ter such strict investigation, had I asserted ten
years instead of four, I have a prescriptive right, as a traveller, to
be believed.

It is singular that it is only in England that you can find dogs,
properly so called; abroad they have nothing but curs. I do not know
anything more puzzling than the genealogy of the animals you meet with
under the denomination of dogs in most of the capitals of Europe. It
would appear as if the vice of promiscuous and unrestricted intercourse
had been copied from their masters; and I have been almost tempted to
take up the opinion, that you may judge of the morality of a capital
from the degeneracy of the dogs. I have often, at Paris, attempted to
make out a descent; but found it impossible. Even the late Sir G
Naylor, with all the herald's office, stimulated by double fees, could
not manage to decipher escutcheons obliterated by so many crosses.

I am very partial to dogs; and one of my amusements, when travelling, is
to watch their meetings with each other; they appear to me to do
everything but speak. Indeed, a constant observer will distinguish in
dogs many of the passions, virtues, and rices of men; and it is
generally the case, that those of the purest race have the nobler
qualifications. You will find in them devotion, courage, generosity,
good temper, sagacity, and forbearance; but these virtues, with little
alloy, are only to be found in the pure breeds. A cur is quite a
lottery: he is a most heterogeneous compound of virtue and vice; and
sometimes the amalgamation is truly ludicrous. Notwithstanding which, a
little scrutiny of his countenance and his peculiar movements will soon
enable you to form a very fair estimate of his general character and
disposition.

One of the most remarkable qualities in dogs is the fidelity of their
attachments; and the more so, as their attachments are very often
without any warrantable cause. For no reason that can be assigned, they
will take a partiality to people or animals, which becomes a feeling so
dominant, that their existence appears to depend upon its not being
interfered with. I had an instance of this kind, and the _parties_ are
all living. I put up, for an hour or two, at a livery stables in town,
a pair of young ponies. On my taking them out again, the phaeton was
followed by a large coach-dog, about two years old, a fine grown animal,
but not well marked, and in very poor condition. He followed us into
the country;