SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF THE HORSE.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 1, Issue 5, 1 March 1849, Page 2

SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF THE HORSE.

There are few objects which, by the coming of the white man to New Zealand, have been introduced to the knowledge of the Maori, that will naturally possess so much interest ti ilriu us the !'■ is=. niul no;'-!- t!ii*. will assist li!in i.ioio in hi-j «"ld'-avonr to ;:-simi/ato his cn.T'i-ioi to that of the European. Ti.o i.ovs?, as wi.ll in being the noblest, is Ci'i'i'.inlv the most u-.vri>! nnimnl to man : in F.i-j-t.iiv, it may, perhaps, itivc place to the «!("■ 'ait in usefulness it exceeds theai both. It't'j sufTlciently intelligont to understand the

word of its mnstcr—lo obey even tlie conveyed si;;n ami witli I'rtir treatment becomes nt--1 iched t'i tho3c who have char;;u of it. In i'rsi)?c>. to the Yr'iiik it performs it recv.iins pre-eminent. The horse is tlic nssistant of man ; amongst nninuils the dog is more bis friend. Tlio horse must bu well treated, nnd in return he will bu the moro able ; be must bo kindly used by bis master, and lie b.'comc.; the moro intelligent and obedient to him. Antony nil conditions of man, is the horse iiis valuable aid. The. native of the American prairie and I lie savage of l'atagoilia avail themselves of liis swiftness and trnet ibility to bunt down, to triec into the enclosure, or to drive over the cliffs, ths herds ol wild oxen of their country. The native of Tarinry uses him on bis war expedition : for him he must bu fleet, stron;, r , nnd enduring ; lie must be able to bear bis master over the hot sand of that couiitry, where there is little grass and no water, without tiring; must remain with him untethercd by night, and in the morning steal with him into the village of tho enemy without the noise of footfall or neigh. By the Arabian the marc is beloved in nearly the same decree as n daughter. It •ilinrcs with its master the same bouse, and frequently tho same food; and returns, by it.i affectionate docility, the kindness with which it i.% invariably treated. Uv the Europeans the horse is (aught to draw up the mountain the heavy wagson-lor.d of wool or timber, and to run faslly with the hurried mail carrier. In its temper it may be made lo be either patient or obedient, or fiery and impetuous : it .will trend out of its husk the corn, or turn the (lour mill; and it will gallop into the battle field with the heavy sun. With respect to tho history of the horse, wo find that they were very scarce in Jiiden until Solomon's time, lieforc him no mention of horsemen is made in tha armies of Israel. David having won a great battle against Iladadezar, kin:;of Shnbah (2 Sam. viii. 4, 5), took 1700 horses, and lamed all belonging to tin! chariots of war, reserving only 100 chariots. The judges and princes of Israel used generally to ride on mules nnd asses. After David's timo horses were more common in Juden, &c. Solomon was tho first king of Judah who had a great number of horse. The earliest writing in which allusion is made lo horses being ridden is tho Hook of Exodus, where, in the ninth verse of the fourteenth chapter, it is related how Pharaoh, King of Egypt, pursued the children of Israel on their passage across the lied Sea, with chariots and horsemen. The country of Egypt is situated about two thousand three hundred miles to tho south cast of England. About three thousand years since it was the most powerful and wealthy country in the world; and its people, the Egyptians, were then very numerous. Its cities were tho largest in tho world, and its buildings so lofty and spacious that the erection of one of their temples occupied for several years thousands of tho slaves of these people; and lliu monuments under whinli the Pharoahs were buried, ure the largest buildings in the world. Centuries since the country of Egypt ceased to bo wealthy. Wars destroyed its population ; tho country which was once well cultivated became a d'fjit, nnd tho power mid the richus of the people were lost together. Tho cities of tho Egyptians have long since ceased to exi-jt, and the wild dog prowls where their falso gods used to bo worshipped in their grent temples. Only tho tombs over thoir dead kings remain ; and so massively nnd firmly were these built, that two thousand more years m.iy pass, ere lliey fall from the eil'ects of time. lint in this country the horses arc still the (leeiest. The barb, or native Egyptian horse, is so line in its shape, so swift, and so untiring, that he has been taken across the sea to all parts of Europe, to improve the breed of the horses in the several countries. 11l Arabia, the country next lo Egypt on the eastward, the horse is very highly prized. Tho country is very extensive, and nearly the whole of its surface is covered with large plains of sand. The scarcity of water in tliia sandy country, whero there are but few rivers, causes tho ground to bo fit for cultivation only in a few places, and consequently the settlements of the inhabitants are very far "apart. It would be very tirinc*, if not impossible, for the Arabian to travel in his sandy country, had tie not liorse.s to ride upon. The distance of one village from the other, is often as far as from the l!av of Islands to Kaipara or Manukau, and in this distance there is no water, nor any grass. What tho nnimal nnd its master drink must bo carried with them ; for there is nothing anywhere near them on their journey but dry sand. What they eat they must also carry ; and the horse, al the end of the day's work, shares tho meal of dried beans or cake which his master lias brought with him, and has for the lime uo other food. To Ic continued in our next.