68 BREEDING ARMY HORSES. 



he said, 180 of them, and was well pleased 

 with them all ; did not wish, in fact, for 

 better troopers. Such practical experience 

 must of course he allowed to outweigh any 

 private opinion upon the subject. Never- 

 theless, it must be borne in mind that such 

 supply could only be obtained after con- 

 siderable delay, and would depend upon 

 our uninterrupted command of the high 

 seas. This we hope we shall, humanly 

 speaking, always retain ; yet under the 

 happiest circumstances the ocean passage 

 of troop horses must always be a precarious 

 enterprise enough. 



All things considered I am strongly of 

 opinion that, whether or not we have to 

 follow Continental nations in the matter of 

 conscription, the time has already come in 

 which we should follow their example in 

 the establishment of Government breeding 

 studs. The time, moreover, is propitious. 

 Land is cheap, and the best — i.e., the most 



