THE PROGRESS OF THE TURF IN FRANCE. 497 
Properly confined at first to horses of this description, the influ- 
ence of the society on the character of the agricultural horse, and 
on horses of every description in France, will not be long in deve- 
loping itself. The horse that is to be improved must be originally 
of French origin ; but the improver may be native or imported 
from any part of the world ; and, to the credit of the British horse, 
it is, in the great majority of cases, obtained from England. 
One thing more was wanting — a public register of the names, 
and breed, and achievements of these horses as a protection from 
the false pretences of impostors. That also has been obtained. 
We will quote from the French Journal, “ Le Temps,” of the 
11th of July last: — 
“ The Stu ds— Race-horses . — A few days ago the Minister of 
Commerce deposited at the bureau of the studs and of public 
instruction, at the Prefecture of the Seine, a book containing 
the genealogy of the race-horses at present existing in the dif- 
ferent studs of France, and destined for the re-production of the 
breed. It is entitled * The Stud-book ,’ and has been drawn up 
by a commission composed of the Duke Decazes, the Marquises 
de Marmier and de Pange, the Counts de Flahaute, d'Harcourt, 
Henri Lacase, Cambis, and de Montendre, and General Tourton. 
Never was so noble a commission formed to search out and to 
establish the genealogy of the thorough-bred horse. 
“ It contains transcripts of the birth and genealogy of 185 stal- 
lions of the English breed, and 179 breeding mares of the same 
race. There are also 156 stallions and 25 mares of Eastern 
blood. When this work shall have undergone the sanction of a 
public scrutiny, it will become the true golden-book of French 
chivalry ; for it is certain that many a horse born in foreign 
countries and of base origin, has, through inadvertence or knavery, 
been entered on the noble list of true French blood-horses.” 
The editors of the “ Journal des Haras,” whose number for Au- 
gust now lies before us, finds grievous fault with this book, on 
account of the inaccuracies which it contains. Some few he has 
proved. But the grand fault, in his estimation, seems to be, that 
the redacteurs of this book have gone a great deal too far back, 
and especially in the list of animals of oriental blood. They 
