at least to a degree of certainty, in respect to both origin and

effect. Scientific aid, and industrious investigation, may do much; but

when done, the enquiry will rest upon no better grounds than undefined

hypothesis, and unconfirmed conjecture.

Here, then, appears most forcibly, the inutility of going into an

enquiry where no _certainty_ of information can be obtained: the

labyrinth of perplexity is better _unentered_, than to explore its most

difficult passages in the _dark_, without even a _chance_ of

extrication. We have, indeed, been informed by a publication of late

years, that "_Appetite is a painful sensation of the stomach, always

accompanied with a desire to eat_." It might, perhaps, have been less

"caviar to the multitude," and much nearer the truth, if appetite had

been defined, a _pleasing_ sensation, and _hunger_ a _painful_ one;

particularly if (for the sake of a paradox or an iricism) "accompanied

with _nothing_ to eat." Waiving, therefore, for the foregoing reasons of

uncertainty, any intent of going into a farther disquisition of _why_

the appetite is _good_ or _bad_, it becomes necessary to proceed to the

facts which are known, and to point out the proper remedies to insure

relief.

When the appetite of a horse is seemingly never satisfied; when he

displays an immoderate and impatient desire for food at all times; when,

in failure of repeated supplies of _hay_ and _corn_, he is constantly

consuming his litter, (although it is none of the cleanest;) such a

horse is generally, and with strict justice, denominated a _coarse_ and

_foul_ feeder; the result of which frequently is, that he soon becomes

as foul in his _blood_, his _coat_, and _condition_, as he has

previously proved himself in his inclination. The ready road to relief

in a case of this kind, is to unload the frame of its accumulated

rubbish by a course of physic; the _rack rein_ and the _muzzle_ are then

such easy alternatives, that those who do not chuse, or are too

indolent, to adopt them, must sit down easy under the defect.

Some there are who attribute the voracious dispositions, and strong

digestive powers, of such horses to their being affected with _worms_.

Such reasoning may, with more propriety, be attributed to the fertile

imagination of those advocates, than to any effect (of the kind

mentioned) in the worms themselves. That (worms being there) disquieting

or painful sensations, from some remote or internal cause, may occasion

a horse to pull out and disperse his hay, to _pick_, _scrape_, and

_disorder_ his _litter_, in proof of disorder or discontent, may readily

be conceived; but that absolute pain from the corroding misery of living

insects, _preying_ upon the very _vitals_ of an animal, shall give him

an _increased appetite_ to _eat_, is a doctrine that cannot be so

readily believed.

Horses of a contrary description, who labour occasionally under a _loss

of appetite_, is no such matter of ambiguity as what has been just

described; but may with certainty be ascribed to its proper cause, by

minutely attending to such signs, and predominant symptoms, as present

themselves to the eye, and to the touch of the diligent enquirer. A loss

of appetite in horses whose constitutions are generally good, and who

have not been remarked for refusing their corn, or being _off their

feed_, sufficiently indicate some tendency to either slight and

temporary indisposition, or impending disease; as _cold_, _cough_,

_febrile heat_ from the fatigue of a long journey on the road, or

exertion in the field; intestinal disquietude, from flatulent affection,

or pain in the _kidnies_; as well as a stricture upon the _neck of the

bladder_, proceeding from a preternatural retention of _urine_, in

having travelled too far "_without drawing bit_." This is the exulting

practice of too many _unthinking_ masters, and _indiscreet_ servants;

it, however, holds forth no proof of the goodness of the _head_ or the

_heart_ in either one or the other. This defect, proceeding from

whatever cause, cannot be too soon properly attended to: early and

attentive investigation should be made as the first and most necessary

step to the acquisition of relief. Admitting it to have originated in

any of those causes already described, there is very little doubt to be

entertained, but a moderate _bleeding_, a _cordial ball_, a mash of

_ground malt_ and _bran_, equal parts, with warm soft water, and a

little nursing, if expeditiously proceeded upon, will soon set all to

rights again.

Not so with those whose defect is constitutional, proceeding from an

inexplicable degree of irritability, so generally and palpably evident

in both _attitude_ and _action_; in the stable, or out, they never

appear perfectly at ease; the eye, the ear, seeming alarmed with every

sound, as if in perpetual search of new causes to keep up the unceasing

spirit of discontent and eternal disquietude. Upon the road in company,

or in the field with hounds, they invariably and impatiently court

competition, making the most violent exertions to prove their great,

passionate, and ill-tempered desire for superiority; so that horses of

this description, after a journey of some length, or a chase of severe

duration, are not only off their appetites for _two_ or _three_ days,

but hardly fit to be seen again for _a week_. They are mostly light, and

what is termed _fluey in the carcase_; carry no flesh, with or without

work; and for that reason, do no credit _in appearance_ to their master.

Yet, strange as it may appear to those unacquainted with the fact,

horses or mares of this restless, unsettled disposition, are almost so

invariably good and persevering in nature, that they will continue to

exert themselves, till, becoming totally exhausted, they must sink under

fatigue, rather than permit themselves to be restrained; a palpable

contrast _in spirit_ to those voracious, gummy-legged gluttons, who,

after an insatiate series of gormandizing and rest, absolutely tire (or

"_knock up_") in the second stage, or _first twenty miles_, of a journey.

This defect, (or more properly deficiency in appetite and disinclination

of food,) whether proceeding from the fiery volatility of temper

impatient of restraint, or a peculiar laxity of the parts necessary to

strong digestion, is so clearly inherent, so truly constitutional, that

a well-founded expectation of permanent relief, or total eradication, is

not to be formed upon any change that can be made in food, or

improvement in attention. Such horses, however, if their paces are good,

and they are desirable in other respects, should not be too _hastily_

disposed of; instances having been very frequent, where horses of such

irritable habit, and fretful disposition, when young, have, when

accustomed to the same stable, gentle usage, and to one rider only,

become as settled feeders, good goers, round carcased and firm fleshed

horses as any in the kingdom. Some inducement to feed after the fatigues

(or _frettings_) just recited, may be attempted by the means before

described; few occasions will occur where the malt mashes will be

refused; the novel fragrancy attracts attention, and when once taken,

its invigorating property soon appears. In cases where the stomach

continues weak, the carcase thin, and appetite not restored, an

occasional use of the _pectoral cordial balls_, once or even twice a

day, is the proper substitute for aliment, and will seldom or ever fail

to produce the desired effect.

AQUATIC,—appertaining to water. Fish are an aquatic production. Aquatic

herbs take root in the soil beneath, and vegetate as well _below_ as

upon the _surface_ of the water. An _aquatic excursion_ is a party of

pleasure upon the water.

ARABIC GUM,—is a most useful article to dissolve with water or gruel in

the sickness of horses. _Nitre_ should never be given without half its

quantity of Gum Arabic.

ARSENIC,—is a most certain and destructive poison, mentioned here only

to demonstrate its utility in clearing premises of _rats_, which it will

infallibly do, if made use of in the following manner. Take (in the

season when they are to be obtained) a dozen large apples; let them be

pared, and the cores extracted; then chop them exceedingly fine, till

they are almost a paste; to which add half an ounce of arsenic, reduced

to powder, and two ounces of coarse sugar; mix well, and let this be

distributed in their _usual haunts_, remembering to let earthen pans be

set with _plenty of water_ within their reach; and the sudden thirst

they are seized with, after eating the smallest quantity of the

composition, is so violent, that they drink till unable to move from the

spot; and if the preparation is made over night, and the rats are

plenty, they will be found in the morning swelled to the utmost extent,

and lying dead in different parts, as if they had fallen victims to a

fashionable dropsy.

ARM—of a horse, is so called (though it is properly the fore-thigh) from

the elbow immediately under the chest, downwards to the junction at the

knee: this should be uniformly strong and muscular, being wide at top,

and narrowing proportionally to the bottom: if it is not so, but mostly

of a size, it is an evident proof of weakness.

ART VETERINARY—is the present improved state of FARRIERY, as taught at a

newly established institution, called the VETERINARY COLLEGE at Camden

Town, in the parish of Saint Pancras; where the pupils attend LECTURES

upon _anatomy_, _physiology_, and _medicine_, under a PROFESSOR of the

first eminence, as well as the practical part of the business at the

_forge_ and in _farriery_, till, being properly qualified, they pass the

necessary examination before a committee of surgeons, when they receive

their diploma, and embark for themselves as VETERINARY SURGEONS in the

service of the public; or possess the privilege of an immediate

appointment in his Majesty's service, under the patronage of his Royal

Highness the Commander in Chief, at a stipend which does honor to the

institution, as will be found more fully explained under its proper

head, VETERINARY COLLEGE.

ASCARIDES—are a species of worms, to which horses are frequently

subject, from two to three inches long: they are not larger in

circumference than a common knitting needle, have a flat head, and in

some degree not unlike the millepedes, at least in respect to their

number of legs. They are in general voided with the dung, where they may

be seen twirling and twisting about with wonderful rapidity, not unlike

a grig, or small eel, when thrown out of his own element upon the grass.

Horses persecuted with these painful and troublesome companions, are

generally relaxed in the intestines, and throw off their dung in a

_loose state_, affording, by that circumstance alone, sufficient proof

how much they irritate internally, as well as why horses affected with

_worms_, are not only low in flesh, but rough in coat, and almost every

way out of condition.

ASTHMATIC.—Horses are considered _asthmatic_, or thick-winded, who have

acquired a difficulty of respiration, and a short husky cough, from

blood originally dense and sizey having been permitted to become

proportionally _viscid_, from a want of _evacuants_ and _attenuants_ in

time to have prevented the obstructions which lay the foundation of this

troublesome defect. The viscidity of the blood constituting obstructions

in the finer vessels, produce tubercles in the lungs, which, rendering

their action partial and imperfect, occasions the difficulty of

breathing, and repetition of cough, so constantly observed during the

increased circulation of the blood, when the horse is brought into use.

Frequent _bleedings_, and a course of the Author's PECTORAL DETERGENT

BALLS, are the best means of alleviation and cure.

ASTRINGENTS—is rather a medical than either a general or sporting term,

and implies any article in food or medicine, possessing the property of

restraining a too great flux of excrement after physic, or a too lax

state of body, (denominated looseness,) proceeding from a previous

fulness, or from intestinal acrimony, where the discharges have been a

mere effort of Nature to relieve herself from the load, and not in

consequence of any purgative whatever. In such flaccidity of the

intestines, proceeding from whatever cause, a cordial ball occasionally,

small quantities of liquid laudanum in gruel, and an ounce of gum arabic

dissolved, and given night and morning in the water, will soon restore

them to their proper state.

ATTACHMENTS—Court of, a ceremony or court peculiar to the laws of a

forest, and necessary to be known only by those who reside therein. The

officers of this court do no more than receive the _attachments_ of the

_foresters_, and enrol them in the VERDERERS' rolls, that they may be

ready for the court of _swainmote_ when held. This court of attachments

having no power to determine upon cases of offence or trespass beyond

the value of _fourpence_, all above that sum must appear in the

verderers' rolls, and be sent by them to the court of swainmote, there

to be tried according to the forest laws, which are replete with

peculiar privileges, immunities, and what are termed royalties,

appertaining to the Crown itself.

ATTAINT—has been used, by members of the old school in farriery, for

blows, bruises, cuts, and wounds, sustained in any one leg by injuries

from the other. As it is, however, nearly obsolete, and may probably

never be heard again, farther exposition becomes unnecessary.

ATTRACTION—is positively, in some respects, the best property (if it can

be so termed) a horse can possibly possess, at least so far as it is

admitted to exceed every other qualification in its effect upon the mind

of the owner during the time he is in possession; as well as no

inconsiderable gratification of pecuniary expectation when the horse

comes to be sold. The great advantage arising from _attraction_ in a

horse is, that, however vexatious his defects in respect to temper and

action may be, he will never hang upon hand, or the owner be long in

want of a customer, if external figure and good colour do but afford

_attraction_ in any tolerable degree. There are always those in pursuit

of horses for purchase, who more know what constitutes _figure_ at

_first sight_, than what constitutes _good points_ after a week's

examination. Two good ends (as the dealers term them) _well set on_, and

_both up_, go a great way in the fashionable work of attraction; without

one or both of which, a horse can never become a commanding figure,

either before or behind; and, strange as it may be thought by the young

or inexperienced, there are numerous instances of horses bearing, in

their general appearance, a kind of _attracting uniformity_, that, upon

critical investigation, are found not to have any distinguishing point

of excellence about them. Those, however, who have the prudence to bear

in memory the effect of _attraction_, and to secure it when they _buy_,

will never be at much loss when they _sell_: it will be also by no means

inapplicable to have it equally "in the mind's eye," that many horses

without attraction are _too dear at nothing_.

ATTIRE—of a deer. See ANTLERS.

AVIARY—a receptacle for singing birds of different denominations, more

adapted to the pleasures of the ladies, than any systematic pursuit or

enquiry of the sportsman.