562 
PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE. 
take £7,000 a year in the tax levied on race-horses. Why put an addi¬ 
tional tax on race-horses ? Why not let them pay the exact tax that 
other horses pay ? If this is done, owners of race-horses don’t want the 
Queen’s plates. (Hear, hear.) There is no class of people who enter 
more into the free-trade spirit than racing men. We have not sought to 
shut out foreign horses. We have always upheld free trade for the turf; 
we have challenged foreign horses to come over here and compete with 
ours; and we have even given them weight because it was thought that 
they hardly stood upon equal terms with English horses. (Hear, hear.) 
It is true that in France at present they have better horses than they 
used to have, but these horses are every one of them of English bloods. 
There is not a single country abroad where country-bred horses run— 
all of them are English bred, and buyers come to England for them. 
(Hear.) I can only say again that I think the hon. member is quite 
wrong in holding that our breed of horses has deteriorated, and is still 
more at fault in the manner in which he seeks to rectify this supposed 
deterioration—that is to say, by doing away with Queen’s Plates, the only 
races left for old horses to run in. (Hear, hear.) If the Government 
have determined to reconsider the question of weights and distances, I 
only hope that they will consult those who are the best judges of what is 
likely to promote the interests of racing. I should not have ventured to 
express these opinions if I had any interest in the question ; but as I no 
longer own a horse of any description, I have no personal interest in the 
matter whatever, except what arises from my great desire to assist in any 
measure that may improve the breed of English horses. (Hear, hear.) 
Mr. Gregory was also of opinion that the breed of horses in this 
country had not deteriorated, and that it would not be wise to adopt the 
recommendation of the hon. member. But he wished to call attention 
to the manner in which Queen’s Plates were distributed in his own 
country. At present fifteen Queen’s Plates were run for in Ireland, and 
out of these eleven were run for at the Curragh, the result of which was 
that one horse came over for a week or so and swept away nearly all of 
them. He proposed that three or four of the Queen’s Plates should be 
run for in the provinces. That would be one means of keeping old 
horses in the country. 
Mr. Foljcimbe called attention to the large export of mares which had 
taken place during the last twenty or thirty years, and which was still 
going on. It would be very desirable if some means could be devised 
for putting a stop to this export, consistently with justice to the breeders 
and with the principles of free-trade. 
Viscount Palmerston .—I entirely agree with my hon. and gallant friend 
opposite, and differ from those who contend that the breed of English 
horses has deteriorated. I believe, on the contrary, that the horses bred 
in this country are better as to size, substance, and endurance, than they 
ever were. Any man going into a racing stable, and seeing their size, 
their bone, and substance, must ask himself what he could wish to have 
better in the shape of a four-legged animal. (“ Hear,” and a laugh.) 
The fact is that greater pains are taken now than used to be taken 
formerly to force on the young horse, and bring him to greater size at 
two years old than used to be the case. There is one very good test. If 
the breed were deteriorated, foreigners would not come to England to 
buy English horses. But the complaint is that more and more persons 
come every year from different parts of the Continent to buy English 
horses; and I say that is a proof that the English horse is a good one. 
(Hear, hear.) The other day I had a deputation from gentlemen con¬ 
nected with the Royal Agricultural Society of Ireland, complaining of 
