The Sun.
London, England, 1825-08-25 00:00:00

PolAcH INItudGENcE:

•
MUTTON tOie Tfig LONDON MARKET.
QUILL/HALL-A curious Expose *t'as made yesterday he;
Idl Mr.Alderthan C. Ski Tli; to the particulars of which it may
be primer to direct the public attontion. A ffehtleman, whose
naine did not transpire, applied for the Magistrate's *advice in
What trianner to proceed, in order to punish what he considered
to be theJmital conduct ofa drover towards two sheep in Smith-:
field market. The gentleman stated that he sate the sheep on
Monday afternoonlYing tinder the Window of the l'itt's Head
public-house; one Of them dead, and the other evidently dying.
In these circumstances, finding therevas nobody there either to
attempt to relieve them, or take any care, of them, he had them
both put into a hackney-coach; and taken to the Green-yard;
where the surviving one, after a little care and attention, re-
covered wonderfully; and, according to his judgment, was now
not only alive, but well. The drover had applied to have therm
restored, upon paying the Green-yard fees; but the question
upon WhiCh he now wished the Magiltratess- opinion was whe.%
ther the fellow was notamenable to the law, and liable to be
fined for his inhumanity, in letting:the sheep remain in the
market throughout the whole of Sunday night, .without any
suPport. or, refreshment, and attempting,_ in their exhausted
state, to driVe them through the streets ?
The owner of the sheep, in reply to this Statement; said thb
sheep had been treated in the same manner as all others were
that were brofight to S'inithgeld Market,, but they were in ar
most deplorable condition fitim the rbt. They were two of a lot
of four that he had purchased at 4s. each, merely for dogs'
meat ; a large drove of them, all equally diseased, had been
sent up from Kent ; and 3P15 more, as he understood, were to be
brought to market on Friday neat, all similarly diseased whit
the rot. There were, he said, several thousands in the country
that had been slightly affected thiring the last autumn and win-
ter, and hid been just kept on their legs by the late long-Con,
tinned dry weather; but as it was found impossible tO fatten
them, and- the rainy season was approaching, they woeid
be sent to the Londbn market as fast as they could be 1;441 or:
With regard to the two in question, they had been' lee as t./+e
gentleman described, till a truck could be Procured to eouvey
them away, but on his return with it they were gone:
To Corroborate the statement that the animals were suffering
front dieeate and not ill-treatment, another droVer who had settthem to the former man now Stepped forward, and stated _era
'condition in which the animals were. He had killed twenty
from the same drove the day before, every one of ?Mich turned
out to be dreadfully diseased in the liver with the rot. it
would have been of no use to titteinpt td fatten them in that
condition, as all the food they took turned to water upowthe
Stomach. _

:Ur. Alderman SiliTiidismiSsed the ?:irrrz of ill.treatinent;
and said that he had reason to know that the 'defendant's state-
ment was very true;. that the diseased sheep were now gr4=
dually being sent up to London to be disposed of for ghat thy
would fetch, at prices from 15s. downwards. It would be hard.
to prevent the unfortunate farmer from Making the best he
could of his ill-luck; indeed as a Magistrate he was not aware
that he had any authority to inlerfere to pr:.'"ent the animals
from being sent to market.
In answer to a question from the Alderthan, the drover who,
as already suitrd, had slaVghtered 20 of these diseased sheep,,
said he purchased hii Tot of Mr. Munn a salegnian in Smith.:
fied Market, but from what part of Kent the sheep came,
or who was the grazier ttik dent diem to the London mar.;
ket, did not come out.