5 – Letter to Frederick Smith from Francis Galton, 5 Jan 1898

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42, Rutland Gate, S.W.

Jan 5/98

Dear Capt Smith

Your two memoirs, which I enclose, interest me much.

Wd not the title of the M S be better
“Relation between the Weight of a horse and his weight-carrying power”?

What you determine in the relation to his estimated weight carrying power & these seemed wanting evidence to show that the estimate concurred with fact. As it stands, you show that

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the complex of motives by which experts judge, is on the average in direct ratio to the weight of the horse.

I wd suggest if you wish to submit the paper to the R. Soc to make this clear, and to explain the amount of reliance and of responsibility that is extended to experts.

It would be very interesting to collate the judgements of several experts about the same horse, but that wd be an inquiry by itself.

The following however ought to be done – viz show the mean deviation between the estimated and the calculated values in each

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of your 4 groups. Strictly, the ratios of error/weight shd be compared; possibly error (deviation) wd be near enough.

Another thing, in the greater strictness now exercised about the Proceedings, with the view of reducing the bulk of printed matter. I shd therefore suggest (rather strongly) you omitting down to the 2nd method in p. 4, so starting in medias res.

Please let me hesitate about submitting it to the R. Soc untill[sic] I shall have seen it again.

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The subject is not strictly in my line so it will be necessary anyhow for me to read it in in the first case, privately & subject to the approved of Michael Foster. If he or his referree[sic] it is all right the paper wd then go in regularly, which wd give me great pleasure. I should be always delighted to do any thing of the kind for you, you having done so much for me.

I was intending to write to you either to-day or to-morrow, because my article on “Measurement of Horses & Photography” comes out in “Nature” to-morrow. You shall

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have a copy soon after. It would indeed be a great help to me if I could photograph at the Vet: Hospital. Do not answer till you have seen the article. My drawback is that I have to be very careful about weather. Some recurrence of an old Syrian fever (apparently) has now kept me almost to my bedroom for a week or more & though I am getting right, I am not & shall not be capable

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of standing wet & cold like ordinary persons.

A very intelligent nephew of my late wife, Frank Butler who is staying (living) with me & acts as my secretary, would help effectively.

This is the first long letter I have written since my shiverings &c came on.

Very sincerely yours

Francis Galton

6 – Letter to Frederick Smith from Francis Galton, 7 Jan 1898

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[FS/3/3/2/6]

Jan 7/98

42, Rutland Gate. S.W.

Dear Captain Smith

Here is the paper.

Very sincerely yrs

Francis Galton

7 – Letter to Frederick Smith from Francis Galton, 13 Jan 1898

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[FS/3/3/2/7]

Jan 12/98

42, Rutland Gate, S.W.

Dear Capt Smith

Thank you very much indeed. I enclose my results.

Is my supposition of 2 errors in measurement (see note at bottom of enclosed) a possibility? If I am right, the results are very fair, except AB which has no business to be ½ inch wrong.

The measures are very easily made under a watchmakers

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lens. & the multiplications by means of Crelle’s tables is still quicker.

I dont think the obliquity of the side scale has led to notable error, it is perspectively shortened thereby to perhaps 2 or 3 % but I have not properly worked it out. (I ought to make a little table.)

Two or three days ago I had a long & instructive talk with Capt Hayes,

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who spoke much of the extreme fidgetiness of thoroughbreds & still more of well bred Hackneys. He showed me his book (wh: I knew before) & in turning over the leaves, I remarked on a zebra standing quietly in a small enclosure, & asked whether a thoroughbred would tolerate being led into a sort of pen, thus :-

[sketch indicating “wall place for horse to stand]

He quite thought the plan wd do

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and suggested a rope for AB, as amply sufficient, because these fidgetty[sic] horses hate touching anything, and a rope could not hurt them. In this case, 2 knots in the rope would give the scale. What do you think of this? I might possibly get the plan tried at some racing stables – not photographing these, but merely seeing whether the horses wd stand quiet under the conditions.

Very faithfully yours,

Francis Galton

I never answered your question about the whistles. I do not put them very near. If you find any hopeful result with the coarse whistle I sent you, I could lend a much more delicate one, better suited for very high notes.

8 – Letter to Frederick Smith from Francis Galton, 18 Jan 1898

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Dear Capt Smith

Your letter reached me just as I was starting for a Sat-Monday in the country and as I had not taken your photo with me, cd not answer it earlier.

I had quite overlooked the height of brisket above ground, copying only the little table in your letter and forgetting that the height in question was not in the actual table. Now I have measured it it is 28.5 mm, which Xlied with 1.19 (the recriprocal[sic] of 16.8.mm which corresponds to a length of 10” in the belly scale] = 33 inches in round numbers is actually 32”.9).

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This is the value you give.

A friend of mine suggests as an irreducible minimum of trouble & of utility, to have the height at withers always measured and recorded on photos, and to use this as the scale. Of course such conditions must be exacted or would give the intersection of the median plane with the ground; that which I proposed of – (1) hard ground (2) all four hoof tips seen from camera,

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being perhaps as good as any. But how to ensure the verticality of the back of the camera, in the difficulty the eye wd detect gross error but I fear not a moderate and yet a dangerous error. What do you think? The less photo artists are hampered by conditions, the more likely are they to be useful[.] In a “hippometric” laboratory there wd be little difficulty. Supposing the above plan were adopted to start with, I dare say the stud book people could be induced to insert height at withers, as

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a general rule, accepting at first what is communicated & afterwards exacting authentification[sic] of some kind.

Very faithfully yours

Francis Galton

9 – Letter to Frederick Smith from Francis Galton, 26 Jan 1898

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[FS/3/3/2/9]

Jan 26/98

42, Rutland Gate. S.W.

Dear Capt Smith

I hope your paper is satisfactorily launched. I spoke to Prof M. Foster about the probability of its arrival.

When you next write, will you kindly tell me a little more about the rope. The question of taughtness is not important, because a mere string or thread by its side, bearing

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two marks A, B, wd suffice for the scale, & cd be easily stretched

[sketch indicating “rope thread”]

tight enough; – but I want more especially to know whether you think a thoroughbred would submit to be led and to stand still between the rope & the wall.

I am busy measuring such photos as I possess, of horses who have been photoed[sic] more than once, in a fairly square position, to see how the results

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agree, taking the height at withers in all cases as 64” (for there is no scale attached to these) and the results are more than reasonably well accordant.

I take measure in these, simply? thee three

[sketch indicating “AC AB DE FG”]

With your 2 scales, along belly & on side, it will be possible not only to repeat and to verify this sort of work, but to do much

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more also. I am ashamed to be troublesome, but only say how grateful I shall be for any that you may send.

Thank you much for the hair I have arranged to have the variously colored[sic] hairs of horses to be analysed at Cambridge.

Some tradesman might drive a paying concern, by selling specimens of hair of famous race horses, neatly mounted between glass. Say three rows of these items in a frame with names below and chief races.

[sketch]

Very faithfully yours

Francis Galton

10 – Letter to Frederick Smith from Francis Galton, 28 Jan 1898

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[FS/3/3/2/10]

Jan 28/98

42, Rutland Gate, S.W.

Dear Captn Smith

Heartiest congratulations about the honorable[sic] medal.

Sincere thanks for what you send. I am just now in bed with bronchial catarrh, but hope to be up & at work again in 2 days. Then I will write further.

Very faithfully yrs

Francis Galton

‘The Veterinarian’ Vol 71 Issue 1 – January 1898

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‘The Veterinarian’ Vol 71 Reports of Societies – January 1898

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11 – Papers relating to case brought against the RCVS by William Williams regarding Aleen Cust’s application to sit Diploma Examination, 1897-1898

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