1830.] 



Domestic and Foreign. 



597 



mer volume must have been quite a 

 treasure to all whose " talk is of dogs ;" 

 and the book before us, that of the 

 Horse, as a pendant should be, is an 

 admirable match. Books in abundance, 

 and excellent ones too, Captain Brown 

 allows, exist on the subject, but all of 

 them are deficient in anecdote. To sup- 

 ply this deficiency, accordingly, he lends 

 his best efforts, and what with his own 

 extensive experience, and that of his 

 brother sportsmen, and facts, or the re- 

 port of facts, gathered from books of all 

 qualities and authorities, he has made a 

 most magnificent collection, swelling to 

 some hundreds. The historical portion, 

 however, occupies a considerable space, 

 and betrays a liberal use of Hewitt's 

 Treatise the only really good book, by 

 the way, published by the " Diffusion 

 Society." Captain Brown's history com- 

 mences, of course, with Nimrod, who 

 was not only, he informs us, generally, 

 on the authority of the scriptures, " a 

 mighty hunter," but particularly tak- 

 ing it for granted he rode a hunting we 

 know not on what authority, " very bold 

 and dexterous in the pursuit of animals 

 of the chase ;" and ends with George 

 the Fourth, who gave, the Captain af- 

 firms, his warmest patronage to all sorts 

 of field diversions and racing, and un- 

 remittingly participated in both. But 

 what has he not patronized, asks the 

 Captain, which could add lustre and 

 honour to his empire ? George the 

 Third, too, on his accession, " erected a 

 riding school for the royal person," for 

 himself; practised with much assiduity, 

 and became an accomplished horseman. 

 Farriery, too, was greatly indebted to 

 him, and such has been the influence of 

 his example, that at last, it seems, a lec- 

 tureship has been instituted, in the 

 land of lectures, Edinburgh, the chair 

 of which is at present filled by Mr. 

 Dick, an accomplished professional gen- 

 tleman. 



llacing, too, all our readers may not 

 know, has been the subject of grave le- 

 gislation to keep the diversion within 

 aristocratic limits. An Act of 13 George 

 II. c. 19, has a preamble, which could 

 have proceeded from no public body in 

 the world but an English House of Com- 

 mons it is expressly to "prevent the 

 multiplicity of horse-races the encou- 

 ragement of idleness and the impover- 

 ishment of the meaner sort of people." 

 The first clause prohibits matches below 

 50. except at Newmarket, and some 

 other place in Yorkshire ; but some years 

 after, the legislature having nothing else 

 to do, and not choosing longer to restrict 

 themselves, made another act, and ex- 

 tended the privilege to every usual race- 

 course. By the 9 Anne, c. 14, all wagers 

 above 10. on a lawful course are de- 

 clared illegal ! Those, it may be said, 



perhaps, who make laws may surely 

 break them ! 



In the reign of William, Lord Somers 

 applied to the Master of the Horse, 

 then the Duke of Dorset, to obtain a 

 " plate" for Hereford. The Master re- 

 plied, " that there were only 20 plates 

 provided for from the public purse, and 

 any addition must come from the privy 

 purse, and would burden his majesty." 

 In the reign of Anne, however, some 

 lover of the turf saddled his estate with 

 the payment of 1,300 guineas for thir- 

 teen plates (pieces of plate in the shape 

 of cups now given in money), to be run 

 for at such places as the crown should 

 appoint. The intention of the donor 

 was defeated, for, it seems, this money 

 goes towards the payment of the old 

 royal plates. Do the 2,000 guineas still 

 proceed from the Treasury, and if so, 

 what becomes of the difference ? 



Captain Brown's anecdotes are, many 

 of them, well authenticated and suffi- 

 ciently memorable they relate to the 

 docility, sagacity, habits, powers, and 

 performances of the animal. All the 

 most remarkable matches on record are 

 given. He has got up his book in some 

 haste, as all books are indeed now a- 

 days the only chance writers have of 

 not being forestalled. Galloways, in one 

 place, are described as sprung from some 

 stallions that swam to the shores of Gal- 

 loway from the wreck of the Spanish 

 Armada, and coupled with the mares of 

 the country. In another place, the same 

 story is repeated, with the correcting 

 remark, that Galloway horses were fa- 

 mous as early as Edward I. The same 

 pedigree is ascribed to the New Forest 

 breed, though at the other extremity 

 of the country. Old Marsk, a son of 

 Eclipse, it seems, on better authority, 

 ran wild in the forest, and probably im- 

 proved the breed. 



Novices may learn to correct their 

 phraseology by Captain Brown's book 

 for instance, they must talk of a head of 

 harts a bey of roes a sounder of wild 

 bears a rout of wolves a richess of 

 martins a brace, and leash of bucks, 

 foxes, or hares but a couple of rabbits. 



Again the tail of a fox is the brush, 

 or drag of all the deer-tribe, the single 

 of a boar, the wreath of a wolf, the 

 stern of a hare and rabbit, the scut. 



To talk of three hounds betrays de- 

 plorable ignorance a couple and half is 

 the phrase. If they are greyhounds, a 

 leash will be correct. And be it remem- 

 bered, greyhounds are let slip, while 

 hounds are cast off, &c. 



Imilda de" 1 Lambertazzi, <f-c. By Sophia 

 Mary Bigsby. The Guelph and Ghi- 

 beline factions of Italy split every town 

 with intestine hostilities, and embittered 

 every neighbourhood with domestic 



