%\8 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



Having given a description of the Riddles- 

 'vorth Stud (as it was in 18.,G,) to support 

 our assertion that the breed of our Horses is 

 indebted to the law of primogeniture for its 

 excellence; as it is the cause of combining the 

 experience as well as the wealth, from gene- 

 ration to generation. Indeed, the breeding of 

 the racer may be said to be entirely in the 

 hands of the nobility and gentry of England ; 

 and from which circumstance we see the 

 less necessity for introducing any national 

 establishment in this country for the breed of 

 Horses. 



In France there is not the same cause as 

 in this country for fostering and encouraging 

 the breed of Horses, and therefore it becomes 

 incumbent on the French Government to take 

 the management of procuring such a stud of 

 stallions as may improve the breed of their 

 Horses, at little or no expence to the French 

 farmer. Napoleon used to send a stud into 

 the different provinces of France, and we re- 

 collect seeing one at Auch, the capital of 

 Gascony, in the year 1814. It is true Napo- 

 leon at that period had abdicattd, but it was 

 the continuation of his system. It consisted of 

 Horses of various countries, the Arab, Barb, 

 &c. ; but one was there which attracted our 

 attention the most, not expecting to see any 

 animal of his description, an English thorough- 

 bred Horse, standing, we should think, full 

 sixteen hands high. He was called Romulus, 

 and was said to be above thirty years of age. 

 He had all the appearance of age, having lost 

 his flesh ; but there was his eye and noble 

 forehand, which indicated both dignity and 

 high breeding. There was nothing to re- 

 semble him ; tlie other stallions were full of 

 flesh and pretty; but the English Horse, for 

 feize and speed, never could appear to more 



advantage than when in such company ; they 

 certaiidy were handsome and beautiful to looK 

 at; but Romulus had the same appearance of 

 nobility and dignity over his tiibe, as Kemble 

 in Coriolanus would have had in compari.son 

 with a common actor. 



We have said that it is the duty of the 

 French Government, as well as it is to the in- 

 terest of France itself, that assistance should 

 be afforded to the French farmer to improve 

 their breed of Horses; for there is very little 

 capital employed in farming there, and it 

 would interfere too much with the farmer's 

 financial economy to give two or three pounds 

 for a stallion to improve his breed of Horses. 



We hdve before spoken of the division of 

 property in France being very minute ; and in 

 Gascony you will find most of the farms very 

 small, cultivated chiefly by their proprietors. 

 We have been in many of these patriaichal 

 abodes, where in many instances you will find 

 the great grandfather surrounded by a portion 

 of his descendants at the same fire ; for here 

 the daughters brought their husbands home ; 

 and it was a pleasing sight to see them all en- 

 gaged in one general interest and pursuit ; 

 the young girl handling a dung-fork and fill- 

 ing the cart with as much animation and zeal 

 as her brothers. We thought of England ! 

 Of Goldsmith! his " Deserted Village!" We 

 viewed the large broad hand and the haJe 

 complexion of wholesome labour ! We turned 

 our thoughts to Manchester, its cotton-fac- 

 tories and the thin, palid, emaciated appear- 

 ance of its inhabitants ! We never felt the 

 contrast so strong between the happiness of 

 agricultural employment, and the misery of 

 manufactures, where in a heated atmosphere 

 hundreds are congregated together, as at the 

 time we witnessed the harmony and happi- 



