CONTENTS. wwww www www ww. Dedicatory Epistle to Mr. Charles Forbes Buchan, wherein WAAAA www - www www Animals, not moral agents, www www. www Remembered by God in his covenant with Noah, wwwne Bougeant's arguments in favour of his system, Savage nature of brutes accounted for, www www. www www www. www CONTENTS. Instances of the natural affection of brutes to their young, www of the migration of the swallows, Man, indebted to the brutes for many useful discoveries, Prescience of brutes regarding the weather, &c. Anecdotes of a gentleman travelling, of Louis XI. of France and the collier's ass, Account of a learned pig in Bartholomew fair, of a pig that was broke in to find game, Instance of memory in the horse, www www wwww DURING my residence in London, (where the greater part of the following sheets was written,) I was subject to very indifferent health; which, to avoid, I frequented as much as possible all the public places in the vicinity of London,and other popular cities and towns of England. On my way to and from these places, my feelings were often shocked to see many of the most useful, noble, but defenceless animals, patiently suffering under the most rigorous severity of a tyrannical, cruel, and merciless waggoner, carman, or coachman; while every limb,and every muscle were strained to obey the imperitive, but unreasonable demands of their brutish oppressor.-— How to ameliorate their sufferings I was at a loss to know:-Their pain gave me pain, and my mind entered into the state of their slavery with all the zeal in my power. Surely, I thought, if these noble animals, which are so useful to mankind, should rise in judgment against their inhuman masters, what must be the consequence to them in an after world. Full of these imaginations, I began seriously to think of the matter, and to reflect on the many acts of kindess and gratitude I have, with many others, experienced from the brute creation. This gave rise to my first conception of their having souls, and of their souls being immortal. Since that time, I have found many passages of scripture to sanction and confirm my belief;also,many learned and respectable men of my opinion, from whose works I have occasionally given extracts, although not marked with inverted commas: For which reason, in the work, I have used the plural pronoun WE. My most ardent desire is, therefore, that it may have the desired effect of making many converts to my opinion, so as the misery to which the brutes is daily made subject, may be lessened thereby. Our wise legislature has passed an act for the punishment of cruelty to animals; but, I am sorry to say, it is so seldom enforced upon the guilty culprits, as to leave any solid or lasting impression. In the Dedicatory Epistle to my son, I flatter myself their will be found many things useful to the young and rising generation, if duly attended to. The characters whom he is requested to guard against, are but a too plentiful crop in the world, like the young pelicans in the wilderness, feeding on the blood of their parents. Although the characters alluded to be copied, in a great measure, from real life, no private person in particular is aimed at; so that if think themselves any aggrieved,and are in reality the guilty persons, I have no objections to their letting the public know, that they may also guard against them. THE AUTHOR, |