murs, 
and carry them off among their own herd. 
'] 'hey nre extremely sv/iit, active, and vigi- 
lant : and, like some of the antelopes and 
other quadrupeds, have always a sentinel, 
v, : ho gives notice to the herd on the approach 
of danger by a loud neigh ; upon which they 
fly oil with amazing' rapidity. 
Wild horses are found, according to Dr. 
Fallas, in the deserts on each side the river 
])on, towards the Palus Mieotis ; but these 
are supposed to be the offspring of the Rus- 
sian horses, which were employed in the siege 
ofAsoph, in the year 1697, when ior want 
of forage they were turned loose, and their 
descendants have gradually relapsed into the 
appearance of natural wildness. 'I hose which 
are found in some parts of South America, 
are well known to he the descendants of the 
horses introduced by the Spaniards on the 
flrst discovery of America, and which have so 
far relapsed into a state of nature as to exhi- 
bit the general characters ot the wild animal. 
The horse, in its domestic or improved 
state, is found in almost every pait of the 
world, except perhaps within the Arctic cir- 
cle *, and its reduction and conquest may 
well be considered, as Bulfon properly ob- 
serves, as the greatest acquisition iroin the 
animal world ever made by the ait and in- 
dustry of man. 
Of" the several breeds of horses in common 
or oeneral use in Europe, it is remarkable 
that none can come in competition with those 
of our own island, either for the strength re- 
quired in laborious services, or for the switt- 
ness and elegance of such as are hied mr the 
course. The annals of Newmarket record 
instances of horses that have literally out- 
stripped the wind, as is proved from accu- 
rate calculations, lhe celebrated Childers 
is commemorated, in particular, as the swift- 
est of his tribe ; and the instances of his speed 
may be found in various publications. I le 
was known to have run near a mile in a mi- 
nute ; and to have cleared the course at 
Newmarket, which is only 400 yards short ot 
four miles, in six minutes and forty seconds ; 
running at the rate of eighty-two feet and a 
h a lf in 3 the space of a second. See Plate 
Nat. Hist. fig. 183. 
Of nearly equal fame is the character ot 
Eclipse, whose strength w as said to be great- 
er, and his swiftness scarcely inferior. This 
latter animal forms the subject of Mons. 
SainbeTs calculations, who, in his w'ork on 
the veterinary art, has given an elaborate and 
curious description of his several propor- 
tions. It is remarkable that this horse was 
never esteemed handsome, though the me- 
chanism of his frame, so far as regarded his 
powers of swiftness, was almost periect. 
As it may be some satisfaction to the reader 
to he made acquainted with the general pro- 
portions of this extraordinary courser, we 
shall here extract a part of Mons, Sainbel’s 
observations on the subject. 
“ The horses of different countries are, m 
general, distinguished from each other by a 
peculiar and appropriate conformation. 1 he 
Spanish horse differs materially in his out- 
ward appearance from the English racehorse. 
The difference, in the length and direction 
of the parts of which each is composed, pro- 
duces in each a system from whose mechani- 
cal arrangement result motions very unequal 
iu their extent. The Spanish horse cadences 
his steps with dignity, while the English horse 
drives his mass forward with strength and 
speed. This difference, which proceeds 
from the peculiar conformation ot each, con- 
tradicts, in some particulars, the table ot 
geometrical proportions in the use of the pu- 
pils of the veterinary scho Is of France. It 
proves that no common measure can be made 
to apply equally to every species, since na- 
ture lias even diversified the forms ot the in- 
dividuals which compose it. It each species 
has its own stvle of beauty ; it even each 
individual has its peculiar beauty ; it it is not 
possible to find two horses that perfectly re- 
semble each other; we cannot pretend to as- 
sign any one form preferably to another as 
the rule of beauty for the horse. \\ ere per- 
sons the best qualified to endeavour to col- 
lect together the different beauties dispersed 
among the different individuals, they might 
indeed compose a model ot each species suili- 
ciently perfect to direct the painter or the 
statuary, but would deceive any one who 
would venture to choose a horse by it for his 
ow n use. The following observations do not 
take for their object those forms which please 
the eye at the flrst glance ; that appearance 
which vulgarly passes for handsome ; hut that 
mechanical construction of the animal, from 
which result the possibility and extent of 
those motions by the means of which he is 
enabled to transport himself from one place 
to another with greater or less speed ; and 
consequently a horse may appear ugly to a 
vulgar eye, and be still well proportioned. 
Eclipse was never esteemed handsome ; yet 
he was swift, and the mechanism of his frame 
almost perfect. Whoever compares his pro- 
portions with those in the table above-men- 
tioned, will discover the following differ- 
ences : 
“1. In that table the horse should mea- 
sure three heads in height, counting from the 
foretop to the ground. Eclipse measured 
upw ards of three heads and a half. 
“ 2 . The neck should measure but one 
head in length : that of Eclipse measured a 
head and a half. 
“ 3 . The height of the body should be 
equal to its length : the height of Eclipse ex- 
ceeded his length by about one-tenth. 
“ 4. A perpendicular line falling from the 
stifle- should touch the toe: this line in 
Eclipse touched the ground at the distance 
of half a head before the toe. 
“ 5. The distance from the elbow to the 
bend of the knee should be the same as from 
the bend of the knee to the ground : these 
two distances were unequal in Eclipse, the 
former being two parts of a head longei than 
the latter. 
“ This summary comparison shews that 
the beauty of a horse cannot be absolutely 
determined by general rules, but must ever 
be in relation to- a particular species.” 
Mons. Sainbe! farther informs us, that 
01 .*5 
have given the usual enumerations; in ge- 
neral, however, it seems agreed, that the co- 
lour is one of the least important attributes ; 
according to the well-known doctrine,- now 
passed into a proverb, that a good horse is 
never of a bad colour. The antients appear 
to have had a predilection tor w hite horses, 
which were used to draw the cars qt emperors 
and conquerors in public processions. I he 
poets also represent the steeds ol many qt 
their heroes as of a snow-w hite colour. It is 
remarkable, however, that "Virgil, though 
“ on the 25th of February, 1789, Eclipse was 
seized with a violent cholic, lhe remedies 
acknowledged as most proper in that case 
were administered, but without effect. He 
expired on the 27th, at seven o’clock in the 
evening, in the 26th year of his age. 
In Mons. Sonnini’s edition of Bulfon may 
be found an exact enumeration of all the dif- 
ferent colours of which horses are seen, 
with their several shades and names. On 
this subject also Gesner and Aldrovaridus 
the Eneitl he represents the horses of 
mis as white, yet in his Georgies condemns 
that colour. In reality, however, as the 
learned Dr. Marty n has well observed, this 
implies no contradiction ; since Virgil might 
be supposed to admire the beauty oi a while 
steed, though he could not commend the co- 
lour in a breed or stock. But no country nas 
produced a breed ot horses equal in size and. 
strength to the larger kind oi our draught- 
horses. The cavalry of England is, iiq ge- 
neral, formed of this class ot horses, i lie 
fens of Lincolnshire generally produce a 
larger breed than any other part ot the king- 
dom. See Plate Nat- Ilist. tig. 1 84. In our 
own country there seem to be no breeds of 
horses naturally ot a perfect white ; those 
which are so termed having been first grey* 
changed through age to whiteness/ 
The most beautiful general colour seems- 
to be bright bay, which gives an air of pecu- 
liar neatness and elegance to the animal. 
Black horses are commonly of large size, and 
in this country are clnetly used for the cart 
and the plough. In some countries horses 
are not the less esteemed for being variegated 
or piebald, as it is commonly termed, lhis 
is said to be the case in China. 
Mr. Bruce informs us, that the horses of 
Nubia are of unparalleled beauty ; tar supe- 
rior, in his opinion, even to those of Arabia. 
He observes, however, that from the manner 
in which they are ted they are apt to become 
too fat or corpulent. 
In some parts of India is found a remark- 
ably diminutive race of horses, scarcely < x>- 
cee’ding the size of a large dog. Small breeds 
or horses also occur in some of the northern 
parts of the world. 
2. Equus hemionus, or jicta. This is a 
species, the knowledge of which seems to have 
lain dormant almost since the days’ of Aristo- 
tle, till it was revived by the observations of 
Dr. Fallas, who describes it under the title of 
equus hemionus, supposing it to be the lie- 
mionos of Aristotle. It is a native of the wild 
or desert regions between the rivers Onon 
and Argun, in the most southern parts ot Si- 
beria ; and extends over the vast plains and 
deserts of Tartary, as well as that of Gobi, 
which reaches even to India. In I artary it 
is said to be most frequent about the salt 
lake called Taricnoor, which is at times dried 
up. It shuns wooded and mountainous re- 
gions, and is. said to live in small herds of 
about twenty each. Its general manners are 
those of the common wild horse; but its 
swiftness is still greater, surpassing even that 
of the antelopes, and is proverbial m some of 
the regions it frequents ;. and the Thibetians 
11V, JL V. i ' J IV »» v. 7 
•epresent Chammo, their god of fire, mount- 
ed upon it. 
This animal has an appearance much re- 
sembling that of a common mule , having a, 
