"LEOPARD" AND "LINDEN TREE." 2I 



support to the attempts, once the individuals had laid the foundation ; 

 but in each case the plastic Arabian blood had to be resorted to. 



ARAB HORSES AND THE TURF. 



" Sir, — I am unable to say precisely when the Royal Stud at Tutbury 

 fell into the hands of the Parliamentarians ; but it must have been some 

 time prior to July, 1643, as on the 23d of that month four Government 

 commissioners, viz., Mildemay, Lempriere, Carteret, and Grafton, ar- 

 rived at the stud for the purpose of making a true inventory of the 

 race-horses kept there, ' being part of the late king's personal estate.' 

 Four days after the date of their arrival the inventory was completed, 

 and was duly signed and sealed by each of those inquisitors. Appar- 

 ently the work was done in a slovenly and careless manner, and it is 

 probable serious mistakes were occasionally committed by the commis- 

 sioners in confusing the names of the stallions with those of the ani- 

 mals enumerated in the catalogue, and vice versa. This inventory, or 

 catalogue, though most interesting, is too long to transcribe here in 

 detail ; suffice it to say that it consisted of one hundred lots, compris- 

 ing twenty-three mares and their foals, fifteen mares four years old and 

 upwards, sixteen three-year-old fillies and colts, seventeen two-year-old 

 fillies and colts, twenty-two yearling fillies and colts, and twenty-three 

 horses four years old and upwards ; one hundred and thirty-nine head, 

 all told. No specific mention of any stallion occurs in the inventory 

 (except, as in some cases it may be inferred, that the name of the stal- 

 lion, and not that of the lot, was intended to be given), hence it is prob- 

 able that the sires were removed and kept at some other place at the 

 time this inventory was taken. A valuation of each lot is given, — the 

 whole amounting to nineteen hundred and eighty-two pounds, or an 

 average of not quite fourteen guineas per head. 



" There is no doubt whatever that many of those lots were imme- 

 diately descended from the Digby and Villiers Arabs previously referred 

 to, of which the latter had been imported by James I., towards the latter 

 end of his reign. Let us take a few instances : (Lot 5) ' Black Mo- 

 rocco. One black mare with a few white haires in the forehead, 5 yeares 

 old, with a horse foale, £22! (Lot 9) ' Morocco. One brown bay 

 mare with a starre, two white heels behind, 1 2 yeares old, with a horse 

 foale, ^25.' (Lot 24) ' Young Morocco. One bay mare without white, 

 4 yeares old, with a horse foale, ^16.' (Lot 35) ' Black Morocco. One 

 black mare without white, 10 yeares old, ,£10.' (Lot 52) 'Morocco. 

 One browne bay horse with a little starr, 5 yeares old, £t>°' Here 



