ON THE HORSE IN GENERAL. 95 



arrived at the higheft point of perfeclion, in the 

 admired qualities of fpeed and ftrength, indivi- 

 dually, long before the prefent time. For 

 inftance, we have no reafon to expect that the 

 fpeed, ftrength, and continuance of Childers 

 and Eclipfe, as gallopers ; of Archer, and one 

 or two others, as trotters; or the powers of 

 certain cart-horfes, which have drawn fuch 

 immenfe weights, and repeated fo many dead 

 pulls, will ever be excelled. It feems not to be 

 within the compafs of thofe powers of aclion 

 which nature has bellowed upon the Horfe, to 

 gallop a mile in lefs time than a minute; or to 

 trot the fame diftance in lefs than three minutes, 

 bating a few feconds. . But animals, capable of 

 fuch extraordinary feats, to be found nowhere 

 elfe upon the face of the habitable globe, have 

 ever been rara' aves even in England. To 

 fpeak a truth, although we have maintained a 

 fuperiority over other countries, for near a 

 century, yet we have at no period been over- 

 ftocked with good Hones ; nor are we at this 

 inftant, although we have continued progref- 

 fively to amend. The reafon of our defect I 

 (hall bye and by endeavour to explain. The 

 authors who beft underftood this branch of 

 the fubjecl, particularly Bracken and Ofmer, 

 have made heavy complaints of the fcarcity of 

 good Horfes in their days, and afiitmed their 

 reafons for it. Since their time our improve- 

 ments 



