BRITISH TURF. 33 



Bassompierre, a French writer, mentions that 

 in this reign, the merit of the EngUsh horses 

 began to be so evident, that many were pur- 

 chased and sent into France, where they con- 

 tinue to be much valued and admired. It would 

 also appear that towards the conclusion of this 

 reign, the English method of keeping and 

 managing horses, was thought so judicious 

 that France, and other neighbouring countries, 

 thought proper to adopt it, and no doubt by 

 this judicious treatment the foundation was laid 

 for that celebrity of the British race horse, which 

 so soon followed the introduction of Eastern 

 blood. 



Charles I. 1625. — The first races which 

 were held at Newmarket, took place in this 

 reign, in the year 1640, although the round 

 course was not made till 1666 ; and as a further 

 proof of the rapid progress already made in the 

 improvement of the national breed of horses, 

 we find one Sir Edward Harwood ignorantly 

 complaining of what he calls the scarcity of able 

 horses in the kingdom, there not being so many 

 as 2,000 that were equal to a like number of 

 French horses ; the cause of which he supposes 

 to be the strong addiction which the nation 

 had to racing and hunting horses, which, for the 

 sake of swiftness, were all of a lighter and 



VOL. I. D 



