174 ON RUNNING HORSES 



branches of knowledge have perifhed in the 

 fame way. From the difcontinuance of horfe- 

 racing, the Enghfti thorough-bred horfe, the 

 fource of ahnoft all that is excellent in the fpe- 

 cies, might become extinft. Thus the turf is a 

 grand national obje6l, and its votaries are admi- 

 niftering, through the medium of their plea- 

 fures, to the intereft and profperity of their 

 country. 



The fage lucubrations of our clofet-jockeySj 

 which occafionally make their appearance in 

 the daily prints, for the edification of the pub- 

 lic, are in the following ftrain, " When the turf 

 " has funk into that contempt it merits, we 

 " Ihall again have that race of ftrong boney 

 " horfes to which our forefathers were accuf- 

 *' tomed ; the old Englifli hunter, will again 

 " rear his creft."' Precifely fo, in part, it would 

 be no doubt ; and we fliould again jog on after 

 the fober rate of half-a-dozen miles ;^^r hour, 

 upon that marble breaded fort, which old 

 Bracken dignified with the name of " pioneer 

 horfes," and again might we make a long day 

 of travelling fifty miles in a ftage coach. So 

 much for the fi;rong boney horfes of our grand- 

 fires. Refpefting the old Englifli hunter, fo 

 highly in favour with thefe reforming jockies, 

 he was always a half-bred horfe, and how 

 would they contrive to make fuch an one 

 without the help of racing blood .^ — With para- 

 graphs 



