332 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



year, one buyer alone, from Virginia, took from 

 us Shakspeare, Emancipation, Rowton, Mar- 

 grave, and Merman. France, at least under 

 its present administration, will never be a vent 

 of any consequence for our Racing Stock, 

 as such : their Government will import our 

 stallions, and encourage the speculation in 

 others, as the means of introducing a better 

 description of Horse for general use, particu- 

 larly for their cavalry ; but they will not offer, 

 by the gift of public money, any inducement 

 for the introduction of race-hordes in that 

 country. The Duke of Orleans is passionately 

 fond of the Turf, but he will not give prices 

 such as will procure first class runners from 

 England, because there are no Stakes that 

 warrant such a speculation. 



But we have no fear of France rivalling us 

 in the breed of Horses, so long as we have the 

 law of primogeniture, and so long as France 

 is without it. The expences of the Turf will 

 never be supported in France in the same way 

 as in England on that very account. In a 

 country like France, where property is so di- 

 vided, and in a country like England, where 

 money is in such masses — the Turf being a 

 luxury as well as pleasure — becomes the em- 

 ployment of the nobility of the land ; the law 

 of primogeniture preventing the division of 

 estates, secures at once the experience and 

 the means of perpetuating the breed of Horses 

 of the first quality, from generation to genera- 

 tion ; and this is the cause of our superior 

 breed of Horses. 



In fact, France does not want it ; compara- 

 tively speaking, she has very few customers 

 for thorough-bred Horses, they would rather 

 be an encumbrance than useful to her. Be- 

 yond the army and the Court, there are not 

 many Frenchmen but that would be content 



with a moderate priced Horse ; and would 

 rather avoid, we believe, the extra care and 

 attention which a higher-bred animal might 

 subject him to. The French, as far as our 

 experience goes, are an economical people, 

 not likely to encourage any expence which 

 they possibly could do without ; and therefore 

 are perfectly contented with their present 

 breed of Horses. There are no hounds kept 

 in the provinces, because there are no primo- 

 geniture estates of twenty thousand pounds a 

 year to support them ; there are no subscrip- 

 tion packs, for the same reason, as there is no 

 private one ; property is so extensively di- 

 vided, that if it secures comforts, they are 

 satisfied, and are too wise to embark in any 

 thing which they deem extravagant. There 

 is no encouragement to stimulate the breed of 

 hunters, and the breed of blood horses will, 

 we suspect, remain in the hands of the French 

 Government, rather than be taken up by 

 private breeders. 



We avail ourselves of the following descrip- 

 tion of two breeding studs, which will con- 

 firm the above obervations, that the breed of 

 our Horses is derived from the watchful care 

 and experience of the most wealthy of our 

 nobility and men of fortune : — 



Within a few miles of Thetford in Norfolk, 

 and almost adjoining each other, txe situated 

 two of the most celebrated breeding establish- 

 ments in England — Riddlesworth and Eus- 

 ton — the former the seat of Mr. Thornhill , 

 the latter of His Grace the Duke of Grafton. 

 The proudest feature in the social condition of 

 the land we live in is, that the promotion and 

 support of objects of National importance, 

 which everywhere else is looked upon as the 

 business and peculiar province of the Govern- 

 ment, here either originates in individual 



