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SOME ACCOUNT OF NEW SOUTH 
By Mr. W. J. ARKCOLE, Leek , Staffordshire. 
Sir, — Having seen in your January Number of The Veteri- 
narian an extract from a letter of Mr. Stewart, I have taken the 
liberty of sending a few lines relative to Sydney, & c., having ar- 
rived from that country about six months since. 
The generality of horses used there are of a lighter breed than 
what we have in England — heavy, coarse-legged animals not 
being fit for the colony, on account of the heat. They have a cross 
with the Arab, and a good roomy, bony, half-bred mare, the pro- 
duce of which is able to do a great deal of work upon rough keep. 
One thing is certain, the atmosphere of New South Wales is 
much more favourable to horse-flesh than England, having myself 
ridden a half-bred Arab fifty miles a-day for six days running, 
with nothing but grass inside of him, stopping a couple of hours 
at noon, and turning him loose where grass and water were plentiful. 
One circumstance I noticed while there, that stallions that had 
come from England, after being in the colony two or three years, 
became very vicious. As an instance of this, I may refer to the 
gentleman whose stud I was superintending. He bought a tho- 
rough-bred stallion that came from England about five years ago, 
having paid about £750 for him. On his arrival, a short time 
before I left, he got his groom down, and actually tore one of his 
testicles completely out — trowsers, shirt, and all coming away to- 
gether. The man got well, and was at work in less than six 
weeks afterwards. Another circumstance deserves notice : the 
colts being so wild, some of them running until they are five or 
six years old before they are broken, a great many of them are 
ruined in breaking. Even a great many of the mares that are 
kept only for breeding are covered without haltering. 
I have seen some fourteen or fifteen years old that have not had 
a halter on half a dozen times. Horses are at a very low ebb there 
at present, and they are now beginning to send them to India, 
which I believe answers their purpose very well. Cattle run in 
large herds, and breed very fast. The colonists are now boiling 
both cattle and sheep, and sending the tallow to England. Immense 
quantities of sheep are sacrificed in this way, the legs being salted 
and dried for mutton hams. The sheep are all put into paling 
yards, and watched every night, on account of the native dogs. 
The colony was, a short time ago, in a state of insolvency ; 
but things are now, I believe, coming round a little, as they are 
