THE HORSE klf^D ITS DISEASES. 25 



The Birman and Chinese Horses. 



In Siam, the horses are few and inferior to those of 

 the Eiiinan Empire. In Cochin China, on the eastern 

 coast of the Peninsula, the horses are still small, but 

 they are better formed and more active, and stronger 

 than they are in Siam. In Sumatra, and Java, the 

 horses have not increased in size, but in form and 

 usefulness, they scarcely yield to any in the south-west 

 of Asia. In Borneo, they are few, and scarcely 

 deserving of notice. The horses of China are, generally 

 speaking, small, ill-formed, weak, and without spirit. 



History of the English Horse. 



During the occupation of England by the Romans, 

 the British horse was crossed to a considerable extent 

 by the Roman horse, and yet, strange to say, no opinion 

 is given by any historian, Eoman, or English, as to the 

 effect of this. After the evacuation of England by the 

 Eomans, and its conquest by the Saxons, considerable 

 attention was paid to the English breed of horses, and 

 we know, that after the death of Alfred, and under the 

 reign of Athelstan, several running horses were imported 

 from Germany ; this being the fii^st historical intimation 

 we have had of running horses in England. 



Shortly before the J^orman Conquest, a horse was 

 valued at thirteen shillings, a mare or colt at twenty 

 shillings, and an untrained mare at five shillings. 



William the Conqueror took great pains to improve 

 the English breed, introducing many fine steeds from 

 Normandy, Flanders, and Spain. This Monarch owed 

 his success at Hastings to his cavalry. During the 

 Conqueror's reign, the then Earl of Shrewesbury, Roger 

 De Belesme, brought a number of Spanish horses to his 

 estate. The breed issuing from these is highly eulogized 

 by Giraldus Cambrensis, and Drayton. 



In the reign of Henry the First, we have an account 

 of the first Arab horse imported into this country. It 



