THE ARABIAN HORSE. Ct 



and necks and even seem afraid to move lest they - 

 should hurt them. 



The fondness and tender attachment, which the 

 Arabs have for their horses, is well illustrated by the 

 following anecdote, related by the Chevalier D'Ar- 

 vieux in his travels in the Desert of Arabia, and also 

 in St. Pierre's Studies of Nature : " The whole stock 

 of a poor Arabian consisted of a beautiful mare, 

 which the French consul, at Said, offered to purchase, 

 with intention to send her to Louis XIV. The Arab, 

 pressed by want, hesitated a longtime, but at length 

 consented, on condition of receiving a very consider- 

 able sum of money, which he named. The consul 

 wrote to France for permission to close the bargain, 

 and having obtained it, sent immediately to the Arab 

 the information. The man, so poor as to possess only 

 a miserable rag, a covering for his body, arrived with 

 his magnificent courser. He dismounted, and looking 

 first at the gold, and then stedfastly at his mare, 

 heaved a deep sigh : ' To whom is it, (he exclaim- 

 ed) that I am going to yield thee up ? To Europeans ! 

 who will tie thee close ; who will beat thee ; who 

 will render thee miserable ! Return with me, my 

 beauty, my jewel ! and rejoice the hearts of my chil- 

 dren !' As he pronounced the last words, he sprang 

 upon her back, and was out of sight almost in a mo- 

 ment." 



Arabia seems to have been the parent country of 

 horses, whence they have probably spread into Bar- 

 bary, Fand other parts of Africa, which produced a 

 breed* that is considered next to the Arabian in swift- 

 ness and beauty, although somewhat inferior in size. 

 From the last mentioned countries they have proba- 

 bly made their way into every part of the old conti- 

 nent. 



The Spanish horses are also held in high estima- 

 tion ; and they are small but beautiful, extremely 

 swift, and full of spirit. Those of India and China 

 are extremely small and vici--*u One of these 

 brought into this country, is a pre: cut to Her Ma- 



