EQUINE STATISTICS. 289 



order that they may have a distinct idea of the value 

 and importance of the horse, dead or alive, as an article 

 of food, or as the chief animal ally of man in peace or 

 in war. 



According to the census of 1857, there were in Scot- 

 land 185,409 horses, classed as follows : for agricul- 

 tural purposes, above three years old, 126,471 ; under 

 three years old, 34,947 ; all other horses, 23,991. The 

 number in Ireland in 1857 was 600,693 ; of which for 

 agricultural purposes there were 16,606 ; for traffic and 

 manufactures, 2466 ; for amusement and recreation, 

 2469 ; 1779 were yearlings, and 3965 were under one 

 year. The value per head, estimated by the Census 

 Commissioners of 1841 at 8 per head, gives an aggre- 

 gate for Ireland of no less than 4,806,044. 



We have no reason for doubting the accuracy of 

 these statements ; and yet, even after making allow- 

 ance for the inferiority of Ireland to Scotland in respect 

 to tillage, it seems incredible that in Scotland there 

 should be 126,471 horses employed in agriculture, and 

 in Ireland only 16,606. If our readers share, in our 

 surprise, we pray them to charge the incredibility not 

 on us, but on the ' Mark Lane Express.' 



For England and Wales, there being no specific re- 

 turn, it is estimated that there are at least 1,050,930 

 horses, and 258,079 colts. Independent of the value 

 of the above two million and a quarter horses within 

 the United Kingdom, the gross produce to the revenue 

 for Great Britain, from the taxes on horses and horse- 

 dealers, was, in 1859, 362,193. We cannot therefore 

 question that an animal which produces to the public 

 revenue nearly a thousand pounds per day must be an 

 especial favourite with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 

 who doubtless groans in spirit that he cannot saddle 

 with taxes more than a million or so of horses, whereas, 

 if in Kussia, he might swell out his budget by financial 

 operations on some seventeen millions of these noble 

 animals. These are chiefly to be found in the pro- 



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