horse, measuring but 33 inches, was landed at Newcastle from Shetland.

Annual Register, vol. viii. 1765.

Uncommon Sensibility in a Horse.

THE following particulars are extracted from a letter from Salisbury, dated 10th December, 1795:

On Monday se'nnight died, the Rev. Charles Wager Allix, of Mere, in this county, whose loss will be severely felt by the poor of his parish.

The death of the above gentleman was attended with the following extraordinary circumstance: he had been out coursing on the Wednesday preceding, and approaching home, enquired the hour of his servant; on

being informed, he remarked, that there was time for a short ride before dinner, turned his horse about, took a circuit, and again arrived within a mile of his own house, when his servant observed him to be gradually falling from his horse, pointing at the same time to the ground. The servant got up in time to catch his master in his arms, and having laid him on the ground, a game-keeper, who was passing by, staid with Mr. Allix until the servant went to the house for assistance. He soon after returned on a valuable horse worth seventy guineas. On the approach of the animal, he smelt to his master (apparently a lifeless corpse), snorted, and ran back a few paces, fell on his side, and died instantly! Though Mr. Allix languished till the Monday following, he

neither spoke, nor shewed any symptoms of sensibility in the interval.

The curious Horse.

ONE of the Oxford dragoon horses, quartered at Leominster, in the neighbourhood of Ludlow, in Shropshire, having got loose in the stable, had the curiosity to march up a crooked staircase into the hay-loft, with a view, no doubt, to examine his stock of provisions: it is supposed he must have been there at least two hours, when his rider coming into the stable, and missing his horse, was thunderstruck, knowing he had the key in his pocket. The poor fellow, not having the least suspicion of his horse being up stairs, ran like a madman to inform an officer

of his loss, but had scarcely got 20 yards, when the animal, exulting in his station, put his head through the pitching-hole, and neighed aloud. The astonishment of the soldier, and the whole neighbourhood, can be better conceived than described. Every stratagem that could be devised was made use of, to lead or force him down the stairs, but all in vain; he saw the danger, and was obstinate.

The horse for a considerable time kept trotting and snorting about the loft, to the no small diversion of the spectators; at length, having wearied their efforts and patience, he accidentally trod upon the only vulnerable part of the floor, a trap-door, which covered a hole for sacking hops, 27 inches by 23, which being made of weaker boards than the rest, gave way,

and his hinder part going down through till his feet touched the ground, he remained a few seconds in that position, and then disappeared (like Harlequin in a pantomime), and dropped into the very posture and place in which he before stood in his stall, without any hurt, except the loss of a few hairs off one of his legs, and a piece. of skin the size of a shilling, off his whiskers. The spectators could not forbear expressing their wonder, that the creature could fall through so small a hole without greater injury.

Banks's Horse.

AMONG the remarkable instances of the sagacity of horses may be placed Banks's famous horse, whose renown

I