6G 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[Sept. 23; 



The wiM ;i5s (Para,) wiis a native of Arabia, speaking. But his account ol them correspoixls 

 Dmrla aa,l those countries which formed the 'with the diminultvt .iomcstic race inlrod.iced 

 great Babylonian empire. They are now found from Africa, ).articuUirl.v those from i>enegal ■.w<\ 

 in Southern Tartary, in the mountainous districts (/if Cape de Verd Islands ; and from «..Rh ihe 

 and saline plains of Pfriia— are migratory in small race now in Enr.pe and in this country, 

 largeherds, visiting in winter (he norihern parts may with great probahilily claim their origin, 

 of Mia, and said to be so fleet thai no horse can 1 The Arohwn ass, like the horse ol ihal coun- 

 overtake them in the chase. This race are fre- 1 try, is considered as the most esUmahle ol hi.s 



iipecips — and there are strong reasnns (or con- 

 cliidiM"' lh.it he is descendeM iV'in llu' Hebrew 



quenlly allndud to by the inspired /xk/s .ind ;)ro/)/i- 



c(s ; and aff>id 5iHii/i« diametrically opp-ile 10 ^ 



those dra.vn from lh<' domesuc r.ce. Tbe suh- .^/oh, so liiarhly valued I'y Abraham and by Iht 



lim^ discriphonoithe toinier in !be book ot Job, pairiarchs, judges, and kings, at Mib^equent pe 



exhibits such a contrasi, ihal I trust lis insertion 



in this place will not be deemed improper: 



'^ Who from the forest ass his collar Viroke, 

 Ari't maiiumizfd his shoulders iVom Uio yoke? 

 Wild ti^nanl ol th'' waste, I sent hi.ii ■here 

 Amnii2: the shruhs, to brealhc fn frefednm's air. 

 Swift as an arrow in his sper-d he flii-s; 

 Sf t-s from afar the snioky city rise ; 



riiids ofsarred hisioiv ; and that Ibe same rare 

 has been preserved in the ancient land of U^., 

 in some degree of ]iuri(y to the jiresenl time. 

 Indeed iheie can be but lillle doubt on llie snh- 

 j.rl, if we ailmil the fact, that the bahils man- 

 ners and pursuits of the disceudanis cii Isltinnel 

 ha» e continued wilh scarcely an iola ol v.iriailon, 

 Dk rank amnno- the nalions 



Scorus the throug'd street, where slavery drags her *^''"'" ''"" '''0' '';!*;y '"". . . , ,_ „,, 



° ^ " ol the earth. 'I be position is greatly ^trength 



ened hv the inlormaliim I received some years 



load, 

 The loud voic*'d driver and bis iiryins' ^rad : 

 Where'er thi- mountain waves its lolly wn d, 

 A boundless range, he seeks his verdant fond." 



Scott^s I'ersion. 



We find, that at a very early period of sacred 

 history, the common domestic ass (^Chainor,) was 

 cmployeil in all the menial labours of a patriarch- 

 al family, while a nobler and more estimable 

 animal {Aton.) was destined to c.iny the patri- 

 archs, the Tn'cll born, and those on wlmm niaik'- 

 of distinction were to be conferred. Thev 

 constituted an imporlaiil ilem in a schedule of 

 the pastoral wealth of tho-e times ; of course at- 

 tracted particular attention and care. David. 

 we are lold, had an nfticer, apparently of hiu:!! 

 dignity, appointed expressly to su|ierintend his 

 stud o{ liigh bred asses, or allonoth. 



There was another race that has been men- 

 tioned by Arislollc and by TheophrOilus, whom 

 Pliny quotes, which they denominated Ibe ti'iW 

 male thai bred (/(fmj-o;ioj,) anil were lound in 

 Cappadocia and Africa. There can be but little 

 doubt but this is tl.e Ilemionus or ivild tnule ol 

 the Mongaiian 'I'arlars, so particularly describ- 

 ed by professor Pa//fli, and Ihal it is nol a //ufcrirf. 

 but actuallv o'' the species of ass resembli ig a 

 tnule.* This r.'C ■ is idenlilied by Harris with 

 Hie Orutt ol scripture. 



since from an intelligent traveller of undoubted 

 veracity, *vho had visited Arabia on the south- 

 western side of the peninsula to Mocha ; and on 

 ihe cistern, as far as the mouth of the Tigris. 

 He represented the superior race of asses of that 

 country as most beautiful— of perfect symmetr), 

 great spirit, activity and vigour. He had seen 

 ihose that could not be |iuuhased lor less than 

 four or jive thousand dollars — an enormous price. 

 consiileriiig the value of money anmng those- 

 peo|)le.* I understood from him, that the Arabs 

 were as tenacious of preserving the pedigree oi 

 Uieir horses, as the most careful breeder fur Ihe 

 rnrf in England — and tiot less so of iheir nsscs. 

 The descent of some of lliem lliey trace to Ihose 

 in the train of the queen ol Slieba when she vis 

 ited Solomon — as they also do thai of their hors- 

 es to the numerous stud of that «ise and g.TllanI 

 king 



Dr Harris supposes thea'i/i/n^s (^Para.) to be 

 the Onauer of the ancienis; and that (he Alon 

 « as ot' a different kind. My impressioiiscnincide 

 with the o|)iiiion iif the learned divine — but may 

 not writers of different perimls have cnnlomided 

 the wild ass with the Atiui in their re|)reseiita- 

 tic^nsoftlie Ona'.^er? for it is not imprnbidde, 

 but Ibat the i\tiin was of the most improved 



The wild ass of Northern and Western Africa, , ,,, i.n„„.„ produced from crosses of a iboice 



whose tlesh was so much admir' ! by Ihe Roman 

 epicures, may, 1 believe, be ranked as another 

 distinct race. Adanson, a I'lench naturalist, who 

 visited the river .Senegal more than hall a cen- 

 tury ago, describes those bronght from Ihe inte- 

 rior by the Miiors, as so essentially different fmrn 

 any he had se",i in Europe, it was wilh difficul- 

 ty he couid recognize them to be the same spe 

 ties — neither do they answer the description of 

 the wild ass of Asia, of which we have lieen 



tiful similes, wliich would otherwise lie concealed — and 

 enaljliig them to judge more correctly of the propriety 

 of auch allusions. 



* Htniiloius says that in llie army of -Yerxc.t, whieh 

 invaded isT'tcp, there were '* chariots of war drawn by 

 ■wild asses.'''' M. Larclier, a celebrated com mental or, 

 H-ndrr^ [hvm /iebrcs in hi* 1-Vench translation, whicli 

 iie suiiijorts frnni Oppian, lib. 3, v. ll;.'i. But it is now ; 

 well jvtunvn th:il the zebra is of a spfrcie? eiilirely dis- 

 tincl from l!ie Jit.'. ; and Jhiffim assert*, that none were 



ever discovered out of ..■JTricii ,• and there only in the . ,. , ,, , ,-,,_■., 



. M.lliern heini^phere. li i, therefore hi.-hly provable ' A".'"^; ""• '»'«"'?■ '"• "-* ^^^»- "'.'"'" vaiue^ there 

 Ih.U lho..e alhwled to. were Ihe /i.m»,»«.. which are i "V'" l-nrope ; and a lai^'eand hijrh -,...i(. d b.-eed, 

 described a. math larger Ihan the wild ass, and nr,.rer \ ^^ ''"-'> «''7^' «>lr vain, d, and seJ, al u very b..h price ; 

 i:ie si^e and form ofthe 2eUa.-i'« BUoc's Jhroiolm, j ' l";'f"-'«i >^^>^ t" horses^See Ntibuhr's Jraruls m 

 J'oli/mma.chap.^ii. lAiatJii. 



seleclion ofthe domestic, the wild ass, anil Ihe 

 Hernionus, or wild mule — which last professor 

 Pallas recommends to complete the [lerl^clion 

 of the species. This supposition is supported 

 by Buffnn, who infers as a certain fact, thai h\ 

 a cross ot' the remotest of different races of the 

 .iss, the most beautiful proiluctions are obtained. 

 Mules were in use and highly esteemed at a 

 remote period of antiquity ; and are mentioned 

 in scripture as of importance in the equipage 

 of princes. Herodotus, who is styled \\\e filher 

 of profane hislori/, freipientlv speaks of (In m ; 

 and it IS known that Ibev were introduced in the 

 elutriot races ai he Olympic games, in Ihe sev- 

 enlielh Ol^nijiiad, about five hundred years be- 

 fore (-hrisl. 'i'lie I'lonLius well knew their \alup. 

 I'liny infirms us, irom Varro. llr.it Q. jjiit/j, a 

 Human senator, paid four luindied ihoiisaiid ser- 



* f'J'ti.buhr ri-marks, *^ there at*' two sorts of asses in 



slerces, upwards n| thirteen thousand dollars, for 

 a mate ass^ tor the propagation of mules. And 

 be says Inrlher, that the prolit of a female ass 

 :ii lireeding slock lor the same purpo.so, was es- 

 timated in Celtebcria, now liie kingdom of Va- 

 lencia in Spain, at a like: sum. We may infer 

 lioni a passage in Tacitus, and in Plutarch's life 

 at .Marius, that jnules were generally employed 

 to transport the baggage ol ihe Roman aimies; 

 iiiid Ihal it IS not improbable ihe superior offi- 

 cers rode those of a high grade, having their 

 horses led, except when ibey engaged an ene- 

 my. It seems ihal Ihe dilteianti ol Home held 

 them in great estimation ; as we are informed 

 tiial Ihe mules of jVtro and Pnppca were shod 

 Willi gold and silver — not jAitles. as iron shoes aie 

 now formed, but the whole /. 00/" enclosed. 



('otumella, vi ho in the reign of the limperor 

 Claudius published the mosl valuable liealiseoa 

 the liusbandry and economy of the liomansthat 

 has been handed cowii to us, has gu en \ ery par- 

 ticular directions for breeding asses and inutcs. 

 Hi- was a natue of C.nliz, and owned estates in 

 .'>[iain. where it ajipears that tlie IJnest mules 

 were ihen bred. 



As it is nol requisite to pursue our history of 

 ihfl mule any farther among the ancient.', we 

 sh.ill drop their a|ip(llalioii of male -mh] female 

 ass, and adopt the modern one ol Jack aud Jf.n» 



.\ ET. 



Spain has continued lo su|rport the reputation 

 lor a superior race of nmles 10 ib.e present pe- 

 riod ; and it is probable ihal the .Arabian breed 

 of Jacks weie introduced ly Ihe .Moors, when 

 they held jiosse-ssion ol' that. tine country, winch, 

 by crosses and the effects of cl'.mate and soil, 

 have Ibrmed livo valuable races, which we shall 

 notice in Ihe sequel. The Pi^rtuguese race have 

 been generally considered as difiering I iil lillle 

 from the Spanish; those, however, tiial h.i\e 

 come within my view appear evidently inlerior. 

 It was not until near Ibe close of the sixleeulh 

 century, that coaches were us(rd in France ; be- 

 fore wlrch. it is said, the nobles rode lo court, 

 pailiameni, &;c. on mi(/M that were brought liom 

 Ihe viiinity of Ihe .Alps and Pyrenees. They 

 were u-iially black, of large si/.e, well made, and 

 mostly bred trom line Spunish marcs. Savoy has 

 long been iioled lor an excellent breed ol mules. 

 None veiy exlranrdmary are found in lialy, — 

 those used by the Velterino, are strong aud ol u 

 resjiectable size, but of a sluggish aud debased 

 spirit. \ ery little can l^e said ol those animals 

 in Great iSiilain. 'I'he Catholic prelates biought 

 over a number '!" piipeib mules prior to ihe l\el- 

 ormalion, but in the reign of Elizabeth so lilile 

 was known of them, that a writer ol that period 

 says, " in Devonsh.re some were produced b\ a 

 Jack brought fr(>m France, an<l were knocked on, 

 the head by the people, who viev\ed them as 

 monsters." A superior race ol miiies wi re bred 

 in Flanders from Jacks inlrodiK ed by Ihe Spanish 

 monarchs while lliey held .lominion In ihat ceiin- 

 Iry. Fifty ol them were broiigbt lo England by 

 the Duke of Cumberland, presented him bv llie 

 Empress Queen, and from iheir beauliful ap- 

 (learance engaged ihe atleolioli ol a fei« indi- 

 viduals ; hut the •■iril soi'u subsided. Notwith- 

 standing lliose ivbo bred ami used them were 

 warm in praise 01 their ulilily 



Among a voluminous mass ot treatises on a^- 

 ricolliire and r»iial economy, published in ihat 

 country for o.Mr a century past, scarce a line 

 can l>e Ibuud devoted lu llie mule j except by De^ 



