405 
HORSE BREEDING IN FRANCE. 
of land*, a people will not be induced to breed horses to defend it, 
much less to help to sabre their neighbours, and thus those “ used 
in agriculture, and bred by agriculturists” in France have not de¬ 
teriorated. M. Richard you are, though not intentionally, leading 
your government, through the Academy of Science, to believe that 
by Arab stallions you will remount their cavalry : no such event 
can ever happen by this alone. After a series of years your 
government will be just in the same position, as regards its remount 
of cavalry, as now. 
That M. Richard is entitled to the thanks of that body I make 
no doubt, and that M. Duvernoy, and other gentlemen, members of 
the committee, are actuated by patriotism ; but in following this 
up, it is unnecessary to cast an undeserved stigma on the thorough¬ 
bred English race horse, because a difference of manners, customs, 
taste, and amusements in which the horse is concerned does not 
admit of our feeling alike on these subjects. 
I have never had the pleasure of travelling in France. I have 
seen, but cannot recollect French army horses of 1808 in Portugal. 
As I have not M. Richard’s paper, I am not aware upon what 
practical experience he has come to the conclusion stated, in regard 
to the superiority of Arabians to English horses as stallions for the 
improvement of the breed of horses in France ; nevertheless, I think 
there must be something erroneous giving rise to this opinion : for 
to whatever country English thorough-bred horses have been sent 
for this purpose, they have invariably been found, by practical ex¬ 
perience, to have supported their claim to superiority over Arabians 
as stallions : and, no doubt, it would have been the same in France, 
but for something wrong in the practice. I can only suppose what 
this may have been ; for instance, when stallions have been sent to 
India, America, Russia, or Germany, they have, in general, been 
thorough-bred, well chosen, by English agents; these consequently 
caused no disappointment; but, for France, thorough-bred, and 
blood horses not thorough-bred, have been purchased by French 
agents, and these having been used as stallions, these, and these 
only, have failed in breeding studs, and M. Richards has thus not 
given the thorough-bred English horse a true character. The 
Arabian horses used in France may have been presents to the 
French government from Arab chiefs, and were most likely of high 
caste, at least of higher caste than the English blood horses, not 
thorough-bred used as stallions, and thus has happened the apparent 
superiority in the breeding studs of France. 
Besides, there is another thing : individuality is to be considered. 
* The Ukraine was bestowed on the Cozaks, and see the consequences of 
this military system of horse breeding in the history of Poland, 1654. 
Also the Mamalukes, the Mahrattas, Pindaries Sieks. 
VOL. XXII. 3 H 
