No. 1. 



The Wellesley Arabian. 



17 



THE WELLESLEY ARABIAN, 



Through the kindness of a friend, we are enabled to present to our readers the portrait 

 of the noblest horse that was ever imported into England. His amazing strength and great 

 weight of carcass unfitted him for the turf, but this very circumstance rendered him doubly 

 valuable for more useful purposes. His portrait, originally from the life, is by Marshall, 

 engraved in the line manner by Scott, the best animal engraver of his day; and from this 

 chef d'ffiuvre of the arts, the present engraving has been made expressly for our work, and 

 of the exact original size. 



The author of that grand work, " The correct delineation of the Horse," remarks : " The 

 present writer having seen this fine horse, can vouch for the truth of Mr. Marshall's drawing. 

 This horse, in figure bearing considerable resemblance to the larger war-horse of Europe, 

 although possessing the delicate skin and various other attributes of the South-eastern courser, 

 it may be conjectured was the produce of some country bordering upon Arabia, where, as in 

 England, the Arabian or Barbary horse in process of time acquires an increase of size and 

 fulness of form, together with considerable expansion of the hoofs; this being, no doubt, the 

 effect of lower and more moist grounds and more succulent food than can be found in the 

 deserts, where the dryness and purity of the air and soil compress the animal body, impart a 

 superior firmness and elasticity to the tendons and fibrous system, allowing greater powers 

 in a smaller compass of substance, and exalting the tone and vigour of the animal spirits. 

 Thus, horses are chosen from the deserts for their fleetness and courage, and those from the 

 mountainous regions are preferred as coursers. 



"The Arabians have always been breeders of horses for sale, but can scarcely be induced to part with their 

 mares at any price. No people on earth can come into competition with them for their solicitude and care in 

 respect to the pedigrees of their horses; it exceeds even that, in the same case, bestowed upon monarchs and 

 royal families ! The performance of the marriage ceremony between an Arabian horse and mare of noble blood, 

 must be first of all publicly announced, that the necessary witnesses— 7nen of the highest rank in the countrv — 

 may be present to attest the fact; and the same ceremony is repeated at the birth of the foal; and lliere are 

 numbers of undoubtedly authentic pedigrees upwards of 500 years old. And nowhere is the horse treated with 

 such consideration, or, as it might be termed, felloic-feeHn<r as in Arabia, and as a consequence, no horse equals 

 the Arabian in kindness and affection to human nature and the approach to rationality. The Arab, his wife 

 and children, his mare and foal, repose together under the same roof and on the same bed, the foal often resting 

 upon the bosom of the wife, and the children sleeping on the neck and body of the mare, without the least appre- 

 hension that the gentle creature will do injury to her charge! The Arab never beats his horse, but discourses 

 and reasons with him, allowing him an equal share with hiniself of the necessaries of life ; and the result demon- 

 sirales the rationality of the system." 



