A Racer. 167 



a failure), their owners keeping them for their own 

 use as hog-hunters, riding-horses, or chargers. Then 

 only Jiorses are imported ; and as it has been found that 

 EngHsh mares run much better than horses in India, it 

 is just possible that Arabian mares might also run better 

 than horses in that country. This is no doubt owing to 

 climate, especially in Bengal, and perhaps Madras, for 

 the often humid climate of Bengal is as great a change 

 for the Arab as to the English horse, or greater ; for 

 in Arabia, although under a burning sun, he has been 

 accustomed to a dry, bracing, exhilarating, and pecu- 

 liarly pure air, unknown in our island. But from among 

 such Arabs as go to India, when running among them- 

 selves, can anyone say that they do not possess the 

 highest merits as race-horses .'' Possessed of speed only 

 inferior, as a rule, to the carefully-bred racers of Eng- 

 land, but combined with stoutness, which enables them 

 to run continuously races of any distance in as good 

 time as is often seen in England. 



The race-courses in India are measured to a yard, and 

 I believe at the distance of one foot only from the inner 

 circle, thus giving the shortest possible amount of 

 ground a horse can go over. The following instances 

 of time and distance (taken from the ' Oriental Sporting 

 Magazine '), will prove the claim of the Arabian to be 

 considered a race-horse :— At Calcutta, January 1 847, 

 the gray Arab horse. The Baron, aged, ran \ mile, at 

 8 St. 7 lb., in 54 sees., which is considered the average 

 rate for a \ mile, the \ mile being continually accom- 

 plished in 26 sees. But it is recorded that at Soone- 



