CONTENTS. Dedicatory Epistle to Mr. Charles Forbes Buchan, wherein Animals, not moral agents, Brutes, part of God's creation and care, made previous to man, www The Messiah indebted to the beasts for his first cradle, www. Remembered by God in his covenant with Noah, www. www. Man is enjoined to show lenity to the brutes, Bougeant asserts that brutes are animated by devils, Bougeant's arguments in favour of his system, Savage nature of brutes accounted for, Brutes, not destitute of reason and reflection, CONTENTS. Instances of the natural affection of brutes to their Spirit of sociality in the brute creation, Anecdotes of a raven and Newfoundland dog, Attachment between incongruous animals, Account of Sir Henry Lee and his dog, Instance of the power of memory in storks, www www www wwwww Carnivorous and graminivorous animals living together, of the migration of the sreallows, Man, indebted to the brutes for many useful discoveries, of Louis XI. of France and the collier's ass, ww of a pig that was broke in to find game, www Matter, incapable of thinking, Remarks on the impropriety of ministers hunting, Comparison between the bodies of men and of brutes, Opinion of Bonaparte regarding animals, Knowledge and prudence of brutes, Le Clerc's opinion of the soul of brutes, www. 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 any think themselves 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, |