C04 Report on the Exhibition of Live-Stock at Taunton. 
ItemarTcs hy Mr. Biddell. 
With Ml'. Spraggon's report I generally agree : but to his remarks on Class 
10, 1 should like to add that I should be sorry to see the Gast mares given up, 
as both the Gast mares and those with foals at foot are important classes ; and 
I would rather recommend that one prize be offered to each class of mares if 
the Society cannot afibrd to make two classes of two prizes each. 
Mr. Spraggon's recommendations in Class 12 I quite differ with. Had he 
seen the 21 Sufiolk mares, all of one character, led into the ring at the meeting 
of the Sufiolk Society this year, I think he would have thought the breed 
worthy of a distinct class at the Royal Society's Meetings. They were cer- 
tainly very badly represented at the Taunton Meeting, but the home of the 
Suffolk horse is on the light lands of the Eastern Counties ; and, considering 
the distance from Taunton, and the expense of getting there, the small num- 
ber shown can be accounted for. 
I have acted many times as Judge in classes where different kinds of 
animals have been exhibited together, and can bear testimonj- to the difiS- 
culty — and often almost disagreeable difficulty — in awarding prizes i-n such 
classes, that I very strongly recommend the Society to offer their prizes to the 
different breeds of all animals in separate classes. 
First in the other classes come the thoroughbred stallions ; 
but of the nine entries two at least were roarers, and they can 
-scarcely be said, therefore, to come under the designation of 
" suitable for getting hunters." Old " Citadel," who must by 
this time know his way to every town in England where prizes 
are offered for thoroughbred sires, was placed first ; but the son 
of " Stockwell " and " Sortie " does not gain any additional fame 
by this, considering that his two nearest rivals were " Claudius," 
a light and very flashy son of " Caractacus," and the Ashgill- 
bred " Weather Star," now doing duty in Glamorganshire. 
The owner of the latter lodged a protest against the first prize 
being awarded to " Citadel," on the ground that he was a roarer, 
but the case was not re-opened. Of " Eastley," who obtained 
the reserve number and a high commendation, it is impossible 
to say much good, for on the turf he never aspired to travel 
beyond the T.Y.C., and his forelegs are about as bad as they 
can be. The stallions, other than thoroughbred, suitable for 
getting hackneys, were more numerous and better of their kind ; 
and it was a good race between " Norfolk Hero," a very com- 
pact horse and a good goer, and " Phenomenon," fot the red 
ribbon, which was at last attached to the head-piece of the Lin- 
colnshire stallion. The prizes for pony-stallions, abandoned at 
Bedford but revived at Taunton, were not all given away, as 
there were only five entries. " Sir George," as might have been 
expected, took the first prize to Westmoreland, for it was a 
guinea to a gooseberry upon him against the others, though 
" Cannon Ball," winner of the second prize, can go a bit. The 
mares in foal, or with foal at foot, were not good in either of 
the two classes for breeding hunters and hackneys ; nor is it 
necessary to comment upon the five pony-mares entered in the 
