a customer.-(Mem. no light blue satin cravats worn; no Champagne talked about, though a bottle might be routed out on occasion.)Osborn does not call himself a Gentleman; but, I tell you what, he will very soon judge whether his customer is one or not.

I think I am justified in calling this the first Commission Stable in England, for two reasons-I believe Osborn was the first who devoted himself exclusively to this branch of the horse trade, and that he has in this way sold more horses than any other man in existence. I am not going to write a panegyric on Mr. Osborn: but so far as I know of him-and I knew him, and he sold horses for me, and to me, when I was a mere boy-I can only say, were I in London, and wanted a horse, to him I should go; and I believe, greatly to his credit be it said, the greater part of his old customers who have left him have left the world also.

Having shewn my Reader a Repository where I consider the business is carried on as fairly as the nature of that business will allowfor, in road phrase, a little "shouldering" will creep into the best regulated Repositories-I will endeavour to shew what might be done in one where a man intends to do.

All persons who are not amateurs of horses are much more suspicious of those whose business lies in that way than those who are; but, unluckily, their suspicions are seldom directed to the right point: so, not knowing what to guard against, these suspicions do them no good. The chief apprehensions I have heard people express in sending a horse to a Commission Stable for sale are, first, that he will be cheated of his proper feeding; and, secondly, that the owner of the stables will keep the horse unsold for the advantage he derives from the livery expenses. Nothing can be more futile or groundless (in a general way) than both these apprehensions; not from any honesty on the part of the owner or his subordinates, where either or both are inclined to be trickey, but from other causes. With respect to the feeding: this is done by the foreman, who, in large feeding establishments, generally goes at the regular feeding hours with a corn-barrow to the different stables: here he gives to the man or men, according to the number of horses, a feed for each. Thus the foreman cannot cheat the horses without the knowledge of the strappers; and he values his berth too much to put himself in their power; for if he did, he would become under them instead of their being under him. As he dare not keep back corn for his own advantage, you may depend on it he would not do so for that of his master, unless directed by him to that effect: and this he would not be, for then he would have it in his power to expose his employer. So, even supposing the whole lot-master, foreman, and strappers-to be rogues, the fear of each other in this particular keeps them honest. Now the strappers-the generality of whom I give full credit for being quite disposed to pillage both master and customer if they can do so with impunity-if they could carry the corn home in lieu of giving it to the horses, there is little doubt but they would do so; but the horses are seen feeding by other eyes, as well as those of the man directly in charge of them; so he must give them their feed: and supposing he did crib a portion from each, oats are a bulky article in proportion to their value, and could not be conveyed away in any quantity. A few to feed a rabbit or hen or two is the most that could be got off; and

supposing this done, the quantity taken from six or seven horses could never affect them. The customer has another guarantee against his horse not getting his feeding. These helpers always look to getting some little reward if a horse is sold or taken away, provided he looks as if he had had justice done him; and this they are quite sure they will not get if he looks the reverse: so, depend on it, they would be more likely to rob their master of his corn than your horse. There is one way in which he may come off second best; but if he does, it is your fault; so I give you a hint that may be useful. If you are known as one who gives a shilling, or not anything, where half-a-crown would be advantageously given to a helper, so sure as your horse is a horse half his oats will be cribbed from him and given to that of some one who pays properly. If you do this, you need be under no fear of any want of attention to your horse. Under all circumstances, pay servants, not lavishly, but liberally: it is not only justice, but economy in the long run. I have never been in the habit of keeping horses at livery unless for a day or two, or if sent for sale; but whether in these cases or at Inns (where I was known) I always found my horses made as comfortable as in their own stables, whatever other people's might be. Even a ghilling extra will do this, and it is a very cheap mode of preventing coughs, colds, and cracked heels.

Now for the other apprehension, of horses being kept unsold for the sake of his livery. This is a thing rarely done; but when he is so kept, it is for a much more rascally purpose than the paltry consideration supposed. No, no; if you are intended to be robbed, depend on it it will be done to a much larger tune than a few oats, or the five or six shillings per week profit on the livery.

We will suppose a person has been unfortunate enough to send a horse to a Repository for private sale where the master (who we will call Mr. Nickem) is as great a rogue as you could desire: of course, the result would depend a good deal on who sent him there, and how far he knew and was known to understand how to guard against any tricks that might be wished to be played him. We will, however, suppose in this case the horse to be sent by some one knowing about as much of Nickem's practices as the generality of persons do at many, nay, most of the Repositories for the private sale of horses. In large provincial towns there is a weekly sale by auction: now this is really a very great convenience, as it affords the seller the choice of being done privately or publicly, and effectually by either mode.

But before I proceed further with Mr. Nickem and his Repository, I must make a little digression, in order to answer two more observations I have heard made as complaints against the owners of Repositories; for let every man have justice at all events. The one is, that you can never get them to tell you what they think your horse is worth or likely to bring the other, that they will not tell to whom the horses or any particnlar horse belongs that may be standing with them for sale. This I grant, looks like a want of candid, fair, and straightforward conduct; in fact, looks like a little hocus pocus that causes suspicion with the inquirer. It is quite true that the observation is a correct one; and equally so, that, till it is explained, it has a very suspicious look, Doubtless this concealment is frequently made for nefarious purposes,

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but not always: in fact, except in particular cases it is necessary, and that necessity arises more from the fault of the customer than the salesman.

We will suppose a Gentleman takes a horse to shew any owner of a Repository: we will suppose the owner values him (as a middling price) at sixty he asks Mr. what he thinks the horse is worth: we will just see the predicament Mr. would put himself in if he gave his opinion. If he stated that he considered him worth more than the owner did, the latter would be afterwards not only disappointed, and consider himself ill-used if on further inspection it was found the horse would not bring that sum; indeed, he would most probably consider some chicanery had been used towards him: and if, on the contrary, the salesman valued him at less than the owner (and which in most cases he might very fairly do), he would be set down either as a bad judge or a rogue; and very probably the owner would at once ride away, hoping to find a more promising market. Now, though a good judge will go very near the mark as to the value of a young sound fresh horse in a fair, it is not generally this description of horse that is sent to a Repository: on the contrary, they are mostly horses that have been used, and their value depends chiefly on their merits: consequently a horse of this sort may, when he comes to be ridden or driven, be worth ten or twenty pounds more or less than he looks when merely a cursory glance is taken of him. If a horse looking worth we will say forty pounds is found on mounting him to go away (in stable phrase) with his knee up. can trot at the rate of fifteen or sixteen miles an hour, and goes over the stones as safe and firm as on the high road, such a hack is worth a hundred to many people, and would bring it: whereas, if, on the contrary, he went shoving his feet along as if he was trying whether the stones were slippery or not, twenty pounds and a cart is his value and place: in fact, there are many who, like me, would not accept him as a gift. This is not to be ascertained by a horse being merely rode up to a stable door; though a keen eye will form an opinion even by this, and probably will be to a great extent correct. But we are not to suppose that any man will take the trouble to try your horse merely for the pleasure of giving you his opinion of him, and which would very likely be that he is a brute. It might be very candid to tell you so, but it would not be business, and, tell it as civilly as such a thing could be told, the only consequence and thanks that would arise would be, the horse would not be left for sale; and a man cannot afford to pay two or three hundred a-year for premises merely to shew you how candid he is. In nineteen cases out of twenty, therefore, a man is quite justified in declining to value a horse brought to him for sale. The owner ought to know his value: if he does not, when he comes to be shewn to the public, that will very shortly enlighten him in this particular; and though this man or that may not be a judge of such matters, the public is, and a very good one.

Now we will see why it would be injudicious to state to whom horses for sale belong. Owners very frequently do not wish this to be done for various reasons; but if they did, and the salesman was to tell this, the consequence would be, what I dare say the generality of persons never dreamt of he would be lucky if he got his commission on half the horses VOL. V.-THIRD SERIES, N. S.-No. 25.

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he sold. It may be said that Gentlemen will not be guilty of ungentlemanlike acts. To this doctrine on a broad scale I fully subscribe; but I must also say there are a great many who will. Besides this, all the horses sent to a Repository are not sent by Gentlemen, nor are they all Gentlemen who treat for them: consequently, unless a salesman knows his customer very well, in justice to himself he must take care that he does not give the opportunity for such things taking place with him. I will answer for it that Osborn would tell me (and doubtless many others of his customers if we chose to ask him) to whom any horse belonged, unless desired not to do so: nay further, if I wished to purchase a horse in his stables, and more was asked for him than I thought he was worth, he would tell me, for he has done it" I am not authorised to take less than I ask you; but he belongs to Mr. So-andso if you like to go to him, you may, and if he chooses to take less I can have no objection." But before he would do this, he would know his customer, and feel quite certain no mean advantage would be taken. Depend on it he would not do this by a stranger; and, what is more, would take still greater precaution in doing it to many he does know.

It seems very natural a man should wish to learn all he can of a horse he wishes to buy; and this induces many persons who do not intend any unfairness to ask to whom he belongs-not by the by that I consider the owner as a certain source of correct information on the subject; in many cases quite the reverse: still, to get to the owner seems to many persons the great desideratum, forgetting, that if the salesman's interest in selling a horse is three pounds, probably in point of convenience or money the owner's is three times as much: consequently, he has three times as much interest in deceiving the buyer; and if a purchaser expects an owner to tell him the faults or any faults of his horse, he expects a great deal more than I should.

This, however, does not explain how a salesman is likely to suffer by being, as the purchaser would wish, candid; but the following case does. A finds out by some means that a horse standing at a Repository belongs to B. A has been asked, say fifty pounds; away he posts to B, tells him he has been looking at his horse, and is disposed to buy him; that he has offered thirty-five, which has been refused. Now if the salesman had sold the horse at forty, B would have received thirtyeight, so A and B lay their heads together, and conclude the bargain by B taking thirty-seven. This is only one pound less than he would have got had the horse been sold by the salesman at forty: so the liberal pair concoct this little arrangement between them. B sends for his horse home; of course says nothing of his being sold; merely pays for keep, and thus, although he was sold through the connection of the salesman, and from being seen and shewn at his Establishment, he is thus done out of his commission. I hope, nay I do not doubt, there are many who would think that few such underhand fellows as A and B are to be met with: this is, however, very wide of the fact; for the truth is, not only are A and B to be met with, but we may go on to L, and find personality to answer to each letter. This, being about the middle of the alphabet, brings it to what I say, that by letting buyers and sellers meet, the salesman would lose half his commission: so the man is obliged to give ambiguous and evasive answers to prevent him

self suffering from the meanness and avarice of those from whom one might expect at least fairness of conduct; but so in truth it is.

Another trick is sometimes played a salesman. Some fellow, halfdealer and half-gentleman, brings three or four horses to a Repository for sale he takes care to ask such a price for his horses that it is next to impossible for the salesman to sell them at it. If he does happen to do so, well and good; in that case he would get his commission; indeed he could not be kept out of it: but at anything like a fair price he will not; for it is managed in this way. The owner, or his man, are one or the other constantly by the side of the horses; consequently not one can be shewn without those worthies knowing all about it. The horse is liked, but the price asked by the salesman precludes his being sold by him. But the owner gets at the Gentleman, who of course does not trouble himself about the salesman's commission, and thus buys the horse of the owner, who agrees to bring him to the purchaser's stable: he gets paid for him; and here again the salesman is done. If the owner thinks there is a probability of his being found out at this, all he does is to take his other horses somewhere else; so even Nickem is done sometimes. It may be said no one pities him, nor do I, for he does other people often enough; but it accounts for why a salesman, whether a rogue or a respectable man, evades letting people into the knowledge of to whom horses belong; and this is all I intended to do.

We will now return to the supposed case of a horse being sent to Nickem to sell. The Reader must bear in mind that we are now sending him to a man, who, from the moment any horse comes into his clutches, sets out with the determination to get all that can fairly or unfairly be got out of him for his own benefit; and to do Nickem justice, he is no petty larceny rogue: he will not descend to rob your horse, though he will ascend pretty high in the scale of ingenuity to rob you. Now there is no great ingenuity in robbing in a common vulgar way; but to rob so as to avoid suspicion, and even to induce your victim to return and be robbed again, requires no little tact, and this is Nickem's forte.

If (which I believe is the general mode) a horse is sent to a Repository by a servant with a note stating his particulars and price, the first thing Nickem does is to cast an eye on him to judge a little what degree of trouble he is worth; that is, not whether he is to be treated better or worse, but what quantum of chicanery it seems probable it will be worth while to employ against him, or rather his master. If a common twenty or twenty-five pound brute, that is about worth the money asked and no more, he is merely put up in the stable, takes his chance of sale (and he really gets a chance), and Nickem would say of him, in reference to his not coming in for his share of roguery, about the same as the man affectionately said to his wife, who fondly remarked the difference of his conduct to that of his neighbour, who thrashed his rib about three times a-week, "I'm d-d if I thinks you worth it."

We will, however, suppose the horse brought to be a clever nag, and eighty is asked for him: Nickem thinks this a price he can get for him ; he by no meaus, however, intends to do so; that is, the horse belongs to the present owner, and here is a case where a horse will be purposely kept unsold, though not for the advantage of his livery