294 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



Job was a naiive of tiiat country from 

 which our English breed of Horses lias been 

 so much improved by the importation of 

 Horses from tlie desert. How poetical is his 

 description of the Horse. 



While looking into the book of Job for the 

 above quotation on the Horse, we noticed also 

 his description of the wild ass, as being an 

 animal of great speed, so foreign to the pre- 

 Bent state of our domestic breed. It recalled 

 however to our recollection havincr seen an 

 account which equally corroborates the truth of 

 Job's remarks upon the ass, as well as those of 

 the Horse. We shall present it to our readers, 

 because we think it a curiosity in itself, as 

 we much doubt from what we have seen of 

 the breed in this country, even if we could 

 obtain a cross from it, it would add much to 

 the speed of those patient but often persecuted 

 animals. It is perhaps only in his indigenous 

 and wild state, that such speed and energy 

 would ever take place. The extract we make 

 is from " Porter's Travels in Georgia," and 

 runs thus : — 



" THE WILD ASS. 



" The sun was just rising over the summits 

 of the eastern mountains, when my greyhound 

 Cooley, suddenly darted off in pursuit of an 

 animal which my Persians said from the 

 glimpse they had of it, was an antelope. I 

 instantly put spurs to my horse, and followed 

 by Sadak Bey and the mehmander, followed 

 the chace. After an unrelaxed gallop of full 

 three miles, we came up with the dog, who 

 was within a short stretch of the pursued, and 

 to my surprise, and at first, vexation, I saw it 

 was an ass. But on a moment's reflection, 

 judging from its fleetness it was a wild one, a 

 species little known in Europe, but which the 



I Persians prize above all other animals, as ar 

 object of chace, I determined to approach as 

 near to it as the swift Arab I was on could 

 carry me. I happened to be considerably be- 

 fore my companions, when at a certain dis- 

 tance, the animal made a pause, and allowed 

 me to approach within pistol-shot of him. He 

 then darted off again with the quickness of 

 lightning, capering, and sporting in his flight, 

 as if he was not blown in the least, and that 

 the chace was his pastime. 



He appeared to me to be about ten or 

 twelve hands high ; the skin smooth like a 

 deer, and of a reddish colour ; the belly and 

 hinder parts partaking of a silvery grey ; his 

 neck was finer than that of a common a.ss, 

 being longer, and bending like a stag ; his legs 

 beautifully slender ; the head and ears being 

 large in proportion to the gracefuljiess of his 

 general form, and by them I first recognized 

 that the object of my chace was that of the 

 ass tribe ; the mane was short and black, as 

 was also a tuft which terminated his tail ; no 

 line whatever ran along his back, or crossed 

 his shoulders, as is seen in the same species 

 with us." — " Who hath loosed the bonds of 

 the wild ass, whose house I have made the 

 wilderness, and the barren land his dwelling : 

 he scorned the multitude of the city, neither 

 regardeth he the crying of the driver ; the 

 range of the mountain is his pasture," Job. 



But to return to our subject : — the Horse 

 too often ends his life by our ill usage. His 

 carcase becomes the food of other animals, 

 and his skin, even his poor skin is in constant 

 demand for the important branches of manu- 

 facture, conducive to the comfort and happi- 

 ness of man. 



An animal to whom man is under so much 

 obligation, one might suppose would be 



