480 THE HOI, 



to the rearing of them. It is usual to name the horses of 

 the Bedouins of the interior desert the Xedjed Breed, from 

 -the desert of that name, extending from Ivledina eastwards ; 

 but very few horses are produced in the Xedjed itself. There 

 used to be considerable difficulty in procuring the horses of 

 the inland tribes of even the Syrian deserts, from the sup- 

 posed hazard of confiding in the faith of the people, but, in 

 reality, from the distrust which these wandering tribes enter- 

 tained of the inhabitants of the towns. The intercourse, 

 however, has become more considerable within the last thirty 

 years, in consequence of which circumstance, the pashas and 

 other rich individuals in Syria have been enabled to supply 

 their stables with Xedjeds ; and from the same cause, French, 

 Russian, and Prussian agents, have been able to procure 

 many fine stallions of the races of the remoter Bedouins, for 

 their respective governments. In the year 1817, according 

 to Mr Barker, whose long residence at Aleppo gave him full 

 opportunity of observing the growing intercourse of the Be- 

 douins with the settled inhabitants, three very numerous 

 tribes, who had never before beheld a Turkish minaret, 

 pitched their tents within a few miles of Aleppo, bringing 

 along with them, at least, 6000 horses. From these it was 

 easy for Europeans residing in Syria to select a number of 

 splendid stallions, but none of them, it is said, found their 

 way to England.* But though the breeds of the interior may 

 have been obtained with difficulty, a great number of horses 

 are continually being exported from the northern parts of 

 Arabia. The Turks of Asia Minor and Syria obtain consi- 

 derable numbers ; but the principal trade is to the East 

 Indies, from Bussora on the Persian Gulf. The exportation 

 is chiefly of stallions, the Arabs retaining the mares for 

 breeding, and preferring them for the purpose of the saddle. 

 The Arabs, we are assured, pay great attention to the purity 

 of the descent of their horses, and have certain races of them 



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