GEEMA.N nOESE.] 



THE HOESE, AND 



[ITALIAN HOESE. 



The imperial establishment for the breed- 

 ing of horses at Mesohagye's, near Carlsburg, 

 in Austria, is both an excellent and exten- 

 sive one. It is decidedly the finest in 

 the Austrian dominions for the breeding of 

 horses. The Duke of Kagusa describes it 

 as standing on forty thousand acres of land of 

 the best quality, embracing an area of forty- 

 five miles— surrounded, in its whole extent, by 

 a steep and broad ditch, and a plantation sixty 

 feet wide. Orif^inally it was designed to re- 

 cruit the cavalry ; but now it is devoted to 

 the object of obtaining stallions of a good 

 breed, which are sent to different depots, with 

 a view to keep up the necessary supply for the 

 various provinces. To produce these, one 

 thousand brood mares and forty-eight stallions 

 are kept ; two hundred additional mares, and 

 six hundred oxen, are maintained to cultivate 

 the ground. "The plain," says the duke, "is 

 divided into four equal parts, and each of 

 these subdivided into portions, resembling so 

 many farms. At the age of four years, the 

 young horses are all collected in the centre 

 of the establishment. A selection is first 

 made of the best animals, to supply the 

 deficiencies in the establishment, in order 

 always to keep it on the same footing. A 

 second selection is then made from the 

 other horses : none of these, however, are sent 

 away until they are five years old; but the 

 horses that are not of sufiicient value to be 

 selected, are sold by auction, or sent to the 

 army to keep up the cavalry, as circumstances 

 may require. 



"The imperial treasury advances to the es- 

 tablishment, every year, eighteen thousand 

 florins, and is reimbursed by the sale of one 

 hundred and fifty stallions, which are sent to 

 the provinces every year, at the price of one 

 thousand florins each ; and by the value of 

 the horses supplied to the cavalry. The 

 value of a florin ia about 2s. Id. English 

 money. All the other expenses incident to the 

 maintenance and tear and wear of the es- 

 tablishment, are defrayed by what it, in itself, 

 produces. This is, therefore, an immense 

 estate — a farm on a colossal scale — with a 

 stud in proportion, managed on account of 

 the sovereign, and which produces a consider- 

 able revenue, independently of the principal 

 object which is attained — the propagation and 

 40 



the multiplication of the best breeds of horses. 

 He can always supply the wants of his army 

 at a price almost incredibly small. Eor a 

 horse of the light cavalry he pays only one 

 hundred and ten florins; for the dragoons, one 

 hundred and twenty; for the cuirassiers, one 

 hundred and forty ; for the train, one liundred 

 and sixty; and for the artillery, one hundred 

 and eiglity. It is a great element of power 

 to possess at home such an immense resource 

 against a time of war, at an expense so far 

 below that which the powers of the west 

 and south of Europe are compelled to incur." 



It is from the originally warlike character of 

 the Germans that their country takes its name 

 — Germany being derived from the Teutonic 

 Ger-mann, a warring man. 



In Prussia the government has established 

 some extensive studs in different parts of 

 the kingdom, and many noblemen of this 

 country are in the possession of excellent es- 

 tablishments of their own. About the mouth 

 of the Vistula there exists a large breed of 

 horses well-adapted for agricultural purposes ; 

 but in the royal studs, attention has more 

 especially been paid to the improvement of 

 the cavalry horse, which now takes very high 

 rank. 



THE ITALIAN HORSE. 



Of this animal little need now be said. 

 Like everything else in this naturally fine 

 country, the horse " has fallen from his high 

 estate," and is now all but worthless. The 

 races, as they were wont to be run in the 

 davs of Mrs. Piozzi, are thus described by the 

 pen of that lively lady : — " The street is covered 

 with sawdust, and made fast at both ends. 

 Near the starting-post are elegant booths, 

 lined with red velvet, for the court and first 

 nobility. At the other end a piece of tapestry 

 is hung, to prevent the creatures from dasliing 

 their brains out when they reach the goal. 

 Thousands and tens of thousands of people, 

 on foot, fill the course, so that it is a great 

 wonder, to me, still that numbers are not 

 killed. The prizes are exhibited to view in 

 quite the old classical style — a piece of crimson 

 dama^k for the winner; a small silver basin 

 and ewer for the second ; and so on, leaving 

 no performer unrewarded. 



" At last come out the horses without 



