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preferred. In the former part of the reign of the late Empress Catha- 

 rine, or perhaps somewhat before that period, an imperial stud was 

 formed upon the river lludilia, intended to supply the guards with 

 Horses. It consisted of four hundred mares, and about fifty stallions, 

 chiefly of the above named countries, which (the stallions) cost, at that 

 time, nearly two hundred pounds each. The Russian court, and the 

 nobles in general, have since been liberal customers to this country, 

 s|)aring no expence in the improvement of their studs, some of Avhich 

 are very numerous. Good trotters are found in Russia, and some years 

 past, we had, in this country, a gelding from thence, which trotted in 

 the name of the Russian, performing in a good style, a single mile 

 in three minutes. The absurd and dangerous custom of driving at 

 full speed, in the streets, it seems, prevails at Petersburg, and must dis- 

 grace the government wherever it prevails, as showing so little regard 

 to the lives and the safety of the lower classes. The boors or country 

 people in Russia, are said to be particularly kind and considerate to their 

 Horses, scarcely ever beating but talking kindly and singing to them; 

 an account yet hardly to be reconciled with the story of their custom 

 of putting travellers off with a miserable and dying Horse, which they 

 know will soon sink under his labour. 



Of the various native breeds of Horses in the Russian dominions, 

 those of the Kalmuck Tartars, are distinguished as the best ; they wear 

 the appearance of having in them, three parts of the blood of the 

 eastern Horse ; the head long and lean, with considerable length of 

 the waist and legs, and generally deep and flat in form. They are 

 doubtless an excellent breed in nature, both for speed and continuance ; 

 but the stories related of their performances, as Avell as those of the 

 Arabian Horses, by travellers, who, whatever they might know of other 

 subjects, were surely ignorant on that of the abilities of the Horse, are 

 silly and groundless. These terrible, terrible kill-devil hacknies, it seems, 

 are so tough and stout, as to be able to run three and even four hundred 

 English miles, in three days! — and that with nothing better in their 

 bellies, than the grass of the desert, for it is averred, they are so nice 

 in their appetites, that they will not touch any kind of corn ; which 



when 



