100 



coach-horses, coach-mares and coach-geldings, not under the height of 

 fourteen hands, under the age of three years, nor exceeding seven. 

 This import, by the description, was doubtless made from the opposite 

 continent. 



Every period which passes in review, serves to demonstrate the pro- 

 gressive improvement of the English Horse, and the opinion in which 

 he was held by foreigners. In the reign of Charles, that very consi- 

 derable demand for English Horses commenced in France, which has 

 ever since continued, except during the interruption of wars. Bassom- 

 piere, in his memoirs, gives an account of a very considerable number 

 of these Horses, introduced into France, at a particular period. He 

 says, the court was at Fontainbleau, and deep play being the rage, 

 and the circulation of counters, from hand to hand, very sj^eedy and 

 rapid, they were nick-named, quinterots, or English Horses, which had 

 been so called, from the name of the man, who, the year before, had 

 brought them into France : adding, that their wonderful speed, before 

 unknown, occasioned them ever afterwards to be em|iloyed in hunting 

 and journeys. English Horses now began to be exported into Holland 

 and Germany, and even into Austria, Hungary and Poland. The Eng- 

 lish method of treatment passed with the Horses themselves, into 

 France and other countries ; and our jockey sj'stem, or the management 

 of our racing and hunting Horses, was particularly commended in the 

 Maison Rustiqiie. 



This commerce however, being illicit, seems to have been winked at 

 by government, since we find by an extract from the Journals of the 

 House of Lords in 1645, that liberty Avas granted to the agent of the 

 Duke of Orleans, to transport to France twelve Horses, but no mares. 

 Probably it had been of late thought necessary to check the expor- 

 tation, an idea which is countenanced by Sir Edward Harwood's me- 

 morial to his Majesty, touching the state of the kingdom, wherein is 

 set forth the then great deficiency of good and stout Horses for its 

 defence, insomuch that it was a question, whether the whole kingdom 

 could furnish two thousand, wliich would be equal to two thousand 

 French Horse. This evil Sir Edward attributed to the strong addic-f 

 tion of the country to hunting and running Horses, which were bred 



only 



