36 England's horses, 



wellbeing of horse supply and produce in the Sister 

 Kingdom. The gentle being that personifies elegance and 

 grace to the admiring loiterers by the side of Kotten Row 

 on a "full house" day in the height of the season — the 

 acme of attitude and harmony of motion, the bold dragoon, 

 who hopes with a soldier's professional ardour to yet " flesh 

 his maiden sword," the gallant fox hunter, characteristic 

 four-in-hand man, wealthy gentleman, and hard-working 

 tradesman, are all interested individually, as well as from 

 that fine feeling of national pride, so largely pervading the 

 people of this realm, in this all-suggestive and nervous 

 question of degeneracy in numbers and quality of "Eng- 

 land's Horses for Peace and War." 



Few commanding officers of cavalry are more competent 

 than Colonel Baker, to give a practical opinion regarding 

 the question of supply and demand in the horse markets ; 

 and the following extract from a letter, addressed by him 

 so far back as the 18th November, 1863, to the committee 

 appointed by the Royal Agricultural Society to enquire 

 into the subject of degeneracy in the breed of general 

 horses, may be produced here with suggestive warning and 

 interest. He says: — "The deterioration of the breed of 

 horses in Ireland, must be considered as an evident and 

 acknowledged fact ; and it is important that the reason 

 should be traced, and, if possible, arrested. In my opinion, 

 several causes have led to this result : — 



" 1st — The increased demand for horses, of even inferior 

 quality, which has arisen from the large influx of con- 

 tinental buyers. 



" 2nd — The carelessness with regard to brood mares and 

 stallions, which is so general amongst the lower classes of 

 Irish breeders. 



" 3rd — The dearth of good stallions, and the consequent 

 improbability that the poor horse breeder can make use of 

 a superior, but expensive, sire. 



