44 A HISTORY OF THE PERCHEKON HORSE 



extant. It may be stated in passing thatthis "Asso- 

 ciation Normande ' ' was an organization tliat met at 

 different towns in Normandy at stated periods. 

 While it was customary to hold the annual congress 

 at some town within the borders of the ancient 

 province of Normandy, this meeting of 1843 was 

 held in the Arrondissement of Mortagne, which is 

 wholly in The Perche and has always formed a part 

 of the Generality of Alengon, the capital of the pres- 

 ent Department of Orne, in which the town and 

 Arrondissement of Mortagne are situated. This de- 

 tail explains the reason why the Normandy associa- 

 tion,- including as it did many members living in 

 The Perche, took up the question of the breeding and 

 origin of the Percherons, which at that time was 

 exciting much interest. We mention this in order 

 to record the fact that a certain part of Normandy 

 and The Perche encroached the one upon the other, 

 and it was only by following up the bibliography of 

 French agriculture under the head "Normande" 

 that we were able to locate this important report of 

 the Mortagne congress of 1843, which we believe has 

 not heretofore been presented in connection with the 

 study of this subject. In fact, so far as we know, 

 this is the first time that the letter of the Abbe Fret 

 has been given to the Percheron breeding public of 

 the present time in its entirety. We are indebted to 

 the "Societe des Savants" for the privilege of exam- 

 ining the piiblications of the "Association Nor- 

 mande." 

 Whence the Percheron?— Under the head, "Race 



