•jots,«, account for fuch .Jong journies being made ■with oxen ib expeditiouily in Africa ; and liltewife on the other hand, for their being obliged to make ufe o f ten or twelve beads to one waggon or plough. Mr. A r th u r You-ng, in Ms “ -Tour through I r e la n d in the years 17 76, 77, 78, has 'ntade mention o f-an experiment to this purpofe, which has given rife to this conjecture o f mine, for which reaion I thought it neceffary' to quote the paffage Mere. “ -Lord Sharmon:, upon going into tillage, found that the expence of horfes was fo great, that it eat up ¿1 the profit o f the farm, which made him determine to ufe bullocks; he did it in the common method of yokes and bows, but they performed fo indifferently, and with fuch manifeft uneafinefs, that he imported the French method ¡of drawing by the horns; and in order to do this effectually, he wrote to a perfon at Bourdeaux to hire him a man who was prddtifed in that method. Upon the cor- refpondent being applied to, he reprefented difficulties attending it, the man who was fpoken to having been in Germany for the fame purpofe. Upon which Lord Shannon gave direftions, that every thing iliould be bought and fent over which the labourer wiffied to bring with him. Accordingly a bullock of the beft fort, that had been worked three years, was purchafed; alfo a hay-cart, a plough, and all the tackling for harneffing them by the horns.— In my prefence, his Lordfhip ordered the French harveft-cart to be loaded half a mile from the ricks; it was done, one thoufand and twenty iheafs were laid on it, and two oxen drew it without difficulty. We We then weighed forty ffieafs, the weight two hundred and fifty-one pounds, at which rate the one thoufand and twenty came to fix, thoufand three hundred and feventy- five pounds, or above three tons; which is a vail weight for two oxen to draw. I am very much in doubt, whether in yokes they would have ilirred the cart fo loaded.” (Page 409, Vol. I.— See likewiie page 380.) S E. C. T .
27f 72-1
To see the actual publication please follow the link above