20 THE ARAB THE HORSE OF THE FUTURE 



flesh, where the Melbourne Cup is raced for. As 

 Bruni's argument shows, it is of Httle use to have 

 one Carbine, or even ten Carbines, if you breed 

 from a hundred sickly weeds. 



The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, June i6, 1900) 

 said that the veriest weeds frequently win prizes 

 — horses that would drop before a few miles 

 were covered ; that there was urgent need for im- 

 provement in bone, stamina, and weight-carrying 

 character ; and that the Australian horse was gradu- 

 ally deteriorating in bone and sinew, and therefore 

 in staying power. How absolutely true were these 

 remarks the Transvaal War bitterly taught us. 



The Australian Pastoralists Review (Novem- 

 ber 5, 1900) affirms that again we are face to 

 face with the most deplorable deterioration of the 

 horse of the British Empire. 



The Australian Press telegrams from London, 

 March 4, 1902, state that Lord Kitchener had 

 complained that the Australian horses were especi- 

 ally badly selected, and that Colonel Birkbeck, 

 Inspector of Remounts at Cape Town, reported 

 that the New South Wales horses were sadly dis- 

 appointing, and that the draught-horses were * a 

 positive scandal.' Considering that great pains 

 had been taken in Australia to select these horses, 

 and that great credit had been given to many of 

 the selectors, it says but little for the Australian 

 horses which are left in the Commonwealth, when 

 those so carefully selected are pronounced by Lord 



