HORSE BREEDING.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2221, 8 April 1881, Page 4

HORSE BREEDING.

The following sharp criticism on an essay on horses, is from the "Live Stock Journal " : Clever men—nay, men who are moro than olover—write very foolish things. A fine collection could be mode from the letters and table-talk effusions of Thos. Carlyle, Buskin, and even the great Duke of Wellington. It is not therefore extraordinary to find a Genoa of fallacies—some of them very popular—in an essay on horses by that olover artist and agreeable writer, Phillip Gilbert Hamerton. Mr Hamerton informs us that his own family consider him a judge of horses, and therefore asked him to select a donkey ; fortunately, for he has written a really valuable account of tht.t useful beast, worthy to supersede a very worthless bract issued by one of the great London publishing societies. He has also, it seems, owned horses, travelled a good deal in France on horseback, and been intimate with at least one famous Yorkshire Master of Houcda, as well as other heroes of English hunting-fields. Yet his peculiar admiration is reserved for the earlybred ponderous animals on whioh.Yolasquez and Bubeos mount kings and princes and Sold-marshals ; and asserts roundly that the influences of the English turf—which, be it observed, has created the English thoroughbred horse—"does no good whatever to the breeding of horses, except by transmitting tho capacity for great speed at u sudden ' spurt,' which is usually at tho cost of substantial qualities more valuable for common use." " Practically, the most publio benofit that the turf has given England has been the rapid hansoms, which whirl you through the interminable streets of London."

It is quite true that the turf annually scales off a number of thoroughbred stallions whioh it would bo a national benofit to slaughter. Many aro not worth castrating; either application of tha knife would diminish the propagation of all kinds of unsoundness.

But Mr Hnmorton is evidently not aware that nearly all the twonty thousand hunters connected with the huntirg fields of the three kingdoms, all tho valuable riding and harness horses that crowd ond adorn Hyde Park in tho Beaaon; and, in fact, every good looking horeo in the armies of Europe, owe* its quality, apoed, courage, and endurance to a largo infimon of English blood. That in tho hunting shires, thoroughbreds up to fifteen and sixteen atone are to bo found. That in Prussia and the other provinces of the Northern Empire, as in AustroHungary, racos of thoroughbred horses are encouraged by the Government; and English racehorses, purchased by skilful agents for the oxpress purpose of crossing with the native broedß. That th«re is scarcoly a sovereign, a Royal prince, or a distinguished General in Europe whose full-sizod chargor hus not been purchased in England, or bred from an Englinh thoroughbred sire. Tho long-logged, light-bodied, three-year-old weed inraoing condition, just able to carry a pair of boots, is no nioro a specimen of what a racehorse may be, than portraits in oil, marked "In this stylo, twenty-five shillings," aro specimens of British art. An advertisement in a contemporary last week offors for Bale a throughbrod stallion, bigger and with more bono than mos 1: French puat horses ; the bone not being porous, but nearly an close as ivory, and sinews, the fore-

legs below tho knee flat, and nearly as hard as steel, not soft, puffy stuff, like a cart horse. Young Bandal is not a fashionable stallion, but ho girths 6ft. 6in., is 9in. round under the knee, and 25in. round under tho forearm. The occo celebrated General Peel, of tho late Glasgow stud, was equal to carrying 16st. hunting. Ho did not get racehorse*, and, unfortunately, transmitted to his produce, whon put to half-bred mares, at tho Hampton Court stud, his large ugly head ; but ho won the D.<rb«.

Mr John Ojborno has sent to "T:o Field, newspaper an elaborate account of the very unfashionably brod and most successful three-year-old of the year, Bobert the Deyil, and give hiss dimensions as oompared with Prince Charlie, who is still bigger, and quite up to carrying the Duke of Cambridge, although unfortunately a roarer. Bobert the Devil is sixteen hands and a half high, and larger in overy way than any fashionable brougham and many cart horses. Ho measures 7ft within a quarter of an inch in girth, lOiia round tho fore-arm, and Bin below the knee.