Another important object has this year been accomplished, in the suppression of two notorious pits for dog-fighting and other barbarous sports, one of them in West-Street, West-Smithfield, and kept by John Roach; the other in Tottenham-Court-Road, kept by John Cox; both of these having been interfered in by the Society on former occasions, and Roach fined at Hatton Garden by it last year for the offence, upon which for a time he, it appears, desisted; soon after which it was discovered that Roach and Cox kept on again their exhibitions. The Society consequently, aided by Mrs. Thompson, sent men to both places, where they witnessed their cruel pastime and on the 26th of December, at Roach's pit, saw some dogs nearly killed in the fights. They accordingly applied to Messrs. Laing and Rogers and Serjeant Sellon for summonses, which was several times unfortunately refused, but were at last granted, when Roach and Cox were charged and fined £5 each; Roach paying his share, and Cox being committed to prison in default; and here closed these barbarous exhibitions and sports.

:

In legislation for the benefit of animals, no improvement has this year taken place; but the friends of humanity have not been idle in the subject, and the public are again indebted to the zeal of Joseph Pease, Esq., M. P., for an attempt on the 10th of July, to introduce a bill to amend the law on cruelty to animals; an unpropitious moment however defeated the object; and after five or six unsuccessful efforts, the house being counted out each time he was compelled to desist. The motion for an adjournment of the house at its rising till the Monday then following, having been carried with an understanding that no public business should be discussed or bills passed through any of their stages. Mr. Pease however, in conformity it appears, to the original intention, rose to move, amidst great noise and confusion, owing to the house clearing out suddenly, for leave to bring in a bill to consolidate and amend the laws relative to the cruel treatment of cattle and other animals. Sir Edward Knatchbull objected to the motion as being an infraction of the understanding come to, he should proceed to divide the house. The member pressed is motion, a division was called for and strangers withdrew. No division however took place, and the motion was therefore withdrawn. The hon. member is however, we are glad to find, not disheartened, being now again in the field to accomplish his worthy object, and has obtained leave to bring in a bill.

We have also to congratulate the friends of humanity on the success of the bill for the establishment of the Islington market, where an abattoire has been erected; which by its superior accommodations and arrangement, will no doubt, save much cruelty to the cattle. Too many thanks cannot be given to Mr. Perkins, the liberal projector of this plan on the occasion. It is also due to James Yewen to allude to a letter in the Morning Herald, from Mr. Alderman Harmer, and his reply to the same.

SIR,

To the Editor of the Morning Herald.

In your paper of this day, I find a paragraph, stating that the officers of the Animals' Friend Society last week, laid a complaint before me against two omnibus-drivers for great cruelty to their horses; that one of the drivers did not attend, and that the other, who was charged with having whipped a horse for a long time on a "sore" was dismissed, because I did not think it a bad case, and because the officer did not give the offender notice of his

presence, &c. Now Sir, I beg to say, that whoever sent you this paragraph, or furnished you with the information on which it is founded, has most grossly imposed upon you, The officer of the Society could not swear to the person of the driver, and could only state that the cruelty was inflicted on a white horse. The defendant's master proved that he had but one horse of that colour amongst his stock; that the white horse had no sore, and that it was not driven by the defendant. There was therefore no evidence to justify my convicting the person charged before me; and as the officer admitted, that he allowed the beating of the animal to be continued in his sight for a long time, and permitted the offender at last to cease of his own accord; I did remark, that I thought it would have been more consistent with his duty, as a friend to humanity, to have stopped the continuation of the cruelty by timely admonition and remonstrance.

Seeing in the Herald of the 26th February, that Alderman Harmer has contradicted the report, which he states has appeared in that paper of the 23rd, I feel bound, without wishing the slightest offence to the worthy Alderman, fully to corroborate its truth, and though no member of the Society was present, till after the hearing, I am prepared to prove its correctness; viz.—that he did say, he considered it not a bad case, and that I ought to have admonished the offender and have told him who I was, and not to have summoned him without he continued the cruelty afterwards : also, that the horse was white and had a wound. Though the worthy Alderman allowed the bare word of the master, whom he did not put on his oath, to be called a proof against my evidence on oath. I also did swear to the best of my knowledge, that that was the driver, and if otherwise, why did he appear?

On leaving the court I was accosted in the presence of a member of the Society, by a person who expressed his surprise that the magistrate had dismissed such cases.

I am, Mr. Editor, but an humble individual, but my character is dear to me, and I would scorn a falsehood. I have never made any professions to humanity, though hope I am not callous to its calls; but my business is to prevent cruelty in the way my employers point out, and it is their decision : though they approve of personal interference on some occasions; that my duty is chiefly to act as an instrument of the law, and not content myself by causing offenders to desist in my presence, and trangress the moment I am gone. But in this case, I distinctly told the Alderman that I shook my stick at the man, as a sign for him to desist, though without effect.

I am, Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

JAMES YEWEN.

The managers cannot close this Report without alluding to the fourth Report of Mr. Charles Wheeler's Society, which Mr. W. calls "The Ladies' Society, for the more effectual suppression of Cruelty to Animals," in which a number of prosecutions are referred to, and services in the markets, &c., named, as if they had really been performed, though in the prosecutions the names of the offenders, prosecutors, and magistrates, as well as the offices

and dates, have been strangely omitted. The Committee of the Animals' Friend Society has been at considerable pains to ascertain at the chief policeoffices and Smithfield, whether so powerful an auxiliary really existed: but neither the clerks of the police-offices, nor the constables of Smithfield knew any thing of such prosecutions and services, excepting that a man, named Hooker, had, for a short time been stationed in Smithfield. Still the Report curiously remarks that it was "to be regretted that the newspapers in alluding to the prosecutions of Mr. Wheeler's Society, do not more frequently give the title of that Society, being in error (it observes) by terming it Animals' Friend Prevention, &c." The Report then innocently observes, that "not a single drover of Smithfield market had during this year been prosecuted; a remonstrance from the officers having (it has been stated) been quite sufficient." The Animals' Friend Society's officers have however not been quite so serene, and have unfortunately been obliged to prosecute many.

The managers do hope, that any charitable individuals, who may wish to aid the cause, will first ascertain whether in contributing to his funds, they would serve it in the way they expect. They are particularly led to this caution by the letter of Mrs. Thompson, which appears in the sequel.

Many thanks, as usual, are due to several editors, particularly of the Morning Advertiser, who nobly and unremittedly continues his powerful support, as he has for many years done. To the editor of the Morning Herald, we are also under much obligation for his repeated liberal and very skilful exertions in favour of humanity; and it is gratifying to observe the beneficial influence their good lessons have had on the moral temperament of the age. LEWIS GOMPERTZ, Hon. Sec.

END OF THE REPORT.

LETTER OF AN HINDOO TO HIS FRIEND.
MY DEAR JUNKOPOOR.

Long have I been compelled to postpone my promise of conveying to you my impressions respecting the English, but the insurmountable difficulty of comprehending their real characters forms my solid excuse; the strange and laborious pertenacity evinced by their public men on the most trifling matters of church or state, and the carelessness they show on the most important subjects of life particularly excited my astonishment, they will fight to the last for a straw, and when any question of the deepest interest is discussed the wrong side almost always succeeds; if such matters in England were indeed carried by their minorities instead of the majorities no affairs would be better managed. Still nothing can exceed my admiration of the talents generally displayed by this favored and busy country, where every art, science, luxury, and ornament of life is brought to its highest perfection. The different productions of refinement and ingenuity which crowd themselves on the notice of a stranger have an imposing effect on the mind of an Hindoo. Their literary effusions in particular command admiration, here every subject in turn is canvassed and analyzed to its very atoms, nor has that of morality escaped the vigilance of their pens, but when they come to the practice! oh here, I cannot go on, they then do not appear upon this subject to know right from wrong; much as they are superior to us in matters of their own comfort and amusement; with respect to morality I do assure you they are mere novices, and as my first impression was that of respect and humiliation, I was the more startled at this unaccountable para

dox, and the immense discrepancy between their professions and their practice; still there are, it must be confessed, numerous benevolent institutions here, and many good persons too, but these compose I fear by far the minor part, while the bulk of the people from the peer to the beggar, though they look on other nations as uncivilized men are themselves mere savages, in which humanity to animals and even to man is almost totally wanting. Never however was a nation more devout; but they mistake the principles of their religion, and think the Supreme Being will be contented with their admiration of Himself, while contempt and injury is passed by them upon His works. Every other animal they consider as only made to be sacrificed to their pleasure and sport. They shut their eyes to the mental endowments bestowed upon them, which they confound with blind instinct, a quality, which in so extended a sense not one of the natives can explain. No nation is better acquainted with the various abilities of the dumb creation, still they think and teach each other that it is entirely destitute of reason. This is the doctrine handed down from father to son; and as the time of youth which with us is devoted to the instilling in children a knowledge of the moral duties of life, is here chiefly spent by them in acquiring an acquaintance with the dead languages, and the trades and professions they are to follow; they, poor things! have no alternative but readily to swallow the principles which are forced down their throats without time to examine the contents; and as those delusions well agree with their love of self they maintain them to the last, without even suspecting their fallacy; which thus established is the cause of the terrible cruelty and injustice they inflict upon every unfortunate animal within their power. First they assume it to be without reason, and thence infer it without a soul; consequently so inferior to and different from mankind, that the same laws which teach man to respect the rights of each other become entirely inapplicable to the brute creation, which we Hindoos know to be in so many respects, particularly in those of gratitude and affection, so superior to the generality of mankind. In this erroneous notion they commit every torture that can be conceived on them, and appear to take a strange pleasure in it. Some animals they cause to be torn to pieces by dogs for their amusement, others they skin and boil alive. Their beasts of burden they drive to death; if they are blind, lame, or broken winded, go they must by the force of the lash or the spur in spite of their darkness, lameness, or short panting; and while the natives commit this and numerous other such sins, the religious preceptors seldom interfere, and even fall into the same errors themselves. Till within a few years ago no law whatever existed to restrain the propensity of the English for ill-treating their animals, but the law against any person who should interpose between them and their oppressors are in full force. A very limited law in favor of animals, has however of late, through great opposition been effected by the ever lamented Richard Martin and Mr. Joseph Peace; but what was the treatment towards the first and his supporters? Derision was for a long time nearly the only reward they received from their country. To talk of humanity towards beasts appeared to Englishmen as insanity. In justice however say it they now begin to know better, and their hearts indeed to soften ; still it is astonishing how bills are introduced to the senate in favour of humanity to animals, when the chosen representatives of the nation often throw them out again without ceremony or shame. I cannot now detail what is constantly going on, but my first walk through the metropolis will serve to give some insight into the character of the people.

I

The first object which struck my attention was a place called White

chapel, where hundreds of skinned sheep with hideous gashes in their throats, are indelicately exposed for sale on hooks, plainly evincing evident signs of an unnecessary violent death. I observed a respectable looking woman examining the carcases, and expected some remark of refinement from her lips. She however turned to me, and observed, what a fine sight is this! what profusion for the poor! Leaving this bloody and filthy place, I saw in one of the squares an elegant chariot and two beautiful horses, when a grave and venerable clergyman, the proprietor, feeling flattered with my admiration, accosted me with an eulogy on the goodness of God for having so well-made the horses' necks to fit the collars of his harness, and their feet to draw his carriage. Hearing then that the subject of cruelty to animals was going to be discussed at a public-meeting, I went there and learned of practices that made my very blood freeze in my veins. Among the subjects deprecated was that of vivisection: operations performed by medical men upon animals, which, without exaggeration, they cut up alive, and torture by every possible means to improve their knowledge of human diseases, I could not avoid expressing considerable warmth at such deeds. I soon however got a host of English and French surgeons around me, who eagerly defended these crimes, and on what ground do you think? a pretty one indeed! That it was all for the good of their own species, and therefore not only justifiable, but highly meritorious! Here a retired surgeon stepped forward and joined me, at last calling me aside, he told me that these young practitioners when once they had acquired their taste of experimenting on dumb animals, were carried by their love of science a little further, viz :—to the hospitals and workhouses, where human beings of a lower caste became the victims. This he continued is well known to and defended by the profession, as without it they say, we should never have acquired the knowledge we possess, forgetting that knowledge illegitimately obtained, is stolen goods.

Leaving this meeting, I went to the market, called Smithfield, where the butchers buy their cattle, and never was my astonishment more highly excited. Often have I heard the term " 'Hells" applied to many gamblinghouses in London, where the English trick each other out of their money, but truly is this the worst Hell of them all. Here do you see thousands of panting sheep and oxen which have been driven hundreds of miles standing for a whole night and day without food or drink, in a space too small for half their number, and where hundreds of villains are employed with thick cudgels and goads, whose business is to belabour them with blows on their heads, eyes, and bodies, that they may properly stand to be handled and examined by the butchers. Near this place are a great many slaughter-houses, (all private property,) where not a soul can enter without the owner's consent, and to these places are the cattle driven; many of which are cellars ten or twelve feet deep without any entrance for the cattle but from a trapdoor on the top, down which the poor sheep are tossed on the stone-floor by men calling themselves christians, and there sometimes skinned alive, and tortured just as the fancy of the slaughterman may dictate.

You will, no doubt, imagine that the rulers of the nation are ignorant of such facts, but far from this is the case; prayer after prayer has fruitlessly been presented to the senate to alleviate these grievances, and prevent their bull-baits, and numerous others of their barbarous pastimes; but the educated here are no better than the ignorant, their education having been of the wrong kind the chief aim of parents in this country being to accomplish their offspring to effect their progress through life, while they neglect that part which teaches them their duties towards other beings; this