THE HORSE. 



f 

 CHAPTER I. 



GENERAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE. 



Hackney, 



Into this and the various breeds of horses, we shall enter at some length, 

 and although the more practical division of the 'I'reatise will be thereby 

 necessaiily postponed until the next monthly part, we shall not, even at 

 present, forget the name of the Library to which it belongs, but endeavour 

 to blend the useful with the entertaining. 



The native country of the horse cannot with certainty be traced. He 

 has been found, varying materially in size, in form, and in utility, in all 

 the temperate, in most of the sultry, and in many of the northern regions 

 of the Old World. 



In the Sacred Volume, which, beside its higher claims to stand at the 

 head of the Farmer's Library, contains the oldest authentic record of past 

 transactions, we are told that, so early as 1650 years before the birth of 

 Christ, the horse had been domesticated by the Egyptians. When Joseph 

 carried his father's remains from Egypt to Canaan, " there went up with 

 him both chariots and horsemen."* One hundred and fifty years after- 

 wards, the horse constituted tl)e principal strength of the Egyptian army. 

 Pharaoh pursued the Israelites with " six hundred chosen" chariots, and 

 with all the chariots of Egy])t."f 



If we could believe the accounts of the uninspired historians, Sjsostria 

 (the monarch probably whom Joseph served) had twenty-seven thousand 

 chariots of war ; and Semiramis, the founder of Babylon, had one hundred 

 tliousand chariots, and a million of horsemen ; but this was probably a 

 great exaggeration. 



Fifty years after the expulsion of the Israelites from Egypt, and 1450 

 years before the birth of Christ, the horse was so far naturaHzed in G»-eece 



♦ Gen. i. 



\ Exod. xvi. 7. 



