1 46 Silk and Scarlet » 



perfection ; in which neat muscular shoulders, a neck 

 well out, and, above all, a clean jowl, are the cardinal 

 points. There is, in fact, a saying, that " a long swan 

 neck and a beautiful head knock them over at once." 

 There are very few roarers in the country ; and the 

 trotting breed, which have nothing to do with the 

 English, did not roar till they were crossed with mares 

 and sires from Holland. The latter are mostly high- 

 steppers, blacks, with drooping quarters, bad middles, 

 fine heads, and lean necks ; in fact like very varmint 

 cart-horses. Count Orloff, who was the first of the 

 Russian nobility who devoted his whole mind to it, 

 crossed Symmetry and Trafalgar with Arabs, Persians, 

 and mares of the country, and selected their stock for 

 the stud almost entirely by their trotting action. 

 When the Count died, the Government bought up his 

 stud farm in Crenavoy Varonovitch, and began to 

 breed on a large scale. 

 Imported En- There are at least twenty or thirty 

 giish Sires, towns in which Government horses stand 

 at a small price ; but the choice English sires are 

 stationed at Moscow and Crenavoy. Count Branetski 

 has a very large stud of 700 brood mares, and has 

 spent an immense sum over his hobby of importing 

 Arab stallions. Among his English purchases were 

 Ganymede by Orville, Mahmoud by Sultan, Paramour, 

 Zanoni {i.e. Running Rein), Dr. Caius, Joinville, Car- 

 dinal Wolsey, and Deerstealer, &c. The Count is a 

 great sportsman, and keeps an English pack of 

 hounds, with Frank Beers, late second whip to the 

 Brocklesby, and son of the renowned George, as his 

 huntsman. He did not think so at first, but he is 

 now convinced that the slowest of his thorough-bred 

 English horses carry him and his men better to 

 hounds than any Arab he can breed. A Government 

 committee of some two hundred or three hundred mem- 

 bers examine the sires as they arrive. With the 

 Emperor's chargers and the private gentlemen's 



