58 A HISTORY OP THE PERCHERON ITORSE 



cherons, were celebrated as saddlers and hunters, 

 but they were employed chiefly as diligence and 

 express horses. There are about 13,520 horses, 

 mares and colts [in his district, of course]. Included 

 in this number 5,200 horses and 5,280 mares are 

 employed in agricultural work; 1,380 horses and 

 mares are employed in other work than agriculture; 

 and 1,560 are colts and fillies." 



Laanagdelaine's Prizes. — ^In his "Chorographie," 

 published in 1803, Delestang speaks again of the 

 Percheron horse, using in part expressions similar 

 to those he had previously employed. But from 

 this it appears that it was afterwards discovered 

 that conditions were not nearly so bad as Citizen 

 Fontenay had originally stated, for under a caption, 

 "Additional Information," Delestang says: 



"The breed of horses called Percherons owes its 

 restoration to the solicitude of the Prefect of the 

 Department, J. V. A. Lamagdelaine, who, desirous 

 of regenerating this breed, has begun to offer prizes 

 to the land owners and farmers who present, at the 

 fair of Dec. 11, 1803, the finest brood mares and male 

 colts of the Percheron breed. These prizes will be 

 publicly distributed, on the fair ground, by the Pre- 

 fect. This fair, called St. Andrew's, is renowned for 

 the quantity of colts sold. The fair of St. Martin, 

 held at Laigle, is also famous as a great colt fair. 

 The commerce in horses at all the fairs of the 

 Arrondissement of Mortagne is valued at about 

 550,000 pounds sterling, and that of the markets at 

 about £70,000 weekly." 



In view of the fact that the purchasing power of 

 money at that epoch was considerably greater than 

 at present, it will be seen that the restoration had 



