ways three out each day for his own riding. Young Raven (son to the huntsman) rode one of them, and the other was ridden by a groom, both good horsemen, and riding in his Lordship's stirruplengths. One of them was always close to him, so that the moment he perceived symptoms of distress, he jumped upon the second horse. The third was kept at a proper distance, going easily to himself, till an opportunity presented itself of getting up to his Lordship, in case he also should be wanting. Lord Sefton had one of the best grooms that England could produce. His name was Potter. His horses were always high in flesh, but strong in work, which is the perfection (if not the sine qua non) of condition for horses that carry high weights. Good flesh is strength. His Lordship had a quick eye to hounds, and his nerves were very good, though he avoided timber if possible. Considering his weight, however, he went brilliantly over a country.

With all these advantages, it is generally believed that he found himself unable to get horses that could carry him up to his hounds when they went their best pace, and for that reason he gave them up, and took to the road; where his merits are too well known to require any observations from me, he being allowed to be one of the steadiest and most masterly coachmen in England.

When Lord Sefton retired from the sporting world, it lost one of its brightest stars. The splendour of his establishment gave to spectators more the idea of an imperial hunting party in a foreign country, than that of an English pack of fox-hounds. It brought to our recollection Dido's hunting

party to the godlike Æneas. If the covert was accessible to a carriage, he always appeared in his barouche and four, accompanied by several others; and ladies were often of the party, though they never quitted the carriages. His hounds were perfect, and well might they be so. The celebrated John Raven hunted one pack; and the no less celebrated Stephen Goodall (afterwards many years huntsman to Sir Thomas Mostyn), hunted the other, both pupils of Mr. Meynell's.

Mr. Beckford observes, that were he obliged to have either a good huntsman and a bad whipperin, or a bad huntsman and a good whipper-in, he should decidedly prefer the latter. Of what importance then must he have considered a good whipper-in; and what advantages must Lord Sefton's hounds have possessed in having two such whippers-in as Joe Harrison and Tom Wingfield, besides other assistance; for a feeder was always out well mounted, as also Young Raven, on one of Lord Sefton's spare horses, both ready to act when wanting.

66

The command which these hounds were in, could only be compared to that of a regiment on parade. A whip was scarcely ever used; and as far as a yo-go-it" could be heard, nothing more was wanting to bring them back. A horn also was scarcely ever heard to sound. I was particularly struck with the latter circumstance, having never heard it for six days in succession; and it was only had recourse to on the seventh, in consequence of Stephen Goodall, whose voice was never strong, giving a blow for a hound, called

nected with the nature of the country, for we all know that in wood lands a horn is as necessary as a hound.

Exclusive of the old Melton Club (at this time very well attended), Lord Foley, Sir Henry Peyton, and Sir Stephen Glynn, had a house between them at Quorn. They all rode well to hounds; and I believe it was then that Sir Henry took a leap, which was recorded in the Sporting Magazine. Lord Foley has now retired from the field. Sir Stephen Glynn is, unfortunately, no more; but Sir Henry Peyton goes as well as ever he did with Sir Thomas Mostyn's and the Duke of Grafton's hounds, residing at Tusmore Park, in Oxfordshire, where, on the road, as well as in the field, he is, and I hope will long continue, a leading character.

(To be continued.)

For the Sporting Magazine. MANUEL DES HARAS. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH.

(Continued from p. 128, Vol. IX.)

ALTHOUGH the genuine Norman breed, as it appears by the foregoing statements, may be supposed entirely lost in the horse or male, for causes which would certainly puzzle the most profound veterinary scholar, yet it does not follow that it is utterly impossible to retrieve it, and bring it back to its pristine worth. The original stamen, the vis naturalis et insita, remains still in its full force in the womb of the indigenous mare. There it ought to be sought for, cultivated, and cherished, since other females, covered by the most vigorous Norman stallions, have

never answered the purpose. English mares, the best fitted to ensure success, might perhaps change, but certainly not improve the breed, The result would consist of, not native, but merely denizen subjects.

The Arabs, much more ancient in the art of horse-breeding than the English, and even the Spaniards, who followed their steps, never used foreign mares to people their studs. Let us adhere to their example, and we shall soon be obliged to confess that the only means to be adopted, and undoubt edly the best, is to submit indigenous mares to French and other stallions, observing always most carefully the laws of mutual congruity in point of form, age, and destination; for, as even and odd numbers united, viz. 3 and 2, 4--5, &c. can never produce an even one, thus the result of uneven copulations can never be even, good, and fair. By this sort of experiment, we shall be able to judge which of these stallions nature has stamped for an improving match. We are not unaware that such experiments have been already made, with little or no success, but are we certain that they were attended with all the care and nicety required in such cases? Must we sit down in sad compunction, with the desponding idea that we cannot do better? No. Let us consider that Normandy is the best spot in France where we can try to restore an indigenous breed of useful horses. But in the beginning, we must select with the greatest care and discernment, the subjects which have preserved the original type in the least adulterated shape, and distinguish, in the same manner, and with the same intention, the mares belonging to the draught, from those which are to be covered by

stallions of much nobler blood. Out of one hundred brood mares properly matched, we may obtain every year forty or fifty fillies, which, with their offspring of the same sex, might be set apart for the exclusive duty of re-production, until we possess a number sufficient to allow us to part with some of them in the way of trade. Hence we may draw this conclusion, that the exportation of our approved and indigenous mares should be rigorously forbidden, whereas the exportation of stallions might, without any inconvenience, be permitted. For, as long as we retain our pure and unadulterated blood in the females, the males will never be deficient. The consequence will be, that strictly following this plan, we shall soon find the purchase of English stallions needless, and that our ameliorated races of horses will become, in all points, as good as those of England.

A Norman stallion, possessed of the best qualities, by covering a good Norman mare, will, we must confess, add but little towards the farther improvement of the breed, for he will only contribute to keep it in its purity. But, by a proper selection of these ameliorated males, we cannot fail attaining a very interesting advantage, namely, that of keeping up our studs, as the English do, without foreign assistance.

The Arabian breed itself, as is most natural to suppose, had but very weak and unpromising beginnings. Perseverance, the mother of ultimate success, brought it, however, for many centuries, to a degree of perfection, further than which it appears nearly impossible to advance. Faithful, and also persevering imitators of the Arabs, the English have obtained the same

object. Let us imitate them both, and we must ascend to their level.

In the mean time, we must set down as a principle, that no horse can be called a true Norman horse unless he is the product of a Norman mare, whether she had been impregnated by an Arabian, English, or Danish stallion; and consequently the female alone constitutes the breed. Less than ten years' experiment will fully enable us to emerge from that chaos of doubts and uncertainties, in the midst of which we can hardly point out the origin of one of the best horses which we possess at this moment.

We have been long deceived; let us give a sharp look-out concerning the breeds from which we may borrow the seeds of re-productions; and let us not forget that too often, when races appear to have attained the acmé of perfection, they begin suddenly to degenerate; a circumstance which may be easily ascertained by the notable inferiority of their offspring. Let us not be blinded by eagerness, enthusiasm, or the prospective idea of gain, as we have been hitherto-especially for these forty or fifty years, that English horse dealers have deluged us, and infected our studs with subjects so unworthy that, since, it was a common opinion that the whole English breed should be altogether proscribed, which would have certainly been running blindly and foolishly into the contrary excess. Dum stulti vitant vitia in contraria currunt. (HOR. A. P.)

If we consider impartially the relations of external conformation, which evidently exist between the handsome well-proportioned Norman mare, and the beautiful English stallion, it will not be an 66 error of