278 
VISIT TO THE NORTH-EAST OE EUROPE. 
It was now the turn of the other two vehicles, drawn by thorough- 
breds. Owing to the fall of one of his horses. Prince Tcherkassky 
had to relinquish the contest. Meanwhile, M. Lanskoi’s team had 
shot a-head in fine style ; and when they had passed the twentieth 
verst his horses, as if only just breathed, burst into still freer pace, 
and traversed the rest of the run, hardly seeming to touch the 
ground, and coming to the winning-post in fifty-three minutes fifty- 
nine seconds; so that they beat those of M. Smaguine by five 
minutes and thirty-one seconds. 
Often, previously, M. Lanskoi’s horses had run in saddle races, 
but always without success; therefore they must be regarded as 
horses of average quality. The test which they have in this 
instance so successfully undergone only seems to indicate that the 
best horses of the mixed breed cannot compete with true thorough- 
breds in any labours requiring a combination of activity, muscular 
strength, and wind. The case in point will no doubt prove in- 
structive to breeders. So far the Gazette. Arrangements of a 
practical tendency are made for encouraging these evidences, 
among the Russians, of the great attention they are giving to the 
improvement of their horses. But to ascend from particulars to 
generals: it will, doubtless, be interesting, not only to your sport- 
ing and military, but to your mercantile and politico-economical 
readers, if I now add a few details of the administrative labours 
of the Imperial Government in this field of important interests; 
material rather than moral interests indeed, but not to be neglected 
by any wise ruler of a civilised nation. 
As the circumstances I have related concerning the little event 
at Moscow are derived from the Russe Gazette of the Academy, 
so the details I am about to offer will be condensed from another 
Russian journal, which is published in the French language, and 
which is a work of unpretending interest and instructiveness, — the 
Journal des Haras et de la Chasse. 
First, with respect to the establishments destined for the breed 
of horses, there are seven crown studs; two in the Yoronega Go- 
vernment (Khrenoff and Tchesme); four in the Government of 
Kharkoffi (Belo vod) ; and one in that of Nizni-Novgorod (Potchinki). 
The first two are for the breed of horses of superior blood, so that 
the stud of Tchesme contains race-horses exclusively — that of 
Khrenoff saddle-horses and roadsters ( trotteurs ). The other esta- 
blishments produce ordinary horses only, whether for riding or 
draught. 
On the 1st of January, 1848, there were 4767 horses in these 
crown studs — on the same day last year 4837 ; making an in- 
crease of 70 in the twelvemonth. During the year in question the 
horses sold amounted in number to 684; of which 595 were the 
offspring of these studs, and 89 reconditioned from the country 
