94 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Persian, and China wars, and with that of the steady Austral-' 

 ian and Indian and Persian Gulf and Bombay horse-traders, 

 we know that horses can be carried safely and without loss of 

 condition at sea. 



"From India we took the 10th Hussars and the 12th Lan- 

 cers to the Crimea, with six hundred and eighty sabres, and 

 their horses landed in splendid condition. The 14th Dra- 

 goons, Poona Horse, Scinde Horse, and my own regiment, 

 the Southern Mahratta Horse, went from Bombay to Bu- 

 shire, at the head of the Persian Gulf, in sailing-vessels, — a 

 six weeks' voyage, — and landed without hardly any loss ; 

 saddled upon the beach, under the guns of the squadron, and 

 went immediately into action. We must have numbered 

 about two thousand horses, exclusive of artillery horses. 

 The same was done in Abyssinia, and can and will be done 

 again. I have allowed for twenty-five grooms, exclusive of 

 the crews, for the sole purpose of looking after the horses at 

 sea. It is upon the subject of the horses of America, and the 

 price we should have to pay for big, powerful, well-bred ani- 

 mals, suited for our purposes; viz., carriage, light van, rid- 

 ing, cavalry and artillery, that I desire knowledge. We are 

 now paying £42 for our cavalry animals (colts) , and £50 is 

 a very common price for a common cab-horse. From letters 

 I have received from America, I have in my own mind no 

 doubt that the trade can be carried out on a vast scale, very 

 much to the benefit of both countries. Here the demand is 

 great, and, with your 7,145,270 horses, the drain to this side 

 should not, a? 1= anticipated by certain carpers here, increase 

 the first cost of the animals, so as to drive us from the market. 

 We propose, at first, confining ourselves to the Northern and 

 Western States, only going to New Orleans and Galveston 

 when driven there by prices being raised on us. 



"... An extensive breeder in Illinois writes : ' Good, 

 sound horses can be had, of from fifteen to fifteen and a half 

 hands, at from £15 to £20, and from fifteen and a half to 

 sixteen and a half hands, from £18 to £25.' He considers my 

 estimate of £5 expenses to Norfolk should be reduced to £2. 

 You will probably be against my proposition of breeding our 

 most powerful thoroughbreds, with good, fair, square-trotting 

 action, to your mares ; but it must be remembered that we have 



