28 THE HOKSE OF AMERICA. 



indebted for the facts we here relate. Constantius, at the time of 

 which Philostorgius wrote, was on the throne of the Eastern 

 empire, and was exceedingly zealous in spreading and strengthen- 

 ing the Christian religion. He learned that the prince of Arabia 

 Felix (that part of Arabia which we will designate by its modern 

 name Yemen) was strongly disposed to come out with his people 

 and embrace Christianity. Constantius thereupon determined 

 to encourage both prince and people in the movement they were 

 contemplating, and he sent them a grand embassy with many 

 valuable presents, the most noted of which were two hundred 

 "well-bred Cappadocian horses." The embassy was completely 

 successful, and Theopholis, who had been made a bishop and 

 placed at the head of it, remained there several years. This was 

 in the year 356 of the Christian era, and is the first intimation we 

 have in all history of horses in Arabia. These are the facts, so 

 far as any facts are known, upon the consideration of which I am 

 not able to assent to the claim that either High Asia or Arabia 

 was the original habitat of the horse. 



I have been surprised at the number of coincidences that seem 

 to point to ancient Armenia as the first habitation of the horse. 

 'This country at one time was a very powerful kingdom, extending 

 from the mountains of Caucasus on the north to Media or Assyria 

 on the south, and from the Caspian Sea on the east to the 

 Euphrates on the west, and at one time even to the Mediter- 

 ranean. It was intersected by several ranges of mountains and 

 not only gave rise to the Euphrates and the Tigris, but to a num- 

 ber of smaller rivers. It was well watered everywhere, and pro- 

 duced in great abundance all varieties of herbage, cereals, and 

 fruits. It was originally called Ararat by the Hebrews, probably 

 after a range of mountains about central to the territory em- 

 braced, and because Noah's Ark rested somewhere "on the 

 mountains of Ararat." It is also called Togarmah in Scripture, 

 after Torgom, son of Gomer, who was the son of Japheth, the 

 son of Noah. Japheth seems to have been the oldest son of 

 Noah, and he chose this fruitful region as the future home of his 

 descendants. The Kev. Michael Chamich, a native Armenian, 

 went back into the old Armenian records, translated the language 

 as originally used, and wrote a history of the country from its 

 first settlement; and this history has been Englished by Johannes 

 Adval, another native Armenian, and published in Calcutta in 

 1827. This work seems to be worthy of credence, and it clearly 



